Chapter 1: Starting back at The Beginning.
Frisk's body was stiff and hard like ice. They were lying on a bed of golden flowers. Frisk's body felt heavy, their limbs aching as they stirred awake. The soft crunch of golden flowers beneath them was all too familiar. Opening their eyes, they were met with the cavern ceiling—dark and endless, just as it had been the very first time they fell.
They sat up slowly, their head spinning. This isn't right... The last thing they remembered was sunlight. Freedom.
"Whoa!" a voice yelped nearby, startling them. Frisk whipped around to see someone standing a short distance away. They froze.
The person looked just like them. Same height, same build. But their clothes were different—a striped green and white hoodie and black pants. Their eyes were wide, glowing faintly green with a hint of crimson red in the dim light.
"Y-You're awake too?" the stranger asked, their voice shaking. They took a cautious step forward, their hands trembling. "What... is this? Where are we?"
Frisk stared at them, trying to make sense of what was happening. "You... don't know either?"
The stranger shook their head quickly, their brow furrowing. "No! I just woke up here. One second I was—" They stopped mid-sentence, their expression darkening. "Wait... I don't even know where I was. It's all fuzzy."
Frisk felt their stomach twist. This was wrong. All of it was wrong. "Who... who are you?" they asked cautiously.
The stranger blinked, as though they hadn't expected the question. "I... I'm Chara. That's my name, I think." They rubbed the back of their neck, looking frustrated. "At least, that's what I remember. But... who are you?"
"Frisk," they answered quietly.
Chara's eyes widened. "Frisk? I swear I've heard that name before…" They seemed to catch themselves, shaking their head. "No, wait, this doesn't make any sense. Why are we here? This place..." They glanced around the cavern, their face twisting with unease. "...It feels familiar, but... wrong."
Frisk opened their mouth to respond, but a low rumble cut them off. The ground beneath them trembled slightly, a strange distortion rippling through the air. Both of them froze.
"What was that?" Chara asked their voice tight with panic.
Frisk shook their head, unable to answer. They climbed to their feet unsteadily, glancing around. "Something's... wrong with this place," they muttered.
Chara nodded, their fists clenching. "Yeah. No kidding. It feels like it's... breaking."
Another tremor shook the cavern, this one stronger. The golden flowers beneath them swayed unnaturally, as though caught in a strong wind.
"Okay, okay, we can figure this out later," Chara said quickly, grabbing Frisk's hand. "Right now, we need to move. Wherever this is, I don't think it's safe anymore."
Frisk hesitated for only a second before nodding. Together, they started running, the cavern rumbling ominously behind them. The tremors grew stronger as Frisk and Chara ran, echoing through the cavern like distant thunder. The golden flowers beneath their feet seemed to blur and flicker, as though they weren't entirely solid.
"Do you remember anything before this?" Frisk asked, glancing at Chara as they ran.
Chara shook their head, their face twisted in frustration. "No! Just... flashes. A lot of voices, a lot of... people. But it's like trying to hold water in your hands. Everything just slips away."
Frisk frowned. They weren't sure why, but they believed Chara. Something about their confusion felt genuine. "I don't remember much either," they admitted. "I thought I was free. I thought it was over."
Chara snorted, a dry laugh escaping them despite the panic in their voice. "Guess not. Whatever 'over' was, we're way past it now."
Ahead, the cavern twisted into a narrow corridor, the walls lined with jagged, flickering shadows. Frisk slowed down, their grip on Chara's hand tightening. "Wait," they said, pulling them to a stop.
Chara looked at them, wide-eyed. "What? We can't stop now! This whole place is about to come down on us!"
"Look," Frisk whispered, pointing ahead.
The corridor didn't just end—it shattered. The air beyond it looked like broken glass, pieces of the world floating aimlessly in a void of black and purple. The familiar stone walls of the Underground were there, but they were disconnected, floating as if they'd been ripped apart and scattered.
Chara took a step back, their breath hitching. "What... what is that?"
Frisk shook their head. "I don't know. But I don't think we can go that way."
Before they could decide what to do, a voice echoed through the cavern, deep and distorted, Practically impossible to make out.
CURIOUS. YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE.
Both Frisk and Chara spun around, their eyes darting to the shadows. The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
"Who's there?!" Chara shouted, their fists clenching.
The shadows around them began to shift and ripple, forming into a vaguely humanoid shape. Two glowing, piercing white eyes stared down at them. The figure didn't speak again, but the air grew colder, and the cavern seemed to twist unnaturally around it.
"Run," Frisk whispered, grabbing Chara's arm.
Chara didn't argue this time. They both turned and bolted down the corridor, even as the shattered air in front of them seemed to pull at their bodies, distorting their vision.
"Where are we even going?!" Chara shouted over the sound of the rumbling cavern.
Frisk didn't answer. They didn't know. All they knew was that whatever had just spoken wasn't something they wanted to meet.
As they ran, the ground beneath them began to crumble, chunks of stone and golden flowers falling away into the void. The flickering light grew dimmer, the shadows deeper.
Then, without warning, the floor gave out entirely.
Frisk and Chara barely had time to scream before they were falling, the distorted cavern disappearing into the endless blackness below.
STRANGE. THAT RESET SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED. I WONDER… WOULD THIS EXPERIMENT STILL WORK PROPER? COULD THEY BANISH THE ANGEL'S HEAVEN? WOULD THEY… NO THEY WOULDN'T. THEY COULDN'T. UNLESS… IMPOSSIBLE. WELL, THIS IS EXPERIMENT BECAME MUCH, MUCH, MORE INTERESTING. BUT STILL, THE END AND THE BEGINNING ARE BUT ONE POINT IN THE DARKNESS, AND, WELL…
Their Choices Don't Matter.
The barren field rippled and twisted, the ground beneath Frisk and Chara shifting like quicksand. Before either of them could react, the cracked earth crumbled away, dragging them down into yet another fall.
Frisk reached out instinctively, grabbing Chara's arm. Their descent was fast, disorienting, as if they were being pulled through layers of the world itself.
Then, with a heavy thud, they landed.
Frisk groaned, their body aching from the impact, but the surface beneath them was soft. Familiar. They pushed themselves up, their hands sinking slightly into the cushion of golden flowers.
"Again with the flowers?" Chara muttered, sitting up next to them. Their eyes darted around, taking in their surroundings.
The walls were stone, ancient and cracked, yet they exuded a strange warmth. A faint light filtered in from somewhere unseen, illuminating the chamber they had fallen into.
Frisk's breath caught in their throat. They knew this place. They had been here before.
"The Ruins," they whispered.
Chara looked at them, confused. "The what?"
Frisk didn't answer. They stood, their legs shaky, and took a step forward. Memories—fragments—flooded their mind. The golden flowers, the winding corridors, the gentle voice that had greeted them once upon a time.
Chara climbed to their feet, brushing themselves off. "Okay, care to explain where we are? And why it feels like I'm in some kind of bad dream?"
Frisk turned to face them, their expression serious. "This is where it all started," they said quietly.
"Started?" Chara raised an eyebrow. "What started?"
Before Frisk could respond, a familiar sound echoed through the chamber: the soft, echoing patter of footsteps.
Frisk froze, their heart pounding.
Chara narrowed their eyes, instinctively stepping in front of Frisk. "Who's there?" they called out, their voice firm but cautious.
The footsteps grew louder, and then, from the shadows, stepped a figure. Cloaked in flowing purple fabric. Her face was gentle, yet her presence filled the room with an air of authority.
Frisk's breath hitched. They knew her.
"Greetings, my child," Toriel said softly, her warm, motherly tone cutting through the tension like sunlight through clouds. Her eyes flicked between Frisk and Chara, her brow furrowing slightly. "Oh dear, there are two of you?"
Chara blinked, completely caught off guard. "Wait, what? Who are you?"
Toriel tilted her head, concern etched across her face. "I am Toriel, caretaker of these Ruins." She stepped closer, her gaze focusing on Frisk. "You... you look familiar, my child. Have we met before?"
Frisk opened their mouth, but no words came out. They were frozen, overwhelmed by the flood of emotions. It was her. After everything—after reaching the surface, after leaving this place behind—here she was, just as they remembered.
Chara folded their arms, clearly unimpressed. "Alright, so you're a talking goat lady. Cool. Mind telling us where we are and why everything feels like it's breaking apart?"
Toriel's warm demeanor faltered slightly at Chara's sharp tone, but she remained composed. "You are in the Ruins, the first area of the Underground. But... something is amiss." She glanced around, her expression troubled. "This place feels... unstable, as if the very fabric of our world is shifting."
Frisk finally found their voice. "Toriel," they said, their voice trembling. "This... this isn't right. I—I shouldn't be here. We shouldn't be here."
Toriel's eyes softened. "Do not fret, my child. Whatever has brought you here, I will do my best to protect you."
Chara rolled their eyes. "Great. Another 'protector.' Just what we needed."
Toriel's gaze turned to Chara, her expression curious yet cautious. "And you, young one... I do not recall seeing you before. Who are you?"
Chara hesitated, glancing at Frisk before responding. "I'm... I'm Chara." Their voice was firm, though there was an edge of uncertainty to it.
Toriel's eyes widened slightly at the name, but she quickly masked her reaction. "I see. Well, Chara, you are welcome here as well. Both of you are."
Chara raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know who I am, and you're just gonna trust me like that?"
Toriel smiled gently. "In these trying times, kindness is needed more than suspicion. Now, come, both of you. You must be hungry after such a journey." She turned and began walking toward a corridor that stretched into darkness.
Frisk hesitated, glancing at Chara.
Chara shrugged. "Well, she's not wrong about the hungry part."
Frisk sighed and followed Toriel, Chara trailing close behind.
As they walked deeper into the Ruins, Frisk couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them. The shadows seemed to shift, and the faint hum of the Ruins carried an eerie, distorted tone.
And in the back of their mind, a thought lingered, unspoken: This wasn't supposed to happen.