Her breath caught in her throat at his words. The figure towered over her, shrouded in darkness, the barrier shimmering behind him like a physical echo, shifting and changing, casting a haunting light over the both of them. She could feel nothing but fear as she gazed up at the monster's face, his eyes refusing to look into hers.
The King.
He said nothing as he stared down at the ground, his head bowed slightly, and he let out the deepest of sighs, as though he were about to cross a line he'd rather not. Instinctively, she jumped back as he threw his arm out to the side, a crimson trident materializing in his hand, his robe flying back from the movement. The King closed his eyes... and struck.
Her stomach was somewhat satisfied by those candies she'd found earlier, but it wouldn't be enough to satiate her hunger. Her stomach was rumbling, and sweets were far from filling.
The purple walls around her seemed new; freshly molded bricks of magenta, free from age and grime, not a crack in the stone, yet... nobody was around to be seen. Somebody had to have built this place, right? Yet no soul could be found no matter where she looked. She could have sworn she heard whispering just earlier but all she'd seen was a lone rock sitting in the hall, guarding a wall of spikes. Too intimidating for her to bother investigating.
Now she'd made her way out of the endless violet halls, winding her way through a large gate into what seemed to be a city, high walls extending into the air to nearly touch the ceiling of the cavern up above, where rocks sparkled like stars, gleaming dully, stalactites hanging down, some threatening to touch the tops of some taller buildings.
Even in this city, she was unable to find a single being, wandering her way through the empty streets, even finding what looked to be a half-eaten apple lying on the ground.
It was eerie, and she could feel eyes on her. Where were they? Out of sight, at the edge of her sight. Hiding. From her?
"H-Hello?" her frail voice called out- to only echo off the walls and fade into the distance, becoming the only response.
The street led her through the city, and eventually, to another gate, this one much larger than the first, made of wood. She peered through the wooden beams that made up its structure, staring beyond at what seemed to be a castle far in the distance. A red glow appeared to hang in the air as well, and she wondered what that could be.
Casting one last glance behind her, she started to crawl through the holes in the gate, before she did a double-take. She could have sworn she'd just seen another pair of eyes staring back at her. Eyes filled with conflict, but now they were gone.
Gulping, she decided to leave this creepy place alone and crawled through the gate, her destination now in mind.
"STOP THAT KID!"
She dove underneath a horse-drawn cart, mud splattering about her as she held up the loaf of bread to prevent it from being dirtied too much. Before she could be grabbed, she scrambled her way out from under the cart and to the other side, taking off at a sprint past several onlookers as the baker charged after her, shaking his fist and screaming himself hoarse.
She was safe the moment she scaled the small wall into another alley, and slid to the ground, immediately plunging her teeth into the bread, savoring the exploding flavors that would have otherwise been bland to anyone else.
This was her life, had been for a long time, stealing scraps like this half-eaten loaf just to keep her belly full. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father had recently passed, claimed by some disease. What it was she didn't know the name of, all she knew was that he was gone, and she had no one left to care for her.
This life didn't last for her, however, as she had become a well known street rat in the village. It didn't take long for the authorities to take action. Only a couple of days later, she was taken and thrown out of the city, left to wander away into the wilderness.
She lost track of time as her stomach remained empty, her body remained dirty, and her thoughts remained jumbled. Some days passed, how much was unclear, before she found herself climbing up the side of a mountain, shivering, snow having fallen at some point. Her life took a momentous turn, however, as she stumbled blindly through a tangle of vines, and suddenly found herself being swallowed by an infinite darkness.
She had left the snowy forests behind her, having found a few cottages around the places, yet all the doors were locked. A recently put-out fire had even been there, so whoever was living down here was clearly hiding from her- but where was "here"? She hadn't a clue. As the cold made way to damp caverns filled with glowing flowers, she finally found somebody.
Down a small stream to a winding river sat a small wooden boat on the river, a figure on the boat cloaked in a blue robe, the hood masking their face, darkness staring back at her from underneath. Timidly, she slowed her approach, eyes widening at the figure, who merely stood there, gazing upon her approach.
She eventually found her voice, meekly calling out to it. "H-hello?"
"Hello, child," the figure replied, their voice soft yet loud, strong yet calm, a whisper yet a shout. The voice sent chills down her spine. "I am the Riverperson," the cloaked figure continued, "you're going to the castle, yes?"
"Um… y-yes…" she replied, taking a few reluctant steps forward. A castle sounded like it had people, and she was desperate to see a face, preferably one not obscured in shadow.
"I will take you past the glowing cavern and to the crimson cavern, if you so wish."
She had no idea what either of those places were or who this person was aside from 'the Riverperson', but she hesitantly clambered onto the boat behind them, still unable to take her eyes off their hooded head. They didn't stop staring at her even once during their interaction, simply gazing impassively. She was curious about what they looked like underneath.
The boat began to move on its own, slowly turning in the water to face up the river, before it started to move forward. Slowly at first, but quickly picked up the pace until it was going much faster than she could even run.
As they moved, the Riverperson spoke in the same soft, yet strong and firm tone; "Tra la la… the ignorant always run happily to their grave..."
"What does that mean?" she asked, but the Riverperson didn't say anything more as they sailed, the dark caves turning into brightly lit tunnels, an ocean of magma nearby at a drop from where they were, the river held to the ground by a bend at its shore, keeping it relatively safe.
Soon, they came to a stop at a strange-looking platform. It had a smooth, shiny surface unlike anything she'd seen before. It looked like stone, but was far too reflective and smooth to be such a thing. "Thank you for riding with me. Look for the Doctor, he can help you along your way," the Riverperson advised in the same strange voice, before they slowly drifted away along with the river, leaving her standing alone at the bottom of a set of stairs made from the same shiny stone, whatever it was.
She barely dodged in time, diving to the side to avoid a slash from the scarlet weapon, which left the air smoking where it touched. Her eyes were wide with terror as she scrambled to her feet, and leaped back, evading a ball of fire as it suddenly erupted into the ground where she'd just been standing.
The King's gaze was shrouded in darkness as fire swirled about him, his grip tightening on his trident. His whole body was trembling, but not from exertion. Not from power. She didn't know why, but he seemed just as scared as she was.
She wasn't given the time to ponder on it as she dove aside again, scraping her knees on the cold surface of the ground, a surface that she couldn't even see, dodging another ball of fire. "Please stop!" she cried to him.
His mouth trembled.
Then it tightened. He didn't speak as his eyes suddenly began to flash. Cyan, orange, cyan, cyan, orange-
The first swipe of his trident as it flashed cyan passed right through her, and she took a step back in surprise before the trident flashed orange and slammed into her before she could even move in response. It hadn't even launched her into the air when she felt the trident, cyan once again, hit her twice more before it went orange one final time, and passed through her as she hurtled through the air, crashing to the ground a few meters away, feeling battered and broken.
Blood surged from her mouth with a cough as her eyes stung with tears. "P-please…" her voice croaked out. Her eyes were filled with horror as she looked over at the King of Monsters, who stood firm, glaring her down, flames still flickering around his form.
That must be the Doctor the Riverperson mentioned. He stood not far along the shiny stone path, hunched over at a pillar that extended high, a square-like hole in it, where he was in the middle of messing with what looked like multicolored strings.
As she slowly approached him, he suddenly appeared to tense up. He was wearing a long white cloak, and black boots, his head seeming to be bald and eggshell white. She stopped moving as his shoulders seemed to tighten, before he slowly rose to his full height, towering over her.
There were several moments of tense silence, before he spoke. His voice was a deep rumble that shook her very soul. Calm, collected, yet chilling at the same time. Cold. Almost lifeless. And so commanding…
"Human."
She gulped. His tone was far from friendly, and she felt her breath hitch as he turned slowly to face her. His face was skeletal, with sunken eye sockets, a crack in his right eye extending up to his cranium, his nose a mere hole, no lips to cover his teeth. Small white lights shone within his sockets, and she realized he was staring directly at her, those lights acting like pupils. His robe seemed to be open in the front, parted more like a coat, a white shirt beneath this, a pair of brown pants and a black belt holding it tight to his waist.
Her voice didn't come as she opened her mouth to reply, staring at him. He returned her gaze, his expression lacking any sort of emotion. "You've come far. I would assume that the others are far too fearful of you. We haven't forgotten what you did."
"...M-me?" Shs asked, her voice lighter than usual. He blinked, staring at her, and she noticed that a pair of rectangular glasses sat on his face.
"Your kind," he stated, "it's been only a few centuries. Don't tell me your people have already forgotten your deed."
"I-I… don't… know…"
"Hm," he replied softly, tilting his head slightly to the side. "You're not the first human to fall down here, but we've a new policy. I must take you to see our King."
She pursed her lips, feeling her stomach growl. "D-do you… have food…?" she asked.
The Doctor stared at her for several moments before his expression seemed to soften ever-so-slightly, but then returned to its former steely gaze. "Very well. You will be fed on the way there."
The food was strange; she'd never seen anything like it. A small loaf of bread with meat stuffed inside, all in the shape of a star. The Doctor had called it a 'vurstar', and they'd ordered it at a vendor run by another very strange being. Some sort of scaly lizard creature, violet in color. The Doctor had called his people 'monsters'. They'd been trapped underground for three hundred years after a war with humanity.
"Is that why everyone's scared of me?" she asked the Doctor, looking up from her half-eaten Vurstar. He gave her a slow nod, so she continued; "You said another human fell down here. Where are they?"
"Dead," he responded simply, "she's been gone for a long time now. Died with our Prince."
She blinked, looking back down, digesting this alongside the delicious food. "What... happened to them?"
"It…" He paused, leading her down a cobbled street, dozens of monsters milling about this new town. It looked very much like the purple city she'd been in earlier, but far more grey, and far older. It wasn't the shiny type of rock that had extended over the ocean of lava, which the Doctor claimed he'd built.
"It's a story I'd rather not tell," he finally said, "just know that humanity is not loved here, which is why I need to deliver you to the King."
"He'll take me home?" Maybe he could help her return to the town. Maybe even help her find a new dad. She didn't like living on the streets…
Her question seemed to unsettle the Doctor, who noticeably flinched at her words, but quickly recovered. He opened his mouth to answer, but like she had done earlier, nothing came out. Instead, he closed his mouth and continued to lead her along.
They made their way along the streets, monsters staring as they passed, making her feel quite self-conscious before they came to a grand set of stairs that led up to the entrance of the great castle.
"This is it," the Doctor said, coming to a stop. "You will find the King inside. He will… take... care of you."
By now, her Vurstar was gone, and it had left her feeling far more full than any other time in her life; she felt strong and replenished. She stared up at the Doctor for a moment as he turned around and began to walk away, his task over. "Doctor?" she called to him. He stopped, his back remaining to her.
"Thank you,"
"..."
He continued on without a word.
She turned around to face the entrance of the castle, the stairs themselves seemed intimidating. Why did she feel so anxious?
Stowing her fear, she began to ascend the stairs.
The castle was beautiful and beyond elegant, tall spires extending to the ceiling to hold up a great roof, all a cool steel grey in color, clearly made of stone and not the shiny variety. Crimson carpets lined the floors as she entered the front gate to enter a great room filled with amazing wonders. Portraits hung about the walls, the entrance a massive room filled with chandeliers, and two staircases leading up to a second floor she could see. Bookshelves lined the walls, alongside desks.
She felt she didn't belong. After all, she was just a mere street rat.
… hopefully this King would help her.
However, he didn't. His plans were far different, as she soon found out when she walked down a hall to find an entryway into a great room where golden flowers lined the floor, blooming beautifully even as snow flakes drifted down from the ceiling, which she could see was full of small holes that let in sunlight. Great stain-glass windows lined the walls, letting in a golden glow that made the entire room radiate with an aura of elegance.
She was close to the exit. She could see a large throne sitting in the center of the room, purple cushions and a gold base making its form. Another throne sat in the room, but it was pushed all the way to the back, turned to the side, almost as though it was failing to be hidden.
That must belong to the Queen. She wondered what had happened to the Queen…
And she saw him.
The King.
He entered the room through an entrance in the back of the throne room, a darkness sat behind him, humming something slow and beautiful. His eyes fell upon her small, frail form immediately, and he froze to the spot.
"Oh," he spoke after a moment of silence. Another silence befell them as he slowly walked into the room, unable to tear his eyes away from her, before he finally looked away to stare at one of the windows, studying its surface, which depicted a human man wielding a sword, a red heart emblazoned on his chest.
"He was my friend, once," the King told her, nodding at the window. "I'm sure he's… long forgotten by now."
Another silence. It was tense.
"I was told you would arrive, but… I'd hoped you wouldn't," the King admitted, appearing almost ashamed as he said this. "I have fought a war, conquered friends, seen true horrors, but what I am about to do… I do not know if I have the strength nor the heart to do it."
She stared at him, unsure of what to say as another tense silence was caught between them, like a fly in a spider's web, until he turned around and began to walk back through the doorway in the rear of the throne room from which he'd come. "I'd rather not do this in the garden. Please… this way," he spoke over his shoulder, tone somber and apologetic.
And so she'd followed him into a hall, darker than anywhere she'd ever been, and out of an archway into another room that seemed to breathe. It looked like an echo, constantly shifting. Growing, expanding, yet shrinking at the same time. It was a trance to look at, so she focused on the King instead, whose back was to her as he stared forward at the mesmerizing mess.
"This is the barrier," he informed her, voice distant, "it is what keeps us trapped underground, made by powerful human mages when my kind was cast down here… many years ago," he paused, before slowly turning around, his eyes closed, and a great darkness seemed to fall over him, shrouding his face in shadows. "I must defeat you, and take your SOUL," he told her, "with seven SOULs, I will be able to absorb them and break the barrier if I am to destroy humanity, and save my people," he slowly opened his eyes.
"You are the first."
She could taste blood as she stumbled back from the towering form of the King, several balls of fire scorching along her path, before one erupted against her chest, sending her falling backward once more, a scorching pain searing into her as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"P-please-" she looked up at the King as he raised his trident, hands trembling for a moment...
And everything disappeared into nothingness.
…
…...
"She didn't summon her SOUL once during the fight,"
Asgore didn't turn to the voice as he stared down at the small body of the child he'd just murdered, tears welling in his eyes. "By Orion…" he choked out, and fell to his knees, his trident fading as his great hands covered his face, shoulders shaking.
A skeletal hand placed itself on the King's shoulder, the Doctor standing behind him. "You did what was necessary, your majesty," he assured, "you can't afford to lose sight of your goals." His voice was cold, but his eyes lingered on the child's still body, a hint of regret to their light.
As he stared, a heart appeared above her, slowly drifting upward. It was cyan in color. Her SOUL. As the King continued to sob, the Doctor raised a hand, the SOUL flashing to a deep shade of blue as it suddenly flew to his hand, but stopped midair before it could touch him.
The King lowered his paws slowly to look up at the SOUL, despair filling his expression. "One… down…" he breathed, before slowly climbing to his feet, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I'm fine," he told the Doctor, brushing the skeleton's hand away, "just… need time. To process this. You wouldn't mind getting the… child… a casket, would you? And something to contain her SOUL."
"Of course," the Doctor nodded.
With that, he walked away, grabbing the human's body, carefully hefting her into his arms, cradling her there like a baby as the SOUL hovered beside him. The King watched him leave, before turning around to stare at the barrier, his heart feeling unbearably heavy.
He wasn't certain he could do this again… but he would have to.
He'd have to...