Prologue.
Frisk sat at The End, finally seeing the sun after a month Underground. It was…Beautiful. "so, how's the sun, kid?" Sans asked as he walked up to Frisk, leaving the Underground behind. "*Sigh.* be honest with me kid, when are you gonna Reset?"
Frisk froze, their fingers tightening around the flower they had picked moments ago. They didn't look at Sans. They couldn't.
Sans released a deep, tired sigh, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. For a moment, he didn't answer. Instead, he looked out at the horizon, where the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in fiery oranges and soft pinks.
"heh," he finally chuckled, though it didn't sound amused. "don't ask me, kid. i'm the last person to advise on second chances. or third ones. or…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "look, i get it. the world isn't perfect. sometimes it's easier to hit the reset button and try again. but…"
He turned to Frisk, his usually half-lidded eye sockets narrowing, his grin fading slightly.
"if you do it again, how many times until it's enough? what's the end you're actually looking for?"
Frisk finally looked at him, their eyes wide and glassy, lips trembling as if they wanted to answer but couldn't.
Before either of them could speak again, the sky… flickered.
It was just for a second, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. The bright colors of the sunset twisted into sickly green and black hues before snapping back to normal. Sans stiffened, his head snapping toward the horizon.
"...did you see that?" he asked, his voice low.
Frisk nodded. Slowly, hesitantly.
Sans didn't move for a moment, his grin now completely gone. "thought so," he muttered.
The flicker came again. This time, it lasted longer. The horizon warped unnaturally, as though the world itself was bending inward, like someone was crushing it in their hands. A low hum filled the air, vibrating the ground beneath their feet.
"kid," Sans said, his voice serious for once. "we gotta move."
Frisk stood, clutching the flower tightly. "What's happening?"
Sans didn't answer immediately. His sockets glowed faintly blue as he turned his gaze skyward, scanning the darkening sky. "...i've got a bad feeling about this. like... someone hit the reset button, but it wasn't you."
But it was too late. The sky ran black like terror and everything turned the same.