Chapter Sixteen

The voice made Frisk finally open her eyes and sit up, as she realized she was surrounded by six monsters: Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore. All were worried about her and grateful that she was finally awake, along not sure what had occurred after a flower appeared, but realizing that the barrier was gone. Though since Frisk would need a moment to adjust from waking up, Toriel suggested she take her time and see the other monsters before they all venture to the surface together. Frisk agreed, as she took note how although no one remembered what occurred with her and Asriel, they still remembered the name she only told Asriel.

After taking a moment to speak with the six of them, she headed back down to see the monsters and to look for her friend. She walked back along the path she took to reach this point in her journey, though backwards.

+ Oh cool, we can go back.

- Oh so you get to see everyone again.

+ It's going to be a long walk…

Frisk first headed to the coffin room and noticed the six were half opened and empty, while looking back in the one with the red soul marked on it. What caught her by surprise was finding a pile of mummy bandages inside that wasn't there before. She instinctively touched her cheek where the dirty bandage she had on from when she woke up still remained.

+Oooooh!

- Wait… no…

+ So I came up this time…

Uncovering this knowledge, but not needing to dwell on it anymore filled Frisk with determination, as she took the bandage off.

Afterward, Frisk travelled back through the Core, the MTT Resort, Hotland, Waterfall, Snowdin, the Ruins, and all the way back to where she first woke up. She then saw Asriel where she had woken and talked to him for a while, realizing he didn't yet become a flower but would later and even gave her insight about when he was fused to Chara that she wanted to attack the humans but he didn't and so they left them alone. This made the child feel better to know that she had changed completely, and that Asriel appreciated her now, and no longer had to pained by a past that was now gone. Frisk then said one finally goodbye to Asriel, and then departed alone, since Asriel couldn't go with her and she decided to respect his wish and go on, though the only thing she wouldn't do is ever forget him.

Searching around, Frisk couldn't seem to find Curtain, as she headed back to see if maybe she accidentally passed by. She crossed through the lab and noticed a feather at the back exit. Quickly, she ran ahead to look for her friend, as she talked to a few Monsters who said they saw her flying by and that she was waiting at New Home for them. Finally reaching New Home, Frisk kept running ahead and as her eyes glistened in happiness, saw Curtain ahead of her overlooking the city.

"Curtain!" Frisk called out as she ran to her friend.

Curtain turned towards her and immediately gasped and opened her arms, "Kid!"

They hugged as they let a few happy tears fall.

"I heard! I heard everything! You… you did it, didn't you? You saved everyone… You got the Barrier to break… how did you do it? And… Sans called me to say you were awake, and he called you Frisk… is that, your name?" Curtain asked.

"… Yes, Curtain. There's a lot of things I have to say… and at least I know I can tell you…" Frisk then quickly relayed to Curtain all that happened with Asriel.

"… I see. If only he could have had a better ending… but I guess it's for the best at this point, huh? It was the best outcome you could get," Curtain said, a downward glance in respect of the sad goat kid.

"… Yes. But I hope that the future will be brighter still, and that the chance he gave me to live on will not be wasted," Frisk said with a soft smile, and Curtain looked at her and nodded.

"So now that the barrier is broken, you're going to head out with everyone now?" Curtain asked.

"Yup. Ready to go, Curtain? I'm sure you'll be happy to go home too, huh?" Frisk asked.

"Hehehe. Yeah, all thanks to you, Frisk," Curtain said as she patted her head.

"Let's get going then. Wouldn't want to keep the others waiting or else they'll come and look for us," Curtain said.

"Yeah, they are probably really excited," Frisk said.

"Obviously."

The two realized that they weren't the ones who spoke that time. From within their shadows, two large clawed hands reached up and grabbed them up as they shrieked. The convergence from below the shadow hands emerged the dragon-like head of Corruption as she looked between the two of them with a glee-filled grin and blazing red eyes.

"Oh how NIIICE it must be? To think YOU actually won! You finally SAVED everyone, right? You finally did it! You once again, RUINED everything for me… I could have swallowed that kid whole… but no… you saved him… if he would have killed you… that LOVE would have given me the power to control him completely! That one kill…"

Corruption sounded more wild and multi-voiced in this form then usual, as her full body emerged from the shadows, still holding the two as she held them in tight grips.

"I could have had all the power to corrupt them all and consume them all… but again… you two… you and him ruined it… I remember… I sent someone here to see how this world below the ground had been in it's captivity. I wanted to know if I could harness power from here, from the weaker ones so that I could awaken sooner and break the world. Piece by piece, pillar by pillar until the whole world would collapse… but although you feared me, he was not aware and was too good, and now that I see this… I don't think you would have helped me… considering who you are now… considering you aren't them… they would have betrayed me…" Corruption seemed to lower her hands a bit, as the two were trying to get out of her grip slowly.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Haha. Hahahaha! How foolish… to let children make such a decision… to try to manipulate them to do my bidding… when I should have handled this a long time ago…" Corruption said as she held both of them forward from herself and grinned as smoke started to emit from between her teeth.

"You… You know what? I'm glad!" Frisk yelled out in her face.

"You are the worse! The worst! And I'm glad you never got away with ANYTHING! I'm glad you suffered for all of this! Asriel deserves better then you do!" Frisk added, as Corruption stared at her.

"That's right!" Curtain also yelled out.

"I'm proud! I'm proud of my parents for stopping you! For hindering you and allowing Frisk to break your plans apart! I'm proud of them, and I'm happy they were able to defeat you over and over again!" Curtain added, while Corruption's grin faltered a bit.

"…" She stared at them, as the two girls, fully determined, stared her down with shining eyes of Pink and the other of Purple.

Her grip tightened as the two were pained a little by it, though still looking back at her, as she gave them an intense rageful smile,

"You two… you two here… Frisk… Curtain… I'm so sick of both of your faces… Of those bloody eyes… I can't wait to erase them…"

Corruption opened her mouth to inhale air, as they realized she was about to breath out fire.

"AAAAAHHH!" Corruption instead shrieked in agony as her grip loosened, and the girls jumped away, seeing a large bone impaled right through her chest.

"NOO! Nooo! No! Why again?! Whhhhhyyyyyyyy…" Corruption hollered as she melted into the ground and disappated.

The girls waited for her disappear completely, and then they turned and with bright eyes saw Sans standing nearby with his hand forward towards where Corruption was.

"heh. finally got her this time," He said as he lowered his hand and approached them.

"Sans…" Curtain said as she breathed out softly.

"told ya I'd keep an eyesocket out for you two, didn't I?" Sans said with a wink.

Frisk ran up to Sans and hugged him, as Curtain laughed to see his surprised expression. Curtain also walked over, and after the child let go, she gave the lazybone skeleton a kiss on his cheekbone.

"wow… heh. so i guess i should save ya more often, ey dear?" Sans said to her.

"Hehehe. Maybe one day I'll save you, huh? Then you'd owe me one," Curtain said with a wink back, as he laughed.

"welp, let's head on out of…" Sans stopped speaking when the three heard shifting.

Frisk immediately looked out and noticed that the shadows of the Monsters started quickly hoping off and heading towards them. She turned and noticed that her shadow was gone as well as Curtain's, but that Sans' shadow showed a red eye.

"Sans! Curtain! Look out!" Frisk yelled as she ran ahead and dived into Sans to push him away while Curtain instinctively jumped back.

The shadows gathered and upon contact, the dragon form rose up again much more darker and completed as it roared with it's wings opened out, as it hit Curtain while she tried to block but still was hit back a few feet by one wing. The other wing hit Frisk on her back instead of Sans as they flew back a few feet, but Sans was able to land on his feet and hold onto her.

"you okay, Frisk? you… you really saved me there," Sans said, as she looked up at him and nodded since the hit didn't take much damage.

"Oh what wonders of shadows and how they can hold on so long! How the light can always bring you one step closer to the dark! How useful it is to use my broken pieces in such a way with each defeat! Now witness death before your eyes, as I go all out this time!" Corruption hollered, as she, standing on her hindlegs, readied a clawed attack against Sans and Frisk.

"No!" Curtain called out in desperation, as Corruption enacted the attack.

Frisk's eyes widened, recognizing it as the same attack she tried to use on her in the Spider's home, but much deadier. Sans felt stunned for the moment, especially realizing that Corruption left a piece of her shadow on his feet, holding him in place. He was about to toss Frisk to the side to at least try to save her as the claw came down.

A scream.

A holler.

A shriek.

A cry.

A stand.

A distance.

An arrival.

A gift.

A final goodbye.

Curtain's mind in a split second remembered herself waiting for them to come home… only to see one of them stubbling back… to see him come back to bring her the garment she now wears on her neck, before walking off and collapsing. She also saw Theodan as he smiled and faded to dust before her eyes.

All her hopes.

All her dreams.

Her future.

She was not about to lose it all again.

"NOOO!" A powerful gust of wind sprung forth along with her leg and kicked the mighty dragon off balance and off the edge of the road they were on.

"Yaaaah!" Corruption screamed out as she fell down.

Sans and Frisk were still holding onto one another in shock, as Sans could fell the shadows finally release his feet and fade. They slowly let go as they stared at the form before them.

An Aecan. Of purple and white feathers and a gold beak, and dark blue fur with bits that sparkled in white. Her scarf was still around her neck as her hair of feathers had fallen over the sides of it and blew in the wind that surrounded her. Her clothes were still intact the same with her jeans and jacket, though her boots seemed to fade at the bottom to hind paws, and her sleeves faded at the ends and showed her dark blue fur and black clawed hands. Her wings were brilliantly bright and elegant of her purple and white feathers.

She turned towards them and smiled as her purple eyes shined brightly towards them.

"I'm so glad… you two are okay," She said.

"… Curtain?" Frisk called her friend, as she nodded.

"Heh. I uh… don't really know what happened there but… I seem to have awakened myself. I can already take a guess how I appear now," Curtain said, as she looked over herself.

"… dang, Curtain, every time I see you, you look more beautiful by the day," Sans said with a wink, as Curtain smiled at him with a small blush.

They heard a rumble, as Curtain said, "Thank you, Sans. Though we'll have to talk more later… she's not done yet…"

Corruption rose up a good distance away from them, as they could see her legs have disappeared only to a tail and her arms looked much more muscular, apparently concentration more power and attacks there now. Folding her arms while in the air with a smirk, Corruption said,

"Well well… look at this. The Aecan has her wings in full… in a way, I'm glad. I get to fight you again… this time, I won't stop until I defeat you no matter what… let the final game begin."

Corruption opened her arms and brought forth long claws as her mouth and claws oozed black and red mist with shining bits in it. She roared as it frightened the Monsters who were still in the city and those who just came as they were getting ready to leave.

"This time, you should stay down, once and for all!" Curtain said, and then charged forward in the air towards her while summoning forth a sword of purple and white magic.

Frisk ran forth, but Curtain flew off already as the air battle began and she saw them fighting. She took note of the Monsters below and realized they needed to leave or else Corruption might hurt them like she tried to do to her and Sans.

"Sans! We need to help Curtain! Corruption might try to hurt the other Monsters too! We need to save all of them!" Frisk said.

"no need to ask, Frisk. we're on it. just get going and i'll support ya," Sans said, as he held onto his cellphone.

Frisk nodded and then ran forth to the city.