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They sit on the grass quietly. They are a gentle child, wise beyond their age. Yet they remain ignorant to so much of the world around them. Perhaps that is a good thing. This child, all delicate and kind, is strong all the same. Before them is a single flower, standing proudly in the sea of green surrounding it. It sits by the roots of an old, brown tree. Somehow, the tree is comforting to them, the deep brown bark warm, its trunk reassuring and sturdy. The flower is of a vibrant colour, quite beautiful in contrast to its background. The flower, while plain, inspires a flicker of a feeling within them. It stirs up abstract memories of a time not so long ago.
The child rather likes the flower's colour.
Soon, they must leave and continue on with their day. But now, they sit in silence, enjoying a brief pause in the busyness of life.
...
After this first visit, the child finds themself coming back to this spot. It's a nice place, a safe place. Though they visit alone, they aren't lonely. It is not something they do regularly, they simply visit whenever they wish to. Sometimes, when their house is louder than usual, they visit more frequently. The visits always help to calm their mind, soothed by barely-there wind and unassuming, earthy scents. They choose not to tell anyone about their special place.
...
During one visit, as they sat before that old, sturdy tree, they suddenly know they are not alone. They are sat against the tree in a small gap between thick roots, leaning on its sturdy trunk, when they notice a shift in the air. It's a subtle shift, not unwelcome. The presence, so suddenly there, is somehow friendly. The child smiles as recognition sparks in their mind.
There is a reason this presence is so familiar.
Though they have not felt it since leaving that place, it is still welcome and comforting. A breathe of normality after an extended absence that had gone unnoticed.
How could the child have forgotten their friend like that? The one who had guided them, narrating their greatest journey? The one who had supported them and kept them strong at their darkest moments?
It's okay.
The child has missed them.
I missed you too.
Frisk smiles a small smile and laughs happily.
"Chara!"
...
Just as the child remembers, their friend is good company. They do not do much together, and Frisk simply continues to do as they always have at their spot. The silence between them is comfortable and natural, and on the occasion it is broken it is wonderful all the same. Sometimes they will speak to each other, conversing about all types of things.
Frisk tells Chara about their new home, and how everyone is doing. The child keeps their friend updated on the goings-on of their new life. The pair become reacquainted and it is as if they hadn't ever been apart. Perhaps, they never truly separated.
...
Toriel might be getting concerned, the child thinks to themself one day. They tend to spend a lot of time at their spot. They can't help it- it's a source of.. something. Beyond Chara, they have been missing something else since exiting the underground.
Of course, while comfortingly familiar, it's not as if nothing had changed. Both Frisk and Chara alike have developed as people. They have new experiences and feelings to guide their lives. Chara, Frisk notices, is healing, just as Chara sees Frisk rapidly growing, keeping up with the world around them as it, too, evolves.
...
One day, as the child stands from their spot nestled between tree roots, they feel inexplicably light. This is not an unfamiliar feeling. As time passed, Frisk regained their ability to appreciate the 'small things'. In doing so, both Chara and themself have changed further. For the better, the pair believe.
As they move away from the sturdy tree, the light of the sun casts shadows behind them. They walk, leaving their shadows behind in wake of the feeling burning in their heart, resonating within their very soul.
They realise what they were searching for, why they kept coming to this special place. They have regained something important, something quite precious.
They have found it once more. It fills them with
Determination.