Chapter 59
After Chara told Frisk his story - the truth about his past and all the awful things he had done or tried to do, he stepped outside to keep an eye open for Suzy. Not before, of course, verifying with Frisk that she was all right. Frisk nodded to tell Chara she was fine, but the truth was, she never knew if she would be fine again.
She thought very deeply of what Chara had confessed. His victims, based on what he said, were monsters who had Fallen Down or committed some sort of terrible crimes. Whatever crimes they were, Frisk didn't know, but it was clear Chara made a point to not kill anyone innocent. In a sense, he acted as an executioner, not a murderer. However, he clearly believed there was no difference between the two.
Chara had also mentioned two other humans. One a sick child, and another human Chara later clarified had been executed alongside him. That human was the one who killed Asriel after believing Asriel was responsible for the death of the child. Yet that was not the hardest part of Chara's story to digest.
What Frisk tried to wrap her head around was Chara had absorbed Asriel's soul and crossed the barrier. He was ready to wipe out the human village at the base of the mountain – the very same village in which Frisk was born. Had he not changed his mind . . .
Frisk shook her head. It would do her no good to dwell on it. All that mattered was Chara, ridden with guilt and shame, did not go through with his vengeful campaign. Not that Frisk believed Chara could have lived with himself if he did. The more Frisk knew the truth about Chara, the more she was convinced he really was a kinder soul than he believed himself to be.
He could have escaped. Chara had the power within him to cross the barrier, leave his past behind, and start a new life on the surface. Yet that wasn't the path he chose for himself. With a memorial bouquet for Asriel in his arms, Chara returned home. Instead of freedom, Chara chose to face the consequences of his own actions, leading to what he believed was a deserved death.
It was clear to Frisk that Chara was so much more than what met the eye. He held himself to such high standards, wanting to be worthy of the hope everyone had in him. Without admitting it to her, Frisk knew how much he desired to be worthy of the love his family had for him.
Chara, this boy who just days ago said that he loved her. . . .
It was unsure to Frisk whether it was to her relief or dismay she did not have the time to discover if she returned those feelings.
"Suzy's here," Chara said as he poked his head through the door. "She's about to walk through the entrance. Are you okay?"
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Frisk muttered, "As okay as I can be."
What she couldn't bring herself to think about was what Chara had said about using his soul to break the barrier. He already made it clear that he wished for her to destroy the locket when she broke the barrier. She supposed after further thought, he had realized the best way to guarantee that Frisk could break the barrier was his soul be the seventh and final soul necessary to complete the task.
Popping her head out of the bedroom, Frisk loudly whispered to call Suzy's name. Suzy heard her and walked towards the room. Once she was safely inside, Frisk closed the door.
"Huh." Suzy looked around the room. "If I had to guess, this is the princes' bedroom."
"You guessed correctly." Frisk fell back onto Chara's bed, her weight causing the frame to creak.
Clearly having no sense of privacy for the dead, Suzy began to look around. She checked drawers and closets. Frisk watched, unsure if she should discourage Suzy. Chara didn't seem too particularly concerned to have Suzy dig through his personal belongings. When Frisk considered how much Chara hid in his life, she figured Chara would have known better than to leave any damning evidence in his shared bedroom.
"Geez," Suzy muttered as she looked through a sock drawer, "really puts into perspective that these were real people."
"I don't think the whole Underground would have been divided over a legend?" Frisk, brows knit together, wasn't sure what to make of Suzy's comment.
"Yeah, I know, but . . ." Suzy scratched her chin. "You hear about people all the time, but until you see physical proof of their existence, it's easy to think of them no differently than characters in a story."
"I suppose you have a point," Frisk replied, looking at pictures of Asriel. Frisk knew nothing about the prince except he was Toriel's biological son and Chara's best friend and brother. It wasn't until she saw aspects of his personality within his room did she really start to think of him as someone who once lived and loved.
"Oh, here." Suzy dug in her bag and handed Frisk a couple packs of food rations and a large water bottle. "You must be hungry and thirsty."
Once Suzy said the words, Frisk realized that she was famished. Eating her food with gusto and downing the water, Frisk finally felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. It was good she started to feel like herself again, otherwise she would have been at a massive disadvantage against her fight with King Asgore.
"I'm sorry, about your friend," Suzy said slowly while Frisk ate and drank. "I, uhh . . . , that really sucks."
"Thank you, Suzy. That means a lot to me." Frisk meant the words. Suzy obviously wasn't good at comforting, but Frisk was touched that she tried anyway.
It wasn't long after Frisk finished regaining her strength that she suggest she and Suzy "just get it out of the way." Although facing King Asgore was perhaps the most important thing Frisk had ever done, it helped her to speak of it as if it was nothing more than an appointment at the dentist's office. Nobody was ever happy to go, but they were typically happy when it was over and done.
Chara frowned as Frisk got up in preparation to step outside of the safety of the room and confront the king. As hard as this was for her, it would be so much harder for him. Useless to do anything else, Chara would be forced to watch his own father and the girl he cared a great deal for fight, and this would be a fight that ultimately might lead to the death of one of its participants. Frisk anticipated dying a handful of times. She could only hope King Asgore would not insist on fighting to his own dying breath.
As they walked through the castle, Frisk was surprised at the lack of guards. She considered the possibility the reason there were none was because Undyne had been stationed at the castle, thus there would be no need for other soldiers. As for butlers and maids, Chara had long ago informed Frisk that the Dreemurr family only had one housekeeper back when Asriel and he were youths. When she retired from housekeeping when the princes were young adults, neither King Asgore nor Toriel thought it right to replace her after she had spent so long being a part of the family.
Soon, they entered a great hallway. Frisk could not stop her awe as she inspected the golden floor and walls, grand pillars that seemed to be covered with genuine gold, and windows with the same design Toriel wore on her wardrobe. These windows seemed to filter in actual sunlight.
"There are a few small holes in this part of the mountain," Chara explained as Frisk and Suzy walked down the hall. "When this castle was built, mirrors were attached to the top of the mountain to reflect the light and make New Home the city of sunshine. This is the only city in the Underground to have a day and night cycle, consequently. It's how monsters have been able to not lose track of time for over one hundred years. All the clocks are set to New Home's time."
As they walked further in, Frisk's breath caught in her throat when she saw a figure standing at the end, waiting for them. Suzy also noticed it and prepared to attack, but Frisk stopped her when she realized the figure was familiar.
"So, you finally made it," the figure said. "The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together . . . you will determine the fate of this world. That's then.
"Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you have earned. What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for 'execution points.' A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'level of violence.' A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. 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 could bring yourself to hurt others."
At this point, Frisk could not help but look at Chara. His posture was rigid. He probably knew a lot about this. Unable to stop herself, Frisk imagined a younger, living Chara at first being disgusted with himself for killing only to gradually convince himself the sacrifice was worth the price he paid on his soul. Chara had confessed he made his first kill when he was only fourteen years old – at an age that young, Frisk couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't Chara's own idea, but one that was suggested to the child.
Despite Chara telling Frisk his story, there were still some missing details.
"Now, you understand," the figure continued. "It's time to begin your judgement. Look inside yourself. Have you really done the right thing? And, considering what you've done . . . what will you do now? Take a moment to think about this."
Hanging her head, Frisk did that. She knew she had acquired execution points – she had killed two people herself. Whether or not this led to her levels of violence increasing, it didn't matter. Those two lives lost were two too many. Besides, like Chara, there were still so many deaths that, even if it wasn't her hand that killed them, were still her fault.
Toriel.
The husband of the dog Frisk killed.
Snowdin Two's residents.
Her friends in the Ruins.
Ember.
The fox girl.
Muffet.
Undyne.
Alice.
Mew Mew.
Frisk felt so foolish. She thought that by killing Mew Mew and avenging Toriel, she would have felt so much better about losing her mother. Only now that Mew Mew was dead, at the cost of losing Alice, Frisk realized causing pain to the one who hurt her did not erase her own. It only multiplied it. Her desire for revenge ultimately did nothing for her but lead to more pain.
"Truthfully, it doesn't really matter," the figure, who now Frisk could clearly see was Sans, said. "All that's important is that you were honest with yourself. What happens now . . . we leave up to you."
Then, as fast as Frisk could blink, Sans was gone. She didn't bother to look around. She knew he was no longer there.
"What the hell was that all about?!" Suzy exclaimed after a moment or two of Sans's disappearance.
"It was a message for me," was all Frisk replied. They resumed their walk to the king.
Even though King Asgore's note said he would be in the garden, and Chara knew where the garden was, he must have felt prompted to see the basement because he suggested to Frisk they stop by there first. She didn't argue or ask questions. Suzy, not knowing where anything was, didn't even notice when they walked past the royal garden entrance.
They walked all the way down to the basement, and when Frisk stepped inside, her heart stopped. Lining the room where concrete coffins. She stepped closer to inspect them, Chara on her heels. As she passed each one, she saw names with colored heats engraved on the tops. This was the final resting place of the humans who came before her.
Lily.
Brock.
Mint.
Eugene.
Lita.
Clover.
The one at the end made her lose her breath.
Chara.
"It's as comfortable as it looks," he told her.
"I thought you told me that Mom buried you at the end of the Ruins," Frisk whispered, momentarily forgetting Suzy was in the room with her.
"My soul wasn't the only thing she stole when she fled the castle under the cover of night," Chara explained. "When she found the monster who fused my soul with my locket, she had my body wrapped in clothes and lying on his couch. I think he might have burned it after she left. After I started existing in my current state, she explained to me that she believed I deserved a proper burial."
"This is insane," Suzy said, and Frisk couldn't tell if she was in shock or in awe. "This man literally has rotting corpses in his basement!"
"You know human bodies don't disappear after death?" Frisk furrowed her brows.
"I was told once, but I didn't know it was true until now." Suzy peered over Clover's grave. "I want to open one to see how it looks."
"We should go," Frisk advised. "There will be plenty of time for . . . corpse inspection later."
Suzy didn't argue, and for that, Frisk was grateful.
This time, they went straight to the royal garden, which Frisk saw happened to be the throne room. Stepping inside, her eyes landed on the large figure humming and standing in the middle of the room. When she noticed the figure did not realize she was there, she took in her surroundings.
Golden flowers, just like the ones that broke her fall into the Underground when she was a child, were everywhere. They engulfed every place on the floor. It was hard to move forward without stepping on a flower.
"I don't believe it," whispered Chara. "When I was alive, we had all kinds of flowers in the garden. Roses, lilies, daffodils – we didn't have any golden flowers until I . . ."
Until you brought some from the human village to plant in memorial of Asriel, Frisk mentally finished.
"Oh?" the large monster said. "Is someone there? Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers."
Unable to stop herself, Frisk looked to Chara. She had never seen him in so much pain. It was as if by simply being here, he was once again experiencing all the hurt and despair from his life.
For all Frisk knew, that was what was happening to her friend.
"Here we are!" King Asgore said not a moment later. He turned around slowly, his red cape fluttering with his movements.
Frisk vividly remembered how tall Toriel was. The last time they hugged, Frisk's head rested upon Toriel's bosom. In comparison, King Asgore was a head taller than Toriel. His shoulders were broad, and his golden shoulder pads made them appear even broader. He was a beast of a monster, his very presence filling Frisk with both awe and fear.
This was the king of the monsters. But more importantly, this was Chara's dad. This was the man who had sentenced his own son to be executed, doing the job himself, yet deep down must have still loved Chara deeply to keep so many articles of Chara's life so near to him.
"Howdy! How can I—" Upon seeing Frisk and realizing what she was, King Asgore dropped the watering pail in his massive paws. It crashed into some of the flowers with an echoing thunk, and the water spilled all over. The silence was so deafening, Frisk could hear her own heart race within her chest.
"Oh." The king sighed. In this moment, Frisk believed he had dreaded this moment just as much as she. It would explain why he first sent Undyne, then Mew Mew, and finally hired Muffet to do the job for him.
When his eyes found Suzy, King Asgore asked her, "What is the meaning of this?"
Suzy, the fearless and careless monster she was, actually blinked in what was the closest thing to fear Frisk had ever seen on her face. Finding herself, Suzy cleared her throat and said as evenly as she could, "King Asgore, on behalf of the Blues, I have guided this human here to you. We don't want to live divided any longer. Let this be a duel to determine the fate of the Underground."
Knowing Suzy couldn't do all the talking, Frisk swallowed and added, "Let this be a fair fight between us. If you win, take my soul and wage the war you have spent one hundred years planning. End humanity as our punishment for the suffering we have inflicted upon you.
"But if I win . . . You will vow no more war. Together, we will restore peace to the Underground. Then, we will find a way to break the barrier without further bloodshed and enter the surface with plans to live peacefully with humanity."
King Asgore barked a laugh, causing both girls to flinch. "What makes you think you have the right to make requests of me?"
"We both want the same thing," Frisk said, managing to hold onto her voice. her heart raced in her chest, but she surprised herself with how calmly she acted. "We want the Underground to be filled with hope."
This silenced the king.
"We all know Prince Chara—" Suzy began, but she never got to finish the thought.
"DO NOT EVER SPEAK HIS NAME IN MY PRESENCE!" King Asgore roared, his cheerful demeanor completely gone. "That name is strictly forbidden."
Chara winced as if slapped. Frisk's heart ached for him. If there was anything she could have done for him in this moment, she would have done it in a heartbeat.
"You think you are enough to challenge me, human?" King Asgore snarled, looking at her now. "So be it. Follow me. You know what we must do."
With that, King Asgore walked behind the throne to a back room. Chara sucked in a breath. He knew where they were going, but he didn't share it with Frisk.
They walked past another doorway, but they didn't get far before King Asgore ordered that Suzy go no further. Suzy nodded like she would pass the time looking at the flowers, but she and Frisk both knew better. The younger monster would be the only witness to their fight, and she would only interfere if need be.
As far as Frisk was concerned, Suzy would only jump in to absorb her soul if King Asgore killed her, but Frisk knew what Mandy wanted was for Suzy to finish the job when Frisk weakened King Asgore but refused to kill him.
What Frisk didn't know was what Suzy would ultimately do.
When they stepped into another room, Frisk felt the air rush out of her lungs.
It was a long, white room with shadows running across. There was no ceiling. Something was breathing.
Frisk could barely breathe herself. Is this the barrier I'm supposed to break? Is it . . . alive?
"This is the barrier," King Asgore began, answering her unspoken question. "This is what keeps us all trapped Underground."
Turning slowly, King Asgore faced her. Then, without notice, seven glass containers emerged from the ground. To Frisk's great disturbance, six of those containers were filled with human souls.
"Ready?"
King Asgore stood firm. Frisk steeled herself, mentally preparing for the most important fight not only of her life, but of the Underground. Chara stood on the sidelines, speaking softly.
"It's a lovely day today. Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming. A strange light fills the room. Twilight is shining through the barrier. It seems your journey is finally over.
"You're filled with determination."
Frisk didn't feel it until Chara said the words. It was as if his confidence sparked her own. His faith in her became faith in herself.
Closing her eyes, Frisk took a deep breath.
"Human," King Asgore said, "it was nice to meet you. Goodbye."
A warning flashed below Frisk's feet. She jumped out of the way, knowing what to expect. Then rings of flames surrounded her. She found the openings and spun out of the circle as each one drew itself closer to her. As she danced away from the last ring of fire, a wave of flames hurled her way. Knowing there was no other way to avoid them, Frisk dropped to the ground and rolled to dodge the attack.
Knowing what was to come, Frisk pushed herself upright. King Asgore was quickly approaching, his trident forcefully swinging downwards. Frisk got into a kneeling position, and to protect herself from the oncoming attack, she summoned her halberd to take the blunt of the blow.
Dumbfounded, King Asgore was distracted by the sudden appearance of a weapon. Frisk used this opportunity to tuck her knee into her chest to kick King Asgore away from her. The great monster stumbled backwards. He regained his balance, but his frame was clearly shaken. He had gotten a good look at the ring on her finger.
Chara's ring.
"Asgore trembles," Chara checked aloud, his voice wobbling. "He is reminded of someone."
However, King Asgore didn't stay trembling for long. Crying out in what had to be rage, he swung his trident at Frisk again and again. She deflected each attack.
"You have killed me twice now," Frisk informed him while she parried one of his blows. When she closed her eyes, her star appeared. Touching it, she created a new save point. Each reset brought her back to the start of the fight.
As King Asgore stepped back, he nodded sadly. It was unsure to Frisk if he had any recollection of the resets. Either way, he didn't doubt her.
More fire attacks were sent her way. Frisk expertly dodged each one. It was less she had done this before and more of with this fight, she had found a confidence in herself she didn't know she had. Yet as she let herself fall deeper into the battle, she realized why this felt so natural to her. When she noticed King Asgore grew more and more wary during the fight, it more than confirmed her suspicion.
Without realizing it, Frisk had fallen into the forms Chara taught her when teaching her to fight. King Asgore recognized this fighting style. Chara had specifically taught Frisk to fight his dad.
Hoping this would give her an opportunity to reason with him, Frisk demanded, "Stop fighting! We don't have to hurt each other anymore."
King Asgore hesitated for so long, Frisk thought that he might have listened to her. Then he struck. She was a little slow, but Frisk deflected the blow without receiving too much damage.
It was no use. She had to fight King Asgore. Mercy was not an option.
Blow after blow, attack after attack, the two fought each other. Frisk avoided dying a third time, but they had since gotten to a point in the fight in which she had not done before. Chara's forms helped tremendously, but it was not as if this were a choreographed fight. Sooner or later, there will be a misstep. King Asgore would attack in a way for which Frisk could not prepare.
"Please!" Frisk tried.
"It seems talking won't do any good," Chara muttered.
Ignoring his advice, Frisk tried again anyway. "I don't want to fight you!"
King Asgore's breathing got funny for a moment.
Unable to stop herself, Frisk shouted, "This is not what Chara would want!"
Filled with a mixture of despair and rage, King Asgore struck again. Frisk had thought King Asgore's attack had dropped, but these new strikes were coming in stronger and faster. Apparently, mentioning Chara was the wrong thing to do.
Losing her balance, Frisk fell to the ground. Her halberd dematerialized. On her knees and pushing herself upright with her hands, Frisk could only watch in horror as King Asgore aimed the tip of his trident at her heart.
"FRISK!"
Before she could even react, Chara entered Frisk's field of vision. His arms were outspread, and he stood in front of King Asgore's attack as if he could take it for Frisk. It didn't make any sense – nothing Chara did affected the physical world.
Yet the locket, which she didn't even notice was no longer tucked behind her armor, hung just where the tip of King Asgore's trident aimed.
When King Asgore struck, his trident pierced through Chara and collided with the locket.
As if all of Chara's determination and desires filled the locket, it alone deflected the attack.
A bright light shone then, and Frisk couldn't see anything.
When the light faded a moment later, King Asgore was thrown back, and the locket lay in pieces before her.
Frisk's blood turned to ice as her muscles turned to stone. She had forgotten how to breathe. Her locket – her only connection to Chara – was nothing more than a dozen broken parts on the ground.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to form a thought. This wasn't happening. There was no way this was happening.
Then, after a heartbeat, a new light began to shine from the locket. This light wasn't bright, but warm. It shone a reddish hue, and by what must have been the trick of the light filtering through the barrier, it occasionally flashed white.
A soul – Chara's soul - emerged from the remains of the locket. Whatever spell that had bound him to it was broken. Frisk could barely breathe as she beheld what remained of her friend.
Cupping her hands as if to hold the soul, Frisk drew it closer to herself. She almost couldn't see past the tears building in her eyes. When she blinked, they streamed down her face. Despite the tears, her breathing remained steady. Her crying was almost peaceful.
"Why would you go and do a thing like that?" she asked the soul, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. She didn't know if Chara could see or hear her in this state, but she knew he could no longer communicate with her. Even though he was still here, he might as well have been a million miles away.
"Chara. . . ."
Frisk pulled the soul closer to her chest as she looked up. King Asgore knelt before her, his demeanor one of confusion, loss, and pain. Without Frisk saying anything confirming, King Asgore still recognized the soul between them. Perhaps he had seen so much of Chara in Frisk it was impossible to guess anything else. Or perhaps King Asgore never forgot what Chara's soul looked like after he had executed the human.
For so long, Frisk and Chara questioned this moment. They both feared that King Asgore might destroy Chara's soul, but now Frisk knew nothing could be further from the truth. The look on the king's face wasn't that of anger, but one of regret.
"I remember the day my son died," King Asgore began, and Frisk knew he meant Asriel. "I didn't want to believe Chara had anything to do with it, but there was so much evidence and eyewitness accounts that he had done some truly horrible things. Chara . . . He wouldn't testify to defend or explain himself. He did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he said nothing as I, not knowing what else to do, led him to his execution. . . .
"The entire Underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans, one of those humans who had spent a decade living with my family, being treated as one of my own, calling me 'Dad.' . . . In my fit of anger, I declared war. I vowed that I would destroy any human that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike . . . and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity . . . and let monsters rule the surface in peace.
"Soon, the people's hopes returned. My wife . . . your mother . . . became disgusted with my actions. Not only did she lose her son by blood that horrible day, but I was the reason she lost her son by choice, too. . . . She left this place, never to be seen again. When I discovered she had also taken Chara's soul and body, I refused my army's request to hunt her down. After everything I stole from her, I could not deny her that much.
"Then the Underground grew divided. Some believed in my cause and were just as ready to wage war on humanity as I made myself out to be. Others, however, did not see things the same way. They believed my wife, who argued for Chara's sake that he would never do any of those awful things he was accused of. Like my wife, they were disgusted with me for ending Chara's life.
"Truthfully . . . I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope again. . . . But I cannot take this any longer. I just want to see my wife. I want to see my son. They are gone, but I can join them."
While King Asgore spoke, Frisk could do nothing but keep crying as she held Chara's soul close to her heart.
"I have regretted Chara's death every day since I was the one to cause it!" King Asgore choked out the words, and now he began to cry. "Even if it was all true, even if Chara betrayed us all, I never should have been the one to do the deed. No matter how many years pass, I still see the look of devastation in his eyes every time I close mine. . . .
"I spent one hundred years telling myself a story I knew wasn't true. Chara never betrayed us. I don't know what happened that awful day to led to Asriel's own death, but I knew Chara could never kill his own brother. Maybe he hurt and killed those other monsters, but he never would have hurt us. All I wanted was for him to explain himself to me – no matter what horrible crimes he committed, I would have forgiven him had he told me he never meant for Asriel to die. Yet he wouldn't tell anyone anything, and with an image to uphold, I felt I had no choice but to show monsterkind my dedication to freeing us from humanity by putting to death my own child."
King Asgore looked up and met Frisk in the eyes. "Please, young one, this war has gone on long enough. You have the power. Take my soul, and leave this cursed place."
Shaking her head, Frisk whispered, "No."
When King Asgore looked up, appearing confused, she continued, "The cycle of death stops now. If we are to reunite the Underground, we have to end our fight with each other and start fighting for peace."
Frisk looked at the soul hovering just above her palms. It felt so fragile. This red heart, which looked no different from her own, was the very culmination of Chara's being. It was amazing how so much of a person could be condensed into something so small. The sight of Chara in this state made a fresh wave of tears fall.
"Chara loved you," Frisk then whispered. "He never stopped loving you. I can't communicate with him like this, but I know in my own soul that he forgives you."
At first, King Asgore didn't respond. Then he began to cry harder. Frisk didn't understand what he said at first, but after a moment, she realized he was apologizing over and over as if he wanted to make sure Chara understood just how sorry he was.
"Human," King Asgore said as he started recomposing himself, "I promise you, for as long as you remain here, I will take care of you as best I can. We can restore peace to the Underground. We could restore hope. . . . Then, if you are ever comfortable with it, we can sit in the living room and tell stories. Maybe you can teach me how to make your mother's butterscotch pie. I can never replace Toriel and everything she was to you, but please, if you are willing . . . , I would like the chance to be a dad again. . . ."
Something about King Asgore's vulnerability pulled at Frisk's heartstrings. She looked at Chara's soul and wondered what he would make of the whole thing. It went without saying that he would want the two of them to be happy. Maybe, if he was even aware of what was happening, he thought of King Asgore and Frisk becoming like a family was beautiful. They were two people amongst the living he loved most – knowing they would be there to take care of each other was probably the thing his soul needed to move on and finally find peace.
Looking back at the monster before her, Frisk smiled through the tears and nodded. The hope that lit up King Asgore's face filled Frisk with her own. Together, they could bring peace and hope back to the Underground; and when the time was right, they would use Chara's soul alongside the other six to break this barrier and free everyone.
Or at least that would have been the future, had not an attack come out of nowhere and struck King Asgore down, turning him to nothing more than a pile of ashes.