Chapter 29: Determination

The door slammed shut behind the two skeletons. Their bed sheets in their hands, they turned around to inspect their new living space, wary. They were in a gigantic bedroom with pale green walls. Two beds had been set on each side of the room. A stuffed animal waited on each of them. In the middle, a colorful carpet was invaded with numerous toys. On their left, a cupboard was open, showing lots of sweets and some cardboard games, next to an open door leading to the biggest bathroom they had ever seen.

If it wasn't for the ugly black bars blocking the three big windows, they would almost feel at home.

Papyrus put down his bed sheets and sat in front of the toys in the middle of the room. A multicolor puzzle cube immediately caught his attention. He claimed ownership of it in seconds, like hypnotized.

Sans sighed, then decided to prepare the beds. He didn't need to test the walls or the impressive library to know he wouldn't find an exit. It was a prison disguised to gain their trust, nothing more. He looked at the toys disdainfully before lying on the right bed and facing the wall, tired. He missed home already. If he still had a place he could call it like that.

"Sans?" Papyrus called. "Are you alright?"

His big brother didn't answer, but soon noticed an added weight on the mattress. Papyrus dragged himself on the bed with difficulty, then stepped over his brother to join him near the wall. The small skeleton crawled to squeeze himself between his brother's arms. Sans rolled his eyes and scooted over to leave him some space.

"They look nice so far, don't you think? At least they didn't try to kill us yet. Maybe things won't be so bad after all?"

"Oh, Papyrus…" Sans sighed, defeated. "They're not nice. They're trying to show us they care hoping it will be enough for us to listen to them. Don't trust them, they really don't deserve it. Believe me."

"But if we're nice with them, maybe they won't turn bad?" The small skeleton insisted, hopeful. "Maybe we can change their mind and then everything will be fine."

Sans hesitated, then nodded to please him. Papyrus didn't need more alarmist warnings, he needed comfort. He was pretty sure the small skeleton didn't believe a word he said anyway. Sometimes, lying was a better protection than the truth.

"It can't be worse than with Dad anyway, right?" Papyrus whispered.

Sans didn't answer that. Papyrus was still too young to notice the sweet tone hunters used to lure young foxes before breaking their necks. He couldn't explain it to him. Not now. Because Sans was lying to himself as well, still hoping some miracle was going to save this from this hell. He hoped the reality wouldn't catch them too soon. The fall would be hard, maybe harder than what Gaster did to them.

Noticing his brother was not in the mood to talk, Papyrus kept quiet. He picked up the cube he brought with him before joining Sans, then played silently with it. Not ten minutes later, Papyrus fell asleep holding his new toy close to his soul. Sans watched over him for a bit, then gave up as well to snooze as well. The humans weren't hostile yet, he better save his energy for what would come next.

He held Papyrus close and let his mind wander.

A warm light brightened a corridor. Sans couldn't see where it ended, it seemed to continue forever. Lost, the small skeleton turned a few times on himself, wondering where he was. He froze. It wasn't the first time he dreamt of that. Since what happened to Charlie, it kept happening. Somehow, when he woke up, he kept forgetting about it as well. He only remembered once being dragged back to this weird place.

Was it in his mind? A place he visited before? He didn't know.

He walked to find an exit but, as usual, the walls kept stretching, forbidding him a way out of this.

Footsteps echoed nearby. Sans jumped, surprised. He was pretty sure he had never seen someone in this dream before. Fearful, he looked around for a place to hide. One of the big pillars would do. He ran behind a marble column and crouched. He could still see what was going on but hidden well enough to not be seen.

A figure showed up. A skeleton, like him, wearing a blue jacket. A strong odor of tomato sauce floated behind him, persisting. The monster looked exhausted, angry as well. Sans took a long time to recognize him because of how different he looked. But there was no doubt.

It was him. Older. Sadder. Angrier. Even more than Sans was already.

He hesitated, then slowly moved out of the shadows to join his double. The other Sans jumped slightly, clearly not expecting any visitor.

"What are you…"

The other Sans sighed and looked away.

"Kiddo, you need to leave. This is not your time yet and, trust me, you're too young to understand what is about to happen. You need to wake up."

The small skeleton wanted to obey, but his eyes caught a glimmer of red in the older monster's pocket. He froze.

"Is that Papyrus' scarf? Is Papyrus alright?"

The other Sans didn't answer and looked away. The younger skeleton felt his soul beat faster. It was just a dream. Papyrus, his Papyrus couldn't join it, right? He was still sleeping in bed; he had no reason to be here.

As he was questioning the matter, a human child appeared at the end of the corridor. They had bright red eyes. Sans froze. Their face was a weird amalgamation of past and present… Or past and future. They looked like Charlie. But they looked like another child as well. He couldn't explain it.

Uneasy, he searched his older self's eyes for comfort. The skeleton put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him behind him.

"You need to go now." Older Sans insisted. "You don't have to see this. Not now."

"Why not?" The human child said. Their voice fluctuated as the two had combined. Sans shivered. The child sounded like Charlie. "For someone who gave up on everything, you seem to awfully care too much, Sans. Maybe the jokester is not what he looks like after all, am I right?"

"Who are you?" asked the small skeleton, nervous.

"Don't talk to them, kiddo. Ignore them."

But the human disagreed. They suddenly lunged towards them. Sans' eye turned blue as he threw himself on the floor to avoid the attack. The other Sans disappeared to dodge, but consequently, Sans ended eyes in eyes with the human amalgamate who stopped right next to him. Their face glitched horribly, flashing both Charlie's and the stranger's faces. They smiled, before pointing a shiny knife his way.

Sans gasped before his soul turned blue. The other Sans dragged him across the room with his magic. The child didn't give up and attacked again. This time, the other Sans used his body to protect him. The knife sliced through him with a sickening sound the small skeleton was sure he could never forget. His older self fell on his knees, panting, a hand on his chest.

His own voice echoed all around him, reverberated.

"So… Guess that's it, huh? Just… Don't say I didn't warn you."

The older Sans stood up and walked closer to the wall Sans was waiting nearby. The human ignored them and walked past them, disappearing at the end of the long corridor. Sans ran to his older self and tried to heal them with his weak magic, tearing up in panic.

Sans gently put a hand over his to stop him.

"Sorry kiddo, that won't work. A hit is all it takes, remember? And anyway…" He sat down, panting. "You have better things to do. That wouldn't be fair. Go back to your Papyrus."

"But… I… There must be something to do!"

"Ah… Believe me, if there was, I wouldn't be there. How old are you? Ten? Less? Don't sweat it, you don't need to think about this. You won't remember any of this anyway, so… Focus on saving your brother, alright? Save Papyrus. You'll be fine. I know it, I'm you. You don't need to make old bones here… Eh."

He grimaces, then coughed a bit of dust.

"Welp. I'm going to Grillby's. Pa… Papyrus, do you want anything?"

And, like this, his body disappeared in a dust cloud. Sans kept silent for long minutes, pensive. If it had to end like this, what was even the point?

"Sans! Sans, wake up now, you're scaring me!" Papyrus cried, distressed.

The skeleton struggled to surface, the mind foggy. He pushed on his elbows to sit down. He was covered in sweat and completely disoriented. Blue translucent bones were embedded inside the wall in front of him. Lost, he took a few seconds to calm down the compulsive beating of his soul and grabbed a hold of reality. No wonder why he felt so exhausted. He managed to produce magic despite the collar preventing him from doing so. His magic level was so low he felt dizzy.

He lost control during one of his nightmares. It wasn't the first time it happened. Usually, Papyrus wasn't there to witness the damages they caused. His magic reacted more strongly than usual, however. It must have been a rough one.

He took some deep breaths before turning to his little brother. Still tearing up, Papyrus looked as agitated as he was. Sans extended his arms to hug him. His brother hesitated for a second, before reciprocating the gesture.

"It's alright, sorry I scared you."

"I don't care. But… But don't do it again, please. I couldn't wake you up and then you were screaming, and I thought for a moment that… Don't do it again."

"I won't do it again."

Someone knocked at the door. Sans' body tensed. He gently pushed his brother behind him as the door opened on two women wearing red and black dresses. They were carrying laundry baskets. The youngest one grimaced when she noticed them, hiding in the corner of the bed. She had a harsh expression that immediately made Sans distrust her. The other one was way older, not as much as Gerson, that old turtle that survived almost every battle against the humans, but close enough. She looked way gentler, smiling patiently at them the same way Toriel did. The Queen was not that old though. At least he thought so. All adults looked similar.

"Our Majesty send us… disinfect you two." The younger one said with a disgusted tone. "You will eat with our Graciousness tonight, and he would like to avoid falling sick because of the diseases you're carrying."

"Don't listen this harpy." The oldest woman hissed to her. "We do not wish any harm to you; we will simply help you to clean and dress for the dinner. Abigail, they're just children. Show some empathy."

"They're monsters." Abigail answered dryly.

The old lady approached them. Papyrus shyly looked her way, holding his brother close. Sans glanced at the aggressive one. They were two on each side and there was no way he let Papyrus in her hands. He picked his brother and gently pushed him towards the old smiling lady, trying to encourage him. Unsure, Papyrus ended up trusting him and picked her hand before following her to the bathroom.

Eyes in eyes with the younger woman, Sans tensed. He had a feeling his own bath wouldn't go that well. As she moved with the clear intention to grab his arm, Sans growled at her. Unfortunately, he didn't fully recover from his nightmare and didn't find the force to resist as, unimpressed, she dragged him along towards the door.

The bathroom had two showers. The first one was occupied by Papyrus, who seemed to have fun as Sans could clearly hear him laugh. It warmed his heart a little.

The woman threw him in the shower stall. Sans barely managed to avoid crashing into the wall. Without wasting any time, the woman pulled his dad's lab dress up, revealing his naked body. Very uncomfortable and vulnerable, Sans used his arms to hide at least his soul from view.

Freezing water flowed freely, making him jump in surprise. Instinctively, he tried to get away, but her torturer forced him under the shower head again, squeezing his arm so he stopped moving. She grabbed a scratchy brush that she used to scrub his bones harshly, sometimes with brute force when he threatened to move, just to hurt him. Sans didn't resist, paralyzed with shock.

Not five minutes later, she dragged him out again. She dried him, more or less, before forcing him into a ridiculous too tight smoking that stuck to his bones because he was still wet. She got rid of his anti-magic collar and replaced it with a bracelet, more discreet, that had the same function. Before he had the time to breathe, she cleaned all the stuff she used and left the room, abandoning him in the middle of the bathroom.

Not sure what he was supposed to do, Sans decided to wait for his little brother, still in the shower.

Papyrus came out a few minutes later, smiling and actually covered with his towel, in the arms of the lady who took care of him. He smelled like roses, literally. She gently put him down and dried him gently, before showing him his his suit for the evening, similar to the one Sans was wearing. She tied a cute red bowtie around his neck, before replacing his collar with the bracelet, clearly against her will, annoyed. Her expression was a lot like Toriel's. Sans hoped she would take care of them often. Maybe with some talking, he would be able to make her help them.

"Oh, Abigail didn't do her job correctly." She said, looking at him.

She grabbed a blue bowtie and got close. Sans flinched when her hand got close. She stopped immediately, waiting for his consent. He nodded shyly and let her tie it.

"Thanks for not… hurting him." Sans muttered, pointing to Papyrus behind, who was admiring himself in the mirror.

"Oh, it's nothing. I worked at Asgore's service for a long time, you know. What happened between our people is tragic, but I refuse to let you think all humans are immoral animals. I know your soul is made of compassion, well, mine is too." She said, smiling warmly.

"What's your name?"

"I am Helene. I am the one who is going to take care of your needs during your stay here. You can call me whenever you need it, by pulling on that big cord near your brother's bed."

Sans noticed the big red cord when he arrived and wondered what it was for. He had an answer now.

"His name is Papyrus. And I'm Sans." He introduced himself.

"Papyrus…" She repeated. "It's a nice name." She approved, tickling the small skeleton who chuckled. "Well, I will lead you to the Emperor for dinner. Don't worry too much. He can be cold, but he's not that bad as long as you are honest with him."

Sans grimaced. He didn't want to go, but it was not like he could choose. They followed Helene outside the room.

The skeleton immediately scanned his surroundings. No guards were escorting them. If he attacked the old lady, he could try to run away. But where to go from there? He didn't know the castle yet, maybe he wouldn't even reach the end of the corridor before a guard shot him down. It was too risky. He would have to gain her trust to have more information.

The upstairs corridor looked a lot like the one leading to the throne room: long, rich, red and with a lot of paintings on the walls. No family portraits this time, but battle scenes. In the first ones, humans and monsters fought together against some mythic creatures. But the more they walked, the tenser the scenes got. The last one showed the Emperor, posing triumphally, a foot on Asgore's dead body, the face pierced with arrows. Sans shivered. The humans were sure they were going to succeed but he doubted it would end this way. Monsters couldn't lose Asgore. If Asgore died, none of them would survive. They weren't many enough to organize under the orders of another leader. Gaster would maybe do for some time, but he was way too authoritative to not explode and sacrifice his people at the first problem. And anyway, since he had no problem selling monsters to the enemy, there was a high chance his people would turn against him. He smiled at the thought. Catharsis.

At the end of the corridor, they took the stairs leading to the main hall. Instead of going left to the throne room, they went on the right side. Another corridor. More paintings. The decoration was a deplorable monotony.

Helene walked them in front of a big door with golden linings. Two guards blocked the entrance, glancing their way warily. Sans couldn't help but think all soldiers looked similar, humans or monsters. They were all nervous, cold and distant from everything. Well… He was nervous, cold and distant from everything as well, actually. "He's not a child anymore, Toriel. He's a weapon", his father said to the Queen. Sans clenched his fists. Maybe if his father didn't push him to his very limits, he wouldn't have to act like a soldier.

"I won't be able to come further with you." The old lady apologized. "I'll be there to lead you back to your room after dinner. Have a nice evening and… Stay strong."

She smiled gently before leaving them with the guards. Her absence weighted the atmosphere immediately as the two soldiers grabbed their arms to push them inside the room without much consideration. The door slammed close behind them.

Papyrus immediately took his brother's hand, scared. The room was even bigger than the throne room. Huge stained decorated glasses represented some parts of humans and monsters' history once again, tinting the huge table in the middle with colorful spots of light. There was nothing else, except the kitchens in another corner.

The Emperor was already sitting at the table with his wife and a baby, in a high chair next to her.

"Come, children." The man said with a loud and welcoming voice. "Don't be afraid."

Sans let out a small sigh and walked to him. Two plates had been set on the opposite side of the table, right in front of the monarch. The two skeletons sat together in silence, scared to meet his eyes. Under the table, Papyrus was still clenching his brother's hand.

The Emperor stared them down for a few seconds, then smiled.

"You don't need to be this anxious. You are not in any kind of anger and you are about to share a good meal with us." He changed the subject quickly, trying to get them to warm up. "I didn't introduce you to my charming spouse, Iris." He said, pointing to the lady with blond hair. "And this is our child, Chara."

Hearing their name, the baby babbled happily. The small human already had intense brown hair, similar to their dad. But what made Sans uncomfortable were their brilliant red eyes. He didn't know why, but looking too long at them gave him a weird sensation of déjà vu. But why?

"Amazing, right? Those red eyes. Chara is born with an extremely rare soul trait, determination. As you know, all humans grow up with one: patience, perseverance, bravery, justice, kindness, honesty or determination. That trait usually disappears after a few years, but for some humans, it grows stronger and helps them to develop magic skills. We called them mages. Our research showed that a child born with a determined soul trait will likely keep it all their life. Chara is promised a great future. But I speak too much, Gaster probably explained this to you already."

Was it why the child had red eyes? Sans knew determination was associated with his color. However, he had determination as well and his eye lights were a vibrant white.

"I can see you have questions." The Emperor said to him, smirking. "What are they?"

A few butlers interrupted them by putting down dishes in front of them. The skeleton's inexistent stomach growled with excitement. A huge piece of meat was circled with potatoes and vegetables. Sans forgot it was possible to eat that much since the beginning of the war. There was still a problem however, as there were five different types of forks and knives on each side of his plate and he had no idea which one he was supposed to use. Papyrus didn't have that problem. He picked up the meat with his hands and bit enthusiastically into it, struggling to stuff as many as he could inside his mouth. Amused, the Emperor stared for a few seconds, before asking a servant to cut his meat in morsels. Sans picked two random pieces of silverware and started to eat as well. The man stared at him curiously as he sucked the meat through his teeth.

"How… does it work? You are skeletons, you don't have any stomach."

"We transform solid food into energy!" Papyrus claimed, excited to know the answer.

"I see…"

Sans felt his wife was staring at him. He ignored her to focus on their previous conversation.

"Monsters also have magic traits." Sans said. "The same the humans have."

"You are right, but also not. Monsters are made of magic, so you develop magic skills independently of your trait. However, some superior types of monsters can use it to grow more powerful. Boss monsters. The royal couple, the royal guards, your father and by lineage you two have those traits. They are weaker than humans' traits because your magic traits are more precise than ours. Patience creates sincerity and humility, for example, honesty makes reliability, kindness can lead to compassion and clemency… But determination however stays the same, surprisingly. You two are specials for this reason."

Papyrus looked at his brother, then at the Emperor.

"Why?" He asked with a small voice.

"You don't know why? And you, Sans?"

Sans hesitated, but answered anyway.

"Monsters are not supposed to have determination as it's incompatible with our magic. We all have determination naturally because it's the base of our magic, but it's mixed with other traits. We are exceptions because Gaster "modified" us to support bigger doses of determination, almost like… Like humans. That's why we can do things a lot of monsters can't do. And that's why we're here."

"Exactly!" He congratulated him. "It seems you have a solid knowledge of science. This will make things easier. You see, if you are here, it is because we need the soul of a human and a monster to create a magic barrier strong enough to seal the monsters inside of Mount Ebott. We want to avoid mass genocide by offering your people our mercy. Our mages are powerful, but we need your help to ensure the spell will hold. In a first time, at least."

He picked up his glass and drank a bit of wine.

"In a second time, we want you two to be our ambassadors. Determination can mute like other soul traits in all monsters, but we made sure your people don't know that. It can make a rare and strong trait named hate, a violent magic, almost unstoppable. If Asgore keeps being a threat once all monsters are locked under the mountain, we will use it to solve the problem from the inside. Only mages will be able to come and go out of the Barrier, and if everything works as planned, you'll have this ability as well. I won't send my men down there, but you two could be a key for this project. Even though we don't have to use this dangerous mutation, you'll be used to give us access to information. Which leads us to what is going to happen in the next few days to come."

He leaned on the table, smiling wildly. Papyrus shivered and squeezed Sans' hand a little stronger. That man wasn't reliable, Sans immediately thought.

"First, we are going to test your abilities during simple tests that shouldn't be complicated. Then, we will work on your determination and the Barrier. Some experiments won't be pleasant, I am not going to lie to you, but it will be only temporary. Once you're ready, we'll seal the monsters underground in a few weeks. We will then work on your faculty to obey and react to orders, so we can send you to join your people without the risk of betrayal." He insisted on the last words, eyes in eyes with the older brother. "I would like to add that you are not prisoners in any way. We hope those anti-magic bracelets and your isolation in your room are temporary. If you behave, you will be free to go where you want in the castle, and maybe even outside, in the city. After all, you are the future of humans and monsters, we can't treat you like beasts. See that as… A token of our gratitude. In the long term, I would love a sustainable peace between our species. A future when one of you will rule your people, and Chara, mine."

Sans didn't answer. It wasn't an ideal future. Peace couldn't build on murders and manipulation. Added to that, the humans they saw when they entered the city were far from enthusiastic about their arrival.

They ended the dinner by talking about lighter subjects. The Emperor tried to know them better. If Papyrus slowly warmed up, Sans refused to give more than vague answers, wary.

He wouldn't let his guard down this easily. He wouldn't betray his people either. And most of all, there was no way he let this crowned dumbass transform his little brother into a political instrument.

He had an idea of what was going to happen next. He needed to show Toriel she was right to put faith in him to escape this place now.