Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The following log is currently saved upon a certain terminal in a certain workshop existing outside of time. At the present, it has never been written… it should not exist.

It is written in the language of stars…

To the person I once was;

If you are reading this, let me first apologize for what I mean to put you through. This is not a burden that should fall upon anyone, and I feel horrible foisting it onto you. But believe me when I tell you this is the only way… the only hope to preserve what we’ve gained and to right the wrongs that we – that I – have committed. Please, read these words and know them well… because this is our only chance.

This is not how it was supposed to be. I swore once that I would never again use this power… a power greater and more terrible than that of any god. I was tired… after so many attempts, so many failures, and so many crimes, I’d done it. I’d found the true path, one final run to give them all the happy ending they deserved. That was enough… I could move on, knowing that I had finally atoned for all my sins.

Or so I thought… I did not foresee just how serious the repercussions were. This power I hold… this great, terrible power that should never have been mine: I should have known that it would have a higher price… though I could never fathom just how great a price it was. I thought that, despite everything, I’d managed to avoid the consequences of playing with this world like a toy. Every SAVE, every Load, and every Reset; I’d convinced myself they were just stepping stones to this point… that the end result justified the mistakes made on the path to reach it.

Oh, how wrong I was...

The situation has grown out of control. Nothing I’ve tried has been successful in preserving the stability of this timeline. The more it consumes, the more it hungers. There is nothing I can do to stop it. I’ve lost everything… even if I found a way to stop this, there’s nothing left to save. I’ve failed, once again…

Maybe this is my punishment for everything I’ve done. To know my efforts to undo my mistakes meant nothing in the end. I remember someone else who once said something similar to me… I wonder if this is what he must have felt. You know what they say about other people and walking in their shoes… or maybe you don’t. I’m not exactly sure where I learned that one.

Still, even now I can’t give up, though I want to. I guess that’s what happens when your SOUL is driven by Determination. It is my blessing and curse, my greatest strength and most crippling weakness all in one. And now it forces me to do the unthinkable. For our future, no, for all futures… I must go back on the promise I made. I have to play God once again.

If you are able to read this message, then by now you must surely have some knowledge of the thing I speak of. If not, you will learn soon enough. It will find you, sooner or later. I only hope that by that point you will be able to discover the means to succeed where I have failed.

This will be a great burden for you, I am sure. For both of you, I suppose.

I know it is a gamble in itself to place my faith in her words. I’ve never truly known her intentions… or even how she came to me in the first place. But I  have no  other options. Even if I ignored her it would change nothing about our current situation. If I am right, then perhaps there is yet a chance for us. If I am wrong, well… then there was never hope to begin with. I pray that the former proves true.

No one will have any memory of this… Maybe that’s for the best. I wouldn’t want them to see the things I have. I suppose that I – that you – will also have the illusion of ignorance, at least for a while. To impart this knowledge all at once would be crippling to say the least. No… control is necessary if this is to work. The seal will take care of that…

Please, do not blame yourself for the sins I have committed. Think of them as the mistakes of a foolish predecessor. Though they might haunt you, please know that you are not a t  fault. With this, I grant you a clean slate: an opportunity to do better than I had. This is my final Mercy to you.

One final thing. There is another that will likely hold some of the pieces. He’s probably the one who showed you this message come to think of it. Trust him… he may be hard to read sometimes, but I can think of no greater ally or a better friend.

Well, time to go. There’s nothing left for us here now… let’s start the experiment.

* Quarantine process: B egin.

 * Isolate timeline parameters.
* Stabilize chrono-arcane fluctuations.
* Compensate for margin of error.

 * Location: summit of Mount Ebott, year 1437X, 8:34 PM.

* Subject A: Frisk
* Chronal recollection: S tage four memory seal.
* LOVE/EXP accumulation: Purge.

* Subject B:   &^*r# –
* Isolate essential data.
* LOVE/EXP accumulation: Purge.
* Current link with Subject A: Inhabitation  - Cleared
* New link with Subject A: SOUL Tether.

* All other subjects – purge vestigial memory, restore default.

I leave all our hopes with you, my untainted self… and with the one at your side. Let this world live on…

[TRUE RESET]

The mountain’s silhouette loomed large above the surrounding forest, an inky colossus somehow blacker than the surrounding night. No stars shone above its peak. Their radiance had been impeded long ago by the clouds above which seemed content to leave the world in darkness. It was quiet, so quiet that it almost seemed empty. The only sound for miles was the gentle whisper of wind as it caressed the treetops, and the lazy sigh of leaves given in response.

And the footsteps.

A rhythmic crunch of dead leaf matter split the silence time and again. Its owner was a young boy, not even into his teenage years. He was small, even for a child his age, standing a good few inches shorter than most. He was also incredibly thin… frail even, with arms and legs like fragile saplings. His brown hair hung loosely from his head in desperate need of a trim. A few bangs dangled in front of his eyes which were little more than thin slits, invisible beneath shuttered lids. A blue, long sleeved shirt hung loose around his body stripped with thin lines of purple and a pair of blue jeans covered his legs ending at the ankle where his worn brown shoes began. An old bandage was pressed firmly against his dark-skinned cheek, no doubt nursing some forgotten wound.

He looked like he might shatter at the slightest gust of wind, vanishing without a single trace that he’d ever been there at all.

In his left hand he gripped tight upon a sturdy looking stick. It waved this way and that like the feeler on an insect, occasionally catching on the ground, bending and then wiggling free as he moved forward, taking care to step around whatever had snared it.

A deep growl echoed from high above, startling the boy and causing him to jump. The sudden action robbed him of balance and he fell, landing face-first into the dirt of the long disused path.

“Ow…” He pushed himself up with one shaky arm, his other still clutching the branch.

Once more, he stood, dusting a few specks of dirt and leaf-matter from his clothing with his free hand. That could have been worse. Gravity had robbed him of his footing and his pride all at once, but at least it had failed in taking his stick as well. The sky rumbled once again in annoyance of that fact, but he ignored it. Trudging steadily up the mountain’s incline, and weaving his way onward.

The night had grown darker still when the clouds above decided they’d had enough. A crash of roiling thunder echoed throughout Mt. Ebott. Lightning split the sky, releasing its contents onto the world and the child below. A single raindrop struck him in the nose a split second before a million others followed its lead. Rain stung the back of his neck and washed away the sound of his footsteps. It felt like he’d suddenly walked beneath a waterfall. Yet still he walked on, faster now, relying on the stick to guide his steps. He couldn’t go back… it was too late for that. He only hoped he could find shelter before the storm swallowed him alive.

On and on, he traveled, battling the countless aquatic blades that continued to strike him from all sides. Eventually, he felt the rain’s force lessen ever so slightly in one direction. Using it as a guide he moved toward it, hand outstretched until eventually his fingers rested upon something rough and wet. Stone… a rock face most likely. And where there were rock faces there were often caves…

Shelter.

Driven by the hope of a way out of this storm, he followed along the rough stone, using his stick to guide him through the night and the storm which seemed to have allied in an effort to bring him down. Eventually he felt the precipice curve inward, and he followed, sighing as the force of the rain against his back became weaker and weaker before leaving him completely. He could still hear the countless droplets battering the ground outside but could no longer feel them against his drenched body.

He was inside.

A breath he hadn’t known he was holding in escaped his lungs in a long sigh of relief. His clothes were heavy from the storm’s fury but at least he’d found a place to rest while waiting for it to pass. He moved further inward, hoping to put as much distance between himself and the torrent raging outside. His footsteps echoed against the cavern walls, bouncing around and confusing his senses as he delved deeper within.

It wasn’t until his foot met empty air that he realized the mistake. He gasped, and instinctively tried to retreat. Too late. His balance faltered once again and his body lurched forward. He twisted, grabbing blindly for an edge he could not see, yet found nothing. He fell. His shirt fluttered like a sheet on a clothesline as the darkness drew him deeper into its embrace.

‘Is this… how it ends?’ He thought, feeling the wind whipping his hair into his face. ‘Just like that… one mistake. I’m… I’m gonna die, aren’t I?’

Seconds passed… minutes… still, he continued to fall.

‘Huh…is this all? I thought it would be scarier.’ He mused. ‘Will it hurt…? Maybe I won’t even feel it. Yeah… that’s a nice thought. Just like taking a nap. That’s not so bad, right?’

Feet… yards… miles… still, he continued to fall.

‘I wonder if anyone will remember me?’ A small, humorless chuckle tumbled from his mouth. ‘I doubt it. But that’s alright… I don’t want to be a burden on anyone.’

Further and further without end… still, he continued to fall.

‘No… no that’s not right… This isn’t what I want!’ His thoughts turned to panic, his cold skin shaking. ‘No, this can’t be the end! I don’t… I don’t want to die! Someone… please help me! I don’t want to die…!’

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

The boy’s voice rang through the darkness as he fell, a scream of desperation that filled the abyss. Tears streamed from his lidded eyes, falling upward as he was dragged further down. Terror gripped his heart, chilling it to ice as the inevitability of his own demise crashed against him like a wave.

Darker, and deeper… still, he continued to fall.

And then, suddenly, he stopped. His back landed against something solid, and he instinctively braced himself against a pain that never arrived. He lay still upon his back, something soft and pillowy beneath him. That silky texture… a smell like honey and fresh lemons.

Flowers?

All around him, bloomed a bed of golden flowers; six-petalled with blossoms like a hundred miniature suns. Their stems were a vibrant green, with tiny leaves sprouting from each one.

He laid there for a long while, afraid to even try to move his body in case it might break. Was he dead…? Is this what the afterlife was like? He couldn’t tell.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed at first that he wasn’t alone. Sensing a presence he instinctively turned his head in its direction, cringing as if he expected it to roll off his shoulders. His eyes fell upon something a few paces away, which was strange in and of itself… he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually seen anything. The figure was set ghostlike against his unseeing vision, like the phantom images that appear behind closed lids. But no… there was more to this figure than just a simple apparition. It was prominent… it was clear.

It was… a girl?

Chapter Text

Darkness. No color. No sound. No sight. There was no up nor down. No gravity or light. Within this emptiness, physical laws held no meaning.

All there was, was nothing, unending yet never to begin.

Except… not quite. One thing persisted within this darkness; one fragment of existence, flickering on like the last spark of a long dead flame. A child drifted alone, curled in upon themselves, shoulder length hair fluttering from a non-existent breeze. A voice in the tone of a whisper but echoing like a shout carried from everywhere but their silently moving lips. The darkness itself spoke with their words, resounding a voice denied of its true owner.

"My chest… my throat... why…?” They spoke into the emptiness, their voice a melange of pain and vertigo with just a touch of fear. “No more… please.  Mom, Dad… Brother, please… help me… I can't see. I can’t… I can’t feel anything.”

Their eyelids slowly opened. Copper irises stared into the nothing.

“I am… My name is…” A pause. “My… name? What… is my name?” They blinked, but their thoughts were enveloped by an impenetrable haze. “I… huh? W-where am I? What… was I doing? I can’t… remember.”

A wave of skull-crushing nausea overtook them, and they might have heaved but for the lack of anything to give up. It took all the strength they had to avoid losing themselves in this emptiness. How long had they been here? Years? Or was it only seconds? Even now they could sense it, something within them… something elemental eroding away little by little. How long until their existence itself faded away as well?

Terror gripped them. Their tongue fluttered in a silent scream.

Then… the light. It appeared as if from nowhere, a faint glimmer nestled within the nothing that surrounded them. The child squinted. In the darkness something shined: gold of petal and green of stem…

“Flowers?” Fear receded, quickly replaced by the curiosity of a near-shattered mind. “Gold. Pretty, pretty. Pain… Pain? Flowers are pain?”

An echo of memory gave way to confusion.

That was when they heard it: a voice crying out, almost unheard in the darkness over the sound of their own chanting. The child looked upward in confusion, copper brown eyes, just shy of crimson shining with unshed tears. The voice rang out again, louder this time. They straightened, rotating their weightless body, and scanned the darkness for its source.

'Someone… please help me! I don’t want to die…!’

Words… a cry for help.

“Help…? Help. I’ll help…” The child muttered through the fog of their own thoughts. “Where… are you?”

Their eyes went wide, and a soft gasp emerged from their lips as pure white light flooded the darkness, as if called forth by their declaration. Piercing the blackness it encircled them, wrapping their body in alabaster radiance. The light shining upon their face revealed the features of a young girl, adolescent, having yet to develop into womanhood. Her clothing was simple: a green sweater with a single yellow stripe wrapping around at the center. Brown short pants began at the waist and extended just above the knee, giving way to a pair of black hose underneath. Leather shoes, simple and laceless covered her feet.

The girl called out. "Help… I can… help.”

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” Called the voice she’d heard, shrill and scared as it echoed around her.

A glimpse of something caught the girl’s attention in the instant before the light enveloped her fully; a vague heart-shaped image, carnelian red and exceedingly beautiful.

It was then that everything changed.

The girl lifted from the cold, moist earth, rising from a small bed of green and gold. The petals of the flowers fluttered lightly cross pale skin as her weightless body drifted into the air, dancing and swaying in an unseen breeze. Up and up she drifted, garbed in the hues of the flowers, until at last she slowed to a halt a few inches above their petals.

The light which enveloped her lowly began to fade, as if the flowers, far underground without sunlight, had deigned to feast upon the miniature sun she provided. As her eyes adjusted and the phantoms faded she noticed shapes slowly invading her vision. Stone walls, an empty cavern decorated with strange, handcrafted columns. She hadn’t the time to question her circumstances for as soon as her eyes had cleared, they were met with the sight of a young boy falling through the gloom of the cavern and towards the ground below. An impact from that height and at that speed would have almost certainly been fatal, but for the golden flowers that bloomed from the earth. The boy landed supine upon the blossoms, their stems bending beneath his impact but not breaking, displaying strength much greater than that of typical flora.

The girl’s initially frightful expression shifted to one of confusion mixed with relief. 'Gold flowers? Flowers are pain…? No… Flowers are good. They protect. They save. Good flowers… I like flowers.'  She shook her head softly, clearing the fog from it as best as she was able before slowly floating toward the boy. His head turned wearily in her direction, the thin slits where his eyes should be focusing on her.

"...Hello?" The girl said, giving a small wave with her right hand, while raising the left to cover her face shyly.

The boy’s gaze lingered on her for a few moments without responding. The whole situation felt surreal. He hadn’t lost consciousness as far as he could tell. He felt no pain and all his limbs were where they belonged. If this was indeed his afterlife then it was so deep and so thorough that he couldn’t tell where the line was drawn.

“H-Hi…” He said simply. It was the only word he could muster.

“Are you… alright?” The girl asked, her copper eyes peaking from behind her arm.

“Am I… dead?” The boy asked hesitantly. “Are you… an angel?”

Her head tilted to the side as if in thought. “An angel… am I?”

"I can see you.” He said, with far more awe than such a simple statement should merit.

“See me? What…” Her words tapered off and her gaze fell upon his almost fully closed eyelids. At first glance they seemed normal, but on closer inspection she noticed the faint scars they bore. “Oh.”

He nodded weakly.

“I’m sorry.” She folded her hands before her.

“’S’okay,” The boy said gently. “But where… are we?

“Well, um… I don’t know. I heard a scream and… I… woke up? I saw you fall… from up there.” She pointed upward to the inky blackness above them. “I wanted to help… and then the flowers, they…”

He looked at her for a while… the only image his eyes could focus on. She seemed almost as confused as he was… maybe even more so. Why was he able to see her after such a long time of never seeing anything? What was it about this girl that penetrated the shroud of his blindness? She seemed almost otherworldly… the way her legs dangled in the darkness, suspended in air and never touching the ground below. The way her movements were silent to the point that even his honed ears could pick up not even a whisper. At first he thought she was an angel… now he was starting to wonder if he was right about that.

Neither one of them spoke for some time. The only sound throughout this chamber was that of the wind’s distant sigh far above their heads. If he had the means to notice, the boy might have wondered at the strange light that illuminated the chamber. There was no discernible source… it seemed to come from everywhere at once, evenly distributed throughout the spacious room. The girl did notice, but paid it no mind. Everything felt strange to her… what was one more? The golden flowers continued to cradle him, somehow supporting his weight despite how fragile they appeared. Their scent filled the chamber, calming them both.

“I don’t… think you’re dead,” The girl said thoughtfully.

“I don’t feel dead,” The boy reasoned, and only then noticed the fingers of his left hand were still wrapped around the stick. He lifted it up and waved it in front of him. “And I still have this.”

“I think the flowers saved you.” The girl offered.

“Maybe… let me just-” The sentence caught in his throat. “Whoa…!”

His hand caught on the edge of a large golden petal as he tried to push himself up. It slid through the thin gaps between, causing him to fall back against the bed. The stems of the flowers bent and straightened, bouncing like springs as he fell back against them. The floating girl’s hand shot to her mouth as she tried and failed to stifle a giggle.

“Here.” She said through her laughter. “Let… let me help.”

She floated closer to him and extended a slender hand to him. He reached up awkwardly, and took it. It felt odd… not like any human hand. It was cool and smooth, like the feel of a spring breeze against wet skin and its touch was light despite her firm grip. He laughed lightly at the pleasant sensation, feeling the last of his nervousness ebb way. She pulled him up and a soft smile spread across her lips, tracing a line between her rosy cheeks.

“Thanks…” he said, returning her grin. “That was embarrassing…”

“It was funny.” She corrected giggling again. “You’re such a klutz, um…”

“What?” He asked as her words trailed off.

“I don’t… know your name.” She said thoughtfully. He frowned.

“Oh yeah, it’s… its Frisk.” He wasn’t sure why he bothered to remember it. No one else ever seemed to. “What about you? What’s your name?”

The girl stared at Frisk for a second before answering… "Frisk… that’s a cute name." She blurted out, smiling whilst dodging the question.

Frisk blinked in surprise, blindsided by the sudden compliment. The girl fidgeted beneath his silence, wondering if she’d said something wrong. Then, after a few awkward seconds, a snicker found its way from his throat before erupting into laughter. His arms wrapped his stomach to avoid falling again as he doubled over. The girl blinked, staring at him as if he’d gone crazy.

"Sorry…! I’m sorry!” He said while trying to wrangle his mirth enough to speak. “I've… haha… just never had anyone…  s-say that to me before." His laughter echoed through the room. All the while, the girl continued to stare at him.

"Why is that so funny? Your name is nice, Frisk…" She replied softly as his laughter finally died off. Breathing hard, he waved off her worries.

“I guess I’m… just not used to it.” Frisk said, forcing himself upright once more and meeting her gaze. "That still didn't answer my question though. What's your name?"

The girl looked confused for a second. "My name? It's..." She paused, and clutched her left shoulder, expression clouded with nervousness and confusion. "I… I can't remember. I don't remember my name…" She looked at Frisk apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"You don’t remember?” He questioned. “Well, you don’t have to apologize… I mean, I'm sure you'll remember eventually right?" He consoled her. With a slight grunt, he carefully picked himself up from the flowers and stood next to her. “Today's been one weird thing after another… it’s alright.”

The girl didn’t respond immediately, looking thoughtful. Frisk tried to think of something more to say, but ultimately decided to give her some time. After a few moments of awkward silence, she spoke again.

"Hey Frisk? Why don't… Why don't you give me a name?" The girl struggled with how best to word her suggestion, hands rested against her chest. "I mean. If you want…"

Frisk looked surprised for a moment. "Um sure. I guess I can't just say 'Hey you' so." He took a good look at her, floating just above the flowers. "I could call you 'Pretty' or 'Angel'." He grinned. The girl’s already rosy cheeks grew even redder at his attempt to flirt.

"C- come on Frisk.. you’re embarrassing me. I… I really need a name. Please?" She asked, eyes pleading as she reached up to cover her cheeks.

"Alright alright. Let's see..." He trailed off, his head shifting left to right in careful thought. A snap of his fingers moments later signaled an idea. "I got it. How about 'Lily'? You remind me of a flower. And since the flowers saved me, and all… what do you think?" He asked, waiting for her reaction.

The girl pondered over the name for a moment. "Lily? It's… pretty. I like it.” Frisk beamed at her approval. “Okay. Lily! My name is Lily." The newly christened Lily smiled brightly as she floated to Frisk, and gave him a hug.

The gesture was unexpected but far from unwelcome. Frisk reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her weightless form and returned the hug. In that moment a peculiar feeling washed over him. Something deep within his very being – something unknown – sparked to life within his breast. Its warmth flowed through his whole body, comforting and invigorating at the same time as it traveled downward, pooling at his feet like warm water.

His unseeing eyes fell upon a place some feet from where he was standing and that was when he noticed it, shining like a beacon in the blankness of his sight. "Hey. What's that? I don't think it was there before?" He mused, pointing out what he’d seen to Lily.

“Wha…?” She questioned, unraveling her arms from Frisk and following his finger.

There it was, emblazoned within the bed of golden flowers like a star of the same color. A glowing point, shimmering with soft light that even Frisk could see. Lily gasped for a moment and stepped back but quickly relaxed as the light’s radiance seemed to soothe her spectral body as well.

“What is… that?” She asked. “I didn’t do that.”

“I think… I did?” Frisk said, scratching his neck thoughtfully.

“What…? How?” She managed to tear her eyes away from the light to look at him.

“I don’t know how to explain it, really.” He said, clinching his fingers thoughtfully. “I felt something just then. When I gave you your name and you hugged me…” He thought for a moment. “I felt like I could do anything I wanted to. Like no matter what happened, I would be alright. Determination… I think that’s the word.”

“Determination?” Lily asked. “What for?”

“I guess… to keep living.” Frisk replied. “Just before we met, I thought I was going to die. But I’m alive… and now I’ve met you. This is the first time I’ve ever had a friend…”

“Your first friend?” Lily could not find the words to respond to that. Eventually she simply settled for, “I’m glad.”

“Me too…” Frisk agreed. “I’m not sure why, but I think that will to live is what created that star.”

She smiled earnestly – an expression that only made Frisk happier – before turning away from him with some effort. Without the sound of their voices to fill it, the silence was almost unnerving, but the light from the glowing star was emboldening and dampened her unease. But happy meetings or not they were still in the middle of an unfamiliar cavern and the most important question was ‘how do they leave?’ They couldn’t very well get out the same way Frisk got here after all. Lily turned about to look at their surroundings and quickly noticed a pathway winding outward from the cavern. It seemed to be the only way forward.

“I guess we should go…” She said reluctantly. “There’s only one way out of here.”

Frisk concentrated for a moment, searching for any sounds or smells that might point him in the right direction on his own. The last thing he wanted was to be burden on the first person he could remember to ever show him genuine kindness. However, a faint buzz in the air and a odd tingling across his skin disturbed him, and while easily the keenest of all his working senses his nose could detect little outside of the flowers’ fragrance. After a moment he sighed in defeat. Lily frowned and took his hand guiding him in the direction of the cave mouth.

“This way.” She said gently, floating ahead and guiding him forward.

His right hand in Lily’s and his left firmly clutching his stick, Frisk moved on, stepping away from the soothing light of the glowing star and the golden flowers that cradled it. It was dark here, such that Lily had to squint in order to see. The air was moist as they wound their way through the cave. Eventually Lily came to a sudden stop, causing Frisk to stumble a bit at the unexpected lack of movement. His stick brushed against one of the pillars flanking a massive threshold.

“What is it?” Frisk asked, focusing on her.

“I’m not… sure.” She replied, staring thoughtfully at the strange symbol carved into the stonework above. “I feel like I should know this…”

“You said you couldn’t remember your name.” Frisk recalled. “What do you remember?”

“Some things… Like how I like flowers. But most of it is… hazy.”

She shrugged, focusing on the symbol for a good long while, grasping for a memory that felt just out of reach. After a while of searching and coming up empty she gave up. Frisk walked behind her as she drifted through the threshold and into a large chamber beyond. It was much larger than the one he’d fallen into and the air felt ‘freer’… less restricted than in the cramped cave they were in before. The flowers were here too, dancing in the slight, underground breeze. It seemed peaceful enough… but something felt off. Frisk could sense something around them… a presence belonging neither to him nor his spectral companion.

Just as he was about to ask Lily if she’d felt it too, a quiet shifting of earth gave way to its source. One of the flowers rose above the rest, shaking off bits of dirt from its petals and stem. It was taller than the ones that had saved him, and swayed back and forth like a dance. Six golden petals sprouted from its stigma which watched them from a cute, almost emoticon-like face. Lily gasped in surprise upon seeing it, Frisk looked up at her in confusion.

“The flower has a face…” She sighed. Frisk turned to where her eyes led and saw nothing.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey. Flowey the Flower!” The chirpy voice caused Frisk to jump. The sentient flower giggled slightly at this reaction.

“He- hello?” Frisk says in the direction of the voice.

“Hmm… You’re new to the Underground, aren’tcha?” Flowey guessed, and Frisk wasn’t sure whether or not he should confirm that. “Golly, you must be sooo confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here. I guess little old me will have to do.”

The flower winked, and stuck out a little green tongue. Frisk wasn’t quite sure how to respond, so he turned to Lily.

“Um, Lily…?” He began, looking up toward the girl who continued to watch the flower. “I don’t-“

“Hey, who are you talking to?” The flower said, its expression reforming into one of confusion. “You’re a weird kid… guess it’s a good thing I’m here. Ready?”

Frisk’s confusion was quickly replaced by a gasp as an unpleasant sensation washed over him. A pull against his chest, like something was being drawn from his body against his will. He stumbled back slightly when his eyes fell upon a red glow pulsing before him. A bright red heart-like shape sat level with his chest, the pulse timed perfectly with his own heartbeat. He looked up, and it was only then that he saw the flower, its features monochrome against a field of nothing. Lily also seemed to notice this as she managed to tear her eyes away from the talking flower and stare at him.

“Wait… isn’t that?” She began, recognizing the image of the heart.

“See that heart?” Flowey said, his face a constant smile. “That’s your SOUL. The very culmination of your being.”

“My SOUL…?” Frisk repeated. He’d heard of the concept of the SOUL on the surface, but it was always treated as little more than speculation. They’re real…?

“That’s right!” Flowey chirped in that saccharine tone. “Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV.”

“LV?” Frisk asked. Lily shrugged. “What’s that?”

“Why, LOVE, of course!” He said excitedly. “You want some LOVE, don’t you?”

Frisk stopped himself before saying ‘yes’. Something about this felt wrong… this flower’s overly kind demeanor felt somehow hollow to him. It was unlike the honest kindness he’d felt from Lily… where he’d felt a sense of warmth and belonging. Here there was nothing, words and sounds yes, but no feeling. It reminded him of a few people he’d known on the surface… those people who acted nice only until they got what they wanted. It worried him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you!” He said sweetly, his stigma shifting to wink at Frisk again. Frisk felt the crackle of energy as five white seed-like objects fanned out from Flowey’s petals, spinning like tops in the air above him. “Down here, LOVE is shared through… little white… ‘friendliness pellets.’”

The hesitation in the flower’s voice only made Frisk even more nervous. Flowey didn’t seem to notice the reluctance in the human’s expression as he continued to smile sunnily at him. Above him, the ‘friendliness pellets’ continued to spin, suspended in the air by his magic.

“Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!” He said and the pellets began to move.

They flew slowly through the air toward Frisk’s pulsing SOUL. Magic hummed in the air and he was unsure what to do. He noticed too late that Lily had stepped ahead of him. She drifted toward the pellets, a smile on her face. Frisk reached out toward her even as she reached for one of the spinning projectiles. It slipped through her fingers and spun toward Frisk who stepped around it. She frowned briefly before reaching for another.

“Lily, don’t!” Frisk called to her.

“Come on, Frisk!” She giggled. “He’s a flower! Flowers are good, remember? They saved you!”

“But Lily-“

Frisk’s argument was cut off as one of the so-called friendliness pellets struck his companion in the back. The spinning seed tore through her spectral form and emerged from her stomach. A cry of pain echoed through the chamber as she doubled over, clutching her abdomen and crumpling to her knees.

“No!” Frisk called out, rushing toward her.

Three more pellets flew in their direction; one of them passing dangerously close to Lily’s neck… the other two wouldn’t miss. Frisk grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the left, managing to narrowly avoid the magical projectiles. While Frisk could never be called strong, Lily’s feather-light form offered no resistance and followed his movements without effort. When at last they stopped she collapsed again, and Frisk immediately noticed that while she was once floating, he body had descended to the ground. Whatever had once kept her aloft now no longer had the strength to do so. She looked up at him with eyes blurred with tears.

It was then that he saw it… a long band of energy hovering above her colored in yellow and red, almost like the line of an EKG. The amount of yellow was dangerously low…

“Hey buddy, you missed them…” Flowey said, he seemed annoyed. “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you! Let’s try again.”

Frisk was appalled. Did the damned flower not even realize what he’d done? He was acting like Lily wasn’t even there… like hadn’t nearly killed her! He backed away from his companion and turned toward the flower just as he launched another salvo of pellets in his direction. Frisk knew now what the flower was trying to do, and he wasn’t about to let any of those pellets touch either him or Lily. He stepped away from the pellets that drifted toward him, using his stick to bat away one that came close to his friend. It didn’t seem like Flowey could see her, so Frisk moved further away, hoping to draw the flower’s attention away from her position.

“Is this a joke? Are you brain-dead?” Flowey said, his expression growing more and more aggravated by the minute. “RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS- er, friendliness pellets!”

That sealed it. Another wave of bullets flew at Frisk, faster this time but he was easily able to dodge them without having to worry about Lily getting hit. He glared at the flower through his nearly-closed eyes, who at this point seemed to have had enough. Flowey’s smile twitched and then shifted into a grotesque fanged image, abandoning all pretense of kindness. Frisk felt his blood run cold.

“You know what’s going on here, don’t you?” He said, his voice deepened into a sinister reverb. “You just wanted to see me suffer.”

At that moment a ring of bullets surrounded Frisk from all sides. Magic hummed around him, almost deafening to the ears as dozens of deadly projectiles hung ominously in the air around his body.

“DIE!!!” Flowey shouted.

At once, the ring of magic began to close around Frisk, moving with agonizing slowness as if to draw out his final moments. Flowey’s face shifted into a disturbingly vague image of a humanoid head, and from that head was loosed a howling cackle. Frisk stepped away from one arc of bullets, and felt the buzz of magic on his back, adjusting himself just before the ones behind him managed to shred into his SOUL.

“Frisk…” He heard Lily’s voice as the bullets closed in, blocking any and all means of escape.

And then they vanished. Flowey looked at the boy in confusion. Frisk looked back, his expression a mirror of the flower’s own.

“How in the-“

Flowey’s question was interrupted as he was suddenly knocked away by a burst of fire – crimson to the world but ghostly white to Frisk – from seemingly out of nowhere. He hissed and looked in the direction the fire had come from, his petals blackened from the attack. Then his eyes widened and he immediately retreated beneath the earth.

Frisk blinked in confusion and followed the line of his gaze until he saw what the flower had. Another creature stood nearby, glaring at the place Flowey had been moments before. It was tall, garbed in a robe emblazoned with a strange heraldic image: a winged, spherical figure hovering over three triangles, the lowest of which was inverted. Like Flowey, Frisk could see the new arrival clearly, though the violet of her robes was bleached to his sight. Nevertheless, he was taken aback by its appearance. It resembled something similar to a goat, with two small horns upon its head, and long floppy ears. The fur covering its body seemed white as fresh snow, and a long muzzle ended in a pair of small pointed fangs.

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…” The creature said disdainfully, in a voice that was distinctly female before her eyes fell on Frisk. He saw her expression soften into a gentle smile as his sight fell away once more.

Chapter Text

As his vision returned to familiar darkness, Frisk immediately turned his attention back towards Lily, who's injured form shined before him like a weak flame. He ran to her, dropping to his knees and lifted her gently into his arms. Cradling her against his chest, he turned in the general direction of the strange being who had saved him, pleading to the only other person he could.

"Miss? Please! My friend is badly hurt." He clutched Lily closer to him. "Is there anything you can do? Please!"

"You are with someone?" The caprine woman gasped. She quickly made her way to the small boy's side and followed his gaze to his lap. There was nothing. Confused, she glanced about the chamber, wondering what it was she might have missed.

"Where are they, my child? Show them to me, and I will do what I can."

The words almost felt like a cruel joke to Frisk's distraught mind. How could she not see Lily?

"She's right here!" He all but screamed while motioning to his arms with a frantic nod of his head. "Can't you see her? She's right here!"

"I do not..." She paused. This was not something she was familiar with. Never before had she met someone who was so insistent on something unseen. Looking at the young boy's frantic face she forced her own worried mind to calm. "Stay right here, child. I must be sure that there are no further dangers. I will then take you - and your friend - to my home. Perhaps there I will be able to help her." The woman assured Frisk, standing up to look around the cavern.

Frisk returned his attention to Lily, and shook her gently, praying for some sign that she was alright. "Lily? Lily, please. Say something!" He cried, patting her arm to try and get a response.

Lily, who up until now had been quiet, sobbed quietly. "It hurts…"

Frisk held her close, afraid that she might break if he squeezed too hard. "I know. It'll be okay soon. I promise."

The words felt more like an attempt to convince himself than her. It wasn't working very well. Nevertheless, the girl managed a weak smile as her bleary eyes focused on his face.

"Thank you. For protecting me..." She mumbled, tears streaming down her face as she weakly lifted a hand to place over his heart.

Frisk did his best to smile back, despite his worry. "I would do it again. You're my friend." He reached for her trembling hand and steadied it with his own.

That was when it happened. Lily's ghostly form flickered ominously like a lightbulb on the last of its charge. Frisk gasped in worry and fear as a strange white light began to brighten around their joined hands. Rippling outward, it grew ever brighter, encasing the girl like a cocoon of radiance before bursting into a hundred shimmering particles.

"Lily!" Frisk cried in a panic as his friend disappeared from his arms.

The lights drifted upward, hovering in the air around him for a moment. Then one at a time they fell, fluttering down toward him like snowflakes before disappearing, one after the other into his chest. Frisk squinted instinctively against a pain that did not come before looking around the now empty space for any sign of his friend. He found not one… not even the unique feeling of her hand in his remained.

"Lily?" He breathed, his gaze darting to and fro. "Lily?! Please, don't be gone… Lily!"

"I'm here Frisk." he gasped again as her voice spoke within his mind, a surreal sound that at the same time, was somehow soothing. "I'm just… so sleepy. I'm just gonna…take a nap. I'll… be okay."

The voice fell silent and for a moment Frisk felt his nervousness bubbling back to the surface. In the next, he felt it, deep within his chest, alongside the beating red of his own SOUL. A presence… her presence, exuding a heavy warmth. It was an odd feeling: almost like she was clinging against him from within, shielding herself from an unknown chill with the warmth inside his breast.

She was still there.

'I wish there was something I could do to help her…'

Even as the thought crossed his mind, his stomach became wracked by incredible pain. He doubled over, stifling a cry as it burned through his abdomen and shuddered against his SOUL. Small arms wrapped about a slender frame, pressing in on his stomach as if to staunch a non-existent flow of blood. The recent memory of Flowey's seed-like magic ripping through his friend flashed through his mind.

' It… hurts… is this what Lily felt?'

He gritted his teeth against the agony, fighting the urge to cry out. Bullets indeed… it felt like he really had been shot. He breathed deeply, steeling himself against the burn as it gradually faded into a dull ache. He righted himself, doing his best not to let the pain show as he let the air out of his lungs with a shuddered breath.

Not a moment too soon. The rhythmic padding of the goat-woman's feet heralded her return. She knelt down and placed a hand upon his small shoulder. "Here I am, my child. The path is clear. Are you and your friend ready to move on?" She questioned, helping Frisk to his feet.

Still holding his stomach gently, Frisk gave a nod, hoping she hadn't noticed what had occurred just moments before. "Yeah. We're both good to go, Miss. Thank you."

She smiled and took his hand with her own… Hand? Paw? He didn't care. It was warm, the fur soft… comforting. Gripping his stick with the other, he squeezed that small piece of security and walked with her deeper into the cavern.

"I am glad I chose to come out here when I did. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass by here every day to see if anyone has fallen down." She introduced herself. "I must admit. I was not expecting a human to fall. It has been a long time since the last one."

Toriel led Frisk down a few passages, winding her way through the various twists and turns like someone who knew the place by heart. Frisk nearly tripped when they came upon a set of stairs leading to another threshold but managed to steady himself before either injury or embarrassment befell him. Eventually, they emerged from the tunnels and into a larger room. A great door marked by a strange crest, not unlike the one they'd seen above the archway earlier barred the way forward.

"Welcome, innocent one." She said in a gentle voice. "These are the Ruins. Listen well, and I shall educate you in their operation. Here, you will encounter a number of puzzles: ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them in each room to move further."

Toriel demonstrated by solving the puzzle in question, weaving among the six pressure plates, depressing the two on the left and right while leaving the central plates alone. A soft rumble of scraping stone resounds as the door slid vertical, leaving the way open. Turning from the switch she'd just pulled, Toriel returned her attention Frisk to make sure he understood. She frowned when she noticed him rooted firmly to the spot where she'd left him.

"Dear child? Is everything alright?" She asked softly.

Frisk jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. He had been listening intently on his surroundings trying to pinpoint where she had gone. Though he'd begun to get used to it, the light buzz of magic was still somewhat disorienting to his ears. The fact that Toriel's padded feet made so little sound against the stonework to begin with did nothing to help in that respect.

"Uh. Y-yeah. Coming!" He stumbled a little, gliding his stick against the ground to mark his path as he approached Toriel.

She smiled and turned toward the now opened doorway. Frisk honed his attention to the light sound of her footfalls and followed behind her to the next room. It was much larger than any thus far… even more open and cavernous than the vast chamber where they'd encountered Flowey. Clusters of green ivy snaked along the walls, creating natural pillars of leaf and vine. The trickle of water echoed throughout from the two canals that ran across the room, splitting it into three segments connected only by the small bridges crossing the water. In the distance, a tall row of spikes formed an ominous-looking wall on the other side.

"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches," Toriel explained. "Don't worry, I have labeled the ones you need to flip."

Frisk paled… switches? Labeled? He shifted in place, again feeling nervous but for a far different reason this time. He listened for Toriel's footsteps and followed in their wake as she traversed the room. The switches in question sat upon the wall to his left, the correct ones labeled with arrows and encouraging messages both written in bright yellow ink. All of this went completely unnoticed to Frisk as he followed his guide who came to a stop near the second of the two bridges.

"Go ahead, child. Press that switch." She encouraged. Frisk looked about warily. "Do not fear. I am watching over you."

Using his stick to guide his way, Frisk stepped gingerly through this section of the room. The sounds of the water trickling from all sides added to the persistent hum of magic, confusing his senses even further. He awkwardly approached the direction of the switch, fumbling blindly toward it. Toriel smiled in approval for a moment, until she noticed his steps veering slightly to the right. Her content expression shifted to worry a moment before Frisk's foot caught on the edge of the canal.

A frightened gasp was the only sound afforded to the boy as his body lurched to the right and he felt the familiar sensation of falling. Toriel's startled yelp was cut off as his body hit the water with a splash. Terror filled him as his head disappeared beneath, cutting off his every sense save the icy touch of the water. A rush of freezing liquid filled his mouth as he tried to scream, cutting off breath and voice in equal measure. Panic seized him and his arms flailed violently, reaching out for anything solid… something that would save him.

'Not now…! Not now, not now, not now!' he thought. 'Lily…Toriel…'

Something grabbed his arm at that moment, something strong and gentle. His mind snapped into almost primal focus, zoning in on that one speck of possible salvation. He reached over and grasped it with his other hand and was rewarded as his small frame was slowly pulled upward. Sound and smell returned to him as his head emerged from the water followed by the rest of his body. He coughed and sputtered as he was drawn up into a warm embrace. Water dripped from his clothes and hair, leaving dark patches upon Toriel's violet robes.

"Oh, thank heavens…" Toriel said, cradling him against her chest. "Are you alright, child? Are you hurt?"

Frisk shook his head vigorously. "No…I'm f-fine." He lied, even as his teeth chattered, and the dull ache pulsed against his stomach.

Toriel continued to hold him close, slackening her arms only when he began to calm. She looked down at his face and frowned.

"You… cannot see. Can you, little one?" She observed, stroking his wet cheek with her fingers. Frisk lowered his head sadly and said nothing. He didn't want to be a burden. "It is true then."

Frisk sniffed as tears began to well up in his eyes. Crying was about the only thing they'd ever been good for and he hated it. Now she knew… now she understood how much of a hindrance he was. He supposed it was better she find out now rather than later. At least this way, it would hurt less.

"You poor dear…" She said gently, pulling him into another embrace. The action shocked him so much that he didn't even think to reciprocate. "I am sorry I did not notice sooner."

Somehow, her kind words only drew another flood of tears. The emotional impact of everything he'd experienced in the last couple of hours had finally taken its toll. He had no idea where he was, and his first real friend, the first person he had ever seen was nearly killed mere moments after they'd met. All he had at the moment was this strange woman, her gentle voice, and sweet scent.

So he cried… it was all he could do.

Toriel held the boy close, doing what she could to soothe him. She was in no hurry… not when there was a child that needed her. The boy was soaking wet, his bandage had washed off, and he shivered from the chill of the Ruins… but eventually, he stopped crying. The goat woman smiled gently as he sniffed away the last of his sadness and helped him rise shakily to his feet.

"M-my stick?" He stammered with uncertainty. He'd lost it when he fell into the canal.

Toriel frowned and looked into the water where he'd fallen. Caught on the grate was a small branch, a single green leaf still attached to one end. With a deft motion, she fished it out and returned it to her young charge's hand. Frisk smiled as he grasped the rough wood, comforting in its familiarity. Toriel beamed at the sight.

"I am glad you are feeling better." She said gently and took his hand. "Come, I will guide you through the rest of the Ruins."

She did so, leading him to the switch and placing his hand upon it. Frisk felt around the mechanism for a moment before grasping the lever and pulling it down with a satisfying click. Toriel gave him an approving pat on the shoulder before leading him to the second. Upon pulling this one, Frisk heard a metallic shing as the spikes retracted.

"Well done, child." She said. "Let us move on."

Frisk swelled with joy at the praise as Toriel took his hand and led him into the corridor released by the spikes. Eventually, they came to a smaller room, empty of any notable features save for the single, somewhat worn training dummy sitting silently near the rightmost wall. Toriel led Frisk over to the cute little mannequin before letting go of his hand.

"As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation." She explained. Frisk gave her an uncertain look. "Worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you may enter a fight. If that happens, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time, and I will come to resolve the conflict. Now, why not practice on the dummy?"

Frisk approached the dummy somewhat awkwardly. At first, he hadn't thought much of it. Maybe this was Toriel's way of being nice or introducing him to a new game. However, he was quickly caught by surprise when his SOUL suddenly sprang forth from his chest. Its radiant red glow enveloped him, and he found himself now able to see the dummy before him. He was about to grin when his eyes fell upon something above his SOUL… another band of yellow and red, split evenly between the two colors. He concentrated on it for a moment.

'10/20… HP?' He thought. 'HP… HoPe.Huh… how do I know that?' He considered that oddity for a moment but could find no answer. Instead, he focused on the split line, seemingly tied to his own well-being. 'That must be from when Lily got hurt… will she really be okay in here?' He mused, pressing a hand against his chest.

He was still rather worried about her, though her presence never faded from his chest. She seemed alright, for the time being, so he turned his attention back to the dummy who looked like it was about to fall over at any moment.

* A cotton heart and a button eye, you are the apple of my eye.

The pleasant little song came from somewhere in his mind and made him smile.

"H-hello?" He said to the dummy. "I… I like your stuffing? It's nice…"

The dummy stared at him but didn't respond.

Toriel beamed proudly from where she stood nearby and clapped politely. "Ah, good! You did very well."

Frisk's smile brightened as his vision faded and his SOUL receded into his chest. He waved to the dummy before Toriel took his hand and lead him through the doorway to the north. Another room, this one also decorated with ivy. A patch of stone on the floor seemed to be made of a different, lighter-colored material than the rest and wound with purpose in a zig-zagging pattern. Frisk followed her through it and to the adjacent corridor.

He shuddered and gripped her hand tighter as the sound of water burbled from nearby. Toriel seemed to sense this and halted while she patiently waited for him to calm down. A curious Froggit hopped close during their pause, but a stony glare from Toriel sent it on its way. After taking a moment to calm down, Frisk nodded and his guide took that as a sign to continue. She led him forward through the maze of spikes, sections of which retracted all on their own as she stepped over them. Frisk was unaware of these. If he was, he might have been more frightened, but Toriel 's guidance carried him flawlessly to the end.

Upon crossing into the next room, Toriel paused and removed her hand from Frisk's.

"You have done excellently thus far, my child," She said, but Frisk could sense some hesitation in her voice. "However, I have a difficult request to ask of you."

"What?" Frisk looked in her direction. "What do you need?"

"I… I would like you to walk to the end of this corridor by yourself." She said with some difficulty. "I know it is difficult, especially after what I've just learned about you, but you must trust me. Please, forgive me for this."

"Wait!" Frisk called as her padding footfalls grew quieter in the distance.

He stood there silently for a few moments, now feeling more alone than he ever had before. Was he wrong about her kindness… had she left him? He wrapped his arms around his damp chest, clutching his stick in a white-knuckled grip. He was shivering, but he didn't know if that was from the cold or his own fear.

With shaking limbs he put one foot in front of the other. What was there to lose now from following her last request. Apart from Lily, she was one of the few people who had even shown this much kindness to him… he at least owed her this much, right? His footsteps echoed down the dark corridor. No other sound answered them save that of his own breathing and the guiding scrape of his stick. It seemed to stretch forever… empty, silent, and cold. His heart pounded with such force that he felt it in his ears. He was alone… he was-

"Greetings, my child." He heard a familiar voice. "Do not worry, I did not leave you. This exercise was simply a means to test your independence."

Frisk felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders and sighed.

"It was scary…" He admitted.

"I know, dear one. I know." Toriel soothed. "But you did splendidly. Come along now."

She led Frisk through another small passageway and into another room. The ripe smell of fallen leaves filled his nostrils from all sides. It felt peaceful here… safer than the other rooms. Toriel placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"I am sorry for doing that to you, but it was important, child." She said in that motherly tone that always set him at ease. "You see, I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while."

"But-" Frisk pleaded.

"I know, but please trust me." Toriel cut him off. "It will only be for a moment, and I might be able to find something to help your little friend as well. Here, take this." She placed something heavy and vaguely rectangular in Frisk's hand. "It is a cell phone. If you have need of anything, just open it and press the button on the top-right and I will answer. Can you do that for me?"

Frisk thought for a moment and then nodded. She was kind enough to help him, so he could be brave for a while if that's what she needed. Toriel smiled proudly before turning away with some reluctance and disappearing further into the ruins. Frisk looked around the area, fanning the air with his stick until he heard the tell-tale rustle of a leaf pile. He sat down near it, idly turning the leaves over with his stick. After a moment, he decided to check on Lily.

"Lily…? Lily, are you there?" He said to the air around him. After a few moments without a response, he tried again, voice wavering in fear. "Lily? Are you okay? Lily..?"

"…Huh…? I- I'm here..." Lily's sleepy voice spoke within his head, along with what felt like a yawn. The sound caused him to relax. "I'm sorry for… for sleeping so long…" Frisks SOUL pulsed gently with her presence, loosening itself in a way that resembled a nice long stretch following a nap.

"It's okay. I was just worried about you. You were hurt a lot…" He mumbled, placing a hand to his stomach. "I was so scared when you turned into those lights. Then you went into my body, and I felt your pain…"

White-hot regret spread through his chest, and his SOUL pulsed dully with the feeling. "I'm… I'm so sorry Frisk. I didn't mean to hurt you. I should have listened when you said to wait…" Her meek tone and the surge of emotions he felt were almost heart-rending. "Maybe… What if I tried to leave? Maybe you'll stop hurting as much?" Lily asked softly, pushing her essence against his chest to try an escape.

Frisk opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden gasp of pain cut off whatever response he might have made. At once, his body was assailed by a burning agony that forced him to his knees. A cry rippled from his mouth and was immediately echoed by another within his head. He shuddered, and clutched his stomach, trying to steel himself against the pain. He could tell that Lily was too, and he wasn't sure whether the tears that began to well up were hers or his own. The stick fell from his hand and clattered against the stone of the Ruins as his left hand shot to his chest. He could feel the throb of his SOUL beneath.

"Li…ly!" He gasped out, trying to reach the girl with his own emotions.

Then, quickly as it came, the pain faded. A sound, like an intake of breath, resounded in his head "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She cried, as sincerely and shamefully as her own pained voice could muster. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I won't do it again. I promise."

Frisk took a deep, shuddering breath to calm himself as the pain faded back into a much more manageable dull ache. His fingers clutched around his heart, hoping to calm her as well as the pounding in his chest. "I- I guess you aren't ready to come out yet. It's okay… you can stay there until you're better."

"Alright." Lily replied, uncurling herself to once more fill up Frisks SOUL and mind. "I'm sorry…"

"You don't-" He shook his head and corrected himself. "It's okay… you didn't mean to."

They took a moment to rest and allow both of their minds to calm down. When the silence was broken it is Lily who broke it. "So where are we? I mean I see the leaves but what happened with Flowey? I uh.. don't remember much after the attack..."

"Oh yeah. After you were hurt I tried keeping him away from you." Frisk explained. "It didn't seem like he could see you but his bullets could do some real damage."

"Wait, bullets?" Lily asked. "Is that what hit me?"

"Yeah… he let it slip when I annoyed him." Frisk said grimly. "Liar…"

"What happened next?" Lily asked, a little fascinated by the story.

"Well he had a bunch of them surrounding me but then this really nice woman came and got Flowey to leave us alone." He said, diving into the story. "Her name's Toriel. She's a goat… or like one, anyway. I've never actually seen one, you know? But she has fur and long ears, the whole thing. She even had horns!"

"Really?!" Lily said. "That sounds so cool! I wish I could see her. I-"

She paused. Something about the woman's description and her name struck Lily as familiar. She felt like she should know this person but no matter how she tried she couldn't understand why. Maybe she'd met Toriel in a time before she'd lost her memories. It was an odd feeling, but she decided not to dwell on it. Frisk didn't seem to notice her thoughtfulness and the last thing she wanted to do was worry him, especially since he seemed to be feeling better.

"Anyway, you might get to meet her soon," Frisk said. "She said she wouldn't be long."

Their conversation trailed off, and Frisk sat back against his hands. He fumbled around for a moment before finding his stick, resting patiently where it had fallen, waiting to be picked up. He was content, and he could tell that Lily was too from the warmth that cradled his soul. The fact that his friend was okay and that he, too was still alive was heartening for him. That thought flowed through his mind like a warm summers breeze and soothed Lily's own wounded spirit. He was filled with determination.

"Frisk look! Another star! How'd you do that?" Lily practically bounced with excitement, drawing his attention toward what she'd seen. "That warmth I felt just then… was that it?"

There, in the middle of the pile of brown and red leaves was a large golden star, flickering softly full of light. He stared at it for a moment, his own excitement merging with Lily's and causing it to shine a bit brighter. A gentle buzz, strange but not uncomfortable filled his mind for a moment before vanishing just as quickly. He shook his head, in confusion.

"That's the second time." Frisk said curiously. "I don't get it…"

"You weren't able to do it before?" Lily asked. "Like on the surface?"

"Nope. It only started here." He explained.

"Well, I think it's pretty cool." Lily complimented before turning her attention back to Frisk. "Hey. Why are you sitting in the middle of this room anyway?"

"Oh. Toriel asked me to stay here while she went and did something. She said this room was mostly safe." He explained. "I think she felt bad that I was blind... I ended up taking a dive into some water back there..."

"Oh, Frisk..." Soothed Lily, making her essence grow and heat up, spreading a comforting sensation throughout the boy's body."You shouldn't have been worrying so much about me then. I don't want you to get hurt..."

"It's alright. I'm okay now." Frisk shook his head dismissively, but couldn't help but smile anyway at his friend's concern. "Anyway, while I was waiting for her to come back, I decided to call for you. She gave me a cellphone and everything."

Frisk pulled the phone from his pocket to show Lily. She stared at the rounded, rectangular shape for a moment, wondering how this unfamiliar contraption was meant to connect them to Toriel. "Oh.. that's good," she replied simply, deciding that the knowledge of it must be among her missing memories, before looking around the room as he returned the phone where it belonged. She wasn't really worried about it since he seemed to know how it worked. "Kinda boring in here though isn't it?" Frisk shrugged. After what he'd been through 'boring' didn't seem so bad. Undeterred, Lily spoke again. "Oh, I know! Let's explore a little!" She said happily.

"I don't know. Toriel said there are a lot of puzzles and traps. I don't want us to get hurt again..." Frisk reasoned, playing with the stick in both hands.

"But I'm awake now. I can still see like this, so I can guide you. We won't go far if you don't want to?" She hesitated. "I wanna do whatever you want to Frisk."

Frisk smiled, feeling content as he rose to his feet and stretched a bit. "I guess it's okay, as long as we don't go too far. I wouldn't want Toriel to worry. She promised to help you feel better once she came back for us." Firmly gripping the stick. he stood up and glanced about the room with his sightless eyes. "Where to first? I know the door over… there? I think? Is the one we came through." He says, pointing in the direction of the western wall.

"That's a good place to start. There's another doorway to the right of it on the other wall. We can go there first?" She said, nudging him in the correct direction. Shrugging Frisk set off for it, entering through the doorway.

It wasn't a particularly large room, and there didn't seem to be any other entrances or exits from what Lily could see. However, in the center of the room, sitting on the pillar like an idol was a large bowl. It looked to be filled with something but Lily couldn't tell what it was from here. There was a note attached to the pillar beneath the bowl which drew her curiosity.

"Oh hey. There's a bowl on the pillar and… a note." She explained for Frisk's benefit. "Get closer? I wanna see what it says."

Complying with Lily he walked forward, holding out his hand until his fingers met the pillar. "What's it say?"

"'Monster Candy. Take One.'" She said. Frisk could imagine her face lighting up. "Oooh candy!"

"Monster Candy?" The boy raised a brow. "What's that like?"

"I think it has a distinct, non-licorice flavor." Lily joked.

"Ha ha." Frisk droned. "But now I'm curious. What flavors are there?"

"Let's see…" Lily examined the individual pieces as Frisk looked over them. "There's blueberry, peppermint, watermelon, bubblegum and-"

Frisk noticed the pause. "What?"

" Licorice…"

Frisk snorted at the irony, nearly knocking the bowl over in the process. Lily pouted, but quickly got over it and turned her attention back to the candy.

"No chocolate… Bummer." She sighed. "I guess we just take one? Which kind would you want?"

"Let's go with watermelon then. I like those." Frisk said.

Having made his decision, Lily guided his hand to the correct piece. It took him a moment to fish out the right one, but in the end, he succeeded. Unwrapping the little confection, he popped it into his mouth with a hum. The mildly sweet taste of watermelon rewarded him. As he made to swallow the treat, however, he nearly choked on his own surprise… and might have, had the candy not suddenly dissolved the moment in touched his throat.

"What happened?" Lily asked, having apparently felt the sensation as well, in her own way. "That was kinda weird…"

Before either of them could think about it further, they were hit with another surprise as a light tingling sensation traveled throughout Frisk's body. It began in his stomach before steadily moving outward, across his limbs and around his SOUL. It was warm and soothing and the boy eventually felt the throb of pain slowly ebb away. Lily shuddered in time with Frisk as the magic continued to heal them from the inside out. Frisk shook his arms for a second in confusion.

"Huh. It doesn't hurt anymore." In a flash of inspiration, he decided to check his HP. "20/20. Hey, it's full again!"

"What?" Lily questioned a moment before what he said sunk in. "You're right… I don't hurt anymore either."

"Think you can come out now?" Frisk suggested.

"Maybe…?" She said with a bit of reluctance, shuddering as she remembered what happened last time. "Just… sit down while I try? I don't want to hurt you.."

She sighed softly in apprehension, waiting patiently for him to comply. She concentrated and imagined pressing herself against his chest. She braced herself for the pain, and was relieved to find that this time, there was none. Feeling more confident she pressed a bit harder. A few particles of light emerged from Frisk's chest and were gradually joined by others which floated lazily before him. All the while, Lily's presence within him seemed to lessen with each one that appeared. Moments later, they began to coalesce until at last the white light faded to color and shape: the form of Lily remained before him, healthy and unharmed.

Frisk couldn't help but jump to his feet and throw his arms around her, grinning stupidly all the while. "I'm so glad you're okay, Lily… I was so worried about you after what Flowey did..."

Hugging him back, Lily laughed happily. "I am too. I'm glad he didn't hurt you though. You're the best, Frisk!" The soft, rosy tint of her cheeks stood out a little more at her smile. "Still, the food here is amazing… I wonder how it works."

"Me too. Right now though, I'm just glad it helped… you're feeling okay right?" He asked.

"I think so?" She looked herself over. "I feel normal. Well, as normal as this can be…"

Frisk grinned a little at the bit of self-deprecating humor, then focused on his SOUL. He'd suffered no change of his own, his HP still sitting at a full twenty. Turning his attention to Lily, the boy focused a little more on her and the flickering band of energy hovering above her. It too was full and yellow, shimmering brightly without a trace of red to be seen. 15/15. Less than him. He found that a little strange but decided not to dwell on it too much. She was alright, and that's all that mattered for now.

"Huh?" Lily's eyes curiously turned upward. "What are those numbers?"

"Wait, you can see them?" Frisk questioned.

"Yeah… is it that weird?" Lily asked. "What are they?"

"I'm not sure. It first happened after you got hurt. Toriel didn't seem to see it, so I just thought no one else could but me." Frisk tried to explain. "Somehow I just knew how to do it. I don't know why."

"Just like those stars… that's so weird." Lily mused. "But still, it sounds pretty helpful."

"I guess so," Frisk agreed. "I just wish I knew more about it."

"Well, anyway!" Lily perked up a little more and decided to change the subject. "That was a good start, so let's keep going. I think I saw another path in the opposite direction.

"Oh yeah, that's the way Toriel went. Maybe we'll run into her on the way?"

The two departed from the room, leaving the bowl of Monster Candy to delight some other wanderers with its sweet treasures and headed for the other path. As they stepped beyond the leaf pile that still blazed with the gentle light of Frisk's determination, their collective attention was drawn by a rustle of movement up ahead. Another Froggit hopped out from the leaves, as surprised to see Frisk as he and Lily were to see it. Frisk felt his SOUL drawn forth as his vision awakened, staring into the large eyes of the salientian monster.

"Ribbit, ribbit." It croaked, as magic surged around it.

"Frisk, watch out! It's-" Lily began.

"I know." He cut her off. "I can see it."

Lily bit back on her obvious question, knowing that it wasn't the best time to ask. A number of projectiles, these ones resembling insects fluttered toward Frisk's SOUL. He stepped around them easily enough, using his stick to gently nudge a few of them away. Once the Froggit relented a little, he raised a hand up in a gesture of peace. Its large head tilted questioningly.

"I'm sorry if I startled you…" Frisk apologized. "But um, you look like a gentleman, er… frog? Let's not fight, okay?"

"Meow…" The Froggit's decidedly un-froglike response was accompanied by a deep blush.

"It doesn't seem to understand you, but was flattered anyway," Lily said.

"You understand it?" Frisk questioned, turning to her.

"Ribbit, ribbit…" The Froggit croaked apologetically, as the tension on Frisk's SOUL slackened. "Ribbit. Ribbit, ribbit."

"'I am sorry for attacking you like that.'" Lily translated. "'In return, I'll offer you some advice. We of the Ruins are not used to humans, but nor do we bear them any ill will. If you show us that you do not wish to fight, then we shall respond to that mercy in kind.'"

"I think I get it," Frisk responded. "Thank you."

"Ribbit… ribbit ribbit." croaked the Froggit. Lily snickered lightly at Frisk's side.

"What did he say?"

"N-nothing." Lily replied evasively, hiding her grin with her hand.

The Froggit gave a dignified nod before hopping past them and continuing on its way. With a smile, Frisk waved goodbye to the monster.

"He was nice." Lily commented.

"Yeah. I'm glad we didn't hurt each other." Frisk agreed before noticing that she'd yet to stop grinning. "Okay, now I'm really curious. What did he say?"

"Oh, fine. If you insist." Lily cleared her throat in a decidedly dramatic fashion, before reciting. "'Ah, if only we could understand one another. I would love to discuss our culture with you over a fly or two.'"

Frisk blanched before glaring at her. "He did not."

"You can ask him yourself if you want." the specter teased.

Frisk sighed. "Anyway, how'd you know what he was saying?"

"I'm not sure… I understood its language somehow. Maybe I learned it somewhere?" She shrugged before remembering something important. "Speaking of weird stuff like that, you said you were able to see just then."

"Oh yeah, that." Frisk remembered. "I say 'see' but I don't even know if that's what it is. It only happens when a monster pulls out my SOUL. I can see it, the monster, and their attacks… but that's all. The only thing I can see besides that is you."

"Huh. You think it's got something to do with the magic down here?" She asked.

"I think so… but I still can't see the world around me…"

He trailed off, a little forlornly at that. Lily rested her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. It's a start, right? If you learn how it works, maybe you can figure out how to see more with it."

Frisk smiled and placed his hand over hers. "Yeah… maybe you're right."

They had barely stepped into the next room before the phone in Frisk's pocket chimed out a simple ringtone. Fishing it out, the boy quickly felt for the button Toriel had indicated and answered, positioning the phone so Lily could listen in as well. The girl raised a curious brow at the sound of the caprine monster's motherly voice through the receiver.

"Hello, this is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?" Frisk remained silent, a bit of guilt creeping into his chest. Toriel did not seem to notice the lack of response and continued. "There are some puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try to solve them on your own. Be good, alright?"

"O-okay." Frisk said, not knowing how else to respond. "I will."

"I know, my child." She replied in that motherly tone. "Be well."

She hung up, and Frisk returned the phone to his pocket. Lily smiled fondly.

"She sounds nice." She said "But, if you don't want to go on after that, I'd understand."

"No, it's okay." Frisk insisted. "I mean, it's not like I'm alone right? You're here with me, and if it gets too dangerous we can always come back."

"Ha! So you do have a rebellious side!" Lily chirped happily.

"No… it's not like that. I just…" Frisk never finished the thought, eyes lowering awkwardly.

"Hey, don't look like that. I was just teasing you…" She consoled him, voice softening. "We… we don't have to do this, you know."

"No, no!" Came Frisk's retort. He shook his head and stood up a little straighter. "I already said we could go. Besides, I'm curious about the rest of the Ruins."

Lily seemed convinced by that and the two moved further into the room. Though it was little more than a short hallway, something about it seemed off. The walls were cracked in a number of places but none more prominently than the two large gaps set within the one to the north. Unlike the others, these were even, identical shapes, and seemed as if they were put there for a reason. Lily pointed them out to Frisk, and the boy frowned. They were much too high for him to reach from here, and there was no way to guess at their purpose.

"We could probably just ignore them. They don't seem dangerous." Lily suggested as she examined the rest of the room. She frowned. "Hey, Frisk. Hang on a second. The floor looks wrong."

Frisk watched from where he stood as his companion drifted forward for a closer look. Sure enough, the floor was cracked and unstable. Through the cracks in the stone, the ghostly child could just make out a few vague hints of what appeared to be a lower level.

"Hmm… It looks like the floor is about to fall through…" She mumbled thoughtfully. "But Toriel had to have come this way…"

She examined the rest of the floor, looking for the means to get across without falling down into the lower level. A few tufts of white peeked out from the cracks, and it didn't take the spectral girl long to notice their pattern.

"Lily? Have you-" Frisk began, only to be caught off guard as she quickly wheeled about and drifted back to his side.

"I think I get it! There are a few places that are sturdy enough to cross." She grinned happily and grabbed the hand without the stick. "Come on. Follow me. I won't let you fall. I promise!"

"A..alright!" Frisk replied nervously, keeping pace behind Lily.

Guiding him over to the stone, she pointed out each place where the stonework was strongest. Frisk followed her directions as best as he could. A small loose step sent a few crumbling stones clattering into the leaves below but he managed to keep his footing, and it did not take long before they slipped by the trap and into the next room.

This one was larger than the previous two, but the floor seemed a lot more sturdy. The first thing that Lily noticed was the long row of spikes barring the way ahead.

"Really? Do all the puzzles and traps re-activate once you pass them?" She asked, her expression deadpan. "I mean. Toriel had to come this way!"

Her annoyance almost seemed to resonate within Frisk's SOUL. It smelled like burnt lemons… "Come on, it's okay. I'm sure we'll figure it out." Frisk said. Trying to console her while ignoring the scent was… difficult to say the least. "What-"

Frisk jumped slightly as the phone in his pocket rang once again. Fishing it out, he quickly opened it and answered. The distraction drew Lily's mind from her annoyance as she moved to listen in.

"Hello? This is Toriel." Her voice echoed. "For no reason in particular... Which do you prefer? Cinnamon or Butterscotch?"

Frisk perked up instantly. "Oh! I really like Cinnamon!" at the same time Lily called out Butterscotch. Realizing how quickly he'd spoken, he turned and mouthed an apology toward his friend.

"Oh. I see. Thank you very much." Toriel hung up and Frisk lowered the phone.

Lily's brow furrowed. "That… was strange? Oh well. Cinnamon is good too. I wonder why she asked?"

He shrugged, slipping the phone once more into his pocket. Lily returned her attention to the room and the puzzle it held. She frowned again, but at least her irritation was a bit more subdued.

"Let's see… there's a wall of spikes blocking the way, a rock.. and... a plaque?" Confusion laced her voice and she drifted toward the etched stone set within an elaborate trellis of vines. "'Three out of four gray rocks recommend you push them.' Okay… I guess that means we need to push the rock into the right spot?"

"Maybe. Lead me to the rock and I'll push it?" Giving a nod of agreement, Lily approached the rock in question and hovered near it.

"Here it is. Looks like there's a button over here." She moved some feet away and pointed down to a spot in front of her. "Try moving it here."

Frisk didn't answer, instead feeling out with the fingers of his right hand until they rested upon the rock's rough surface. With a nod, he leaned his weight into it, and it slid forward, surprisingly easy for such a large object. Lily drifted to his side as the rock locked into place with a shudder. A loud click echoed off the walls before the distinct 'schling' of the spikes retracting back into the ground followed.

"Sounds like we did it!" Frisk grinned

"Yeah! Come on! Let's-" Her response was cut short at yet another call of Frisk's phone.

Raising an eyebrow he answered the phone quickly. "Hello?"

"Hello. This is Toriel again." She greeted politely. "You do not dislike butterscotch, do you? I know you said you prefer Cinnamon but… would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?"

"Nuh uh. I like butterscotch too. So does my friend!" He grinned, feeling a little better about his quick response earlier. Lily seemed to light up a little too.

"Wonderful. It sounds like I made the right choices. Thank you for being so patient. Alright. Be good my child." She spoke softly

"I will." Frisk responded. "Bye."

"Awesome! I'll get my butterscotch!" Lily spoke up as Frisk hung up the phone. "I wonder why she's asking these questions? Any idea?"

"Sounds like she might be making something for us to eat? I mean. I am getting a little hungry." Frisk says, placing a hand on his stomach. "But… didn't the candy turn into magic when I ate it? If all the food here is like that, doesn't that mean we'll stay hungry?"

"Maybe but… Somehow I have a feeling that the magic makes you feel full when you're supposed to." Turning her attention back to the path she leads Frisk onward. "We could ask Toriel when we see her."

The corridor wound ahead and they eventually find themselves in yet another room. Lily's worry took on the murky scent of moist air just before a storm. Frisk frowned.

"What's wrong Lily?"

"This whole room… The entire floor looks like it's going to crumble at any moment…"

She coasted over to the unsettling stonework and lowered herself to the ground. Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment as she came to rest upon solid ground. Slowly, she reached for the cracks and concentrated. If this form was, in fact, spectral then maybe…

Her suspicions were rewarded as her hand passed seamlessly into the floor and vanished beneath. She pulled it back out, completely unharmed and smiled. Then, using that same concentration, she lowered her head instead and looked around the room below. It was covered almost completely in the same crimson leaves they'd seen before. Almost being the keyword, as a distinct path traced its way through them.

At first, Frisk was horrified. To him, it looked as though her hand and lower arm had simply vanished without a trace. Horror changed to confusion, and finally to morbid fascination, as she peered down to the floor below. After a moment, she spoke, voice slightly muffled by the floor.

"I might be able to guide you. It's just like before. Some of the floor is sturdier than it looks." She explained. "I can see patches where no leaves have fallen through so I'd guess those are where you want to walk."

Popping her head back up she looks to Frisk. "I could float down there and keep my arm above the floor so you can see me? It's the only thing I can think of."

"T- that's should work." Frisk stammered, blinking almost imperceptibly as he tried and failed to understand how she could do that. Then again, a talking flower had just tried to kill him, a goat-woman had saved him, and he'd somehow created two stars. This was probably the least strange thing to have happened today.

"Let's go! Just let me know if I get to fast okay?" She said,

Frisk nodded and she slipped beneath the stone like it had all the density of water. Her arm popped out from the floor and gave him a playful wave before moving forward. Frisk followed, his fascination slowly giving way to humor as her arm wove about through the stone, not unlike a dorsal fin cresting over the surface of an ocean. He covered his mouth with his hand and stifled a giggle at the idea of being guided by a friendly shark or maybe a dolphin.

With Lily's guidance, the two managed to reach the end without incident, and Frisk heaved a sigh of relief when she emerged from the floor and made her way over to him. She grinned at him as they stepped into the next room… and frowned at the sight of what lie there. Another room, and another puzzle. It looked similar to the room with the pushable rock, only now there were three and the spikes lined a bridge crossing another canal.

"Are you kidding me?" She said exasperatedly.

"What is it?" Frisk asked, noticing her sour expression. "Another puzzle?"

"Yeah, more rocks," Lily explained. "Though… the gap across the water doesn't look very wide. We could just jump across…"

Frisk shuddered, the burbling of the water drawing up memories of his terrifying spill, and shook his head. Noticing this, Lily's expression softened and she placed a hand on his shoulder. Frisk's squinted eyes turned to her but he said nothing. He didn't need to.

"Right, I'm sorry." She apologized. "Puzzle it is. At least we know what to do."

Frisk's nod followed her as she guided him to the first rock. "Do you not like puzzles, Lily?"

She paused, thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "I don't hate them. At least, I don't think so. I guess I just thought they'd be solved already by the time we got here. I mean, Toriel came this way, so she must have had to go through them herself right?"

"That makes sense." Frisk replied. "Maybe she reset them? She wanted me to stay put after all… I guess she hoped it would keep most of the other monsters away from us until she got back. She probably didn't expect us to follow her since, you know… my eyes being like they are."

"I guess it has been pretty fun. I would say I don't remember the last time I've had so much fun but, well…" She let the sentence hang, causing Frisk to laugh a bit. "Alright, you win… follow me."

Frisk followed behind the beacon that was his companion as she directed him to the rocks in question. The first two slid neatly into place, sinking down onto their respective switches with an audible click. Lily lead Frisk by the hand over to the final rock and gave him the go-ahead. The boy placed a hand on the rough stone and took a step forward.

"Whoa, there pardner! Who said you could push me around?" Cried a deep gravelly voice.

"Ah!" Frisk yelped, stumbling back and falling onto his haunches. He glanced about frantically wondering where the noise had come from.

"You should learn some manners, there boy." The voice spoke again, drawing the red child's attention toward the rock itself. "Don'tcha know it's polite to ask?"

"Hey! You're one to talk!" Lily snapped. "Don't you know it's rude to scare people like that?!"

"I'm- I'm sorry…" Frisk said, lowering his head.

"Don't apologize, Frisk! You aren't the one at fault here," Lily retorted, before kicking the talking rock… or she would have if her foot hadn't simply phased right through it. She tried again with the same result, and ultimately settled for a sharp glare instead.

"HMM?" The rock said, seemingly unaware of Lily's attempt to kick it. "Aww, s'alright pardner. I didn't mean to scare ya."

"Huh? Y-yeah! You should be." Lily said curtly, crossing her arms. Frisk did his best to stifle a giggle as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Um, would you mind moving over a little?" Frisk asked gently.

"HMM? Ah, there's a good boy." The rock's gravelly voice somehow softened. "Okay, just for you, pumpkin."

The rock shifted forward about half an inch.

"What the- they barely moved at all!" Lily exclaimed, somewhat annoyed.

"Could you… go a little further, please?" Frisk asked.

"Oh? Alrighty, how's this?"

It took them some time to get the rock to move where they wanted it too and stay there. Between its poor directional orientation and Frisk's blindness (thus necessitating Lily's guidance), it took a good few minutes to get it into place but at last they managed it. The spikes descended rendering the bridge cross-able and that was just what they did. The smell of smoldering coals spoke as much toward Lily's frustration as her expression did.

"I swear they were doing that on purpose." She insisted. Frisk shrugged.

"'Three out of four gray rocks recommend you push them.'" He recited, remembering the plaque. "I guess the fourth is a little more independent."

They moved onward, passing through a room whose only features were a simple table with a piece of cheese stuck to it, and a very timid looking mouse which longingly eyed said cheese from the safety of its home. Frisk attempted to remove the cheese in hope of offering it to the reluctant rodent, but it seemed to be stuck to the table. Eventually, they were forced to give up and move on, hoping that one day the mouse might find the means to claim it on its own. With nothing else to do there, they continued on to the next room.

What they saw there defied belief.

Lying in the middle of the path, among a bed of fallen leaves was a figure, pure white and shapeless. It looked like a ghost, but it was quite unlike Lily's spectral form. Whereas she appeared human but for the weightlessness and levitation, this one looked like a bedsheet with eyes. A single hand shot to the girl's mouth in order to avoid bursting out in laughter at the sight. They approached carefully, Frisk with a good deal of caution, Lily with an enormous grin.

"zzzzzzzzzzzzz…" It said. One of its eyes opened slightly and quickly closed once again upon noticing the young boy with a confused expression standing over it. "zzzzzzzzz… (are they gone yet) zzzzzz…"

"He's literally just saying 'z' repeatedly." Lily snickered, floating over and poking the ghost in the side. "Hey, I know you're not asleep."

"Hello?" Frisk offered. "Are you awake?"

"oh… i guess it didn't work…" The ghost said. "i must have picked the wrong spot to be alone again…"

"Are you okay?" Frisk asked, drawing upon his SOUL in order to look at the ghost.

It seemed to notice this, and sighed. "you can put that away… i'm not really feelin' up to it right now, sorry…"

"I don't want to fight you, I just want to talk." Frisk said, smiling gently.

The ghost drifted into the air, shifting from laying to floating upright in a single motion. It was actually much taller than it seemed at first, but almost seemed to shrink in on itself in an effort not to be seen. Its expression seemed to be locked in a state of melancholy that made Frisk frown. Lily noticed this too and her mirth evaporated in an instant, as she returned to Frisk's side.

"oh… that's fine then." The ghost said. "i'm… napstablook. but… i guess you didn't ask. sorry…"

"It's okay. I'm Frisk." The boy said with a patient smile.

"frisk… that's a nice name…"

"Wow… I feel kind of bad for them." Lily said, looking up with a bit of concern at the sad face of Napstablook. "I wish I could apologize for poking them like that."

"it's alright… I barely noticed…"

"Wait, what?" Lily exclaimed. "They heard me?"

"You can hear Lily?" Frisk asked.

"was i not supposed too? oh, i'm sorry…" Napstablook apologized, and their form seemed to flicker slightly.

"No, no! I-it's good!" Frisk said quickly. "You're the first one besides me."

"i see… i think i get it now." Napstablook said thoughtfully. "it must be because they're like me… sorry about that."

"Like you?" Lily asked. "Does that mean I'm a ghost?"

"maybe… you're different from other ghosts though…" they said.

"Because I look different?" Lily asked, taking care not to come across wrong. It looked like one false word might cause the poor thing to fade out of existence.

"kind of… but…" He thought for a moment. "but there's something else… i can't really say what. sorry…"

"It's okay. I'm glad you can talk to her. She's a really great person." Frisk said. Lily's blush was accompanied by a vanilla scent. "You seem nice too."

"heh heh… thanks." Said the ghost with a sad little smile. "your name's lily? that's a nice name too…"

"Thank you…" Lily replied softly, still somewhat embarrassed from Frisk's compliment.

"i normally come to the ruins because there's nobody around…" Napstablook sighed. "but today i met two really nice people."

"You should try to be a little more confident." Frisk encouraged. "I'm sure you could make lots of friends if you tried."

"heh… maybe." Napstablook's voice was dour, but they looked a little happier now. Their sad eyes were now accompanied by the faintest of smiles. "oh, I guess you wanted to get through here, huh… sorry, go ahead."

"Maybe we'll see each other again?" Lily suggested. Napstablook smiled.

"i'd like that." Napstablook's form began to fade once again, but both Frisk and Lily could see that sorrowful smile grow a little bit brighter at their kindness.

"See ya later!" Frisk said, waving as he dismissed his SOUL, catching the quiet echoes of the ghost's soft laughter.

Lily couldn't help but smile. Someone else could see her. And talk to her, too! Flowey… The rock… neither of them even noticed her. Frisk was nice, but it was good to know that he wasn't the only exception to the rule. Still, that fact also came with a realization: she was a ghost, or something similar… so that had to mean she was dead, right? The thought weighed heavily on her mind.

Frisk could feel her disquietude aching within his SOUL, manifested in the melancholic scent of grave soil on a winter's evening. He wondered if he should say something, but couldn't find the words no matter how he searched. Some things were better left unsaid, even with the right intentions… he'd learned that many times. She would talk about it when she was ready.

That silence hung over them like a veil even as the two continued on into the next room. At first glance, it seemed to be empty, save for a couple of cobwebs. Closer inspection on Lily's part, however, revealed a small sign nestled between the two largest of them.

"Spider bake sale? Uh..." She examined the webs a bit more and noticed a few small spiders hiding underneath the smaller of the two. Tilting her head in confusion she turned to Frisk. "Seems like they're selling doughnuts… 7 gold…"

Frisk sniffed. It smelled like melted sugar and cinnamon.

He reached into his pocket and extracted a few coins. "We only have 3 gold thanks to the Froggit. Maybe later we can ask Toriel if she can loan us some gold for one. They smell really good."

Pocketing his money again he and Lily left the room. A tiny spider-sigh did not reach their ears. They passed back through the room they met Napstablook and turned left toward the next. It appeared to be a straight shot to the other side.

Except for the line of spikes blocking the doorway.

"Well, Frisk. There's a puzzle somewhere… I don't see it though." Lily announced, floating ahead to investigate.

She scanned the room, looking for any sign of where the puzzle and its solution might hide. After a moment of searching, she noticed a hole in the floor to the left of where they'd entered. Looking down into the abyss revealed a small room with a large cluster of leaves below. A winding staircase spiraled up, connecting the lower room to where they now stood.

"Frisk. I think I found it. There's a small staircase here. Let's check it out." She drifted back to the boy and grabbed his wrist. Frisk obediently followed as she led him down the stairs. He had to be careful… a fall would be rather painful. However, they soon reached the bottom without incident. Lily noticed the switch right away. She was about to point it out when something else caught her eye: a small red ribbon hidden amidst the leaves.

"What are you looking at?" Frisk asked, noticing her staring at the ground. He reached forward to where her gaze lingered, and his fingers grasped the ribbon. It was soft to the touch, the fabric faded in places where It had been folded and creased several times. "Is this part of the puzzle?"

"No. I don't think so. It might belong to Toriel… I wish I could wear it." Lily began thoughtfully before grinning like she came up with the best idea. "Hey, maybe you should wear it! It would look great in your hair!"

"Wha- no way! Nuh-uh, I'm not wearing it in my hair." Frisk denied with a vehement shake of his head and prepared to pocket it instead.

"Aw please?" She pouted. "Well… what about on your arm?"

Frisk thought about it for a moment and then sighed. He set his stick down next to him and fumbled the ribbon into place along his upper arm. After a few failed attempts, he managed to tie it securely into place. At least it didn't look too ridiculous like this… probably. "Better?"

"Much. Let's go!" He grabbed his stick and she grabbed his wrist guiding his hand to the switch.

He pulled it down and they climbed back up the stairs. Lily smiled when she noticed the spikes had retracted. After a little more walking they reached a bend in the path that eventually led them to another large room. It was long and wide, but there didn't seem to be any puzzles. There were, however, several Froggits and some other monsters spread throughout the open space. They'd barely gone a couple of feet when a gelatinous monster wiggled its way up to Frisk and drew out his SOUL.

The aroma of lime gelatin wafted through his nose, causing it to wrinkle.

"Burble burb... Squorch burb." The thing wiggled before sending small pellets at Frisk. Expecting this he quickly jumped to the right, out of line of the magic.

"Hee hee… it thinks you're cute." Lily giggled, translating the slime creature's burbling language.

"What? Uh. Thank you?" Frisk sputtered as laughter rang from behind him.

"Aw, look at it. Curvaceously attractive, but no brains." She snarked, trying to restrain her laughter as the boy gave her a funny look. "Try wiggling at it!"

Frisk's eyes somehow squinted even further, but he had no better ideas. He approached the amorphous monster and shook his hips and arms in reminiscence of a wiggle. The creature blubbed happily and quivered in response.

"What a meaningful conversation!" Lily crowed, throwing her head back in laughter.

For all her jabbing it seemed to work. The Moldsmal burbled pleasantly and slimed its way passed Frisk, leaving behind a few gold coins in its wake.

"That… was weird." Frisk glanced back at Lily with an 'are you kidding me?' look on his face. This only made her laugh harder.

Ignoring his companion, he turned his attention to the rest of the room. No other monsters seemed to want to bother him so he dismissed his SOUL to give it a rest. He could have waited for it to retract on its own so he could see, but he still didn't know much about how SOULs worked, except that it was vulnerable outside of his body. That alone was enough to make him not want to risk it. He picked up the coins left by the Moldsmal and stuffed them into his pocket with a huff.

"Aw, come on Frisk. It was funny." Lily said with a smile, draping her arms over his head and drifting along behind him as he proceeded down the large corridor.

The next room was easy. They simply needed to press the colored buttons in the right order. The only problem was finding them. It took them a while but eventually they did just that. One was hidden under a rock. Another in a pile of leaves. The third? High on the wall. That one was the easiest to find, but the most difficult to actually press due to Frisk's small stature. Taking a moment to position himself, he leaped and just managed to tag it with the end of his stick. Lily caught a few of his grumbles about being short and bit back another snicker.

Things continued like that for a while: a bit of walking and another puzzle. It started to get really fun once they got used to it, and both were smiling happily when at last, they come across another fork. Taking the path forward brought them to a small ledge overlooking a large walled city. It seemed almost empty, but for a few lights twinkling in the distance. It was beautiful, if somewhat surreal.

"A city, all the way down here, huh?" Frisk said.

"Yeah…" Lily agreed.

They stayed there for a few moments, gazing out over the empty city. It was almost sad in a way… what this place must have looked like when more monsters still lived there.

"Doesn't look like there's anywhere else to go from here…" Lily spoke up after a time. "Guess we should- huh? What's this?"

"What?" Frisk asked as she floated down toward something nestled in the corner of the overlook.

"It's… a knife." She said matter-of-factly. "Well… A toy knife anyway. Maybe we should grab it? I wouldn't want someone to hurt themselves."

"Alright. Sounds like an idea." He leaned down to pick it up and place it carefully in his pocket. "I hope we're almost to Toriel. I'm starting to get a little tired. And hungry..."

"Let's go then. I'm sure we're close. I feel it." Lily reassured before starting back down the path.

Frisk made to follow but paused before glancing over his shoulder back towards the city. The strangest feeling washed over him stood there, feeling the texture of the stone parapets and listening to the soft whisper of an underground breeze through the distant buildings. It was almost… nostalgic?

' Weird… why do I feel like I've stood here before?'

He shook his head. No… that would be silly wouldn't it? After all, he'd surely remember it if he'd come to a place like this before. It's not exactly an experience he'd be soon to forget. He turned back to follow Lily's guidance as she led him down the path to their immediate right.

It must have just been his imagination.

Chapter Text

A number of things ran through the minds of the two humans as to what they might find at the end of their trek through the Ruins. A great archway leading to a towering spire overlooking the city below. A shimmering magical palace lingering on the edge of a dream. A glorious fountain promising vitality to all who would drink of Its crystalline waters. And yes, perhaps one final puzzle to challenge their wit and prove them worthy.

Instead they were met with the sight of a rather large tree. Its bark was black as pitch and its limbs barren. A thick pile of the same crimson leaves they’d seen throughout the Ruins blanketed its half exposed roots. To Lily, it looked like it might have once been an impressive specimen but had long sense fallen prey to the subpar environment in which it was forced to grow.  Yet, in spite of its misfortune, it still seemed to live on even now, and she found herself admiring it all the same.

In the distance, beyond the tree’s thick bole came the sound of a voice: a soft, comforting sound that Frisk quickly recognized

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would. I should probably call and check on him." The voice spoke as it drew nearer. A few moments later the phone in Frisks pocket began to ring. The caller must have heard it to, as by the second tone, before the boy even had a chance to answer, a gasp sounded from behind the tree.

A second later saw Toriel emerge from behind it. She quickly pocketed the phone and rushed over to the small child. Frisk could sense the worry she exuded, even if he could not see her expressions. Lily, on the other hand, noticed both and quite clearly at that. The compassionate caretaker’s fuzzy hands gripped Frisk’s shoulders gently, a tremble of anxiety betraying the calm of her voice.

"How did you get here, my child! Are you hurt?" She asked softly, hurriedly checking him over for any injuries.

Frisk shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m fine, see?”

Toriel’s nerves calmed when she realized he was telling the truth.

“Hmm, not a scratch. Impressive!” She said with relief, and a bit of surprise. “But good heavens, you walked all the way here?”

“Sorry…” Frisk lowered his head softly. “I know you said to wait, but…”

His sentence trailed off, but Toriel merely smiled. “There, there little one. I am not angry. But I am curious as to how you managed to reach this place. I thought it would prove quite difficult for one without sight to pass through the Ruins unharmed.”

“Lily helped me.” Frisk told her, and the spectral girl beamed with pride. “We got through them together!”

“Oh, your little friend?” Toriel asked. She looked around in another vain attempt to locate Frisk’s companion. “She is better now?”

Frisk proceeded to explain the Monster Candy and how it had healed both of them as well as their little field trip through the Ruins. Toriel wasn’t quite sure what to make of the information. In most cases the motherly monster would have written off the story as the classic case of a child with an imaginary friend. But the fact that this ‘imaginary’ friend was capable of guiding a blind human through the Ruins’ myriad puzzles and traps was not something to overlook.

She hid her uncertainty behind a motherly grin and gently smoothed Frisk’s hair. By this point, she could tell when a child was lying, or making up stories for attention. This little boy was not.

“Then I am glad she is well. And I thank her from the bottom of my heart.” She spoke the words honestly. “I admit, it was irresponsible of me to try to surprise you like this.”

“Surprise?” Lily said eagerly, and Frisk perked up at the mention of the word.

“Err…” Toriel paused awkwardly, having clearly said something she shouldn’t. Yet, her features softened a moment later. “Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one… and your friend is also welcome.

If she’d been standing on the ground, Lily would have been bouncing on her heels. Even though the monster known as Toriel couldn’t see her, at least she was trying. And yet… there was something about the woman she couldn’t explain. Her motions, her manner of speech, the gentle way she took the young human’s hand… It made her feel nostalgic somehow. What she didn’t know was that Frisk had begun to feel the same way about the Ruins’ caprine caretaker

Toriel led them onward, around the leafless tree and toward a cozy looking house at the end of the courtyard. Yellow light flickered upon the windows from within, inviting to behold. When they stepped inside, that was when both Frisk and Lily noticed the smell. A warm, rich scent caressed their nostrils: a blend between sweet spice, and mellow smoothness that made Frisk’s stomach rumble.

“Do you smell that?” Toriel grinned conspiratorially. “Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie!

“Wow…” Lily sighed at the aroma. “It smells so good!”

Frisk nodded, taking in the delicious aroma.

“I thought we would celebrate your arrival.” Toriel explained. “I want you to have a nice time living here, so I decided to hold off on the snail pie for tonight.”

Wait, snail pie? Toriel didn’t seem to notice Frisk’s bewildered expression as she moved further into the room. He stepped inside, slowly taking in the various smells and sounds that filled the cozy home. Lily seemed just as mesmerized as he was, as she drifted into the foyer alongside him. She said nothing as she glanced about in wonder, the nostalgic sense growing stronger all the while. Frisk couldn’t know what she was seeing, but watching his one constant beacon of sight affected by this place in such a powerful way was telling. Somehow, the ever-present aroma of butterscotch and cinnamon seemed to grow even stronger. Was this her doing?

“Come along, my child. I have another surprise for you.” Toriel’s voice was enough to draw both of them from their thoughts, and they moved in her direction. “Or, should I say ‘my children’? How old is your friend, small one?”

Frisk looked up at Lily who shrugged. He turned his eyes back to Toriel.

“Same as me, I think.” Frisk guessed. “Ten, maybe eleven?”

“Ah, splendid.” Toriel said approvingly. “Please follow me.”

She led them through one of the hallways of the cozy house and into the right wing. Lanterns glittered pleasantly from sconces lining the walls, casting an even glow throughout the area that was neither too bright nor too dim. Toriel led Frisk by the hand to the first of three doors, spaced evenly along the wall, while Lily drifted at his side.

“This is it.” She said, her arm sweeping in front of the door in a grand gesture. “A room of your own. I do hope you won’t mind sharing.”

Frisk turned a questioning glance toward Lily. She gave a wordless smile and a shake of the head. Frisk repeated the gesture to Toriel. The gentle monster beamed approvingly and rubbed Frisk’s head with her fluffy paw. It was warm, just like her voice. It made him feel safe.

She offered her other hand to the empty air, and it took Lily a moment to realize that she must have been offering it to her. Tears that she couldn’t explain began to well in the spectral girl’s eyes. She rested a trembling hand within Toriel’s. It was soft to the touch, even if it felt like her hand might pass through at any moment. Lily didn’t know if Toriel could feel her touch, but it was good enough just to be included.

Toriel’s face turned thoughtful for a moment, and she sniffed the air. “Is something burning…? Um, please make yourselves at home.”

Lily smelled nothing out of the ordinary, and neither had Frisk. Perhaps she had simply imagined it and panicked… or monsters had a much stronger sense of smell than humans. She turned from them with a nod of her head and took a step toward the kitchen. Then she stopped. Frisk gripped her arm and hugged it close to his small frame.

“Thank you…” He said softly.

Toriel smiled down at the boy and waited patiently until he was ready to let go. She spoke no words of response. She didn’t need to. When Frisk finally let her go, she resumed her path toward the kitchen area on the other side of the house. The two children watched her go, until her body and footsteps disappeared as one behind a corner. Again, it was Lily who spoke first.

“Let’s check out our room!” A simple phrase that shattered the somber atmosphere in an instant.

She guided Frisk’s hand to the doorknob and the portal swung open. The two children stepped gingerly into the room Toriel had been kind enough to give them. Red wallpaper lined all four walls, while the floor was dominated by a large embroidered rug. There was a bed tucked in the corner with a couple of large stuffed animals, but neither child felt quite ready to sleep. Lily led Frisk instead to a box at the foot of the bed. It was filled with toys of various kinds. Frisk pulled them out one by one, and Lily described them to him.

“That one’s a doll. It looks like a ballerina.” She said. Frisk pulled out another. “A cowboy action figure. I think it made noise once but the batteries are dead.” Another. “Wait, that’s not a toy… it looks more like a calculator.” A fourth. “That’s a stuffed lion.”

“A lion?!” Frisk’s voice picked up a couple octaves in his excitement.

Lily chuckled slightly. “Yup. I guess you like lions, huh?”

“Yeah…” Frisk said, running his fingers over the cute stuffed creature’s mane. It was a little faded, and one of its sewn on claws was missing but it was in otherwise good shape. “Lions are great. They’re so strong and noble. They only fight with other animals if there isn’t enough food or they need to protect their families. Everyone respects them, and knows not to hurt them or the ones they love. I’ve always wished I could be like that: strong, but caring… enough to protect everyone without having to hurt anyone.”

Lily gave a soft sigh, and knelt down to look Frisk in the eye. A smile spread across her lips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I think you're super strong Frisk. You're so nice to everyone and everything. I mean you even apologized to a rock! I wish I could do that." Pulling him into a hug Lily rested her head on his shoulder.

"You also protected me." The soft whisper tickled his neck a moment before she nuzzled into his shirt. “You don’t realize how happy that made me…”

Frisk smiled contently before hugging back as a few tears welled within his eyes. "Thanks Lily… It means a lot to hear that. I will always do what I can to protect you."

After some time, Lily finally pulled herself away to look at his face. She gave a faint smile of her own. "We'll protect each other. Promise?" Hope filled her voice as she raised a hand in front of Frisk, pinky finger extended.

His fingers conformed into a mirror of her own. Their hands met, their fingers locked, and an oath was sealed. "Promise."

A surge of joyous determination, and sense of belonging flooded through the boy’s SOUL like a river. Then, as before a hum of warm magic soon followed. Another golden star. It sat right in the middle of the toys and stuffed animals, a mark in this single moment. Its glow was comforting: further proof of the conviction they both shared.

He turned his attention to the rest of the room, his grin glowing in unison with the star. "What else is there Lily?"

"Let's see... There's a dresser. A desk and bookshelf. And two lamps. One is next to the bed the other on the desk. I like it. I think the room is perfect!" Her form bobbed up and down in the air, a telling sign of her excitement.

Before Frisk could reply in earnest the two were interrupted by a knock on the doorframe. They both turned their attention towards the sound and noticed Toriel standing there with a smile. "Pardon me, children. The pie is ready. Shall we?"

Matching grins spread across the children’s faces, and they were at the caretaker’s side, quick as a shot. Frisk followed Lily’s gaze to Toriel’s furry hand and placed his much smaller one within, reveling in the familiar warmth. Looking up towards Toriel, he pointed to where Lily floated at his side. Even without words she seemed to understand and offered her other hand to the invisible girl. Lily blinked for a moment before tentatively accepting.

Frisk smiled and gave Toriel a nod and a little thumbs up to show they were ready. Smiling at him Toriel led them through the house and towards the kitchen. The smell of butterscotch and cinnamon assailed them, causing both young mouths to water.

"It smells so good!" Lily’s gaze immediately honed in on the table where the pie sat in the center, sectioned with several cuts into a few equal pieces. She drew her hand from Toriel’s – an easy feat as her spectral form simply phased right through – and practically dragged Frisk toward the table.

Toriel watched the display with a lifted brow. Frisk’s hand left hers and his arm rose limply. There was no muscle tension in it at all as the lad was seemingly pulled toward the table by some invisible force. This was no game of make believe… she definitely knew someone was there now. She was simply being polite before but perhaps she should take this ‘Lily’ a bit more seriously. After all, the boy wouldn’t have made it through the Ruins without her aid.

Lifting the spatula she drew a slice of pie from the tin with the practiced hand of a master baker and slid the sweet confectionery onto Frisk’s plate.

"Enjoy my children." Toriel said in her motherly tone as she sat next to them with her own piece.

Frisk picked up the fork next to his plate and cut the tip from the pie before popping it into his mouth. He let out a hum of appreciation as the morsel practically melted in his mouth. He chewed slowly, savoring the mélange of spicy and creamy flavors before swallowing. Just as with the candy, the bite of pie dissolved into magic the moment it left his taste buds. Its form was gone, but the warmth and taste remained.

Lily watched Frisk as he ate, glad that he seemed to be enjoying it. Still, she couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. It looked and smelled incredible… and from Frisk’s reaction, the taste was equally favorable. Her hand drifted toward the pie, but her eyes fell in disappointment when her fingers passed right through without touching. She sighed, spectral form settling into the spare chair on Frisks other side.

"How is it?”

"This is the best pie ever!" He announced happily before turning to Lily. His smile faltered a bit at the sight of her own downcast expression. Placing his fork down he grew thoughtful for a moment.

"Hey Lily. I’ve got an idea." He waited for her to look at him before continuing. "Remember the candy from earlier? Maybe if you entered my body again, you might be able to taste the pie?”

She stared at him for a moment. Of course… she somewhat remembered the brief taste of the watermelon. She hadn’t thought much of it because of her condition but…

"T…That might work… Oh Frisk, you're the best!" She quickly rose from her seat and drifted toward him.

It was a little nerve-wracking. The last time they’d done this had been on accident… would they be able to do it again? Lily rung her hands in front her, unsure exactly how to go about it. Frisk took her hands in his and brought them to his chest over his heart and SOUL, replicating what they’d done before as well as memory allowed. His heartbeat thumped rhythmically against Lily’s hand and she focused on it, allowing the sound to calm her spirit. Seconds passed without change… until at last there was a response.

Lily’s form shimmered before dissipating once more into particles of light – this time without nearly giving Frisk a heart attack.

Toriel watched on a combination of curiosity and uncertainty as the blind child interacted with a being she could not see. She nearly fell out of her chair at what happened next. A warm breeze wafted through the room. The flames rippled within the hearth, set into a dance from a force unseen. The caprine monster stared, wide eyed as wisps of silver light surrounded her child – small fragments of magic that reached beyond the perceptive barriers between the blind and the sighted.

“Child…?” She asked. “What was that?”

“That’s Lily.” Frisk explained, placing a hand over his SOUL. “She’s in here now.”

It worked… the transition came easier than either one of them expected, and seemed more stable this time as far as either could tell. Continuing their experiment, the boy cut another bite of pie and put it to his mouth. He chewed slowly, savoring the morsel with the same care as the first. It was amazing really… he didn’t seem at all affected by what just transpired. But then, why should he be with everything else that has happened?

“Well? Anything?” He asked when he swallowed the bite.

“You were right, I can taste it! It’s even better than I thought! It’s-” Her celebratory cheers suddenly silenced. Frisk felt an odd pang course through his SOUL.

“Lily?” He asked.

“I… I’m…” Her voice stammers in Frisk’s mind. “This flavor…”

Lily’s voice began to tremble. Frisk thought about saying something but he didn’t want to worry Toriel. Maybe if she could talk to him in his head, he could do the same.

“Lily? Are you okay?”  he asked.

He could feel her trembling within his SOUL, but she remained silent for a long moment. He clasped his hands together under the table, away from Toriel’s sight and imagined himself holding hers.

“Why is this so familiar…?” A response. “I don’t understand…”

Her mind was filled with a sense of sadness and nostalgia so powerful that it set her whole being into a spiral. Why…? Why did she suddenly feel this way? Such a simple thing as the taste of butterscotch-cinnamon pie shouldn’t be enough to evoke such a powerful emotional torrent, should it? It was just food… a sweet treat, pleasing to the taste buds but nothing more, right? And yet it did. That taste… the whispered echo of a memory she couldn’t reach; a past she couldn’t recall.

A single sob forced itself from her currently non-existing throat. A single sob was all she allowed. The sound seemed to set something off within her, and she immediately reigned in her emotions. She held back the tears, shuddering with the effort, before at last her spirit began to relax. Deep, audible breathing resounded within Frisk’s mind as she steeled herself against the tide of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Sorry… sorry, Frisk. I’m okay now.” She said shakily.

“What happened? It sounded like you were about to cry.” Frisk asked her, hastily wiping his own eyes before Toriel had a chance to notice.

“Haha… yeah. That was close.” She laughed. What was close? “I’m okay now, really. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Is everything alright, my child?” Toriel asked from across the table. Frisk winced. Did she notice anyway? “Is the pie not to your friend’s liking?”

“No way!” Lily protested. “It’s delicious. Really…”

Frisk gave a mental sigh of relief before shaking his head and reassuring the her with a small grin. “She said it’s delicious. Thank you, Miss Toriel.”

Toriel returned the smile with one of her own. “I am so glad to hear that. Then, let us waste no more time.”

When the three had finished their servings of pie (Frisk had seconds, much to Lily’s delight), Toriel gathered up the rest of the pie to put away, while the young human took up the empty plates and cutlery. With Lily’s guidance, he followed her into the kitchen and placed them carefully into the sink.

“So helpful!” Toriel beamed, rubbing his hair with her fuzzy paw.

Once the dishes were done and the pie safely put away, Frisk and Lily set about exploring the rest of Toriel’s cozy home. A comfortable sitting chair rested in front of the warm fireplace. The two children were delighted to discover that it glowed not from wood, but instead from magic, and didn’t seem to burn no matter how close they got, though Frisk seemed reluctant to get anywhere near arm’s reach of the flames. She seemed to have a decent collection of books, both educational and fictional lining the shelves. Lily seemed particularly interested in an encyclopedia of various flowers, but decided she’d never put it down if she opened it right now.

The two eventually decided to make a game of it. Lily would lead Frisk to an object and he would try to guess what it was. He actually did surprisingly well, only getting a few wrong answers. Eventually she led him to a large mirror at the end of the hallway. The boy’s fingers ran over the glass, and he scrunched up his face in thought.

“Is it a window?” He asked.

“Nope!”

“Hmm… a picture frame?” He tried again.

Lily shook her head.

“Okay, I give up. What is it?” He asked.

The girl looked at his reflection on the clear surface and smiled. “It’s you.”

Eventually the two of them began to wind down. Frisk in particular started to feel the weight of his exhaustion wearing on him. He’d been having so much fun that he didn’t even realize how tired he was until now. It was hard to tell time in the Underground even for those who could see, but he knew it had to have been late. The sun had set some time before the storm that led to his fateful fall after all.

Toriel, who had finished her chores by now seemed to notice this. “It’s been quite a day for you, has it not, small ones? You two should get some rest.”

Frisk tried to stifle a yawn but was to no avail. Lily had also begun to feel the weight of the day’s activities. It seemed even as a spirit she was still beholden to the normal rules when it came to exhaustion. Or maybe she was simply picking up on cues from Frisk and responding accordingly. Either way she agreed that a soft bed would feel really good right now.

Toriel led them back to their room, and waited patiently as Frisk climbed into bed. It was more comfortable than anything he’d ever experienced on the surface. He didn’t know If magic was involved or if monsters simply made more comfortable beds but right now he didn’t care. The bed was easily big enough for both children, but Lily wasn’t sure how easy it would be to sleep in it with her ethereal body. In the end, she simply decided to enter Frisks SOUL again and mooch off his comfort. He let her… having her there was soothing in a way he couldn’t explain.

Once she was sure he was settled in, Toriel approached the bedside and drew the blanket over his small body.

“Goodnight, my children.” She said softly. “Sweet dreams.”

Frisk turned his unseeing eyes to the scent of cinnamon and fire magic and smiled sleepily.

“Goodnight… mom.”

Toriel gave a small gasp, her paws reaching up to cover her mouth. It took her a moment to lower them, as a few tears began to well up within her large dark eyes. "Did… did you just call me 'mom'?"

Frisk shifted uncomfortably under the blankets, feeling as if he’d made some kind of mistake. Against his SOUL, he could feel Lily’s unease alongside his own. "I'm sorry. I won't say-"

"No no no. It is fine." Toriel cut the small human off and smiled, smoothing down his hair with her paw. "If that would make you happy, you may call me ‘mother’ whenever you like, my child."

"I, um…” Lily began nervously. “I wanna call her mom too. She's so nice… and I…” She hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know… It feels right.”

Frisk could feel her emotions warming his SOUL much like the blanket over his body. She’d had such a powerful reaction to the pie earlier, he could imagine how she felt. What’s more, he had to agree.

Toriel really did feel like a mother.

"If it's okay… I- Lily wants to call you mom too… Is it alright?" He asked her, fingers working at a loose thread on the blanket.

Toriel simply smiled patiently before leaning forward to place a soft, furry kiss on his forehead. "Of course, dear children. I will do everything I can to make you both happy here." She tucked him in before running a gentle paw over his hand. "Sleep well, both of you. I shall see you in the morning, alright? Sweet dreams."

Toriel rose to her feet, made her way to the lamp in the corner and turned it off before heading for the door. Her footfalls carried her further down the hall to her own room. The house grew silent as its occupants settled in for the night. The soft glow of the star still shined at the foot of the bed almost like a nightlight. Toriel did not seem to notice it, or if she did she chose not to ask about it. Either way, its aura carried with it a niggling thought in Frisk’s mind that even the need for sleep couldn’t shake.

"Hey Lily? You still awake?" He whispered to the darkness.

"Yeah. Why? What's up?" Came her voice within his head.

"I was wondering what those things are. It's weird. I've… I've made three of them now. I’ve noticed they appear any time I feel strong will to keep going. I don't even know how it happens, or why, or even what they do. But for some reason they make me feel safe… like nothing bad can happen as long as one is near."

"That’s a good thing right? It means whatever magic it is, it can’t be bad, right?" Her conviction pulsed through his SOUL. The gentle warmth was relaxing, but it wasn’t quite enough to ease his mind.

"Is it really magic? I mean, I guess there’s nothing else it could be, really.” Frisk mused. “It just feels like I should know what they are. I know that's impossible. I was never able to do this on the surface, and I don’t know of anyone else who could use magic either. But, well… On the other hand I never knew monsters existed either, until now. They were just a myth… and the myths aren’t as nice as Toriel, Napstablook, or the others." Shrugging his shoulders he nestled deep into the covers. "Speaking of myths. That’s another thing…”

“You mean me?” Lily guessed.

Frisk nodded. “I don’t want to sound mean but… you’re a ghost right? But you look like a human kid like me.”

She sighed thoughtfully. This was something that had been on her mind for awhile. "Yeah... It's weird. I must have been alive at some point. But Toriel, Flowey, the other monsters… none of them could see me. You and Napstablook are the only ones. Blooky’s a ghost… So maybe ghosts can see other ghosts? He looked a lot different than me though… and he seemed more solid too. Before he faded off, anyway.”

“Do you remember anything?” Frisk asked. “Anything from when you were alive.”

“Not really.” She replied. “I just ‘know’ some things. Colors and shapes, what I like and don’t like… things like that. But I can’t remember anything about myself at all. I know it has to be there somewhere but I just can’t ‘find’ it.”

Then there was the thing with the pie… she still couldn’t explain that.

Frisk shook his head he closed his eyes. Lily was there in his mind’s eye, looking lost and confused. He imagined himself hugging her gently, wishing that there was something more he could do to help. The girl must have felt his intent because in the next moment he felt a happy tickle spread through his mind.

"Let's not worry about it tonight. We're both tired from the long day. You especially. You were really hurt earlier. Remember?" He reminded her.

Lily scoffed in response. "Yeah? And you almost drowned. Then you would’ve been a ghost like me." She joked, though the humor fell flat even on her own ears.

"Well then I would have been able to do more things with you. I don't think I'd be blind either." He took it in stride, offering an awkward shrug accompanied by a yawn. “Is that how it works?”

“How should I know?” She giggled gently. Good, that seemed to help. She snuggled herself up against his SOUL, letting its warm, red glow ease her troubled mind. "Go to sleep Frisk. We'll see each other in the morning okay?"

“Yeah, you’re right…” He said sleepily. “Goodnight, Lily.”

"Goodnight, Frisk."

The delicious smell of food gently wafted through the house, rousing Lily back into the waking world. Through Frisks nose, she could smell the savory aroma coming from the direction of the kitchen. The boy remained asleep, from what she could tell but while she could attest to the bed’s comfort, she’d personally had enough of it herself. Besides, the smell alone was enough to make her want to get out of bed and investigate.

Would it work even though Frisk was still asleep? There was only one way to find out.

Slowly, the spirit pushed herself against the edges of Frisk’s SOUL and body, being extra cautious in case she needed to pull back for any reason. Sure enough she felt herself emerge, little by little from the unconscious body of her friend. When it was done, she found herself hovering to the side of her small companion, his face buried in the pillow and blankets gathered lightly in his hands from beneath. She stifled a giggle. At least she didn’t seem to need his help to get out.

Turning herself upright, she stretched groggily before heading for the exit to their room. One good thing about her spectral form was that doors posed no obstacle. She slipped easily through the closed portal and followed the smell to the kitchen where she found Toriel, humming a soft tune while she cooked the morning’s meal. The scent was enough to part the remaining fog within her mind, and wake her fully. Looking over the goat mother’s shoulder she spied the source of the pleasant scent: eggs, scrambled until they were soft and fluffy, and bacon which looked to have an almost perfect balance of succulence and crisp. She decided to go wake Frisk.

Returning to their room, she noticed he hadn’t moved at all. She pursed her lips and gave an exasperated drone before gently poking him in the side to rouse him. “Come on, Frisk. Time to wake up! Mom is making breakfast!"

“Ugh…” Frisk groaned. It was hard to tell if his eyes were open or not.

“Seriously? I kind of need your help to eat you know.” Lily chided, poking him a few more times. “I am not missing breakfast because you’re too lazy to roll out of bed.”

“Ehh… I’m up… just give me- W-whaaaAAHH!” He immediately shot up, sending the blankets flying when she started tickling his earlobe.

“Give you nothing.” She said decisively. “Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey.”

“Did you seriously just-“ He paused, finally noticing the tell-tale scent. “Hey, that really is bacon and eggs.”

“Well yeah, that’s what I said.” Lily replied, drawing a look from Frisk.

In all honesty, he was a little surprised that the scent hadn’t woken him. Smell had always been the strongest of the four senses at his disposal. Even his hearing couldn’t compare to the power of his nose. It was sometimes easy to take that bit of mercy for granted, he guessed. That or the previous day’s ordeals had simply taken more out of him than he’d thought.

But now he was awake. And so was his stomach.

Lily practically dragged Frisk out of the room, and led the still sleepy boy to the dining area where Toriel was busy putting down a couple of plates for their breakfast. Frisk decided he'd rather let the girl in than risk another attack on his earlobe. The three then sat down to eat and Lily quickly demanded that he try the bacon first. Frisk took a mouthful of eggs instead to get even for the way she woke him. In his mind, the spectral girl gave a small pout at that bit of insolence but got over it the moment the rich taste reached her. Satisfied, he decided to indulge her initial request. The bacon was positively mouthwatering, and both children gave a harmonious moan of appreciation at the flavor.

It was just like the classic breakfast fare known upon the surface, except for the fact that, like the candy and pie before it, each bite dissolved into magic upon swallowing. Frisk felt Lily’s curiosity mirror his own and decided to ask Toriel about it.

“Monsters like us are normally unable to consume physical matter because of our magical bodies.” Toriel explained, seeming all too pleased with the opportunity to educate them. “Most food is made from ingredients that grow beneath the mountain. The magic within them is enough that they can be used normally. For anything else, we take samples of physical items and use a conversion process to create a magical equivalent, like this fine breakfast we have.”

“So it’s basically the same as food on the surface? Or at least close to it.” Frisk summarized astutely.

“I imagine so.” Toriel confirmed. “I cannot tell you much about the process itself, but I believe the nutritional value is similar.”

“So why does it make us feel full?” Lily asked. Frisk relayed the question.

“You’ve noticed that it disperses upon swallowing, yes?” They nodded. “That allows the magic to distribute nutrients directly to where they are needed. Human food must go through a process called ‘digestion’ to achieve the same result with solid matter. You feel ‘full’ because your body is getting everything it needs to function, even if nothing actually settles in your stomach.”

“Oh, I think I get it.” Lily said.

Frisk agreed. It was pretty much the same as food on the surface, except the way nutrients were distributed was a little different. He thought about asking what that meant for going to the bathroom but decided against it. Not something to discuss during breakfast. Once they finished, Toriel gathered their plates and turned toward the kitchen.

“Psst, ask her if we can go out and explore the Ruins today.” Lily said.

“Huh? Oh yeah. I want to visit those spiders again.” Frisk said.

“Hmm? Did you say something, my child?” Toriel turned back.

“Oh, on the way here, me and Lily found a few spiders selling donuts.” Frisk explained. “We didn’t have enough money to buy anything then, so we thought we could try again today.”

“Those spiders?” Toriel said, and her expression turned. “Those poor dears… they’ve been separated from their family for a long time. I think they’re using that sale as a way to raise money so they can reunite with them.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that.” Frisk lowered his eyes. “Now I feel bad that we couldn’t buy anything.”

Toriel raised a claw to her chin in thought before rummaging through her pocket for something. Withdrawing it, she approached Frisk and dropped a number of coins into his hand. The jingle of monster currency sang in his ears, and he looked up at her, uncertainly.

“Are you sure?” He asked. He certainly didn’t want to come across as trying to get money from her.

“Take that, and buy a few treats from those little ones.” Toriel dismissed, shaking her head. “I only ask that you wait to eat them until you return home. Share some with a poor old lady, won’t you?”

“Okay!” Frisk said, smiling brightly.

“Woohoo!” Lily celebrated. “Let’s go, Frisk!”

Toriel gave a gentle smile, as Frisk headed for the door. The boy navigated through the house with a precision that no blind child should be capable of. This was no doubt due to Lily’s help. The door closed behind the children, leaving the caprine woman to her thoughts in the quiet home. She turned away from the threshold to gather the dishes and set about tending to the day’s chores. Settling the plates and cutlery into the sink to wash, she thought about how the boy, Frisk, had done the same just last night. He already felt like part of the household… something that had been missing from it for so long.

‘Perhaps… this time will be different.’

Toriel drifted over to the stove top and began to absently wipe it down. He was such a small thing too… looked barely strong enough to carry that little stick of his. She frowned, thinking back to the close call from before. Perhaps she should have noticed his deficiency much sooner. If she had, perhaps it could have been avoided. And yet, he was not scared to brave the rest of the Ruins on his own, despite what had happened. Even with help, it could not have been a simple matter to make his way through all the puzzles and monsters of the Ruins without her guidance.

Which brought yet another thought to the motherly monster’s mind: the one known as Lily. Though Toriel could not see her, she was by now convinced that this person existed. Perhaps she should be worried about this strange friend that accompanied the little boy but somehow it felt wrong to do so. The way he described her was that of a child not unlike himself… and Toriel could never bring herself to mistrust a little one. She was a mother, after all.

The caretaker looked up from her thoughts and noticed that her surroundings had changed. The kitchen and dining area had been replaced with a bedroom. The walls were painted in a deep, calming blue and there were few furnishings to speak of. A lone cactus to the right, a large bed, a bookshelf and set of clothes drawers, and a writing desk. A small pot of golden flowers rested upon the bookshelf, and looked in need of watering.

‘Why… did I come in here?’

She stepped lightly into the quiet room, glancing around the familiar surroundings. A furry hand ran along the rim of the small chair she’d jokingly nicknamed ‘Chairiel’ before her eyes were drawn to the raised shelf above the desk. A number of items sat upon it, covered in a thin layer of dust. She reached up and took one down, taking some time to regard it.

A figurine of a caped human in a proud pose. The tomboyish girl who’d owned it had called it a ‘Superhero’, a brave and extraordinary individual who fought for others. She replaced it and pulled down another, a cookbook left by the kind boy who had taught her so much of surface cuisine. The third was a little hand mirror, owned once by the cute little girl who was always fussing about her appearance, and always took her time to look her best.

So many trinkets and so many memories tied to each one of them, and yet…

Her gaze traveled further… to one more item on the shelf, set apart from the others. She carefully replaced the rest of the mementos before reaching for it and pulling it down. It was a simple box made of lacquered wood and copper hinges. However, It was not the box itself that drew her attention but what was inside.

She lifted the lid and drew it out, placing the container carefully onto the writing desk before looking over the treasure from within. It was a small, simple bracelet made from a single strip of braided leather. While it was easily the most nondescript piece of the collection, for Toriel, it held the greatest emotional weight. The caprine monster ran a finger over the small flat section in the center baring the faintest vestiges of an engraving. A name was once written there, but it had faded long ago, erased over the ages from the leather as well as her memories.

Toriel drew the fragile accessory close, and her heart began to ache. She could recite the names of every child that had come into her care. She could vividly recall the innocent smile of the son she had lost so long ago. She could identify every monster in the Ruins by sight, and probably half of the Underground as a whole.

But no matter how she searched the depths of her mind, she could remember neither name nor face of the first human to ever come into her care. Of her second child… her beloved daughter.

Toriel buried her face into her hands.

‘I am a terrible mother… I cannot even remember the name of my precious little girl.’ She sobbed quietly. ‘I’ve lost so many children I’d swore to protect. Will I have to watch it all again? I do not think my heart could bare it.’

She held the bracelet in her hands as tears began to flow down her face through the white fur. This might have continued, had a noise from the foyer not alerted her of the children’s return.

“Mom! We’re back! And we got donuts!” It was the cheery voice of Frisk, her latest charge. Lily must have been with him as well.

Toriel quickly wiped her eyes dry before placing the bracelet and its box back on the shelf. She hastily straightened herself up, and moved toward the hallway to greet her children. It would not due to let them see her in such a state.

‘I will protect them this time… both of them. I swear it.’ She vowed as she stepped into the hallway. ‘That horrible man will not claim another SOUL.'

Frisk and Lily made quick work of getting to the same corridor that led to the spiders, the jingle of gold within Frisk’s pocket, a herald of their intent. The webs seemed to have been rearranged since they visited yesterday. They’d now been woven into neat little patterns of dancing spiders, likely in an attempt to draw more customers. Kneeling before one of the webs, Frisk pulled the money from his pocket and began to count it out.

"Let's see. We have about 27G. That's enough for 3 doughnuts with some money left over." He confirmed with an eager grin.

"I guess mom gave us exact gold. The other six are what we got from the Froggit and Mr. Wiggle." Lily reasoned, hovering next to Frisks head, while staring down at the coins

"You're probably right. Okay." He turned his attention forward, and with Lily’s guidance, placed the gold next to the web. "We'd like 3 spider doughnuts, please."

A few small spiders crawled out from the web, lifting one coin after another with their tiny limbs and ferrying them inside. A few moments later more of the busy arachniods popped out, working together to deliver three wheel shaped pastries into the open. Lily directed Frisk’s hand to the treats, gathering them up into the simple paper bag provided. The spiders chittered their thanks to the boy before scurrying back to the safety of their homes.

"They were very happy with our purchase. I'm glad we could help them." Lily grinned before helping Frisk to his feet.

They made their way back to the through the Ruins, stopping to talk with a few of the monsters in the long hallway before returning home. By now, news had spread of the kind monster child in the striped shirt. None of the Ruins’ residents had seen anything like him, nor the invisible friend that always seemed to accompany him. Curiosity was, therefore, the order of the day as the children made their way back home. It occurred to neither Frisk nor Lily that not a single one of them save Toriel, and perhaps Flowey seemed to recognize him as human.

Eventually they reached the doorway of Toriel’s cozy house.

"Mom! We're back! And we got doughnuts!" Frisk called out when they returned.

"Oh! That was certainly fast! I'm happy to see you made it back so easily. No trouble with anyone out there I trust?" Toriel stepped into the foyer from the hallway to the right, her long face curled upward in a soft smile.

The boy dismissed her concerns with a shake of the head. "Nope. Everyone is really friendly. The spiders were happy too!"

He placed the bag of baked treats into Toriel’s outstretched palm before following his goat mother into the living room with Lily at his side. The two children took a seat on the floor in front of the fireplace and waited patiently while she delivered the doughnuts to the kitchen to store for later. Moments later she returned, taking a seat in the comfortable red recliner nearby.

"I want you to know how glad I am to have you here, my children.” She said wistfully, looking at Frisk with a fondness that seemed to go deeper than might have been expected for one she’d known only a short while. “It has been so long since I've had someone else in this home."

"I'm happy too. I don't remember anything so it's really nice to have a mom..." Lily says softly besides Frisk.

Frisk thought about that for a moment. With no memories, there’s no way of knowing what her parents were like. He supposed that was another thing they had in common.

"Lily and I are both really happy to be here. I guess neither of us really know what it’s like to have parents." Frisk delivered Lily’s message along with his own, wrapping his arm over the spectral girl’s shoulders. Lily herself wasn’t deaf to the double meaning of his words, but decided not to ask about them.

Toriel smiled, before leaning forward to ruffle Frisks hair, causing a happy laugh at the attention. Her eyes then moved to the empty space to his side, studying the place she knew Lily must have been. From the position of his arm it seemed that the invisible girl was a little taller than the small human before her. So she reached toward the still air and gently ran her hand along the space where the second human’s head should have been. Her judgment was spot on. Furry fingers glided against the imperceptible girl’s hair as if they were actually touching. Lily couldn’t help but smile widely in both joy and astonishment at the rightness of it… how it was almost like she could see her.

Once done Toriel leaned back into her chair. The three of them settled into a pleasant silence that soothed their minds. After a while the woman reached over onto her end table to grab a book. It was well worn, and many pages possessed dog-eared creases from the many long years of use. Donning a pair of reading glasses, she blinked a couple of times to adjust to the change of sight.

Frisk’s ears picked up the tell-tale sounds of page-flipping, and he knew without prompt what she was doing. He drew closer, dragging Lily along with him. "Hey, Mom? Will you read your book to us?"

"Of course, my child. It is titled '72 uses for snails'." She chuckled at Frisks quizzical expression. "Snails are amazing creatures. Delicious too. I can't wait to show you my famous snail pie.”

“Bleh!” Lily stuck her tongue out.

Frisk got up from the floor and made his way over to Toriel’s chair. He struggled blindly to pull himself into it. The goat woman laughed a little and lifted the boy up, placing him snugly on her lap. He smiled and made himself comfortable before his gaze fell on Lily and he shuffled to the side, giving her room to squeeze in alongside him. The goat mother seemed to notice what Frisk was doing and waited patiently until she was sure both children were settled in.

“Comfortable?” She asked. Both children nodded. “Very well. Now then… do either of you know which taxonomic class snails belong to?”

Lily gave the the woman a puzzled look and shook her head.

“I think they’re… gastropods?” Frisk answered after a bit of thinking.

“That’s correct!” Toriel said with the enthusiasm of a proud teacher. “Well done, dear.”

“Wait… you knew that?” Lily gaped at the blind boy at her side.

“Haha… I guess so.” He replied, folding his hands sheepishly.

Toriel flipped through a few of the pages. “Here’s an interesting fact. Did you know that...Snails. Talk. Very. Slowly?”

Lily looked at the page and frowned. “It doesn’t say that!” Frisk cocked his head at the woman and she gave an impish chuckle.

“I'm joking. Snails can't talk." She said and turned the pages some more. "Oh, but how about this one. Did you know that snails… sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature? Interesting."

Lily’s face scrunched up and she stuck out her tongue again, taking advantage of the fact that Toriel couldn’t see. Snails really weren’t her thing.

Frisk however listened intently. "I didn’t know that. That's actually kind of cool."

“Cool?!” Lily protested, drawing a chuckle from the boy. “That’s gross!”

The three of them continued like this for most of the day. After a while they decided to take a break to enjoy their donuts before moving onto another subject. Frisk and Lily were more than happy to just listen to her read to them (and relieved, in Lily’s case when they moved on from the snails). After dinner, Toriel retired to the kitchen to clean up, leaving the children to their own devices. Frisk took the opportunity to grab a book of his own, flipping through the pages and picturing the images in his mind as Lily read the words. The day seemed to pass by in an instant, and the two were only made aware of the true passage of time when Toriel looked at the raised hands of the wall-hanging clock.

"Oh dear. I believe it is time for bed my children. Come." She ushered them into the bedroom, tucking them in just as she did the night before, and bid them goodnight.

Chapter Text

"My daughter, you must stay determined! Please… wake up. You are the future of humans and monsters..." The sensation of a cold cloth spread across a forehead far too hot to be normal. A soft, furry hand grasped a small, fleshy one as if to drive away the dire illness.

"Dad… I… I just want to see the flowers again… The golden flowers… I want… to show… you." She mumbled – the voice of a small girl, her own and yet different – straining to peel open her eyes. Black figures circled her like phantoms, their details   seemingly  cut from the fabric of reality, leaving only dark, unidentifiable silhouettes.

"Please, Mama… Don't c-" Violent convulsions wracked her form, drowning out her words in a sea of agony. Her hands, blistered and burned rose to her face in an effort to stave off the fit of coughing to no avail. Trembling fingers  lifted from her shuddering face, the warped palms now stained with blood.

Within her mind echoed a scream…

“Worthless… completely worthless.”

The voice carried no hatred. There was nothing there at all actually. Just cold, bitter resignation. This was expected. After all, what worth  could they hope for in a child without sight? A child fated to walk in darkness forever… what merit could something like that have to those who live in the light?

“See? You should know better than anyone. Show them mercy, and they’ll abandon you… just like all the others.” A sunny voice stated. The talking flower’s face contorted into a grotesque, toothy grin. “Kill or be killed! You know it’s true. After all… you’ve seen it before.”

He’s wrong… he has to be. But still, the sense of doubt was crushing, and it grew stronger by the moment.

“Poor, pathetic child.” That- that was… Toriel? Why was he hearing Mom's voice? “You cannot even walk straight without that invisible friend to help you. How do you know that she is the kind, helpful creature you see her as? How do you know it isn’t a trick? Another trick to deceive a fool…”

He didn't want to believe that… but what did he know about her really? How could he be certain that this was not simply a game to her? It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Well, here we are. We’ve come a long way haven’t we?” Another voice, distorted beyond recognition but somehow familiar. “ You always were a great partner…"

The nightmare shattered in an instant, setting Frisks body to a tremble beneath the blankets. His heart was racing like he’d just sprinted a hundred miles at high altitude. If he wasn’t still under the blankets, he might have fallen out of bed when he noticed Lily hovering above him. Her copper eyes looked blood red in the low lighting. Then he noticed the rest of her. She was just as terrified as he was. That terror must have forced her out of his body somehow, and caused the scream that woke him up.

Lily floated above the bed and its solid occupant, shaking like a leaf in the breeze. She didn’t seem to notice that she’d expelled herself. Her eyes were glued to her own hands as the fingers fought a losing- battle to stay still. Her chest rose and fell with each sharp intake of breath. The grizzly sight she’d witnessed had scored itself within her mind. Then her thoughts seemed to readjust to her surroundings, and at last she noticed Frisk staring up at her.

“Frisk!” She gasped, quickly lowering her hands to her side. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“A nightmare?” He asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

“Something… maybe? I…” She trailed off, unable to find the right words. “How did you know?”

“I had one too…” He admitted, pushing the blankets off himself and sitting up.

“You… did?” She asked. That was too surreal. Both of them, at the same time?

“Uh huh. Thanks for waking me up.” He joked flatly. “I don’t think I wanted to see how it ended.”

“Frisk, that’s terrible and you know it.” She said, but she was grinning now.

“Sorry…” He said. “What… was yours about?”

“I…” She seemed reluctant for a moment. “I think it was how I died. My family was there. I could hear them crying. But I couldn’t see anyone or recognize any of the voices…  it’s like whole pieces were missing from it. I just wish the pain was one of them. It hurt… so bad.”

“I’m sorry…” Frisk said.

“What for?” Lily asked. “It’s not like you did anything to me. You aren’t the one who made me forget my past after all. Now that I have a piece of the puzzle, maybe I can learn more about who I am.”

“I guess.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah… your nightmare.” She confirmed. “Was it as bad as mine?”

“I don’t know.” Frisk said. Would it be nicer to say ‘no’ or ‘yes’ in this situation? “I kept hearing voices… people I know. Someone from the surface. I can’t remember their name, but there were a lot like them. Flowey, Mom… and someone else. I woke up before I figured out who.”

“What did they say?”

“The first one put me down a lot. Flowey? He said what you’d expect. Mom, though… it didn’t sound like her at all.” He thought about telling her exactly what Toriel had said but decided against it. The girl was already reeling from her own night terrors, and he didn’t want to give her more to worry about. “The last one… didn’t say much. But there was something about the way they said it. It made me feel powerless.”

“That sounds horrible.” Lily said, letting herself down to sit on the bed in front of her friend.

“It’s nothing like yours.” Frisk dismissed. “Yours actually hurt… can you still feel it?”

She shook her head. “No, not anymore. Thanks, Frisk.”

They sat there for a while in silence, letting the remaining trepidation from the night’s events slowly fade away. Neither child could tell what time it was, or how long they’d slept. But neither one wished to brave another trip into the world of dreams either. Not with what was waiting for them there. Still, there was one feeling that Frisk couldn’t shake. Even if it was just a nightmare, what if there was a point to it? What if Toriel had simply taken him because it was the right thing to do? Was he putting a burden on her out of desperate and selfish need to belong?

He couldn’t tell anymore.

Lily took a long look at Frisk. His encouragement had done a lot to make her feel better, but she could tell that he was still bothered by something. He tried to hide it, and he might have succeeded with anyone else… but he couldn’t hide anything from her. It hurt to see him like that, and she wondered if there was anything she could possibly do to help her troubled friend.

"Hey. Why don't we leave for a bit? Stretch our legs, and wake up some?” She suggested. Maybe some fresh air would ease his mind a little. “I don’t want to go back to sleep… and I bet you don’t either."

She moved to his side and offered him a hand up. He accepted gratefully, and let the spectral girl pull him to his feet.

"That sounds like a good idea, actually.” He agreed. “What about Toriel, though? Won't she wonder where we went?"

Lily lifted a brow before looking about the room. Her eyes fell on the stick resting on the end table. “You could leave your stick here. That would tell her we'll be back?"

An air of uncertainty clouded the boy. He’d never left his stick behind on purpose before.

"Don't worry. I won’t let you get lost.” Said Lily, before pulling him into a light hug. “I promised to protect you remember? Just like you promised to protect me!"

Frisk hesitated and for a moment she thought he was going to say no. In the end, he just sighed.

"Alright. I trust you."

He carefully picked up the stick, running his hand along its wooden surface. It was still as sturdy as the day he first picked it up, and the single leaf on the end still maintained a healthy green hue. After a moment he placed it on the bed, leaning it purposefully against the wall. Plain sight, specific placement, and not likely to fall over if left alone. A clear message.

As they turned to leave, Frisk felt the light tug upon his SOUL. His gaze followed the sensation down to the star he’d created a couple of days back, still sitting innocently among the toys. He reached for it, letting his fingers run along its warm magical glow. He’d never actually touched one before. It was smooth, and flowing like water but his fingers never quite passed through its surface. The star shimmered brighter in response to his touch and for the briefest instant it seemed like time had stopped. Then both the glow and the tugging sensation passed, and he stepped away.

Lily gave Frisk a confused look, and he could tell she must have felt it too. She said nothing however - merely smiled before leading him through the house and outside. The morning air felt nice against his skin as they traversed the ruins.

"It must still be very early. The air smells so crisp and clean." Frisk remarked, taking a deep breath settle himself a little more. “I wonder how there’s still so much fresh air this far underground?”

"I don’t know, but I'm glad it's working. Come on!" Lily replied, before gently guiding him passed the leafless tree and down the path to the left.

In time, they arrived at the ramparts that overlooked the quiet city – the same place they’d found the toy knife. There was a stairwell to the right that led to the town proper, but neither had any desire to go that way. Instead, Lily led Frisk to one of the benches lining the parapets. It seemed like this place would have been a popular spot for the Ruins’ monster residents but right now it was empty but for the two of them. They sat, and looked out over the quiet city below.

Frisk’s head fell and his hands folded in his lap as his thoughts turned inward. He looked like he might have fallen asleep, but in truth his mind was running almost too fast to process. Should he tell her more about the impression that dream left on him? Toriel had been so kind… so motherly. He was quick to jump at that sense of belonging, but… was that really for him? And, what about Lily? The nightmare had gotten one thing right: he didn’t know anything about her.

No… even if that was true, just… no. Lily was fine… there was no way she would do anything to hurt him. If she meant to, he would have sensed it right? Just like how he sensed her feelings at the sight of the Ruins’ puzzles: that burnt lemon scent of annoyance.

But then, there was another thing: a feeling that he couldn’t explain.

Lily turned her attention away from the skyline (or what could pass for one within a mountain). There she noticed Frisk’s bowed head, lost in his own thoughts and frowned. This was supposed to help him feel better, not make it worse. A thought flashed through her mind an instant before she pulled Frisk up from his slouch and let his head rest on her shoulder.

"Frisk, something's bothering you. What is it? You can tell me." She coaxed gently.

The boy wrung his hands together for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"It's… hard to explain. " He sighed. "I feel like… all I'm doing is burdening Toriel. What with my blindness and all, I just feel like eventually she'll want me to leave her in peace. I'm so tired of being a bother."

“I noticed you haven’t called her ‘Mom’ today.” Lily observed. “Is that why?” He turned to her with a bit of surprise.

"I haven’t?” He blinked a few times. “I guess not… maybe it is? Still…” He resumed his thoughtful expression. “It’s not just that. I feel like there's… “something” I'm supposed to be doing. Something important. And whatever it is, it’s not here." He gestured out with his hand in a sweeping motion towards the Ruins.

Lily rubbed his arm comfortingly. "Do you any idea what that is? Or where?"

He shook his head, shifting his weight into the hug and gestured wildly with his hand. "No. But I feel like it's right there, in the back of my mind. It’s like, if I try not to think about it, there it is, bugging me. But if I go to look for it, it becomes all foggy you know?”

“Like when you see that weird line you see when you look at a bright light?” Lily suggested. “Ignore it, and it seems to move in more, but look at it and it moves away.”

“It sounds about right.” Frisk said, though he’d never actually experienced the phenomenon Lily described. “Have you felt that way?”

"Not exactly… but more than you might think.” She says. “With my nightmare… I'm sure that's how I died, but the more I think about it the less I can make out… and then I think 'How long have I been gone? Is my family still out there?'. I mean I could have only been gone for minutes, or years. Without any memories I just can’t know." She sighed heavily, the thoughts weighing more on her now that she was thinking about them.

"Maybe… we should leave the Ruins?” She suggested hesitantly. “If it feels that important, then it probably is… we shouldn’t just let it sit. And who knows? I might find something about my past while we're at it. So it could be a win-win for both of us. You know I'll float by you the whole way!" Lily grinned at her own joke, hoping to get a reaction.

“Heheh… Thanks.” A small chuckle escaped Frisks mouth before he sobered again. “But, what about Tor- Mom? What do we say to her?”

“I don’t know…” Lily said. “Maybe its better just to tell her straight? I mean, it’s not like we’re leaving forever.”

“I guess so.”

They stayed like that for a while, conversation fading into silence. Eventually the city slowly began to awaken. Monsters began a steady trickle into the streets to start their day. The two children took that as their queue to return home. Toriel would be awake and would find their message soon if she hadn’t already. They managed to avoid most of the monsters near the caretaker’s home. A small winged creature approached them, but quickly burst into tears and fled the moment Frisk tried to greet it.

“Um…” Frisk blinked after it. “Did I… do something wrong?”

"I think… those are called Whimsuns?" Lily shrugged. “I guess they’re just shy…”

They returned home and quickly stepped inside, the warmth of magical flame greeting their arrival. It was comforting, but did little to ease their hearts. They quickly noticed Toriel sitting near the fireplace, a book sitting unopened in her lap. She hadn’t noticed them yet, so Lily directed Frisk back to their room to retrieve his stick before returning to the living area. The Ruins’ caretaker looked up at Frisk and frowned.

"Are you well, my child? You seem troubled…" She left the book on the chair and knelt before Frisk.

“Um…”

Frisk was trembling. His entire being shuddered under the weight of what he was about to do… of what, in his heart, he knew that he had to. He could not see the motherly monster gazing with concern upon his small frame, and for once, it was good that this was so. If he could, the look she gave would have been enough to shatter his conviction then and there. Determined as he was, determination alone would not be enough to see him forward when those large, kind eyes looked upon him with such care.

“What is it, innocent one?” She asked. Her voice alone was enough to make him quake with guilt. “You can tell me anything.”

Lily drifted to Frisk’s side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The blooming tea scent of her support anchored him. He clinched a fist at his side and looked up toward her voice.

“How… can we leave the Ruins?” he asked softly. It was the most painful thing he’d ever asked.

Despite its softness, Toriel recoiled as if she’d been struck. “L-leave? Why would you want to leave, my child? This is your home… you’ll want for nothing here, I assure you.”

Frisk lowered his head once more without a response. He knew if he tried to speak, his voice would give out. He couldn’t show that to her. His silence told Toriel all she needed to know. She stood, expression grim, and removed her hands from his shoulders.

“I see.” She said forlornly. “I apologize, but I have to do something. Stay here, children.”

Toriel skirted around the small human and walked briskly toward the foyer. Lily turned in the air and watched her go as Frisk stood stock still, knuckles white as they clinched his stick. White fur and purple fabric glided around and descended the stairs on the far end of the entryway. It was a place neither she, nor Frisk had set foot… she hurried back to the boy.

“Frisk, she went downstairs.” The girl said worriedly, though she tried to stay strong for her friend. “Come on, we need to follow her. Hurry!”

Frisk breathed deeply to steady himself, then nodded wordlessly. Following Lily’s guidance, he moved to follow his adopted parent into the lower level of the cozy home. Even he could tell that it was like stepping into another realm. Where above lived light and comfort, below was dark and cold. The warmth of fire magic did not carry here. This was an unwelcome place.

Toriel walked some feet ahead of them. Her large, floppy ears heard the boy’s steps the moment he reached the stairs. She didn’t turn around, continuing with purpose along the dark passageway.

“You wish to know how to leave, do you? Ahead lies the end of the Ruins: a one way exit to the rest of the Underground.” She said, her tone unreadable. Before Frisk could respond she continued. “I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave here again. Now… be a good child, and go upstairs.”

Frisk gasped. “Mom, you don’t understa-“

“Yes, I do!” her emotionless façade broke for only an instant. “I understand more than you could ever know. I’ve seen it, time and again: humans come, they leave, they die. You naïve child… if you leave the Ruins… they… Asgore… will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?”

Frisk was chilled by the way she’d said that. Was it really that dangerous outside the Ruins…? The path turned sharply after what felt like miles of walking. Only then did Toriel turn to look the boy. Lily could see her face clearly – an expressionless mask, attempting to hide the shadow of pain.

“Do not try to stop me.” She warned. “This is your final warning. Now… go to your room, children.”

This was it… the final chance, and both of them knew it. If they turned back now, and allowed her to destroy the exit, that would be the end of it. They could return upstairs and live a quiet, comfortable life with the monster mother. They might get in trouble for forcing her to do this, but eventually everything would go back to normal. They could be comfortable… they could be happy… they could belong.

But…

They couldn’t do that. Somehow the children both knew. Nothing is ever that simple. They followed.

Toriel stood before a massive stone door. The same image that adorned her robes was emblazoned across its surface. Her back was turned to them, but both children knew that she noticed their approach. Her furry paws clinched at her side as she stared at the stone threshold.

“You want to leave so badly? Hmph… you are just like the others. There is only one solution to this…” She said, unable to conceal the mote of pain her words carried. “Prove yourself…”

“Mom…” Lily stammered. “Please, don’t…”

She turned and faced them. Her eyes locked on the boy in the blue and purple striped shirt. Her head lowered and her arms slowly rose at her sides. Tongues of flames snaked down her shoulders and focused into her white furred palms. A blast of heat spread from her, setting the torches lining the room ablaze and casting the room into light.

“Prove to me that you’re strong enough to survive!” She howled.

At the same time as she spoke the words, Frisk felt his SOUL drawn from his body with force far beyond that of any monster he’d encountered. His sight awakened and bright, vivid shapes formed against a blank canvas: His SOUL before him, Lily at his side… and Toriel, a blazing inferno of alabaster magic blocking the way. He shrank back when he saw the flames licking her arms. He could tell at a glance that though she did not burn, that fire was far from the pleasant crackle that warmed the home above.

A gout of flame surged forth at her command. Before he could react, it struck his chest and SOUL with the full force of its might.

“Aaaaugh!” He cried out, instinctively wrapping his arms around his SOUL.

“Frisk!” Lily called, and rushed to his side. “Frisk, you have to get up!”

She grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled him away from a follow-up blast. He collapsed the moment they stopped moving, still clutching his chest with his free hand and shuddering. Something was wrong… the hit was direct, but it hadn’t done nearly enough damage to provoke such a response. Even still, the boy looked almost as bad as she’d felt when Flowey’s ‘friendliness pellet’ ripped through her body.

“Get up! Come on!” She pleaded.

“I can’t…” He trembled. “I hate fire… I hate fire!”

“Are you helping him?” Toriel’s steely voice spoke. She was speaking directly to Lily. “So, you both agreed to this. Very well… then come! Show me your strength, my children!”

“Look out!” Lily shouted.

She shoved the boy roughly, sending him back and herself away in a single motion. An orb of flame surged through the air where they’d been but a second before and burst against the wall. Frisk struggled to his feet as Lily flew to his side once more. Toriel stood there, unmoving but for the twitch of her claws beneath the power of her own magic. Frisk stared at the blaze, paralyzed with fear at the sight of those scaring tongues whipping incessantly along the caprine monster’s arms.

“Mom, stop… please!” Frisk’s terrified voice called out.

Toriel’s stern expression broke for but a moment, an escaped tear was quickly evaporated by the heat of her flames. That was all she allowed before her conviction returned. Her arm swept before her tracing an ark of flame that roared toward the two children. Frisk managed to reign in his fear enough to avoid a direct blow this time, but the hungry blaze still licked the edge of his SOUL, causing him to cringe. He watched her fearfully. The flames bellowed within his ears from all sides.

Toriel began to move. Her arm sent forth a continuous stream of fire as she walked slowly toward him. He ran to the side and the flames followed. Toriel’s advance continued, maneuvering him into a corner and forcing him to move toward her to get away.

“No!” He cried.

His arm moved on its own, and his stick struck the fiery monster in her left flank. Toriel gasped and buckled slightly but held firm. She turned about and faced him again. Her face remained as stern as ever but her eyes showed a sense of pride.

“Yes, that’s it.” She said. “Strike me with all you have!”

Her blazing arms shot upward and summoned forth a shower of burning rain. Cinders showered both children from overhead, striking down in patterns almost impossible to dodge completely. A few of them struck Lily, and she grit her teeth as a couple of points of her own limited HP were shaved away. Still more struck out at Frisk, biting into his SOUL like piranhas in a frenzy. He managed to bat a few away with his stick, not bothering to question why the seemingly fragile wood failed to burn.

Lily watched the confrontation, lending what support she could. Inside she wished that there was more she could do to help her friend. If only she could speak, it might have been possible for the two of them to convince Toriel to simply let them pass. But alas, she was relegated to advice and support as well as avoiding whatever wayward fire happened to come her way. A task that proved a challenge of its own. Frisk, in his fear, barely even registered her words.

Toriel advanced once more, the flames bending to her will. Snaking trails of fire arced along the ground around her. Her robe billowed as they slithered outward, approaching the boy at breakneck speed. Frisk stumbled forward through the flames, and managed to avoid one of the flaming serpents. The other curved about the room and made for him from the other side.

“Behind you!” Lily cried her warning.

Too late. He stumbled back to avoid the line of flame, and nearly bumped straight into Toriel. The woman looked down at him without expression, balled a fire-wreathed fist and struck. Again Frisk reacted, more on instinct and struck out in an effort to defend himself. His stick struck her in the arm, sending it askew. The impact caused her to lose focus on the flaming snakes which sputtered and died as she stumbled back.

Toriel’s teeth grit from pain, but she still refused to give up. The strikes she’d taken did not seem particularly damaging, but an attack made with purpose is painful indeed to her kind… and fear is a powerful motivator. She panted heavily as she continued her assault with another volley of flames. The boy was scared, but he was not backing down. That was good… that was the strength she wanted to see.

Her muscles twitched, and a new surge of arcane fire joined with the rest. Her arms were coated almost entirely in the magical inferno, and her eyes blazed orange with power. She threw her arms outward, and pillars of flame erupted from the ground itself. The stone floor glowed with the heat of the columns as they filled the entirety of the room. Frisk staggered through them: left, right, forward, stop, right again, back.

It wasn’t enough. A single misstep, and the boy was caught in the chest by the edge of one of the pillars. The magical fire ate into his SOUL, devouring his HP in one ferocious bite. The force of the attack sent him spiraling backwards. Breath forced itself from his lungs as he landed on his stomach.

“Frisk!” Lily shouted.

She rushed at Toriel, putting herself between her friend and the Ruins’ fiery guardian. It would do no good. Toriel could not see her, and would not cease her approach.

Amidst the pain, the roaring of the fire and Lily’s voice, Frisk heard it. A sound that didn’t belong… a clattering of something small against the stone. He reached for it, and his small hand wrapped around something cool and plastic. A shimmer of light rippled through the toy knife that Frisk grasped in his trembling hand.

[EQUIP]

With a shaky hand, the boy raised the plastic blade and pushed himself to his knees. He could hear Toriel’s slow footfalls behind him. He could smell the thin smoke of magical fire, and feel its heat at his back.

And he was afraid.

Once more, his body moved on its own, an action fueled by a desire to preserve his own life. It was enough. The knife flashed around in an arc, its polymer edge cut like steel against the magical body of the Ruins’ caretaker. A large, straight gash arched through her caprine form, the strike cutting clean through her chest where her own SOUL resided.

He did not feel the throb of power within his own at that same instant.

“Urgh…” She staggered back.

All the air in Frisk’s lungs forced itself out at once. Toriel stepped back once, twice, before collapsing onto one knee. The flames flickered and vanished from her arms, leaving her broken before him. Frisk reached out instinctively, then his sight fell on the knife he now held. Bound to him now, the blade’s thin outline stared back at him in all its plastic glory. It was only then he realized what he’d done. To protect himself, the little lion was forced to bear his claws.

“You are… stronger than I thought.” Toriel said through gasps of breath.

“No…” Frisk whispered. “No, I… I didn’t…”

“M-mom…?” Lily drifted down, and knelt at Frisk’s side.

“Listen to me… small ones.” She rasped. “If you go beyond this door… keep walking as far as you can. Eventually, you will reach an exit.”

“Mom… I didn’t mean to.”

“I know… do not blame yourself. I am proud of you…” She said weakly, before looking toward Frisk’s side, straight at Lily. “Both of you.” She coughed. Dust began to fall from her wound. “Asgore… you mustn’t let Asgore take your SOUL. His plan… cannot be allowed to succeed.”

“Mom… MOM!” Frisk cried, as tears streamed from his eyes.

“You can’t!” Lily cried at the same time.

Both children ran to the wounded monster and enveloped her in a hug. She smiled, wrapping own weak limbs around them. Somehow, she almost seemed to know that Lily was there as well. Frisk buried his face into her robe and sobbed, his tears staining the fabric. Lily cried against her neck, clinging to her with all the strength her incorporeal arms could muster.

“It’s alright… you’ll be fine.” Toriel said, a pile of dust forming at her feet. “Be good… won’t you? My… children…”

With that, her head lowered. Frisk and Lily cried out, begging her to hold on… but there was nothing either child could do. Toriel’s body went limp, and the wound in her chest grew. It spread across her body, scattering it into dust that settled in a pile beneath them. The torn fabric of her robes settled over it like a funeral shroud. In time, all that remained was a SOUL; a pure white inversion of Frisk’s own, radiating a warm light. It trembled in the air before it too shattered into fragments and vanished.

“MOM!!!” Frisk shouted, falling to his hands and knees amidst the dust that was once Toriel. “I didn’t want this, I didn’t! Come back, please! Come… come back…”

“Why… why did she fight?” Lily cried. “Mom… this is wrong. This isn’t…”

Neither child could speak. Their words were drowned out by the silence of the chamber and their own emotions. Tears fell from Frisk’s eyes and mingled with Toriel’s dust and the tattered remnants of her robe. He buried his face in his hands as the darkness took his sight once more. Let it… he deserved far worse after what he’d done. Lily cried openly. In the back of her mind, she knew she would feel sick for doing so but she didn’t care. She had no strength to stop the stream of tears.

“Frisk…” She said through bleary eyes. “We- we have to go. Mom told us-“

“No!” Frisk shouted, and he refused to move. “I won’t! I won’t leave her like this!”

“There’s… there’s nothing we can do.” Lily retorted. “We have-“

“I don’t care…” Frisk continued. “This… no… I can’t accept this. I won’t!”

“Frisk, please…” Lily reached her trembling hand for him. He made no response when she placed it on his shoulder. “She- she…”

She couldn’t say it. Even thinking that she was gone hurt far worse than any nightmare.

“This isn’t what I wanted…” Frisk muttered, trembling beneath his own weight. “I hate this…! I want to go back. I want… I want her back… bring her back!”

His cry echoed through the empty chamber and beyond. Once again his SOUL emerged from his chest, filling his blind eyes with magical sight. The cold touch of stone and monster dust disappeared a moment later, as solid ground vanished beneath his feet. At his side, Lily watched in awe as the chamber shifted and distorted around them, passing in a reverse-blur as some unseen force pulled them backwards. The warped facsimile gave way to a flash of brilliant light which pierced even Frisk’s veil of blindness, filling both of their vision with white. Neither of them could tell how much time passed in that all consuming brightness. But when at last it faded both children’s gazes fell upon a singular point.

There, in the middle of the familiar box of toys, in a familiar red-walled room, shone a familiar golden star.

Chapter Text

A pulse rippled across the boarders of space and time, flung into its deepest reaches. It was a strange thing, formless, yet all too real. The realization of the fragility of existence. A mistake undone, but not forgotten. The cast off darkness of a SOUL that had tasted the life of another, and found the flavor displeasing.

A poor substitute for the Name… but for now, it would have to do.

"W- what? What's going on?" Lily questioned, as she glanced around at the room.

It was exactly as they’d left it. The toys in their box, the stuffed lion displaced from the others, the collection of different sized shoes gathered neatly within the small chest against the wall, the disheveled blankets on the unmade bed where they’d slept the previous night only to be woken by nightmares… everything. Her eyes fell upon the stick, still leaning against the wall where they’d left it before leaving the house earlier that day.

"The stick…?” Impossible. She knew for a fact Frisk had retrieved it. “How is it…?"

The sound of another sob drew her attention back to the boy in question.

He was kneeling in front of the golden star, crying softly with his arms wrapped around his torso. He looked like he was enduring the worst of agonies… and indeed, that might not have been far from the truth. Lily made her way to his side and hugged him as tightly as she could. He clung to her and cried harder, face hot with his own tears. Questions could wait.

They remained like that for all of about a minute before the door was pushed open by a white, furry paw. Purple robes entered the room a moment later…

"My children.. are you alright? I heard-" Spoke a familiar voice. Frisk’s ears perked in an instant.

She never got the chance to finish. Frisk was up in less than a blink. He threw himself against Toriel’s body, his small arms wrapping around her waist. He was so small, he could barely reach half way around her large frame, but still he held her as tightly as those little arms could muster. The kind monster’s motherly instinct kicked in, and she quickly lowered herself to the floor and enveloped the child into a furry hug. The fabric of her robes almost covered his whole body, and her familiar scent filled his airways.

Lily remained rigid where Frisk had left her, staring in disbelief at their reunion. The moment she remembered how to move, she was at their side, clinging to Toriel’s arm as new tears fell from her eyes.

"I'm so- sorry. I'm sorry… I’m sorry, Mom. I'm s..s..sorry!  I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I swear… I- I didn’t…" Despite being muffled by Toriel’s robes, Frisk’s voice carried clearly. His tears bled through the purple fabric and onto the fur beneath.

"It's alright, dear one. Everything is alright." Toriel masked her confusion with a soft tone. Her large hand rubbed gentle circles along the boy’s back, waiting for him to calm enough that she could speak to him.

After a while, Frisk’s crying abated enough that he was able to pull away from Toriel. His hands however, continued to clutch her robes, fearing that she might fade away the moment he let go. His blind eyes turned upward toward the motherly face above him as Lily snuggled against his side, her spectral form causing his shirt to bunch up where she hugged him. Toriel seemed to notice this.

"What is the matter, Children? Did you have a nightmare?" She asked, shifting her arm to accommodate the unseen girl.

A nightmare? Was that all it was? Their time at the overlook, their fight against Toriel, her death… was it just an elaborate nightmare? Frisk turned his gaze to Lily, her tears, her surprise, her relief… she’d seen it too; lived it, as he had.

That… was no dream.

Then what happened? His pain was gone too. He hadn’t realized it in the wake of their reunion with Toriel but it was gone. The burns, and the soreness of his muscles… all gone, as if it had never been.

That’s when he remembered.

The golden star twinkled innocently within the pile of toys.

That star. Frisk remembered touching it this morning. The feeling like time stopped for just a moment.

"'They make me feel like nothing bad can happen as long as one is near.'..." Lily whispered from her position next to him, her voice almost non-existent in her wonder. "Did… did the star pull us back?"

She had the same thought. Was that it, then? The star?

They both looked at Toriel. Frisk called forth his SOUL, its glow painting the room in a deeper shade of red. A monochrome image of his monster mother formed before his eyes. She looked just as she had earlier, before the fight. Her torso was absent the large gash she’d suffered and her face held no pain; only kindness and concern for her children. He concentrated further, focusing upon the thin band of energy that represented her life force.

* TORIEL – ATK 80 DEF 80 HP: 440/440

She was alive… she was really alive.

Frisk stared absently for a moment before realizing she’d asked him a question. "Uh… yeah… Mom. Lily and I… just had a nightmare is all.. We're sorry for scaring you…" Frisk said, trying to smile as he used his arms to wipe the tears away.

Toriel gave them both a loving smile. "Nightmares are frightening, but they cannot harm you. You are both strong children… I am sure you can overcome this. But do know that you can talk to me if the need arises alright?” She said, drawing a nod from both Frisk and Lily. “Since all of us are awake, how about I start breakfast early? I am sure you are both hungry."

With that she stood and patted the boy’s head, before stroking the air where Lily’s would have been. How she always knew, neither of them could guess but after what just happened, neither did they care. After taking a moment to make sure they were alright, she left them alone and made her way toward the kitchen.

"Frisk...?" Lily folded her hand in his, clutching tightly.

"She… doesn't remember.” He said, pausing for a moment before continuing. “But you do… right?”

“Uh huh.” She confirmed. She wished she didn’t. “You screamed and everything got all weird and fell away… and now we’re back here.” She waved her arm out across the room to illustrate the point. “Frisk, what happened down there?”

“I… I don’t know.” The boy shook his head. “I just felt so bad. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I didn’t want that to happen. And then it just… didn’t. We’re back here and Mom… Mom’s okay.”

“So what? You turned back time?” She asked.

“Did I?” He questioned, trying to wrap his aching head around what happened. “I remember touching the star before we left. Or, I guess we haven’t left yet, huh? Agh… this is confusing.”

“Just slow down… one thought at a time, okay?” Lily said, giving his hand a little squeeze of reassurance.

“When I touched it, it almost felt like time stopped for a second. It was like it ‘saved’ that moment for me… and when I cried out, it brought us back here.” His face scrunched up as he explained, as if he was searching for something but couldn’t find it.

“SAVE…” He repeated thoughtfully. “That’s what it was. I ‘SAVED’… H-how do I know that?”

“It… it doesn’t matter.” Lily said, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms protectively around her friend. “I don’t care where it came from, I’m just glad you were able to do it. You brought Mom back, Frisk. You brought her back…”

“Yeah… I did.” He said, the reality of it finally dawning on him. “We can fix this now. We don’t have to leave… that was a mistake. Whatever I feel like I have to do isn’t worth her life.” Frisk gave her a guilty look. "I’m sorry… I just can’t. Maybe there’s another way to get your memory back.”

Lily shook her head and hugged him closer, squeezing with all her might. "I'll stick with you no matter what you decide. Maybe I don't need my old memories. I can make new ones with you and Mom!"

“I’d like that…” He said, placing a hand on her arm. “Thanks…”

‘This is how it should be…

It had been a few days since the children’s’ ill fated attempt to leave the Ruins, and things had largely returned to a cozy, if uneventful existence. The first day was the hardest. Seeing Toriel alive and well again had been the greatest of shocks. Yet, she truly seemed to remember none of what happened. Frisk and Lily had done their best to act as normal as possible both to avoid worrying their adoptive mother, and because neither had any particular desire to think about it.

The days that followed were filled with idyllic contentment. Jokes and games, explorations in the city, meeting and getting to know the Ruin’s monster inhabitants… and a loving mother and warm home waiting when they returned. Much of their free time was spent learning more about the strange abilities Frisk possessed. Using his SOUL, he could see monsters and their attacks, but color and most details did not reach him and neither could he observe his surroundings. The only exceptions they found were the SAVE points, his SOUL, anything that he had ‘equipped’, and Lily, all of which he could see in full detail. It didn’t take long to make the connection that all of these had to Frisk himself and Frisk was surprised by just how much of it came naturally to him.

Most of their time yesterday had been spent helping Toriel hunt for snails which she used to make her favorite Snail Pie for dinner. Lily had recoiled at the prospect of eating anything made from the shelled mollusks. Frisk was also reluctant, but in the end, curiosity won out when he noticed how thoroughly Toriel enjoyed it. To his surprise, it wasn’t terrible… on the contrary, it was actually quite good. The snails gave the filling a consistency like thick gravy and the blend of spices created a flavor both unique and palatable.

"Ugh. I hate history. It's so boring!" Lily sighed, taking advantage of her weightlessness to weave through the branches of the barren tree outside Toriel’s home.

True to her promise, Toriel had prepared an academic curriculum for the two of them. Frisk had expected to learn something more about the Monsters living in the Underground, but it seemed Toriel had decided to start them on Human subjects. Her knowledge wasn’t the best in that respect, but she seemed to feel it would be easier to go over what they were familiar with. Presently, they’d finished their studies and Toriel had rewarded them by letting them play outside.

"I like history. I think it's pretty cool. Not quite as cool as science, I guess but still…" Replied Frisk from his spot under the tree, leaning against the rough bark. “I don’t like math though…”

"That's because you can't see the numbers." She teased gently, poking his head in passing as she floated by on another lap around the tree. She paused for a second and hovered, looking sheepish. "That… came out a little meaner than I meant it. Sorry."

"No. You're right. If I could see them they would probably make more sense." Frisk shrugged and looked up at her as she did a few flips through the branches. To him, it looked like she was dancing in empty space, her body flicking in and out of the non-existent shadows of the limbs.

"Well, well, well…" Said a voice from below, sounding far too cheery for its own good. “I bet you think you're reeeeeally clever, don't you?”

Lily wheeled about, searching the surrounding area for any sign of the speaker. Frisk perked his ears and listened and was surprised to realize that the voice was in fact coming from the ground itself. The words carried clearly - too clearly, as if the earth itself had parted like air to deliver their message. Not a moment later, the soil began to shift and roil a few feet from where Frisk sat. From its parting sediment emerged a large golden flower.

"Flowey." Frisk frowned and jumped to his feet, his stick at the ready to defend himself and Lily.

“Oh, how scary.” The flower drawled. “You really know how to use that thing, huh? Too bad you chickened out. That’s fine though… you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. But don't act so cocky. I know what you did…” Flowey grinned, his tongue poking out of his mouth in what would be considered cute any other time. "You murdered her."

“Wait, you-“ Frisk recoiled. “How do you know that?”

Lily attempted to float down to Frisk’s side, but the boy noticed her. He motioned silently for her to stay far above him since she was unable to defend herself in her current form. She frowned in annoyance, but knew he was right. Those bullets nearly killed her last time. Flowey noticed the one-sided exchange and his eyes narrowed.

“Well, that’s interesting. I wasn’t sure before, but now I get it.” His saccharine grin hid the venom in his voice. “You’ve got a little helper, don’t you? Who is it, huh? Come on… you can tell me.”

Frisk remained silent, his SOUL pulsed within his chest. He thought about calling it out so he could see Flowey, but he didn’t want to give the little weed a reason to attack. So he simply used the sounds to guide his gaze and hoped the flower wouldn’t notice.

“Not telling me? Aw… and after all I’ve done for you?” That sweet smile only made his sarcasm that much sharper. “But wow, the way you used that knife though…? How you cut through her chest like that? Golly, that was a work of art. Now, why’d you have to go ruin it by going back?”

“Shut up…” Frisk muttered, clinching his stick tightly.

“Didn’t you notice it…?” He smirked. “That feeling when you turned her to dust? That power? You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”

Frisk shuddered. All he could remember was the pain and guilt of what he’d done. Flowey frowned.

“You didn’t feel it? Huh.” He began. “Did you even try? I bet if you killed her again, you’d feel it… then you’d know I’m right. I mean, you can just undo everything again, can’t you? What do you have to lose?”

“How does he know…” Lily spoke from above. “Toriel didn’t even remember, so how could he?”

Frisk wondered the same thing.

“You naïve idiot…” Flowey responded to the question. “Do you think you’re the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world… purely by your own determination. The ability to play God! The ability to SAVE.”

“SAVE…” That same word Frisk had used before. Flowey knew that too?

“It used to be mine, you know.” He said. “I thought I was the only one with that power. But… I can’t SAVE anymore. Apparently, YOUR desires for this world override MINE.”

Frisk wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or terrified. On one hand he was glad that such a power was no longer in the hands of that maniacal flower. But on the other he worried about what that meant for him. The power to reshape the world… total control over everything. He’d seen it once already… by simply willing it, he’d turned back time and returned Toriel from death. It seemed incredible… he could do anything he wanted, and if he messed up, he could just undo the damage.

But… he’d seen many adults on the surface gain power only to abuse it. Would he be any different?

“You know,” Flowey’s voice drew his attention away from the moral dilemma, “when I saw you kill her… I honestly thought I was looking at someone else. Hahaha… I feel so stupid. I actually let myself think that I knew you.” Flowey’s almost somber expression mutated into one of his fanged grins. “But I was wrong. I see that now. You’re weak… sentimental… foolish. You could never be the one I want.”

Lily watched the conversation from her position high above the tree’s barren crown. Her friend, the boy who fell from above faced off against the malicious talking flower that lurked in the Ruins’ shadow. Frisk remained still, but his hand clenched white-knuckled around his stick. Flowey’s words rang in her ears, echoing again and again in her mind. It was strange… that little sob story should have meant nothing to her. The flower was a liar… he could have easily strung together a few words to try to break Frisk’s spirit. So then why…

‘Why does my chest hurt like this?’

Frisk could sense the faint aroma of dried rose petals and tears. Was it coming from Lily? It was so faint, so… uncertain, that he couldn’t quite tell if he was imagining it or not.

“Well, whatever.” Flowey’s chirpy voice drew him back to the danger in front of him. “Honestly, watching you drift through the days, living your ‘happy life’ with the old hag… it’s starting to get really boring.”

“Why do you even care?” Frisk asked. “Just leave us alone.”

“Now why would I do that? I haven’t had this much fun in a looooong time. I just feel like you need a little push, so I’m going to help you out. Aren’t I nice?” Frisk held his ground. He knew whatever ‘help’ the weed meant to give was probably anything but.

“What are you going to do?” His question held a grain of worry.

“Nothing much… just thought that sweet old lady might like to know how you murdered her.” He said. Frisk stiffened despite himself. “She has a right to know how the little human she’s caring for really is… don’t you think?”

“She’ll never believe you!” Frisk challenged.

“Maybe not.” Flowey admitted. “But it doesn’t matter if she believes me. It’s the truth. All I have to do is plant that one little seed of doubt. It’ll keep eating at the back of her mind, because deep down, she’ll know it’s not a lie. How long will your happy little sitcom last until it becomes too much?”

“I’ll just load!” Frisk said before he could stop himself. Another word he knew without knowing.

“And I’ll just tell her again.” Flowey countered, and his face warped into a simulacrum of Frisk’s squinty expression. “I wonder how many times before you’ll finally snap… then what will you do? Will you kill to distance yourself from the pain? Or will you give up entirely… and let me inherit dominion over this world?”

Frisk’s hands trembled, and his head hung low. “Why… why are you doing this? I haven’t done anything to you… why do you hate me?”

“Hate?” Flowey asked, he cocked his head and stuck out his tongue. “This has nothing to do with hate. I just want to see where this goes, what you’ll do. You, and your mysterious little friend…” Frisk locked eyes with the flower again, using his voice to judge the direction. His form twisted and warped into a glaring face that seemed to melt outward from his stigma. “So, my little monarch… surprise me. I’ll be watching…”

A terrible cackle erupted from the flower beast’s twisted mouth, tongue lolling and flicking greenish slobber around him. Then he vanished, burrowing beneath the ground and tunneling away, leaving only a small patch of disturbed earth to show he’d ever been there to begin with.

Frisk listened for the sounds to vanish before slowly sinking to the ground beneath the tree. He was exhausted, and his breath came out in short, trembling puffs. Lily drifted down beside him and lowered herself to the ground. Neither one spoke… both were far to consumed with their own thoughts and uncertainties. For Frisk it was Flowey’s threat… how long before he carried it out, or would he even do so? Could this simple life really last? For Lily it was his story. He’d barely revealed anything at all, but the slight pain she felt could not be denied. Who was that little flower? And what twisted him to become such a ‘miserable creature’ as Toriel had once called him?

They sat there for awhile, both engrossed in their own thoughts. Frisk considered what Flowey said before finally turning to Lily. "Do… you think he was telling the truth? Would he really tell Toriel?”

Lily sighed, crossing her arms in defeat. "It's not even a question of 'if'. It's more of 'when'. I don't know how long it would take but… do we really want to test his patience?"

Frisk shook his head softly. "I thought so."

Silence reigned for a few more moments before Frisk asked another question that had been on this mind for awhile. "What was that anyway?"

"What do you mean? What was what?" She asked, confusion lacing her voice.

“Oh” He’d forgotten she still didn’t know. "I uh… guess I never said anything before? It's, well… every time you feel something strongly enough, I get this… smell? It’s like it’s connected to the emotion somehow. The first time was when we went through the Ruins’ puzzles. Remember how you were annoyed that they were reset? I got this strong smell of burnt lemons.” He lowered his head guiltily. “I, um… Sorry. I know it’s… not really my business.”

"It's okay… I mean, you can't really help it, right?” She dismissed, giving him a gentle smile. “But… what’s that got to do with Flowey?”

“Well… I’m not sure. It was hard to notice, but I think it happened again.” Frisk explained. “It smelled like… sadness. Like something was upsetting you other than Flowey’s threat.”

“Oh… that.” Lily said, lowering her voice a little. “I don't really know. For some reason his words just made me feel kind of bad for him. You know, when he talked about you not being the one he wants? It sounded like he lost someone… maybe that’s why he’s like that?” Her gaze focused on her hands and she turned thoughtful. “But the way it felt… it wasn’t that I pitied him. I mean, I do but… it was more than that.”

Frisk recalled the smell and brought a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Hm… I wonder. Maybe you knew Flowey before? You know like before what happened?"

He tried to word the question without reminding her that she’s sort of dead. She was already upset and he had no desire to make her feel worse. Lily considered the possibility.

"I… I guess it's possible? But would I have been friends with someone like him though?" The question came out as more of a statement as she settled in next to Frisk’s side.

"Maybe he wasn’t always like that. You said losing his friend might have had something to do with it." The boy suggested, shrugging. “If you were his friend once, it would make a lot of sense.”

“That… doesn’t make me feel better.” Lily stated. If that’s true it would mean that she…

“Sorry… I guess we just don’t know enough.” Frisk apologized, hanging his head dejectedly.  "But now, I think we do know one thing. We can't stay here. I don't want to put mom in danger…"

"I don't either. But we also don't know what's beyond the Ruins. We should probably prepare some things. Come on. Let's go into town and find a shop. I'm sure we can find something useful there. We’ve managed to save quite a bit of money from the monsters we’ve met, right?” She floated up from the ground and took Frisks hand to guide him forward. It was warm, and helped her calm down a bit from the recent influx of emotions.

It was a good idea. Last time they’d been in a hurry to follow Toriel and stop her from destroying the exit. They hadn’t had time to gather supplies or prepare… and if the areas outside the ruins were as harsh as she’d claimed they would need all the help they could get.

It took them a while to find a shop but when they did it was worth it. The first one they stumbled upon was a general items store, so it had almost everything they needed. They found a small satchel that attached to the hip, and were delighted when the shopkeeper informed them that its magical weave could store far more than its small size would suggest. They also picked up several food bars full of nutrients, and a metal canteen with a plastic cup-lid for water. They paid and thanked the shopkeeper before returning home.

Toriel was nowhere to be found… that was odd. Maybe she was in her own room thinking up another joke? The two of them made their way to the kitchen to take the last slice of pie slipping it in the satchel along with a fork to eat later. They filled the canteen with water from the tap before placing it inside as well. They were just about to go down the stairs when Lily stopped suddenly, seeming hesitant.

"S-should we go back to the room and touch the star again? You know… just in case…? I don't want to take any chances…" She asked nervously, shifting side to side as she glanced back towards their bedroom.

Frisk thought about that for a moment. He wasn’t jumping to do this either, but the longer they stayed, the longer Toriel would have to find them out. They could simply load the last SAVE if worst came to worst, but then all their preparations would be set back. Flowey’s threat? No… he’d already shown that he remembered things following a load… and if he knew what they were doing, he might try to undermine them out of spite. In the end Frisk agreed and the two returned to their shared room and the familiar glow of the golden star. Frisk placed a hand over its light and again time froze for but an instant, solidifying that spot for them to return.

The blind boy and his ghostly companion stepped back into the hallway. Toriel seemed to still be in her own room from the subtle sounds coming from next door.  Seizing the opportunity, they moved toward the stairs…

And made it about half way down before Frisk heard the creak of an opening door, and the soft padding of furry feet on hard wood. It was the last sound he’d hoped to hear… and the one he most feared.

“Go, go, go!” Lily hissed, ushering Frisk down the rest of the way.

All-too-loudly, the boy continued down the stairs and into the corridor leading to the exit. He hoped beyond anything that Toriel had somehow not seen or heard him as he moved as quickly and quietly as possible down the path. Around the branching corner the exit loomed tall and menacing, its stone shut tight against the rest of the Underground. The two children realized, to their despair that they had no idea how to open it.

“Heavens, my child. What are you doing down here?” They blanched at the sound of a gentle voice behind them. “And… why do you have that satchel?”

Frisk turned around slowly, head lowered in guilt. Lily floated at his side, unable to look directly into the worried eyes of her caprine mother. Toriel’s gaze shifted from Frisk, to the satchel at his side, to the large threshold of the exit behind him. Understanding dawned upon her and she frowned.

“Small one… do you know what lies beyond that door?” Her voice spoke a question, but she already knew the answer.

Frisk nodded sadly.

“Then you must know that I cannot allow this…” She said, predictably. “The rest of the Underground is not as accommodating as these Ruins. If you leave here, you will die, just like the others. That cannot happen. Please, child… come back home with me. You will be safe here, I promise.”

She took a step forward, prompting a vigorous shake of the head from Frisk. “I… we can’t, Mom. You don’t understand. Don’t say you do, because you really don’t this time.”

“Are you that unhappy here, my children?” Toriel asked, the pain in her voice was like a knife in Frisk’s own chest. “Do you desire the outside world so much that you would endanger yourselves? As your guardian, I cannot accept that.”

“That’s not it at all!” Lily shouted at the caprine woman, wishing to be heard. “Just listen to Frisk! He knows what he’s talking about… we both know what we’re doing. Just please… listen.”

Alas, her words fell silent to all ears but Frisk’s, and the boy spoke in his own soft voice. “Just… let us go. It will be easier that way.”

“I cannot…” Toriel said, her voice wavering. “I’ve lost too many children already.”

Her expression hardened, and a surge of magic enveloped her. White hot tongues of magical flame coursed across her arms, setting the sleeves of her robes aflutter. Lily returned quickly to Frisk’s side, remembering the confrontation from before and fearing the worst.

“Mom, please don’t…” Frisk muttered and forced himself to look at her. “I’m not going to fight you.”

“Frisk?” Lily made no attempt to hide her worry at his declaration.

“I am sorry, dear child. I do this for your own good!” Toriel cried as her flames once more coated the chamber in orange light. “If you truly mean to leave this place… then prove to me that you are strong enough to survive!”

Her will surged forth to draw out Frisk’s SOUL but the boy expected it this time. Instead of allowing her to call it out by force, he met her will with his own and pushed the essence of his being from his chest. There, Toriel stood, like a spirit of flame painted in monochrome. The fire crackled and danced around her, judging him on his conviction. He was scared… even now his arms and legs trembled at the sight of the unforgiving blaze. But this time he did not crumble beneath their oppressive force.

“Lily… stay back, okay?” He said. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

The girl looked from Frisk to Toriel and shook her head. “No. I’m not letting you go through this alone, Frisk. Not this time. Even if I can’t do anything, I still want to help you.” She took his hand and focused. “Let me.”

Frisk was surprised by her conviction, but it wasn’t his right to deny her even if he wanted to. This had as much to do with her as it did himself. So, he squeezed her hand and met her focus. This time, they would do it together. Lily’s free hand moved to the carnelian glow of Frisk’s SOUL, and the light accepted her, drawing her spectral form into it with a pulse. Toriel noticed the wisps of silver wind that gathered around the small boy and her frown deepened.

“Both of you, then? Very well.” She said sorrowfully. “Show me your conviction, my children!”

As before, a gout of fire burst forth from Toriel’s furry palm. It crackled through the air aimed directly for Frisk’s SOUL. Despite his fear, he did not recoil, he did not even attempt to move from his spot. The flame struck his SOUL, causing it to shudder against his chest. He grit his teeth against the pain and fought back his mind’s desperate pleas for him to flee, to avoid the flames like a magnet of like polarity.

“Frisk…? Are you alright?” Lily asked, though it sounded like she’d felt the force of the attack as well.

“Yeah…” Frisk grunted. “Trust me okay? We’ll be alright.”

“Wh- what? You will not defeat me by standing there, children!” She called. “Attack, or run away!”

More flames, an arc that spread randomly between caster and target. Again, Frisk remained still. The flames struck him multiple times, and he could sense Lily’s pain alongside his own. Still, he refused to give in. His hand clutched tightly on his stick and he lifted it up.

Then, with a single motion, he tossed it aside. It struck the wall of the corridor and clattered to the ground, useless as a tool to inflict pain.

“What are you proving this way…?” Toriel gasped, her stern façade faltering at the sight of the action. “Fight me, or leave!”

Toriel’s flames grew brighter, and she unleashed another volley of magic. The heat burned against Frisk’s flesh and into his SOUL. Increment by painful increment, he felt his HoPe lowering. His own pain was accompanied by Lily’s. He felt her cringe and shudder within him with each strike, but she gave no more sign of giving in than he did. No… her conviction – her determination – burned alongside his. The scent of fire filled his senses. Not magical fire, like Toriel’s attacks, but a natural flame – ash and fragrant wood: a bonfire promising both comfort and safety.

“I told you, Mom.” Frisk said. “We won’t fight you.”

“Stop… stop looking at me like that.” Toriel stammered. She looked on the verge of tears. “Go away!”

More magic. But this time the flames never touched the children. They snaked along the ground, fell from above, and erupted from below. An impressive display of power, but a display was all it was. Those that drew close extinguished or went askew, avoiding the small boy, covered in burns. Eventually Toriel’s arms lowered and she panted, visibly exhausted from expending so much of her magic.

Frisk was painting too. He was exhausted, his body hurt all over, and it was a wonder that his clothes had somehow survived the punishment with nary a loose thread. His brow was soaked in sweat and his limbs were shaking so hard it felt like his legs might give out at any moment. Even now, his fear of the flames screamed within his mind, begging him to give in if only to make it stop.

And yet, there he stood, stubbornly refusing to bend.

“Please… just… go upstairs now.” Toriel pleaded, though the flames were already dying out around her. “I know we don’t have much, but we can have a good life here. I promise both of you…”

“I’m sorry, Mom.” Frisk said but he didn’t move.

“Frisk… talk to her.” Lily said. “I don’t think she’ll fight us anymore.”

“Why are you making this so difficult?” Toriel asked as the flames burned lower. “Can’t you see that I do this because I want what’s best for you?”

“I don’t mean to. Neither does Lily. But we can’t stay here, Mom… not now. I can’t explain why, but… there’s something I need to do. It’s important. As much as both of us want to stay with you, we…”He paused for a moment but forced himself to meet her gaze. “Please… you have to trust us.”

“I see. Haha… pathetic, is it not? I did this to save you, but I did not even try to understand you.” At last, her capric face broke into a sad smile. “No… you’re right. It is wrong of me to try to confine you like this. You will do what you must. It is not my right to stop you.”

“Mom…” Frisk said. “I’m sorry."

“No, dear one. I let my own emotions cloud my judgment. I see now, that I was wrong.” She gave a mollifying shake of the head. “My expectations, my loneliness, my fear… for you, my children. I will put them aside.”

She lifted a hand and another pulse of magic surged. Frisk and Lily heard a commotion behind them, and the boy turned quickly toward it. As their shared gaze fell upon the source of the disturbance, Lily gasped.

“The door…" she said. “It’s opening…”

Small wisps of fire broke away from the torches and drifted toward the door. One by one they gathered upon each aspect of the symbol, setting it alight with magic flame. As the last piece fit, the two stone slabs shuddered before grinding outward, revealing a long stone bridge on the other side, connected to another threshold beyond.

“This is the exit. It is yours to use as you wish. I will not stop you, but please remember: once you leave, you will be unable to return.” Toriel explained. “Still… I know you are strong. You will be alright. Just… please. Promise me you will be careful.

Frisk turned away from the exit, and looked back toward Toriel. She was smiling but he could still see the sadness in her eyes from the light of his SOUL. Tears began to stream down his cheeks as he looked at her, and within, he could tell that Lily was feeling the same. United in their desire for a last farewell, the children moved forward. Frisk’s joints screamed with every step, but they both ignored them, using what little energy was left in his small body to reach her. His arms wrapped around the monster mother in a hug, both children putting all their effort behind the embrace.

Toriel knelt down in response, and wrapped her large, furry arms around them. Frisk’s legs threatened to give out, but she held them up, using what little remained of her magic to soothe their injuries as she hugged them back. It was over all too soon, and Toriel stepped back from her children.

“Be good, innocent ones.” She said gently. “And… be safe.”

Toriel turned and began to make her way back down the corridor. Upon reaching the corner of the long hallway, she chanced one last look back at the small human she’d briefly cared for, and the ghostly companion within his scarlet SOUL. She knew it must be her imagination but somehow the boy looked a little bigger, that glow a little brighter. It had only been a few short days, but already they’d grown so much.

It took every ounce of mental strength she had, but Toriel managed to turn away. If they could be strong, so too, could she. At last, with a strange mixture of wistfulness and pride, she made her way down the path back to her home, content to place her trust in her beloved children.

Frisk and Lily watched until she rounded the corner before turning back to the portal. Frisk felt a bit melancholy as he retrieved his stick from where it rested against the wall. Miraculously, it too had survived the blaze of magic. That fact gave him a measure of comfort as he turned toward the threshold’s gaping maw.

“What do you think we’ll find out there?” Lily mused aloud.

“I don’t know.” Frisk replied honestly. “I can’t say I’m not scared but… this is the right thing to do.”

“It’ll be okay. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together.” The boy felt a warmth grow around his SOUL and he knew Lily was hugging him from within. “After all, we made a promise, remember?”

Frisk managed a little smile. He certainly did.

Anticipation filled them both, but they were content. Their mother was alive, and they had her support. Knowing this was enough to fill them with determination for the road ahead.

Chapter Text

‘Here we go again…'

Those were the words that came to the short skeleton’s mind as he watched the massive stone threshold from the shadows of the surrounding evergreens. Sans knew what was coming… he’d lived this moment more times than he could count, - or rather, more times than he could bother counting. He could count pretty high when he cared to. Though the memories always lay just beyond his grasp, he’d learned to keep what he could: making records, reading them over and over, always on the lookout for things that didn’t belong. Over time and timelines, he’d found ways to spot the signs and fill in the blanks. It was far more work than he usually cared for but unlike guard duty, there wasn’t much getting around that.

It started with a major case of déjà vu earlier in the week. It was far more powerful than usual, and he’d known better than to ignore it. A quick bit of research was all it took. He’d made a habit of doing that ever since the last anomaly started wreaking havoc on the timeline. The disorganized cluster of the archive was filled with a good bit of new data, and it didn’t take long to confirm his suspicions.

There was no doubt about it. A Reset. And a damn big one by the look of things. A few days later he caught wind of another, albeit smaller flux in the continuum. A Load most likely.

That was the odd part. Those were common enough in the beginning but started becoming fewer and farther between as the loops continued. Sans couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt one before they ‘met’. The kid must know the Ruins inside and out by this point… so what could have possibly surprised him so much that he’d feel that need to do it now? The skeleton couldn’t be certain, but for some reason he had a bad feeling. One might say his gut was trying to tell him something.

The wealth of new information had given rise to a slew of other questions as well… but first things first.

‘damn, kid… this is why I hate promises. can’t keep ‘em, can’t expect ‘em to be kept.' He thought dourly. ‘i sure hope you have a real good reason for all this… i'd hate for either of us to have a bad time…’

Sans had been standing outside the door in the forest for hours; that one way exit from the Ruins. He’d never been in there himself as far as he could recall. Maybe there was one obscure branch of time where he’d managed to see monster kind’s ancestral home. If so, the memory had been long sense lost in the sea of his mind, and apparently nothing was worth archiving either. It was irrelevant anyway… after all, there were only two things he cared about beyond that door, and one should be making his appearance eventually. As for the other, well… he’d learn soon enough what became of her this time.

In fact… by his reckoning, the kid was late.

He sighed, stuffing his bony hands into the pockets of his blue hoodie. 'guess i was wrong. it won’t be today either.' 

Just as he was about to turn around and head back to his station, the door shifted open slightly. A head with a mop of brown hair poked out from behind it. The kid immediately shivered before stepping through the doorway and into the snow. Sans knew that squinty, stoic expression and that striped blue and purple shirt anywhere.

"Oh my God! It's so cold!" Frisk shuddered, which made Sans chuckle.

'shoulda known that by now kiddo. how many times've ya done this already?'

Still, obvious as the statement was, he was right. Sans didn’t mind the cold: being all bone had its advantages in that regard but the chill was still noticeable. It was such that the Snowdin area – as it was rather unimaginatively named – was always covered in a thick blanket of snow. Or rather ‘snow’ as the cold, crystalline child of water and magic was only called such for simplicity’s sake.

Sans stopped short as he watched the boy. It seemed almost like he was listening to something. After a moment he shook his head, breathed in his hands to warm them and spoke.

"No. Mom said we can’t go back. It's too late to get better clothes..." Another pause. "Nah, I'm okay right now. I'd rather wait on that. I don't wanna wear you out."

'what the hell? that's a new one...'  Sans thought. It looked like the kid was speaking to the air.

After taking a moment to get used to the cold, Frisk continued down the path that cut through the forest of white-capped evergreens. Sans stuck to the tree line out of sight and followed. The bridge rose slowly in the distance, complete with the comically wide-spaced bars his brother had installed. Frisk stumbled to a stop, just narrowly avoiding the large branch in the middle of the pathway. He looked around, but Sans didn’t move. He knew the kid wouldn’t be able to see him here even if he had the eyes to do so. After a moment, he nodded – another peculiar act – and moved around the branch, using his own stick for guidance.

Sans lifted a non existence brow as the boy walked on. Using a bit of magic, he snapped the branch right in half behind him. It was something he’d done multiple times… a tired little prank that had run its course a long time ago. He braced himself for the inevitable. Another second and Frisk would turn around, call out into the trees with the most annoyed look on his face. Probably call him a ‘bonehead’ or something.

However…

“What was that!” The startled boy jumped about half his own height, clenching his chest fearfully. He turned back towards the sound. Then, once again he seemed to be listening to something. “Yeah, I know. L-let’s get out of here.”

Then he turned and made his way along the path at a brisk walk. He actually looked scared.

'okay... is there something there i can’t see?’ Sans’ confusion was put on hold when he noticed the kid reach the bridge. ‘alright… time for my humerus introduction. heh.'

A single step placed Sans on the path right behind Frisk and he walked forward. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. His footsteps ground the snow beneath his slippers, making deliberate noise to herald his approach. Frisk stopped in front of the bridge, and Sans almost stopped the charade right then and there when he noticed the kid’s grip tighten around his stick. Still, he pulled himself together, determined to finish the act. He’d come this far anyway…

"Human." Sans began, his voice carrying the same ominous reverb he’d used many timelines past. "Don't you know how to greet a pal? Turn around and shake my hand…"

Frisk turned slowly toward the ominous voice cast in shadow. Sans grinned, despite himself as the kid reached out a trembling hand. Damn, he sure knows how to play along doesn’t he?

Phfftflrflrflrflrpppfffwewewfllrrrt…

The obscene ripple droned long and loud from the strange creature’s hand the moment Frisk took it in his own. The boy blinked a few times in confusion, struck dumb by the sheer absurdity of it. Lily on the other hand burst immediately into a fit of howling laughter within his mind. A grin slowly began to spread across the boy’s face and before long he was laughing too. By now the speaker had emerged from the shadows revealing a short, pudgy looking body about a half a foot taller than Frisk. The hairless skull’s face was spread into a wide grin.

"heh. the ol' whoopee in the hand trick. gets funnier every time dontcha think, kid?" Sans asked as he slid the gag back into the pocket of his unzipped hoodie. While Frisk had his laugh, Sans looked him up and down, studying him surreptitiously with the wicks of light glowing within his eyesockets.

'let's see... the satchel. that's different. looks like he came prepared this time. hope that’s not a bad sign. but, man… that’s a real laugh. i must have pulled this gag every single time he came through here, it must’ve gotten old by now, right? does he just like it that much or…'

"anyways. i'm sans. sans the skeleton." Sans grinned with a wink.

“How.. how the fu…dge does a skeleton WINK?!” Lily yelled from Frisk’s side. The boy himself tried to hold back a snicker as Sans went on.

"i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but, y’know… i don’t really care about capturing anybody. now, my brother papyrus? he’s a human-hunting FANATIC.” The skeleton said casually. Like reading from a script at this point. “stop me if you’ve heard this one, kid.”

Another wink. No reaction… Sans tried to hide his unease at that implication. But then, hiding things was something he did well. He decided to play along for the time being. Sooner or later, the kid would give him a sign and then he’d be able to ask just what the hell is going on here.

“actually, I think that’s him right up ahead.” The skeleton continued. “hey i have an idea. Just go through the gate thingy.“

“We can just go right through?” Frisk asked.

“yeah, right on through. my bro made the bars to wide to stop anyone."

Sans turned the boy around and gave him a light shove through the gate. Frisk giggled slightly as he moved forward, nearly tripping over himself and falling into snow on the other side. Sans kept a straight face and lead him along.

‘okay, this is gettin’ a little too freaky for my bones. the kid acts like he doesn’t even know what’s going on here. but i know his memory retention is a lot stronger than the rest of us. so, why the act?’ It’s a troubling thought, but Sans wasn’t quite willing to accept the grim implications. At least not yet. ‘welp, i got a role to play, i guess.’

He ushered the kid forward through the forest path and into a clearing on the other side. A few stones lay scattered haphazardly around the area while snow caked the roof of the wooden sentry station tucked amidst the massive trees. But the feature that caught Lily’s attention if only for the outright strangeness of it was…

“quick, behind that conveniently shaped lamp.” Sans said as if it was the most normal thing ever.

Frisk craned his neck around to the skeleton and cocked his head. At his side, Lily snickered like she was having the time of her life. Conveniently-shaped was the perfect way to describe it.

“It’s like I’m seeing double!” she laughed. “Come on, Frisk… come on, hurry!”

“O… kay?” Frisk shrugged but followed Lily anyway.

Sans watched as Frisk made his way over to the prop and stood behind it. He was a little off center, and the skeleton moved to help correct him. Before he could however, the boy stumbled to the left on his own and into the proper place. Sans narrowed his eyes as if he wasn’t sure what he just saw.

‘was he just… pulled?’

The blue skeleton was left to his wonder as a thunderous beat of footsteps like a stampede of horses foretold the approach of another. Frisk and Lily watched as Sans moved to lean against one of the evergreen trees even as a cloud dust and snow barreled in his direction, a tall figure at its head. The figure skidded to a stop as a band of reddish-orange fluttered from around its neck.

Lily noticed immediately that it was another skeleton, albeit far different from Sans.

“sup, bro?” Sans greeted, his constant grin widening ever-so-slightly.

Papyrus was much taller than his brother; in fact, he looked to be nearly as tall as Toriel. His skull was more rigid and angular than Sans’ too, and possessed a very pronounced jaw line. That was about all that was visible of his bony frame beneath the garish attire he wore. A thick spherical breastplate trimmed in gold covered his upper body while a pair of blue briefs wrapped about his pelvis. The red-orange band from before, revealed now to be a scarf, was matched by a pair of gloves and thick boots of  the same color. The bones of his arms and legs might have been exposed, were it not for the curious black material that surrounded them, conforming to their shape.

“YOU KNOW WHAT ‘SUP’, BROTHER!” Papyrus said in a voice far too loud to be necessary. It was the exact opposite of Sans’ low, almost quiet tone. “IT’S BEEN TWELVE DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T… RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG OUT AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?!”

“staring at this lamp.” Sans replied nonchalantly. “it’s really cool. do you wanna look?”

“NO, I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!?! I WANT TO BE READY!! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!” Papyrus shouted. “THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE!”

Frisk and Lily giggled from behind the lamp as Papyrus continued his speech. Her invisible form had its perks… she was able to watch the exchange with no risk of her or Frisk being seen. She narrated for Frisk as Papyrus placed an orange gloved hand to his chest and posed. His scarf fluttered behind him in a non-existent wind, as if powered by the tall skeleton’s enthusiasm. Frisk had to force a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at the skeleton brothers’ conversation and her description.

“hmm… maybe this lamp will help you.” Sans said. “its pretty therapeutic. you should try it.”

“SANS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES!!” Papyrus’ voice somehow got even louder. “ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERYDAY!!”

“hey, take it easy. i’ve gotten a ton of work done today.” He winked. “a skele-ton.”

That did it. Lily fell back in the air and started howling with laughter. Frisk could barely hear the rest of the conversation but he was fairly certain the taller brother appreciated the joke far less than his own companion. Frisk had to reign in his own mirth to keep from laughing as well.

“SIGH…” Papyrus somehow spoke the word, and did so at once. “WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME… HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION?”

“wow… sounds like you’re really working yourself…” Another Sans wink. “down to the bone.”

If Lily’d been about to recover she certainly wasn’t now. Another fit of laughter ripped from her. Frisk, who had held his own up until this point couldn’t help but snort at that one. A moment of fear seized him and he thought he might have given himself away. But Papyrus seemed to miss the sound over his own exasperated ‘UGH!’

“I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES!” Papyrus announced. “AS FOR YOUR WORK… PUT A LITTLE MORE... ‘BACKBONE’ INTO IT!”

Papyrus shuffled off with a cry of ‘NYEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!’. Frisk waited for a few moments and was about to step out from behind the lamp. Lily managed to pull him back just in time as Papyrus returned with one final ‘HEH!’ before departing for real. After making sure the skeleton was well and truly gone, the two emerged from behind the ‘conveniently-shaped’ lamp. Sans grinned and winked at him.

“well, that was a laugh. don’t ya think so, kid?”

“That was amazing!” Lily said, still reeling from the pun session.

“It was fun!” Frisk agreed. “My friend Lily really likes your jokes.”

“what are-“ Sans began, but stopped. ‘so i was right… someone’s here with the kid. i can’t see ‘em, but someone’s definitely there… there’s some kinda distortion in the air next to him. he called her lily, eh.’ Aloud he said: “heh. good to know i found the right audience.”

“It was nice to meet you, Sans.” The boy said politely. “I didn’t have a chance to say before. I’m Frisk.”

It’s a good thing it wasn’t possible for a skeleton to pale, because Sans would have gone bone white if he wasn’t already there. The sincerity in the voice, the body language, even that expression… it was the face of someone who was trying to make a good first brush with a new person. He couldn’t believe it… Frisk really didn’t know anything? The loops, his friendships, his betrayal, his redemption… none of it?

Sans was used to this with his brother and the other monsters… even he only had vague personal recollections. Were it not for the records, he wouldn’t have nearly as much insight into the situation. But the kid? He was supposed to remember it all… every time barring the first, he’d known. Sometimes he’d act like he didn’t, either due to guilt or because he didn’t want to freak anyone out, but his expression always betrayed the truth.

Now that expression said something else entirely… and the very thought was almost enough to make Sans’ bones rattle.

It wasn’t possible. Maybe a trick, then? Couldn’t he have simply learned to hide the truth so well that even Sans’ perceptive eye failed to draw it out? It would make sense, but still… why would he?

‘kid… what happened to you last timeline?’ He managed to keep a straight face and responded. “good to meetcha, buddy. and your pun-loving friend too.” That was something else to look into… he’d definitely do so later.

“Tell him I liked the whoopee cushion trick, too.”

“She liked the whoopee cushion trick, too.” Frisk repeated before adding: “I was scared at first, but that was funny.”

“heh, glad to hear it.” Sans said. It was just like the first time all over again. How surreal… “but hey, sorry to bother ya, but could you do me a favor?”

Frisk nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, what is it?”

“now paps… he’s been kinda down lately.” Sans explained. “he’s never seen a human before, and seein’ you might just make his day. don’t worry, he’s not dangerous, even if he tries to be.”

“He acted confident, but he did seem kinda sad.” Frisk said, recalling the tall skeleton’s words. “It seems like he just wants a friend.”

“yeah, that’s papyrus.” Sans said, wondering now if the boy came to that conclusion the first time as well. He always was pretty sharp. “so uh, will you help him out for me?”

“Yeah, I’ll try.” Frisk said confidently.

“Me too!” Lily chimed in with a smile.

“thanks a million. welp, i’ll be up ahead.” Sans replied and turned back the way they came. “stay in high spirits, kid. don’t give up the ghost too soon.”

He raised a bony hand and waved before setting off back toward the bridge.

“Did he just-” Lily began, before noticing which way the skeleton was heading. “Hey, hold on. That’s the wrong-“ Sans stepped behind one of the bridge posts. He didn’t emerge from the other side. “Huh? Where’d he go?”

“What happened?” Frisk asked.

“I don’t know…” She said. “Hold on, Frisk. Stay here.

Lily drifted back toward the bridge while Frisk watched curiously from where he stood. With her weightless form it was easy enough to cross the chasm to the other side of the ‘gate’. There, she expected to see Sans, crouched behind one of the large posts and chuckling at their confusion. Instead, she found… nothing. Not a single indent in the snow, no loose fibers – no trace at all of the blue skeleton’s short figure. She returned to Frisk’s side and shrugged.

“He’s gone. He went back there but now he’s just… gone.” She said.

“Really?” Frisk asked. “Maybe he can turn invisible. We saw Mom use fire, so…”

“Maybe…?” But he still didn’t leave any tracks. She shrugged. “Well, I guess we should just go on ahead? Maybe we’ll get to talk to Papyrus soon.”

“I hope so.” Frisk replied, turning back toward the path and using both his stick and Lily as a guide. “He seems fun.”

They continued along the path, which was only barely visible through the thick blanket of snow that seemed to cover anything and everything within this cold wood. Frisk trudged forward, forced to pick his legs up far more than usual as they sank beneath the powder with each laborious step. Neither his clothes nor his shoes were really made for this kind of weather. The cold cut through the thin fabric of his shirt, and its long sleeves did little to stave off the winter-like bite of the forest.

Though he hadn’t exactly done it for the pleasant hike, he found himself silently wishing he had the forethought to wear a proper pair of boots before making his trek up the mountain. As it stood, his simple shoes were starting to gather a fine collection of snowflakes and he felt the chill beginning to bleed through. Lily on the other hand suffered none of those inconveniences. She drifted weightlessly through the air above the snowdrifts as she guided her companion along the path. Despite her clothes being very similar to his own, the cold did not seem to bother her in the slightest.

In time, the children came to a fork in the road. One path lead north and Frisk could just hear the trickle of a river or stream from that direction. The eastern path lead further into the forest, from whence a familiar voice carried on the cold air. The words were indecipherable from this distance but it was quite clear who they belonged too. Lily’s attention was drawn to something more immediate however: a wooden box with a bright red lid and sharp-angled patterns along its face and sides in the same color.

“Hey Frisk. Come check out this box.”

"A b-box? I… wonder what it’s d… doing all the way out here?" Frisk failed to hide the tremble in his voice.

Rubbing his hands against the sleeves of his shirt he made his way over, and clicked open the latches. Despite its rather large size, there were only two items inside. One was a pair of worn garden gloves. Their grey leather was faded and stained from use, but they still held their shape despite a few loose stitches here and there. The other was a dull set of shears. Their blades had long sense lost the edge to cut any but the most fragile of plants, but they shined with the care given by whoever had once owned them.

Lily stared at the objects for a while. A sense of nostalgia that she couldn’t explain shimmered through her ghostly form.

"Do you think we should leave them? S-someone might come back for them..." Frisk said, rubbing his hands together.

“I think it’d be okay if we took them…” Lily replied absently.

“But… T-they don’t belong to us.” He said through his teeth.

Lily turned to him, and only now seemed to notice his situation. She frowned. Nostalgic or not, this was serious.

"C-Come on Frisk. If someone truly didn’t want them to be taken would they have just left them in a box in the middle of nowhere?” She said sternly, adopting what Frisk imagined might have been the face of a concerned older sister. “You're freezing. Just take the gloves then and stop being so stubborn."

"I guess...I can always return them once I buy something better. Okay." Frisk knelt in the snow to reach in the box, shivering as his legs sank into the powder. Yep. Definitely should have brought warmer clothes. He grabbed the gloves and quickly slid them onto his frozen hands. They fit perfectly. He flexed his fingers a few times, willing the numbness away and sighed. "Okay… they already do feel a little better..."

"See? I told ya. Come on! Let's go!" Lily chimed.

She led him forward along the forest trail toward where the voices were coming from. Lily seemed content to have at least convinced him to take the gloves, but occasionally Frisk caught her glancing back toward the chest. Her eyes and scent foretold of feelings he couldn’t quite describe. Sorrow? No, there was more to it. Longing? Closer, but not quite. Melancholy? Perhaps… Still, he decided not to ask her about it now. There would be time for questions once they found someplace warmer to rest. And so, they traveled on, following the path the loud skeleton had taken. Until…

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE..." Papyrus managed to get out before pausing, whatever he had that counted as ears perking at the sound of feet crunching through snow.

He turned towards the two children in surprise before looking toward his brother then back to them, then to Sans again. Sans was doing the same, his toothy grin alternating in time with Papyrus’. While the tall skeleton seemed genuinely confused, his short brother simply seemed to be enjoying himself. Then, eventually…

"Are they both really spinning in circles?” Lily groaned in disbelief, settling her feet on the ground instead of floating. She leaned against Frisk as he listened to the brothers’ antics. “Ugh, they’re making me dizzy!”

Frisk chuckled, trying to imagine the outlandish sight, and wishing he really could. Eventually the two brothers turned their backs on the children, attempting to talk among themselves. Papyrus leaned down surreptitiously and began to speak.

"SANS!! OH MY GOD! IS THAT... A HUMAN?!?!?!" The taller skeleton’s ‘whisper’ carried with all the volume of his normal voice.

"uhh...actually, i think that's a rock." Sans grinned at his brothers confusion.

Frisk turned his head behind him, and traced the stick around in a small circle. He eventually found the rock in question. "Huh..."

"Huh, what?” Lily asked. She turned, and noticed her friend poking the stone. “Okay, I swear that rock was NOT there a minute ago…"

This was getting weirder and weirder.

"OH."

"hey, what's that in front of the rock?"

"OH MY GOD!!” Papyrus declared, before trying to lower his voice again, and again failing miserably. “IS.. IS THAT A HUMAN?"

"yes." Sans replied, his grin somehow growing a little bigger.

"SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL...I'M GONNA... I'LL BE SO... POPULAR!! POPULAR!! POPULAR!!! ...'AHEM’,” Papyrus posed dramatically and pointed a mitted finger right to Frisk. "HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!!! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU!! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN!!! I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT." He tapered off, scratching the side of his skull and looking a little confused.

Frisk and Lily gave a synchronized facepalm. Frisk giggled a little at the skeleton’s antics. Just watching Papyrus was enough to make him forget all about the cold.

"IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE... ONLY IF YOU DARE!!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!" Papyrus finished before dashing off to who-knows-where.

“Wow…” Frisk said, grinning from ear to ear.

"well, that went well.” Sans said as the two children walked up to meet him. “don't sweat it, kid. i'll keep an eye socket out for ya."

Sans winked before turning and walking off in the direction of his brother.

"Again I ask 'How'? How does a skeleton wink? It makes no sense..."

"Oh come on Lily. It's not that bad."  Frisk smiled at his spectral friend. “Besides, I thought you’d be wondering how he got here before us.”

“Well… yeah.” She had to admit he had a point. “But still!”

She couldn’t think of anything else to say so she settled for pouting instead. Frisk laughed, and she tried to pout harder but soon could no longer manage it. The boy’s mirth was contagious, and she eventually found herself grinning. They continued along the path a ways before coming upon another outpost. It looked… a little more run down than the last one.

“Is that… cardboard?” Lily lifted a brow. "Hey, there’s writing on it!"

"Well don't leave me out. What's it say?"

"'You observe the well-crafted sentry station. Who could have built this, you ponder...I bet it was that very famous Royal Guardsman!' Hm… Underneath it says. 'Note: Not yet a very famous Royal Guardsman.'" She read off the words.

"I bet it was Papyrus.” Frisk said.

Lily nodded in agreement. “But it… looks old. I mean, the lettering is all faded and it’s falling apart. I don’t think it’s been touched in a while.”

“Papyrus… I wonder how long he’s wanted to join the royal guard?” Frisk contemplated.

“I know what you mean.” Lily said thoughtfully. “He talks about being famous and popular but… I wonder if that’s really all he cares about. People like that… who act up just to get attention? They’re usually the loneliest kind, deep down.”

“Lily?” Frisk looked questioningly at his friend, who seemed to be lost in thought.

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” She said sheepishly. “I can’t really explain it… but I think I used to know someone like that. I guess that’s why I can sort of understand? I don’t know… maybe I’m over thinking it.”

“Well if you’re right, that’s all the more reason for us to try to be his friend.” Frisk said. “Maybe that’s all he needs, you think?”

Frisk felt a warmth radiating within his chest. The prospect of making a new friend, especially one like Papyrus was exhilarating. His SOUL pulsed. It was a feeling he was quickly becoming familiar with… if he focused on it now, maybe he could…

A gust of wind and a flow of energy later, and it was done. A new golden star burned brightly before the cardboard sentry station, reflecting the lofty dreams of its creator. Frisk touched its warm surface and saved this point in time. It was a good place for it…

"Well at least we know you're sincere!" Lily giggled. “Hey, let’s take a break inside okay? It might not keep much of the cold out but it should be dryer than out here.”

Frisk agreed. He’d been trying hard not to think about his aching feet, so the prospect of a short rest was welcome. He nodded, allowing her to lead him inside the station and under its roof. Frisk sighed in relief at being out of the snow for the time being a sat down. It was a little damp but still somewhat warm, standing bravely against the chill while offering shelter to those within its walls. Frisk wondered absently if its creator had left a little piece of himself behind when he made it.

If so, he was really looking forward to meeting the skeleton again.

Chapter Text

Frisk shivered as a breath of frigid air swept through the trees and into the small shelter where the children were resting. While it was surprisingly dry inside the makeshift sentry station, the flimsy cardboard did little to stave off the chill of the surrounding forest. Still, it was better than nothing and Frisk eventually felt his strength returned, if only a little. Thus, after taking some time to catch their second wind the children emerged once more.

Papyrus’ wake had left a large trench dug into the snow which stretched onward into the forest and they decided to followed it, hoping to find its creator at the other end. Eventually, the untrod snowdrifts began to recede little by little until the boy and his ghostly companion stepped out onto what appeared to be a well-worn path that that coiled about the frosted evergreens. It seemed that the more they distanced themselves from the Ruins’ sealed entrance, the more packed and traveled the snow became. Heartened by this, Frisk picked up his pace, feeling his way forward with his trusty stick.

“I’m so glad to be out of that…” He sighed, rubbing his arms to fight off a bit of the chill.

“Sorry.” Lily responded, noting her own lack of damp or discomfort compared to her friend. “I guess being a ghost has a few perks.”

Glad that her friend seemed to be feeling better, the spectral girl resumed her role of guiding him forward. Before, she’d been worried of him loosing his footing or catching himself on a covered stone, but now that the ground had leveled she found those fears lessening. Turning her eyes to the path, she caught sight of a wooden sign staked into the ground a few yards away and drifted ahead to take a closer look. Her expression slowly dropped to a frown as she read the words, and her gaze shifted to the guard post situated nearby. Then to Frisk, who was still walking ahead, straight in its direction.

“Wait Frisk, stop!” She called out.

The boy stopped short and turned back to her in confusion. It was then she saw the short sword flash out from within the station, its glowing cyan blade arcing straight for the boy’s heart. There was no time to react… it cut through his chest in an instant, wielded with all the dexterity of a serpent striking its prey. Lily’s eyes slammed shut, instinctively blocking out the no-doubt gruesome sight.

‘Nonononono…’ she thought frantically. ‘Oh my God… Frisk…!’

She didn’t want to open them… couldn’t bear the thought that her friend could be…

“Lily…?” Frisk asked. She gasped.

Slowly, fearfully she opened an eye to look at him. He was just standing there, watching her with a bemused expression on his face. There was no blood, no tear in his shirt… nothing to indicate that he’d just been cut through with a sharp blade. Nothing at all.

Her first reaction was relief.

Her second, confusion.

“How… in the hell?” She blinked.

“What?” Frisk asked, choosing to ignore the swear for now.

“What was that? I know something moved…” A voice growled. “I hear it talking, but it isn’t moving anymore. Come on! Move so I can see you!”

Frisk heard that. Instinctively he called forth his SOUL and allowed the strange sight that came with it to flood his vision while Lily quickly drifted to his side. Within the station sat a large bipedal dog-like monster. It wore a sleeveless, cameo-pink shirt with a stylized image of a dog, and yellow, leopard print pants. Its narrowed eyes scanned back and forth beneath a patch of black fur that almost looked like a mask.

“That was too close…” Lily said. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah…” The boy said inquisitively. “Why? What happened?”

“He cut you, Frisk!” Lily said incredulously. “Don’t you-“

“That voice… where is it coming from?” The creature growled. “Will it move this time?”

The dog reached out with one of the two blades it held. It slowly swept over the area in front of the station and toward the children again. This time, Frisk could see it and he might have moved to avoid had Lily not grabbed his arm.

“Don’t. Just wait.” She said.

“But-“

“Shhh!”

Despite the looming threat of the glowing magical blade, Frisk decided to trust the girl’s judgment. He held his ground, unmoving as the blade passed harmlessly through his SOUL. A cool sensation, like touching a flat metal surface was all it left behind.

“No movement… was it my imagination?” The monster said, looking confused. Lily grinned, feeling a little more comfortable now that she’d puzzled out the situation.

“Oh, I think I get it!” She giggled, feeling silly for worrying so much. “Hey Frisk, I got an idea. Try using your stick!”

Frisk raised a brow, then grinned when he realized what she was getting at. He lifted the stick and started to wave it in front of the dog monster’s face. Predictably, its head snapped toward the branch as it moved left and right, eyes following the movement as best as it could.

“It’s… a stick! It’s moving so fast! I… I can’t keep up!” The dog said as its fluffy tail began wagging frantically. Lily smirked.

“Easily excited by movement. Hobbies include: squirrels.” She said with encyclopedic flair, causing Frisk to giggle.

In a moment of inspiration, the boy reached up and pet the dog monster’s neck while it was distracted by the stick, stroking the soft fur and scratching under its chin. The dog immediately lost interest in the stick and shifted its eyes to and fro, searching for the source of the contact.

“I’ve been pet?! First the stick and now this?!” He said excitedly. “PET? PET? PAT? POT?”

Frisk smiled gleefully and pet the dog monster a little more.

“Where is it coming from?!” He yelled.

“Um… down here.” Frisk said, waving his arm and moving a little to allow the canine sentry to see him.

The monster looked down and squinted a little, focusing his attention on Frisk. His gruff features softened as he watched the boy. He leaned forward and sniffed curiously. Frisk responded by reaching up to pet him again. His eyes closed in contentment.

“Heh heh.” Frisk laughed. “Hi.”

The dog blinked a couple of times and then grinned toothily. “Hey there, kid.”

“Looks like it worked.” Lily said.

“Yeah… you were right.” Frisk smiled up at her.

“Hmm? Right about what?” The dog asked.

“Oh, sorry. I was just talking to my friend, Lily.” The boy said. “Um, I’m Frisk by the way.”

“Name’s Doggo.” He said, shuffling around for something inside the station. “Now, where did I put… ah!”

Doggo clicked his tongue and pulled out what could only be described as a dog treat. He popped it in his mouth before using a little fire magic to set the end alight. A puff of smoke wafted from the dog’s mouth smelling faintly of bacon.

“He’s smoking dog treats…” Lily said blankly, watching the smoke drift lazily on the wind. “He’s seriously smoking dog treats.”

“Nothin’ like a nice treat after a pet. Thanks, kid.” He said. “I get so worked up. Only bein’ able to see moving things, it’s well… it’s not the easiest.”

“Yeah. I know how you feel.” Frisk said. “I usually can’t see anything at all. I can only see magic when I use my SOUL.”

“No kiddin’?” The dog monster said, releasing another puff of smoke. “Sorry to hear that. Guess compared to that, what I got’s not so bad. Sorry for attacking you like that.”

“S’okay.” Frisk said, and gave him a little thumbs up. “Um, would it be okay if we passed here?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah sure.” Said Doggo, casually. “My shift’s about over anyway, so I’ll be headin’ back to town. If you meet the rest of the clan, tell ‘em I said ‘hi’.

“Deal.” Frisk said. “Thanks, mister Doggo!”

The dog grinned and waved to Frisk as he and Lily continued along.

Lily thought to question what he meant by ‘the rest of the clan’. Then decided it would be better not too. After all, they’d just met a dog with Riddoch syndrome who smoked dog treats. What could be weirder than that?

Well, a dog whose neck had the miraculous ability to stretch infinitely into the cosmos was a good contender. Such a dog was exactly who they encountered patrolling the frozen pond not far from Doggo’s station. Naturally, Frisk just had to pet it. One pet became two until eventually, the dog’s neck seemed long enough to be eye level with the clouds if only the Underground had any. At first, Lily had found the display mildly entertaining but this was getting out of hand.

Her mind and eyes began to wander to the forest around them, letting Frisk have his fun for the moment. She grinned despite herself when she heard the boy giggling behind her. It was nice that he having fun. Still, they needed to move on sometime if they ever wanted out of this forest.

“Alright, Frisk I think it’s time to- oh, hello there.” Her words were cut short when she turned to see the dog’s inverted head staring back at her. She peeked behind it to Frisk who was still petting away. “Um, Frisk? Don’t you think we should let him get back to his patrol?”

“Huh?” Frisk wondered. Only now did he seem to notice the sheer length of the dog’s neck. “Oh…”

“Perhaps mankind was not meant to pet this much.” She said sardonically, patting her friend on the shoulder.

“Alright, alright. I get it.” Frisk snickered, trying to keep from laughing as he turned to speak to the dog’s upside-down head. “I gotta go now. See you later, okay?”

The dog whined, and its neck steadily retracted back to its normal size. Frisk smiled and gave it one last pet for the road before it bounded off.

“I like dogs.” the boy said matter-of-factly.

“I noticed.” Lily smirked. “It’s possible that you may have a problem.”

The boy stuck his tongue out at her as the dog’s excited barks faded into the distance. The paw prints it left behind traced their path forward through the snow until they eventually faded away, covered by a fresh veil of white powder. Again, the two made their way along the path, more carefully this time to avoid any more scares like the one they’d encountered with Doggo (and in Frisk’s case to keep an ear open for any more dogs).

Eventually, his ears did pick up something and though it was recognizable, it was certainly no dog. Rather, it was a voice: loud enough that Lily could hear it just as clearly as it cut through the cold air. Neither child needed guess who it belonged to.

"SANS! YOU'RE SO LAZY! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!"

The winding path curved into a clearing and there, the two skeletons stood. The taller one glared at the shorter who still wore the same perpetual grin.

"Isn't that just sleeping?" Lily snarked as they walked past the tree line.

"i think that's called… sleeping, bro." Sans replied, coming to the same conclusion as Lily.

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES!!! NO MORE! I-“ Papyrus began, but whatever poetic retort he’d been about to make died on his tongue the moment he noticed Frisk. “OH-HO! THE HUMAN HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!" He posed. Cue billowing scarf. "IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES!!! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE... QUITE 'SHOCKING'! NYEH HEH HEH!!!" He laughed at his own pun, taking a quick glance at Sans who just smiled in encouragement.

Frisk tilted his head in confusion. Shocking? He must have heard wrong so he stepped a little closer to listen further.

"FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE... ELECTRICITY MAZE!!! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB;" He paused for a second to draw out a large, polished orb made of some kind of light blue crystal. "WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!!!"

"Has... has he lost his marbles?" Lily asked in concern for Frisk who just shrugged.

"SOUND LIKE FUN???"

"Not really. I guess it just doesn't spark my interest." Lily grinned as Frisk tried his hardest to not laugh out loud, the effort resulting in a loud snort that sent his ghostly companion her own bit of laughter.

"BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE... IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK." He actually looked a little nervous.

"Makes sense. Frisk is kinda small himself." Lily continued joking with her one-person audience. Frisk paused mid-laugh and glared up at her. Even still, he was hard-pressed to hide the smile that threatened to split his face.

"OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW!" Papyrus said, gesturing to the large square of packed snow where the puzzle apparently resided.

At those words, Frisk looked at Lily hovering at his side. She stared worriedly back down at him. Mirth aside, even she was at a loss of what to do here. Usually, Frisk could simply rely on her sight to guide him through, but in this, she was just as blind as he was.

“Maybe if… I go first?” she suggested with a bit of uncertainty. “Maybe the walls won’t do anything if I touch them? I am a ghost right?”

“Um, okay…” Frisk said, worried for his friend. He hadn’t forgotten how much Flowey’s attack had hurt her. “Are you sure?”

She nodded and drifted forward. Frisk followed close behind her, matching her path with his steps. They’d barely gone a couple of feet into the maze when Lily’s shoulder brushed something solid. Sure enough, a violent crackle accompanied the orb as it let out the aforementioned zap.

A zap which Papyrus took in full force, causing his body to convulse.  His teeth chattered comically as the bolt coursed through his skeletal frame. Startled, Lily glanced back at Frisk who seemed perfectly fine himself.

“Ooo…” She cringed as her eyes returned to the still-jittering Papyrus. “My bad?”

Frisk couldn’t see it, but from the sound he had a pretty good idea of what happened. “Ow… I guess you can touch the maze.”

"S-SANS!!” Papyrus cried, doing his best to still his jittery bones. “WHAT D-D-DID Y-YOU DO?!?!"

"i think the human has to hold the orb." The smaller skeleton replied.

"OH. OKAY." Despite how it looked, Papyrus shook off the shock easily enough before walking through the puzzle towards Frisk. The heavy stomps of his orange boots left noticeable tracks even in the packed snow. Upon reaching the other side, he placed the orb in the boy’s hands.

"HOLD THIS PLEASE!" He said happily before running back through to the other side, tracing the path as he went. "OKAY TRY IT NOW, HUMAN!!"

“H-hold on! I don’t want to hold this!” Frisk complained. “That sounded like it hurt…”

Lily just grinned as she examined the trail left by the energetic skeleton. "No worries Frisk. He was in such a hurry, he left a clear path to follow. I can get you through it now no problem!" She held out her hand confidently. Frisk took it with a bit of apprehension as she led him along the path Papyrus had left for them.

Frisk stumbled slightly around one corner, causing his stick to brush against one of the walls. This, however, resulted in little more than a tiny jolt of residual electricity. Frisk easily shook it off and giggled at the feeling. It reminded him of the kind of shock that happens when one rubs their socked feet against the carpet. Papyrus must have taken most of its energy on himself. In moments they reached the end, and Frisk proudly returned the orb to the tall skeleton.

"INCREDIBLE!! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY!” Papyrus declared. He sounded impressed, which made both children beam. “HOWEVER!! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY!! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!!"

Leaving them with his characteristic laugh, the taller brother spun in place once before dashing backwards down the path, leaving the two of them alone with Sans. Strangely, he almost seemed to move… faster that way, kicking up clouds of white like a boney snowplow.

"hey thanks... my brother seems like he's having fun. by the way, did you see that weird outfit he's wearing?" Sans asked, looking closely at Frisk's expression.

"Uh… I'm sorry. I kinda can't…" Frisk replied, waving his hand in front of his eyes, his expression sad. "But uh. He sounds really cool!"

Sans rubbed the back of his head. "right. uh, sorry about that." Sans sighed with a shrug. ‘damn… thought that’d work.’

“Is it true?” Frisk asked. He was practically bouncing on his heels. “You made the next one?”

Sans gave him a wink. “heh. yep, sure did. better get ready, kid. there’s no way you’ll solve this one.”

“Challenge accepted.” The boy said, at the same time Lily said ‘bring it on’.

Sans grinned. "welp, see ya up ahead.”

The blue skeleton shuffled off down the path, whistling a tune. Again he left in the direction the children had come from. Lily watched him turn down the path and disappear behind the tree line. She raised a brow, but didn’t bother checking to see if he was still there. She had a feeling she already knew what she would find… or rather, what she wouldn’t.

"Sans... is very strange..." She said after a moment.

"Yeah, but I like him." Frisk replied before grabbing Lily's arm and continuing on.

The girl glanced back a few times. Maybe if she tried hard enough she would catch a glimpse of the short skeleton following them. He must have some means to get around so quickly. Underground tunnels, paths through the trees, flight… hey, if a flower could be a crazy nihilist, and a dog could have a neck like a tape measure, why not? Alas, she saw no sign of Sans’ distinct blue hoodie anywhere she looked and eventually gave up trying.

In time they come upon a monster unlike anything they’d seen before. He looked a bit like… a rabbit? Yet his fur was a strange shade of cotton candy blue.  He wore a bright yellow shirt, split in two by a vertical red stripe and red pants. It appeared that he was manning a stand of some kind and yet his glum expression stood in stark contrast to the spectrum of color that surrounded him.

"I don't understand why these aren't selling... It's the perfect weather for something cold..." The rabbit sighed.

The two children made their way over to him. He didn’t acknowledge them at first, lost as he was in his own thoughts and it took a moment for him to realize he wasn’t alone. He jumped in surprise when at last he noticed the boy in the striped shirt, ears perking up while a hopeful smile split his furry visage.

"OH!!! A CUSTOMER!!!” Frisk cringed at volume. He could have given Papyrus a run for his money. The rabbit seemed to notice this as well and cleared his throat. “Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream?" He asked with a smile. "It's the frozen treat that warms your heart! Only 15 gold each!"

“An ice cream stand out here…?” Frisk questioned, wondering at the monster’s business acumen.

“This isn’t just any old ice cream…” The rabbit gave a suspenseful and all-too-forced pause. “This… is the one and only Nice Cream! Instead of a joke, the wrapper says something nice! So, would you like to buy some?” He didn’t say it, but his wide eyed expression all but screamed ‘please say yes’.

"Frisk I think we have enough. We didn't use all our money back home. So, we can probably afford enough for both of us." Lily said, looking longingly at one corner of the stall. "Chocolate please?"

Frisk pulled out a few gold and counted it out, giving Lily an affirming smile when he found that, yes they did indeed have enough. "I'll take two Nice Creams please. One chocolate and one strawberry." He counted out thirty gold and handed it to the rabbit monster, taking the treats in return.

"Pleasure doing business with you. Here ya go!" The merchant’s mood seemed much improved after the sale. “Don’t forget to tell your friends! There’s ice cream… out in the woods!”

"Thanks! Have a good day! Bye!"

Frisk placed the strawberry flavored nice cream in the satchel as they searched for a place to sit and enjoy the other. Ahead of them stood a small bridge built over a gap where the ground looked to have fallen through some years ago. They crossed it and found themselves standing in a large clearing with a few places free of the seemingly unending snow. There weren’t that many monsters around and those that were didn’t seem to pay them much mind so they decided to take the time to rest. Finding a good sized rock to sit upon, Frisk settled himself down and produced the chocolate treat.

"Alright, Lily. Here you go." Frisk grinned and started unwrapping the treat. The girl squeaked happily and merged herself into Frisk’s SOUL.

"Hey the wrapper says something. 'Is this as sweet as you?' aww." Lily read off the words as she waited impatiently.

"I don't know. Let's find out." Frisk replied with a small chuckle.

He could practically feel the girl’s excitement while she eyed the delicious looking treat in his hand. The spicy scent of what he could only read as a silent ‘hurry up’ lingered in his nose along with the chocolate.

Ignoring all of the breaches of common sense that came with consuming something ice cold in a forest that couldn’t have been over single digit temperatures (Fahrenheit, no less!), he gave the ice cream a quick taste.

“Mmm… that’s good.” He hummed, taking another longer lick of the sweet dessert. Surprisingly, the initial chill on his tongue gave way to a comforting warmth the moment he swallowed. The boy noticed a bit more feeling returning to his numb fingers. He decided he’d ask the seller about that later.

Lily sighed in absolute bliss as the flavor hit her as well.  “I know…” She said happily. “Chocolate’s the best!”

It was creamy and rich… perhaps a little too rich. Vaguely, she felt that if the taste was a little bit milder she would have enjoyed it even more. Distantly her mind recalled that distinct flavor… one that she loved above any other. Sweet perfection in its purest form. Still, she was never picky when it came to chocolate, and this was very good chocolate indeed. Satisfied, she relaxed within Frisk’s SOUL as the two took their time to savor their snack.

A skeleton in blue watched Frisk from the shadows of a nearby grove as he conversed animatedly with the Nice Cream guy. He’d spared both Doggo and Lesser Dog at least, and when he shook the boy’s hand the only white powder on his sleeve had been from the snow. He didn’t detect any LOVE either. That was a good sign. Seemed that the kid was sticking to the straight and narrow this time… but Sans had learned long ago not to hope for things to stay that way. He knew what the boy was capable of.

A bony finger traced a diagonal line across his torso, right shoulder to left hip. He’d only learned of his own death sometime after the barrier had fallen in the previous timeline. Frisk hadn’t been particularly comfortable talking about it, but eventually Sans had forced it out of him. Noted it down for good measure along with the rest… just in case.

He shuddered and forced the thought down into the abyss of his mind. He couldn’t afford to be thinking about that particularly dark part of his meta-temporal life. He needed to focus on the here and now.

The boy sat near the cliff face and enjoyed the chocolate Nice Cream with a lively and contented grin. On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary insofar as what could be called ‘ordinary’ in this twisted child’s scribble of space-time. But beneath the surface, he could tell. Something had changed. Of course, change was nothing new… Sans had spent many theoretical years observing all manner of changes over innumerable loops. Yet all of these existed within some realm of possibility – set parameters that, for all of times’ malleability remained static and unchanging.

But now, some impossibility had forced itself beyond those barriers. It filled the skeleton with both hope and unease… he wasn’t sure which one worried him more.

‘let’s see… what do I know?’ He thought. ‘first is frisk himself… kid doesn’t seem to remember anything. i might’ve thought he was messin’ with me if i wasn’t so good at reading expressions. thought that question about paps’ armor would make him slip and prove me wrong but… nope. every record i've got says that the kid ‘should’ remember everything from each run. it's what set him apart. but, for whatever reason, he's as wiped as the rest of us.'

‘second is the loops in this branch. i've noted two spikes so far. A large one, about five days ago, and a smaller one about six days later. pretty sure the first was the origin point, and the second was a recall. kid stayed in the Ruins longer this time… probably ‘cause of tori. ran into some trouble there and had to load. there might be more, but it’s not likely. it’s enough to know he’s at least aware of his power.’

Frisk spoke to the air at his side as he finished the frozen treat, paused for a moment, and then nodded before standing up again.

‘which brings me to number three. that ‘friend’ he mentioned.’ Sans thought. ‘called them lily, eh? sounds like a girl. i'd think he was pulling my leg again if there wasn’t clearly someone there that i just can’t see. so, now the kid’s haunted. great.’

‘i might have seen her if i used the Sight, but that would’ve freaked frisk out, and i’d rather not show my hand quite yet. frisk seems to trust it well enough and it seems benign, for now. the question is, does it have any connection to the malicious anomaly the records mentioned?  And if so, what?’

Frisk stopped and listened to the air again in front of the Ball Game court. Sans never really understood the appeal of knocking around a snowball to get it to the goal. Too much effort and not enough purpose for his bones. But Frisk seemed to enjoy himself as he blindly knocked it around with his stick. It took a while, but he eventually managed to get it into the goal. A purple flag shot out from the hole.

‘perseverance, eh? maybe next time, kiddo.’

Frisk didn’t seem bothered at all and instead turned to head up the path leading to the sentry stations used by the dog couple. Those two were always together, on duty and off. They weren’t there now. It looked a bit like Frisk was reading the sign, but the skeleton knew that was impossible. Sans imagined the ghost was doing the reading for him. After a while he set off back down the path.

“guess i should get over there.” Sans shrugged. “i'll file this info away later.”

He turned away from the path and stepped into the shadows of the snow-covered trees. The very next step saw him standing in the middle of the path just ahead of where Papyrus was busy setting up his own ‘puzzle’. Sans heard the tell tale clatter of ceramic on wood as his brother set down a lovely plate of spaghetti made with an unholy combination of techniques he’d learned from Undyne and cooking shows staring Mettaton.

Sans stuffed a boney hand into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a folded up paper. He thought about just leaving it as is but decided he might as well put in some kind of effort for Papyrus’ sake. So he unfolded the page and smoothed the creases of the word search as best he could before placing it carefully in the middle of the path. He returned just in time to notice Papyrus heading his way at a brisk pace. His brother may have been a lot of things, but slow was not one of them.

“SANS! THE HUMAN SHALL SOON ARRIVE! HAVE YOU FINISHED PREPARING YOUR PUZZLE?” He greeted his brother animatedly.

“yep. It’s all set, bro.”

“NYEH HEH HEH! VERY GOOD, BROTHER. AND NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON!”

Sans turned to see Frisk walking in their direction. He listened to something at his side for a moment before turning toward the two skeletons. A smile spread across his face and he waved animatedly toward them. Sans gave a lazy wave of his own. He knew the kid couldn’t see, but he had a feeling the ghost girl would relay it. Papyrus, being Papyrus was quick to launch into his beloved japing the moment the boy drew near.

“HUMAN!! I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR…” He began, and then trailed off. He slowly turned and glared down at the shorter skeleton. “SANS! WHERE’S THE PUZZLE!!!”

“it’s right there, on the ground.” Sans pointed at the creased up word search sitting in the middle of the road. “trust me, there’s no way they can get past this one.”

Lily, who had since let herself out of Frisk’s body, noticed it. “Oh! A word search. I can help you with this one.”

Frisk approached the piece of crumpled paper and knelt down before it, scrunching up his face in concentration. Lily seemed confident enough so he decided to follow her lead again with this one.

“Um, do you have a pencil?” He asked.

“uhh, sure kid…” Sans began. That… wasn’t what he’d been expecting.

He riffled through his hoodie pocket for a moment. Empty chisp bag, a bit of loose change, a small container of pet rock flakes… pencil. He fished it out, strode over to the boy and placed it in his hand. The point moved over the letters left to right, right to left circling the words as Lily directed.

“Okay right there. Diagonal, up right is ‘winter’. ‘Monster’, horizontal right there in the middle. Bottom left to top left is ‘spring’.” She directed him to each of the words, but frowned when she got to the long, gibberish looking one. “Gee-as-f… whatever. It’s the whole top line but… it’s different in the list. Circle it anyway?”

Frisk did so, and then returned the word search to Sans, grinning proudly. The short skeleton looked it over in disbelief. The lines were a little off and some of them cut into the letters, but Frisk had found every single word. He stuffed the paper back into his pocket and shrugged.

“huh. can’t believe ya managed to pen it down.” He said.

“SANS…” Papyrus growled.

“you really made your mark on this one, kid.”

“SANS!!”

Frisk giggled at the skeleton’s joke. Lily did not. Breathless, stomach clutching laughter would be a better way to describe her reaction. Papyrus ground his teeth as Sans grinned up at him.

“Frisk… F-frisk.” Lily stammered, trying her hardest to catch her breath. “Tell him this:”

The girl whispered into Frisk’s ear. He snorted with renewed laughter and turned to the boney brothers. “Lily says… don’t-“ He took a moment to steel himself against his own mirth. “She said: ‘aww, come on. Don’t go and erase all our hard work. We don’t want it to be point-less. After all, we’re as sharp as they come!”

Papyrus gasped in what could only be described as absolute, unbridled horror.

“heh. good one, kiddo.” Sans said, giving a slow clap.

“SANS! STOP BEING A BAD INFLUENCE ON THE HUMAN!!” Papyrus chided. “UGH… I AM GOING TO CHECK ON THE REST OF MY PUZZLES. GOOD LUCK, TINY HUMAN!”

He left and Sans winked at Frisk. “good job on the ‘search. guess you had a little help, huh?”

“Yep!” Frisk said proudly, waving his hand in front of Lily to show where she was. “We’re a team!”

“Aww, Frisk…” Lily said, flattered.

“It’s true.” The boy insisted.

“heh. well, it’s good to know there’s a couple more people out there that like bad puns.” Sans shrugged. “guess you should get going after paps.”

“See you soon, right?” Frisk said hopefully.

“i’ll be around.” The skeleton replied.

They said goodbye and headed off toward where Papyrus’ culinary disaster awaited. Sans silently hoped they’d give a little bit of thought before trying that one… for the kid’s stomach’s sake. He shrugged and stepped into another shortcut to get into a better position to observe them. Sure enough, Frisk had reached the dish and seemed to be contemplating on whether or not he was willing to brave a taste. He stumbled unnaturally, and the blue skeleton imagined an unseen girl pulling her solid companion away and pleading with him to abstain if he valued his life. He wasn’t far off the mark either.

Leaving the spaghetti (thankfully) untouched, they headed through the cliff-lined path and into the next clearing. The boy walked a short distance before stopping just before the row of spikes that blocked the way forward. This wasn’t one of his brother’s puzzles. Rather, the dog couple had put this one together. It was a pretty nice setup, he had to admit.

Frisk stumbled about for a while, apparently guided by his ghostly companion. In time his foot nudged away some of the snow covering the map drawn beneath. They seemed to notice as pretty soon, the human set about clearing all the snow from the area. After taking a moment to study, they made a quick trip up to the switch and removed the spikes before moving forward.

‘can’t imagine how tough that must have been for him before.’ Sans figured, ‘guess that’s one good thing to come from this new anomaly.’

No sooner had the boy stepped beyond the spikes than Dogamy and Dogaressa stepped out from the shadows, twin axes in hand. Their cloaks billowed in the wind as their white snouts peaked beneath their hoods.

“What’s that smell?”

“(Where’s that smell?)”

“If you are a smell…”

“(Identify yoursmellf!)”

‘heh…’ Sans chuckled. ‘How is he gonna handle this one?’

It turns out, easily enough. Either he’d learned from his encounter with Doggo or the girl had suggested it, in minutes the dogs were eyeing (and sniffing) the stick he waved in front of them. He threw it into the distance and the two canine lovers bounded after it. They each took one end and brought it back to the boy together. He played fetch with them for a while before walking up and petting them both at the same time.

“Weird smells can bring good things…” Dogamy said.

“(Friendly fun fetch!)” Dogaressa agreed.

“Thanks, weird smell!”

“(It sure was fun to ‘stick’ together)”

Frisk stayed and pet the dogs a little longer before they bid each other farewell. The boy continued onward, a smile on his lips as he headed down. Sans nodded with approval and pulled a small notepad from his pocket, along with the pencil Frisk had used on the word search. He flipped to a blank page and began to write

‘Current analysis: A 1 displays minor discrepancies in behavior outside established patterns. He appears to have no memory of the previous timelines or the events that transpired. I suspect that either the prior RESET resulted in some loss of his chronal recollective capabilities or that these have been removed for reasons unknown. It would take some serious magic to do that… worrisome?

He remains placid at least, if more animated than in previous timelines. He continues to befriend the denizens of the Underground and has thus far displayed no instability or tendency toward violence.

A0 has remained dark. This is in line with his activity during earlier loops. If the theory that all vestigial recollection has been purged is true, it is possible that his have been as well. That’s good. It would be unfortunate if that one was walking around with that kind of knowledge.

No new information on A2. I know precious little about it. What little information is stored in the archive wasn’t left by me either. Not sure which is more troubling.

Concern regarding the newly revealed anomaly named Lily and what connection (if any) she has with A2. For now, I'll refer to her as A3. There have been no mentions of her presence in any prior reports. She remains an unknown, and I’ve yet to make any true observations regarding her nature. My present theory is that she exists as some kind of phantom or spirit who is accompanying A1 for unknown reasons. Whether this is of her own will, or through a mental or spiritual connection, I have yet to confirm. However, this does not explain when she appeared or why. She seems a benign force at this time, and appears to be acting as a guide for A1.

Despite A1’s lack of memories, there seem to have been far fewer temporal spikes than earlier runs. I surmise A3’s guidance is the main reason for this. A1's limited eyesight was the primary cause of many spikes in previous timelines.

Further observation is required.

Final thoughts: The kid’s doing good so far. He’s making friends just like before. Still don’t know what caused him to turn from that or why we’re all back here now. I am pretty sure he’s the one that left the info on A2 though. Just wish more of his entries weren’t hidden behind that damned cypher. Did I teach him that? It’s not one I know right now, that’s for sure.

Not sure how I feel about his new ghoul-friend either. She seems nice enough, but why’d she never come up until now?  Still, anyone who likes bad puns that much can’t be all bad, right?  Almost reminds me of someone else.

Ah well. Better end this now before it gets too long. I'll update the archive once I get back to the ‘shop.'

Chapter Text

"WHAT?! HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP?” Papyrus exclaimed when he noticed the human jogging up behind him. “AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY… IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME???"
 
The skeleton glanced back over his shoulder at the following boy. His eye sockets shifted in what must have been his version of an expectant blink. 
 
Frisk was torn. At Lily’s insistence, he’d decided to leave the spaghetti where it sat, hoping that the nearby mouse would eventually find some enjoyment from the bizarre concoction. Now, face to face with its maker, he was put on the spot. On one hand, he didn’t want to lie but on the other he couldn’t really bring himself to tell Papyrus about the warning sign his friend had placed on the lethal looking pasta dish. Or his own nose’s agreement.
 
“I uh… I didn’t think I could eat it all so… I left it… to share?” He settled for a metaphorical truth - it really was a large plate. He hoped Papyrus wouldn’t take it too badly.
 
The tall skeleton stared at Frisk for a long moment, surprise written on his boney visage. Worried at the strange silence, Frisk was about to apologize when Papyrus spoke up. "REALLY? WOWIE! YOU RESISTED THE FLAVOR OF MY HOME COOKED PASTA... JUST SO YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME???"
 
Lily imagined a delighted squeal hiding behind that grinning skull. Frisk sighed in relief.
 
“Y-yeah…”
 
Papyrus quickly stopped in his tracks, causing Frisk to run into him from behind. Lily laughed as the boy stumbled back from the impact. Papyrus quickly turned to face the small human, raising a single orange gloved hand to his breastplate.
 
"FRET NOT, HUMAN! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS... WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT!! ENOUGH FOR US ALL TO SHARE AND ENJOY! NYEH HEH HEH!!!"
 
Frisk gave a small giggle. “That sounds awesome. Thanks, Papyrus.”
 
Grin affixed to his skull, Papyrus led the two children through the maze of woodland leading to his next puzzle. Frisk was forced to jog slightly in order to keep up with the armored boneman’s long strides and brisk pace. Still, both he and Lily were glad for a chance to get to know Papyrus better, and the Royal Guard hopeful was not without things to tell. He spoke animatedly about Sans’ sock collection as well as his own collection of action figures. Neither Frisk nor Lily had much of an opportunity to speak, but they didn’t mind. It was entertaining enough just to listen to Papyrus’ enthusiastic stories.
 
It took about ten minutes of walking before they came at last upon the puzzle in question. From her vantage point above Frisk, Lily could see little squares in the snow glowing with bright blue Xs.
 
‘What are those? Some kind of panel? Maybe it’s like the electricity maze… I just hope it’s nothing dangerous.' She mused.
 
"HMM… HOW DO I SAY THIS?” Papyrus turned thoughtful as he looked over the convoluted maze of indigo-shaded letters. “YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE, SO… I DECIDED TO RE-ARRANGE AND IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE. BY MAKING IT LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE!! I BELIEVE IT IS FAR MORE PICTURESQUE THIS WAY." He posed again, once more cuing his personal scarf-blowing wind. "UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND SO NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT! AND NOW I AM… NOT ENTIRELY SURE HOW TO SOLVE IT. WHY DON'T YOU TRY WHILE I THINK OF A PLAN!!"
 
"I guess it can’t hurt to give it a try. Come on Frisk." Lily grinned as she pulled on Frisk’s arm, leading him over to the sign posted at one of the puzzle’s many entrances. "'Turn all the Xs into Os...'? Hmm. Try stepping on one?" She reasons.
 
She guided Frisk toward the nearest of the symbols before pointing it out for him to do so. Sure enough, the ground depressed slightly with a click. It seemed that what first appeared to be a simple path through the snow and ice was in fact a series of tiles, each baring one of the marks. Frisk moved his foot aside, revealing that the X on the tile had now shifted to a red O. Lily grinned in satisfaction.
 
“Alright, it worked! Looks like we need to walk over all the Xs so they’ll change.” She explained. “Let’s try it.”
 
"Sounds like an idea. Lead the way, Lily!" Frisk happily replied, watching his ghostly friend float higher to get a better view.
 
The specter gazed down at the puzzle, figuring a bird’s eye view might make it a little easier to figure out the solution. Her eyes squinted, as she tried to map the correct path in her mind. Yet, despite her efforts this was certainly more complicated than the other puzzles they’d seen so far. Before, the puzzles had ranged from straightforward tasks, to brainteasers that seemed tricky but with solutions that were obvious given some thought. This however was a mess. So many different paths, dead ends and possible mistakes. Even with her overhead view, Lily found her mind reeling at the utter strangeness of it.
 
"It's… really weird looking. Hm. Try… try this?" The girl floated back down and grabbed Frisk’s hand, leading him through the first section.
 
It was even more baffling at ground level, where the snow piles obscured the view of the rest of the puzzle. The ghost girl led the Frisk as best she could, and for a while it seemed that they might actually succeed. That is, until they turned the next corner and noticed one of the tiles they’d already stepped on glowing with a red circle.
 
"Shoot. We’ve been here already. Turn around, there was another path." She quickly guided Frisk back the way they came, and lead him toward the aforementioned path. However, the second Frisk’s foot met one of the red-circle tiles, it shifted again again turning this time into a green triangle. "That's… not supposed to happen is it?"
 
"What?” The boy asked, reflexively following her gaze despite his inability to see it.
 
"That tile turned into a triangle… step off and back on?” Frisk tried. The triangle remained. “Nope. Looks like we gotta reset the puzzle now. Ugh…"
 
With a sigh of disappointment, she headed back to the entrance with Frisk in tow and led him to the button tile near the sign post. Frisk pressed it and the puzzle reverted to its default state. They tried a few more times, but each one lead to similar a failure. After the fourth attempt Frisk groaned, and Lily hung her arms in aggravation, providing another burnt lemon scent to the boy’s nostrils. Ultimately, they decided to give up for now and returned to Papyrus who had his jaw resting on his knuckles in thought.
 
"Papyrus… Could you help us please? We can't seem to figure it out…" Frisk asked softly, not wanting to disappoint the happy skeleton.
 
"AH, OF COURSE! I WHAT A BRILLIANT PLAN, TINY HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HELP YOU TO SOLVE THIS CONUNDRUM!"  He quickly knelt down and slid his hands under Frisks arms. The boy gave a surprised squeak as the tall skeleton lifted him into the air with surprising strength for one with no muscles. "TOGETHER, WE WILL SURELY TACKLE THIS PUZZLE POSTHASTE!! NYEH!"
 
Papyrus quickly turned Frisk around and set him down gently on his shoulders. The seat was actually rather comfortable due to Papyrus’ battle body armor and scarf forming a rather ideal seat. Frisk chuckled in delight as he held onto the skeleton’s vertical plate while two mitted hands secured his legs to keep him from falling.
 
"LEAD THE WAY. I WILL GIVE HINTS WHEN NEED-BE!"
 
“Okay, Lily. Which way?” Frisk asked the girl.
 
“LILY?” Papyrus asked. “ACTUALLY, I DO THINK I HAVE SEEN YOU TALKING TO SOMEONE, BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM. WHERE IS THIS PERSON, HUMAN?” Papyrus questioned. “ARE THEY HIDING? PLEASE, COME OUT INTO THE OPEN! THERE IS NO NEED TO HIDE FROM PAPYRUS!”
 
Lily chuckled and waved her hand in front of Papyrus’ skull.
 
“She’s not hiding.” Frisk explained. “It’s just I’m the only one who can really see her.”
 
“AN INVISIBLE FRIEND? WOWIE! WHAT AN AMAZING ABILITY!” Papyrus exclaimed. “THEN SHALL ALL THREE OF US JOIN TO OVERCOME THIS CHALLENGE?”
 
“Yeah!” Frisk pumped a fist into the air, losing his balance a little in his enthusiasm before righting himself again.
 
“Alright. Then, let’s do it!” Lily flipped herself around and approached the puzzle with renewed confidence. Papyrus’ optimism was contagious.
 
Working together the three unlikely allies worked steadily to complete the puzzle. Papyrus worked from memory, puzzling out which parts of the device he’d moved around from the previous layout, Lily used her weightlessness to study it from above, and Frisk served as a medium, relaying her information to the tall skeleton. It took a couple more tries, but eventually they managed to successfully turn all of the tiles without any mistakes. The tell-tale 'shling' of the spikes retracting caused both children to cheer.
 
"WOWIE! WE SOLVED IT!” Papyrus declared, slapping his breastplate. “GREAT WORK HUMAN, AND TO YOUR INVISIBLE FRIEND!
 
“Woohoo! That was fun!” Frisk said happily.
 
“It was, wasn’t it?” Lily agreed with a small laugh. As irritated as she’d been with their earlier failures, once Papyrus joined them it was almost an adventure of its own.
 
“IT WAS INDEED FUN! I AM HAPPY YOU AGREE.” Papyrus grinned as wide as he large teeth could possibly go. “AND SINCE YOU SEEM TO CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO, I AM SURE YOU WILL LOVE THE NEXT ONE! ONWARDS!"
 
“Onwards!” Frisk mimicked the him, pointing forward.
 
Papyrus waited for Frisk to hold on before securely gripping the small human’s legs. Then he set off into a mad dash toward the next area, nyehing all the way. Frisk held on tightly to the skeleton’s skull, feeling the wind whip his hair about. Lily drifted at their side, grateful again for her ability to fly. She’d never keep up with those long strides otherwise. Eventually they emerged from the forest and onto the precipice of a short cleft carved into the earth. A small bridge connected the two sides, leading to a complicated looking grid of tiles, in all shades of grey. Sans stood on the other side, idly drumming his phalanges on the boxlike machine nearby. He raised a brow ridge upon seeing his brother barreling in with the human on his shoulders.
 
“well that’s new.” He said as Papyrus skidded to a stop. “wasn’t expectin’ to see a bone-a-fide rodeo.”
 
"NOW HUMAN! THIS PUZZLE WILL SURELY CONFOUND YOU, BUT I BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT!" Papyrus plucked Frisk from his shoulders and let him down gently onto the snow before ruffling the mop of brown hair. "I MUST GO TO THE OTHER SIDE! GOOD LUCK!”
 
He leapt forward, clearing the bridge and the puzzle in a single vault and landed next to Sans. The shorter skeleton sauntered over and leaned up against the trunk of a tree, resting the back of his head in his hands and just watched.
 
“What is it, what is it!” Frisk bounced up and down excitedly.
 
“NOW THEN, YOU’RE SURE TO LOVE THIS PUZZLE. IT WAS DESIGNED BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS!” Papyrus announced. “YOU SEE THESE TILES? ONCE I THROW THE SWITCH THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR!”
 
Papyrus launched into a long winded explanation over the function of each tile on the board. Frisk’s head swam as he tried his hardest to listen to the skeleton’s instructions. It didn’t help that colors weren’t exactly easy for him to understand, but the skeleton also spoke so fast that it was difficult to even keep up with what he was saying. He gave Lily a desperate look at his side, hoping that she would be able to make more sense of it than him, but the girl looked just as confused.
 
“HOW WAS THAT? DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” Papyrus asked.
 
Frisk thought for a second and then shook his head.
 
“HMM… OKAY. I GUESS I’LL REPEAT MYSELF…”
 
Once again, Papyrus tried to explain the puzzle, but now even he seemed confused by the convoluted nature of the thing. Lily noticed a few of the functions didn’t match up to what he’d said before but the skeleton quickly corrected himself. Still, she managed to hold onto most of it this time.
 
“Red are impassible, Green summon monsters, Blue are water…” She muttered. “I think I get it…”
 
She didn’t sound too sure of herself but Frisk didn’t want to disappoint Papyrus. “Okay… um, go ahead.
 
“OH YES, ONE LAST THING.” Papyrus began. “THIS PUZZLE IS ENTIRELY RANDOM! ONCE IT BEGINS, IT WILL CREATE A LAYOUT WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. EVEN I WILL NOT KNOW THE ANSWER!”
 
Frisk swallowed hard as the skeleton pushed a button on the machine Sans had been messing with and the tiles immediately lit up. Lily watched closely as they shifted color, starting slow and then speeding up into a dizzying kaleidoscope of hues. The spectrum shifted through countless different combinations before at last coming to a sudden halt on its chosen solution.
 
“What.”
 
Lily blinked, unsure if the cycling colors had somehow addled her sight, because she couldn’t think of any other explanation to what she was seeing. Two crimson barriers framed the sides of the puzzle, cut through by a straight path of harmless pink. Papyrus stared at the puzzle for a full minute. Then, he turned silently, placed the instructions on the machine, turned about on his calcaneus and pirouetted away without saying a word.
 
“Um.” Frisk began, confused a little by the silence.
 
“Uh… we can… go now.” Lily said, taking Frisk’s arm and leading him. “Yeah… just go. It’s… I don’t really know how to explain it but it’s fine.”
 
“well, that worked out, didn’t it?” Sans said. Frisk was confused.
 
“Did you… do something, Sans?”
 
“me? nah…” Sans denied. It sounded something like both a poorly covered lie and a matter-of-fact statement, almost like he intentionally made it just truthful enough for them to wonder. “but hey. thanks for hangin’ out with paps. he seems real happy.”
 
“I like him.” Frisk said with a smile. “He’s like a superhero!”
 
“heh. guess so, huh?” Sans said casually. “too bad you didn’t try the spaghetti though. he’s been improving a lot since he started taking lessons. i bet if he keeps it up, he might even make something edible one day.” Frisk shuddered. Hungry as he was, maybe it was good he didn’t try any. Sans grinned, or rather, his grin widened. “welp, see ya up ahead.”
 
Sans pushed himself from the tree with what looked to be far more effort than he was willing to put forth and headed off after Papyrus. The children followed behind him a ways until at last they emerged in another clearing. Strewn all about where high towers of snow, many of which were broken in various places with their ends lying along the ground in crumbled heaps. Within a few of these, Lily caught a semblance of what looked to be the head of a dog, very similar to the excitable canine Frisk had spent far too long petting.
 
“Looks like Lesser came this way.” Lily remarked. Frisk beamed at the memory of the dog and his amazingly elastic neck. When she turned back ahead the blue skeleton had vanished. “Aaaand, now Sans is gone. Of course, the moment I get distracted… how does he even do that?”
 
“Maybe he’s a superhero too.” Frisk joked.
 
“Sans?” Lily scoffed. “He doesn’t really seem like the type. Still, he’s something alright. I just wish I knew what.”
 
They moved beyond the gallery of snowdogs and into the next area. There was another puzzle here, and no bone man to explain it, but thankfully it was a familiar one. More blue X tiles, only this time they were separated within a thick sheet of slippery looking ice. It wasn’t nearly as convoluted as the one Papyrus had rearranged however.
 
“Hold on, Frisk. Let me have a look.” Lily drifted up and looked the puzzle over. There was a clear path; a simple spiraling pattern should do the trick. She returned to Frisk’s side and led him to the northernmost spot near the ice. “Stand here… now hold still.”
 
“Okay, but what are you-“ Frisk was cut off when a pair of ghostly hands pushed him forward onto the ice. “WhoooOOOA!”
 
Frisk kicked his legs about, slipping and sliding as the ice carried him forward. He stumbled when he reached a solid point upon one of the blue X’s. Lily’s fit of laughter drew his attention back to her. From what he could tell by how small she looked, he must have slid pretty far.
 
“Pfft… whoops! Sorry…” She laughed. “My hands slipped!” Frisk pouted a little as the spectral girl drifted back to his side, grinning widely from her prank. A grin which shifted into a sweet and ‘innocent’ smile when she noticed Frisk’s expression. “Aww, what’s wrong? I just want to help you with the puzzle. Okay, so the next one is that way!”
 
She pointed toward the next X on the far side of the puzzle. Frisk followed her finger to the spot and lined himself up as straight as he was able. He grinned when he had it more or less lined up and looked over at Lily. He wasn’t about to let that one go.
 
Quick as lightning, he seized her arm and kicked out onto the ice. The girl let out a little shriek as she was suddenly dragged along behind her companion. Frisk giggled as she struggled, enjoying the scent of his revenge, sugary like the last cookie in the jar. The boy made a show of acting like he was about to fall before righting himself in the last moment and standing straight upon the panel.
 
“Okay, fine. You win.” Lily said. Frisk smiled triumphantly so she stuck her tongue out at him.
 
In moments, the puzzle was complete and the children were rewarded with a satisfying click. Like magic, a few stones floated up from below, locking in place along the gap and forming a path ahead, leaving only the barest hint of cracks suggest they’d ever been separate in the first place. Come to think of it, it most likely was magic and Frisk found himself again wondered how it worked. They moved on, sliding along the ice through a thick lattice of small trees. Frisk’s stick knocked into the side of a few of them, causing a bit of snow to drop down onto his head.
 
Lily giggled at the sight when they emerged from the other side. “What an ice hat!”
 
Frisk chucked before wiping the snow off his head and attempted to smooth out his hair with mixed results.
 
They moved on into the next clearing, eventually coming to a fork in the path. One path lay directly ahead and the two children could see a great chasm in the distance, connected on either side by a large wooden bridge. The other sloped downward until it was eventually consumed by the trees below, obscuring what lay beyond. The two paused for a moment, trying to decide which of the two paths to take when Lily spotted a deer-like creature off to the side of the lower path. It seemed to be struggling with something…
 
"Hey Frisk. Take a look at them. Maybe we could try to help?" She suggested, pointing to his chest where his SOUL lay.
 
Frisk nodded and called forth his SOUL. Its deep red hue cast a soft glow along the snowy ground. He turned his attention to where Lily directed, and there, he saw said deer monster. It fell back awkwardly onto its haunches and pressed its two front hooves against something attached to its horns.
 
"Yeah. Come on let's go help!" Frisk jogged towards the monster, who looked woefully unequipped to handle his current situation. Not wishing to startle or irritate the creature more than it already was he called out to it, letting it know they were on their way. "'Scuse me! Can we help you?"
 
The deer monster quickly looked up to the boy, and its eyes narrowed. "Why? So you can decorate ol' Gyftrot some more like those friends o’ yers? I think not!" The now named Gyftrot said, anger prevalent in his gruff voice.
 
The two of them stopped in front of the monster. "What? No! I just thought it looked like you could use some help! Please?" Frisk asked, holding his hands out nervously as Gyftrot looked him up-and-down.
 
The monster stared at him for a good long while, sizing him up. Eventually his odd, vertical mouth opened with a sigh, his breath turning to steam in the cold air. "Ahright kid. You can help. But no funny business!"
 
"Got it! Thanks mister!" Frisk grinned and slowly moved the last few feet to get within reach of the monster.
 
With Lily's guidance, he began to remove the decorations one by one. Tinsel and streamers from the horns. A large sticker from his face. Wrapping paper from his back and hind-legs. It’s little wonder why he was in such a foul mood.
 
"How terrible of those kids. How could they decorate you like this mister Gyftrot?" Frisk asked as he carefully removed piece after piece.
 
"You should put googly eyes on him.” Lily chuckled as she continued to direct Frisk. “Don't look at me like that! I was joking!" She amended quickly when he gave her an 'I can't believe you' look before pulling the last piece off. 
 
Gyftrot, relieved of his burden, stood up and shook his whole body. "That feels a lot better! Thanks 'much kid.”
 
“I’m glad.” The human replied, tossing the last bit of tinsel aside. “Sorry for what they did to you.”
 
“Yer a good’un. Wish there were more like you.” The monster said, tapping a hoof against the snow. “Keep an eye out for them teenagers, y’hear?”
 
The now undecorated Gyftrot gave the boy a gentle headbutt before heading back down the slope where he’d come from. Frisk smiled.
 
"He was nice. I like him!"
 
"Yeah. He's okay I guess. He was a little rude earlier though. Guess he didn't like the kids 'Gyfts'" Lily joked, holding back a snort as Frisk looked at her with amused horror.
 
"You didn't..."
 
"I did. What’cha gonna do about it?" She raised an eyebrow in challenge.
 
"This!" Frisk retorted, eyes glinting evilly with intent.
 
Her challenging expression shifted to surprise when the boy turned and pushed her spectral form to the ground. His fingertips were in place in an instant, dancing along her sides. Laughter pealed from her throat at the sudden and remorseless attack.
 
"AHH! Frisk! C-c-cut it ouuuutttt HAHAHAHHAHA! PFFT!! HA! AAAH!" She struggled helplessly underneath his assault, trying to knock him off of her. He tortured her for several minutes before deciding she’d had enough punishment and let her up.
 
"I… I will… get... you back for... that Frisk..." Lily struggled to form the sentence. Frisk was grinning ear to ear.
 
"Come on Lily. We need to keep going!" Frisk offered a hand to help her up, snorting a little at the glare she shot him. Retrieving his stick from the ground where it fell, they continued along the path. They moved in the direction of the bridge, deciding to ignore the lower path for now. Gyftrot would probably want to enjoy his privacy right now anyway. Eventually, Frisk felt his stick strike something and he frowned.
 
"Lily what is this? Can’t be a rock, it’s too soft."
 
"Nope. It's a snow poff." She grinned, a plan forming in her mind.
 
Frisk walked another 2 feet before Lily spoke again. "And that... is a snow poff..." The boy just shook his head.
 
His stick brushed another mound of snow ahead of him. He turned away, intent on ignoring it when Lily piped up again. "This, however, is a snow poff."
 
"You're gonna do it for all of them aren't you?" He asked, his expression deadpan as he stared at her.
 
"Yup! Deal with it Frisk! I must do my job and tell you everything in your way!" She replied, throwing her arms to the side in example. Add a ‘Nyeh heh heh’ and she would have sounded just like Papyrus.
 
"Okay, this one is bigger. But still a snow poff!" Again.

“I could be wrong but that… Is also a snow poff.” And again.
"OH! What's this?!"
 
Frisk sighed and shook his head, but couldn’t help but grin at her obviously fake surprise. "A snow poff?"
 
"NOPE! IT'S A FRISK POFF!" She grinned, a sly smile forming as her hands moved toward his back.
 
"Hu-!" He was cut off when Lily pushed him into the pile. Soft powder flew up and around him as he landed on the plush snow before drifting lazily down onto his back. “Oof…”
 
"HAHAH! REVENGE! It's almost a sweet as chocolate!"
 
Frisk pushed himself up, sputtering a little as he spat out a bit of snow that managed to get into his mouth. “Pfft… T-traitor.”
 
“You started it.”
 
“And so, the cycle begins anew.” He grinned. He wasn’t sure where he learned that particular string of words from. Probably a cartoon or an anime or something.
 
Lily offered him a hand up and he resisted the urge to pull her down into the snow with him. Much as he wanted to, it was starting to get even colder, and he wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather to begin with. Before long, even the gloves Lily had insisted he take from the box wouldn’t be enough to keep out the chill. They moved onward at a brisk pace toward the bridge, and eventually Frisk’s stick caught another patch of snow. He smirked.
 
“Let me guess, another snow poff?” He asked Lily.
 
Lily was about to respond when the head of a little dog popped out from the snow. It gave a small, yappy bark when its large dark eyes set sight on the boy. Lily shook her head as a smile slowly spread across Frisk’s face… then clouded over a moment later as the snow rustled around the dog.
 
“Oh sh- uh… Frisk, SOUL… Now!” She commanded.
 
Confusion and a bit of apprehension created a unpleasant feeling in the pit of Frisk’s stomach and he complied. There emerging from the snow poff was a figure far larger than what should have been possible considering the small mound of snow in which it hid. A white-faced dog, similar to Lesser Dog from before was the only thing that could be seen beneath the bulky set of armor and dog-faced spear. Frisk stumbled back in response to its sudden appearance.
 
“I think that’s… the Greater Dog.” Lily said slowly.
 
The dog’s towering form loomed over the boy, and its dark eyes stared down upon his small frame. Its head cocked to the side as if in question and Frisk couldn’t help but find the act cute despite its hulking size. He cut an imposing figure to be sure, but weren’t the other dogs all really nice? What’s to say this one would be any different. Frisk raised a hand and beckoned toward it.
 
The dog’s face immediately lit up at the motion. Its tongue emerged from its mouth and it panted excitedly, letting its spear fall forgotten to the side. Its ham-fisted gauntlets smashed down into the snow and it bounded on all fours up to the boy. Frisk nearly reeled back again, fearing he might be crushed, but the armored canine skidded to a halt just before him. The boy reached a tentative hand up and pet it on the head.
 
“Oh for… he’s just as friendly as Lesser.” Lily sighed, as the Greater Dog nuzzled Frisk’s hand.
 
After a while of petting the dog noticed the stick in the boy’s other hand and went for it. Its jaws pulled gently on the stick before letting go and its eyes shot to Frisk as if making a request. The boy grinned and waved the stick in the air. Sure enough, the armored dog lowered itself on its comically large armored paws and panted expectantly.
 
They played fetch for a while, until at last the dog seemed to have calmed down. A white body about as large as Frisk jumped down from the armor and flopped down on its back in the snow. Frisk smiled and gave the dog a quick belly rub. Its leg kicked contently at the affection.
 
“Pet capacity has exceeded 100%” Lily grinned. “Risk of affection overload, rising.”
 
Frisk laughed, and gave the dog another pat on the head for good measure.
 
“Good boy. Thanks for playing with me.” He said as the dog rolled back onto its feet, licked his face, and reentered the armor. It shuffled around a bit before its tail popped out of the top where its head should go and at once, the armor stood back up. One of the large gauntlets rose and pointed in the direction of the bridge before it walked off that way on its own, tail wagging the whole way.
 
“How does it even control…” Lily began. “No, don’t say it. Magic. I know.”
 
Frisk shrugged. “Maybe we can ask about it later? I’m kind of curious too. I mean, mom told us how…”
 
He trailed off and sighed. Just mentioning her brought his mood back down despite all of the fun they’d been having. Lily’s expression fell into one of melancholy as she too remembered their final moments with the kind goat monster. She’d looked so sad when she’d let them go. It couldn’t have been an easy thing for her to do. While both children knew that it was necessary for the sake of everyone, it didn’t make them feel any better. Was she okay back in the Ruins all alone? Did she regret letting them leave… or, taking them in in the first place? If she hadn’t, it might have spared her a lot of pain, so why not?
 
“Frisk you… you still have the Cell Phone she gave us right?” Lily asked. “Try… calling her maybe?”
 
Of course. The phone. Frisk reached into his satchel and rummaged around a little to find it. Fishing it out, he extended the antenna and began scrolling through a list of options written in blocky text. Lily stopped him as soon he reached what he was looking for: Toriel’s phone number. He hit the green call button and listened as a fluttering sound came from the receiver, repeating a few times before ending on a click.
 
“Well?” Lily asked hopefully.
 
Frisk lowered the phone and sighed. “Nobody picked up…”
 
“I hope… she’s okay.” The girl folded her hands in front of her.
 
“Should… should we go back? Just to check on her?” He asked. Lily shook her head.
 
“You know we can’t… mom said not to. And even if we could we wouldn’t be able to open the door, right?” Frisk looked back to the phone forlornly. He knew she was right, but couldn’t help worrying. Noticing this, Lily put a hand on his shoulder. “Look, there’s probably a good reason. Remember when we had to chase down that little annoying dog after it stole her phone before?”
 
Frisk smiled at that. “Oh yeah. That was the first dog I met down here… I was surprised to even find dogs this far underground.”
 
“Right, so… maybe it took her phone again and she just hasn’t gotten it back yet?” Lily suggested. “I’m sure she’s alright.
 
She wasn’t sure how much of that was meant to encourage Frisk and how much was for her own benefit, but she forced a smile anyway. They had to believe she was safe… they had to. After all, they’d done what Flowey wanted and left the Ruins. There’d be no reason to hurt her now… right?
 
“Let’s just go.” She said, guiding Frisk onwards toward the bridge. The flickering of lights beyond the chasm steeled their resolve.
 
They were almost there.
 
"Hold up Frisk. The bridge… I don’t know if it's stable..." Lily questioned causing Frisk to pause while she moved closer to examine it. The wind over the chasm blew flurries of snow in all directions, forcing her to squint to see through it all. Still, it seemed perfectly sturdy despite everything. "It looks alright. There's even rope to hold onto."
 
"I wonder how far down it goes..." Frisk asked in wonder.
 
"I don't know. It looks like we're really high up. Come on. It'll be fine. I gotcha." Lily grinned and took his left wrist, and led him onto the bridge. Frisk’s free hand found the rope and, using it for balance, he allowed the girl to guide him gently onward.
 
"I think I see something red up there in the distance. It… looks like Papyrus’ scarf?"
 
They continued cautiously. It seemed sturdy enough to Frisk… The billowing wind prompted not even the slightest movement from the bridge’s planks. Not so for the boy. The cold gale blew incessantly from the north, battering against his small body. He stumbled and his stick caught on the ropes causing him to trip. His body struck the wooden supports hard, forcing the branch from his hand.
 
"Oh no, Frisk! Are you okay?!" The stick rolled from the boy’s hand and into the open air.
 
She’d expected to see it dip from the planks and fall into the chasm below. Instead, it simply continued to roll out into the empty space before eventually coming to a stop, suspended in the air as if gravity had completely forgotten to apply itself only to that one thing. "Um.. Okay?"
 
"I'm okay. Wh..where did my stick go?" Frisk replied before looking up at his companion, her confusion evident on her face.
 
"It's uh.. above the chasm? It's just floating there..."
 
“Floating…?”
 
The boy tilted his head in confusion but followed her gaze with his hand, tapping what felt more like rock than open air until his fingers grazed against the rough wood of the stick. Sighing in relief he took it in hand and stood back up.
 
"Okay. Yup. That's weird. You were touching what looks like nothing.” She said, all capacity for disbelief drained from her voice.
 
“It felt like rock.” Frisk replied matter-of-factly.
 
“No way. Does that mean the bridge is fake?" She heaved a drawn sigh and shrugged. "Come on. I think the exhaustion is starting mess with our heads… and I know you must be hungry. At least we know we don't have to be as careful..." She took his hand again and they continued on toward the other side.
 
Papyrus watched them alongside his brother, eagerly waiting for the puzzle-loving human. He’d had so much fun with both him and his invisible friend back at the symbol tile puzzle and was looking forward to showing them this next one. It was his latest creation, one that he had built using inspiration from the bits of ‘Human History’ he’d learned from Undyne. Supposedly, they loved these kinds of things and the red skeleton couldn’t wait to see the joy his creation evoked upon the face of his fellow puzzler. He stepped forward and spoke.
 
"HUMAN! THIS! IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!!" His vociferous declaration easily carried over the whistling wind.
 
"What the heck?!" Lily cried out as a flash of magic punctuated Papyrus’ words.
 
Six masses of bluish energy formed around the bridge, wriggling like gelatin in the open air. One by one, they split to reveal a number of deadly tools, each one aimed ominously at the bridge. To the left and right were two massive spears, their heads dangerously sharp. Above, a spiked ball easily three times as heavy as Frisk hung from a large chain, and below it, a dangerous looking pit of burning oil (which also looked like it was sitting on nothing). Papyrus’ mitted hand rested upon an iron forged cannon aimed directly at Frisk. Lily was so unnerved by the ominous sight that she almost did not notice the small white dog dangling near Sans’ head from a rope.
 
 She relayed the information to Frisk who was immediately torn between worry for his own safety, and that of the dog. The thought of the fire pit alone made him shudder in primal horror.
 
“W-what do we do…?” Frisk asked helplessly.
 
"WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!!! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING, THRUST, AND FIRE VIOLENTLY IN EVERY DIRECTION! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!!! ARE YOU READY?!"
 
“Wha- no!” Frisk shouted, though his own small voice was swallowed by the wind’s cry, unheard by the tall skeleton.
 
"BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!" Papyrus declared, grinning from cheekbone to cheekbone.
 
Seconds passed. Nothing happened. No spikes swung, no cannons fired, no blades sliced. The entire gauntlet remained static.
 
"well? what's the holdup bro?" Sans turned his own grin to Papyrus, oddly nonchalant despite the dangerous situation.
 
"HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP?! I'M... I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!!" Papyrus stammered. He was feeling nervous now. All of those dangerous weapons… what if the human got hurt?
 
Lily drifted ahead of Frisk and glared at the two skeletons, a protective urge driving her to position herself between her friend and the danger ahead. She wasn’t sure what she could possibly do in this situation but in that moment she couldn’t bring herself to care. They’d traveled through the entire forest with barely any rest and Frisk was already on his last legs. She could feel his exhaustion weighing him down as surely as if it were her own. Could Papyrus not see that? Did he even care? She wanted to scream at him… Sans too. After all, wasn’t he the one who promised to ‘keep an eye socket’ out for the boy? What was he even doing?
 
"that, uh, doesn't look very activated."  Sans replied, giving a wink in their direction.
 
That smothered her ire a little, if not outright extinguishing it. Frisk couldn’t see it but she certainly had. That wink… he knew Frisk was blind, so why? Was it… meant for her?
 
‘Does he know something…?’
 
Sans turned one lazy eye socket up toward his brother and waited. His intentions were unreadable behind that Cheshire Cat grin.
 
The Royal Guard hopeful looked out over his masterful creation, and almost seemed to sweat. The more he watched Frisk standing before all of those dangerous tools, the more he wondered if this wasn’t too much. The tiny human looked… scared. That wasn’t the reaction Papyrus was hoping for. He’d wanted thrills and drama, not fear. He wanted to capture the human more than anything… it was his dream. But this…? This wasn’t right, and he knew it.
 
"WELL!! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS..." Papyrus's face fell slightly as he searched for the right words. "MAYBE… TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH.” And then he knew it for a fact. “YES! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!"
 
Lily watched in wonder as all the traps receded into their various portals. The dog managed to give a small bark before it too was whisked away to where ever it was drawn from and Frisk sighed in relief, giving Papyrus a thankful smile.
 
"PHEW... WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" The taller skeleton asked, posing proudly. "THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!!! NYEH!! HEH!! ...HEH?" He gave one last look at the human before dashing off toward the lights twinkling in the distance.
 
Frisk sighed again, his shoulders drooping slightly as weariness settled upon him. Looking to Lily for guidance he took her hand and followed her across the rest of the 'bridge' and towards the lights glittering from the town. Sans waited for them at the end, posture relaxed and hands stuffed inside his hoodie pockets. He grinned knowingly down at the boy.
 
“welp, guess you made it, huh?” He said. Frisk gave the short bone man a tired thumbs up. “look like you been through the ringer, kiddo.”
 
“Yeah…” Frisk said wearily. “That was tough.”
 
“Poor Frisk.” Lily said. “I guess the trip really wore you down to the bone.”
 
Frisk giggled a little at her joke before relaying it to Sans. The short skeleton gave small chuckle of his own.
 
“heh. not bad.” Sans complimented.
 
The banter was pleasant enough. That was good at least. And it seemed like his little brother was having a good time too, which was even better. The blue skeleton found himself wondering if this was what it was like the first time they met. Probably not… after all, the kid was a lot more open this time despite the memory thing. Still, he wasn’t quite sure what to think about the situation. There were so many unanswered questions, and all those answers were tied to Frisk… getting to the bottom of them was another problem entirely.
 
Sans thought for a moment before giving the boy a light pat on the shoulder. It wouldn’t be good to seem to distant. Nevertheless, the gesture felt familiar somehow.
 
“well, the town’s right up ahead.” He said after a moment. “should be able to kick your feet up there for a while.”
 
“Good…” Frisk said, and the skeleton could really hear the exhaustion in his voice now. It reminded him a bit of himself on a good day.
 
“anyways, i should go. got a whole lot of work to not do.” Sans drew back his hand and returned it to his pocket. “be good, huh? don’t do anything i wouldn’t.”
 
“What do you do?” Lily questioned. Frisk giggled.
 
Sans hadn’t said anything funny. Not this time anyway. It must have been the kid’s friend again. He shrugged. “be seeing ya, kiddo.”
 
“Bye, Sans.” Frisk said gratefully. “And… thanks.”
 
He was about to shuffle off back in the direction of the forest when he stopped and stumbled back a couple of inches. Frisk had just run into him and had wrapped his spindly arms around his ribcage. Sans was stunned for a moment but managed to hide it behind his trademark all-concealing grin. He recovered with a short ‘heh’ and gently pat the boy on the back. After a moment, Frisk unhugged the shorter of the bone brothers and smiled. Sans gave a silent nod before setting off, trying to remember which post he was scheduled to slack off in right now.
 
Tired, but relieved the two children made the last leg of the journey without incident, drawn by the twinkling lights of the friendly little town.

Chapter Text

"Welcome to Snowdin." Lily read the sign off for Frisk before continuing sarcastically. "Wow… such an original name! Don't you think so, Frisk?" She turned her attention to her friend, only to see him walking down the path, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. He’d completely ignored her! She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. "Hey wait for me!"
 
"I smell something, Lily." The words were accompanied by a loud growl from his stomach. "It smells sooo good! Come on! It's gotta be close!" Frisk’s weariness took a backseat to his hunger, as he started jogging down the path, passing building after building as he followed the scent.
 
“No, wait- you’re gonna get hurt- watch out for- F-Frisk, slow down!” Lily darted after him, doing her best to keep him from tripping or running into anyone.  
 
A few monsters walking about the village turned to look at the strange child running into the village but thought little of it and returned to their business. Kids will be kids after all. After a few minutes, he stopped dead in his tracks before one of the buildings nestled in the center of the village; a brick building with lounge-like windows. By now, Lily could smell it too, and Frisk was right. Her own mouth started to water.
 
“It’s called… Grillby’s.” She read the large sign spread below the roof, written in large, bold lettering. “Let’s go inside!”
 
Frisk fumbled a little along the wooden door before eventually finding the handle and pulling it open. A blast of warm air greeted the two children, and the delicious scent intensified, beckoning them inside. Frisk graciously accepted the invitation and stepped slowly into the building, Lily following closely behind.
 
The children weren’t sure what to expect to find inside, but what they were met with turned out to be a perfectly normal looking bar and grill. Wood flooring with tables of varying sizes, booths against the wall, a neon sign bearing the establishment’s name hanging over a currently silent jukebox. All of it under the soft lighting of evenly placed lamps on the walls. Lily even recognized a few of the patrons gathered in one corner: it was the members of the dog clan.
 
“Grr… damn it, Greater!” Frisk recognized the voice of Doggo over the hum of the crowd. “This is totally unfair. How can I tell if you’re bluffing if you don’t move.”
 
They didn’t seem to notice the humans’ entry. All five (or rather, four. Lesser seemed to be playing by himself) were fully invested in their current card game. Lily’s gaze fell upon the figure manning the bar, who was currently in the process of wiping down an empty mug. It was vaguely man-shaped but its body seemed to be made entirely out of fire. A pair of spectacles framed his face where his eyes might have been and he wore the typical attire of a barman or waiter.
 
“I think that fire guy is the owner. No one else seems to be working here.” Lily said.
 
“A fireman?” Frisk asked, confusedly.
 
“No, I mean he’s actually fire.” Lily said. “Like… living fire.”
 
Frisk stopped in place at her description of the owner. He wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering despite the comforting warmth of the tavern. He was starting to regret coming in here now. Lily seemed to notice this and drifted over to his side. She took his had gently in hers and squeezed.
 
“Hey…” She soothed. “Jeez… you really don’t like fire, do you?”
 
Frisk said nothing. He simply squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
 
“It’ll be alright, I think.” She said gently. “I mean, there’s wood all around us and nothing’s burning. Even his clothes aren’t burning. I don’t think he’ll hurt you.”
 
Frisk still didn’t move. He sniffled a little, and Lily could tell he was torn. He didn’t want to go back outside to the cold and hunger but he was too afraid to go on. She wondered if she really should have told him about the man of fire or not.
 
“I’m scared…” He said, barely above a whisper.
 
“Listen…” She wrapped her arms around him. “Just… think of it like a fireplace. You know, like the one in Home, back when we were staying with Mom. Remember how warm and gentle it was when we sat in front of it while she read to us? You weren’t scared then, right? And besides… he’s a monster too. All the ones we’ve met have been nice once we got to know them.” Well, barring that dangerous stunt Papyrus almost pulled, but she wasn’t going to bring that up. He’d decided not to anyway, so he must have realized in the end what he was doing. “And besides, I know you’re hungry. Maybe he can make us something to eat.”
 
Frisk thought about that for a moment. He was scared… he’d always been afraid of fire for as long as he could remember. But Lily was right. In a way, maybe a ‘living’ fire was better than a normal one. A normal fire just consumed without any regard for the pain or destruction it caused. But wouldn’t a fire that could think, that could feel, be a little more discerning? His stomach growled in agreement to that thought.
 
He steeled his nerves and put one foot in front of the other, slowly approaching the bar. Lily helped him find one of the stools and he climbed into it. The fiery bartender looked down at the strange boy that wandered inside his bar, crackling slightly. Frisk shrunk a little from the sound but forced himself to stay put.
 
“Grillbz says, ‘what are you having?’” Said a voice to the left.
 
An echoing sigh seemed to resound from somewhere in the fire monster’s vicinity, but he said nothing.
 
“Um…” Frisk began fearfully. “What… is there?”
 
“Whasamatter, kid? Can’t ya read?” Said the same voice, belonging to a bird like monster with bright red plumage lounging in a stool to their left. Lily glared at him, even though she knew he couldn’t see it.
 
Another sigh. “…Enough, Red…” Grilby’s voice was light and airy, almost like a whisper.
 
“Eh, sorry Grillbz.” The bird monster said, chastened by only those two simple words.
 
“…Are you alright…?” Grillby asked.
 
“Um… I…” Frisk gulped. “I’m fine…”
 
The man of fire nodded, realizing it would probably be best to keep his space. That was fine anyway… he wasn’t much for talking. Instead, he pulled out an old fashioned looking menu from behind the counter. Though it seemed to be made of simple paper, it did not burn when his flaming hands touched it. He placed it on the counter and slid it over to the boy.
 
“Let’s see…” Lily looked over it. “Burgers, fries, grilled sandwiches… it looks like pretty standard food for a place like this. It all looks pretty good though.”
 
“I- I guess I’ll have a… burger?” Frisk asked meekly. The man of fire nodded, and moved around the bar before disappearing through a door leading into what Lily assumed to be the kitchen area. Frisk exhaled, feeling the tension lift from his shoulders. Lily smiled at him.
 
“See? You did good.” She said softly.
 
They waited in silence, Lily hovering next to Frisk who kicked his legs under the stool, to try to keep himself active. The warm tavern and the gentle hum of conversation melded with his own exhaustion, making him feel rather drowsy. He fought hard to stay awake but caught his head falling limp every so often.
 
Luckily, it did not take long for Grillby to return with the requested meal. He sat the warm plate down in front of the boy and backed away, moving to chat with another customer. Lily was impressed. He’d not been gone but two minutes and yet the patty looked like it had spent about half an hour simmering on a charbroiler. The scent was mouth watering. Even the bun looked to have been lightly toasted.
 
“That looks good.” Lily said. “Hey Frisk, can I…”
 
Frisk turned to her tiredly and gave a little nod. Lily smiled and took his hand, letting herself share his body and his senses. The fatigue hit her even harder like this, but she didn’t mind. It was comfortable, in a way… a different sort of warmth than the bar. Frisk took a small bite of the meal to test the waters and was pleased. It was just as succulent as it smelled. And the flavor, while somehow different from the burgers he’d tasted on the surface was every bit as good as the ones he knew. Maybe even better.
 
He ate slowly, forcing himself to avoid devouring the thing in a only a few bites. Monster food may disperse into magic upon swallowing, but he wasn’t about to risk eating too fast if the other rules still applied. Eventually, he finished his meal, immensely satisfied with the pleasantly full feeling it left in his stomach.
 
“That was good.”  Lily said in his head.
 
‘Yeah…’ Frisk replied wordlessly.
 
He lifted a hand to his mouth as a yawn forced its way out. With his hunger sated, there was little else keeping him awake. This time, he gave in, folding his arms in front of him and laying his head down on the bar. He couldn’t even find the strength to be scared anymore, even with Grillby wiping down the countertop only a few feet away.
 
“Frisk… maybe we…” Lily began, feeling the boy’s encroaching sleep weighing on her as well.
 
‘I’m sorry…’ He said softly to his companion. ‘I’m so… sleepy.’
 
Lily sighed, and Frisk caught the scent of her apple-cinnamon affection. It made him smile. “Alright… just, let me out okay? Just so I can keep an eye on you.”
 
‘’Kay…’ Frisk said, managing to concentrate just enough to allow Lily to materialize at his side.
 
Vaguely, he felt the urge to ask ‘what about you’ but his mind barely had enough strength to even form the sentiment. That was fine with Lily… she would have an opportunity to sleep later. She could stay awake for this, surely.
 
Grillby took a bottle down from the shelf and turned back to the bar, noticing the young child resting his head next to the empty plate. If anyone could read the facial expressions of fire, they would have seen a smile from the burning barman. Lily watched as he quietly took the plate, taking care not to disturb Frisk and placed it aside. He could collect the payment later.
 
Lily couldn't help but smile at Grillby and his desire not to disturb Frisk. She'd have to make sure to tell the boy later. It might ease some more of his fear of the fire man. She carefully positioned herself on the stool next to Frisk to watch the other customers. Her eyes scanned the patrons as she took everything in, taking advantage of her invisibility to look for any that might seem threatening. Fortunately nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye. A random boy sleeping at the bar drew a lot less attention than she thought it would.
 
Frisk made a small noise, drawing the ghostly girl’s attention. His arms shifted and his head turned toward her, but he otherwise didn’t stir. Smiling softly she brushed the loose brown hair from in front of his eyes before turning back to her watch. She stifled a yawn of her own; the bars comforting warmth had begun to wear her down as well. Her head drooped and eventually fell to her chest as weariness began to take her.
 
It lasted only a moment before a scraping noise caused her to jolt awake. She turned to the sound just in time to see Greater Dog tromping over to the bar where they sat. The large canine tilted his head slightly, not giving Lily any time to warn her friend before his arms reach beneath Frisk’s arms and lifted him up. With a surprised cry, Lily reached instinctively for her friend but stopped when Frisk reached up and stroked the familiar coat of fur. He gave a sleepy laugh as Greater carried him back to the dog table.
 
Lily followed close behind as the armored dog set the boy down in the chair between Doggo and himself. Being between the two furry monsters made Frisk feel extra toasty, which he was grateful for. The boy waved softly to Lesser, Dogaressa and Dogamy, and gave Greater another pet, before snuggling up to Doggo’s side. The ever alert dog blinked a few times before giving a long grin of his own. It wasn’t moving, but he could feel it, so he knew it was there.  Lily gave a little 'aww' at the adorable scene before floating over to re-adjust Frisks arms so he wouldn’t be hunched over as awkwardly.
 
They stayed like this for a while before the door to the entrance was suddenly flung open and a loud voice called into the bar. "HELLO! HAS ANYONE SEEN MY BROTHER SANS?! HE IS NOT AT HIS-" Papyrus stopped when he noticed the mop of brown hair nestled in between two fluffy white dogs. "HUMAN? IS THAT YOU?” The skeleton squinted a little. “IT IS, ISN’T IT?! WOWIE, YOU MUST BE TIRED!"
 
Papyrus rushed over to the dog clan’s table without a thought, but stopped short when a few of them turned warning growls in his direction . Lily herself did a very good impression of a growl as well. She hadn’t forgotten what Papyrus almost did to Frisk. Papyrus shuffled uncomfortably. "PLEASE, I ONLY WISH TO MAKE THE HUMAN FEEL BETTER! IT IS NOT GOOD FOR THE BONES FOR ONE TO SLEEP HUNCHED OVER LIKE THIS!"
 
"It's okay..." Frisk whispered, having been woken by Papyrus’ loud entry. The boy lifted his head up and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve before reaching up to sooth the growling masses of fur. He looked sleepily toward Lily who smiled sheepishly. "A place to sleep sounds really good..."
 
"THEN IT IS DECIDED! COME TINY HUMAN! YOU SHALL REST AT THE HOME OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS! THERE WILL BE TIME TO DO A CAPTURING ONCE YOU’VE RECOVERED!" Papyrus darted to the other side of the table and, more gentle than one would think someone made of bone would be capable of, picked up Frisk and held him to his boney chest. Frisk gripped his shoulders with a little smile. "WHERE IS YOUR INVISIBLE FRIEND, HUMAN? SHE IS WELCOME TOO!”
 
"Lily? She’s here.” Frisk said groggily, and the ghost girl approached. Frisk waved his free hand around her general area. “See? No worries…"
 
"ALRIGHTY THEN! LET US GO! TIME FOR A NAP!"

 Sans’ eyesockets opened and the lights within flickered on as he slowly came to consciousness.
 
“Must’ve nodded off for a bit.” He muttered, pushing himself off the tree trunk he’d been resting against.
 
Papyrus would surely give him an earful if he’d seen where he was resting. The thought made Sans grin a little wider… Paps always did look out for him. The short skeleton twisted his neck about to loosen the joints, causing bit of snow to fall from the pile that had begun to accumulate on his head. He thought about leaving the rest there… too much effort to clear it, not much personal reason and he’d already begun to think of all the ways he could use this for comedy. But then, there was something he did have reason to do and walking around the workshop while leaking melting snow on sensitive equipment was just asking for trouble. He brushed it off.
 
By now, the kid would have reached the town, he figured. He should be able to get there without much fuss. Stretching his limbs a little more, Sans concentrated on the flow of his magic, calculated the distance, accounting for both elevation and obstacles, and finally gravitational pull. Then, he lifted a foot from the forest floor, and sat it down in the fresh snow before the door to his workshop.
 
Rummaging around his hoodie pocket he fished out what he was looking for: a silver key, glowing almost imperceptibly with magic. He inserted it into the lock, opened the door and stepped inside.
 
Just as he’d left it… or will leave it. As far as this room was concerned he could have been gone a second or a century and it would not have mattered. Time had no meaning in this place. Made it perfect for his purposes. He approached the recess containing his workspace.
 
“registration: sans serif.” Sans said as if reciting a script. “commence chromatis identification.”
 
A strange whirr resounded from the other side of the wall before a hidden compartment along slid open, and a strange machine emerged from within. It was circular and metallic, borne by a number of cables suffused with the skeleton’s own magic and tinged blue. A crystalline lens was set in the center, making it look almost like the eye of an insect.
 
Sans placed his own left eye up to the lens, closing the socket briefly. When he opened it again, the eye was different. It swirled trichroically between cyan, yellow, and the barest wisps of purple, emitting tongues of energy in these same colors. The machine went to work, firing out hundreds of miniscule blue beams in quick succession as it scanned the magical structure of Sans’ eye. It took only a couple of seconds before the machine gave a confirming chime and retracted.
 
Upon the opposite wall, more tiles shifted to reveal a sophisticated looking terminal with a holographic keyboard baring strange symbols in place of letters. Sans approached it and began scrolling through the numerous files stored within. The earliest ones were from the mid 21Xs… those had to do with the flower, though he didn’t figure that out until much later. The rest were a jumbled mess of non-sequential timestamps. Some entries even took place at the exact same time but in completely different locations. That was the kid.
 
He stopped when he got to one of the last entries, bearing the latest registered timestamp. These weren’t written by Sans. He still couldn’t read them… the cipher was incredibly sophisticated. He knew the kid had written these somewhen in the previous timeline. It was hard to believe that sweet little child could create something like this. Then again, there were a lot of things Frisk did that he didn’t seem capable of. Either way, there was little doubt. What was it he was trying to say?
 
He figured for a moment that maybe he simply wasn’t meant to read them if it wasn’t for that last line… the one that was plainly written without a cipher, clearly meant for his eye:
 
I’m sorry.
 
That was it. Two words, and the rest was hidden beneath these new symbols. Sans could probably decode them, given enough time but it would likely take months to unravel the pattern and create a codex on his own and who knows what could happen by the time he did? That left only one option; get the kid himself to decode the message so they could solve this mystery, but that had its own set of problems. Until Sans knew the nature of Frisk’s (allegedly) missing memories, he doubted the boy could do much in that regard. For now, all he could do was transfer the new data he’d gathered, to preserve it. For one thing, the kid’s haunting was certainly an interesting development. None of the other records showed anything about her… and Sans had been through this too much to believe in coincidences.
 
He created a new file in the folder for this timeline and transferred the information he’d written down. He made sure to mark all information pertaining to Frisk’s mysterious friend as ‘Vital’, before saving the document and dismissing the terminal. He wiped his forehead and sighed, relieved to have that over with. It was only then he realized how late it had gotten. Or rather, how late it was before he came in here. Papyrus would likely be wondering where he was and why he wasn’t at his post but it was almost the end of his shift anyway.
 
He stepped out of the timeless room and locked the door quietly behind him. He was about to turn the corner and head around to the front door when he suddenly heard the loud crunching of snow from the other side. The short skeleton flattened himself against the wall and peaked around. Sure enough, there was Papyrus, heading home after making his rounds, but Sans hadn’t expected who he saw with him.
 
The kid was curled up in his brother’s bony arms, head resting on the cloth of Papyrus’ tattered scarf. Poor little guy looked exhausted. Again, he found himself wondering: was that really the same boy who had written that strange message? Papyrus shifted his bundle who mumbled sleepily as he moved to open the door to the house he shared with Sans before stepping inside and closing it behind him.
 
Sans waited for about five minutes before stepping out from his hiding place and heading for the door himself. He took a deep breath and put on the most casual grin he could muster (which wasn’t hard) and stepped inside.
 
“honey, i’m home.” He chuckled when he saw Papyrus laying Frisk down on their plush green couch.
 
“SANS-!” Papyrus just barely managed to stop himself from outright shouting at his brother’s entry. He continued at a volume surprisingly quiet for him. “SANS…! SHHH…! THE HUMAN IS ASLEEP NOW. WE MUSTN’T WAKE IT UP.”
 
“think that one’s a male human, paps.” Sans corrected quietly.
 
“REALLY? HMM… THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN AWKWARD.” Papyrus said. “BUT THEN, HOW DID YOU KNOW, BROTHER?”
 
“meh. guess i just feel it in my bones.” Sans grinned and Papyrus grimaced. “anyways, guess you finally captured one, huh?”
 
“OF COURSE NOT. THE GREAT PAPYRUS CANNOT CAPTURE A HUMAN THIS WAY! HE MUST REST FIRST. THAT IS WHY I BROUGHT HIM AND HIS INVISIBLE FRIEND HERE, TO OUR AMAZING HOME.”
 
Sans walked further inside and took a good look at the kid. He was tiny. Their couch might have been pretty spacious but curled up like he was, the boy barely took up a fifth of the thing. That trek through the forest along with everything else must have worn him down big time. His little body was probably running on determination alone by the end there. Sans caught a faint, familiar smell and grinned a little wider.
 
‘grillby’s eh? you got good taste, kiddo.’ Sans thought.
 
Papyrus rushed up the stairs as quietly as he was able, returning a few seconds later with a blanket under his arm. With a single fluid motion he unraveled it and covered up the young human. Frisk shifted in response, gripping the fabric unconsciously and wrapping it around himself.
 
“went through the whole forest in one go.” Sans said. “tough little guy, huh?”
 
“NYEH HEH HEH! THAT HE IS! AND HIS INVISIBLE GIRL-FRIEND WAS MOST HELPFUL WITH ONE OF MY PUZZLES!” Sans snorted at his brother’s choice of words.
 
Lily on the other hand blushed furiously from where she lay next to Frisk, above the blanket, but still feeling the warmth through her friend. She’d been listening to the brothers talk ever since Sans had come in. In her mind she knew the tall skeleton probably didn’t mean for it to sound like that but it didn’t make it any less embarrassing. She had to admit though… Papyrus was much kinder than she’d given him credit for. How many people would actually allow someone they meant to capture take time to rest – and in their own home no less? He was certainly unique.
 
Sans too, to be honest. Now that she thought about it he always did seem to be there, throughout their entire trip through the forest. The most he’d done to try to stop them was that little word search and even then it felt like he really didn’t care if it was done or not. He was mysterious, but he didn’t seem to be a bad guy.
 
‘A lazybones maybe, but then, so is Frisk.’  The thought brought a smile to her lips as she huddled in next to her sleeping friend. The brothers’ conversation faded into a haze as her own weariness began to catch up with her. ‘It should be okay if I sleep a little, right…? We’ll be okay here… we’ll be… okay…’ Frisk’s warmth, combined with that of the blanket rapidly drained the consciousness from her spectral form and before long, she too had fallen into a deep, warm slumber.

Frisk grunted in protest as wakefulness began to force itself on him. The warmth felt so nice to his overexerted body, and he tried to will himself back to sleep. Who knew trekking through the snow like they had would leave him so tired? After a few moments, he decided to give up, cursing the realm of dreams for kicking him out like that. Still, even if he had to stay awake, he wasn’t quite ready to leave the coziness of the blanket just yet. He snuggled deeper into it, his arms tightening around Lily.
 
Wait... Lily?
 
His mind came to attention when he finally noticed Lily's ruddy brown hair lying against his chest. His right arm was trapped beneath her while his left draped across her spectral form. He must have turned in his sleep and Lily just decided to use him as her own pillow. The thought caused a small blush to appear on his cheeks.
 
'So… that's what she looks like when she's sleeping…' He turned his attention away from his dozing friend and toward the end of the couch where he felt something shifting.
 
The scent of... something... like cologne, reached his nose, and his face wrinkled from the strong scent. "Hello? Who's there?"
 
Using the same ‘quietness’ from last night, Papyrus spoke up. "IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! HOW DID YOU SLEEP? SANS WARNED ME YOU MIGHT BE OUT FOR AWHILE!  ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?"
 
Frisk grimaced slightly at the volume but replied anyway. "I do feel a lot better. Still kind of sore… but better. Thank you Papyrus." The boy shifted slightly to slide Lily off of him so he could sit up. The sleepy groan she gave in response caused him to giggle quietly. It was cute.
 
"I AM HAPPY YOU ARE FEELING BETTER! WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIEND? I SAW YOU HOLDING SOMETHING SO I AM GUESSING IT WAS HER?" Papyrus asks innocently.
 
Frisk chuckled, turning his attention back to the tall skeleton. "Yeah that was her. She's still sleeping. Which is kind of surprising, since she's normally awake before me."  Lifting up his arms, he stretched before shaking the stiffness out of his joints. "Hey Papyrus. Do you have a sink I could use? I'd like to wash my face."
 
"YES! WE HAVE A SINK IN THE KITCHEN AND ONE IN THE WASHROOM. IT IS UNDER THE STAIRS." He replied happily as Frisk slid himself off the couch.
 
"Thanks! Uh.." He gently called his SOUL forth to look at Papyrus. "Could you point me in the right direction?"
 
It was the first time he’d actually seen the skeleton. He had something of an idea from when Papyrus had carried him on his shoulders through the tile changing maze but now he really got to see him. He still wore his battle-body, complete with the tattered scarf around his neck. Though he had no muscle, being a skeleton, he somehow managed to have a powerful, valorous air. He really did look a lot like a superhero.
 
Papyrus looked at the boy quizzically before grinning. "OF COURSE! THAT WAY IS THE WASH ROOM AND THIS WAY IS THE KITCHEN!" He pointed to the left and right respectively.
 
"Thanks again." Frisk felt his way in the direction Papyrus indicated and made his way to the washroom. It took him a little while to find the sink but eventually he managed, splashing his face with warm water. Feeling refreshed, he emerged a few minutes later, and made his way back to where the red skeleton and a now-awake Lily sat.
 
"Mornin' Frisk!" She grinned happily, waving slightly as she sat next to Papyrus.
 
"Morning Lily. Feel better?" So it was morning. The Underground made it a little hard to tell.
 
"Yeah. I feel great. How about you?" Concern laced her voice as she looked him up and down. The drowsiness that accompanied the first few moments following sleep was still present on her face, but she looked no worse for wear.
 
"A little sore but other than that I'm good." With those words he plopped down on the couch next to her.
 
"OH! YOU ARE AWAKE? I DID NOT NOTICE! GOOD MORNING LILY!" Papyrus returned to his normal volume now that everyone is awake.
 
"Morning Papyrus!" She grins.
 
"She says good morning to you too." The boy relayed for his benefit.
 
"I'VE BEEN MEANING TO ASK HUMAN-" He stopped short. "ACTUALLY. I KNOW YOUR FRIEND’S NAME BUT I DO NOT KNOW YOURS. WOULD YOU TELL ME? THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST KNOW THE NAME OF EVERYONE HE MEETS!"
 
"Huh? Oh. My name is Frisk!" He grinned. He’d never had so many people who wished to know his name. It felt great.
 
"AS I WAS SAYING THEN! I WANTED TO ASK YOU FRISK. WHY DID YOU PULL YOUR SOUL OUT LIKE YOU DID?" Papyrus inquired. “IS THAT PERHAPS HOW HUMANS GREET ONE ANOTHER?”
 
"Oh, no. It isn’t that.” Frisk laughed. “It’s… because I’m blind. But when I have my SOUL out I can see, sort of. It’s a little hard to explain.” Papyrus looked more than a little confused, so Frisk decided to try anyway. “It’s like this: Most stuff just looks like nothing, but my SOUL, monsters and their attacks, and a few other things… I can see them when it’s out. That’s why I used it to see where you were pointing. I can’t much at all any other time… well, except Lily.”
 
"WHY NOT HAVE YOUR SOUL OUT ALL THE TIME THEN?" Papyrus asks, confusion in his voice. Frisk opened his mouth to respond.
 
"i don’t think that would be the best idea, bro." Sans interrupted, walking down from the stairs and heading for them. "having his SOUL out all the time would be like a giant target on his chest."
 
"That makes sense. I mean. Especially since it's so bright it might draw attention." Lily confirms, looking at Frisk.
 
Sans dropped onto the couch next to his brother and grinned at Frisk. “how ya doin’, kiddo?”
 
“Better, thanks.” Frisk said. “And you’re right, but I guess I’m also a little scared of using it too much.”
 
“don’t wanna over do it without knowing the side effects…” Sans finished. “pretty smart.” It was actually really smart. Sans was impressed.
 
“ARE OTHER HUMANS UNABLE TO SEE AS WELL?” Papyrus asked. It seemed like a silly question at first, but then, most monsters have probably never even seen a human before, let alone known much about them. Frisk answered.
 
“No. Most humans see with their eyes just fine. But, there’s a few like me who can’t. Either because they were born that way or because of… accidents.” He paused before finishing. A pause that didn’t go unnoticed to Lily or the skeletons. “Actually, I don’t think many humans even know SOULs exist. I didn’t, until I fell. Yeah, people talk about them but everyone says something a little different and I don’t think anyone’s actually seen one. I might be the only one who has.”
 
“still pretty convenient that it can do that.” Sans stated, folding his hands behind his head and slouching. “dunno much about human SOULs, but i guess they ain’t much different from monsters’. if you could learn to do that little trick without pulling it out it might be safer.”
 
“I… never really thought about that.” Frisk said. “Wow… you’re really smart, Sans.”
 
“NYEH HEH HEH!” Papyrus laughed proudly. “BUT OF COURSE! SANS IS MY BROTHER SO IT IS ONLY NATURAL THAT HE IS ALSO GREAT! EVEN IF HE IS A LAZYBONES.”
 
“nah…” The short skeleton dismissed the praise and knocked on his temple. “no brains here. i’m just a big bonehead.”
 
“WELL… IT’S CLEAR THAT YOU STILL NEED TIME TO RECOVER…” Papyrus said slowly. He seemed a bit at odds with himself. “IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO?”
 
“No, I think I’ll be okay soon.” Frisk said. “But, um… if it’s alright, I’d like to look around town a little. We didn’t really go anywhere besides Grillby’s yesterday. I promise I won’t run off or anything.”
 
Lily giggled a little. “He wants to ‘capture’ you and you say that?”
 
Frisk just smiled. Papyrus folded his hands and grinned widely. “THEN, I HAVE AN IDEA! YOU WILL TAKE IN THE TOWN WHILE I PREPARE, THEN YOU AND LILY SHALL JOIN ME ON MY AWESOME PATROL! YOU CAN EVEN HELP ME RECALIBRATE MY PUZZLES!”
 
“That sounds like fun!” Frisk said happily. “I liked your puzzles… well, except for that last one.”
 
Somehow, a blush formed on Papyrus’ cheekbones. “WOWIE! A TRUE PUZZLE PASSIONIERE! VERY WELL, I SHALL PREPARE MYSELF SO THAT WE MAY ENJOY OUSELVES THOROUGHLY! NYEH!”
 
The red skeleton quickly stood up and rushed to the stairs, taking them three at a time up to his room. He fumbled a bit with the sticker-covered door before throwing it open and slamming it behind him. After a few seconds he opened the door again, attached a sticky note to the knob, and slammed it again. Curious, Lily drifted up to read it.
 
‘DO NOT DISTURB. MAKING MYSELF EVEN COOLER. – PAPYRUS’
 
Lily almost lost herself to laughter as she drifted back down to the others.
 
“you know you just made his day, right?’ Sans asked lazily from the couch he looked like he was about to fuse with. “he only breaks out that one when he’s really excited.”
 
Frisk and Lily said their goodbyes to Sans, and the girl directed him to where his stick lay propped against the couch where they’d slept. Frisk wasn’t sure how it had gotten there. He was pretty sure he’d dropped it in Grillby’s when fatigue took him. Maybe the dog clan returned it sometime after they’d left. Either way, it was good to hold it again. Lily was a great guide, but there was something comforting about the little branch that he just couldn’t describe.
 
Snowdin was alive with the sounds of monsters going about their daily routines. The crunch of snow from the many paws, feet, and hooves of the residents was somehow soothing to Frisk’s ears. The skeleton brothers’ house was located on the far side of town, opposite of where they’d entered. There was little beyond it that they could see, so it wasn’t hard to decide on a direction. They walked along the snowy path, taking everything in while deciding what to do first. A few of the monsters greeted them with friendly ‘hellos’ and waves. The roof of every home was covered in a generous layer of snow, and a large conifer dominated the center of town, surrounded by a number of gifts wrapped in colorful paper. Lily described everything to Frisk, and he smiled from ear to ear with every word. The town radiated with the comforting glow of kinship.  
 
Eventually, they reached the other side of town where the large, brightly colored welcome sign had greeted them when they first arrived. A large, semi detached building with two entrances stood before them, leading to a shop and an inn. But it was what sat in front of it that caught Lily’s attention.
 
“Hey Frisk, isn’t that…” She drifted over to it. “I think this is the same box from before.”
 
“Really?” Frisk approached it and popped it open for her to look inside. Sure enough, the dull shears were still there, staring up at her from the otherwise empty confines of the box.
 
“They’re… still here.” She  said.
 
“Those shears from before?” Frisk asked, he rubbed his hands together within the gloves. He’d pulled them on before they’d left without really thinking about it, but those came from here too.
 
“Frisk… I know what you said before but…” Lily began softly. She wasn’t looking at him while she spoke. “Could we take them, please? I mean… they’re still here. No one seemed to take them the whole day so.”
 
“There’s something about those, isn’t there?” It was hardly a question. She’d been strangely fixated on them the first time too.
 
“I can’t… really describe it.” She said. “When I look at them I just feel really nostalgic.”
 
“Alright…” Frisk relented, reaching into the box and pulling out the shears. “Maybe we could ask the shopkeeper about them. I mean, the box is right here. They must know something about them.”
 
“Good idea.” Lily said, at Frisk placed the shears into his satchel. “Thanks. I mean it.”
 
They enter the door on the left, the one leading into the shop. The place was aglow in orange light from the old fashioned lamps set in the corners. A large scroll baring the same symbol as that displayed prominently in the Ruins took up the majority of the back wall. The smell of cinnamon and sugar caught Frisk’s attention from the warm, bunny shaped pastries displayed beneath the glass top counter.
 
A bell in the corner of the doorframe gave a pleasant chime as they stepped inside. The shopkeeper, a purple bunny monster in a sleeveless white shirt and green sunhat turned to regard the boy from behind the counter where she was busy stocking shelves with a number of small items for display.
 
“Oh! Heya, cutie. Welcome to my little store.” She greeted. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”
 
“Hello, miss.” The boy replied, feeling his way to the counter with Lily’s guidance. “You have a really pretty voice.”
 
Lily snickered through her hand at Frisk’s greeting. The shopkeeper placed a hand to her heart in an exaggerated manner and smiled. “My, my… what a little charmer. So, what can I do for you, honey?”
 
“I wanted to ask about that box outside.” Frisk said.
 
“Convenient little things ain’t they?” She replied. “That Royal Scientist… what was her name? Alphys, I think. She used to invent things before takin’ the job.”
 
“So she made them?” Frisk offered.
 
“Well, not exactly.” The shopkeeper clarified. “Those things’ve been around a while. I’m not sure who actually made them. But Alphys? She made it so a box can show up anywhere.”
 
“That’s… really cool.” Frisk said, impressed. Lily shared the sentiment. “Do you know how they work?”
 
“Not much to tell.” The bunny said. “You put somethin’ in, and you can take it out from any other place they show up. It’s really handy.”
 
“Wouldn’t that mean anyone could take anything out from them, though?” The boy suggested.
 
“Curious ain’tcha. Well… I’m no scientist.” She hesitated for a moment. “But… I think the boxes sort’ve ‘know’ who’s opening ‘em somehow. So you only see what belongs to you, and no one else can take it. Some monsters use them quite a bit. Mighty nice when your nephew leaves for school and ends up forgetting his lunch.”
 
The last part sounded like she was speaking from experience.
 
“Hmm… what if, say, you opened the box and found something that you know you didn’t put in?” Frisk asked, wording the question carefully. “Is that possible?”
 
“Well I dunno about that, honey…” She said, seemingly at a loss. “I guess they could be broken, but I’ve never known that to happen. I guess I’d say if you find something in there that you don’t know about it’s probably still okay to take it. They’ve never given us any trouble before, so it must belong to you somehow, even if you don’t remember.”
 
“Alright… thanks.” Frisk said.
 
“Anytime.” She said. “Anything else you need?”
 
Frisk thought about that for a second. The door opened behind him and the bell chimed once again. A cold blast from outside caused him to shiver.
 
“Do you have any warmer clothes?” He asked. The furry shopkeeper smiled, and turned to her stock.
 
Frisk and Lily stepped outside again, Frisk now wearing a blue jacket with long sleeves and white, cotton lining over his striped shirt. His shoes had also been replaced by a pair of brown boots more suitable for the cold and moisture of the Snowdin climate. In his free hand, he held a neatly wrapped ‘Cinnamon Bunny’ that the shopkeeper, who they learned was named Miss Lapin insisted he take with him. He took a bite out of the aromatic pastry, giving a hum of delight at the taste.
 
“Well…” He said after swallowing the bite. “She said it herself… those boxes don’t show you anything that isn’t already yours. They can’t be mine so… I guess that means they were yours.”
 
“Y-yeah.” Lily said. She’d been thoughtful ever since Miss Lapin told them about the boxes and how they work.
 
“Hey… That’s good right?” Frisk asked. “It means we have something from your past!”
 
“I know, but…” She hesitated, trying to figure out the right way to say it. “I see them, and I feel something. It’s like I’m happy and sad at the same time… but when I try to reach for the memory it doesn’t come. Like its hiding from me, and I don’t know why.”
 
Frisk moved to her side and pulled her into a hug. “It’ll be okay. I promise.” He says gently. “One step at a time, right? We have the first piece… we just need to find the rest.”
 
Lily smiled and placed her hand over her friend’s. “Yeah… you’re right.”
 
The hug continued for a good few minutes, Frisk’s open jacket covering them both himself and Lily. If any of Snowdin’s residents found strangeness in a young boy hugging the open air, they made no show of it. Neither child knew if this was due to simple courtesy or some part of monster culture that made acts like this less odd than they would be in human society. It didn’t matter to them anyway.
 
It was only when he was sure that his friend was feeling better that pulled away. "Let's go! I can't wait to see more of Snowdin!" Frisk grinned at his own joke, provoking a laugh from Lily.

Chapter Text

Spirits lifted after Frisk’s encouragement, Lily felt as eager as he was to take in more of Snowdin. Assuming her role as guide, she took his hand and began leading him eagerly into the festive monster town.
 
 "I think I saw a library back there? At least, I think that’s what it was… the sign seemed a little off.” Lily suggested, guiding the boy in that direction. “Maybe we can learn something there? Might give you an idea on that feeling you had back home."
 
Frisk recalled the strange feeling in his chest… it never quite went away. “Good idea.”
 
The ghostly girl led him through the town, passed the brightly decorated tree at its center. The delicious smell of Grillby’s tried to entice them but they resisted, continuing beyond it to the building right next door. It was large, built of red brick and covered in snow like everything else. Light glimmered from beyond the windows lining the front. Above the single door was a sign reading ‘Librarby’. Lily’s inner grammarian cringed.
 
"Librarby… seriously? They really need to fix this sign." She remarked, shaking her head.
 
“Not exactly a mistake you’d want to see from a place like that, huh?” Frisk grinned.
 
“Right?” Lily giggled. “Oh well, let’s check it out anyway.”
 
She guided Frisk to the door and he opened it. A breath of warm air brushed their skin as they stepped inside. The small building had only a few monsters within, all engrossed in their own books or writing. Closing the door behind him, Frisk looked to Lily who hadn’t wasted a moment trying to find a good place to start. Frisk stifled a laugh. While she wasn’t being particularly noisy, her enthusiasm might have turned a few heads if any of the monsters could actually notice her.
 
"It looks like its split into sections…” Lily observed, quietly at first before remembering only Frisk could hear her. “Let's see… There's Monster History, Facts and Figures, a children’s section, Flora and Fauna, a fiction section, SOULS and Magic, and a miscellaneous section. Do any of those speak to you Frisk?" She questioned as her attention shifted to her more solid friend.
 
"Hm… SOULS and Magic seems interesting? Let's start there. If that's alright?" He asked. Maybe there was something there that could tell him about his strange ability.
 
Lily nodded and led him to the correct bookshelf, searching through the titles and stopping when she found one of note. "Monsters and Humans: The Differences.' Long name. Seems neat. Wanna read that one?" She asked, getting a quick thumbs up in response.
 
She took his hand and directed it to the book in question before directing them to a small table in the corner. Waiting for Frisk to settle and open the book for her to read, she glanced along the Flora and Fauna section. Her gaze settled on one titled 'Flowers and their Meanings' – She'd like to look at that one later – along with another she saw called 'Best Gardening Techniques' by someone named Fluffybuns. Her attention was drawn when Frisk finally called out to her gently, pulling her from her browsing.
 
Lily floated back to her friend and settled in the chair next to him. "Sorry. I saw some I wouldn't mind reading. They’re about plants.” She chuckled. “I guess I must really like them, huh?”
 
“Maybe we can look at those after?” Frisk suggested, opening the book and turning the pages until Lily stopped him at the beginning of the chapter.
 
"'Love, hope, compassion... This is what people say monster SOULs are made of.” She read aloud. “But the absolute nature of the “SOUL” is unknown. After all, humans have proven their SOULs don’t need these things to exist.' Oh… that's uh… kinda dark."
 
“Is that… really true?” Frisk said, somewhat sadly. From his own experiences though, he couldn’t exactly say the book was wrong.
 
“’While humans are capable of virtue, they are equally capable of cruelty. Easily convinced of their rightness, humans are able to justify even terrible acts should they believe in them strongly enough. A prime example of humanity’s moral ambiguity lies with the creation of the Barrier. Long ago, in the twilight days of the great war between our peoples, human sorcerers erected a great field of magic, imprisoning our race within the mountain. The reason for this act is a common subject for debate amongst historians. It is unlikely that we shall ever know the truth.”
 
A wave of anger and resentment she could not describe flashed through Lily’s being. Frisk choked back a gag as he was suddenly assailed by the acrid stench of iron and smoke. Hearing this, Lily turned her attention to the boy and the smell quickly became diluted as she reigned in her emotions.
 
“Well… I wasn’t expecting something so…” Lily began but couldn’t find the right word to convey her thoughts.
 
“A barrier…” Frisk said thoughtfully. “That’s why the monsters are living under the mountain? But… why would the humans do something like that? What did they have to gain?”
 
 “I dunno.” Lily said, fighting back another feeling of discontent. She shook her head. "This is a little upsetting. Maybe go to another chapter?"
 
Frisk nodded quickly, anything to get the smell from his nose. ‘Where… did that come from? She wouldn’t have gotten that angry just because of what the book said… right?’ He thought to himself, while turning the pages one by one until she told him to stop. She continued reading.
 
"While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water. Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us. Because they are made of magic, monsters’ bodies are heavily attuned to their SOULs. Should a monster not wish to fight, its defenses will weaken. And the crueler the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us. Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill…"
 
Lily stopped dead at that point, a recent and unhappy memory playing through her mind. She glanced down at Frisk and noticed that his expression mirrored her own feelings.
 
“So, is that why Mom…” Frisk thought aloud. “Is that why I…”
 
“Um, let’s end here, okay?” Lily said quickly, not allowing Frisk to entertain that thought any further. “I'm sure there's something else that we can find…" Frisk quickly shut the book in a silent gesture of agreement and Lily lead him back to the shelf to return it. They both made a note to never touch that book again.
 
Shaking himself from his stupor, Frisk sighed. "Let's try something else. We could try the books you looked at? You seemed pretty interested in them."
 
"Yeah. There was one called 'Flowers and Their Meanings.' I thought, since you named me after a flower it might be cool to find out what it means." The mood lightened a little as Lily directed him to the book in question.
 
“Oh wow. I didn’t really think about what it might mean. I just thought it was pretty.” Frisk admitted, retrieving the book. “I hope I didn’t choose something stupid.”
 
“Don’t say that, Frisk.” Lily laughed. “I bet it’s something super cool. Come on!”
 
With the book in hand they quickly made their way back to the table. Flicking open the book to the contents section, she scanned the labels to find the right page. "Let’s see… Page 37 is where 'Lilies' start…” Frisk started flicking through the pages. “Little more… There! Let's see...Oh wow. There are so many!" Her eyes grew wide as she skimmed the list.
 
"Well don't leave me out! Read some of them off for me!" Frisk whispered excitedly, chuckling at her facial expression.
 
"'Depending on the situation the lily can have several meanings. A lily’s color and shape often heavily influences its symbolism. In alchemy for instance, the Lily is often associated with lunar qualities and the transitioning of the SOUL.' Hm… I kinda like that one. 'Other meanings they can have might be hope, purity, rebirth and renewal, fertility, remembrance, and promise.'”
 
“Wow…” Frisk breathed as she read off all the different meanings.
 
“I know right? It makes me love the name you gave me even more!” She said happily.
 
Frisk blushed softly at the praise and gave a small smile. "I'm glad you like it! I thought it suited you, but I didn’t know it had so many cool meanings. I bet your real name is just as good… better even! I can’t wait to learn it.”
 
It was her turn to blush. “Thanks, Frisk. I hope I find it soon.”
 
They looked through the book a little more, deciding to search its contents for any mention of the strange golden flowers they’d seen prominently within the Ruins. They were so strange… strong despite their frail appearance, resilient enough to grow without sunlight. And the smell, though certainly fitting for a flowering plant was beyond compare. Yet, though some of those listed within the book came close, descriptively, none quite matched the characteristics of that mysterious flora. Coming up with nothing even after exhausting most of the book’s knowledge (Frisk learned more about flowers than he thought he’d ever care to), they returned it to the shelf.
 
“Oh well.” Lily sighed. She seemed disappointed. “Maybe we can try something else later.”
 
“Yeah.” Frisk agreed. “Papyrus is probably ready to go by now. We can always come back again.”
 
Returning the book to where they found it, the children bid the librarian farewell and exited the building back into the forever-winter of Snowdin town. Ultimately, while they weren’t able to find anything on Frisk’s mysterious ability, the experience as well as everything they did learn made it worth it. They were just about to head back to the skeletons’ home to meet up with Papyrus when his cheery voice rang out to them from across the way.
 
“OH, HUMAN FRISK! WHAT PERFECT TIMING!” He greeted, jogging up to them. “AND I ASSUME THE INVISIBLE LILY IS PRESENT AS WELL?”
 
Frisk giggled. “Yeah, she’s right here.”
 
 “ARE YOU READY TO JOIN THE GREAT PAPYRUS ON HIS BRAVE PATROL OF DERRING-DO AND PUZZLE-FILLED FUN?” The skeleton asked enthusiastically.
 
Frisk could hear the joy in the skeleton’s voice and it made him smile. Lily however, noticed his appearance and stifled a giggle. Papyrus seemed to have gone to great lengths to look his best for the patrol. His scarf, gloves, briefs, and tights were freshly washed, and his boots scrubbed. His armor had been meticulously polished so that it glimmered in the light cast from the Librarby’s windows.
 
The boy nodded vigorously at the question and the tall skeleton beamed proudly.
 
“NYHEH! THEN LET US BE OFF!”
 
“He’s really into it, isn’t he?” asked a grinning Lily, as she led Frisk after Papyrus.
 
The boy had to jog to keep up at first, but this time the boots made it a little easier to traverse the snow. They made a quick stop at the box near the Lapin family’s store and Frisk transferred his old shoes from his satchel. Papyrus waited patiently for him to catch back up, slowing his pace a little to be a bit less strenuous on his human companion as they moved into the forest beyond town.
 
“I AM PLEASED YOU TOOK THE TIME TO PREPARE YOURSELF, HUMAN.” Papyrus complimented. “YOU SEEMED RATHER UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND THE COLD AND SNOW WHEN WE FIRST MET.”
 
“Yeah… I wasn’t expecting it to be so chilly here.” Frisk said. “The Ruins were cool, but not nearly this cold. I was really surprised.”
 
“AND WHAT ABOUT YOU, INVISIBLE LILY?” Papyrus asked. “ARE YOU ALSO COLD?”
 
“Not really…” Lily said. “A little, but its more like standing in a breeze while you’re wet. It isn’t uncomfortable, and I barely even notice it unless I’m thinking about it.”
 
Frisk acted as a medium, relaying her message to Papyrus.
 
“AHA! I SEE.” The skeleton grinned. “YOUR SKELETON ANCESTORY MUST RUN VERY DEEP INDEED!”
 
“What?” Frisk and Lily both said in unison.
 
“YOU SEE, I’VE ALWAYS HAD A THEORY THAT HUMANS ARE DESCENDED FROM SKELETONS.” Papyrus explained, causing both children to lift a brow. “WE SKELETONS ARE QUITE RESISTANT TO THE COLD. IF YOU ARE AS WELL, THAT MEANS YOU MUST HAVE A RICH FAMILY HERITAGE AMONG THE SKELETON RACE!”
 
“I’m… not sure it works like that.” Lily said, but couldn’t help but smile at Papyrus’ unique brand of logic, somehow managing to be sort of right, and completely off base at the same time.
 
Frisk called forth his SOUL, and they made their way through the forest, checking on Papyrus’ puzzles and making sure they were all in working order. The only one that seemed to need some work was the tile-changing puzzle from earlier. The tiles had sense reverted back to their neutral grayscale form during the time they’d been gone.
 
“Hey, hold on…” Lily blinked a couple of times. “Where… where’s the machine?”
 
She was right. The machine that Papyrus had used to activate the puzzle before was absent. Even the instructions were gone. Papyrus didn’t seem to pay it much mind. The puzzle hadn’t worked as intended anyway, so it just made it easier to replace it with something better later. The thought alone set the enthusiastic bone man to a multitude of absurd ideas for new puzzles. Frisk and Lily marveled at his uncanny ability to find the best in every situation.
 
They moved on to the hidden-map puzzle, and Frisk helped Papyrus in settling the snow back into place to obscure the solution. At Lily’s suggestion, they also added a few small stones and twigs into the mix to make the cover look a bit more natural. By the time they’d finished, the camouflage was barely distinguishable from the snow around. The Dogi were sure to be pleased when they came this way on their own patrol.
 
Frisk was practically bouncing with excitement, eager to move on to the next puzzle and thinking of all the ways they could improve it. He’d was having so much fun that he didn’t notice the large rock in his path until his foot caught against it, and he fell forward, landing face-first into the snow and dirt.
 
“Ohw… ptheh!” He groaned, spitting out a bit of powder as he pushed himself from the cold ground.
 
“Frisk!” Lily darted to his side, helping him stand. “You need to be more careful…”
 
The young human was covered from head to toe with a light dusting of snow. He shivered, patting down his clothes to remove as many of the cold flakes as possible. A few had already started to melt, leaving him cold and damp despite the jacket and gloves. Embarrassment burned his cheeks in uncomfortable contrast to the rest of his body.
 
“Sorry…” He said softly, hanging his head.
 
“FRISK… ARE YOU OKAY?” Papyrus asked in concern. His voice was surprisingly quiet for him.
 
“Y-yeah. I’ll be fine.” Frisk wrapped his arms around himself. “I didn’t mean to worry you. Either of you.”
 
Everyone was silent for a good long while as they waited for Frisk to get his bearings again. Even Papyrus who had easily been the most enthusiastic of all of them put it aside for the sake of his human companion. His eyelights dulled, and a thoughtful expression molded itself onto his skull. He looked like he was trying to think of what to say.
 
“Papyrus?” Frisk asked, sensing the skeleton’s difficulty. “What’s wrong?”
 
“I… DON’T KNOW HOW TO ASK THIS. I KNOW IT MIGHT SOUND RUDE, BUT…” He hesitated. “WHEN YOU TOLD ME ABOUT YOUR EYES, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT ‘ACCIDENTS’.”
 
Frisk blanched. He knew where this was going.
 
“YOU SEE, I HAVE A FRIEND…” He admitted. “ONE DAY, SHE LOST ONE OF HER OWN EYES IN AN ACCIDENT. I WAS WONDERING IF… THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO YOU?”
 
Lily turned her attention to Frisk. She’d never been able to find the way to ask exactly how he lost his sight. The boy stared at his folded hands and stayed silent. The wind blew up a flurry of snow around them.
 
“It’s okay, Frisk…” She soothed, drifting over to her friend’s side. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
 
The boy shook his head. “Thanks but… I really should. I’ve just… never been able to talk about it before. I don’t really even remember much. It happened when I was baby, so what I know mostly comes from what others have told me.”
 
“YOU DO NOT NEED TO FORCE IT.” Papyrus encouraged. “JUST LET IT COME. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT.”
 
“Well, um…” Frisk began. “Like I said, it happened when I was a baby. I’m not sure what caused it… no one seemed to be able to tell me. But, well… there was a fire. A really big one. Half of the town was caught in it. My house… the one I lived in with my… my parents…” He paused. “It caught on fire too. While it was burning, I guess something… wood or glass, I don’t know… it broke and the pieces cut up my eyes and face, and took my sight with it. Sometime after that I was saved. But my mom and dad…”
 
“Oh my god…” Lily breathed. Papyrus just watched without saying a word. “Then that’s why… with Mom, and… and Mr. Grillby…”
 
She couldn’t bring herself to finish but Frisk understood well enough. “I was too young to remember it. But sometimes, when I least expect it… I can still feel it and it hurts. Because of that, I’ve always been afraid of fire… I don’t want to feel that again.”
 
“Oh, Frisk…” Lily said, hugging him close.
 
“I AM… SORRY FOR BRINGING UP SUCH A PAINFUL MEMORY, FRISK.” Papyrus apologized. He was starting to regret asking.
 
“It’s… okay.” Frisk said. “I did need to talk about it. I just… I hope I didn’t upset Mr. Grillby. He was so nice but I…”
 
Lily pulled him back into her embrace, shaking her head gently. "No. I think he understood. He even made sure to not wake you the other day. Anytime he went near you the cackling of his fire got really quiet. And he also took care to take your plate away as quietly as possible." She consoled him, her head resting against his. “I don’t think he was upset.”
 
"I…I'm glad. I still can’t help but feel bad though." Frisk’s hands worked at a loose thread on the gloves. “He didn’t deserve that…”
 
"DO NOT WORRY FRISK! I AM SURE GRILLBY UNDERSTANDS PERFECTLY. HE IS ONE OF THE OLDEST MONSTERS IN SNOWDIN, AND HAS SEEN MANY THINGS." Papyrus strode over, offering his hand to help Frisk to his feet. “I AM SURE YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST HE’S KNOWN TO HAVE THE FIRE FEAR.”
 
“Thanks, you guys.” Frisk said gently and let Papyrus help him up. He was still a little shaky from his fall. "Do you mind if we… sit for a minute, Papyrus? Just a little. I promise." He asked the question slowly, not wanting to upset the kind skeleton. Papyrus simply gave him a thumbs up.
 
"OF COURSE. YOU AND LILY STAY AND REST. I SHALL CHECK ON THE NEXT PUZZLE AND BE BACK IN A MOMENT! NYEH HEH HEH!" With that, he pumped his fist in the air and headed off along the way, presumably to check on his spaghetti.
 
Lily snuggled deeper into the boy's side for comfort. "It'll be okay Frisk. I'll be with you every step of the way! There won't be anything we can't do together!"
 
"Thanks Lily. It means a lot to hear that." He replied, relaxing his shoulders.
 
They found a nice spot to beneath a nearby conifer. The thousands of thin nettles formed a shroud that kept most of the snow at bay, so they settled down there to rest. The two sat in a calm silence for a few minutes before Lily turned her attention back to her friend.
 
 "Hey, Frisk? Could you.. could you pull out those shears? I can't seem to get them out of my mind..."
 
 "Oh? Yeah, sure. " He delved into the satchel and drew out the dull bladed tool, laying it across his lap. “Here. They must be really important to you.”
 
Their design was simple, emphasizing function rather than form. There were no adornments either. Apart from being well crafted, they seemed little different from any other tool of their ilk. And yet, something about them called to her… something familiar. She traced the edges of the two crossed blades, following their outline. Her incorporeal fingertips passed ever so slightly through their solid, metallic frame.
 
Just as she was about to pull away, her mind was suddenly flooded with voices and images she couldn’t quite describe.
 
"Dad… What are these for?" A small voice, her own but… somehow younger, asked of a large, dark figure towering above her, black and formless against a canvas of vibrant color.
 
A memory from the past, awakened from somewhere deep within.
 
"Why, they are for you my dear.” Responded a voice, deep and strong but exceedingly gentle. “You are old enough to be able to use them now. I know how you love the flowers. I thought, perhaps, that you would like to help your old dad take care of them?"
 
The smile was evident, in voice if not in expression, as the figure handed the same pair of shears to her, adorned with a small red ribbon. They were newer here, shining and untarnished in the faint light of the garden.
 
"I get… to help with the flowers? YEAH!" She celebrated, quickly taking the shears and removing the bow before tucking the latter into her pocket. "Uh… how do I do that?"
 
A deep booming laugh echoed throughout the room. "Come here. See this Jasmine? How some of the leaves are all shriveled up? It means they are not thriving like they should. When that happens, you must clip off the damaged bits. That, in turn will help the flower grow better."
 
"How's that work, Dad?" She asked, curiously. "How does cutting off a bad part make the rest better?"
 
"Hmm... Let's see... Ah. Think of it like your hair. When your hair gets damaged it doesn't grow as long or as fast?" She nodded, raising a hand to play with her locks while hanging onto the large figure’s every word. "That's because those things that make your hair healthy are trying to repair the damaged part. But in doing so it takes away from the rest, which does not allow it to grow properly."
 
"Like when Rei and I share pie. If he gets more I get less?" She asked innocently.
 
"No. That's just your brother being a pie hoarder!" The large voice said, causing her to giggle.
 
"But as I was saying. When your mother gives you a hair cut she gets rid of the damaged hair to make the rest grow long and strong. The same can be done for plants. Remove the parts that are damaged or diseased so that the parts that remain healthy can thrive. Does that make sense, my daughter?"
 
"I think so. Take away the bad so the good can grow stronger? I got it!" She grinned, trying out her new present on the Jasmine in front of her.
 
The large figure shook his head while laughing. "Close enough. Ah, but be careful now. Don't take off too much. Here, try it like this..." As the dark figure took the small hands in his own the girl felt a familiar warmth as the vision faded away.
 
Lily’s eyes were clouded and unfocused as she stared at the shears.
 
"Take away the bad... so the good can grow stronger…” Her whisper was almost imperceptible.
 
Frisk was worried. His hands were on Lily’s shoulders, shaking her to try to snap her out of whatever trance she’d fallen into. The shears had fallen from his lap and now lay on the cold earth between them.
 
 "Lily? Lily are you alright? Lily!" He shook her a little harder, trying desperately to get her attention.
 
Her head snapped up and she blinked a few times, her eyes refocusing to the world around her. They fell on Frisk, as her mind sluggishly tried to process the situation. "Huh? I'm okay... what happened?"
 
"You… you spaced out there. Is… Are you sure you're alright?" Concern laced his voice as she finally focused on his face, using it to anchor herself to reality.
 
“How long…?” She mumbled.
 
“About five minutes?” Frisk guessed. “You seemed like you’d gone somewhere else…”
 
"I think… I just remembered something…” She said slowly.
 
“About the shears?” Frisk guessed. She nodded.
 
“My dad gave them to me…” She explained. “He… we were in a garden. He gave them to me because I’d always wanted to help take care of the flowers…”
 
“Wait, you saw your dad?!” Frisk asked hopefully. But his face fell when she shook her head.
 
“I only heard his voice.” She said sadly. “He was there, but I couldn’t see him… just like last time." Small pinpricks of tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, and she quickly rubbed them dry, steeling herself against them. The smell of dry, wilted petals permeated the air. "I'm finally remembering something but I can't even see my own family…"
 
She turned to look at Frisk, apology written in her expression. "I'm sorry… I was trying to comfort you and ended up spacing out like that..."
 
 “It’s okay… you already made me feel better. And besides, I’m glad you remembered something.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It’ll be okay, right? You’re getting your memories back, little by little. Don’t rush it… I’m sure you’ll be able to remember their faces eventually.”
 
Lily nodded but didn’t say anything else. Frisk didn’t push her… the memory must have been pretty powerful to be so clear. Moreover, he was glad this one was, at least, more pleasant than the last. They’d both had a nightmare back then, though his had felt more surreal and dreamlike and he couldn’t tell if there was any connection between them.
 
The two hadn’t talked much about their strange connection. Frisk never knew how to bring up the subject, but he knew Lily thought about it almost as often as he did. There was no way to know how much of an effect he had on her… or how much of one she had on him. So he said nothing, contenting himself to simply remain at her side and give her the time she needed while they waited for Papyrus to return.
 
Through it all, neither child noticed the small camera hidden within the pine needles… nor did they hear the gushing squeal of the one who watched from the other side.

Papyrus tapped a bony finger to his chin, gazing at the cold plate of spaghetti on the table. It was a little off-center. Taking the plate delicately, he moved it an inch to the left. Perfect. Such brilliant culinary art deserves an equally perfect presentation, after all. The human had been kind enough to leave the pasta in hopes of sharing it with him. But that wouldn’t do… not for him and his invisible friend. A meal is best eaten fresh and piping hot, and that only held truer for his incredible pasta. He would have to be sure to make a fresh batch for them when they returned. He couldn’t wait to put the new techniques he’d learned from Undyne to use.
 
Undyne…
 
That’s right. She’d ordered him and his brother to capture and report any humans they’d encountered. He’d nearly forgotten about that. Sans was far too lazy, so it fell to him to be the responsible sibling and file their report. If she knew he had found a human, she would have to let him join the Royal Guard. His dream was this close to fulfillment. Everything he’d ever wanted… everything he deserved. They would be his.
 
Then… why was he hesitating?
 
“UGH. THERE’S NO TIME TO THINK OF SUCH THINGS!” He said to the air. “ONTO THE NEXT PUZZLE!”
 
He strode off into the empty clearing to the west of his culinary ‘trap’. That’s right. There was no puzzle here. Not anymore. This is where his brother had left the word search. The human had been so focused then, circling every word and crossing them from the list. He’d even managed to find the strange word Papyrus was never able to pronounce. He knew now that Frisk had had help, but that only meant that Lily was also passionate about puzzles, if she could help him overcome such an obstacle. The tall skeleton silently wondered if they were any good at Junior Jumble. Papyrus was very great, but even he had to admit to having some difficulty there.
 
He frowned. “WHY DO THEY HAVE TO BE HUMAN…? IF ONLY THEY WERE MONSTERS, WE COULD BE…”
 
The tall skeleton sighed and shook his skull. He’d always learned humans were vicious creatures with terrible powers and not a shred of love or compassion. All the better for Papyrus to teach them of such things. But then, why were Frisk and Lily already so nice? They certainly seemed far removed from the beasts the stories had painted of their kind. Even the dog clan, full fledged members of the Royal Guard themselves were comfortable around them. They were making friends all around… was it so wrong for Papyrus to want to count himself among them?
 
He hung his arms. Suddenly he felt far less enthusiastic about attending to the rest of the puzzles. This much alone time had allowed him to think, and he didn’t like where his mind was leading. Even still, he couldn’t deny it. He, The Great Papyrus, was beginning to doubt himself.
 
This wouldn’t work. He couldn’t give his beloved puzzles the respect they deserved when he was feeling this gloomy.
 
“OH MY GOD… I’M BECOMING SANS…” Papyrus said, though it came out far less exasperated than he meant to.
 
The only one left was the Invisible Electricity Maze anyway and he would need a few things if he wanted to improve that particular puzzle. He decided to head back, feeling that the humans must surely miss his magnificent presence by now. He wouldn’t admit that he’d also begun to miss theirs. Papyrus picked himself up, straightened his posture and plastered on a grin as he made his way back to where he’d left them. He had to remain pristine and proud… it wouldn’t do to worry them. His doubt could wait until they got back to town. Then…
 
Then…  well, he didn’t know what would happen next…

Lily leaned against Frisk’s side as the two sat beneath their tree, doing what she could to regain her composure after the strange vision. The boy was turned from her, ears trained in the direction Papyrus had gone for any sign of the exuberant skeleton’s return. He didn’t seem awkward or embarrassed by the closeness, which she was glad for. Maybe her connection to his SOUL had something to do with that, but she was grateful all the same.
 
"Maybe when we're done here we could get something to eat? I mean a burger yesterday was good but not much when you were going all day yesterday and this morning on just that and a cinnamon bun. Plus uh… We never paid our bill to Mr. Grillby..." She trailed off sheepishly.
 
"Oh yeah. I hope he's not mad that we walked out. Er… got carried out anyway." Frisk replied, rubbing the back of his head before his hand dropped to his lap limply. Lily chuckled a little at his reaction, but stopped when his expression began to fall.
 
"And Frisk? I promise I'll help you with everything that comes our way. Fire or whatever else… just like you've helped me. We're in this together. Alright?"  She said, hoping to make him feel better.
 
"I know Lily. Same goes for me." Though he tried to sound reassuring, he could tell from the look she gave that she wasn’t buying it. Thankfully though, Lily didn’t press the matter, opting to instead hug his side before drifting up from her spot on the ground.
 
"I'm going to float up and see if I can see Papyrus comi-"
 
"HUMAN FRISK AND INVISIBLE LILY! I HAVE RETURNED!” Called a familiar, high decibel voice. “I AM SURE YOU HAVE MISSED THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
 
He noticed Frisk sitting beneath the tree and jogged over. He came to a stop a few feet from the small human and his invisible friend, a small puff of snow rising above him like a cloud. Lily snickered before offering Frisk a hand up. He stood, doing his best to brush off a few persistent flakes of snow off his person.
 
"Yeah... We missed you Papyrus. Did you finish fixing the puzzles?" Frisk asked, snuggling deeper into the jacket to hide the fact that he still felt a little down from earlier.
 
"YES... THEY ARE IN GOOD SHAPE ONCE AGAIN. THANK YOU FRISK AND LILY!" Papyrus forced a grin.
 
The trek back to town was slow and oddly silent. Only a few words were spoken between the three as they steadily made their way back to town. Each of them were distant and withdrawn, consumed by their own thoughts, wonderings, and misgivings. And all three knew it, so neither was willing to say anything. Snowdin’s friendly atmosphere seemed almost ominous when at last they returned, its brightly colored welcome sign, a warning. In the end, it was Papyrus who broke the silence.
 
"HUMAN... ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE... THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE PRIDE OF SOLVING AND CREATING AMAZING PUZZLES WITH ONE WHO ENJOYS THEM AS MUCH AS YOU DO." He began, facing away from the two of them to hide his face. He hesitated for a moment. "THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS... THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW.”
 
Frisk looked toward the skeleton’s voice, feeling a little self-conscious. “Papyrus? Are you alright?”
 
The red skeleton ignored him, and continued his speech. “I CAN HARDLY IMAG... I CAN HARDLY BE SURPRISED. AFTER ALL I AM VERY GREAT. BUT…” Another bout of hesitation.
 
“But what?” Lily voiced, though she knew he couldn’t hear her. “What’s going on?”
 
“I AM SORRY. I MUST CAPTURE YOU. PLEASE... GO PREPARE YOURSELF AND MEET ME AT THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN... I… SHALL SEE YOU THERE…" He finished with what seemed like agonizing effort.
 
His bones rattled slightly as he turned to look at the small human child behind him. He quickly turned away as if stung by something, hiding the strange glowing tears that had begun to form. Shaking his head he ran into the village, leaving the confused humans at the entrance. Frisk heard the sound of his heavy footfalls and took a step forward.
 
“Papyrus, wait!” He cried, but it was too late. The skeleton had already vanished into the twinkling lights of Snowdin.

Sans was anxious. It was only due to his years of practice and even disposition that this didn’t show outwardly. He’d seen this many times before, albeit not quite personally. The agonizing blend of unbridled hope and absolute terror fighting for supremacy within his mind. He wondered if this was how the other Sanses felt once they’d learned enough about the anomaly to predict the possible outcomes. His brother’s life was in the balance now… and he had no idea.

But Sans knew. He’d seen the evidence. Frisk was capable of anything… and the blue skeleton was still no closer to ascertaining the nature of this most recent Reset. He wanted nothing more than to just retreat to his room and sleep. Wake up once the dust settled, proverbially speaking (hopefully), and go from there. At least then he’d know where he stood in this timeline. That would be the easy way.
 
But the easy way was also unpredictable, insofar as a child driven by determination with absolute control over the timeline could be predicted. No… a more direct approach was necessary, as loath as Sans was to admit it. There was just enough reason in this to make the effort worth it… or so he dared hope.
 
He’d been watching since Frisk (and presumably Lily) had left the Library and met up with Papyrus. His brother seemed to be having fun, and that was comforting for Sans in its own way. But Papyrus’ words before leaving their side had brought reality crashing against his mind like a tidal wave. It was almost time. He still didn’t know whether or not Frisk was sincere in his lack of memory or if it was all an act. He certainly seemed to be, but the kid was sharp, that much was clear. And with that stoic expression of his, it wouldn’t be hard to hide his intentions if he wanted to… even from Sans, practiced as he was at reading such things.
 
Uncertainty was his drive. If he waited, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do this. Should his brother be spared, Sans would be content enough with this timeline to simply let come what may. Should he die, Sans’ reason for being would be gone, and there would be no point. It had to be now.
 
The hoodied skeleton leaned casually against the wall of the inn and waited.
 
The sound of snow crunching beneath a pair of newly purchased boots reached him but seconds later. They passed him without noticing.
 
“hey there, kiddos…” He said casually, eyesockets closed. Frisk jumped at the greeting. “have fun out there with pap?”
 
The boy with the ever-present squint turned to the skeleton, sighing in relief. “Sans… Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
 
“glad to hear it.”
 
“What are you doing out here in the cold though?” The boy tilted his head in concern.
 
“eh… just chillin’.” Lily gave a snort at Frisk’s side at the pun.
 
The skeleton lazily pushed himself from the wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets before shuffling toward them.
 
“anyways, you mind comin’ with me for a bit?” He asked.
 
“Huh? Um… what for?” Frisk gave him a confused look.
 
“nothing i can’t do myself…” Sans began, having expected the question. “but, well… you know how much I love doing nothing. figured since you helped paps out you might do me a solid too. what do ya say?”
 
“We might as well, Frisk.” Lily said. “Besides I… I really don’t want to have to fight Papyrus.”
 
“Me neither…” Frisk said, sounding a little downcast. “Okay, Sans. What do we need to do?”
 
“just follow me.” He said. “i know a shortcut.”
 
Frisk stared for a second before taking hold of the short skeleton’s sleeve. It felt a little oily like it hadn’t been washed in a while and smelled faintly of Grillby’s. Lily took Frisk’s other hand to help guide him while Sans looked about for a moment, confirming that no one was around before quickly turning back to the wall he’d been leaning against. Then he started to walk… straight toward it.
 
“Wait, where are you go-“
 
She never got to finish as all of a sudden the wall split open before the skeleton, ripping outward like a burst seam. The area around it seemed to warp and distort, swirling unnaturally around the widening fissure as if reality itself was trying to distance itself from the gaping maw. Darkness rippled within, occasionally giving way to the barest winks of… something on the other side. And yet despite the display, there was no sound at all. The whole thing had been strangely silent.
 
The skeleton gave no time for hesitation, quickly leading Frisk into the roiling darkness. Lily stifled a scream as she too was pulled through the opening an instant before its jaws slammed shut behind her. 
 
A split second later, she tumbled unceremoniously out the other side, losing grip on Frisk’s hand and barely managing to right herself before she tumbled into the cold water ahead. The portal faltered, and forced itself closed an instant later, leaving no trace of its existence. Reality snapped back into its own laws as if they’d never been broken to begin with.
 
Frisk looked toward Sans as the skeleton stared out over the water’s quiet trickle. “they aren’t here yet. good. that makes this easier.”
 
“What… happened?” Lily said, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
 
Frisk too sensed something was off. “Sans… what’s going on?”
 
The skeleton sighed and his expression shifted away from his near-permanent grin to a very un-Sans like frown. “now that we’re here, i can be honest. what i want from you isn’t related to my duties, any of ‘em. this is something much more personal, kid. to put it simply… i want answers, and you’re gonna give them to me.”
 
“Answers…?” Frisk asked hesitantly.
 
“our reports showed a massive anomaly in the space-time continuum.” Sans explained. “timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting… until suddenly, everything ends.” He turned to the boy and his eyelights faded. Dark sockets stared down at the child beside him and he chuckled humorlessly. “That’s your fault… isn’t it?”
 
“W- what are you talking about?” Frisk took a tentative step back from the skeleton.
 
That’s as far as he got. A force even stronger than that of Toriel ripped the boy’s SOUL from his chest. His vision immediately flared, filling his narrow eyes with a magical light. Sans stood before him, right socket dark, while his left blazed with a multi-hued glow. The short skeleton drew his left hand from his pocket, surrounded by a strange blue aura, and waved it lazily before him.
 
An unseen pulse struck the boy’s SOUL, and he gasped as its vibrant red glow was consumed by a similar blue light, flowing around it in a vaguely heart-like shape. The light felt heavy… as if a great weight had suddenly been forced upon him, threatening to drive him down into the snow. Sans immediately seized control, raising his hand into the air. Frisk’s body followed, lifting from the ground as the weight suddenly shifted and pulled him upward. He struggled frantically, legs kicking, arms flailing… but nothing he did could break the skeleton’s hold.
 
“Frisk!” Lily cried out, flying up to her friend’s side. “What the hell are you doing to him!”
 
Sans watched, mildly curious despite everything. His Chromatis pierced the veil of perception and there he saw it, lingering near Frisk’s captive body. It was somewhat distorted even to his sight, but unmistakable: the form of another human. The features suggested female, though Sans couldn’t be sure. She was taller than Frisk, and paler. Green and yellow upper body, brown and black lower… clothing, most likely. Brown hair, shoulder length and… red eyes? No… they were more of a copper. She seemed to be saying something but the words were silent to Sans’ earless hearing.
 
“so, there you are, a3.” Sans said directly to the apparition. “i might have questions for you later, but for now…”
 
Sans dragged Frisk way from Lily’s side, flinging him through the air like a ragdoll before stopping him in place a few feet off the ground. Frisk’s head jerked painfully backward at the sudden stop. The blue skeleton made a few motions with his hand, conjuring a multitude of glowing bones. They shot through the air in all directions, assembling themselves around the helpless child, each one aimed threateningly at the fragile SOUL.
 
“Sans… s-stop, please…” Frisk said, staring in terror at the skeleton, and his blazing eye.
 
“nope. i think i prefer you right there, kiddo.” Sans’ voice was unnervingly calm. “first things first. what’s with the reset? why’d you do it?”
 
“R-reset… what do you… mean?” Frisk rasped.
 
“we were all on the surface… we were happy.” Sans said sadly. “it was the perfect ending… for everyone. after so long, we were finally free… so why?” His voice suddenly took an ominous tone. “Why’d ya stick us all back down here, huh?”
 
“What…?” Frisk asked, confusion showing despite his fear. “I didn’t… I don’t know what-“
 
“and what about those weird messages i found?”  He returned to the casual tone from before with disturbing ease. “care to tell me the story behind those?”
 
“I don’t… understand. Why are you-“ Frisk began, his breath catching in his throat.
 
“Stop it!” Lily cried, placing herself between Sans and Frisk. Her imposition did nothing to lessen the blue skeleton’s hold on the boy. “He told you he doesn’t know anything! Can’t you see you’re hurting him?!”
 
Sans shuffled his way around the blurry image of the second human, ignoring her silent protests. “here’s what i think: you wrote those things knowing i would find ‘em. but, for some reason you didn’t want me actually reading them. what’s the secret, kiddo? why not share the joke with an old pal?”
 
“Stop… please…” Frisk murmured, tears welling up in his eyes. “I don’t know… I don’t know…”
 
It hurt so much… like he was being held up by his collar with the fabric digging into the back of his neck. Fear and confusion stormed within the boy’s mind. Frisk couldn’t fathom what was making the blue skeleton so angry. It had to be a mistake, right? Some other human got involved in something they shouldn’t and Sans was simply mistaking him for that person.
 
Frisk couldn’t move. He could barely talk. That terrifying eye, blazing with a cold flame bore into him with a mercilessness far beyond the infernos he feared so much. He couldn’t answer because he had none to give… he couldn’t lie because somehow, he knew Sans would know. He didn’t want to be here… he wanted to be anywhere else but here. A golden star flashed within his mind.
 
Sans’ grip on his SOUL tightened.
 
“wouldn’t try that if i were you.” Sans said, moving closer. “i know about your little trick. not everything, but enough to have some idea what you’re thinking. technically, i can’t stop you but i’ve already made a record just in case you tried anything. if you load your SAVE, i’ll know. trust me, it’ll be better for both of us if you cooperate.”
 
“I… can’t.” Frisk struggled, taking short gasps of air. “I don’t… know anything. Please… I’m scared…”
 
Lily had had enough.
 
"Frisk!" She cried, darting over to him once more. "I've got to do something. Think Lily, think!"
 
She looked around, trying to think of anything she might be able to do. Sans stood still. Glowing bones still circled ominously around the captive human SOUL, held inches above its owner. She could go after Sans, try to break his concentration, but that probably wouldn’t be the best idea. He’d made it clear that he could see her now, and she wasn’t even sure her incorporeal body would even be able to touch him, let alone land a blow. Pulling Frisk away wouldn’t work either… Sans’ hold on his SOUL made sure of that. Eventually, her eyes and thoughts turned to the SOUL itself. It was part of him. Maybe she could…
 
She had to try.
 
With a cry she launched herself at the glowing red heart, surrounded by an aura of blue. Her weightless form weaved through the concentric, calciferous rings as she made her way toward the SOUL at their center. One grazed her against the arm and she winced, bracing herself against the expectant surge of pain. She was only mildly confused when all she got was a dull sting, her thoughts focused exclusively on the task at hand.
 
Upon reaching the mass of human essence, she threw herself against its glow. She strained against it, putting all her strength behind returning the precious nimbus back into her friend’s chest. A burning chill, like frostbite, surged against her fingertips from the restraining aura and she grit her teeth against it.
 
"If… if I can just get it… back in... ugh-AHH!"
 
The SOUL jolted beneath her, causing her spectral body to stumble through the air. She turned a caustic glare back to the culprit. Sans’ unnerving grin widened slightly and he twitched his fingers. The captive heart moved in time with them. But his mistake was in moving it directly in front of Frisk. If she couldn’t push… Maybe she could pull it? That would have been the most natural way, right? Maybe it would be easier…
 
Frisk’s fear was almost consuming, but she wouldn’t let it rule her. She tempered it, turning it into fuel for her own resolve. Copper eyes darkened and a surge of energy flowed through her.
 
She arced through the air, placing herself between Frisk and the glowing heart in front of him, her gaze fixated upon the glowing, eerily human-like eye within the skeleton’s eye socket. "Sans, you damned liar. I won't let you do this!"
 
The end of the sentence ripped from her throat in a yell and she grabbed hold of Frisk’s SOUL. With all her effort she pulled, throwing her own body back toward her friend. And yet, the crimson heart did not heed her desire. Rather than drawing it into Frisk’s body, she instead felt herself being drawn into it. She gave a shocked gasp as the familiar sensation struck her, struggling against it, even as her hands began to disperse into particles of light.
 
"No. No no no! Don’t absorb me, you stupid SOUL! Go back into his chest! Stop, damn it! LISTEN TO ME!"
 
But the heart still refused to listen, even as her entire body dispersed into light.
 
"AAAHHHHH!!!!" She scream in frustration, trashing around in anger as the carnelian heart consumed her spectral form.
 
“what the-” Sans began, cut short as a blinding flash of magic flooded over his eye. “urgh!”
 
He staggered back and quickly brought his metacarpals up to his left eye. Sight and magic darkened as one as his Chromatis was overloaded by the feedback from the sudden pulse. The glow faded from the crimson heart and the child dropped unceremoniously to the ground, catching himself upon shaking hands pressed against the cold snow.
 
Lily continued to scream, so consumed by emotion that she failed to realize that the sound was no longer coming from her own mouth. Sans blinked, and his normal eyelights flickered back into existence, his vision gradually shifting back into focus. He stared at the fallen human, confused as his arms trembled and his lowered head shook violently.
 
"Aaaargh, damn it! I can't even move the stupid SOUL?!” Frisk’s voice spoke in a tone that clearly wasn’t his own. “I’m just a useless ghost! Frisk needs me, and I can’t even help him!”
 
The boy’s head shot up and glared venomously at the skeleton. A crimson glow spilled forth from his slit right eye, flickering randomly like a dying flame. "AND YOU! You fucking traitor! How DARE you treat Frisk like this! So much for keeping an 'eyesocket' out for him, huh?! HOW IS THIS KEEPING HIM SAFE?! I don’t know what crazy shit you’re talking about but neither of us know what is going on! All of this is new to us! Can’t you get that through your thick skull?! If you had a problem you should have said something before, not lead us on like this! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE A FRIEND!!!"
 
Sans eye sockets widened further and further as Frisk, no, Lily continued to yell at him through the boy’s body. Just what the hell happened?
 
As Lily continued her relentless verbal lashing, Frisk fought against a wave of disorientation within his own mind. It felt like he’d been jerked aside within his own body. It took him a few seconds to recover enough to realize that he was speaking, or rather screaming at Sans. Then he recognized the tone.
 
 “L..Lily? Wha…”
 
“F-Frisk!” Lily stammered, her current rant cut off midsentence. “Are you alright? Where does it hurt? I swear to God, I’ll beat the absolute-!”
 
“I’m… I’ll be fine.” Frisk interrupted, though he still sounded scared. “Can… I have my body back?”
 
"Huh? What are you-" She trailed off as she looked down at herself, and finally noticed the physical body she was piloting. Blue and purple shirt, jacket, worn gloves… and the red SOUL. “Wait, how in the hell…?”
 
Sans could only watch as the odd exchange played out before him. It was downright surreal… the voice was the same, but the tone, grammar, dialect, and everything else was so distinct it was almost hard to believe they were coming from the same mouth. If he wasn’t staring directly at them, he might have even thought there were two people sitting there instead of one.
 
“Y-yeah…” Frisk said after an awkward pause. “So um… can I have it back?”
 
The shock of their current situation managed to cool Lily’s temper a little. She took a couple of deep breaths to bring her mind back to a clear state before responding.
 
“Oh… uh, yeah… sure but… h-how do I do that?” She pursed Frisk’s lips and thought.
 
“L-last time we just kind of… focused on it right?” Frisk said, still feeling a little disoriented, which wasn’t helped at all by Sans standing just a few feet away. “Let’s… let’s try that?”
 
“Yeah… O-okay. Let me try…”
 
She did so, focusing on removing herself from the boy’s SOUL and body. It took a bit more concentration than before when she’d simply shared his senses. Her anger and frustration certainly contributed to the difficulty, but it felt like there was more to it. This was more complete, somehow. Still, eventually she managed to separate her spirit from Frisk’s SOUL and body. She drifted upward, wearing her own spectral body and earthen garb once more. She turned her own eyes back to Sans and glared sharply… she wasn’t willing to take them off him for a minute.
 
Frisk was left in full control of his body again, shaking under his own weight and breathing heavily. His throat hurt a little… most likely from Lily’s screaming. He didn’t take his eyes off Sans either. The skeleton stood monochrome against colorlessness, eyelights white pinpricks within the dark sockets. The boy’s entire form trembled. He looked like a caged animal debating with itself whether to fight or flee, yet unable to do either.
 
Sans stared back into those needle-thin slits, still as a statue.
 
“you… really don’t remember. anything?” He asked slowly. “you don’t remember freeing everyone?”
 
“No…” came the soft reply.
 
“you don’t remember…” Hesitation. “killing everyone?”
 
“No!” Frisk cried, shocked at even the thought. “I didn’t… I wouldn’t! I don’t know what’s going on! I just fell down here a few days ago. I met Lily, we were attacked by a flower and saved by a nice woman named Toriel. We lived with her for a couple of days but had to leave for… reasons.” Frisk bit his tongue, not exactly willing to divulge the full details of their departure. “Then we met you and Papyrus, and… you know everything else. I don’t know anything about timelines or anomalies or anything you’re accusing me of! If I did something… If I hurt you somehow, I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what’s going on! You said you’d help me, Sans… so why are you being so mean?!”
 
Sans took another step back. The voice was small and shrill. It was barely loud despite the obvious attempt to be so. He continued to stare down at the tear-streaked face of the boy before him. He’d always been good at reading expressions, of discerning the truth from lies and falsehoods. But accepting those truths was another matter. 
 
Now, he had no choice. Everything he wanted from this boy… the answers he sought: they were right here, laid bare before him. This was not the face of a saint or savior… not a killer or villain. This was a child… a confused, lost, and scared child. A child who was scared of him. Whatever happened in the last timeline, whatever had prompted the most recent Reset… it was so total that even Frisk himself did not know of it. The slate was wiped… whatever was left of the kid he might have known was gone.
 
Sans chuckled humorlessly. “geez… you know you messed up if you can feel like an ass without even having one…”
 
“You should…” Lily crossed her arms.
 
Frisk sniffed but made no other sound or movement.
 
“go on, kid. I won’t stop you…” Sans sighed, feeling lousier than usual after this. “just… you’re gonna be fightin’ pap soon, right? let me give you some advice.” He gave an agonized look to the boy in front of him. “don’t, capiche? just… don’t.”
 
Frisk stared at Sans for a moment, eyeing him with suspicion. He didn’t know if this was a trick, or a cruel joke from the unreadable skeleton. Sans noticed this and turned away, half in guilt, half as a show of good faith, and stared at the burbling water of the river. Frisk remained still for a few moments before pushing off from the ground and running as fast as his short legs could carry him back in the direction of Snowdin.
 
“Wait, Frisk! You’ll…” Lily called out, but the boy either didn’t hear or wouldn’t heed her.
 
She took a moment to give another venomous glare at the unmoving Sans before darting off back to the village in pursuit of her friend.

Frisk kept running as the tears streaming down his eyes left red streaks against his face. He didn’t care who saw him at this point… he just had to get away. Lily managed to catch up to him easily enough, and fortunately before any nasty spills. She managed to direct him around a couple of slime-based monster children playing in the snow, and into the residential area beyond. Eventually, the boy began to slow, so she decided to guide him into a nearby alleyway that seemed to be sheltered well enough from the elements.
 
The boy slumped to the ground against the wall, pulled his legs to his chest and cried.
 
Lily was at his side in a second, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on top of his head. “Hey, hey… it’ll be okay.” She said soothingly. “Big kids don’t cry, right?”
 
 “Why was he saying all those things? Did I do something wrong?” Frisk said through his sobs. “I don’t understand…”
 
“No… no, Frisk. You didn’t do anything.” She said, trying to keep her anger in check so it wouldn’t affect him too much. “Sans is a jerk… don’t worry about him.”
 
“But… what if he’s right?” The boy asked. “I mean, you don’t have your memories. And then there’s that feeling I had in the Ruins… What if something happened to mine too? How would I know? What if I… What if I did something bad…? Am I… am I just like the humans in that book?”
 
“Shh…” She said, rubbing his arm. “Don’t think about that right now.  Just stay determined, okay? You’re good at that.”
 
“I don’t want to hurt anyone… I don’t want to be a burden.” He said, narrowed eyes shimmering. “I just want to do good.”
 
“And you have been…” Lily encouraged. “I’ve seen it since we both got here. You’re definitely one of the nicest people I know, Frisk. I don’t need memories to tell me that.”
 
The boy managed to place a trembling hand on top of hers. “Am I, though? Sans said I…” He couldn’t finish.
 
“Forget Sans.” She stopped him. “Everyone is alive now… they’re all fine. Even if he’s right it doesn’t change what’s right here in front of us. Whatever happened then, it’s been undone… you know what that means right?”
 
“No…” Frisk shook his head.
 
“You must have undone it.” Lily said. “Everyone’s here now… no one’s dead. We’ve seen it before too. You brought mom back, remember? Whatever happened before, you cared enough to make it not happen. If you didn’t we wouldn’t even be here, having this conversation… right?”
 
Frisk hadn’t thought of it like. “I guess… but still, I-”
 
“No buts.” Lily cut him off. “And no more tears. Whatever happened before, it doesn’t change who you are now. We’ll figure it out, just like everything else, okay?”
 
He rubbed his eyes, still sniffling a little but at least the tears had stopped. Lily squeezed his shoulder a little like he had for her not long ago. Frisk chuckled a little and snuggled against her, grateful for the support and the small amount of comfort that came with it. He took a deep breath, the Snowdin air filling his lungs with a relaxing coolness. At last, he turned to Lily. The taller girl looked at him and smiled.
 
“Thanks Lily.”He said sincerely. ”For this and… you know, earlier.”
 
The girl’s rosy cheeks took on a deeper scarlet shade and she looked away sheepishly. “Yeah… haha… sorry about that. I don’t even know where that came from. I just kind of… snapped.”
 
“Still, I appreciate it.” A minute of silence passed between them. “And also… thanks for, you know… staying with me.”
 
“Oh come on, you sap…” She said, shoving him playfully. “You know I’m not going anywhere.”
 
“Yeah… and that’s why.” The boy said honestly. “You’re the one person who won’t leave me. So… thanks.” His words couldn’t have been more heartfelt if he tried.
 
“Well then… you’re welcome I guess?” She gave a nervous laugh at the level of faith he placed in her. “Are you feeling better?”
 
He nodded. “Yeah… a little. We should… probably go see Papyrus huh?”
 
Her face fell at the reminder of their upcoming encounter with the taller bone brother.  "Yeah…" She hesitated. “I’m not exactly looking forward to it but I guess we have to, huh?
 
“I know what you mean, but still…” Frisk let the sentence hang. He didn’t seem very eager to get up.
 
Lily sighed. It was clear Frisk still harbored some lingering emotions from the frightening encounter with Sans. He did his best to mask it with his concern for the other skeleton, but his true feelings were written clearly within his SOUL, and that was not so easily hidden… especially from her. She slumped against him, eliciting a small grunt from her friend. A wicked idea formed in her head, and she pressed harder against his side.
 
"Wha- Hey come on! You're crushing me! C- cut it out!" The boy cried as he tried to push her away. A slight laugh forced itself from his mouth, causing Lily to grin.
 
"Oh no... I can't move.” She feigned a helpless groan and forced all of her weight against him. “It’s no use, Frisk. I must squish you!”
 
“No!” Frisk laughed, struggling against her.
 
She wasn’t heavy… not really. A ghost can only weigh so much, and it isn’t a lot. Still, her limp form gave the small boy a fair bit of difficulty. It was a little like trying to fight his way out from beneath a blanket that had somehow gotten wrapped around his whole body. Eventually, he managed to wiggle his way out from under the girl, who then flopped comically into the snow.
 
"Well at least you don't get cold.” He laughed, as she pulled herself from the ground. “Thanks… I needed that."
 
She floated upward and moved to his side, smile tracing a downward arc between her rosy cheeks. "That was the plan. Now let’s go. Maybe we should get you some food first?”
 
Her suggestion led them once again to Grillby’s. Frisk wasn’t particularly hungry at the moment but decided to order something anyway. He still felt a little apprehensive around the fiery bartender but managed to finish his order of fries without making too much of a scene. They thanked Grillby, leaving enough money to cover both today and last night as well as a tip. The fiery bartender pocketed the glittering coins with a silent nod before turning his attention back to the other patrons.
 
Still, Frisk couldn’t help the heaviness in his heart. Even a brief pet session with the dogs did little to ease his mind. They were stalling. He knew it, and Lily did too though she chose not to say anything. Sans words echoed through his mind, providing far more questions than answers. What had he meant about timelines and anomalies? If it had been anyone else, Frisk might have simply written it off as a lie meant to scare his young mind. But there was something about the way the skeleton spoke – some underlying sorrow that managed to be clear despite his frightful display – that made the boy think otherwise.
 
"It… it's gonna be okay Frisk." Lily’s voice snapped him from his thoughts. She reached over and grasped his right hand in her left, unfurling the fist and holding it gently. "I believe in you."
 
"I… Thanks..." He squeezed back. At least one of them did. "I just really don’t want to do this…”
 
Lily sighed. “Neither do I.”
 
“Maybe… we don’t have to? If we went around maybe we could just avoid him.” Frisk thought aloud, though the idea still felt nasty to his mind.
 
Lily considered this for a moment and then spoke. "We can’t do that…” She said finally. “I know you’re scared, but Papyrus is waiting for us. He trusted us to meet him… it wouldn’t be right to betray that.”
 
“I know…” He admitted. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to fight him…” He chewed on his lip a little bit in an effort to ground himself. “But, you’re right… Let’s get it over with.”
 
They made their way to the edge of the town, looking around the red-orange scarf and silvery armor of the taller bone brother. There were several monsters playing in the snow, but all of them were neither tall nor boney enough to be the one they were looking for. Eventually, the buildings began to thin and then stop completely. What lay before them was a large, empty path of well-trodden snow.
 
A thick fog obscured its true distance from even Lily as they moved nervously onward. The moist air prickled against the exposed skin of Frisk’s face, making him restless. Eventually, a silhouette began to peak out, a dark blotch against the swirling white. Its features were vague, but the stature and poise were unmistakable.
 
"Hey… I think I see him up ahead.” Lily said, spotting the figure. “We're almost there, okay Frisk?"
 
Frisk nodded but said nothing, head hung low as he wrestled with his thoughts. The buildings disappeared amidst the fog even as the image of Papyrus soon grew ever clearer within the thick curtain. Frisk’s steps slowed as they drew closer, hesitation clawing at him, pleading with him to turn back. With a small tug on his arm Lily lent him her strength, spurring him onward toward the red brother.
 
"FRISK AND LILY. I AM SORRY THAT IT HAS COME TO THIS.” Papyrus back was turned, but he seemed aware of their presence nonetheless. “AS YOU KNOW, MY DREAM IS TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD. SUCH PRESTIGE AND POPULARITY IS ONLY NATURAL FOR ONE AS GREAT AS I. TO DO THIS, I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN.” He began with a somberness ill-suited for his normally optimistic self. “YOU. I MUST CAPTURE YOU… I WISH IT DID NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. I HAVE HAD SO MUCH FUN DOING PUZZLES WITH THE BOTH OF YOU…" He trailed off, gripping and then relaxing his mitted hand in an effort to steel himself. “ARE YOU PREPARED, HUMAN? BECAUSE I-“
 
He turned around and the sentence died on his teeth as his eye sockets finally fell upon Frisk. The boy was trembling… and it wasn’t from the cold. If he were a skeleton, Papyrus thought, his bones would have been rattling more violently than any he’d ever seen. That same stick was clutched firmly in his white-knuckled hand so tightly that the skeleton was amazed it hadn’t broken yet. Papyrus completely forgot his conviction from before as he steadily approached the boy.
 
“HUMAN? ARE YOU SICK?” He asked. Frisk shook his head and wiped his eyes with his free hand.
 
"No. I… I just… I don’t want to fight.” He said, trying his hardest not to cry. “I don’t want to hurt you… I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just wanna do good.” His legs trembled beneath him, threatening to bring him to the ground as the tears continued to flow. "I know about the barrier… I can’t imagine what that must have been like. But I… I won’t be like those people. Please don't shut me away… I p-promise I’ll be good..."
 
"Oh Frisk..." Lily lamented softly, wrapping her arms tightly around the shaking boy before her.
 
She looked pleadingly to Papyrus. She’d managed to help with Sans, though it hadn’t exactly gone the way she’d planned. But for this… there was little she could think to say, even if Frisk did decide to let her in again. And in her heart, she knew that any sort of intervention from her would likely just complicate matters anyway. It was a completely different situation involving a completely different personality. Papyrus was kind but dutiful… he also had a dream he was passionate about. Lily wondered which aspect of the skeleton would prove the stronger.
 
Papyrus, for his own part, was torn as he looked down upon the trembling human. The skeleton found himself hesitating in the moment. This was the perfect chance… a human stood before him, a human who was unwilling to fight. It would be so easy to capture him now and claim his rightful place among the Royal Guard. So easy.
 
Everything he ever wanted…

Everything he deserved…
 
And yet… the image of the sightless child gave him pause.
 
The Royal Guard hopeful dropped to one knee before the boy, who rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. An orange mitted hand rested itself upon the small shoulder, causing the child to look toward its source. Frisk called forth his SOUL and watched the skeleton, barely-open eyes pleading silently. Papyrus’ scarf billowed behind him in the light wind making him look every bit the superhero the boy had compared him to before.
 
“HUMAN- NO, FRISK!” He said, surprisingly gentle despite his energetic tone. “IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE. AND ONE AS GREAT AS I WOULD BE REMISS TO IGNORE A CRY FOR HELP, EVEN FROM A HUMAN. IF I AM TO ONE DAY JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD, THEN I MUST DO ALL I CAN TO HELP THOSE IN NEED RIGHT NOW.” His skull widened into an ivory grin. “YOU ARE A PERSON WHO LACKS CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF, BUT I SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! AND SO, I HAVE DECIDED! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL PROTECT YOU FROM THE SAD. WITH MY HELP, YOU WILL LEARN TO LIKE YOURSELF AS I DO, SO THAT ONE DAY YOU CAN BE AS TERRIFIC AS ME!”
 
“You… like me?” Frisk asked softly, eyes still glinting with tears.
 
“NYEH HEH! OF COURSE I DO! I LIKE YOU AND LILY AS WELL! AND MY STANDARDS ARE VERY HIGH, SO YOU BOTH MUST BE NEARLY AS COOL AS I AM!” Papyrus declared with finality. “TOGETHER WE WILL BE THE AWESOMEST OF FRIENDS!”
 
The small human sniffed a couple of times, and for a moment it looked almost like he was about to start crying again. Papyrus took his hand away quickly and recoiled, clearly having expected a different reaction.
 
“OR, YOU KNOW, I COULD JUST-“
 
The skeleton didn’t get to finish the thought before Frisk barreled into him, wrapping his arms around Papyrus’ battle body armor. All the tension and fear bled from him all at once upon Papyrus’ heartfelt words and he found himself unable to contain his emotions any longer. He sobbed against the frayed fabric of skeleton’s orange scarf, clinging to the bone man with all the strength his small arms could muster. Even in the cold of Snowdin, Papyrus’ bones and metal armor were somehow warm to the touch. Frisk didn’t bother to question that… content simply to bask in that comfort while letting his tears wash the bad feelings away.
 
“NO, NO… N- NOT LIKE THAT.” Papyrus stammered. “YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SMILE. LIKE THIS, SEE?”
 
He demonstrated with another radiant grin, causing the small child to giggle a little.
 
“YOU DID IT!” The skeleton pumped his fist. “I AM SO PROUD! YOU ARE ALREADY LEARNING WELL!”
 
Lily sighed in relief and watched as Papyrus wrapped his own boney arms around the boy. After what happened before, she wasn’t sure what to expect from Sans’ brother but she was glad it had worked out like this. Eccentricities and first impressions aside, Papyrus really was a good person. She was so content with everything that she almost didn’t see the slight movement in the fog only a few feet away.
 
Almost, being the keyword.
 
She frowned and squinted, watching carefully as the mist roiled around a small, vague figure beneath the shroud. It parted just enough for her to catch the slightest glimpse of golden petals, swaying against the breeze. Then, in the next moment they vanished as if swallowed by the thick fog. Lily made her way over to the spot where they’d been. Sure enough the earth was displaced. It was so slight that one wouldn’t notice unless they were specifically looking for it, but it was there all the same.
 
There could be no mistake… but at least this time he hadn’t tried anything.
 
She sighed and made her way back to Frisk and Papyrus as the two were finishing up their hug session.
 
“WELL THEN!” Papyrus said. “I THINK IT IS TIME TO RETURN HOME. IT HAS BEEN QUITE A LONG AND EVENTFUL DAY!”
 
“Home?” Frisk asked.
 
“INDEED. YOU WILL BE STAYING AT MY HOUSE!” Papyrus exclaimed. “I SHALL MAKE US A FEAST OF SPAGHETTI TO CELEBRATE OUR NEW FRIENDSHIP, AND LATER WE CAN BEGIN YOUR TRAINING REGIMENT IN LEARNING TO LIKE YOURSELF!”
 
“That sounds great.” Frisk said, a little wearily but still happy. His gaze shifted to Lily and a thought crossed his mind. “Hey, Papyrus?”
 
The skeleton looked at him attentively. “YES, TINY HUMAN?”
 
There was still one more thing to do. While the encounter with Sans had been stressful at the very least it had revealed something. Would they be able to do it now if they tried, even without that threat looming over them? There was only one way to find out. Wiping the last of the tears from his eyes, Frisk turned a smile to the tall skeleton and asked:
 
“Um… do you want to meet Lily?”

Chapter Text

Lily’s head snapped toward Frisk, a little surprised, while Papyrus cocked his skull in confusion of the offer.
 
“BUT HAVE WE NOT ALREADY MET?” He questioned.
 
“I mean really meet her.” Frisk clarified. “Like… talk to her and stuff. Directly.”
 
The spectral girl’s already pale face turned white as the snow around them. Papyrus on the other hand, lit up with his most radiant grin yet.
 
 “A SECOND FIRST MEETING WITH A NEW FRIEND? THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WONDROUS IDEA!” The tall skeleton practically squealed with anticipation.
 
"That is a terrible idea!" Lily shouted at about the same time as Papyrus, resulting in a stifled laugh from Frisk
 
"DID SOMETHING FUNNY HAPPEN?" Papyrus asked, following Frisk’s gaze to Lily who shrank into a bubble of self-consciousness. “I DO NOT SEE IT.”
 
"Come on Lily! Why? What's wrong with it?" The red child questioned his friend, grabbing her hand when it looked like she was about to bolt.
 
"I… We only just... We didn't even know!” She stumbled over her words, rosy cheeks taking a somewhat darker shade. “Why… Ugh. We just found out we could even do that! How do we even know it’ll work? Besides I… I don't want to scare you again..." Her voice shrank to barely a whisper as she stared at their connected hands, feeling far too embarrassed to look at anything else.
 
"You didn't scare me. I was just surprised is all… It'll be okay.” Frisk coaxed gently. He chose not to bring up the fact that even if she had, Sans had long beat her to it. “Just talk to Papyrus like you do me!" He smiled patiently, tugging her sleeve a little to bring her back to his side.
 
Lily felt torn. On one hand, she really did want to meet Papyrus for real, but on the other it was somewhat nerve wracking. It would be the first time she’d really talked to someone without having Frisk as a proxy - given the circumstances, Sans didn’t really count. What if she said something stupid, or insulted Papyrus somehow?
 
“...What if he doesn’t like me?” She asked quietly.
 
“Of course he will.” Frisk encouraged her. “You’re one of the best people I know. Just act like you normally do, and you’ll be fine.”
 
“OH, ARE YOU SHY?” Papyrus asked, guessing correctly at the context. “I UNDERSTAND YOUR INTIMIDATION, BUT HAVE NO FEAR! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VERY EASY TO TALK TO.”
 
Lily managed to return Frisk’s smile before chuckling a little at Papyrus’ innocent narcissism. Shaking her head, she accepted defeat and returned to Frisk’s side. “Alright…” She said.
 
Closing her eyes, Lily placed her other hand over the boy’s still exposed SOUL. Papyrus looked on in wonder as the two children concentrated on opening the link between them. Lily’s body once again dispersed into hundreds of glittering lights, each of which were drawn into the SOUL like iron flakes to a magnet. The process complete, Frisk’s eyes opened ever-so-slightly to reveal a soft red glow emanating from the right slit.
 
"WOWIE! YOU CAN DO THE SAME THING AS MY BROTHER AND I! SEE?!" Papyrus jumped in excitement and demonstrated. His right eye socket blazed to life: a human-like iris replacing the pinprick light from before, glowing a dull orange.
 
Frisk took a fearful step back. The memory of Sans' own blazing eye and frightening interrogation  flashed briefly through his mind. In the same instant, he felt his right eye narrow slightly as Lily’s protective instincts kicked in. Both only lasted for a moment before the two managed to get their collective emotions under control, hoping against everything that Papyrus hadn’t noticed.
 
"IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT, FRISK AND LILY?" Papyrus asked. It was clear that he had.
 
The latter managed to keep herself from outwardly cringing at the question while the former quickly thought up an excuse. "Y-yeah. I just wasn't expecting your eye to do that. It's, um… Cool!"
 
Paying closer attention now, Frisk noticed some distinct differences between Papyrus’ eye and that of his brother’s. Sans’ eye had been bright and vibrant, rippling like a flame as it cycled between three different colors. Papyrus’ on the other hand was more like an ember, far less chaotic than Sans’ but also less ‘intense’. What’s more, its orange glow was more or less consistent throughout, though if the boy looked hard enough he could just make out the vaguest hints of green and blue within.
 
"YES IT IS! I AM GLAD YOU THINK SO, FRISK!” Papyrus’ expression turned questioning when he said the boy’s name. “BUT, HMM… I CAN ONLY HEAR YOU. WHERE IS LILY?”
 
Frisk moved aside to give her space. Or at least as much as he could within the shared body.
 
Lily took a deep breath through Frisk’s mouth in preparation. "G-greetings Papyrus...It's… uh nice to meet you. Again. I guess." She winced internally at her own nervousness, praying to any gods that existed that she didn’t look like a colossal idiot. Frisk gave her a mental thumbs up, which did little to ease her nerves.
 
"HELLO LILY! YOU SOUND VERY CLOSE TO FRISK! BUT YOU ALSO SOUND DIFFERENT! I… GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE WITH YOU TWO SHARING A MOUTH…” Papyrus’ eyes shifted for a moment before his grin returned. “ANYWAY! I AM GLAD TO TALK TO ANOTHER COOL PERSON, NYEH HEH HEH!”
 
Frisk felt his cheeks heat up a little due to Lily's embarrassment. "See Lily? Nothing to worry about."
 
‘Okay… that went better than I thought.’ Lily mused to herself. She wasn’t sure if the giggle she heard was because he heard her or because of the situation in general.
 
"AGREED, FRIEND LILY. NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT AT ALL.” Papyrus repeated, slapping a fist against his breastplate. “NOW, LET US HEAD HOME SO THAT I CAN PREPARE OUR SPECIAL FEAST OF NEW-FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI!”
 
Frisk and Lily grinned as one, which was mirrored a third time by the shared face they wore as they followed the energetic skeleton towards his home. The fog began to dissipate as they neared its edge, allowing the twinkling lights of Snowdin to shine through like welcoming beacons. They’d just crested into the town proper when Frisk stumbled slightly, hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion. He stopped for a moment, managing to steady himself before falling face first into the snow.
 
Lily shook her head inwardly, having felt it a little herself due to her rather close proximity to the boy. Steadying her mind, she looked toward Papyrus a few feet ahead, who didn’t seem to notice through his own unending exuberance.
 
"Are you alright?" She asked Frisk. "That came from nowhere. Do you need to me get Papyrus to help?"
 
"No… I’m okay." He replied, a bit of weariness in his voice. "I'm just a little tired after everything today… I think I just need to sit down for a bit when we get to the house."
 
Lily sighed. "Alright. Just don't push yourself too hard okay?" Frisk nodded and the two broke into a slight jog to catch up to the lanky bone man. "So Papyrus? You really don't mind us sleeping at your place?"
 
“OF COURSE NOT!” Papyrus exclaimed without hesitation. “FRIENDS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT THE HOME OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”
 
“What about…” Frisk however, did hesitate if only for a moment. “Sans?”
 
“MY BROTHER MAY BE LAZY, BUT HE IS ALSO A GOOD PERSON.” The skeleton assured. “I AM QUITE SURE HE WILL HAVE NO OBJECTIONS TO YOUR STAYING WITH US.”
 
Frisk frowned but made no reply. Somehow he doubted that last part but he didn’t want to say anything for Papyrus sake. He didn’t know about the encounter Frisk and Lily had with his brother not long before their own meeting, and the boy intended to keep it that way. As for the first part… Frisk wasn’t quite sure what to think of Sans. Though, from the acrid stench that permeated his nostrils he had a feeling Lily’s opinion of the shorter skeleton was a bit less favorable than that of his more statuesque sibling.
 
“HERE WE ARE! MY HOUSE!” Papyrus announced when they’d arrived. “LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE I HAD TO CARRY YOU INSIDE SO THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE STEPPED IN ON YOUR OWN!”
 
He sounded more excited about that fact than anyone really should, but somehow his boundless enthusiasm made both children feel quite a bit better. Frisk laughed as Papyrus quickly dashed inside, leaving the door creaking loosely on its hinges in, what he could only assume, was the skeleton’s unique way of welcome. Lily smiled within the boy’s mind, her own feelings giving off a far more pleasant aroma than before. She smoothed out the wrinkles in Frisk’s coat and spoke.
 
“Shall we?” She asked Frisk.
 
“Hold on. There’s something I want to do first.”
 
“What’s that?” Lily asked, as the boy stepped back from the entrance.
 
“Could you… tell me what the house looks like?”
 
Lily smiled at the request, having a good idea what her friend had in mind. She did so, doing her best to capture every detail for him. As he listened, Frisk tried to picture the large, cozy home the two skeleton’s shared in his mind. Colorful lights spiraling up the columns and tracing the roof and balcony. The festive wreath decorating the door. The frosted windows and sills covered in a light dusting of white flakes. The latticed foundation that held it all above the cold snow. The thought of it all invoked a sensation he hadn’t felt since he and Lily had stood before Papyrus’ crudely built cardboard stall and the dreams and aspirations it embodied.
 
He was filled with determination.
 
He took hold of that feeling and harnessed it. Lily, sensing his intent wrapped herself around his SOUL and gave what aid she could. Sure enough, another golden star formed, glittering radiantly just to the right of the doorway. It seemed a little brighter than some of the others, though that may have just been a trick of the lighting. The children made for the door, brushing the surface of the star as they went and saved this point in time.
 
The warmth of the SAVE point was soon replaced by the warmth of a comfortable home as they stepped inside, closing the door behind them to lock out the chill. Papyrus had stopped near the table to regard the out-of-place rock sitting upon it. He had a shaker in hand and was dutifully raining a few flakes of its grayish contents onto the thing.
 
“UGH, BROTHER… YOU REALLY MUST LEARN TO FEED YOUR PETS…” He said, more to himself before turning to them. “AHEM! WELCOME AGAIN TO MY AMAZING HOME, HUMANS!”
 
“It’s even better the second time! Especially now that you don’t have to capture us anymore.” Lily chimed, and then frowned, realizing what she’d said. “Err… sorry. I know how much you want to join the Royal Guard and all.”
 
“NOT TO WORRY!” Papyrus declared, undeterred. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER ALLOW SUCH A SMALL THING TO STAND IN THE WAY OF HIS DREAM! EVENTUALLY, UNDYNE WILL SEE THAT I AM WORTHY AND THEN SHE WILL ALLOW ME INTO HER RANKS! BUT FOR NOW, I MUST ATTEND TO MY TWO COOL FRIENDS! WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO FIRST?”
 
Frisk seemed at a loss so Lily spoke up. “Um, could we sit down for a while? Just for a few minutes… I think we’re both kinda tired after today.”
 
"Thanks…" Frisk said internally. Without other things to distract him from it, he’d begun to feel his fatigue weighing on him again.
 
“THAT IS A FINE IDEA!” Papyrus exclaimed. “I, TOO, SIT VERY OFTEN. AND FORTUNATELY, THOUGH OUR COUCH IS GREAT FOR SLEEPING YOU’LL FIND IT IS ALSO VERY GOOD AT BEING SAT ON!”
 
He power-walked over to the couch and let himself down as if to demonstrate, patting the cushion next to him invitingly. Frisk smiled and Lily led their shared body to the slightly lumpy but still comfortable sofa. Frisk was short, so it took a bit of effort to climb up but they managed to settle in without having to resort to asking Papyrus for help. He grinned before fishing a battered-looking remote control out from beneath the seat cushions and hit the power button.
 
“What’s that?” Frisk asked as a series of sound effects and catchy music blared from the screen on the other side of the room.
 
“ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS IS STARTING SOON.” Papyrus said. “COOKING WITH A KILLER ROBOT, FEATURING METTATON HIMSELF!”
 
Sure enough a tinny voice sounded from the television as Mettaton’s show began.
 
"OH YEEEEESS! Welcome beauties and gentlebeauties to another exciting episode of Cooking With A Killer Robot! Ready your appetites because today we will be making one of my personal favorite dishes: steak sculpted into the shape of my own dashingly handsome face!"
 
“OH, THIS WILL BE A GOOD ONE!” Papyrus said excitedly, focusing his eye sockets on the screen in anticipation.
 
Papyrus and Lily watched while Frisk listened as the robot went over the complex (and questionable) process of making the aforementioned meal. Frisk frowned a little at the robot’s choice to carve the ‘steak’ – really an unholy combination of mushroom paste, edible glue, and artificial flavorings – with a chainsaw. It was at least entertaining if not completely faithful to the culinary arts, and Papyrus seemed happy so that was that.
 
“WELL!” Papyrus announced as the program came to a close (and because it was Mettaton, it came complete with a huge explosion at the end.). “I SUPPOSE AFTER ALL OF THAT YOU MUST BE HUNGRY. I SHALL HEAD TO THE KITCHEN AND BEGIN MAKING SOME DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI!”
 
Feeling a little better after the break, Frisk scooted off the couch and looked to the tall Royal Guard hopeful. “Could… I help?”
 
Lily and Papyrus’ reactions to this comment couldn’t have been more different. Papyrus skull lit up with the most radiant of smiles and the air around him almost seemed to sparkle with joy and excitement. Meanwhile, the glowing eye that comprised Lily’s presence seemed to turn in toward its owner and look at the boy like he’d suddenly grown a second head. In the end, it was the latter that found her voice first… or more specifically, Frisk’s.
 
“Hold on… you can cook?!” Came the incredulous question.
 
“Yeah…?” Frisk said, lifting his left brow.
 
“But how? You’re-“ She stopped herself before disrespectfully calling him out on his blindness.
 
“Oh, yeah.” The boy rubbed the back of his head. “I guess I’ve done it so long that I forgot how weird that seems to other people. I can’t remember a time I haven’t had to take care of myself… Cooking just kind of comes with the territory.”
 
The implications of that weren’t lost on Lily, but Frisk didn’t seem too bothered by it and she didn’t want to change that by broaching the question.
 
Instead she asked: “How did you learn? I think it’d be pretty hard if you can’t see the ingredients, right?”
 
Frisk laughed. “Not really. Sight really doesn’t really have as much to do with cooking as you’d think. Touch, smell, and obviously taste are more important. You don’t need to look at your food to eat it, after all.”
 
“Hmm.” Lily mused on that for a moment. “That… makes sense, actually.”
 
“Well… most of the time anyway. I’ve never been much of a baker, no matter how much I practice.” The boy reluctantly admitted. “I always seem to get the timing wrong.”
 
“I guess that would be a problem, huh?” Lily replied with renewed respect for Toriel and her pie-making ability. “It’s still cool that you can make other stuff though… but, I guess it’s up to Papyrus.”
 
She turned their shared body toward him. Neither child could hide the hopefulness in their expression.
 
The red-orange skeleton, who had been happily trying to imagine how amazing it would be to have someone else to cook with, perked up at the sound of his name. “GREAT IDEA! WITH US WORKING TOGETHER OUR NEW FRIENDSHIP PASTA WILL BE EVEN MORE SPECIAL!”
 
With that, Papyrus made his way swiftly to the kitchen area. Lily followed, using Frisk’s legs to carry both children into the new room. They hadn’t seen the kitchen yet. Indeed, most of what they had seen of the Skeleton brothers’ house consisted of the den, and an all-too-brief visit to the water closet earlier in the day.
 
So, they weren’t quite sure what to expect when they stepped inside.
 
The first thing that caught Lily’s eye was the sink. It was placed high up on the very top of a closet-like deck, taller than even Papyrus. She wondered, with how fond the bone man was with pasta, how he managed to even use it to retrieve water. Then she remembered the culinary death trap out in the forest and figured it would probably be better not to ask. The rest, fortunately was fairly standard. Brown and orange tiled flooring, a basic stove top, a counter and cupboard, refrigerator and freezer. What’s more, it seemed fairly clean compared to the varying levels of messiness characteristic of the rest of the house.
 
“So, what kind of spaghetti are we making?” Frisk asked.
 
“THERE’S DIFFERENT KINDS?!” Papyrus exclaimed, noticeably shocked by the revelation.
 
“Well yeah, a few.” Frisk said. “There’s bolognese, alle vongole, spaghetti with meatballs… I don’t know how to make all of them, but I have a few recipes…”
 
“WOWIE! I NEVER KNEW THERE WERE SO MANY! HUMANS MUST BE QUITE PASSIONATE ABOUT PASTA.” Papyrus said. “I AM EAGER TO SEE HOW HUMAN SPAGHETTI WORKS. WHAT DO WE NEED FIRST?”
 
“Well… the most important ingredient in making spaghetti sauce of course.” The boy laughed. “Tomatoes!”
 
“AH, I HAVE SOME OF THOSE IN THE ‘FRIDGE!” Papyrus said.
 
“On it!” Lily chirped, getting into it as well. She steered Frisk’s body toward the large cooler and opened it up. “Pff, what’s this?” She chuckled at the sight. Half the fridge’s shelves were filled with various containers labeled ‘spaghetti’, while the other half was empty save for a nearly empty chip bag.
 
“AH, MY COLLECTION OF PASTA DELIGHTS!” Papyrus announced with his characteristic flare. “AND… THAT. SANS NORMALLY EATS OUT, SO HIS HALF IS MOSTLY EMPTY. I’VE TRIED TO TELL HIM HE SHOULD EAT SOMETHING OTHER THAN GRILLBY’S… SO, HE BOUGHT THOSE…” Papyrus sighed.
 
 “So, what you’re saying is that you have all that…” She chuckled evilly and drew out the bag. “…and a bag of chips.”
 
Papyrus brought his metacarpals to his skull. It gave a comical klunk. ”NOT ANOTHER ONE…”
 

A small sigh drifted from a large round skull as Sans paused in front of the brothers' house, the air in front of him fogging just briefly as a wordless reminder of the cold. His mind had been busy with everything from curiosity to regret since his encounter with Frisk and Lily hours before. Maybe he had been a little hard on the kid. That look of terror on his face... It didn't sit well within his bones.
 
He truly had forgotten everything. And Sans had done a pretty good job at making a rather unpleasant (second) first impression on the poor boy. What’s more, he was still no closer to discovering the truth behind what occurred in the previous timeline. Their research had progressed quite a ways after reaching the surface, that much was true. And the blue skeleton had the distinct feeling that they’d found something… but what? Whatever it was, something had happened to necessitate another reset – one total enough that even the one who did it had no recollection of anything. The truth had to lie in those messages.
 
'i really need to find a way to translate his code... if i could do that i'm sure it would reveal a lot. problem is, i have no idea where to start. if he could remember something, it might at least give us a starting point. but then there's his friend, lily. he seems to trust her more than anything so it might be hard to get to him with her being so protective. not that i can blame her. i was an ass… at the same time, i still don’t know anything about her.'
 
Sans considered for a moment about some of the reports he’d read. The kid didn’t really like talking about his power, or what went on in his head. In a way, he was even more reserved than Sans himself in that regard. Even still, he wasn’t a vault and occasionally he’d let some things slip. Sans’  ‘previous self’ never found out the full truth about that, or if he did, he never recorded it. Still, the blue skeleton thought for a moment on the possible connection between these entries, and Lily’s presence now. Was it possible she was active in the last timeline, at least in some form?
 
He placed a hand over his left eye. If she was, she was certainly a lot more subtle then.
 
Shaking off the snow that had begun to settle on his head, he finally opened the door. A small part of him was still afraid that Paps wouldn't be waiting for him after all. Yet the sound of his brother’s energetic voice calmed him immediately upon entering. His skull shifted to one of his typical grins as he closed the door behind him. Glancing at the kitchen he noticed Papyrus talking to Frisk who seemed to have found his bag of chips. The voice speaking to his brother sounded much like the kid’s but something was off. Raising a brow ridge, he cautiously moved closer to investigate.
 
Frisk’s right eye was glowing again.
 
Sans tempered his instincts with logic and managed to ground himself before doing something stupid. Taking in the fact that Papyrus showed no concern must mean he’d known about it for a while now. He seemed happy and there was not a scratch on either him or the kid. Good. Papyrus finished and Sans was about to walk into the kitchen when Frisk’s voice spoke once more. Except… it wasn’t him doing the talking.
 
“So, what you’re saying is that you have all that…” Lily chuckled in the familiar voice, the eye growing brighter in merriment. “…and a bag of chips.”
 
The short skeleton blinked a couple times before snorting despite himself. The sound caused Frisk's head to whip around to look at him even as Papyrus gave a skullpalm to rival one of Sans’ own bad puns. He noticed the eye grow a darker, angry shade of red like smoldering coals. That must be Lily. The other eye closed shut and the body twitched slightly as if the other presence was trying to retreat. So that one must be Frisk. That was also good… it meant the kid could still control his own body even in that state.
 
Well that’s something. It looked like his ‘bad cop’ act had done a little more than he originally thought. Whatever Lily did back there, it seemed like they could do it at will now… which meant the kid didn’t have to play medium for her anymore. There was a lot he wanted to talk to them about, but it looked like neither one of them were really in the mood for discussion.
 
He gave a meaningful glance toward Papyrus who still had his skull in his hand, before shrugging and mouthing a silent ‘not here’. The red eye that Lily controlled softened to a more mellow shade, and the body nodded in understanding. Frisk, for his own part seemed to settle down a little as well.
 
"heya paps. whatcha doing?" Sans asked innocently of his brother while striding casually into the kitchen.
 
"OH, HELLO BROTHER!” Papyrus exclaimed loudly, a large grin on his face. “LILY, FRISK AND I ARE MAKING FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI! FRISK WAS TELLING ME ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT KINDS ON THE SURFACE!!! DID YOU KNOW THERE WERE SO MANY, SANS?"
 
"can’t say i did, bro. pretty cool though. i'm sure anything you guys make will... pasta test." He grinned as Papyrus’ eye began to twitch. He didn’t fail to notice the quick snicker that came from the humans’ direction either. "c'mon bro. that was good, you’re smiling.'
 
"HEH...THAT WAS ONE OF YOUR BETTER ONES, I SUPPOSE.” The tall skeleton admitted before adding hopefully, “WILL YOU BE JOINING US, BROTHER?"
 
"sure pap. Just wake me when it's ready. i'm gonna go take a nap." Sans quickly excused himself from the room, waving at the two and a half chefs before heading upstairs and leaving them to their work.
 
"I DO WISH HE WOULDN'T SLEEP SO MUCH… BUT NEVER MIND THAT! WE HAVE PASTA TO MAKE!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!" Papyrus grabbed the pot and wrestled it into the sink to fill with water. It was a daunting task even for someone of his stature… Frisk and Lily would likely need a step-ladder or three just to reach the tap.
 
"Oh yeah!” Lily suddenly remembered what she’d originally meant to do and turned once more to the fridge, replacing the chips and retrieving a couple tomatoes. "Should three be enough Frisk?"
 
"Should be. Next we’ll need some meat. Ground beef is usually what’s used on the Surface, but I don’t know if the Underground has that. I’m sure we can find a good enough substitute though.” Frisk instructed. “And… do you see any garlic or basil around? Maybe even some onions and mushrooms? Oh! And maybe a pinch of red pepper if we have it. That’ll really make the sauce stand out.” Frisk grinned, getting excited as Papyrus about cooking. “I can’t wait to show Papyrus how we do it on the surface… this is going to be so good!”
 
Both Lily and Papyrus looked around for the requested items; the only thing they didn’t manage to find was the basil. Frisk was right about the lack of ground beef, but they DID manage to find something that looked and smelled quite similar. It wasn’t the first time monster cuisine had echoed that of the surface… he’d need to remember to ask how they managed to do that.
 
Once everything was situated they begin the preparations.
 
"THE WATER IS NOT BOILING AS FAST AS I WOULD LIKE." Groaned the taller skeleton. He’d been watching the pot for a good few minutes for any sign of bubbling.
 
Lily perked up. "Oh! I know! Add some salt to the water! It will make it boil faster!" She grinned, happy to be able to contribute.
 
"EXCELLENT IDEA LILY! WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT?"
 
"Oh. That's easy! I used to help my mom cook… all the… time…” Her voice wavered, drawing out the words as her mind began to process what she’d just said. Frisk’s face molded into a mirror of her own thoughtfulness. When she spoke again it was barely a whisper. "I… used to help my mom cook... how… how did I know that…?"
 
Frisk turned his attention to his friend. "Lily? Are you alright? Is it another memory?"
 
She shook their shared head, gently biting Frisk’s lip. "No. It isn’t like that. It just sort of… came out. It wasn’t a vision, like before where I remembered myself in the garden. It’s strange. Somehow, I just sort of… know.“
 
"WHAT IS HAPPENING, HUMANS? IS IT SOMETHING I CAN HELP WITH?"
 
"No… I'm okay Papyrus." She went on to explain her lack of memories from before she met Frisk, and how they’ve slowly been returning since they began.
 
"AH. THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL DO ALL I CAN TO HELP YOU FIND ALL YOUR PRECIOUS MEMORIES AGAIN! NYEH HEH!"
 
He posed gallantly, and both Frisk and Lily smiled before replying together. "You're the best Papyrus!"
 
With that the three turned their attention fully to the task at hand. They minced the meat, diced and seared the veggies, and pureed the tomatoes before mixing them all together and setting them to cook. By the time they’d finished, the water had begun to boil just as Lily had predicted. Frisk opened the box of noodles and added them to the scalding liquid before instructing Papyrus on the proper way to stir them so they wouldn’t stick to the pot. He would have liked to have made the pasta by hand, but the skeleton brothers’ kitchen seemed to be lacking the proper flour so they had to make do.
 
A savory aroma permeated the cozy home as the meal began to slowly simmer on the stove top. Papyrus, inspired by the wondrous utility of sodium, had to be gently talked down from adding what must have been at least five times the lethal dose. Fortunately for their stomachs, and the sanctity of chefs everywhere, Frisk and Lily managed to keep the tall skeleton from his ill-fated experimentation.
 
After about a half an hour of waiting, Frisk took a small spoonful of the sauce to taste. He gave a soft hum of approval. The meat was fully cooked, the tomatoes savory with just enough tang and spice from the garlic, pepper and onions.
 
“It’s so good!” Lily exclaimed through the boy’s mouth. Frisk grinned proudly.
 
“Have a taste Papyrus.” He offered.
 
The tall skeleton jogged up and took a spoonful of his own. The red sauce passed through his teeth and vanished from the cutlery. Lily thought to question exactly how he managed to eat without a jaw to hold the food, but stopped when Papyrus’ skull lit up with a little surprise and a lot of joy.
 
“WOWIE, THAT IS DELICIOUS!” He exclaimed. “I NEVER KNEW SPAGHETTI TASTED THIS GOOD. I SHOULD HAVE TRIED IT LONG AGO!”
 
Frisk lifted the brow above his non-glowing eye. “Wait… you’ve never had it? But I thought you make it all the time.”
 
“THAT IS BECAUSE I AM ALWAYS SO BUSY MAKING IT!” Papyrus declared. “EVERYONE LOVES MY SPAGHETTI SO MUCH THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD TIME TO TRY IT FOR MYSELF.”
 
"Maybe that’s for the best…" Lily said internally, causing Frisk to giggle.
 
“We’ll get some plates ready, okay?” The boy said, giving the sauce one final stirring for good measure.
 
“VERY WELL! I SHALL GO AND WAKE MY BROTHER! NO GRILLBY’S FOR HIM TONIGHT! NYEH HEH HEH!” With his iconic laugh, the red skeleton darted from the room and was half way up the stairs in less than a second.
 
Frisk laughed and Lily shook their head before the two set about preparing the servings. They opened the storage compartment beneath the sink to search for some plates and Lily had to choke back a laugh at the sight of the hundreds of bones piled within. A few were riddled with small marks or had pieces broken off as if they’d been gnawed recently by a dog. Nevertheless they managed to find a few clean dishes and cutlery among the calcium supply and fished them out for use.
 
Spooning a generous helping of noodles and sauce onto each plate the children gathered two of them and headed to the living area just as Papyrus was ushering a very drowsy looking Sans down the stares. The short skeleton blinked a couple of times at the sight of them, Frisk with one eye still glowing crimson. Lily managed to keep her emotions in check for the most part, but Frisk still caught the acrid scent of her silent anger despite the pleasant aroma of the spaghetti.
 
“huh. actually smells pretty good.” Sans observed.
 
“It’s… just a simple Bolognese.” Frisk said, a little more quietly than normal. “It isn’t anything too fancy.”
 
“IT IS VERY GOOD, SANS. YOU MUST TRY SOME.” Papyrus said. “MY FIRST TIME EATING SPAGHETTI. I AM SO EXCITED!”
 
Papyrus practically planted his brother down on the sofa before taking a seat next to him. Frisk dutifully handed them their plates, Sans’ a little more reluctantly than his brother’s. Sans stared at the plate for a moment before setting it on the arm-rest and rummaging around in his pocket before pulling out a small bottle of viscous red liquid. Frisk caught the distinctive smell of ketchup as he popped the cap. His expression fell.
 
“You aren’t…” Frisk’s voice spoke in Lily’s tone.
 
“REALLY, SANS?” Papyrus chided at the same time.
 
“what?” The hoodied skeleton grinned. “seems to me like a perfect time to hit the sauce.”
 
Papyrus cringed and Lily looked on in sheer bewilderment as Sans promptly raised the bottle to his skull and downed the whole thing in one go. He gave an exaggerated sigh and wiped his non-lips on the sleeve of his hoodie before taking the plate again. Lily sighed in relief before turning her voice inward to speak to Frisk alone.
 
"It’s okay, Frisk. He just… drank it." She said the last part slowly, realizing how ridiculous it sounded.
 
"He did?" Frisk asked, relaxing.
 
“whatcha just standing there for, kiddos?” Sans asked. “you’re eatin’ too, right?”
 
“Oh! Y-yeah…” Frisk said.
 
He retrieved his and Lily’s plate before making his way back to the sofa. Papyrus patted the empty space between himself and Sans encouragingly. They carefully managed to settle themselves between the two brothers without spilling any of their meal. Frisk did his best not to look nervous while sitting so close the shorter brother. He didn’t want to worry Papyrus, who so far seemed unaware of the tension between Sans and the children.
 
Lily forced herself to watch as the blue skeleton took a forkful of their spaghetti and gave it a try. For a second, she thought she saw a hint of surprise cross the skeleton’s normally unreadable expression.
 
“hey. this is good.” He took another bite and the ever-present grin returned to his skull, though this time it seemed a little more genuine. “you made this, frisk?”
 
“Not just me.” Frisk said modestly. “Papyrus and Lily did most of the work. I just gave the recipe and helped where I needed to.”
 
“Oh, don’t say that Frisk…” Lily sighed. “You were the one who showed us how to do everything. I don’t think it would have come out half as good if not for that.”
 
“INDEED, HUMAN!” Papyrus agreed. “IT WAS OUR COMBINED GREATNESS THAT MADE THIS PASTA SO SPECIAL. BE PROUD OF YOURSELF!”
 
“heh. gotta agree with ‘em there, buddy.” Sans said. He actually sounded honest. “you did good. guess humans really know their food, eh?”
 
“Well they know how to eat anyway.” Frisk said, feeling a little more comfortable from the encouragement. That evoked a laugh from both Lily and Sans.
 
The meal was a rather pleasant experience with each of them eating their food at different paces. Papyrus shoveled his down with the same haste that he showed everything else and then went for seconds. Sans ate slow and leisurely in stark contrast to his brother, ignoring the bits of sauce that dripped onto his shirt, hoodie, and shorts.
 
As for Frisk and Lily, two consciousnesses enjoying the same meal using the same body was certainly an interesting thing to behold. The shorter skeleton quickly learned how to tell who was in control simply by their mannerisms. Frisk was a rather plain eater, taking small bites and being prone to slurp some of the larger noodles; one thing that served to remind the skeleton that he was still a child despite everything. Lily on the other hand seemed to have a much more refined style in contrast to her fiery personality, wrapping the noodles onto the fork and taking care to make as little mess as possible.
 
The glow of the television filled the home with light and sound from the quirky detective show that was currently airing. Mettaton played all of the parts, but that was alright. The robot seemed quite skilled at playing multiple roles, even if his rectangular form made it woefully obvious.
 
“so.” Sans said, waving his fork casually. It was an awkward situation but he had to ask. “you and the ghost-kid can share a body?”
 
“Yeah?” Frisk questioned.
 
“What’s your point?” Lily asked, somewhat suspiciously.
 
“s’just a lot easier to talk this way is all.” Sans said casually. “why didn’t you do it before? seemed like frisk here had to talk for you for a while there.”
 
Lily smiled though it did little to conceal the flickering glow of aggravation within Frisk’s right eye.  "Oh you know. Before this morning we never had a need to try and find out if we could."
 
“Lily… Not in front of Papyrus.” Frisk warned internally, casting a surreptitious glance toward the taller brother who was already half way through his second plate of pasta.
 
“Aw… but… I wanted to rattle him a little…” The girl pouted.
 
“Yeah, but we don’t want to drag Papyrus into it, right?”
 
“I know…” Lily sighed. “I’ll be careful, okay?”
 
"i see. guess that makes sense…" Sans replied. 'so. i had a hand in that huh? guess it works in the long run...'  He sighed before setting his plate on the armrest, pleasantly satisfied by the surprisingly wholesome meal. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d eaten at home.
 
"I GET IT! IT MUST HAVE BEEN BECAUSE YOU WANTED SO BADLY TO JOIN IN THE JOY OF PUZZLE MAKING! I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT! WE SHALL CREATE MANY MORE GREAT PUZZLES TOGETHER!" Papyrus grinned, his excitement causing the kids to laugh.
 
"Of course Papyrus! It’ll be much more fun with all of us!" Frisk told the taller skeleton happily as they finish the last of the spaghetti.
 
"by the way… how'd you two meet anyways? you said you only came here not long ago?' Sans attempted a different approach, hoping to glean some more information.
 
Before Lily could tell him where to shove the question Papyrus spoke up.
 
"I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AS WELL! YOU TWO GET ALONG SO WELL WITH EACH OTHER! LIKE YOU'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR A VERY LONG TIME!"
 
Lily went silent at that so Frisk responded instead. "We met after I fell down here. She was there when the flowers saved me." Frisk’s head tilted to the side in thought. "I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ever seen anything, but there she was. I thought I had died for a while, actually. I couldn’t think of any other way to explain it. But well, I’m not dead and she’s still here so… I’m glad."
 
The boy’s cheeks reddened a little as Lily remembered that day. It hadn’t been so long ago, but somehow it felt like an age. They’d both been so confused… Frisk had even asked if she was an angel. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now the funny memory brought a small smile to her heart and Frisk’s lips.
 
The smell of the golden flowers: of lemon and honey, flowed through his nose.
 
"WHAT A FUN AND UNIQUE FIRST MEETING!” Papyrus exclaimed. “LILY SEEMS TO BE A GREAT FRIEND FOR YOU! AND YOU HER! THERE IS NONE GREATER THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT BOTH OF YOU ARE VERY CLOSE SECONDS INDEED!"
 
"you are the best friend someone can get paps." Sans chuckled.
 
"After that we stayed together. It's been a lot of fun!" Frisk ended off with a smile.
 
They’d left out the part about the maniacal talking flower who tried to kill them afterwards. Lily frowned inwardly a little at the thought. Flowey… she’d seen him earlier, though he’d disappeared soon after. She hadn’t yet been able to tell Frisk about that. The nihilistic little sprout had been pretty quick to confront them in the Ruins, and she worried that he might eventually decide to do the same here.
 
Thinking about him always seemed to make her feel sad, though she didn’t know why. When it came to Sans and his out-of-nowhere interrogation, she’d become angry and protective. But with Flowey it was a different matter. In her heart, she knew he was dangerous… unpredictable. Unlike Sans who seemed to have an underlying reason for his actions, Flowey was unhinged – doing things only because they interested him. And yet, despite that… she couldn’t bring herself to hate him even if he had done everything to deserve it.
 
“What’s wrong, Lily?” Frisk asked. He must have sensed her feelings.
 
She shook their head and put them away for now. “Nothing… just thinking about some things.”
 
Papyrus stood to collect the dishes and returned to the kitchen to place them in the sink and put away the leftovers. Once everything was done the tall skeleton suggested playing some card games on the floor in front of the TV. Frisk was unsure but he ultimately agreed when Lily offered to share his ‘turn’.  Sans, despite wanting to get to work on what he’d learned about the two kids, couldn't say no to his brother. Several games of Go Fish later had Papyrus with the biggest grin on his face as he laid his final 2 cards, a pair of 3's, on his ever growing pile.
 
"NYEH HEH HEH! I WIN AGAIN! THE FISH ARE MINE!" Papyrus exclaimed and took up the rest of the cards to reassemble the deck. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY AGAIN? THIS IS VERY FUN WITH THREE PEOPLE! ERR, FOUR PEOPLE? HMM…”
 
Frisk shook his head softly and let out a yawn. "M… maybe tomorrow. I'm getting a little tired. Lily too."
 
"It has been a long day... I'm surprised Frisk hasn't fallen asleep already..." Lily chuckled as she pushed the last of the cards towards the lankier skeleton brother.
 
"I was having fun..." Frisk replied indigently as another yawn forced its way from his mouth, drawing out the tail end of the sentence.
 
"IT IS ALRIGHT, FRIENDS. YOU MAY REST ON THE COUCH AGAIN! YOU ARE FREE TO USE IT WHENEVER YOU WOULD LIKE!"
 
"Thanks Papyrus. That's great of you. I think we will head to sleep. C'mon Frisk. Let's go..."
 
“’Kay.” The boy said, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Chapter Text

* Four Stage Memory Seal: Status Report:
 
Seal: Alpha – LOCKED
Seal: Beta – LOCKED
Seal: Gamma – LOCKED
Seal: Delta – LOCKED
 
* Begin release process…
* ERROR: Interference from foreign consciousness detected – Purge and resume process.
 
* Seal: Alpha – commence release, restore vestigial recollection.
* Seals Beta, Gamma, and Delta – suspended until process is complete.

 
– CURRENT ANALYSIS –
 
I’ve made it back… it seems it really worked after all. Hopefully this will buy us all some time. The first seal has begun its release process, so I have a little time to ruminate before the others put me back into sleep.
 
It’s bound to be quite a shock when the memories begin to return… and truthfully, I regret forcing all of these onto my former self, but it must be done. If I can arm him with the knowledge I’ve gained, then maybe he will be able to fix my mistakes… and stop what is to come. It will be difficult, but the following days will go a long way in determining how smoothly the process will go. I only hope it will not be too much…
 
As for the other consciousness, the one he has named Lily, my feelings are… torn.
 
She has been an asset thus far and it seems at least some of what she told me was truthful. She offered herself as a guide unprompted and has been a constant source of support since they returned here. Even in this short time, they’ve forged a powerful bond. It almost seems an entirely different presence from the one I’m familiar with. Could the Other have truly affected her that much? Or… was it because of me?
 
On the other hand, I still see facets of the one I once feared even now. She still has something of a violent streak if the earlier encounter with Sans is any indication. Then again, she only assumed control in defense of my young incarnation and seemed reluctant to do so again when asked. What should I think? Are my suspicions warranted or have my experiences clouded my judgement to the point that I can’t help but consider the worst case scenario? Regardless, I cannot deny that she’s been a boon. My first journey through the Underground was far more difficult due to my limitations, so having another to help must be invaluable.
 
Interestingly, most of her own memories seem to have been lost as a result of the transfer. It’s a case very different from the Seal placed upon myself. They’re more scattered, returning in bits and chunks rather than a steady flow of restored information. Even her own name seems to have been lost during the process. I am curious, and a bit apprehensive at what the restoration of those particular memories will mean going forward. I suppose it is only then that I’ll know for sure where her motivations lie.
 
The Other is not yet aware of this timeline, as far as I can tell. It seems we still remain in the shadow of the former, and it has yet to find us. Without a doubt, it noticed my disappearance as well as hers, but I’ve noticed none of the signs to suggest that it knows where we are. Hopefully it remains that way, until we can find out what to do.
 
As for the others… I can’t express how happy I am to see them all again. How I wish our happy ending could have remained so. I expected that reaction from Sans… I knew he would eventually find the records and manage to piece things together. I hope I can count on his help when the time comes… if he can even bring himself to trust me again, that is.
 
Ah… seems my time’s coming to an end. The process is almost finished. Maybe next time, I’ll have something a little more substantial.
 
– END ANALYSIS –

 
* Release Process: Complete
 
* Seal: Alpha – Released, vestigial recollection restored.
* Seals Beta, Gamma, and Delta – Ending suspension period, restore lock.
 
* Updating status…
 
Seal: Alpha – UNLOCKED
Seal: Beta – LOCKED
Seal: Gamma – LOCKED
Seal: Delta – LOCKED
 
* Stage 1 of 4 complete.
*Stage 2 of 4 progress - 0.1%……

“Oof…!” Lily grunted as she was suddenly forced from Frisk’s body and down onto the floor near the skeletons’ couch. “H-hey…!”
 
She cast a bleary glare toward Frisk, only to drop it the moment her eyes fell upon his still sleeping form. She lifted a spectral brow and drifted over to him. His eyes were still closed and his breathing was steady… whatever had expelled her from his SOUL had done nothing to disturb his own slumber. Shrugging her shoulders, she placed her hand over his chest – the place closest to his essence and concentrated on re-merging. After a couple of moments she opened her eyes.
 
Nothing happened.
 
Frisk lay where he was, and she continued to float above him. There was no burst of light, no dissipation of her spirit, not even a pulse from his SOUL. There was nothing.
 
“What the hell…?” She muttered, and nudged the boy’s shoulder. “Frisk? Hey, wake up.”
 
He didn’t respond. Not even a sleepy groan or a blind wave of the arm to get rid of the disturbance. She nudged him harder… still nothing. No matter her attempts he remained in deep sleep. She considered for a moment on what else to try. Frisk was normally a deep sleeper but this was simply ridiculous. She poked, prodded, and shook but nothing seemed capable of rousing the boy from whatever abyss he’d fallen into.
 
“Well crap…” she sighed, giving up and settling herself down on the couch next to him.
 
She watched him for a while, taking note of the ever-so-slight movement of his lips barely perceptible amidst the steady breaths. He seemed to be talking in his sleep, but it was silent and she wasn’t exactly versed in the reading of lips. The spectral girl chuckled a little at his side.
 
‘Wonder what he’s dreaming about?’ She thought. ‘He seems calm enough, so it probably isn’t anything bad. Maybe we’re just not quite used to this whole ‘combining our consciousnesses’ thing. Oh well… it isn’t like I was going to get to sleep again right away after being woken up like that.”
 
She settled back and reclined in the air with her hands behind her head. Merging with Frisk had a lot of benefits – she could talk to people, and directly interact with the world around her and all that. But there was something about the freedom of being a weightless ghost uninhibited by gravity that she found quite a bit of enjoyment in. Grinning, she imagined all the pranks she could play if she was just a little more solid. She had a feeling she played quite a few of those back when she was alive.
 
‘When I was alive…’ She mused, and her face turned thoughtful. ‘That’s right… I still don’t remember much about my life. Little pieces have been coming back to me but most of it is still a big blur. I know I had a mom, a dad who liked gardening, and… a brother. Yeah… I called him Rei, but I’m sure that was just a nickname. I can now remember when my dad gave me those shears… he taught me so much about how to take care of plants. I think that’s why I love flowers so much. I just wish I could remember their faces or even just their names… I still can’t even remember my own.’
 
‘And… what about my death? I don’t even remember how it happened or when… or what brought me back. I was dead, shouldn’t I have stayed that way? So then… why am I here now, attached to Frisk’s SOUL?’
 
The girl crossed her arms and exhaled. Thinking about it wasn’t bringing her any closer to the answer. In a way, that was the most frightening thing of all. What would happen if she eventually did find out? Maybe the answer was so horrible that it was the very reason she’d lost her memory in the first place. She shuddered at the possibility, wrapping her arms around herself to stave off a sudden chill.
 
Thankfully, she didn’t need to entertain that unpleasant thought for long. A soft sound, piercing the silence of the living area drew her attention. It was a voice, too distant to be understood but identifiable as such nonetheless. It was coming from the upper levels of the home… or more specifically, from Sans’ room.
 
Curious, Lily drifted up to the second level to investigate, making her way to the simple door. As she drew closer it became clear that there were actually two voices, both familiar. She reached the door, noticing it was slightly ajar and peered inside. It was clear it hadn’t been cleaned in a while. Old socks littered the floor and furnishings, one hanging limply from the console of a treadmill in the center of the room. In the corner was what could only be described as a self-sustaining tornado filled with trash. The girl would have liked a bit of time to marvel the sheer absurdity of it all, if a voice hadn’t drawn her attention to more important things.
 
“SANS, PLEASE CALM DOWN.” Papyrus said gently. “IT WAS JUST A NIGHTMARE. NO NEED TO WORRY.”
 
Sans was sitting up in his bed, strange bluish liquid akin to tears streaming down the sides of his skull from his darkened eye-sockets. Papyrus sat on the side of the lumpy mattress, his long, bony arms wrapped tightly around his brother. Sans looked a lot smaller without his hoodie, which only added to his sorry state. His entire form trembled within his brothers’ embrace and the constant grin he usually wore was replaced with an expression of absolute terror.
 
“you wouldn’t get it, pap…” he said almost breathlessly. “if you knew… if you’d seen it…”
 
“SANS, LISTEN TO ME…” Papyrus soothed. “THE HUMAN WON’T HURT ANYONE… WE ARE FRIENDS NOW! EVEN THE DOG CLAN LOVES HIM. IT WAS JUST A DREAM, BROTHER…”
 
“you don’t know what he’s capable of, bro…” Sans muttered. “i don’t want to lose you again… I can’t lose you again.”
 
“LOOK AT ME, SANS…” Papyrus said, grabbing his brother’s skull and craning his neck up to look him in the eye. “I AM RIGHT HERE, SAFE AND SOUND. NO HARM AT ALL! I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO PROTECT YOU.”
 
“i know… and i wanna believe that. but ever since this started…” Sans trailed off. “i can’t help it, bro… i’m terrified, knowing what could happen but having no idea what will.”
 
“YOU AREN’T MAKING SENSE, SANS…” Papyrus said. “YOU’RE STILL TALKING ABOUT THE DREAM RIGHT? YOU JUST NEED TO TELL YOURSELF THAT IT WASN’T REAL. I’M HERE, YOU’RE HERE, AND SO ARE FRISK AND LILY. WE’LL ALL BE FRIENDS, WE’LL MAKE PASTA AND PUZZLES TOGETHER. AND YOU CAN EVEN ANNOY US WITH YOUR PUNS! I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THOSE…”
 
“heh. can’t deny that. i am a real punny guy, huh?” Sans forced a grin at the small pun. Papyrus tried to maintain a straight face, but Sans caught the slight twitch of his eye-socket.
 
“A-ANYWAY!” He cleared his throat. “DREAMS CANNOT HURT YOU… AND IF YOU ARE EVER FRIGHTENED YOU CAN ALWAYS COME TO ME. THE GREAT PAPYRUS ALWAYS HAS TIME TO LEND AN EAR TO HIS AMAZING BROTHER.”
 
“yeah… thanks bro.” Sans said, feeling a little better. “guess i just need to pull myself together, huh?”
 
“THERE YOU GO! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT.” Papyrus flashed a brilliant grin, and Sans chuckled. “YOU SHOULD TALK TO THEM, SANS. I’M SURE IF YOU TOOK SOME TIME, YOU WOULD ALL BECOME GOOD FRIENDS.”
 
“whaddya mean? we talked plenty earlier…” Sans lifted a brow ridge.
 
“NO, YOU HAD AN INTERROGATION.” Papyrus countered. “I’VE SEEN IT PLENTY WITH UNDYNE. IT’S A GREAT WAY TO LEARN ABOUT SOMEONE BUT NOT VERY GOOD FOR MAKING FRIENDS.”
 
“heh. i guess i can’t hide anything from you, huh?” Sans said. “you’re right though… guess i should at least give it a try. can’t expect those kids to be honest with me, if i’m not honest with them.”
 
Lily retreated from the door, leaving the two skeletons to the rest of their conversation. It was clear there was a lot more to Sans than met the eye. Maybe she was being a little hard on him after what happened before. Still, that didn’t change the fact that she was angry for what he’d done. Just thinking about how terrified and confused Frisk was made her chest burn…
 
But maybe if she understood his reasons…
 
Sighing she drifted back down to the lower floor and returned to Frisk’s side, snuggling herself next to the boy as much as she was able. This time he stirred, shuffling unconsciously to the side and wrapping his arm over her spectral form. She smiled a little, enjoying the comfort despite everything. At last, sleep caught up with her once more, and she felt her consciousness drifting off once again.
 
Neither of the humans were disturbed again for the rest of the night.

Morning greeted Lily like a slap to the face as the smell of warm cinnamon wafted through the room. She opened her eyes to its intoxicating call, her eyes focusing in on Sans, closing the door behind himself. Two small books were tucked under one arm and the source of the wonderful smell drifted out from the small bag in his other hand.
 
The shorter bone brother watched as Frisk’s hovering arm moved up and then was gently lowered onto the couch next to his chest. The kid’s face scrunched up slightly before falling back into place, completely uncaring to the disturbance. Sans chuckled and moved over to them, setting the books and bag down upon the end table next to boy's head.
 
"hey ghost-kid. i know your there. these are for you and frisk." He said casually.
 
Sans glanced out the corner of his eye as Frisk started moving like he was being shaken. The boy groaned as he blindly swatted at Lily, who only chuckled at his attempts to push her away.
 
"Nooo, I wanna sleep..." He said groggily, curling in on himself again.
 
"Frisk… use your nose, not your brain." Came the retort to his sleepy complaint.
 
Frisk huffed slightly before his nose twitched in response to something. The smell of heavy cinnamon and sugar caused a small noise to leave his lips as he licked them in anticipation. Lily laughed a little. It looked like the promise of food was an effective method in rousing the little sleeping lion. Who’d have thought?
 
"Mmm, smells like the bunnies from Ms. Lapin..."
 
"that's 'cus they are kid. a peace offering if you will."
 
Sans' voice caused Frisk to jump into a sitting position before tumbling to the floor. "Ah!"
 
"Frisk! Are you alright?" Lily asked as she moved quickly to Frisk's side, helping him sit back on the couch.
 
"Ow… Yeah I'm alright." Frisk replied, patting Lily's hand before turning his attention back to Sans.
 
He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, even though he knew Sans probably wouldn’t do anything in his own house, with his brother so close by. Lily quickly took the initiative, merging with Frisk's SOUL so as to lend her support. The moment the eye began to glow it grew dark as it focused on Sans' every move.
 
The short skeleton rubbed the back of his head. At least it wasn’t hard to tell what she thought of him… not that he’d given the best first impression. "welp breakfast is there along with some puzzle books. gotta keep you kids outta trouble right? might wanna eat soon before they hop away." He turned up his hand, as if looking at some kind of invisible watch and gave a resigned sigh. "guess i should get going. gotta get to my bonely job in the snow."
 
With that, he quickly spun about on his slippered heel and walked out the door quick as he came, leaving the two of them in silence once again.
 
"Well... That was weird. He sure left in a hurry." Frisk replied, scratching the tip of his nose with a finger while his other hand fumbled around for the baked goods.
 
"Maybe Papyrus talked to him? It would make sense. I think Papyrus sees more than he lets on." Replied Lily, her glowing eye turned towards the bag as the boy finally found it. She decided against telling Frisk what she saw last night for now.
 
"Alright. These smell so good. I'm happy he brought them." Frisk grinned.
 
His hand quickly dove into the bag to pull out the sweet treat and pop it into his mouth. The delicious taste of cinnamon and icing sang against his tongue. She wasn’t quite on par with Toriel when it came to baking but Mrs. Lapin was definitely superb in her own right.  
 
"Don’t eat them too fast!" Lily protested mentally as the boy shoved more of the cinnamon bunny into his mouth, therefore cutting off her ability to speak through him. “By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask.”
 
"Hmmph?" Frisk grunted through the mouthful, which causes the glowing eye to roll in exasperation at his messiness.
 
"Some time in the middle of the night I was forced out of your SOUL.” She explained. “It was like something just kicked me out… and it wouldn't let me back in. It was weird."
 
"Huh… wonder why?" Frisk vaguely thought back, licking his fingers and the sugary substance began to drip down the digits. 
 
“Come on, Frisk… this is serious.” The girl complained, now wondering if it was such a good idea to bring it up when he had food on the brain. “It really worried me for a bit. Something like it happened before at Mom’s house and you know what happened that time.”
 
“Hmm…” Frisk began, slowing his eating to focus a little more on the subject at hand. “I don’t think I had a nightmare or anything…”
 
“Me neither.” Lily said. “But it happened anyway. And now that I think about it, you didn’t respond when I tried to wake you either. Normally you’ll groan or move away but this time… you didn’t do anything. It almost looked like you were talking in your sleep too.”
 
“I was?” Frisk said aloud as he finished the treat, and wiped his fingers clean. “What did I say?”
 
“I don’t know…” Lily responded. “If you were, it was too quiet to hear… and I don’t really know how to read lips. You’re sure you don’t know anything?”
 
“No…” Frisk said thoughtfully. “When you explain it like that it does seem weird but… I feel okay.”
 
“Are you sure?” She asked in concern, taking control of one of his arms to touch the other.
 
“Yeah… whatever it was, I don’t think it was anything bad.” He assured her. “Thanks for worrying about me. I’m sorry you had to wake up like that.”
 
“It’s alright.” The girl said softly. “Just as long as you’re okay.”
 
The two children set about getting ready for the day ahead. Using his stick and Lily’s guidance, Frisk padded over to the wash room and splashed his face with water before returning to the couch where they’d left Sans’ ‘peace offering’. Lily pored over the titles, and found them to be an assortment of pen-and-paper puzzles. There were some word searches, similar to the one he’d given them before, a number of crosswords of varying difficulties and a few Jumbles of both the Junior and Senior variety.
 
“OH HO! I SEE THE TWO OF YOU ARE ALREADY AWAKE! GOOD MORNING, HUMANS!” Called the unmistakably resounding voice of Papyrus from above. “AND DO MY EYE-SOCKETS DECEIVE ME? YOU HAVE BROUGHT PUZZLES! I KNEW YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH CLASS BUT I NEVER EXPECTED THIS MUCH.”
 
“’Morning Papyrus.” Frisk waved in the direction of the voice. “Actually, Sans brought these. We only just woke up.”
 
“HE DID? WOWIE!” Papyrus cheered. “MY ADVICE MUST HAVE REALLY HELPED.”
 
“Huh?” Frisk questioned.
 
“OH, JUST A SMALL NIGHT TERROR.” Papyrus explained as he descended the stairs and came to a stop before the two of them. “NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. I AM GLAD HE IS FEELING BETTER. HE EVEN WOKE UP ON TIME!”
 
“Hey Papyrus?” Lily said hoping to change the subject before Frisk thought to ask about the contents of said nightmare. “Would you want to do some of these with us? Sans brought a lot, so…”
 
“AN INVITATION TO PUZZLING? NYEH HEH HEH! I’D LOVE TO!” Papyrus grinned widely, but turned thoughtful in the next moment. “IS… WHAT I’D LIKE TO SAY ANYWAY, BUT I MUST ATTEND TO MY DUTIES TODAY. THE PATH OF A ROYAL GUARD IS NOT AN EASY ONE, AND SOMETIMES SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE! I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND, FRIENDS.”
 
“It’s okay.” Frisk nodded. “We can always do them later on. Me and Lily can find something to do while you’re out.”
 
“WELL THAT IS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!” Papyrus said happily. “WELL THEN, I MUST BE GOING AS WELL. I KNOW IT WILL BE HARD WITHOUT ME, BUT TRY TO HAVE FUN WHILE I’M GONE.”
 
“We’ll try. See you later, Pap.” Lily responded.
 
Papyrus grinned before ruffling the child’s hair under his gloved hand. Frisk shook his head and straightened the displaced strands as best he could before giving the skeleton a grin and a thumbs up. Frisk slipped on his boots, gloves and jacket before they joined the taller bone brother at the front door of the house. They bid Papyrus farewell as he dashed off through the town, presumably to check on his own puzzles in the forest. Eventually they set off in the same direction, albeit at a far more leisurely pace than the energetic Guard hopeful.
 
Snowdin was as welcoming as ever, the twinkling lights invoking festive air that wouldn’t be out of place on a holiday card. Frisk pulled his jacket tighter around himself as a chill wind kicked up a little snow from the ground in front of him, making him shiver.
 
Lily had let herself out of Frisk’s SOUL shortly after they’d started walking, deigning instead to guide him normally. Seeing a strange new creature walking about their town might not have bothered the residents of Snowdin too much… but she reasoned that seeing a strange new creature with a glowing eye talking to itself while wandering around their town might raise a few eyebrows. Instead, she had her arms wrapped around the blind boy’s forehead and her chin resting upon his scalp, content to let him drag her weightless form along behind him, and offering guidance as needed. To the monsters, it would seem like little more than a perfectly normal (if slightly less fuzzy) boy taking a stroll through the village. To Frisk and Lily… they had to struggle to keep a straight face at their rather amusing position.
 
“So what now?” The girl said casually, kicking her legs behind her.
 
“I dunno.” Frisk shrugged. “We just ate, and Grillby’s probably isn’t very busy right now anyway.”
 
“Yeah… the Dog Clan’s probably out doing their jobs too.” Lily sighed. “And we already explored some of the forest yesterday. Ugh… this is hard.”
 
It was at that moment the two were drawn from their conversation by a voice from nearby.
 
“Yo!” Hailed the speaker, their voice unfamiliar.
 
Frisk and Lily turned as one toward its source. Standing near the large decorated tree in the center of town was a small yellowish monster about the same height as Frisk. It was largely reptilian in appearance, two off-white spikes protruding from the back of its head. A sleeveless yellow and brown striped shirt hung from its armless torso.
 
The monster’s scaled face curled into a wobbly smile and its tail swished back and forth excitedly when it noticed it had the boy’s attention. No shoes covered its three toed feet, but it didn’t seem bothered by the snow as it scampered quickly up to the boy and stared with wide, curious eyes.
 
“Yo!” It greeted again, in a voice that sounded masculine to Frisk. “You’re a kid too, right? I can tell because you’re wearing a striped shirt.”
 
“Yeah… I am?” Frisk answered sheepishly.
 
“That’s awesome! I’ve never seen you around here before. Did you just move here?” The monster child asked.
 
“Well, I…” Frisk wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. He couldn’t exactly say he lived on the surface, but he wasn’t quite comfortable in saying that he lived with Sans and Papyrus either… especially not with his apprehension surrounding the former.
 
The small monster didn’t seem to mind as he spoke again. “Yo, do you wanna play? I was just going to meet some friends. We’re gonna play Monsters and Humans!”
 
“You want me to play with you…?” Frisk asked. He wasn’t quite used to another child outright asking him to play.
 
“Say yes, Frisk!” Lily urged, dancing excitedly alongside him. “It sounds like fun!”
 
“Oh! Okay… uh, sure.” Frisk replied awkwardly. The monster child beamed.
 
“Alright! This is gonna be so cool!” The reptilian monster hopped up and down, kicking up a bit of snow. “Follow me!”
 
With that he turned around and set off into a run, to the north of the town square. He got a few feet before tripping and falling flat on his face into the snow. Lily gasped and was about to say something when he quickly picked himself back up as if nothing had happened and set off again. Blinking a couple of times she began to guide her blind companion after the child at a much slower pace, moving carefully around the other residents going about their daily business. By the time they’d crossed into Snowdin’s residential district, the reptilian monster was little more than a yellow dot amidst the sea of white snow.
 
“Wow, for having no arms, he sure is fast!” Lily commented. “You doing okay Frisk?”
 
“Yeah… I’m just a little nervous.” He said, feeling about with his stick as they moved. “This is the first time someone around my age has wanted to play with me. Well, except you, anyway.”
 
Lily placed her hand on Frisk’s shoulder and gave an encouraging squeeze. “You’ll be alright… remember what you told me when I was nervous about talking to Papyrus?”
 
Frisk gave a small smile. He did remember, and it had proven to be the right thing to do. Maybe if he just took his own advice it would be okay.
 
“Yo!” The monster child’s voice called out. He’d doubled back when he noticed the new kid wasn’t behind him. “What’s the holdup, dude? Don’t you wanna play?”
 
“Oh. Sorry…” Frisk said.
 
“You okay?”
 
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…” He hesitated for a moment before finishing. “I… can’t see.”
 
“Oh… haha… oops. Don’t I feel like an idiot now.” The small monster’s grin faded. “Sorry for leaving you behind like that.”
 
“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” Frisk said. “I hope you still want me to play though.”
 
The grin returned. “Huh? Yeah! Of course I do. I’ll try to go a little slower until we get to the others okay?” He scratched the scales on his cheek with his foot - a gesture which looked somewhat amusing to Lily - before continuing. “Oh yeah. I’m Kidd by the way. So uh, nice to meet you and stuff.”
 
“I’m Frisk.” The boy introduced himself. “Oh, and my friend’s here too. You can’t see her, but her name’s Lily.”
 
“You got an invisible friend? Sweet!” Kidd said in awe. “Does she wanna play too?”
 
“Huh? Oh! Yeah!” Lily said as she hugged Frisk’s arm, smile spreading to each of her rosy cheeks.
 
Frisk laughed a little. He was starting to get a little excited too between both Lily and Kidd. “She said ‘yes’.”
 
“Awesome! Let’s get going then!” Kidd said, walking in front of them at a much slower pace this time.
 
Eventually they found their way to the northern part of Snowdin and the reptilian monster quickly led them to a large playground set apart from the numerous cozy homes dotting the area. There was a number of contraptions designed for leisure; swing-sets, a jungle gym, and even a play fort crafted from wood.
 
A number of young looking monsters were gathered in the clearing in the middle of the park, talking animatedly amongst themselves; a rabbit-like child, two slimes: one blue and one green with a red bow, a mouse wrapped in a far-too-big scarf, and a horned child with red skin, garbed in a robe. They all turned their attention to Kidd and his newfound companion as he darted up to meet them.
 
"Yo! I found someone else to play Monsters and Humans with us! This is Frisk and his invisible friend Lily!" Kidd introduced happily as he skidded to a stop in front of the group of kids.
 
"Oh! I think we saw him yesterday didn't we bro?" The green slime with the bow said.
 
"Yeah, you’re right! Are you alright? You seemed so sad yesterday..." The blue one replied, looking at Frisk with concern… or at least he thought he was looking at him. It was hard to tell.
 
Frisk drew his stick absently through the snow. All the attention was making him feel a bit nervous. "Yeah… I'm okay now. Thank you for asking." He turned his attention to Kidd who swished his tail excitedly.
 
Sensing this, Kidd looked at the boy, and the wagging stopped. His expression turned thoughtful. "Will you be able to play? Not being able to see and all?" The questioned carried a bluntness that only a child could deliver.
 
"Huh? You can’t see?” The mouse arced a brow, their voice slightly muffled by the scarf. “But you followed Kidd no problem!"
 
"Well um… that’s mostly thanks to Lily. She’s kind of like my guardian angel." Frisk grinned sheepishly, and Lily squeaked at his side.
 
“F-Frisk!” She stammered, her pale complexion taking on a decidedly tomato-like shade.
 
“Well, it’s true…” Frisk retorted, giving her somewhat flirtatious grin which only made her blush deeper.
 
“Hold on… if she’s invisible, how do we know where she is?" The rabbit wondered aloud, squinting his eyes as if she’d suddenly pop into view if he tried hard enough.
 
Frisk turned to Lily with a questioning look, and offered his hand to her. She was still reeling slightly from the ‘angel’ comment but managed a nod in response. Taking his hand, she tried to hide the visible signs of her embarrassment as much as possible even as her form vanished into Frisk’s body. The familiar red glow poured forth from the thin slit of the boy’s right eye, and his expression shifted to that of another.
 
"G…Greetings!" Lily spoke through Frisk's mouth, smiling as a few jaws dropped from the monster children.
 
"That is wicked cool! Haha! The red magic looks awesome!" The horned kid jumped excitedly, watching the glow coat the right side of the boy’s face.
 
"That's Lily! She's my best friend! I hope we can both play?" Frisk said.
 
“You don’t mind, right?” Lily added, feeling Frisk’s excitement welling up within his body alongside her own.
 
"YEAH!" A resounding cry from all of them gave the two humans all the answer they needed.
 
Kidd, seemingly the designated leader of the playgroup quickly set about dividing them all into teams. The mouse and the green slime were chosen as the Monsters while everyone else was a 'human'. Once done, they gave a quick run through of the rules to Frisk and Lily.
 
“So the Humans run and hide, and the Monsters have to catch them.” Frisk said. “And if they’re caught, they have to go to the ‘dungeon’ which is the jungle gym.”
 
“Yup!” Kidd said.
 
“And the monsters win if they catch all the humans.” Lily added. “But if they don’t catch them in time, the humans who haven’t been caught win.”
 
"You got it. Man, you guys catch on quick!” Kidd said eagerly. “Alright, everyone ready? Let's go!"
 
The children scattered, the ‘Humans’ distancing themselves from their pursuers while the two ‘Monsters’ fanned out to better capture them. The sound of shouts and laughter filled the chilly Snowdin park as the game began. Frisk couldn’t remember a time he’d had more fun. Something like this: playing a game with other children, running around without fear of hurting himself… it was something he could never experience on the Surface. Stick in hand, and his spectral friend’s voice guiding his steps, he dashed and dodged through the playground smiling all the while. Lily felt his joy as a mirror of her own. The monster children’s eagerness to include her as well as Frisk into their playgroup filled her with a happiness she couldn’t describe.
 
They were a fine team. Lily’s perceptiveness and Frisk’s reflexes complimented each other and they managed to do surprisingly well for their first time playing. In the end, they were still captured but when they got to the ‘dungeon’ they found Vis, and Jester (the male slime, and horned child respectively) already there waiting for them. Kidd was captured soon after, a victim of his own lack of balance. The rabbit boy, who was much more surefooted managed to avoid his opponents for a singular win.
 
“Wow, Coney… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to catch you.” The slime girl said, whole body wriggling as she took air into it.
 
“You almost did a couple of times.” Coney said to her. “You’re getting a lot faster, Aqua.”
 
“Seriously!” Kidd agreed before turning to Frisk and Lily. “And you two did really good for your first time playing.”
 
“Thanks.” Frisk said modestly.
 
“It was really fun!” Lily said with much more energy than her companion.
 
“Heh heh. So… you wanna try the other team now?” He said with another wobbly grin.
 
So it was that the teams were divided once again. Frisk and Lily were placed on the side of the Monsters alongside the ever-smiling Jester. The other children took their places around the park, keeping distance or hiding as suited their abilities. Jester wished the two real humans good luck before setting off in pursuit of Murid, who they ‘totally weren’t singling out because the mouse had captured them last game’.
 
Frisk and Lily, knowing they likely couldn’t match the speed of some of the monsters opted instead for a more stealthy approach. They made their way to a cluster of trees and hunkered down behind them to watch from afar. Jester was doing a good job scattering the ‘Humans’ and Lily was able to use that to pick out where each of them went.
 
Her gaze centered on Kidd, who was currently hunched down near the base of the play-fort on the opposite side of where Jester terrorized the masses. He clearly hadn’t noticed them. Frisk’s lips spread into an evil grin as the girl who shared his body formulated a plan.
 
“Hey Frisk…Kidd’s right over there, near the fort.” She said in his mind. “Want to give him a little scare?”
 
“What do you-“ He stopped for a moment before matching her grin. “Oh, I get it… Okay, let’s do it.”
 
Reaching an accord the glowing-eyed human moved out from his hiding place and made his way carefully toward the fort. Lily directed him from his mind on the right path to take while his stick managed to catch any hidden traps that she might have missed. The boy’s feet moved carefully through the snow, making as little noise as possible within the cold white powder.
 
In a few short moments, they’d reached Kidd. His back was turned to them, watching as Jester struggled to decide which of the two slime siblings to target next. His yellow body was like a beacon amidst the sea of white, and the tall burnt umber walls of the fort. They stepped closer, gradually closing the distance between themselves and the reptilian boy.
 
One step…
 
Two steps…
 
“RAAAAHHH!” Lily and Frisk shouted from a single mouth. Kidd yelped in shock and turned instinctively toward them.
 
It was then that something happened that no one could expect.
 
The monster’s surprised cry was answered by a sudden pulse deep within Frisk’s being. His heart rate quickened, and a pain, sudden and sharp flared behind his left eye. A hand shot instinctively to cover it, as if trying to draw the pain into its palm and cast it away. The sounds of laughter and mirth became muddled and distant before fading completely. The smell and touch of fresh snow faded to nothing. A red glow, vaguely heart-like in shape emerged from his chest.
 
--
 
Light, fluffy snow was replaced with cool, moist earth. The smell of water and limestone, and dust replaced the crisp air of before. In place of laughter and fun, there was naught but silence, save for the whimpering form before him.
 
His vision focused, and the senses returned. Standing before him was the reptilian child, milk-white upon a blank canvas. His legs shook beneath his armless body, and on his face was an expression of abject terror. Frisk’s fingers clenched around something held in his left hand. It was not the familiar rough wood of his stick, but it was something he knew all the same; the plastic hilt of a kitchen knife.
 
“Yo… Y-you'd b-better st-stop r-right where you are…” He stammered. “’Cause if you w-wanna hurt anyone else... you're... You're gonna have to get through me, first. A… an… and…”
 
Idle threats from a mouth barely coherent enough to form the words. There was nothing this monster could do to someone like Frisk. He said nothing, because words held no meaning. All that mattered was what he needed to do.
 
But this child… he was an irritant. A distraction and nothing more. He’d been impeding the human’s progress too much already with his mindless prattle. A voice deep within shared this sentiment, filling Frisk with disgust, pity, and indignation for the child standing before him. The human-thing’s fingers clinched tighter around the hilt of the blade, his dark skinned knuckles growing white from the pressure.
 
* In my way…
 
--
 
Disgusting... pathetic... This child was nothing more than a stepping stone. A hatred deep inside rumbled, urging them to attack. The feeling washed around them like a stream around a stone and they gently focused it upon the body they inhabited. The answer of the crimson pulse told them all they needed to know.
 
It would be taken care of.
 
After all… Children were little more than tools. They knew that first hand…
 
~ Worthless...
 
--
 
“No!”
 
"Ah!"
 
Two cries, uttered in the same instant as Frisk fell back, landing on his haunches into the snow. Lily was flung from his SOUL in the same instant, landing in the cool powder next to her friend.
 
Just like that, the pain and the vision faded as one. The familiar sounds and smells of Snowdin rushed back to the boy all at once as if they’d never gone. Frisk’s fingers loosened around the stick that he was only peripherally aware that he was once again holding. He did not notice at all the beads of sweat that had begun to form on his brow despite the chill, as labored, fragmented breaths spilled haphazardly from his lungs. The boy’s head darted back and forth, before settling on Kidd, who still sat as a white figure of magic to his limited vision.
 
Lily felt more confused than anything. One moment they were playing a prank on Kidd, and the next they were on the ground. The memory of her own experience had blinked out like the flick of a light switch the moment she’d been expelled from Frisk’s SOUL. Still, the fear remained, parallel to his, stemming from a source that she couldn’t quite identify. It faded before she could make any attempt at pursuing it, replaced instead by an instinctive attentiveness for the trembling boy at her side.
 
"Frisk! Are you okay? What happened? What was that?!" The small child sat unmoving in front of her, his body rigid and breaths coming out in hard puffs of air.
 
'He can’t hear me… I have to think of some way to get through to him. Think think think.... Ah ha!' An idea popped into her mind and she quickly set it in motion.
 
She carefully drifted in front of Frisk and let herself down into the snow before him. His left hand was still gripped tightly on his stick, so she reached for the right, prying open the fingers before placing it against her cheek.
 
"Frisk… Come back, okay? Come back to us. Just follow my voice, and leave the fear behind. It’s over now… you’re okay."
 
She continued to speak soothingly, watching as Frisk's breathing gradually slowed to a normal rate. His fingers tentatively glanced over her skin in response. It was working. She kept it up, holding his hand against her cheek and slowly coaxing him back into his own mind.
 
"L..lily?" His eyelids fluttered briefly from their nearly closed position and his vision slowly came into focus upon the spectral girl, and the monochrome, reptilian monster behind her.
 
His terrified face had been replaced with one of much more tempered astonishment, with shades of concern and confusion as he watched the odd display before him.
 
He was okay… He was okay…
 
"Oh thank goodness. You scared me half to death!" Lily tried to joke as she squeezed Frisk’s hand in reassurance.
 
"Yo… Y- you two okay? You screamed…" Kidd questioned from behind Lily, moving to Frisk's side in concern. “I thought I was the one supposed to be scared. Haha…”
 
“I’m…” Frisk stopped short of telling Kidd he was alright. Truthfully, he wasn’t really sure.
 
"HEY! EVERYTHING OKAY?!" Jester yelled out as he and the rest of the children, having heard the commotion, rushed over to investigate.
 
Lily bit her lip thoughtfully, wondering if it would be better to stay separate like this or to try to reestablish a connection with his SOUL. Almost like he was sensing her thoughts Frisk tightened his hold on her hands, fingers twitching, desperate to keep his hold on that one fragment of consistency she represented. Outside it was then.
 
"I…" He coughed slightly. When had his throat gotten so sore? "I don’t know… I don’t know what happened. I think I’m okay now…?" He tried to reassure the other kids and Lily.  That vision had felt so real...
 
Too real...
 
Lily wasn’t convinced, and she made no attempt to hide it. "Don’t space out on me like that again, okay?”
 
So she hadn’t seen it? No… there was something in her eyes, something in the scent her emotions gave… Something happened to her, but he couldn’t be sure if it was the same thing he saw. Somehow, he doubted it.
 
"Maybe… Maybe we should play again some other time? Sounds like you two… three? Might need time to cool down…" Coney suggested, looking between Kidd and Frisk and where he assumed Lily to be.
 
"That might be a good idea. He looks almost as scared as he did when Vis and I saw him yesterday…" Aqua murmured.
 
“I’m sorry…” Frisk said meekly. “I didn’t mean to ruin the game.”
 
“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Coney waved a furry paw. “I need to be heading home soon anyway. Hopefully I won’t run into that creepy girl on the way.” He shuddered a bit at the thought. “It was nice playing with you guys. See ya later!”
 
With that, the white rabbit child rushed off at full speed back toward Snowdin’s residential area. The others watched him go as Jester helped Frisk to his feet. The human boy shivered slightly as he set about dusting the soft white powder from his clothes and pulled the jacket tighter around himself. What just happened? That was one of the most terrifying experiences he’d ever had, and he’d had no shortage those in recent memory alone. It couldn’t have been a dream, because he was fully awake, and the way his SOUL had suddenly reacted was-
 
His stopped mid-thought. His SOUL… it was still out. He quickly concentrated on returning the precious essence to his body where it belonged. The surrounding monsters faded from his sight as he did so.
 
“Yo… you guys wanna do something else?” Kidd suggested. “Maybe Mrs. Lapin will give us some snacks!”
 
Frisk perked up at that. “Oh, we met her! She’s really nice.”
 
“Well that settles it, I guess.” Murid replied. “Let’s go.”

The monster children chattered amiably with their new ‘friend’; joking, smiling and having fun as they left the park behind. Not a single one of them had any idea that the new kid was a human… that he was meant to be their enemy. Within the shadows of the evergreens, some ways away from the park, a small golden flower watched the irony unfold with indifference. They weren’t important, the monsters or the human… boring little details cluttering up the one thing that really mattered. That was the reason he watched.
 
He wasn’t sure, before. He had noticed something in the Ruins… but he didn’t dare hope, even if he could. It was simply too good to be true…
 
And yet, it was.
 
Now, he was certain of it. The mannerisms, those elegant speech patterns, the fluid movements. Everything was as he remembered. And then there was the glow from the right eye. That perfect shade of crimson, unlike the watered-down knock-off of the boy’s SOUL. He knew that color well… only one thing had ever held that hue.
 
There could be no doubt… it was her. She was back… just like him.
 
A smile spread across Flowey’s pale stigma. He knew she would never leave him… even after all this time, they were still inseparable. He’d been so afraid when he woke up all alone in this body, unable to feel anything. It had been as if the final moments of his previous life had been permanently etched into this new existence, trapping him in a limbo between life and death. But now, he understood. He wasn’t the only one returned to this horrible world. He wasn’t alone anymore.
 
As the children disappeared from sight, he descended, letting the cold earth take him beneath it. He isolated the vibration of their footsteps from the other, useless sounds, focusing on it like a worm and following behind. He waited patiently for them to stop before finding a nice quiet place to surface and resume his spying.
 
There they were again, outside the shop of the furry shopkeeper with the stupid hat. Must have charmed her into giving them something because they now held a number of colorful treats. She was always good at that, buttering up their parents for another piece of pie or bar of chocolate.
 
Flowey sighed thoughtfully. ‘Have you been there this whole time? Why didn’t you say anything back in the Ruins?’ He questioned. ‘And what’s with that kid, anyway… why are you wasting time with that human rather than looking for me? Are you mad at me?’
 
He stopped for a second, and gave a quiet laugh.
 
‘Oh…! This is about the plan, isn’t it? You’re ignoring me because of what happened back then aren’t you? Haha… I get it. After all, it was my fault that we failed. I’m the reason we both died for nothing. I should have just listened to you… If I had, rather than being a soft little coward then none of this would have happened.’
 
His smile turned dark and wicked, eyeing the small human child amidst the monsters and where his dear friend must be as well.
 
‘Hee hee… is that all? We can get through that. After all, we’re both here right? And with that SOUL we can finish what we started so long ago. I’ll apologize, and then we can be together again… just the two of us. Everything else is worthless… a distraction. Why stop at seven pathetic humans? We might as well just end them all, right? Everything that would get in our way…’
 
‘After all, kill or be killed, right? You taught me that.’
 
Flowey watched as one by one, the monster children left until at last all that remained were Frisk, the reptilian Kidd, and her. The boy’s eye had started glowing again during their conversation so now he could tell exactly where she was. The glow was almost hypnotizing… he wanted so much to approach her right then and there, to apologize for his idiotic mistake and beg her forgiveness. More than anything, he wanted his friend back… as long as he had that, he didn’t care what happened to anything else.
 
But he couldn’t… not here. Not with so many watching, and especially not when that smiley trashbag could pop up at any moment. He’d learned long ago to stay far away from that one… more so now that the power to SAVE no longer belonged to him. He’d have to wait… there would be a time when they could speak without interruption and Flowey was patient. He’d done this so many times, waited for so long… what was a little extra time compared to all that? He wouldn’t waste this chance… not when it was finally so close.
 
He dove beneath the earth once more, and left the saccharine town behind with little more than a whisper of sound. His moment would come in time… of that, he was certain.
 
‘See you soon…’

“Well… I guess I should be getting home too.” Kidd said, finishing the last bite of his bicicle. “My parents don’t like it when I stay out too long.”
 
“It’s okay.” Frisk replied. “Thanks for inviting me to play.”
 
“It was a lot of fun!” Lily added, happily munching a little of her and Frisk’s own treat. “We probably should get home too though. Papyrus will be back from his patrol soon.”
 
“Oh, you’re staying with him? I didn’t even think about that.” Kidd said. “He’s pretty cool, I guess. Not quite a cool as Undyne though!”
 
“He really is.” Frisk said, remembering how kind Papyrus had been to them.
 
“So uh… I guess this means we’re friends now, huh?” Kidd said, lifting a foot to scratch his cheek.
 
“Well… I guess so? If you want…” Frisk gave a reluctant reply.
 
“Huh? Y-yeah, I do! You two are awesome!” Kidd exclaimed happily. “I’ve never met anyone like you guys… I didn’t think anyone could pick up Monsters and Humans so quick!” Frisk gave a timid but happy smile.
 
“Even though we didn’t win?” Lily laughed.
 
“Yup!” Kidd agreed without missing a beat. “But, yo… I really do need to get home. Will you guys be alright? I mean, after before and all…”
 
“We should be fine, I think.” Frisk assured him. “Sans and Papyrus’ house is just down the road. We should be able to get there.”
 
“Alright, if you’re sure.” Kidd said, standing up and steadying himself. “See ya Frisk, Lily!”
 
"Bye Kidd!" Both children replied, watching the reptilian monster dash off.
 
"Come on Frisk, let's go. You must be getting cold." Lily chuckled, nudging the blind boy in the direction of the decorated house.
 
"I won't say no to that! We had some fun so I can't complain…” Frisk’s voice trailed, the memory of their last game’s end returning to the forefront of his mind.
 
“Are you alright Frisk?" Lily spoke internally. Sensing her friend’s unease, she expanded herself within his SOUL in an attempt to comfort him.
 
Frisk hesitated for a moment, not wishing to worry her with what happened. Still, what good would it do to hide it, when his reaction told otherwise?
 
He sighed. "Do… do you remember how that last game ended...?"
 
The smile slowly fell from Lily’s aura as her own memories of what happened breached her thoughts. "Yeah, I do. What happened? That..." Her worlds stumbled slightly before continuing. "You sort of freaked out back there..."
 
Another bout of silence stretched between them as Frisk attempted to gather his thoughts. Lily seemed troubled as well… the hesitation in her voice hadn’t been lost on him. By the time he’d formulated enough to speak, they found themselves having already reached the skeletons’ home.
 
"It was… a vision? Maybe? I’m not sure how to describe it, really. Something happened when we went to startle Kidd. My SOUL reacted and suddenly I felt like I was somewhere else. Kidd was there… he looked terrified. Not like we’d just jumped out and scared him either, but actual honest fear. And there was this feeling. It was like… something inside pushing me towards… something bad.” His arms wrapped around his chest and he shuddered against the thought. “But the scariest part was that… I was fine with it..."
 
Lily turned her thoughts inward, hiding them Frisk. 'So, what I felt back there... could that have some connection to what he saw? It happened so fast. I think I felt something. Like I… wasn’t myself. I feel like there was more though… why can’t I remember?’
 
Concentrating heavily the only thing that returned to her mind was a single word.
 
She bit a metaphorical lip. ‘Worthless’. That one word had made her feel so… powerless…
 
"-ly..? Lily?" Frisk called out, closing the door behind him, the sound of which had drawn her from her thoughts.
 
"Huh? Wha..?" She questioned, looking around to find that they were once again inside the bone brothers' house. The two children felt the shift in temperature almost immediately, warmth seeping into Frisk's body from a source neither of them could guess at nor cared to.
 
"I asked if you saw anything. And then you got really quiet... you okay?" Frisk questioned, sliding onto the couch and kicking off his boots before draping his jacket across the back.
 
Lily hesitated, trying to string her words carefully. "Uh… no. No I didn't… see anything..." She cringed internally. That didn't sound convincing at all even to her.
 
Frisk raised a brow. It was faint, but he could still detect the scent of pure vanilla she gave off. He knew that scent well. If one didn't know better it might be pleasing, maybe even appetizing. But to taste such a thing on its own would reveal the deceptive contrast between smell and flavor. Because of this, he knew she wasn’t being completely truthful.
 
The boy frowned but decided not to press the matter. He gave a nod. "Okay. Just know I'm here if you remember anything okay?" He smiled softly, reaching over for one of the jumbles of the side table. She would talk when she was ready. "Would you like to do some puzzles to pass the time?"
 
Lily gave a silent sigh of relief as Frisk changed the topic. "Sounds like a good idea. Oh wait. Grab the other one, the one you have is an adult Jumble. Might want to start with something a little easier." Frisk found he had to agree. His blindness made word scrambles all the more difficult. He followed her advice, switching the books before opening the new one to the first page. "Okay so the letters are... O W I S D N N…”
 
“Oh easy. Snowdin!" Frisk answered after but a moment’s thought.
 
The boy wrote the answer carefully into the box Lily directed him to. It was a chicken-scratch mess given his own limited experience with the language of the sighted, but at least legible. They then moved onto the next and he shifted control to Lily for her to have a turn. They end up finishing about a page before a snap of magic appeared right next to Frisk, causing both him and Lily to jump before turning their attention in its direction. Suddenly, Sans was beside them on the couch, arms around the back of his head as if he’d been sitting there the whole time.
 
"heya… like the book huh? don't let them jumble your mind now." Sans joked, trying to relieve the obvious tension from his appearance. Lily used Frisk's hand to cover her mouth, a small snort escaping at the very lame pun before she could catch herself. The short skeleton’s already prominent grin grew wider.
 
"heh. ghost to know i still have it in me. i'm just so empty inside ya know?" He continued, giving a light chuckle. "i'm thinking of headin’ to grillby’s. wanna come? paps’ll be a while anyways."
 
Frisk and Lily were just about to deny his request when Frisk’s stomach chose that moment to growl. Loudly too… there was no way Sans didn’t catch it. Bicicles weren’t exactly filling…
 
 Frisk's face turned to one of shock while Lily used his mouth to give a slight laugh.
 
“guess that’s a yes, then.” Sans guessed.
 
Lily recovered from her laugh and turned to respond. “Not through another one of those ‘shortcuts of yours, right?”
 
“well it has been a long day, ya know…” Sans trailed.
 
“And you spent all of it doing absolutely nothing, didn’t you?” she countered.
 
“got me there…” the blue skeleton shrugged. “what about you, kid?”
 
The red child shook his head, still feeling a little awkward around Sans and even more around his unique way of getting around. “Walking, please…”
 
“eh, suit yourselves.” Sans responded. “let’s mosey.”
 
Frisk donned his jacket and boots once again and retrieved his stick, before following Sans out the door as they made their way into town. At a reminder from Lily, the boy took the time make use of the Save Point outside for good measure. A few short minutes of walking found them standing before the bar and grill that both children swore must have been a local landmark for how much business its fiery owner gained. They stepped out of the cold and into the welcoming atmosphere. Lily had let herself out of Frisk’s SOUL again, preferring to avoid rousing the patrons from their relaxation.
 
“hey, everyone.” Sans said, giving a lazy wave.
 
A chorus of voices answered the skeleton’s greeting enthusiastically from the large number of patrons gathered. Everyone here seemed to know Sans, and from the warm reception it seemed like he was very well liked. It was rather surprising to Frisk, who figured the lazy skeleton more the type to keep to himself.
 
“I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Lily said from where she floated next to Frisk. “Or covers in Sans’ case…”
 
“We’re just waiting for everyone else.” Dogamy, who was sitting at card table with Dogaressa, greeted.
 
“(We managed to finish our rounds a little early today.)” Dogaressa said. “(Doggo, Greater, and Lesser aren’t here yet.)”
 
Dogamy sniffed the air a little. “Oh, is that Frisk? I didn’t know you’d be here. Good to smell you again!”
 
Frisk giggled a little. “Thanks. You too.”
 
He gave the two Royal Guards a quick scratch behind the ears before following Sans to the counter. Grillby was there as always, silent as living embodiment of fire could ever be, spectacles glinting in the light of his own flames. Frisk shrunk a little at the sound of him but managed to compose himself enough to take a seat in the stool next to Sans.
 
“how ya doin’, grillbz?” Sans said to the man.
 
“…Quite well, actually… business has been good…” Grillby said in his strange, wispy voice. “I see you brought company…”
 
“yep. figured the kid could use a bite to eat.” Sans said.
 
Grillby looked toward Frisk, and his infernal visage shifted and narrowed slightly. It was hard to tell due to the ever-undulating tongues of flame, but it almost looked like he was smiling. Frisk stayed silent, afraid to speak in case his voice might give away his lingering fear of the fiery bartender. He didn’t want to be rude, and so far Grillby had been nothing but kind to him, but he couldn’t help feeling a little unnerved. Sensing this, Lily drifted from his side and settled herself down on the countertop between Frisk and Sans. Frisk’s gaze shifted to her, with her legs dangling idly off the counter between himself and the man of fire.
 
“Just focus on me, okay?” She said gently. “If you need to talk to Mister Grillby, just look at me. You’ll be okay.”
 
Frisk nodded thankfully. Somehow, seeing her sitting there solid against his blind sight helped to melt away a great deal of the tension he was feeling.
 
“so, SOULmates?” Sans said, drawing a shocked cough from Lily and a lifted brow from Frisk. “what are you having?”
 
After a bit of deliberation, Frisk settled on a simple order of a burger and fries. Sans got the same, as well as a tall bottle of ketchup which he downed in a single go. The meal was pleasant if rather uneventful. The food was good, and the atmosphere comforting especially after what had happened earlier. Both Frisk and Lily felt relieved to have the opportunity to wind down after their eventful day with the other children. So much so that the latter wondered if the skeleton knew this, and had planned this little hangout session because of it. With Sans, she was willing to believe anything.
 
But belief and knowledge were two different things. And what she knew was that Sans had another reason for doing this.
 
“well that was nice, wasn’t it?” Sans said when they returned home about an hour later. “making friends all over it looks like. the dog clan’s really taken a shine to ya, haven’t they?”
 
“I guess.” Frisk said. “I just don’t want to trouble anyone. I told Papyrus I’d be good… and I’m really trying.”
 
Sans rubbed the back of his head. The kid may not mean to but he sure knew how to hit where it hurts. “yeah… you’ve been doin’ a good job. lot of people happy to have you around.”
 
“But you’re not.” Frisk said knowingly
 
Sans sighed. And insightful too… he guessed he should have expected that. He may not remember much, but his records painted a pretty good picture of the boy he was dealing with. He found himself glad that his counterpart had chosen not to be lazy in that regard. Saved him the work. Still…
 
“it’s… not as simple as all that, kiddo.” Sans offered.
 
Lily frowned. She’d had about enough. “Frisk, do you mind? I want to say something.”
 
“S-sure, but… what do you want to say?” Frisk asked, a little surprised by the sudden request.
 
“Just trust me.” She insisted.
 
Frisk wasn’t sure what to expect, but from the earnestness in his friend’s voice, he knew it would be difficult to refuse even if he wanted to. He called forth his SOUL, Sans’ short, grinning form springing up in white monochrome against his sight. Lily placed her hand over the carnelian heart, letting her form be drawn into it, her presence manifesting once more in the form of a glowing red eye.
 
“Greetings, Sans.” She said formally through Frisk’s mouth. Her tone was polite but carried a note of disapproval that was only thinly hidden.
 
“heya, ghost kid.” Sans greeted. “keepin’ your spirits up?”
 
Lily smirked. Any other time she might have allowed herself a laugh at the poorly timed joke but she wasn’t in the mood right now. “You know what this is about, right?”
 
“yep.” Sans said simply, extending his bony arms in an exaggerated gesture of surrender. “lay it on me.”
 
“You know, for as lazy as you are, you seem to be really good at making things as difficult as possible.” She said bluntly. ”Picking up puzzles and snacks for us, taking us out for dinner… they’re all nice gestures, and I’m not saying I don’t appreciate it. But wouldn’t it be easier to just say it?”
 
“Lily?” Frisk spoke to her.
 
“He needs to hear this.” She insisted before continuing, “I know you feel bad about what happened. So does Frisk, believe me. But if you want to apologize you should lead with that, rather this whole passive-aggressive thing you’ve been doing.”
 
“damn…” Sans said, honestly rather impressed by the girl’s terseness. “you don’t mince words, do you?”
 
“Nope.” She replied, taking a page from Sans’ own vocabulary.
 
The blue skeleton stuck his body hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “guess the tension around here has been pretty thick. what’s that expression? ‘like you could cut it with a knife’?”
 
“Try a bone saw…” Lily countered dryly.
 
“heh heh.” Sans chuckled at the bit of dark humor, and even Frisk gave a slight giggle from within. “but you’re right. i’ve been thinkin’ so much about everything going on around here that i guess i dropped a few things on the way. i’ve never been good at this stuff.”
 
“That’s fine. But you know, we’re just as confused by everything as you are.” Lily reminded him.
 
“yeah… i get that now.” Sans conceded. “look, i am sorry, kiddo. i was so caught up in what’s happened before that i didn’t really think about what’s going on now. or the best way to confront you about it.”
 
“You were worried about Papyrus…” Frisk answered.
 
“yeah…” Sans admitted. “yeah, i was.”
 
He wasn’t wrong. Sans had indeed been terrified over the possible fates of his brother. Be it in life or death, very few paths ended happily for his dear younger brother. But stronger than the fear of what he knew was the fear of that which he did not. Even the most knowledgeable and analytical of minds was far from infallible and Sans was neither. Yet, through some twist of fate, the burden of observing the different timelines fell upon his bony shoulders. It was a heavy burden, and it wasn’t one he wanted to place on anyone else.
 
However…
 
“listen… i’ve kept all this close to the rib-cage for a long time. there’s things about this world that most people just shouldn’t know. not gonna lie: a lot of it has to do with you… maybe both of you, i don’t know.” Sans sighed, pulling one hand from his hoodie pocket. Lily caught sight of a faint, whitish glimmer radiating through the metacarpals. “guess what i’m tryin’ to say is… here.”
 
He flicked his wrist, and the shimmer vanished. At once Frisk felt something cold and smooth in his right hand. Curious he lifted it up, noticing a vague haze of magic sitting in the empty space where his palm should be. Lily, of course saw it clearly. It was a key: silver in color and radiating a faint glow.
 
“A key?” She asked.
 
“when you’re ready to know the truth… take that around back and use it on the door to the cellar.” Sans explained. “don’t worry about telling me. I’ll know.”
 
Frisk nodded, closing his fingers around the key as if it was the most precious and fragile thing in existence (and from the way Sans was talking, it might well have been). It was a good thing that he did so, for in the next moment a loud bang coming from the entrance of the bone brother’s home might have otherwise sent it flying from his hand. Papyrus stood at the entrance, hand against the door and grinning proudly as the wind from outside caused his scarf to dance.
 
“ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PATROL! ALL IN A DAYS WORK FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH HEH HEH!” He proclaimed before his eye-sockets finally fell upon his brother, and his two human friends. “GASP! HAVE YOU ALL DONE THE MAKING UP? THAT MUST MEAN MY ADVICE WORKED BETTER THAN EVEN I EXPECTED! HOW JOYOUS THIS IS! WE MUST CELEBRATE.”
 
Lily gave a smirk. “We still have a bunch of puzzle books.”
 
“WHAT AN AMAZING IDEA!” Papyrus cheered. “PUZZLES WITH FRIENDS! WHAT MORE COULD SOMEONE ASK FOR?”
 
“not much, paps…” Sans said, giving his brother a warm smile. “not much.”

Chapter Text

Frisk’s body bolted upright, hand clasped against his chest. Short, quick bursts of breath fled from his lungs, chased out by the pounding of his racing heart. A sharp, but subtle pain needled him from behind his left eye. A vision again… another bad one.
 
Lily settled down on the couch next to the hyperventilating boy. After one too many times having been ejected from Frisk’s SOUL in the wake of one of these visions she’d wisely decided to avoid sharing his body for extended lengths of time. Still, it was not concern for her own spectral body and gravity’s harsh laws that filled her mind at this point. Carefully, she took the boy’s hand, running her fingers over the back of his trembling palm to calm him.
 
"It's okay Frisk... You'll be alright. Shh..." She cooed gently to the boy, before pulling him into a tight hug.
 
A low groan escaped his lips, and he wiped a hand down his face. "I don't get it Lily…" he gave an exasperated sigh.
 
"I know Frisk. I wish there was more I could do to help with… whatever it is going on..." She mused, worrying her lip in thought.
 
The two children remained that way for a while, contemplating the situation. Ever since the first one with Kidd, they’d happen periodically and there was seemingly no pattern to when one would reveal itself. Sometimes they were like a bolt of lightning; violent and sudden but gone the next moment. Other times they seemed to occur in response to some kind of trigger. Some were simple flashes in his mind or out of place sensations, while others were striking, vivid experiences not unlike the first. Some -like this most recent one - would come during sleep, while others preferred to pester him while awake. None however seemed to provide any sort of answer, hiding truth behind obscurity or audacity as they saw fit.
 
They weren’t all bad. On the contrary, some were rather pleasant: smells and tastes he’d never experienced invoking a sense of familiarity, or the phantoms of friendships he’d yet to forge. These, he’d taken as signs, guideposts to mark his way forward.
 
Yet, he could never predict when the next would come, or what it might show. These strange flashes of insight, similar to memory or clairvoyance but distinct from both, vexed the children to no end.
 
Lily’s hand continued to trace small circles around Frisk’s back while she waited for him to calm down. Silence descended upon them within the stillness of the skeleton household. It would be a while yet before Papyrus woke for the day, and who  knew if or when Sans would drag himself down those stairs. Not a trace of movement danced from beyond the frosted windows, and the only sound for miles was the low whispering of an underground wind. It was like sleep’s veil had covered the entire world, and only the two of them were out of its reach. For all she knew, that could well be true.
 
A long, tired yawn drew her attention back to the boy.
 
"Frisk... Maybe you should try going back to sleep? You've not been getting enough and I'm starting to worry.” She said, pulling back to look at him. Though his eyes obviously could not show it, the signs were plain on the rest of him. “Just try okay? I'll be right here."
 
"W..what about you?" He muttered as she drew his head back onto her lap.
 
The girl simply smiled, and smoothed down his hair with her palm. "Don't worry about me. I'm a ghost, remember? I don't need to sleep as much as you."
 
Despite his protests, Frisk still found himself pulling the blanket over his body, while using her legs as a pillow. His sleep hadn’t been nearly as restful as it was before the visions started occurring. The ones that invaded his dreams were always the most obtuse, as it was often difficult to tell the difference between them, and simple dreams or nightmares. Still, he’d been disturbed once already… hopefully they would leave him be for the rest of the night.
 
Lily sighed and rested her head against the back of the couch once he’d finally fallen back to sleep. She rubbed a thumb gently across Frisk’s forehead, listening to the rhythm of his quiet snoring. The motion was calming, like it was something she'd done a million times. Who knows, maybe she had at one point. She desperately wished to ease her friend’s burden, but there was little she could do on her own. There was one person who might be able to help, or at the very least who might have some ideas. In fact, there was little doubt in her mind.
 
And yet, his words gave her pause: he had offered them ‘truth’… but were they ready to accept it?

Eventually daybreak came and with it the town rose to its characteristic welcoming atmosphere. After a quick breakfast with Papyrus (Sans seemed to be sleeping in today), the skeleton set off eagerly upon his daily patrol leaving the two of them to decide what to do with their day.
 
It had been around two weeks since they’d arrived in Snowdin, and came to live under the roof of Papyrus and Sans. Over that time they’d managed to settle themselves into life among the small monster community. Papyrus had been as gracious a host as anyone could ask for, barring his rather ‘creative’ approach to the culinary arts. As for Sans, their relationship with the older of the two brothers had improved significantly from their earlier encounter. It was still somewhat awkward, and the short skeleton always seemed a little guarded, but it was a far cry from before when they could scarcely share a few words without raising tensions.
 
As for the rest of the town, the monsters proved to be as friendly and easygoing as they’d first appeared. After the first couple of days, news had already spread throughout Snowdin of the strange boy, and his invisible companion. Very few seemed to realize that he was a human either. Perhaps this was due to the glowing eye, and the dual presence brought about from Lily’s influence, or perhaps it had simply been so long that none of them even knew what one looked like. Either way, those in the know seemed content to keep that information to themselves, and no one else seemed keen on asking.
 
This was fine with the children. It made it easier to interact with the rest of Snowdin’s residents. Frisk truly wanted to repay them for the kindness he and Lily had been shown. He’d made the decision to do his own part to that end. Through that conviction and Lily’s helpful insight, they’d managed to do quite a bit of good for the town’s residents.
 
So it was that the two eventually found themselves resting on a bench near the decorated tree in the center of town. It had been another eventful day, but they’d decided to make time for lunch.
 
“Anyway, just wanted to say thanks again… you know… for helping me find Snowy.” Chilldrake said awkwardly. “I’m gonna go see how he’s doing, so… see ya.”
 
Frisk swallowed a bite of sandwich. “Bye, Chill. We’ll go see him later too.”
 
With that, the green bird monster fluttered off, leaving them to their meal. They’d met Chilldrake a couple of days ago, a cantankerous rebel without a cause. He’d been looking for Snowy, a friend of his who had run away from home after a falling out with his father.  His mother had disappeared some time prior and the rebellious teenager was deeply worried about him. Frisk and Lily had decided to help, and eventually they found the monster in question. As it turned out, the young drake desperately wanted to follow in the footsteps of his comedian father, but the latter did not approve of his son’s style of humor.

Snowdrake’s ice puns could hardly be considered comedy gold. Still, a little of his material drew a chuckle or two from Chilldrake and the children. Lily, a lover of puns herself, offered a little advice to the aspiring comedian which he was thankful for while Chilldrake had simply been relieved that his friend was safe.
 
“I’m glad things have gotten better.” Lily said as Frisk delved into his satchel for another sandwich.
 
His fingers rummaged about inside the deceptively spacious pack for a bit until his fingers brushed against something cold and metal from inside. That shape and texture was unmistakable and his thoughts immediately turned to their conversation with Sans two weeks ago.
 
“when you’re ready to know the truth… take that around back and use it on the door to the cellar.”
 
The truth… it was a scary thought, and one that Frisk had tried not to think too much on. On one hand, he was curious. He wanted to know what Sans had been talking about, what he knew that the two of them did not. But at the same time, he was terrified. The skeleton had spoken of death, and Frisk as its harbinger. The boy couldn’t believe that he’d ever be capable of such a thing, but nor did he think Sans would have any reason to lie about it.
 
Frisk drew out the key and rolled it about in his fingers. Sans hadn’t mentioned it since then… they both knew he wouldn’t. But something told them he was waiting regardless.
 
"Lily…” Frisk began quietly, making sure there was no one listening. “I was wondering... Do you think maybe we should… go to the cellar after lunch?”
 
“I was thinking that last night, when you shot awake.” The girl admitted, kicking Frisk’s legs under the small bench they sat upon. “You can’t keep going like this Frisk. Maybe Sans would know something about the visions too. But… do you think you’re ready?”
 
Frisk remained silent for a moment before nodding. “Yeah… I think I am. We can’t put it off forever.”
 
With the two of them in accord they made quick work of the remaining sandwiches. Frisk wiped his hands against his shirt to remove the last of the crumbs, much to Lily’s amused horror, and the two set off on the path toward the brothers' house. Reaching the familiar home, Frisk went about his ritual of touching the SAVE point out front before the two moved around to the back. The bone brothers didn’t have much in the way of a back yard. Most of it was taken up by a small grove of trees. But sure enough, upon the rear wall of the home was a simple chestnut colored door.
 
“Here we go…” Frisk said, reaching again for the key.
 
“Frisk… wait.” Lily spoke suddenly, giving him pause. “I need to tell you something…”
 
“What… what is it?” Frisk asked, concerned.
 
The girl paused for a moment. She still hadn’t told him about her own experience with the first of his visions. Since then, there had been a few times when one of them would be potent enough to cross the threshold between their minds. She still hadn’t told him, being more concerned for his own well being than what it meant to her but… the more she hid it, the worse she felt as a result. It was an odd feeling… the falsehood was never meant to be malicious, but something inside her felt despicable for it.
 
“I wasn’t entirely honest about… what happened before. During that first vision.” She said finally. “I wasn’t actually lying. I mean, I didn’t actually see anything but… when it happened, I… I think I felt something.”
 
“You did?” Frisk asked. “Like what?”
 
“It… it was bad. It didn’t feel like me, but somehow… I knew it was.” She tried to explain. “So many terrible feelings, and it was like I was pushing them on something. I’ve felt something with some of the others too, good and bad. I think they might be connected but… I don’t know why. It scares me…” She fell silent, her spectral form shivering a little. "I'm… I'm sorry for not telling you sooner..."
 
“I thought so…” Frisk’s simple reply drew her attention. “You know how I get a smell whenever you feel a really strong emotion? I got one back when you told me you didn’t see anything.”
 
“Why didn’t you say anything?” She questioned.
 
Frisk focused on his SOUL, letting its comforting warmth radiate around her. “Because I knew you’d tell me when you were ready. I know there’s… some things people don’t like to talk about.”
 
“Either way, I’m glad I told you.” She said, drawing on the soothing light he’d gifted her. “Whatever we learn in there you know I’m with you, right?”
 
“Just like always.” Frisk agreed, giving a little smile.
 
He turned back to his satchel and drew out the silver key. It sat cold between his fingers, emitting that strange glow. With a deep breath, the two children approached the unassuming door, inserted the key into its lock and turned. As the lock clicked open, Frisk felt his palm pushed away from the key, as if repelled by a magnet. Strange bluish symbols flashed across the door, penetrating the blackness of his vision: hand signs, flags, a sunburst, a star-and-crescent… all arranged with purpose defying their apparent nonsensicality.
 
Time seemed to freeze around them, drifting snowflakes halted in the air, and the distant sounds of the town quieted to nothing as the door itself suddenly began to change. Its simple brownish hue was replaced by glowing silver, similar to the key used to unlock it. Glowing symbols twinkled against its surface, appearing and vanishing seemingly at random. Another series of clicks before it swung inward, giving way to the shadows and the descending staircase beyond.
 
“Well, that’s not what I expected…” Lily breathed.
 
“What did you expect?” Frisk asked.
 
“A door? Preferably a normal one?” She offered, eliciting a shrug.
 
Nevertheless, they stepped forward, approaching the threshold of uncertainty that lay before them. Frisk took another breath and set his boot down on the first step leading downwards. The rest followed suit as the children proceeded downward. After what felt like an endless descent, the two came upon another door situated at the bottom of the stairs. No symbols or time-freezes here, just a simple wooden door and brass knob.
 
Frisk opened it, and Lily had to squint at the stark contrast from the darkened staircase. The room on the other side was lit throughout, and somehow seemed larger than its compact, four walled appearance would suggest. A number of file cabinets were stationed in one corner, their drawers labeled alphabetically. A large workstation took up almost the entirety of one wall, with more drawers lining its bottom. On one end sat a large blueprint writ with dizzyingly complex symbols, as well as notes in the same language that marked the door and at the furthest end was a large structure sitting silently near the table, its identity obscured by the massive sheet that covered it.
 
It was clean… sterilized. The whole area smelt of strong alcohol. The scent assaulted Frisk’s nose and made him feel sick, while Lily’s head swam in an effort to establish some sense of reason to the room’s odd proportions.
 
“better to just accept it… your head won’t hurt as much.”
 
Frisk jumped nearly a foot in the air at the sound of the familiar, all-too-casual voice. From the lurching in his chest, he imagined Lily must have done something similar. Sans stood before them where he hadn’t been seconds ago, wearing his trademark grin.
 
“heya.” He gave a singular wave as if taking their startled reaction as little more than a friendly greeting.
 
“Holy shit, Sans!” Lily blurted out. Her hands immediately shot to her mouth as she realized what she said. Shaking it off, she continued. “D-Did you have to sneak up on us like that?”
 
The blue skeleton shrugged. “i told’ja i’d know when you used that thing, remember?”
 
“That’s not the point!” She protested. “You nearly scared both of us out of Frisk’s skin!”
 
“sorry about that. but, here i am, in the flesh. or, yanno…” He allowed himself a wink before his expression took a more somber note. “and since you’re here, i guess that means you’ve decided.”
 
“Yeah…” Frisk said simply. The humorous exchange between Sans and Lily had done little to ease his troubled mind. “I think we’re ready.”
 
“you sure, kiddo?” Sans asked, sounding genuinely concerned. “this is heavy stuff, and i’m not sure how you’ll react to some of it. and something tells me you won’t be able to just reset and forget everything if you hear something ya don’t like.”
 
The point of no return, as it were. Sans wanted to make sure the boy knew exactly what he was getting himself (and his friend) into. At first he thought he was just being lazy… trying to come up with any excuse to avoid doing this. After all, all of this was directly related to the kid so it made sense that he should know. But now, he wasn’t so sure that was the whole reason. In truth, he was concerned. It had been different before, back when Frisk had already learned much of what was going on. It made it easier to explain some of the more sensitive matters. But this wasn’t the kid he’d known. All the records and profiles he’d created to re-familiarize himself in the event of a Reset meant little here. Even the earliest records, which would logically provide the closest match to this child’s personality and psyche, were muddied by the factor of Lily and her impression on him. And regarding her, Sans knew absolutely nothing.
 
But Frisk was different. Fear of the unknown was one thing, but it was a mere mote compared to something else.
 
“That’s fine.” He said, focusing his sightless gaze on Sans, right eye-slit burning with a conviction he shared with Lily. “It’s scary… but I need to know. Even if it’s hard I need to know what happened… what I did back then. That way I can do things differently this time. Better. I don’t want to be the person that scared you so much, Sans. And I really don’t want to hurt anyone, believe me. I just… want everyone to be happy. If I did something bad and don’t remember it, I need to know so I won’t do it again.”
 
“pretty big words there, buddy.” Sans replied.
 
“I’m not just saying it.” Frisk insisted. “Ever since I fell down here, I’ve felt like I’ve been missing something important. Maybe it has to do with everything I’ve forgotten… and you’re the only one who can catch me up. So please, tell me what you know.”
 
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk like that, Frisk…” said Lily, awestruck. “That’s really big of you.”
 
“welp, guess i’m not talking you out of it.” Sans sighed, and shook his skull in defeat. “then first things first. how much do ya know about little that trick of yours?”
 
“SAVE, right?” Frisk asked and the skeleton nodded. “Well, sometimes when I feel really determined about something, a golden star-like thing will show up around that spot. They’re warm, and when I touch them it feels like time… stops. Just for a second, and then it starts up again.”
 
“how many have you made so far?” Sans asked.
 
“Five, I think?” The boy said. “Maybe one or two more. Most of them just appear when I feel that way, but I made the last one consciously. It’s in front of the house, but neither you or Papyrus have said anything about it. I think Lily and I are the only ones who can see them.”
 
“less than before, but more controlled… huh.” Sans mused. “and you know what else they do?”
 
Frisk’s head hung, the memory of what had happened back in the Ruins with Toriel playing through his mind. “Yeah…”
 
“alright, next question.” The grin dropped from the skeleton’s face. “somethin’ tells me this’ll be a hard one, but tell me honestly. as far as you can remember, have you ever… killed anyone?”
 
Frisk’s breath caught in his throat. He figured a question like that would come up but he didn’t expect it to be so soon. The boy shut his eyes tightly as if trying to block out the painful memory. The fire, and Toriel’s stoic expression. His hand gripping the hilt of the toy knife. Its plastic blade tearing through cloth and magical flesh. The final words of the motherly goat monster, begging them to stay strong.
 
And the dust…
 
“Yes…” Frisk breathed, fighting to hold back his tears.
 
“But… that was an accident!” Lily protested, despite her own feelings. “Frisk was scared! He- he didn’t mean to!”
 
“that ain’t what this is about. i’m not here to pass judgment… not this time anyways.” Sans insisted. “just tell me… did you feel anything when you killed?”
 
“I… I felt…” Frisk steeled his emotions and tried to explain. “I felt bad… really bad. I didn’t want to do it, but I couldn’t stop myself. Then she was gone, and I…”
 
“that’s… not what i mean.” Sans said haltingly. He had a good idea who the unfortunate victim was, and he didn’t want to think about it. “sorry for drudgin’ that up. i meant something else.  a feeling in your SOUL, like you’d gotten ‘stronger’ somehow.”
 
“N-no!” came the boy’s shocked response. “Why would I feel stronger after something like that? It isn’t like running laps or whatever. I killed someone!”
 
“You might not have noticed it, Frisk…” Lily said, her voice much more restrained than his. “But I did.”
 
Shock filled the boy’s entire being and he caught a stale, mossy scent upon his nose. Regret.
 
“What…?”
 
“Just for a little bit, before you reached out to the SAVE point and brought us back.” She explained. “But I felt something in your SOUL. A pulse, like some kind of power taking root. But it felt cold… different from how warm it usually feels. Like you lost something at the same time. I think if you weren’t so broken up over what happened you probably would have felt it too.”
 
“yep. that’s a pretty good way to describe it.” Sans said. “that was the feeling of your LV, or LOVE increasing.”
 
“Wait, LOVE?” Frisk asked. He remembered Flowey mentioning that before. “I thought that was just a trick…”
 
“i bet i know who told you about it…” Sans said, and his expression soured. “but it wasn’t a trick, insofar as it exists.”
 
“You said it increased when we killed…” Lily trailed off. She didn’t want to finish the thought.
 
“here we go again, i guess…” Sans shrugged before launching into his explanation of the concept of EXP and LOVE that he’d shared so many times before.
 
“That book…” Frisk said. “There was a book in the library. It said the crueler the intentions of an enemy, the easier it is to hurt Monsters.”
 
“you catch on quick.” Sans said. “that’s LOVE. The lowest is LV 1. everyone has at least that. call it the survival instinct, fight or flight response or whatever but you can’t go below it. what you felt was probably an increase to LV 2 or maybe 3. that’s the point of realization that you have killed and could kill again if you wanted to. not a good place to be, but far from the worst.”
 
“So mine’s at either 2 or 3. How can you tell?” Frisk asked, feeling a little guilty that he’d even allowed it to get that high.
 
“nope. you’re still at 1, kiddo.” Sans said, a bit of his grin returning. At least that was some good news.
 
“But you said-“ Frisk began, but Sans wasn’t finished.
 
“yeah, your EXP and LOVE increase when you kill someone. but like the ghost-kid said, you went back.” Sans went on. “when you load your last SAVE, any EXP and LV you’ve gained since then is gone. that’s how it’s always worked.”
 
“That’s right.” Lily said. “After you loaded the first time, I didn’t feel those changes in your SOUL anymore. It was back to normal… there wasn’t any trace left of that feeling.”
 
“So I’m… still at LV 1.” Frisk took a moment for that to sink in, then in a flash of insight said, “Wait. That doesn’t make any sense!”
 
“It doesn’t?” Lily questioned. “You brought her back. If you kill someone, your LV goes up, but if you go back to before that happened then shouldn’t it go back down?”
 
“I don’t think so…” Frisk said thoughtfully. “Just because I went back in time doesn’t change the fact that I killed someone, and that I remember killing them. The whole idea of LV is how much you can distance yourself from the pain you cause, right? But as long as I load my SAVE, I can just bring them back, no matter how many times I kill them. If anything, shouldn’t something like that make it easier to distance yourself?”
 
“huh. i knew you were insightful, frisk but damn… i didn’t expect you to pick it up that quick.” Sans said, giving a slow clap. “guess it makes sense… you were the first to point it out before, too.”
 
“Before?” The boy asked.
 
“yep. in the last one. the time before this one.” Sans said wistfully. “i’m gettin’ a little ahead of myself though. there’s something i need to show you… i did promise everything down to the sock drawer.”
 
Lily rolled her eyes at the lame joke and was about to call the skeleton on it when he turned toward the drawers lining the bottom of the workstation. Sans’ movements shifted and distorting as he approached it but the children did their best to ignore it. Frisk still had a few questions... the oddity behind his Execution Points and Level of Violence as the skeleton described it was worrisome, but he decided to leave it be for now. He reached for the first, stopping just short of opening it and gave them a look that said practically said ‘last chance’. When neither showed any sign of relenting, he pulled it open, delved inside, drew out a bag and laid it on the counter.
 
It was clear, with a simple white label affixed to it. The organized fields were a mess of frantic scribbling. But what caught Lily’s attention was what was inside.
 
“It’s… Papyrus’ scarf.” She breathed. “Frisk it’s… it’s covered in dust.”
 
Frisk barely had time to process this, let alone react, before Sans pulled out another, similar bag.
 
And another.
 
And another…
 
And another….
 
Frisk drew his SOUL to the surface, letting his crude vision manifest and focus upon Sans. He immediately regretted that decision as he and Lily watched the skeleton pile scarf after scarf onto the countertop. All of them were in various states of wear. Some were nearly pristine. Others barely clung together by a few loose threads. The labels on each bag seemed to mirror them. Some were frantic  and desperate, like the first, while others were cold, neat, and analytical. But all had one thing in common: they were covered in dust. Monster dust… Papyrus’ dust…

Lily stared in absolute shock while Frisk found himself grappling against a sudden bout of illness. A dozen scarves now sat upon the counter, grim memorials of their once-owner. Sans shook his head softly, almost reverently, before tearing himself away and to the next drawer and on, laying out a number of items alongside the piled fabric: A warrior’s helmet, plume dull and dust-covered, the left side of the face-plate caved in. A small bug encased in amber. A piece of sheet music. A small unopened box containing a replica of a black and pink robot with “realistic poseable hair!”.  A circuit board, the wires burned and twisted. A DVD box sporting a picture of a cat girl on the front titled “Mew Mew Kissy Cutie”. A broken crown. A flower decorated tea set. A bone with a big yellow bow.

“This… This is…” Lily muttered, looking back and forth between all the items. Confusion written across her face. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. She refused to believe what it meant. Nevertheless she dutifully detailed each item to her blind friend.

Frisk simply stared as Sans passively piled the items onto the workbench while Lily described them, his muscles having gone rigid from shock. On one hand, there were several items that looked as if they were from happy memories.  He imagined the fossilized bug to be a gift from Toriel, and the idea allowed for a brief sense of comfort to breach the surface of his mind. Then his thoughts returned to the scarves. There were so many… Just the idea that he could have done that made his stomach churn.

“This… All of this… This is everything I’ve done..?” Frisk finally managed to speak, shuffling closer to the counter to continue touching the items.
 
Surreal didn’t begin to describe it. Hope and despair, life and death, joy and sorrow, kinship and brutality. All of it, laid before him like a perverse theater play.

“not just these kid. there’s a lot more than this. these are just the most notable. you could say your entire underground journey is held in this box, the good and the bad,” Sans explained ”but there is one last thing I wanna show ya.”
 
With that, he pulled open the last drawer and reached in, extracting one more item. But rather than laying it on the countertop with the rest, he instead handed it to Frisk. Lily gave a slight gasp as the boy took it.

“Frisk… It’s a picture. You’re in it. So is mom. There’s Sans and Papyrus. Blooky and Kidd. There’s a couple others but I don’t recognize them. There’s a yellow…lizard? A blue fish lady. A robot. Looks like the doll on the counter.  And there's… a big goat-man as well. Sort of looks like mom actually…”
 
She stopped short at that. For some reason the image of the large monster with large horns and regal looking beard gave her pause. Frisk ran his fingers over the frame and the glass, taking in as much of it as he could. He couldn’t see the image that Lily had described, though somehow he could imagine it. A number of people, smiling and happy… a family.

“Huh…?” Lily voiced. Something seemed off.

“What’s wrong, Lily?” Frisk asked. “Did you notice something in the picture? Is it helping you remember?” After everything he’d learned, the boy desperately wanted some good news, but alas…

“Nothing… ‘wrong’, I guess.” She tried. “It’s just… I don’t see me. If you’ve don’t this before… wouldn’t that mean I have as well?” She murmured, looking at the skeleton through her friend. “So… why am I not here?”

Sans shrugged. “dunno ghost-kid. everything i know and my records don’t mention you. you’re something new to this whole shebang as far as i can tell.”

At Sans words, Frisk caught the faint scent of rain and something else he couldn’t quite describe. Lily seemed just as confused as he did. “But… how is that possible? If I’ve done this before shouldn’t she have come up before? We met back when I first fell down here so surely…”

“nope.” The short skeleton shook his head as the boy’s sentence trailed. Then he turned thoughtful. “but now that i think about it… you’ve mentioned something i think.”
 
“You think?” Lily repeated.
 
“i only know what the records tell me. there’s mention here and there of somethin’ else involved in this timeline business.” Sans said. “but as for it being you? might be… might not. there’s no name, and little info. can’t really say.”

“Wh…what do you mean? If I wasn’t here before… how am I here now?” Lily asked, confusion lacing her voice. “What does all this even mean?”
 
Sans simply shrugged again and the room fell silent. Frisk’s fingers ran along the rises and divots of the picture frame, lost within his own thoughts. To think that all he’d ever done… all that he was, was lain out on this countertop. A sea of emotions raged inside of him under the stormy sky of confusion. He could hardly believe it – he didn’t want to believe it – but he knew it was all true. Even without the mountain of evidence, the boy felt that if Sans had simply told him, he would know. His memories were gone, but something inside him could not deny the truth.
 
“This is me.” he said softly.
 
“yep.” replied Sans. “ever since i figured out what was going on, i started storing that stuff as material for studying the anomaly. Maybe at first, it was just sentimental. hell, maybe it still is. it’d probably be easier to just let this place go… live in ignorance like everyone else. but I can’t do it. every time there’s a reset, i always end up back here, one way or another. then i learn everything all over again.”
 
His mouth parted and let out a sigh. He looked exhausted… a leaf in a gale, clinging desperately to its branch. After so long spent observing the timeline, each time reliving countless memories… who wouldn’t be?
 
“that photo was the last thing that ever went into that drawer.” He said eventually and Frisk gave the skeleton a look. “ya know what that means, right?”
 
“I think so…” The boy whispered. “But then, why now? And… why don’t I remember anything? I don’t want to think that it’s because I… I don’t want to be that person.”
 
Sans watched the conflicted expression upon the small human’s face, as well as the dimming flicker in his right eye. That much was clear… the kid might have reset, but the blue skeleton simply couldn’t believe that he had some dark purpose for doing so. Or maybe that too was lost along with the memories… he didn’t know, but he wanted to trust him. Sans was never good at trusting people. That was the domain of his brother. He’d always envied Papyrus for that. Even during the tribulations of their childhood, the younger brother had the uncanny ability to remain positive. Something Sans had never been able to understand.
 
Ever smiling, optimistic, and friendly Papyrus… what would he do in this situation?
 
“ANYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY JUST TRY! DO NOT DOUBT YOURSELF, BROTHER… THE GREAT PAPYRUS BELIEVES IN YOU!”
 
Sans knew the answer.
 
“hey.” Sans began. “i know it’s a lot to take in. there’s still more to see, but if you need time-“
 
“No.” Frisk cut him off, though his body was shaking to the point where he had to set the photo down. “I… I said I was ready. I can’t stop now.
 
“Me neither.” Lily agreed through his mouth. “I feel like if we stop here, I won’t want to continue later.”
 
“if you’re sure.” Sans said. What was it with humans and Determination? “come over here.”
 
He led them away from the pile of smiles and tears and to another corner of the room. There, they faced what appeared to be a blank wall. Yet, upon closer inspection Lily felt something was off about it.
 
Sans winked. “heh. noticed that, did ya? better stand back.”
 
Lily looked at him through Frisk’s eye but the two did as he said. In a place like this, it would be better not to ask questions. Sans stepped up to the wall and his left eye flared with magic. Frisk flinched both from memory and the sudden flash of color in his normally monochrome vision.
 
“Commence scan. Chromatis identification: Sans Serif.” Sans spoke in that same reverberating voice from before, so unlike his normal tone.
 
The children watched in fascination as a section of the wall opened to reveal a strange object beyond. Frisk saw only a number of rotating lines of cyan magic. Lily saw the metallic ocular contraption that contained them. Sans leaned in, placing his blazing eye socket parallel to the device, which proceeded to bombard it with a number of colored rays of light. Once done, the object retreated back into the wall and the panel covering it returned to its place, only for a second panel to open nearby.
 
From this emerged several more complex looking objects. One was silver and vaguely boxlike, flashing with a number of lights. Another was an ovular screen of glass, not unlike that of a mirror its clear surface reflecting warped images of those that stood before it. The final was some sort of plate with a black sheen. The children were just about to question its purpose when Sans waved his hand and the mechanism sprang to life. The mirror-surface vanished, replacing itself with a glowing image. Colors, numbers, and letters danced along its surface with mind numbing speed. The black plate, once dormant, now bore an assortment of symbols arranged neatly upon its surface.
 
“What kind of magic is this…?” Lily whispered, awestruck.
 
“Huh… I can see it.” Frisk said, the images from the screen, as well as the characters on the plate floated phantasm-like against his vision. “It… sort of reminds me of a computer.”
 
“What’s a computer?” She asked.
 
“that’s ‘cause it is.” Sans confirmed. “it’s a bit different from most though. i set up this terminal to help me monitor the space-time continuum. since resets don’t affect this space, this thing can only work here.”
 
“Wow…” Frisk said in admiration. “Something so advanced, it can keep record of timelines. Humans have a long way to go.”
 
“Hello? What’s a computer?” Lily insisted.
 
“Well it’s like…” Frisk began.
 
“we can explain that later.” Sans said. “what’s important is that thanks to this thing that i have a bit of an idea of what’s happening here. let me show you.” Sans said.
 
He walked over to the terminal and channeled a bit of magic into the tips of his phalanges before dancing them along the input like a pianist. A number of images sprang forth at his command, each baring a list of options to choose from. Frisk and Lily watched with interest as he touched one of them, bringing up another screen lined with text.
 
“Met someone earlier this week. Some human kid who fell down here.” Frisk read aloud. “Poor little guy looks like he’s had a rough time. I know my job and all, but I made a promise to that old lady… I can’t go back on it now.”
 
Frisk gave a questioning look to Sans, but the skeleton didn’t answer. Instead he scrolled through the list and opened another file.
 
“I think this is the third time, or maybe the fourth. I’m pretty sure I was right in thinking this boy at least remembers everything. When we talk, he acts like he’s already heard it before. I still don’t know what he’s after… things were a lot less complicated with the flower.”
 
“Wha- Flower?!” Lily blurted out. “What does he have to do with this?”
 
‘So they met him this time too…’ Sans thought, and opened another file.
 
“He’s dead… Papyrus is dead.” Frisk felt a chill run through him as he read off the short entry.
 
Another file. “More die each time… I don’t know what to do. Is the kid trying to wipe out the entire Underground?!”
 
Another. “Everyone’s gone… my brother, the dogs, Undyne... everyone. He’s killed them all.” The boys voice began to waver. “I c… I can’t just sit back now… that thing could destroy the fabric of time itself. Even if it means breaking my promise, I have to… stop him.”
 
Frisk’s hand shot to his mouth and it took all the force of will he had to avoid throwing up. His sightless vision blurred each time he tried to look at the words. Self resentment crushed him along with the weight of his own sins. His SOUL retreated back into his chest and the image faded out. He didn’t want to look anymore.
 
Nevertheless, Sans opened another file. “read it.”
 
Lily’s mind was already reeling from the grim log of Frisk’s prior actions but she wrapped herself around the boy’s SOUL as tightly as she could, hoping to grant what little strength she had to him. Frisk nodded silently and with some effort, willed his SOUL to the surface once again. The two children focused all their efforts on reading the latest entry.
 
“Another reset.” Lily read through Frisk. “I don’t know what happened… I thought it was the end. The kid walked through the door again looking worse than I feel. Fell to his knees and just started crying right in front of me. He’s not gained a single EXP this time. I don’t understand… but I’m not complaining.”
 
The weight of a past he could not recall bore down on Frisk like a solid block of lead and he found himself unable to speak. It was bad enough that he was even capable of doing something like that in the first place. However, the fact that he could not even remember his former crimes somehow made it even worse. Nevertheless, this had all happened. It was as clear as the log that documented it. At one point, he had become an instrument of death. The very idea made his stomach turn once more and brought tears to his lidded eyes.
 
It was then that Sans pulled up one last file.
 
“The kid, no, Frisk… he did it. We’re free…” Lily read, trying her hardest to remain composed in the sea of Frisk’s emotions.
 
“I… don’t know what to say.” Frisk managed though his voice barely rose above a whisper. “Even with it right here in front of me, i- it doesn’t feel real.”
 
“dissociation is pretty common when observing timelines.” Sans offered. “but it’s weird. everything i know suggests you should remember this stuff. that’s how it was before anyways. this is the first time you don’t.”
 
“Frisk… the visions.” Lily pointed out. “Maybe you should tell him now.”
 
“visions?” Sans repeated. “what’s that about, kiddo?”
 
“Well, I…” Frisk hesitated for a moment. “It started about two weeks ago, when we first met Kidd. We were playing with him and the others and for a while everything was okay. We went to scare him, you know? Just as a joke but when he turned around I… I saw something. I felt like I was somewhere else and there he was… staring at me. He looked so scared… like he thought I was going to…” Frisk trailed off. He didn’t want to think about how that vision might have ended if it had gone on any longer. “Since then, they’ve been happening a lot. Usually when I’m asleep, but sometimes when I’m awake too. They aren’t always bad either. Conversations I’ve never had, or things I didn’t do… some are strong, but others are just hazy.”
 
“let me ask you somethin’.” Sans scratched his chin in thought. “when those happen do you get some kind of shock? say a pain behind your eye?”
 
Frisk’s head snapped in the skeleton’s direction at the question. “Yeah! That’s exactly what happens. How did you know?”
 
“vestigial recollection.” Sans said decisively. “sometimes bits of memory can cross timelines. when that happens they usually show up as strange feelings, déjà vu, or in rare cases, visions. they usually come with a pain behind the eye but it’s normally faint enough that most folks don’t notice.”
 
“Well I noticed. It really hurts.” Frisk replied, rubbing his left eye unconsciously.
 
“the stronger the memory, the more it does.” Sans explained. “well, that’s some good news. it means your memory isn’t actually wiped. it’s still there, it’s just… out to lunch.”
 
“Some ‘good news’…” Lily countered. “If it was me, I wouldn’t want to remember after seeing all of that…”
 
“same here, honestly, but in this case it might be important.” Sans reasoned and began typing something into the terminal. “i’ve done some research over these last couple of weeks. i guess it’s a good thing you kids waited so long to come talk to me. if you’d taken up my offer right then, i might not have found this. take a peek.”
 
The screen came alive with a complex web of lines and symbols. It looked vaguely like a graph of some kind, but it was far more complicated than any normal data chart. Looping threads of light gathered together in a complex web. Each was labeled, some in common letters others in strange symbols that Frisk and Lily could only guess at the meaning of. Most of the graph was a tangled mess of spiraling, overlapping, and intersecting lines: meaning and logic hidden beneath the chaos.
 
“What… is this?” Lily asked, squinting at the mind spinning kaleidoscope before her.
 
“this is a chart detailing the timelines. i’ve set it to automatically record the flow and any anomalies that come about.” Sans explained. “this area here, where the loops are the thickest is where everything happened.”
 
Sans indicated an area closer to the right side of the screen. Frisk looked at it for a long while, tracing the lines and loops like reading a wordless autobiography. There were so many… dozens, maybe hundreds of them. Some only went back a short distance, others jumped straight back to the origin point in the center of the web, which itself shined like a miniature sun. Eventually his journey paused upon one section of the tangled graph.
 
“Wait… this spot. It looks a little different.” Frisk pointed to the spot in question. Most of the lines were straight, curving back only in the event of a Load or Reset. Such was also the case with this one, but for a segment toward the end which jerked and staggered back and forth seemingly at random before suddenly thrusting itself back to the beginning. “It kind of looks like it’s… struggling?”
 
“yeah. never figured that one out.” Sans said. “that was one of the bad ones… nah, actually i think it was the worst one. dunno what happened there, but that was when things started gettin’ better for us down here. keep goin’.”
 
Frisk did so, following along the tangled web from there, and through a few more looping strings of time. Journeys that might have taken weeks or months passed by his sightless eyes in mere seconds as he followed the string of data. Eventually one of the lines emerged from the cluster of ends and beginnings, as if set free from a prison. That single thread continued for a long while, distancing itself more and more from the rest, only to loop back once again to the beginning as if snared within a net.
 
“That was the last one, wasn’t it?” Frisk said, though it seemed more statement than question.
 
“yep.” Sans said. “look a little closer though. notice anything?”
 
Frisk squinted. It was hard to tell amidst the brightness of the other origin points but eventually he found what Sans was talking about. It was faint, almost unnoticeable among everything else but there just the same. From the scent of confusion she exuded, Frisk gathered that Lily must have seen the same thing.
 
“The line…” She muttered.
 
“It’s broken?” Frisk finished.
 
Right there, just before the line reached the origin point for their current place in time was a small, empty space barely the thickness of a fingernail. The two children turned to Sans, at a loss for what it could mean.
 
“well, it’s only a theory right now…” Sans said, pointing to the thread that marked the current timeline. “but i’m thinking when the past you reset last time, he did something and that cut us off from the rest of this. it would explain a few things. paps always had a pretty strong VR himself, but i haven’t seen any of the signs from him this time. it might also be the reason yours are the way they are now too.”
 
“Wait, you’re saying Frisk actually cut off a piece of the timeline?” Lily gave the skeleton an incredulous look. “How would someone even do that?”
 
Sans shrugged. “dunno… wouldn’t be the first time he’s done the unexpected or the impossible though. i don’t think it was for no reason though. just before i saw this, i found something else among the logs.”
 
Sans typed in a few keys and the diagram of the timelines faded and was replaced by the list of log entries he’d shown earlier. He ignored them, scrolling the screen to a mostly empty section away from everything else. There, a solitary folder resided, unlabeled. Sans opened it up to reveal a handful of documents within. He opened one, and at once the screen was filled with another assortment of strange characters. These however were quite different from the others.
 
“i dunno how long these have been here. but i do know i didn’t write ‘em.” Sans said.
 
The hand signs, flags, and other recognizable symbols were replaced by that of a multitude of star-like shapes. Some were cross-like, others the traditional five pointed shape. Frisk noticed a couple that looked oddly similar to the appearance of his own SAVE points. There were so many different types it almost looked more like some kind of map of the stars rather than a written document.
 
A faint ache pricked at the back of his eye.
 
“I feel like… I did.” The boy muttered.
 
“You did?” Lily questioned, squinting at the image as if trying to discern some meaning from the symbols.
 
“i thought so.” Sans acknowledged. “can ya read it?”
 
Frisk stared at the page for a good long while, trying his hardest to call forth the memory of this odd language. The ache behind his eye continued to throb but he ignored it, searching his mind for the hidden meaning behind these glyphs. Try as he might however the stars refused to yield their purpose to him. The small human shook his head and sighed.
 
“I can’t…” He admitted. “I feel like I should know them but…”
 
“damn…” Sans’ shoulders slumped. “i hoped if we could read these it might give us a clue about the last Reset.”
 
“Sorry…” Frisk hung his head apologetically.
 
“eh, don’t sweat it.” Sans said, placing a bony hand on Frisk’s shoulder. “it was a long shot anyway.”
 
“Well hold on.” Lily reasoned. “What would be the point of writing a message no one could read? It seems like kind of a waste, doesn’t it?”
 
“Well, maybe?” Frisk considered that.
 
“Frisk is the one that wrote those, right?” the girl continued. “He can’t remember right now, but maybe it will eventually come back? I mean… my memories have been trickling back here and there, wouldn’t it make sense that his could too? If that happens, we’ll be able to learn what they say.”
 
Sans expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “that’s… not a bad idea actually.”
 
“If I used to remember everything then… it could come back.” Frisk said thoughtfully. “But that would also mean…”
 
Everyone fell silent at that. Neither of them wanted to mention it. To remember the code to this strange language meant remembering the previous timelines. That kind of knowledge was sure to be no small burden for such a young child, however determined he might be.
 
“welp.” Sans said, breaking the silence after what felt like far too long. “sorry there’s still a lot of questions, but i kept my word. that’s everything, warts and all. we should probably head back up. stayin’ down here too much can really mess with your sense of time.”
 
Without waiting for a response, the skeleton dismissed the terminal and, utilizing a bit of Blue magic, returned the more solid research materials to their designated places. The two children followed silently as he headed for the door, fighting against the odd vertigo that pervaded the place and leaving the workshop behind. The scent of strong alcohol lingered behind them as they ascended the stairs and emerged into the familiar chilly air of Snowdin.
 
Frisk’s small hands clinched at his side, bunching up his shirt. It was a lot to take in, but he finally understood even if the truth was even more difficult to accept than he’d expected. So much had happened and so many suffered once because of him. Sans was still suffering, because he alone had to bear the burden of observing the timelines. The burden of knowing.
 
“Sans…” He said finally, causing the skeleton to stop mid-step.
 
“what’s up, kiddo?” Sans turned to him. Somehow seeing that typical toothy grin just made the boy’s heart hurt even more.
 
“Thank you… I know it must have been hard to show us all that.” He said, trying to fight back the tears. “I guess… I understand now why you hate me.”
 
“Frisk… don’t say that. It-”
 
Lily stopped short, suddenly unsure what to say. ‘It’s okay’? That would just sound hollow. “It’s not your fault”? How could she know that? “It will pass”? Something like that doesn’t just go away. “It’s nothing”? Heartless, heartless, heartless. Try as she might, the girl could think of no words to raise her friend’s spirits.
 
“oh, jeez…” Sans said, rubbing a hand down his skull. “you got it wrong there, frisk. i don’t hate ya.”
 
Frisk gasped and his gaze shot to Sans. “What?”
 
“heh. tibi-honest, i actually like you. both of you.” Sans explained. “i’ve seen you doin’ your parts around town, and you’ve been a good friend to paps over these last couple of weeks. believe me, that means somethin’.”
 
“But I-” Frisk began, but the skeleton cut him off.
 
“listen, i know what happened before. probably even more than you do right now.” he explained. “maybe its the dissociation we talked about before, or maybe i’m just beyond caring… but i can’t bring myself to actually hate you. that’s not to say i completely trust you yet, but i definitely don’t hate you. the other sanses out there might be screamin’ at me for it, but they ain’t me. So… yeah.”
 
“Sans…” Lily said, taken by surprise. She didn’t really know how to respond to that.
 
Frisk however, did. He ran up to the short, round skeleton and wrapped his small arms around him as far as they could go. Sans stiffened slightly, and Frisk immediately pulled away, forcing his hands to his side and hanging his head.
 
“I- I’m sorry.” He said quickly.
 
“no need.” Sans gave a light chuckle, ruffling the boy’s hair before turning and heading back around to the front of the house.
 
The two children solemnly followed the punny skeleton back into the warm home. Frisk couldn’t help but give content sigh in response to the the warmth, shedding the jacket as he and Lily settled onto the couch. Sans looked to the children and, giving an acquiescent shrug, joined them sitting on the soft, slightly lumpy cushions. All three of them felt exhausted, physically and mentally from their meeting in the workshop.
 
Lily frowned inwardly as the silence began to drag. Things were starting to get awkward again and she knew it. She nudged Frisk to face Sans, placing his hands in his lap.
 
"So... Can anyone tell me what a computer is now?" She asked, hoping to break the tension while at the same time satiating her own curiosity.
 
"you... were serious about that?" Sans questioned, looking at the kid like they were crazy. "i thought you were pulling my femur."
 
Frisk’s head shook with Lily’s reply. "No. I really don't know what they are. Are all computers like the one in the workshop?" She mused, imagining computers like the one below all over the place. Magic must have come a long way for things like that to exist.
 
"nah. mine's a special case. gotta be big to follow the flow of the timelines." Sans explained. “they’re around though. paps has one.”
 
"We have them on the surface too. They're pretty neat actually. It lets you do a whole lot of things you couldn't before. You can communicate almost instantly with other people across the world." Frisk explained, bringing his hand to his chin in thought.
 
"dunno much about that. down here, they’re mostly used for scientific purposes." Sans continued from where Frisk left off. “we only recently found a way to connect ‘em over long distances. most folks are still warming up to the idea."
 
The two males continue to explain several different uses for a computer to the fascinated Lily. She hung onto their every word, only interrupting occasionally to ask for a better explanation. This  went on for some time before at last, Frisk leaned back against the arm rest of the couch.
 
"That's about all I know about them. I’ve only used them a couple of times, really. Most aren’t really set up with people like me in mind." He shrugged, stretching his arms above his head.
 
"Wow... Magic has made so many advancements... It seems so surreal.." Lily whispered, awestruck at all the things a computer could do. Some of the ideas seemed so farfetched she almost didn't believe the two of them but...
 
"it ain’t just magic ghost-kid. some of the stronger types like mine run on magic but not all of them." The skeleton corrected.
 
“On the surface they don’t use magic at all.” Frisk added.
 
“anyways, i’m not really the guy to ask about it. that’s somethin’ you might ask dr. alphys or some other scientist about.” Sans paused for a moment as a thought crossed his skull. "hey. i know you died and all but i'm surprised you didn't know anything about computers. they've been around a long time. makes me wonder how long you've actually been gone. in the underground we've had them for about 600 or so years."
 
“Wow that long? It’s only been around 150 on the surface. That’s still a long time though.” Frisk said, now starting to wonder himself.
 
"well with your memory loss, i guess it’s possible you just forget?" Sans offered.
 
“I wonder…” Frisk said thoughtfully. “That seems a little strange, doesn’t it?”
 
“Yeah, you’re right.” Lily interjected. "I mean I remember other things. I remember what certain foods taste like, especially chocolate. I knew what flowers were... I knew the Froggits language..." She listed off the various things she knew.
 
"knowledge, but not personal memory. huh." Sans considered. “maybe you really have been gone a long time.”
 
"But that would mean…" Lily's words grew hushed as the implication set in. “If I’ve been away that long then… my family would be…”
 
Frisk, sensing the girl’s growing dejection took the opportunity to weigh in. "Hold on, Lily. Don't jump to any conclusions just yet. I mean, I'm positive there are places that don't use technology. For all we know you came from one of those places. It doesn’t necessarily mean your family is gone." The boy concentrated on his SOUL, wrapping Lily up in its comforting flow to sooth her sorrow. “We still don’t know enough to say one way or the other. They could still be out there.”
 
Lily took Frisk’s hand and placed it over his heart, clenching the shirt tightly. "I… think you may be right..." She sighed softly, the worry in her mind loosening a little as his words made more and more sense to her. "I just… have to stay positive. And for all we know Sans could even be right and I just lost the memory somewhere. Thank you… I didn’t mean to almost lose myself there.”
 
“It’s alright. We’ll find something, don’t worry.” Frisk said, placing his other hand over the one clutching his shirt which had already begun to relax.
 
"there ya go. way to keep your spirits up, daisy." Sans chuckled at the confused look on her face.
 
"Daisy? Now Sans, I know you know my name is Lily." She deadpanned, giving the skeleton a 'are you kidding me' look.
 
"what can i say? you're growing on me." His grin widened.
 
Lily gave a small chuckle, now realizing what the skeleton was doing.
 
"I was hoping I could weed my way into you're good graces." She retorted, getting a snort from Frisk.
 
Frisk had just opened his mouth to speak when the front door flew open. In its wake stood a nervous looking Papyrus who seemed out of breath. Sans was on his feet with a quickness that seemed counter to his lazy nature the moment his eyesockets fell upon his younger sibling.
 
"BROTHER...FRISK...LILY... W-WE MAY HAVE A SLIGHT...OOPSIE." He stammered, leaning against the door frame.

Chapter Text

Some time earlier…
 
Papyrus had been feeling far more upbeat the past couple of weeks than he had in years. Of course, no one would ever realize this by simply looking at him. Indeed, the tall skeleton had always been the picture of confidence bordering on narcissism, but this was different. This wasn’t merely a display of his own undeniable greatness, but rather, a true feeling of pride in oneself for goodness rendered.
 
He had a new friend! Two in fact. One of whom shared the body of the first whenever she wished to speak to him, which was quite often. Two friends in one. That had to count as…
 
He stopped at the treeline leading toward Doggo’s station and frowned. He wasn’t quite sure how many friends that counted as but he was fairly certain it was more than two. Shrugging, he picked up his pace and moved on, eager to continue his patrol.
 
It was at that moment his phone began to ring, playing the catchy theme tune he’d created for himself some months ago. Humming along, Papyrus fished out the device, and his grin widened when he saw the name displayed on the MED screen. He answered.
 
“HELLO UNDYNE!” He greeted. “HOW NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU, BUT MIGHT I ASK WHY YOU’RE CALLING? IT IS NOT OFTEN YOU CALL DURING PATROL HOURS.”
 
“Hey Papyrus.” Came the voice from the other end. “I know, but it’s important. Are you free to meet?”
 
“BUT OF COURSE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN ALWAYS MAKE TIME TO MEET WITH FRIENDS.” Papyrus declared. “OR RATHER, I WOULD… BUT I’VE NOT QUITE FINISHED MY PATROL-”
 
“Don’t worry about the patrol. Like I said, it’s important.” Undyne insisted. “Meet me outside Blook Acres, near the pond. We’ll talk then.”
 
“WELL, OKIE DOKIE THEN! I WILL BE THERE IN A JIFFY.” Papyrus agreed, before a click on the other end informed him that Undyne had hung up.
 
Sticking his phone back into the compartment in his armor, the orange skeleton turned at once in the direction of Snowdin and Waterfall beyond. It seemed his fortune was growing by the moment. First he’d made new friends, and now his old friend and superior was calling on him for something important. He wondered what it could possibly be that she would call him at this time, but reasoned it must be pretty serious for her to seek his presence immediately.
 
“MAYBE SHE HAS FINALLY DECIDED TO MAKE ME AN OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD! IN THAT CASE I’D BETTER HURRY.”
 
Driven by that possibility, Papyrus quickened his pace and made his way to where his friend and captain had instructed. It wouldn’t do to let her wait long… a member of the Royal Guard must always be the definition of punctuality.
 
Papyrus dashed through the snow, using his magic to give himself a little extra boost. He passed quickly though the town, slowing only enough to avoid any of the other residents before speeding his way into Waterfall. The change of moisture was somewhat jarring even to Papyrus’ skeletal form and he had to be careful not to stumble from the slick stone under his boots.
 
Undyne always chose to conduct all but the most pressing of Royal Guard business here, rather than the Capital. To hear her tell it, it was because of the centralized location, equally between the Snowdin and Hotland regions which made it convenient. Papyrus had heard some of the guard suggest that the real reason was because of her hatred of the heat - that it makes her dry up like a raisin - but he didn’t believe them. Undyne was his cool and strong captain, there was no way she’d let a little warm weather beat her.
 
So it was that he eventually found his way beyond the garbage dump to Blook Acres. Supposedly the place was founded by Ghost monsters ages ago, but there weren’t many left there now. It was mostly inhabited by aquatic types these days.
 
Papyrus made his way quickly to the pond on the outskirts of the village. Sure enough, Undyne was waiting for him, her armored form leaned against the rock-face, arms crossed before her. A faint glint shone from inside the visor of her helm; a stray shaft of light reflecting from a single, hidden eye. Most of her was hidden in shadow. Only a vague silhouette of her spiked, heavy plate was visible in the near darkness that surrounded her, offering no hint of the type of monster that lay beneath.
 
“CAPTAIN UNDYNE!” Papyrus greeted with an exaggerated (and lopsided) salute. “FUTURE ROYAL GUARD PAPYRUS IS HERE, AS YOU ASKED.”
 
“I am glad you were able to get here so quickly, Papyrus.” Undyne spoke. Her voice presented a slight echo beneath the helm.
 
“HMM… YOU SOUND A LITTLE… DIFFERENT THAN NORMAL.” The Skeleton said thoughtfully before his eye-sockets lit up. “OH! I GET IT! YOU’RE PRACTICING YOUR DARK ACTION HERO PERSONA AGAIN AREN’T YOU?”
 
“W-What?!” Undyne stammered.
 
“NYEH HEH HEH! YOU’VE IMPROVED IT QUITE A BIT.” The skeleton complimented. “THOUGH, I HAVE TO SAY I PREFER YOUR REAL PERSONALITY OVER THIS ONE.”
 
“I’m not ‘practicing’ anything, Papyrus.” Undyne refuted, before her voice darkened again. “This is how I’m supposed to sound…”
 
“OH, RIGHT. YOU DON’T WANT TO BREAK CHARACTER. I UNDERSTAND!” Papyrus inferred. “VERY WELL, I SHALL ACT AS IF YOU ARE NOT ACTING!”
 
Undyne sighed, but decided not to continue this line of conversation. There were more important matters to discuss.
 
“More to the point… rumors have been circling the Underground lately.” She began. “They say a Human has fallen from the Surface.”
 
Papyrus’ expression faltered slightly. “A HUMAN? Y-YOU DON’T SAY…”
 
“Yes. I’ve looked into them, and it sounds like the rumors originated around the Snowdin area.” The armored figure continued. “I’ve spoken to almost everyone stationed around that area except for you and your brother. The Dog Clan doesn’t seem to know anything, but I was wondering if you might have had better luck.”
 
“UM…” Papyrus began, unsure of whether or not it was a good idea to mention that the Humans in question were now his friends.
 
“It’s alright if you haven’t.” Undyne said after a while. “As I said, all we have are rumors. I can’t say whether they’re true or not but it is my duty to follow up on every lead. Though, I do hope it is real and not just some sick prank. Something like this would go a long way in restoring the people’s hopes.”
 
Papyrus lowered his head thoughtfully. That’s right… he’d been so caught up on the idea of having made some new friends that he hadn’t considered just what their presence meant for the rest of the Underground. His new friends were Human and Undyne had tasked him to be on the lookout for any and all Humans that he could find. Supposedly it was an order from the King, though Papyrus wasn’t quite sure why he wanted them. Still, duty or no, it seemed rude to capture them and take them there without their permission. Especially ones as nice as Frisk and Lily.
 
And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to lie to Undyne. After all, she was his friend too.
 
“A-ACTUALLY, UNDYNE…” Papyrus began. “I DO KNOW SOMETHING… ABOUT THE HUMANS. YOU SEE, THEY-”
 
“Wait, Humans?” Undyne repeated before her mind clicked. The armored figure lunged forward and seized Papyrus’ scarf. “You mean there’s more than one?!”
 
“WELL YES, ERR NO… KIND OF?” Papyrus stumbled as Undyne’s armored fist held him in its iron grip.
 
“Papyrus! Start making sense!”
 
“T-THEIR NAMES ARE FRISK AND LILY!” Papyrus explained quickly. “THE LILY HUMAN SPEAKS THROUGH THE FRISK HUMAN AND-”
 
“You talked to them?!” Undyne released Papyrus, causing the young boneman to stumble back a few steps.
 
“YES BUT… THEY’RE BOTH ACTUALLY VERY NICE!” Papyrus tried, vainly hoping to douse the captain’s fire. “I’M SURE IF YOU SPOKE TO THEM YOU’D BE FAST FRIENDS-”
 
“Friends?!” Undyne shouted incredulously. “Have you forgotten everything we’ve learned about them? They… they didn’t use mind control on you did they?!”
 
“UNDYNE, I AM SURE MY MIND IS UNDER MY OWN CONTROL. PLEASE, JUST LISTEN-” Papyrus began but was quickly cut off.
 
“Where are they, Papyrus?” Undyne said darkly. Papyrus did not answer immediately so she continued. “This is an order from your Captain. Tell me!”
 
“IN... IN SNOWDIN.” Papyrus finally answered. “BUT IT’S PERFECTLY FINE! EVERYONE IN TOWN-”
 
“The town!” Undyne shouted, the slightest hint of fear spilling from her cold facade. “Then that’s where I’ll go. I should have known it was a bad idea to put you in such danger Papyrus, but I’ll make it right. I’ll kill them, and deliver the SOUL to Asgore personally… then you’ll be fine.”
 
K-KILL?!” Papyrus looked horrified. “UNDYNE THERE’S NO NEED FOR THAT! IF YOU JUST TALK TO THEM-”
 
But it was too late. The armored figure was already on the move, storming away from Blook Acres as fast as the metal joints could carry her. Papyrus called after her but his voluminous words fell on deaf ears. Undyne was not one to change her mind once it was made up, and this time would prove no different. Papyrus was at a loss… the day had gone from great to terrible in the span of minutes.
 
He knew he had to do something and fast. Lives and friendships alike were depending on him. He didn’t want to see his friends fight… and even less for one to… kill the others. Frisk and Lily needed to be warned, but how could get there in time when Undyne already had a head start on him, and with the roads to Snowdin from Waterfall so limited…
 
“OH NO, OH NO, OH NO… WHAT DO I DO?” Papyrus lamented. “IF ONLY I HAD A SHORTCUT!”
 
He stopped. A shortcut… that’s it! If he could use a shortcut, he could easily reach Snowdin before Undyne. Then he could warn Frisk and Lily… that would give him time to convince Undyne that she didn’t need to do a violence! Then he could introduce the three of them properly and they could all be friends!
 
But could he do it? Papyrus had not used many Shortcuts in the past, and those he had had always been under his brother’s supervision. Sans was far better at creating and using them than he was… anything to make his lazy lifestyle easier. Still he had to try though… surely a trick like this require little more than a baby bones’ level of effort for someone of his greatness. It had to...
 
He called on his magic, letting it flow through him willing it to take shape.
 
He concentrated…
 
And concentrated…
 
He took a step.
 
Space shifted and colors blurred before the skeleton was struck with a wave of familiar cold. Where before all he could see was the glistening stone walls and fake stars of Waterfall, he now stared at the colorful wreath decorating the door of his own home. He shook his skull, fighting against a wave of nausea that totally wasn’t the result of overexerting his magic and blinked away a couple of snowflakes from the larger of his eye-sockets.
 
With shallow breath, he made quickly for the door, hoping to find his friends before it was too late…

Papyrus had begun rambling from the moment he set foot inside the house he shared with his brother. This may not have been different from any other day, but for the worry in his voice. Breathlessness rendered his words nearly incomprehensible beyond that, so Sans, Frisk, and Lily guided him to the couch to rest, hoping to calm the raving Guardsman hopeful.
 
Their efforts eventually proved somewhat successful as they managed to coax Papyrus into some form of coherence. His words, mainly “Captain of the Guard” and “Kill the humans” had Frisk and Lily worried. They’d heard bits and pieces about the captain of the Royal Guard but they were mainly adulations of her strength and skill. They knew little about the individual herself
 
Lily’s thoughts turned inward as she listened to Papyrus. This was what Toriel had warned them about. She told them that some monsters would be after Frisk’s SOUL. It seemed that Undyne was one of them.
 
‘I won’t let anyone hurt Frisk… I don’t care who she is. If this ‘Captain’ even tries to touch him, I will put her in her place.’ The spectral girl seethed quietly from within Frisk, hoping her friend would not notice.
 
She couldn’t help feeling protective of the boy. After all, Frisk was the first person she’d met when she awoke in that flower garden. He was her best friend, and he’d been there for her from the beginning. And with him being younger than her (at least, she thought he was) it was her responsibility to protect him. That’s what she wanted to think anyway, though she wasn’t entirely sure what she would do when the time came. Memories of the encounter with Sans a couple of weeks back left a sour taste in her metaphorical mouth. She forced them aside.
 
Sans leaned back against the couch. “well… shit.”
 
“Sans!” Lily snapped and her glowing eye darkened when the stocky skeleton answered with a nonchalant shrug.
 
“So… what should we do? Should we run? Or… maybe it would be better to wait for her and try to explain?” Frisk broached the question, bringing everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand. “What do you think Papyrus?”
 
Papyrus thought for a moment, taping his foot against the floor. “I THINK… IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO LAY LOW. HER OPINION OF YOU RIGHT NOW IS VERY… MURDERY…” He reasoned.. “SHE WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO GET HERE THOUGH. YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE SOME THINGS IN CASE YOU CAN’T RETURN HOME RIGHT AWAY…”
 
“That’s a great idea Papyrus. Some food and water would be good to take with us.” Lily suggested, and Frisk’s lips shifted with the girl’s grin as the two made to stand. “A blanket or something might be good to have too if we get stuck somewhere.”
 
”think i might have an old sleeping bag somewhere.”
 
“BRILLIANT, SANS! YOU GO FIND THAT WHILE WE GO AND GATHER SOME FOOD. I THINK THERE MAY STILL BE SOME LEFTOVERS!” Papyrus jumped to his feet, making his way to the kitchen with Frisk and Lily on his orange-clad heels.
 
The three of them rummaged through the culinary creations inhabiting the refrigerator. The two children made sure to choose the ones that Frisk had instructed and avoid anything subject to Papyrus’ unsupervised experimentation. Sealing them within containers, the children filed them away inside the magical pack.
 
Frisk sighed softly, once again grateful for its usefulness, before giving a surprised yip when Lily took control of his arm and used it to snag the bars of chocolate deeper inside. Papyrus had bought them a few days ago when he found out how much the girl loved the sugary treat. She’d have eaten them all on the spot if Frisk hadn’t stopped her. Now, in hindsight, she was sort of glad he had. Traveling through Waterfall’s unknowns, on the run from a dogged Royal Captain and with no chocolate was the worst scenario imaginable for her.
 
Frisk, for his own part couldn’t help but chuckle despite the situation. He took that as a good sign: even with Undyne’s looming threat, he could still appreciate humor when he saw it. It was scary thinking about all the things on their plate but at least he knew he wouldn’t have to face them alone. After grabbing a fork and knife to take with the trio made their way back to the living room just as Sans rejoined them from the stairs
 
“here ya go kiddos. one sleeping bag, hold the bones.” Sans chuckled.
 
Lily groaned. “That was terrible and you know it…”
 
“aw come on. throw me a bone here.” He retorted with a wink. That one drew out a small giggle, causing Sans’ grin to widen.
 
“also this thing is pretty neat. folds up nice and small when not in use. when you’re ready to use it, just press this button and it will spring out into the bag ‘kay?”
 
”DR. ALPHYS MAKES SO MANY NEAT THINGS THAT MAKE TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE MUCH EASIER.”
 
“That’s really cool actually. And it fits right into our bag!” Frisk took the small, cloth-like box from Sans, sliding it into the pouch. He wondered for a moment if Alphys had a hand in designing the latter as well, but decided now wasn’t the time to ask.
 
“ALRIGHT. IF I KNOW UNDYNE. AND I DO,” Papyrus explained. “SHE WILL MAKE A STRAIGHT SHOT FROM WATERFALL TO HERE. THERE IS A LOWER PATH YOU CAN TAKE AT THE EDGE OF SNOWDEN, WHERE THE SNOW IS THICKEST. SHE WILL NOT SEE YOU AS LONG AS YOU STAY LOW. WHICH SHOULDN’T BE HARD. YOU ARE MUCH SHORTER THAN HER OR I.”
 
Lily gave a small huff while mumbling. “I’m taller than Frisk at least…And Sans… I think…?” Her voice trailed off in uncertainty.
 
“We should leave soon just in case. More time to hide if we need too.” Frisk said, affixing the satchel at his waist while making sure everything is secure. “Oh! Papyrus do you have a phone?”
 
“THAT I DO HUMAN-FRISK.” The taller skeleton replied.
 
Frisk drew out the phone that Toriel had given them and handed it over. “Would you put your number in there?”
 
Papyrus’ grin practically sparkled at the prospect of another facet of friendship: the exchanging of phone numbers. He quickly added his to the humans’ phone before giving himself a quick call in order to register theirs. “AND… THERE WE GO. NOW WE CAN SPEAK TO EACH OTHER WHENEVER WE WISH, NO MATTER HOW FAR! NYEH!”
 
“Thanks Pap.” Lily said, taking the phone back and returning it to Frisk’s pocket.
 
“better head out. ain’t much that can stop undyne when she’s focused on something.” Sans said.
 
“What are you going to do, Sans?” Frisk asked.
 
“paps here can handle undyne. i got some stuff to look into.” the hoodied skeleton said cryptically. “don’t worry though. i’ll keep an eye-socket on ya as much i can.”
 
Frisk nodded, but did not move to the door immediately. He knew time was of the essence. They had to leave before Undyne arrived, and yet reluctance glued his feet to the floor. He didn’t know what was waiting for them, or how long it would be before he could see the brothers again. So the red child showed his appreciation for all they’d done the only way he knew how: he approached both in turn, first Papyrus and then Sans, and gave each a hug. They both responded, the former eagerly, the latter a bit more awkward.
 
“Thanks, you guys… I mean it.” He said softly. Papyrus beamed, and even Sans looked a little brighter. It was enough to bolster the boy’s courage, and at last he turned for the door. Inside, Lily’s aura gave off an aroma of baked apples.
 
The two stepped out into the frigid air of Snowdin and Frisk stopped to touch the star in front of the house. He wasn’t sure when he would see this again either; better to make a record so as not to lose this moment.
 
With everything set, the children made their way toward the fog-shrouded path where they’d become friends with Papyrus. Frisk was no more impaired here than anywhere else, but Lily found herself struggling to see anything through the milky curtain.
 
“How are we supposed to find that lower path in this?” She complained. Frisk couldn’t provide an answer to that.
 
Ultimately she decided to detach herself from Frisk’s SOUL, using the added mobility of her spectral form to aid her investigation. Frisk, for his own part, used his stick to guide him, keeping his working senses attentive for any sign that sight might miss.
 
“I think I found it!” Lily called after a few moments.
 
Frisk made his way cautiously toward where she waited, her form clear to him, despite the fog. The girl sat at the summit of a small slope, leading downward and away from the main path which curved slightly into the treeline beyond. As small as it was, and obscured by the fog, the only way they could have possibly found it was to know of its existence beforehand.
 
And not a moment too soon either, as a sound in the distance caught their attention mere moments after. It was the unnerving sound of metal on stone, drawing closer.
 
“Hurry up, we need to get down there.” Lily hissed, taking Frisk’s hand and leading him as quietly as possible down the slope.
 
With every step of its creator, the klunk of metal grew louder. Heavy footfalls, rapid in pace. They were running. It wouldn’t take long for them to reach the children at the pace they traveled, and neither Frisk nor Lily knew if the fog would be enough to shroud them. The slope leveled about ten feet down, expelling them into the packed snow beneath. Frisk had to slow his pace to that of an awkward shuffle to avoid having his boots crunch noisily through the packed ice and snow.
 
Lily led him toward the treeline as best as she was able, but the thick haze made it difficult to see any further than an arms-length ahead. So it was that she did not have time to steer the blind boy away from a young evergreen at their head. Frisk’s shoulder collided with the trunk, rattling the branches and causing a patch of snow to fall to the ground. It landed with a soft puff against the ground.
 
The footsteps halted immediately and both the boy and his guide paled. Thinking fast, Lily drew him behind the tree’s bole to hide. His back pressed against the rough wood, daring not even to breathe lest the slightest twitch would give away their presence.
 
They waited.
 
Eventually, the footfalls began their rhythmic beat once more, albeit at a slower pace. Frisk held his breath, expecting to hear them descending the hidden path they’d taken, but his fears were soon put to rest as they began to fade into the direction of the town.
 
“That… was too close.” Lily said quietly, forgetting for a moment that no sound she made would even reach the metal reaper.
 
“Yeah…” Frisk replied. “Sorry… I didn’t know it was there.”
 
“No, it’s my fault. I didn’t notice it quick enough.” Lily said, then without giving the boy time to refute her, added; “Let’s hurry before she realizes we aren’t in town and heads back this way.”
 
With that the spectral girl continued to guide Frisk through the dense fog and snow-caked trees. Steadily, the milky pall began to lighten, as they moved further along the unused path. Eventually, it began to crest upward, leading them into a tangle of shrubs and bushes that slowed their progress. Still, they pressed onward and eventually emerged once more onto the main road.
 
The snow was thinner here, and continued to fade even as the air around them warmed and grew moist. It still felt rather chilly, but it was a far cry from the freezing temperatures of Snowdin. Lingering ice crystals mingled with strange, sparkling stones that protruded from the grey-blue rock-faces. Alongside them, the river burbled a quiet song as large chunks of ice drifted aimlessly down its flow.
 
In time, the pathway opened into a small chamber. The flow of the river behind them was added to by the trickle of a small waterfall cresting under the stones and down into the darkness below. A strange, fishlike monster gave a friendly wave as they entered, uncaring of the large flower growing nearby. The pale blue glow that it emitted was somehow both eerie and comforting.
 
“Yo!” called a voice from nearby.
 
The children turned as one toward its source as Kidd scampered excitedly over to them. Frisk couldn’t help but give a relieved sigh at the thought of some familiarity in this strange place. The armless yellow monster somehow managed to close the distance between them without falling on his face and spoke.
 
“Dude! You just missed it!” He exclaimed, tail wagging excitedly behind him.
 
“Missed what?” Frisk asked.
 
“Undyne, duh!” he answered. “She just came barreling through here In all that armor like it weighed nothing! She looked like she was really focused on something… at least, I think so. I… couldn’t really see her face, y’know?”
 
“Really? That’s… cool.” Frisk said awkwardly. They’d come that close to being discovered by her.
 
“Wait a minute…” Kidd sobered a little, looking thoughtful. “Yo, isn’t Lily with you? You guys didn’t get in a fight or anything, did you?”
 
Oh, right. Lily’d gotten so used to being able to talk to people that it completely slipped her mind. Before she could ask, Frisk had already drawn out his SOUL, allowing her to re-merge with it.
 
“Greetings, Kidd. Sorry, I sort of forgot.” Lily said, as the boy’s right eye gave off its telltale crimson glow.
 
“Hey no problem, as long as everything’s good!” Kidd grinned, bouncing up and down on his heels.
 
Both Frisk and Lily gave a smile at the energetic monster, a dash of familiarity in this otherwise unknown stretch of the Underground. Frisk felt around a little, eventually finding a good-sized rock to sit down and catch his breath while the two took in their surroundings. The combination of the undulating water and the crystals refracting the faint light like a kaleidoscope against the stone was breathtaking to behold. Lily’s attention however was drawn to the strange blue flower from before. Her inner botanist piqued, she spoke.
 
“Hey Kidd. What’s that flower?” She motioned towards the object in question.
 
“Huh?” The reptilian monster turned to see what she was referring too. “Oh, those are like super cool and stuff. They’re called Echo Flowers. You say something to ‘em and they repeat what you say! They’re all over the place here in Waterfall. Lots of monsters tell them their wishes and secrets. There’s even a place called the “Wishing Room” around here that’s full of ‘em. It’s a really quiet and pretty place. “ He nodded to himself as he explained, tail swishing back and forth.
 
Lily, her interest bolstered by Kidd’s explanation moved to the flower and touched its petals. Sure enough it spoke, the voice it carried sounding vaguely of Kidd.
 
“...It’s a really quiet and pretty place.”
 
“That sounds really cool, Kidd. Maybe me and Lily can see it sometime.” Frisk replied happily to the excited child.
 
Her curiosity for the flower sated, Lily’s gaze drifted again to the simple sentry station nestled in the corner of the room. She immediately did a double take when she noticed the snow on the roof… in a place with no snowfall whatsoever.
 
“How in the world is there-” She shook her head and moved their shared body over to the station to look it over. “What’s with this stand? How is there even snow on there?”
 
“Oh, you know Sans. That’s his. Man, he never cleans that off.” Kidd explained. “That’s his station for when he looks for humans. He’s kinda cool I guess, even though all he does his sleep. But at least he gets to report to Undyne! And she’s super cool!”
 
At the mention of Undyne, Frisk’s head jolted upright, and promptly smacked against the edge of the sentry station.
 
“Ow…” The boy groaned, rubbing the top of his head and shaking the feeling away.
 
“Sorry Frisk. But there was some weird stuff there.” Lily apologized. “A bunch of empty and full ketchup bottles and some kind of worn, thin books. They had pictures of these strange big metal things with four wheels.”
 
“Sounds like a car magazine.” Frisk considered, as they returned to Kidd. “Wonder what he needs those for…”
 
“...What’s a car?”
 
The boy chuckled. “I’ll explain later. Let’s get out of here and away from Undynes’ stomping grounds…” To Kidd, he said. “Hey, Kidd. Which way was that wishing room? I actually think we want to see it now…”
 
“Hey no problem dude! Just head down this path and you’ll find it eventually. It takes a bit of walking because it’s pretty deep in, but you’ll know it when you get there. I’d show you the way but my parents want me home to check in once in awhile. I’ll catch ya later, kay?” Kidd laughed before taking off, tripping down the path before jumping right back to his feet. “I’m okay!” Then he was off again, making his way back to Snowdin.
 
“Bye Kidd!” Frisk and Lily called, grinning at Kidd's enthusiasm. “Okay. So which way do we go, Lily?”
 
“Hm. Kidd mentioned following the path. I believe he meant this large one here, so let’s start that way.”
 
With that she emerged from Frisk’s SOUL once more, appearing before her friend. Frisk took her offered hand and followed her down the moist dirt path. The sound of water rumbled louder in their ears as they traveled, and eventually they found themselves standing before a large waterfall. A sturdy looking bridge split away from the nearby cliff arcing down and around the waterfall at a lower point. No such bridge spanned the flow itself, but the water at least seemed shallow enough to wade through.
 
“Alright Frisk. Looks like we’re going to get a little wet. Be careful okay?”
 
Frisk gave an affirming nod, moving closer to his spectral friend as she led him along. Their progress was slow. The water, while not deep was surprisingly swift and the debris it carried would make for a difficult slog even if Frisk’s senses weren’t muddied by the sound of rushing water. A wayward piece of garbage tumbling through the current caught Lily’s attention, and she quickly retreated to let it by. Her sigh of relief was cut short however, as she noticed too late that the danger had not yet passed. A large stone had managed to creep up behind the children whilst the spectral girl was distracted. She realized, to her horror, that it was heading straight for the boy.
 
“Frisk! Watch out!” she cried, pulling him roughly toward her.
 
…A little too hard.
 
The boy’s foot caught upon the edge of slippery stone beneath the water causing him to fall forward. A loud gasp escaped his lips and his hand slipped from Lily’s a split second before he splashed down into the water.
 
”L-Lily!” He called out, grasping vainly for purchase as the rapids sent him tumbling toward the edge of the chasm.
 
“Frisk!” Lily called, darting after him as quickly as her weightless form would allow.
 
Her hand reached for his, coming up short by mere inches, fingers touching nothing but the air between them. Lily’s pale face turned whiter than a Snowdin rooftop as Frisk disappeared over the precipice but a second later.
 
She pressed forward toward the edge of the fall, expecting to see nothing but the inky abyss of the chasm spreading forever down, her friend lost to its depths.
 
…Instead her eyes were met with the dark brown hair and bewildered expression of the boy himself, his descent thwarted by wooden beam and guardrail.
 
“I… I’m okay?” Frisk said confusedly, staring up at the terrified face of Lily hovering only a few feet above. By some stroke of luck, the small bridge had broken his fall.
 
Lily quickly shook away her shock and was off like a shot.
 
“Okay!? A few more inches and you would have kept going!” She practically screamed, her voice a mixture of fear, concern, and relief all in one as she circled around him, checking frantically for any injuries. Finding none she continued, albeit quieter now. “Are..are you sure you're alright?” She questioned, slowing to a stop in front of him. “I’m so sorry about that Frisk. I should have kept a better eye out.”
 
”Y-yeah. I’ll be okay.” Frisk mumbled, wiping his hands on his pants, which were now damp along with the rest of him. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”
 
Lily gave a gentle sigh, trying to calm her racing, non-existent heart. “Alright… But I promise it won’t happen again.” She took Frisk’s hand in hers, and they started off again carefully navigating their way back to the stream. A few echo flowers bloomed upon the small pillars that connected the bridge. As Frisk’s hand brushed against one of their petals, it spoke.
 
”I swore I saw something… Behind that rushing water….” A nervous voice whispered from the flower.
 
“Huh?” Frisk’s brow raised.
 
Lily heard it too. ”Behind the water? Frisk… stay here. Let me check it out. I just want to make sure it’s not dangerous.” she chewed her lip, reluctantly leaving Frisk behind to check the waterfall. The water splashed and burbled all around her as she stuck her head beneath the torrent, though not a single droplet touched her incorporeal form. Emerging from the other side, she glanced about, immediately noticing a glass lens embedded in the rock a few inches away from her face, staring like an eye in the direction of the bridge. “O…kay?”
 
”What? What is it?” Frisk called from his spot, resisting the urge to get closer with the water rushing in his ears.
 
Lily’s head popped out from the flow and she quickly returned to him, confusion plain upon her face. “There’s something back there. I think it might be a camera? It’s lodged into the stone and facing outwards. I don’t know what it can see behind the water like that.”
 
”Uh oh… I really hope it didn’t see me when I fell.” Frisk worried.
 
“Why? What’s wrong?” Lily asked.
 
“Just a thought. A lot of monsters are looking for humans, right? What if… what if they’ve set up surveillance around here?”
 
Lily’s expression darkened as she linked hands with the blind boy once more and began leading them back up the path. “It’ll be okay. Even if you’re right, I won’t let anything hurt you.”
 
“Okay but… let’s keep watch for any others. It will probably be safer to stay away from them.” Frisk reasoned.
 
They stepped back on solid ground and took a moment to catch their breath. Sure, they had to hurry while Undyne was busy in Snowdin, but if Frisk fell again they’d have a whole new problem to deal with. After a few moments, they finally felt comfortable trying to move on. At Lily’s suggestion, the two made their way toward the source of the swift current; another set of falls to their left. Frisk kept his ears perked for the sound of anymore unpleasant surprises while Lily set about checking behind the flow. She had to blink as her eyes fell upon what was on the other side.
 
“Well it’s… not a camera.” She began. “Frisk, come here. There’s some kind of room back here.”
 
“A room?” The red child repeated as he made his way over to her.
 
“Let’s check it out.”
 
Frisk instinctively lowered his head, shielding his unseeing eyes from the gallons of water that splashed relentlessly against him. It might have bothered him if he wasn’t already drenched through to begin with. Nevertheless, the deluge soon subsided, and they came to a stop within the hidden chamber. Even blind, Frisk could tell it was a rather spacious area. The air didn’t feel stuffy and smelled surprisingly clean if a bit briny. The boy wondered idly whether it was naturally formed or carved by hand.
 
“Oh, what’s that?” Lily’s voice drew him from his thoughts. Frisk followed her beacon as she moved to the center of the room to examine whatever it was that caught her eye. A hand pressed against her mouth a moment later as she stifled a giggle.
 
“What’s so funny?” Frisk questioned.
 
Lily didn’t answer directly. “Guess.”

She took his hands and guided him to the item in question. The distinct touch of some kind of fabric met his fingertips. He looked at the rose-cheeked girl questioningly who was trying and failing to hide her mirth.
 
“What is it?” He asked. “Some kind of clothing?”
 
“You’re on the right track. Keep going.” She said through a wide grin.
 
Frisk sighed but continued investigating with his hands. It seemed a bit like a shirt, but something about it seemed off. The fabric was a little thinner than his, and it seemed to flair out in places in a way that gave him pause. He picked it up and turned it over until he was fairly certain he was holding it right and continued. Eventually, his hands found the bottom, and he noted the ruffled edges that seemed to protrude out from the rest. He turned to Lily and raised a questioning brow.
 
“Is this a… dress?” He asked.
 
“Close enough, it’s a tutu!” Lily declared. Frisk didn’t like the look she was giving him.
 
“What’s a tutu doing here of all places?” He asked.
 
“You should wear it, Frisk!” Lily laughed.
 
“I should- what?!” Frisk exclaimed, baffled by the suggestion.
 
“Come on, think about it. Finally, a protective piece of armor!” She crowed, fighting to remain coherent amidst her laughter.
 
“That doesn’t even make any sense!” Frisk protested.
 
“Well fine, but I still think it would look cute.” She cajoled.
 
“You’re cute. You wear it!”
 
“I can’t, remember? You have to.”
 
“No!”
 
“Please?”

“No! Besides, you already got me to wear this…” He pointed out, indicating the faded ribbon still tied to his sleeve.
 
“Oh fine…” Lily pouted, relenting at last.
 
Frisk sighed. “Look, if it makes you feel better we can take it with us. There might be something we can do with it. Is that better?”
 
Lily perked back up. “Okay, fair enough. I guess it would just get wet around here wouldn’t it?”
 
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to wear it when we get somewhere dry, either.”
 
“Yeah, yeah I know.” She grinned. “Let’s go, Frisky Bits.”
 
Frisk cocked his head at the sudden nickname but decided not to question her about it. At least she’d given him a break about the tutu. Filing it away in the satchel, the two children made their way back through the waterfall and continued on their way.
 
Reasonably certain there were no more cameras hiding in their immediate vicinity, the children slowly made their way across the shallow river and to the opposite bank. Thankfully, both of them were more attentive this time around and there were no further close calls. Finally back on dry land for the time being, the two looked out into the path ahead of them. It stretched onward into an unsettling gloom where few of the light-emitting crystals resided.
 
Tentatively, they walked on, braving the darkness even as glimmers of light from elsewhere played at the shadows, stretching and contorting them into vague phantasms. A wall of tall bluish grass barred them some ways in, obscuring sight of anything that might lie beyond it. The lighthearted mood from before almost seemed to evaporate in the wake of uncertainty. Lily gave Frisk’s hand a reassuring squeeze before drifting upward to get a better view of their surroundings. There were no other paths or offshoots that she could see, but the way seemed to continue beyond the thick plant life.
 
“We have to go through it.” She said quietly.
 
Frisk nodded. He wasn’t looking forward to it. He already felt tired. After their flight from Snowdin, along with the spill he’d just taken, fatigue laid as heavy on his shoulders as his drenched clothes did. Still, he couldn’t afford to turn back now… not when Undyne could very well be heading back in their direction. He wasn’t sure how long Papyrus would be able to keep the Captain occupied.
 
With Lily guiding him by the hand, Frisk used his stick to clear away the grass as best as he was able. A few blades tickled his face, causing it to itch but he ignored it as they moved deeper into the thicket. An odd sense of dread hung over the boy, but in time they found the grasses thinning, and eventually emerged from the other side without incident. Light steadily returned as they made their way toward another chamber, and the ominous feeling faded like a distant memory.
 
The familiar echo of flowing water reached their ears once more from yet another large waterfall a few feet in. Unlike the last, this one flowed from a small crevice beneath the rock.
 
“It looks deeper than the last one. I don’t think we can just walk acro-” Lily stopped. “Hold on, what are those?”
 
Her eyes fell upon a number of strange objects lining the river’s edge. Thin green leaves sticking out from a light pink seed-like object. The leaves seemed to bend and stretch toward each other, like hands lying just out of reach of the warmth of another. To the left, a plaque carved from the stone itself glowed with words fashioned from the same luminescent crystal that lined the cavern.
 
“When four bridge seeds align in the water, they will sprout.” Lily read.
 
“I guess it’s worth a try?” Frisk offered. “Help me out.”
 
Lily did so, carefully guiding the boy to the seeds. Frisk picked one up carefully, the leaves of another bending to follow it as if begging it not to go. The spectral girl lead him to the water’s edge and he set the seed adrift like a paper sailboat. Gathering three more, he set them along the same path. Lily watched in fascination as, sure enough, their leaves wrapped about one another, and the seeds bloomed as one. Beautiful pink petals spread from baby blue ovaries and white stamens. The thin leaves fanned out, covering a large portion of the water’s surface alongside the petals.
 
A sweet fragrance filled the air.
 
“Wow…” Lily said in awe. “They all sprouted at once.”
 
“Interesting. How do you think they work? ” Frisk questioned, placing a hand against one of the petals which was surprisingly firm to the touch. “I wonder if it’s some sort of swarm behavior… or maybe a kind of symbiosis with something in the water?”
 
Lily blinked at him. “Symbi- what now?”
 
“You know, symbiosis.” Frisk explained. “When different organisms interact with each other in a way that helps one or both of them.”
 
“...Right.” Lily said, understanding but still surprised at all the big words Frisk just strung together. “Has anyone ever told you you’re really smart?”
 
Frisk blushed a little from the compliment. “Actually… you’re the first one.”
 
“Wait, seriously?” The girl was unconvinced. “Even with you saying stuff like that?”
 
“Yeah, but it’s okay.” The boy said solemnly. “I didn’t really talk much before I met you and everyone else down here.”
 
Lily wanted to ask him why but decided against it for the time being. It probably wasn’t the best place to delve into that kind of personal conversation. Instead, she took his hand again, leading him gingerly onto the path created by the sprouted Bridge Seeds. Their composition seemed very similar to the golden flowers that had broken his fall, and they held fast against his weight. Perhaps flowers in the Underground were simply more hearty than those on the surface. In any case, it wasn’t long before they reached the opposite bank. With feet once more on solid ground, they moved forward, delving deeper into the glittering cavern.
 
The deeper they traveled, the more the final vestiges of the Snowdin region faded away and were replaced by the melancholic beauty of Waterfall. Rivulets of clear water trickled down the walls, and the ground was ever damp underfoot. Only a few small walkways afforded relatively dry transit over the many streams and rivers. In time, the path they walked opened into a large, lit chamber. A pale blue luminescence shimmered from a few glowing mushrooms growing near the water’s edge. As Frisk’s boot touched down near one of them, its light quickly darkened, like a small animal hiding away from something unknown.
 
Here, there were still more bridge seeds, their undulating leaves reaching out for one another from where they rested. Small rivers ran in all directions, some leading to tiny islets peaking above the surrounding pools, others toward caverns dark enough to conceal any detail beyond their entrances.
 
“Where to now?” Frisk asked as Lily described the surrounding area to him.
 
“It looks like we’ll need to use the seeds again.” She said. “But… I don’t know. I’m not sure way to take. I guess all we can do is pick a path and follow it.” She looked at Frisk, who really seemed exhausted by this point. His wet clothes probably weren’t helping. “We really should find somewhere safe for you to rest though.”
 
“Sorry…” The boy muttered.
 
“Don’t. It’s okay. Let me have a look around.” She said.
 
“Okay. I’ll get some of the seeds.” Frisk offered.
 
Lily nodded and drifted away to search the area once again. Frisk’s stick probed at his surroundings and lead him eventually to one cluster of bridge seeds a few feet away. Carefully, he gathered them in his arms, giggling a little as their reaching leaves tickled his cheek.
 
“I think I see something over there.” Lily pointed toward somewhere east of them. “Not sure what, but it looks hidden enough that we can take a bit of a break.”
 
Frisk followed her to the water’s edge and set the seeds on their way. Once again their blossoms formed a path toward a small cove pressing into the otherwise solid rock-face. The children made their way carefully over, a number of glowing insects scattering in their wake. Frisk wondered if they might have been another kind of monster or simply some indigenous wildlife. Reaching the edge of land once more, they found that the cove was largely nondescript. A few of the glowing mushrooms and a single Echoflower were the only natural things about it besides the ever-presence of water and glittering crystal. And yet, something about it seemed peculiar nonetheless: a single object that didn’t seem to belong.
 
“A bench?” Lily questioned, raising a brow. “How’d that get here?”
 
Frisk gave a shrug, unable to come up with an explanation of his own. The bench was solid, but looked old, like it was placed there quite some time ago and forgotten about. Its wood was faded and damp, but it looked sturdy enough to provide a place to rest.
 
“Can we sit for a while?” Frisk asked. “I just need to catch my breath.”
 
Lily nodded. “Sure. This looks like a good place.”
 
The ghostly girl lead him to the bench and waited patiently for him to climb up before settling down next to him. The trickle of water was calming, and the gentle blue glow of the fungi made everything look quite beautiful. The seagrass rustled softly in the gentle, subterranean breeze as Frisk leaned his head back against the bench’s wooden frame and heaved a long sigh.
 
“Do you… think we’ll be alright?” He asked after a few moments of silence. “With Undyne hunting us, and the cameras… I’m just not sure.”
 
“I don’t know.” Lily replied thoughtfully. “Mom told us it was dangerous, but I know we couldn’t stay in the Ruins with her… not with everything that happened there.”
 
“Mom… we haven’t talked to her since then, have we?” Frisk pointed out. They’d tried calling her a number of times since settling in with Sans and Papyrus, but every attempt yielded no response.
 
“Maybe try again?” Lily suggested. “I don’t think we should tell her what’s going on, but it would be nice to hear her voice.”
 
Frisk agreed, reaching into his pocket for the old phone Toriel had given him not long after he’d first fallen. He scrolled through his contacts until Lily stopped him at her number, and hit the call button. It rang once, twice, thrice… eventually the only response from the other end came in the form of a click as the line disconnected. He lowered the phone to his lap.
 
“Nothing…” He sighed.
 
“I’m sure she’s okay. We know she can take care of herself.” Lily tried to sound encouraging but the scent she was giving off told Frisk she was anything but certain.
 
They fell silent, each one with their own thoughts for a good while. The hum of magic and the trickle of water were the only soundtrack to their contemplation. They wondered what Sans and Papyrus, and the rest of Snowdin were doing right now. Would they be in trouble for protecting them? Or… would someone cave in and give them up? It was enough to make both of them feel rather small.
 
“Hey… Frisk?” Lily spoke up.
 
“Huh?”
 
“Have you thought about it?” She asked. “You said in the Ruins that you felt like something was guiding you… something other than Flowey’s threat. After everything we’ve done… do you know what it is?”
 
Frisk thought for a moment but eventually shook his head. “I don’t. I still feel it sometimes… I know its important, I just don’t know why. After what Sans told us… about how this isn’t the first time I’ve done this, I’m starting to wonder if its related to that. I know I’ve forgotten a lot of things, and I wonder if the answer might be in there somewhere. But then…” He paused for a moment and seemed hesitant. “Then I think about what I saw when were playing with Kidd, and all the other scary dreams and visions. I don’t know if I want to remember.”
 
“It is a bit unnerving isn’t it?” Lily replied. “Sometimes I feel that way about my memories too. I mean, I want to know who I am, and who my family was but… sometimes I worry that there might be something there that should stay buried.”
 
“I just don’t want to let everyone down.” Frisk said. “I know I have before, and I can’t imagine why I would have. Everyone’s been so good to me. You and mom, Sans and Papyrus, Kidd and Miss Lapin and the rest of Snowdin. I’m happy I met all of you and it’s been great… but I’m scared, and I don’t know why.”
 
Lily wrapped her arms around Frisk’s slim frame. She could tell from the slight trembling that he was doing his best to hold back his tears. This was difficult on him. It was difficult on them both but Frisk seemed to be grappling with it a bit more than she was. His hand touched her arm, and for a moment she was surprised by how small it was. He might have been the most determined person she’d met, but he was still a child just like her.
 
“You know I’m here for you.” She said gently. “I didn’t understand anything when we first met each other, but you decided to be my friend anyway. You even gave me a name when I lost my own. So, whatever I can do to help you or protect you… I owe you that.”
 
“Yeah… I feel the same way.” The boy said.
 
Lily continued to hold the red child in her arms for several minutes as his trembling began to subside. Once she was sure he was feeling a little better she guided him back a little until he was at arm's length to get a better look at him. Cheeks slightly red and eyes puffy, she concluded that leaving now would probably not be for the best.
 
“Maybe we should rest here for now. It’s been a long day and I don’t even know how long we were in Sans’ workshop. Plus with everything else that happened…” She rambled, gently rubbing a thumb against the boy’s cheek in a manner that seemed as much about calming herself as him. “Maybe start with a bite to eat and then at least a small nap. Sans gave us the sleeping bag so at least it will be comfortable….”
 
Frisk couldn’t help but give a slight chuckle at his friend’s rambling. Feeling a bit better, he rubbed his eyes free of their burden before a small yawn escaped his lips. “That might be a good idea. I am getting a little tired.” He gave Lily a small smile which she returned before rummaging through their items to find something small to munch on. Drawing a sandwich from the pouch, Frisk hesitated for a moment before reaching in and taking another container from its confines.
 
Pulling out a fork, the boy waited for Lily to re-merge with his SOUL before opening the container in his lap. The smell of butterscotch and cinnamon wafted through the air, making their shared mouth water. Frisk bit his lip guiltily, noting its oblong shape borne of the several bites already taken.
 
”Don’t worry Frisk. One bite or two will still leave more for later. It is a large piece.” Lily consoled, trying hard to not take several big bites herself of the reminder of home.
 
“I know… Just one for now.” The boy reasoned, taking the fork to carefully cut off a section before popping it right into his waiting mouth. The combined hum from the two of them echoed slightly as he slowly chewed, savoring the sweet morsel. It was gone too soon, however, dissolving into magic the moment he swallowed. With a sigh, Frisk replaced the lid on the container and put it away before grabbing the sandwich, and quickly wolfing it down. Lily, in his mind grinned humorously at the boy’s rather neanderthal table manners.
 
Satisfied that her friend had eaten, the child specter quickly left the comforting warmth of his SOUL to re-appear at his side. Frisk went about digging into the pouch once again for the sleeping bag that the shorter skeleton had given them. He turned it about in his hands, fumbling with the small cube before finally locating the button on one side.
 
“Hold on Frisk. Don’t press it yet. Get up.” Lily spoke, waiting for him to do so. “Let’s set it up on the bench. That way you’re off the ground and it won’t be as damp. Don’t want to catch a cold right?” She smiled.
 
”Good idea. It’ll probably be more comfortable too.” Giving a large grin Frisk set the small box on the bench before activating it. The two of them watched in fascination as the once small cube unfolded from itself several times before stilling into a large sleeping bag on the bench.
 
”There we go. Come on Frisk.” The spectral girl directed the boy to the opening and waited for him to doff his boots and crawl into the bag. Settling herself next to him she positioned her legs so as to support his head.
 
Not bothering to zip the bag all the way, Frisk repositioned himself until he was reasonably comfortable before laying his head on Lily’s lap. “Promise to wake me if you see or hear anything okay?” He asked, the thought of Undyne catching them in the small room weighing on his mind slightly.
 
“Of course Frisk. No need to worry. You just focus on getting some rest, alright?” She gave him a reassuring smile, running her hand along his shoulder to help calm his nerves. “When we wake we can call Papyrus and let him know we’re okay. He’s probably still keeping Undyne distracted so we have time…”
 
”’kay.. goodnight Lily…”
 
“Sleep well Frisk.”

“AUGH! Where are they!” Howled a feminine voice that echoed hauntingly beneath the large metal suit. The iron-clad knight hurled the boulder she was looking behind aside in contempt. “Papyrus! You saw them! You TALKED to them! How could you let them get away!?”
 
”BUT… UNDYNE… THEY’RE NICE. WHY CAN’T YOU JUST BE FRIENDS?” The taller skeleton wondered aloud as he followed the suit of armor. The same armor that was trying to look into every window on her path to the public areas with the single eye glinting beneath her helm.
 
”Are you still on that?! You honestly want me to befriend the ENEMY?! These humans are our key to freedom, Papyrus! Everyone has been waiting for the day we can leave this mountain!”
 
She continued to rant as she walked up to Grillby’s and threw open the door before stomping inside. What she saw made her blood boil. Five dog monsters bearing the crest of the Royal Guard were sat about the table, engrossed in a game of cards and chatting animatedly. They seemed completely oblivious to the situation at hand.
 
“Guards! Front and center! NOW!” Undyne cried.
 
The entire tavern fell silent. Even Grillby, ever calm looked up silently from behind the bar. The dogs jolted from the sound, their card game all but forgotten in their shock before quickly scrambling to do as ordered. After a moment they all stood at attention in front of Undyne. Papyrus’ bony hand shot to his teeth, his expression morphing to one of anxiety. This was going downhill fast.
 
”Why aren’t you looking for the humans! I KNOW they’ve been in Snowdin!”
 
Doggo was the first to speak up. “Boss. I haven't seen anything weird lately.” Greater and Lesser quickly began nodding in agreement, tails wagging happily.
 
Undyne sighed before turning to Dogamy and Dogaressa. “And what about you two? You’ve been around a long time. You’ve surely seen humans before. Please tell me you know something about these human sightings?”
 
The two older dogs took a quick glance at each other, speaking with their eyes almost before turning their attention back to Undyne.
 
“Actually we haven't seen anything of the sort in a while.” Dogamy shrugged.
 
“(The only thing we really see on our patrols is Papyrus, Sans, and some rambunctious teenagers.)” Dogaressa continued, finishing the thought for them both.
 
Papyrus gave a quiet sigh in relief. It seemed the dog clan liked Frisk and Lily enough not to give them away. Providing a wide grin, Papyrus gave the five of them a thumbs up, only to hide the gesture behind his back the moment Undyne turned around.
 
“UGH ENOUGH! I will turn Snowdin UPSIDE DOWN to find them! I want you all to go on patrol NOW! Report to me immediately if you find anything!” Undyne shouted as she ran out the door.
 
Deciding it would not be wise to anger their captain more than she already was, the canine warriors complied. Filing out of Grillby’s bar, the five of them fanned out into the town, ‘searching’ for any sign of the elusive human children. Papyrus ran after Undyne, hoping to try and distract her a little bit longer.
 
“MAYBE WE SHOULD TRY THE…PLAYGROUND? THEY ARE CHILDREN…?” Papyrus tried to suggest.
 
”I already checked that on my way here. I’ve checked the Library, the shop, and the INN.” Undyne listed, combing the branches of an apparently suspicious-looking tree. Eventually she stopped, thoughtful. “Maybe… maybe they slipped by towards Waterfall! Keep checking around here! I’m heading back!”
 
Before Papyrus could say anything in response, Undyne was already off, leaving the young skeleton standing ankle-deep in the snow. He watched her go, completely at a loss as her armored form shrank in the distance. Watching the armored form fade into the fog beyond the town, the bescarved boneman knew that he’d bought Frisk and Lily all the time he could.
 
He hoped it would be enough… for all their sakes.

Chapter Text

Lily’s eyes flickered open and she stared up into the dark reaches of Waterfall. High above her head, the luminescent stones shimmered like stars in the night sky. She didn’t remember dozing off, but apparently her ghostly form was a little more susceptible to exhaustion than she’d once thought. Fortunately though, it did not appear that anything had threatened them during their slumber. Even more fortunately, the awkward position hadn’t left her with a stiff neck. She figured the lack of any physical bones or muscles to strain probably helped with that.
 
Glancing down to her lap she was met with a mop of brown hair. Frisk continued to sleep soundly, his head resting against her thigh. It might have looked odd to anyone else, her invisibility giving his head the look of being suspended in air. To her, it just looked cute. She brushed her fingers lightly against the earthy strands for a moment before reluctantly giving him a small nudge, hoping to wake him gently.
 
“Mmn…” He muttered, shifting himself a little and curling up slightly.
 
Well, it was worth a shot. Having failed at coaxing, she decided to have a little fun. Poking him in the side with a finger, she proceeded to give him a light tickle.
 
“Come on, time to wake up Lazy Bones.” She pressed in a sing-song voice.
 
“Ungh…” The boy groaned, a little annoyed from being woken from a nice sleep. “Do I look like a skeleton to you?”
 
Lily’s grin widened. “I don’t know, you’re doing a pretty good impression of Sans right now.”
 
Frisk grunted and sat up, rubbing his tired eyes. Lily giggled a little at how his normally unruly hair had somehow managed to become even more of a mess, being puffed up and wild on one side where he’d used her as a pillow. He seemed to notice this as he quickly went about smoothing it down against the side of his head so it at least passingly resembled the rest. His chin lulled a little bit, heavy with his own drowsiness but he seemed to be awake for the time being.
 
“How long’s it been?” He asked groggily.
 
“Not sure. Couple of hours, maybe longer?” She guessed. “It’s a little hard to tell time here without a clock or something.”
 
Frisk nodded, accepting the answer even if he would prefer to sleep a little longer. Delving into his pocket he pulled out his phone, remembering their conversation from before. Hopefully Papyrus had remembered to turn his down in case Undyne was nearby. It wouldn’t be good for any of them if she saw who he was talking to. Lily helped him cycle through the contacts (of which, there were only a few) and find the number belonging to the tall skeleton.
 
This time an answer came almost immediately.
 
“AHEM… HELLO, HUMAN!” Papyrus spoke.
 
“Hey Papyrus. We’re just calling to check in.” Frisk announced, as Lily hovered over his shoulder to listen in.
 
“THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS HAPPY TO HEAR FROM HIS FRIENDS.” Papyrus answered, though Frisk could hear a slight waver in his voice. “HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING WATERFALL?”
 
“It’s really pretty… or at least, the way Lily describes it is.” Frisk said, causing Lily to chuckle.
 
Frisk heard something on the other end that sounded a bit like a poorly hidden sigh of relief. “SO… YOU ARE NOT HURT? YOU HAVEN’T, SAY… BEEN ATTACKED BY ANY ARMORED FISH OR SHARP, POINTY THINGS?”
 
“Um…” Frisk’s smile faded and he looked toward Lily. Her expression was a perfect match to his own.
 
“Let me talk to him.” Lily said to Frisk.
 
The boy nodded, allowing her to join with his SOUL. As his right eye blazed crimson, his voice spoke once again.
 
“Papyrus… what is all this about? What happened?” She asked.
 
“OH, HELLO LILY!” Papyrus greeted. The girl decided not to question how he seemed to know it was her as he continued to speak. “NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. ALTHOUGH YOU SHOULD PROBABLY BE CAREFUL. YOU SEE, UNDYNE FINISHED SEARCHING SNOWDIN MUCH FASTER THAN I THOUGHT SHE WOULD, AND SHE MIGHT, POSSIBLY, DEFINITELY HAVE GUESSED WHERE YOU ARE.”
 
Frisk felt his heart sink, and his nose was filled with a frigid scent. The air around them grew heavy as fog, as if the mere notion that Undyne was now closer than ever had stifled even Waterfall itself. Both of them fell silent, as if fearing that their voices might summon the dreaded captain from the shadows themselves.
 
“UM… H- HUMANS?” Papyrus’ voice caused them both to jump. “ARE YOU STILL THERE? YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CAPTURED, HAVE YOU?”
 
The two of them, as one, grappled with the phone that very nearly fell from Frisk’s hand and returned it to their ear. It was Frisk that spoke. “We- we’re here. We haven’t seen any sign of her yet so, um… what about Sans? Does he know?”
 
“I HAVEN’T SEEN MY BROTHER. HE LEFT SHORTLY AFTER YOU DID.” Papyrus informed them. “I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS RIGHT NOW.”
 
Unfortunate. Sans and his shortcuts would have been a welcome boon now that Undyne had their scent. There was nothing for it if they didn’t even know where he was though. They’d have to make due.
 
“I guess all we can do is keep moving, and hope we manage to stay ahead of her.” Lily said. “Thanks for warning us, Pap.”
 
“I AM SORRY I COULD NOT GIVE YOU MORE TIME…” Papyrus spoke, his voice forlorn and so unlike his usual cheery self. “NYOO HOO HOO… IF ONLY I’D BEEN ABLE TO CONVINCE UNDYNE THAT YOU COULD BE FRIENDS…”
 
“It’s okay.” Frisk said gently, despite his own anxiety. “We’ll find a way to get through this. We are friends of The Great Papyrus, aren’t we?.”
 
“THAT… IS TRUE.” Papyrus agreed, the encouragement seeming to bolster his own confidence. “IT SEEMS MY LESSONS REALLY HAVE PAID OFF. VERY WELL! I SHALL FINISH HERE, AND THEN JOIN UNDYNE. MAYBE I CAN STILL GET HER TO LISTEN TO ME.
 
“Sounds good. We’ll do our best too.” Lily said, feeling a little better herself. “We’ll talk again later.”
 
After saying their goodbyes and ending the call, Frisk put the phone away and stretched his muscles. There was no telling how far behind them Undyne was or even if she’d managed to get ahead, so they had to be prepared for anything. Lily left his SOUL once more, deciding a more direct guide to be of even greater importance with what they now knew. Reaching beneath the bench, Frisk felt about for where he’d left his boots.
 
It was then that his hand touched something. Something decidedly neither leather nor thread. It was smooth and cool… like metal.
 
“Huh?” He questioned, finding his boots and slipping them on before crouching down to investigate further.
 
The object in question was rectangular, and seemed to have an open top, covered by some sort of wrapping. He pawed at it, eventually managing to unravel it slightly, allowing a distinct scent to tease his nostrils.
 
“What’s that?” Lily asked, noticing what the boy was doing and returning to Frisk’s side.
 
“I think it’s…” He began, peeling back the wrapping further and taking in the smell. “A quiche?”
 
“First a tutu behind a waterfall, and now a quiche under a bench in the middle of nowhere?” Lily raised a brow. “I didn’t expect Waterfall to be such a weird place.”
 
“I wonder who left it here?” The boy asked, picking it up from the ground and placing it on the bench.
 
“I don’t think we have time to wonder about that.” The girl said. “Whoever left it here will probably come back for it. We need to get going if we’re going to avoid Undyne.”
 
“Yeah… okay.” Frisk said reluctantly. He stood up again, looking down through his blind eyes to where the quiche sat, half opened on the bench.
 
Lily took his hand and began to lead him to where the bridge seeds they’d left still bloomed, creating a path leading back the way they came. Frisk glanced back, the scent of spinach, egg, and cheese fading quickly the further they grew. And yet even as they did so, his own reluctance continued to grow. He thought about the quiche, sitting alone on that bench, waiting for an owner that might never return.
 
Vaguely, he felt the light touch of an echo flower as they passed by…
 
“I just wasn’t ready for the responsibility…”
 
He didn’t recognize the voice, but its words made him halt. Lily jolted slightly as his arm went taut, stopping them from going any further. She opened her mouth, but immediately closed when she noticed the expression on his face. Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, the boy slipped his hand from hers and turned back toward the bench.
 
“I’ll… be right back.” He said, using his stick to guide him back to the bench where the quiche waited.
 
“What are you doing?” She asked, reaching after him. “We need to go.”
 
“We can’t just leave it here.” He said, picking up the tin and carefully replacing the wrapping over the top.
 
“Frisk, it’s a quiche.” She retorted. “Undyne could be right behind us for all we know. What’s gotten into you?”
 
“I just…” He hesitated. “I know what it’s like. Just… trust me on this, please?”
 
Lily was about to protest again. Just how tired was he to be sympathizing with a quiche of all things? But at the same time, something about the way he was acting made her question the wisdom in that. Instead and against her better judgment, she drifted over to him, guiding his hands to help seal the quiche properly.
 
“Alright… I guess you kept the tutu for me, huh?” She said with a smile.
 
“Thanks, Lily.” Frisk said, placing the container delicately into the satchel with the rest of their things. “Seriously, thanks.”
 
The spectral girl watched him as he handled the seemingly simple custard with a care and tenderness not unlike that, which he gave his stick. Once he was finished his lips parted in a content sigh.
 
A familiar feeling washed over them both. There on the bench, where the quiche once sat was another golden star, shimmering faintly like a silent thank you from the dish itself. Frisk lips curled upwards in a content smile, and he touched the star lightly, taking in its soothing glow.
 
No one… nothing should ever be alone.
 
He nodded and took her hand once more. This time it was Lily that lingered, if only for a moment as she stared thoughtfully at the SAVE point. Then she turned away, leading him back toward the seeds, this time without interruption.
 
“It… really means a lot to you, huh?” She asked, glancing back as the bench and the star grew smaller behind them.
 
“Yeah.”
 
“Do you want to talk about it?”
 
The blind child turned thoughtful at that. After a moment he nodded. “I do. But… not here. We need to worry about Undyne first. Later though. I promise.”
 
That small but grim reminder of what was at stake caught her thoughts back up to speed.
 
“Right. Let’s go then.”
 
With no other paths to carry them from the isolated cove, the children returned the way they came. Lily glanced about, ignoring the undulating bridge seeds as she tried to decide which path to take. Should they go back the way they came to find a different path? Or did they continue forward from here, hoping that Undyne was still far behind them? The chilling memory of Papyrus’ warning gave her all the answer she needed. If they went back, the risk of running right into her was too far too great.
 
Forward it was.

After gathering four more of the seeds to make a new path. the two continued on. They soon found themselves standing before a narrow corridor, its winding path making it impossible to know how far it stretched. Tentatively, they entered the gloom, hoping that nothing dangerous lurked within. They had only traveled a short distance before Frisk noticed his arm growing more taut as Lily's quickened pace widened the gap between them. He decided to speak up before her haste caused them to stumble.

“Lily? Is… everything alright?” The blind boy asked his spectral companion.
 
Lily jumped slightly, pulling her gaze away from the path. “Huh? Yeah… I think…” She mumbled the last part before giving Frisk a smile. Squeezing his hand, she continued on.
 
It was tighter than usual…
 
The walk down the hallway was quiet, the only sound was the rushing of water further ahead. The boy glanced up at Lily’s face before frowning, noting her troubled expression. “Lily. Stop. Are you sure you’re okay?”
 
“Why would you ask that?” She replied, confused.
 
This wasn’t like her at all. While Lily wasn’t a calm person by nature, right now she seemed downright anxious. Despite trying her hardest to focus on Frisk, the boy noticed her eyes flicking about the area. It almost seemed as if she expected some unseen threat to charge out at them at a moment’s notice.
 
”Well… you keep looking around kind of fast… and-” He lifted their connected hands. “-You’re clenching my hand a little tightly, and pulling me along more hurriedly than normal. Did you see Undyne or something? Is…is that why you’re rushing?” His ramblings turned worried, as a faint smell of smoke and ammonia filled his nostrils.
 
“Oh nononono. It’s not Undyne.” She emended, relaxing her grip slightly while bringing her other hand around to rest on his. The scent quickly faded. “I… I… really don’t know. I think it’s.. not wanting to be caught where we can’t escape…” She mused, looking in either direction, unable to see either end.
 
“I guess this wouldn’t be the best place to get caught, but… there’s a lot of places like that around here, and this only seems to have come up now.” He lowered his chin and thought for a moment before offering a suggestion. “Claustrophobia?”
 
“Um… maybe? I guess that would make sense but… why?” Lily said, her face scrunching up in thought. “I don’t know what would make me feel that way so… maybe it’s something else I lost with my memory?”
 
Frisk wondered about that. While it was possible it was simply something she was born with, the idea of his friend being in a situation that resulted in a fear of close spaces was… disconcerting. He sincerely hoped it was the former, but with what he knew about her he couldn’t be sure. Not knowing what else to do, he gave her a reassuring smile.
 
“Maybe, but… just know that what you said before works the other way. I’m here for you too..” He said sincerely. “I know how it is to be scared of something so… if it gets too hard, just tell me okay?”
 
Grinning the ghostly girl gave her friend a tight hug. “Of course! Let’s go!”
 
The two of them made haste for the other end. Lily no longer seemed bothered and Frisk found no more trace of the strange smell. She seemed fine now, but he still wondered what caused the strange behavior to begin with.
 
The sound of water drew closer the further they walked, until finally the corridor opened up again. And again, Lily stopped in her tracks. However, this time it was not from apprehension… but rather, awe.
 
“Oh wow… It’s…” She tapered off, eyes growing wide.
 
“What is it Lily? What do you see?” Frisk asked, his voice taking on a tone of excitement at her expression.
 
“It’s beautiful Frisk. The whole area glows!” She breathed. “There’s Echo Flowers all over the area! There’s a bunch of large pools of water with benches beside them scattered around and I can see these glittering crystals on the ceiling and glowing moss on the walls. It’s just… It’s gorgeous!” She slowly looked around in a circle, taking in the kaleidoscope of blues and greens. Curiosity took hold as she approached the wall on the right, placing her hand against the climbing moss. “It’s so soft too. It must get lots of water.” She hummed thoughtfully. “There’s so much light… I can’t tell if its magic, or if the plants here are actually feeding each other.”
 
Frisk chuckled as he tried to picture the beautiful scene she described. “Maybe its a little of both?” He offered, watching for a few more minutes while Lily continued to gaze around the room, drawn in by its beauty.
 
She continued to muse out loud for a few minutes, drifting steadily toward one of the flowers. Frisk following close behind, using his stick for guidance before gently brushing his fingers against any flower that Lily stopped next to.
 
“They’re pretty, momma.”
 
“Yes they are dear. Now make a wish.”
 
“Huh… I wish… I wish I had candy!”
 
Lily giggled at the adorable exchange. Frisk touched another flower.
 
“The stars are shining more brightly today. I wonder if that’s a good sign?”
 
Lily stopped her wandering and motioned for Frisk to do the same as she noticed movement up ahead. A monster slinked out from the reeds and onto the path. Its serpentine body quivered slightly as it moved forward, leaving glistening trail behind it before slipping over to the other side to enter one of the pools. The girl quickly grabbed Frisk’s hand, gently pulling him to hide behind a bench off the beaten path.
 
 “Uh… Maybe we should stay off main trail. I wouldn’t want Undyne to storm down the path and see us…” Her voice held a touch of disappointment.
 
“That’s probably a good idea. We don’t know who else would be on the lookout for us, either.” Frisk agreed with a nod of his head, following dutifully as she led him onward.
 
Leaving the trail behind, Lily headed for the right side of the cavern, weaving between the pools of water as they moved deeper in. When they were reasonably sure they’d made enough distance between themselves and the roads, Lily resumed her description of the beautiful scenery, starting with another cluster of echo flowers flanking one of the pools. Curiosity getting the better of him, Frisk tapped one of them in passing as they walked by.
 
“A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…”
 
“I feel bad for the monsters… It must be so sad to be trapped down here….” Lily mumbled, shaking her head in pity. “Maybe there’s something we can do to help. I mean, it happened before right?”
 
”Oh yeah!” Frisk agreed before realizing how loud he got and slapping a hand over his mouth, causing Lily to chuckle.
 
‘What did I do though…?’ The boy thought, his expression sobering as he contemplated that for a moment. “If we can figure out how it happened before, maybe we can do it again. I just wish I knew what ‘it’ was.”
 
“I’m sure we will.” Lily encouraged. “Once we remember everything, it shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
 
A grin spread between her rosy cheeks before they continue on, taking their time to listen to the wishes of the monsters whispered to the flowers.
 
“C’mon sis! Make a wish!” one said.
 
“I wish my sister and I could see the real stars someday…” spoke another, seemingly in response.
 
“Do you think another human will fall soon? I can’t wait until we’re free of this mountain!”
 
That one was different. Enough to make both children stop to consider it. What did humans have to do with the freedom of monsters? It was true that humans created the Barrier… did they also possess the means to break it? And if so… how?
 
They continued in this fashion for several minutes before stumbling upon a larger pool that split in two around a cluster of echo flowers that seemed to grow apart from the rest. They followed its coastline until eventually they came upon a shoal leading to the small grove. As they made their way closer Lily noticed a faded wooden sign along with a huge bench.
 
”Huh… A sign… it says ‘Please do not disturb these flowers. Let their echoes live eternally on as a reminder to all of what has been lost.’” Lily read off the faded lettering for Frisk, running her hand over the worn wood. “They must be special…”
 
”Then I guess we need to be quiet. Maybe we should listen to them though… I’m kind of curious to hear what they have to say.” Frisk smiled.
 
”Yeah… maybe we should.” The spectral girl replied, leading her blind friend into the cluster.
 
Though this section of the chamber did not appear to be much different from the rest, the air felt somehow charged in a way neither child could adequately describe. The flowers here were slightly larger than the rest, and seemed much older. More thin leaves grew from their stems, and their strange fragrance was even more pronounced than the rest. If she had to guess, Lily figured that someone must have been paying special care to these blossoms in particular. Though if they had, it had been a long time since they’d been around to do so. Perhaps it was the same person who left the sign just outside their field.
 
As they walked, Lily silently directed Frisk to each of the flowers. As the boy dutifully touched the thin petals of each one, a conversation began to flow.
 
”So? Do you have any wishes to make?”
 
“…hmm, just one, but… It’s kind of stupid.”
 
“Don’t say that! Come on, I promise I won’t laugh.”
 
“…hmm… If I say my wish… You really promise you won’t laugh at me?”
 
“Of course! Didn’t I just say that?” A small giggle followed the words.
 
”I guess. Well… Someday, I’d like to climb this mountain we’re all buried under. I want to stand under the sky, looking at the world all around… That’s my wish.”
 
More laughter echoed from the first voice.
 
“Hey! You said you wouldn’t laugh at it!”
 
“Sorry, it’s just funny… That’s my wish too…”
 
As the conversation played out, a weight began to bare upon the hearts of both of the children, though as Frisk noticed, it was heavier on Lily than himself. Each word spoken resonated upon the edge of the specter’s mind, like a fruit dangling just out of her reach. A pain, soft but pronounced filled her chest and her gut. It felt like she was on the verge of tears.
 
‘Why… does this hurt so much?’ She thought, clinching a fist tightly over her heart.
 
Frisk wanted to ask her about it, but dared not speak lest he ruin the flowers’ echo. Even if he couldn’t sense Lily’s sorrow permeating storm-like in his own chest, the signs were written clearly on her face. Instinctively, he reached out and took her hand in a reassuring squeeze. She’d seemed to have forgotten he was there, as she flinched slightly the moment his fingers brushed against hers. Her eyes focused on her blind friend, who gave her a calm smile in response. She smiled back, and the boy felt the sorrow and confusion ebb somewhat.
 
The final whisper from the flowers faded into the moist air around them. Lily drifted ahead of Frisk, grasping his hand a little tighter now as they slowly made their way from the garden. Counting his steps against the soft earth, Frisk waited patiently until he was reasonably sure they were far enough that anything they said wouldn’t disturb the flowers. It was only then that he spoke.
 
“Are you okay?” His voice held a mixture of concern and curiosity.
 
Lily hastily rubbed her eyes free of the unshed tears. “I don’t know.”
 
“Did you remember something?”
 
It took her a few moments to respond. “It wasn’t really a memory. More like a feeling. That conversation… I think I should know it.”
 
Frisk didn’t want to say anything until he knew for sure, but now there was little doubt. “One of those voices sounded a little like you…” He said, idly drawing in the sand with his stick. “It was hard to tell. The echo sounded different than the others… like it was old and faded, but I’m pretty sure that was you.”
 
Lily fell into silent thought. Frisk was right. One of those voices, so full of hope for the future was her own. Even if she couldn’t recall the memory, she knew that it was true. In a past she couldn’t remember, she’d shared a wish with someone dear to her heart. But now she was like this, the monsters were still trapped underground, and her memories were but shards of a broken mirror too small to cast a true reflection. It was obvious their wish had not come true.
 
She didn’t like to think about her circumstances… that she was, for all intents and purposes, dead. It was easier to carry on if she just ignored that fact. After all, she could still talk to people through Frisk, touch and taste things through him. It wasn’t like she was some wailing phantom trapped in limbo. But times like these only served to remind her that the life she once led ended a long time ago.
 
She didn’t even understand why something so small was making her feel this way. After all, the flowers only picked up the conversation in passing. They certainly weren’t recording it for posterity… at least, she didn’t think so.
 
A small hand resting on her shoulder brought her back to the Wishing Room. Lily gave Frisk a reassuring smile but the concerned frown he wore didn’t leave his face.
 
“Did you… recognize the other voice?” He asked slowly. “Maybe we could find them and…”
 
He trailed off. And what? Even if they did, it would hardly change anything.
 
“I didn’t…” Lily shook her head. Somehow, just saying that made her feel incredibly guilty. “Sorry…”
 
“Why are you sorry?” Frisk cocked his head. “This is good. We know one of the people in those echoes was you… and someone went to a lot of effort to protect these flowers. They might even be the same person. I mean, it makes sense right?”
 
Lily thought about that for a minute. “Yeah… you’re right, it does.”
 
The boy gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “We have something to go on now. Maybe one of the monsters around here knows something. We won’t know if we don’t try… right?”
 
Lily smiled sadly, but otherwise gave no outward response as she lead him further from the hidden memories preserved within the garden. It didn’t matter. From the scent she was giving him it was clear that his words helped. At last, she opened her mouth to speak, but whatever she meant to say was cut off when Frisk’s expression suddenly fell once more. The smile vanished from his lips and his brow furrowed in a most peculiar manner.
 
“Frisk? What’s wro-”
 
“Shh!” He silenced her, his own voice low. “Listen.”
 
His friend did so, focusing her ears. It took her a moment, but eventually she managed to pick up what Frisk had noticed immediately: a sound that didn’t seem to belong. It was a soft rumble, not resounding and omnipresent like the water that flowed all around, but centered… focused. It wasn’t there before, when they walked through the garden of echoes. If it had been, she probably would never have even noticed it. No… this sound was new.
 
Which mean something, or someone was making it.
 
“Hee hee hee…” A small voice laughed from somewhere nearby.
 
Lily turned to and fro, searching their surroundings for its source. However, the spectral girl saw nothing but the cavernous Wishing Room stretching outward in all directions. The rippling ponds cast coruscating reflections against the walls and rocks, disturbing her sight even further. Frisk was having no better luck discerning from whence the sound came. The voice laughed again and his head jerked instinctively in its direction only for it to call out a third time from a completely different location. And yet, one thing was clear to both of them… this was a voice they knew.
 
“Finally… I’ve been looking for you forever since you left that dump of a town.” It spoke again. This time it wasn’t even trying to hide its position. “But golly… I didn’t expect to find you here of all places. I mean, what use is all this sentimental crap to creatures like us?”
 
The two children focused on the place the voice was coming from as the rumble began to grow louder. From the sandy earth before them, a figure began to rise, a blinding beacon of yellow in an ocean of blue. Flowey rose like a wilting rose from the earth, shaking free the clinging sand before unfurling his petals to reveal a deceptively innocent smile.
 
Frisk called forth his SOUL, causing the flower’s monochrome image to spring up within the black void of his vision. From behind her friend, Lily watched as the red child faced the malevolent plant, fingers tightening around his stick in case he needed to fend off a barrage of magical bullets.
 
And yet, despite the boy’s grim expression, the petaled creature paid absolutely no mind to the growing shroud of tension. His stem extended to its full length, twisting and bending as his ‘head’ swiveled about. He seemed to be ignoring Frisk completely.
 
“Howdy! You’re here, aren’tcha?” He called loudly. Frisk winced, hoping the flower’s careless shouting wouldn’t disturb the echoes. “Come on out! I know you’re here somewhere…”
 
The boy lifted a brow in confusion but still kept his guard up. This could be a trick. “Flowey, what are trying to-”
 
“Shut up, human! I wasn’t talking to you. You aren’t the one I want.” He spat, stigma snapping in Frisk’s direction with a venomous glare before continuing his search. “Hey! Stop hiding already. This is getting boring.”
 
He shifted his thin body through the earth, scouring the area around them for whatever it was he was looking for. After a few moments of fruitless effort he still seemed to come up empty. Frustrated, he turned his attention back to Frisk, his large, almost cartoonish eyes narrowing.
 
“You. Where is she!” He demanded, pointing an accusing leaf toward the boy. “You’re hiding her from me, aren’t you? That’s why she won’t come out and talk to me, isn’t it!”
 
Lily gasped as Flowey leveled his unfounded accusations toward the confused boy. Frisk cautiously tore his attention away from the plant to share a glance with his friend. They both had a pretty good idea who he was talking about at this point.. but the question remained: why? He barely even spared her a thought back in the Ruins, so why now? The spectral girl felt torn. It might have been safer to just run away… to put as much distance between themselves and Flowey as possible. Yet, something kept her from passing that thought on to Frisk. Was it really possible that he knew her?
 
Her heart, or whatever the equivalent would be for a spirit, tightened within her chest. She had to know.
 
“Frisk… can I…?”
 
Her words trailed, but Frisk didn’t need anything else. He nodded. Lily placed a small hand over the boy’s SOUL, and was once more drawn into its warmth. From the slit of the boy’s right eye, crimson light washed outward.
 
“Greetings, Flowey.” She said with Frisk’s voice.
 
“It is you! I knew it!” The flower chirped happily. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I guess we’re still inseparable even after all these years, aren’t we?”
 
“Y-yeah.” Lily said, trying to hide her confusion. So he really did know her. “So… you’ve been looking for me, right? I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before now.”
 
Flowey raised a leaf to his petals like he was embarrassed. “D-don’t treat me like a little kid. I already know why you didn’t want to talk to me. I really messed things up, huh?”
 
“What do you mean?” the girl questioned.
 
“The plan, duh!” Flowey said, his leaves spreading outward in what looked like a shrug. “If I’d just listened to you, everything would have been fine. Just six, right? That’s all we needed and it was so simple! With our power it would have been child’s play to get them… but I had to go and hold us back. And because I was so weak, well… I don’t think I need to tell you.”
 
“Right…” The girl said, debating whether she should tell him that she had no idea what he was talking about.
 
“But that’s okay now!” The flower piped up again. “Because now we have everything we need.” He looked the body of Frisk up and down before his eyes focused on the glowing red heart. “How’d you manage to find another SOUL anyway? I mean, I get it but did it really have to be this guy? Blech…”
 
Frisk resisted the urge to call the flower out on his insult, and allowed Lily to continue. “You said years… you’ve really been looking for me that long, Flowey?”
 
“Yup. Ever since I woke up. I knew I’d be able to find you if I looked hard enough. It wasn’t always easy, getting around like this.” He passed his leaves over his floral body in demonstration. “But soon, that won’t matter. You see, I have a plan of my own now: a plan to become all-powerful. Even more powerful than you and your stolen SOUL.”
 
The children did their best not to recoil at the flower’s ominous declaration. He didn’t seem to notice their apprehension has he continued to speak.
 
“It’ll be so much easier with you here too. Now, we can finish what we started all those years ago. Together, nothing will be able to stop us… not that guard captain, or that grinning bone head back in Snowdin. Not even the king… ha! He probably won’t even try if he sees you. Why even stop there? It’s about time they all learned the rule of this world anyway, don’t you think?”
 
Flowey began to cackle maliciously at the thought. Lily and Frisk frowned as one. What had happened to this little flower that had so blackened his heart? All the other monsters they’d met, while not without their quirks were still goodhearted people at their core. Flowey seemed to harbor such deep-seated malice and nihilism that it almost seemed alien. Neither the intelligent Frisk, nor the intuitive Lily could get a grasp on this strange creature’s mind.
 
There was only one thing that was certain. Once upon a time Lily had known him. They’d been friends... ‘inseparable’, he’d said. If that was true, then she could not simply let him continue like this.
 
“Flowey…” She said softly, drawing the plant boy’s attention to her once again. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been there for you. I couldn’t… I didn’t wake up until recently when I met Frisk. But… whatever happened between then and now, it doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t care about any plans, or failures that might have happened in the past. I’m here now… I’ll be a better friend, I promise. So… you don’t have to do this anymore.”
 
“W-what are you talking about? I thought you’d be happy.” Flowey said, a nervous smile tugging at his stigma. “I get it now. In this world, it’s kill or be killed. You’re the one who taught me that.”
 
Lily had to choke back a sob. He learned such a twisted philosophy… from her?
 
“Flowey, I…”
 
“Hey, why do you keep calling me Flowey anyway?” The petaled monster questioned, shifting eyebrows onto his face just so he could raise one. “You know my real name… why don’t you say it? I don’t mind, as long as it’s you.”
 
The girl froze, stunned by those words. His real… name?
 
Try as she might, even with him sitting there staring expectantly at her… even as she delved as far into her mind as she could go she found… nothing. The anguish that flowed through her was almost suffocating for Frisk as he remained silent. She tried to speak but no words passed their shared lips.
 
Flowey’s inquisitive look sharpened into accusation.
 
“You… You do know my real name, don’t you?”
 
Frisk’s head lowered, hiding the red glow from Flowey’s sight. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. It felt like a betrayal, even to her. Yet her silence spoke volumes, telling the flower all he needed to know.
 
As realization dawned upon him, his aspect shifted once more. Disbelief became shock before at last settling on rage. His petals bristled and his stem quivered in barely-contained fury. When they returned their shared gaze to the flower, it was Frisk who controlled the motion. He could feel the grief of his companion weighing heavily upon his SOUL… but this was Flowey they were dealing with. They couldn’t take chances.
 
“You… you…” His eyes narrowed further. Teeth sharpened into jagged fangs. “IDIOT!”
 
With a shrill cry, Flowey’s anger surged along with his magic. Seeds of magic coalesced around him, spinning like miniature buzz-saws before flying toward Frisk, and Lily within. Acting more on instinct than anything else, Frisk seized full control of his body, throwing up an arm in defense. The gyrating bullets collided, tearing into his jacket, shirt, and finally the flesh beneath. The boy cried out in pain, dropping his stick to clutch his wounded arm.
 
Warmth seeped between his fingers.
 
“Frisk!” Lily cried from within his mind.
 
“I’m alright…” He responded, though his voice sounded strained. “What about you?”
 
“Forget about me, you’re hurt!” Lily shot back.
 
“It’s fine… it wasn’t as bad as I think he wanted it to be.”
 
* Frisk: HP - 17/20
* Lily: HP - 16/16
 
The numbers ran through his head, confirming his suspicions. Flowey’s attack was far weaker than it had been in the Ruins.
 
“I don’t believe it! How could you FORGET ABOUT ME?!” Flowey shrieked.
 
“Flowey, stop-” Frisk began.
 
“You stay out of this!” Flowey cut him off. Frisk was so surprised he fell silent. “Yeah, that’s right. I don’t even need to try to know which of you is speaking. Unlike some people I didn’t forget. Even after all this time, I could never forget you!”
 
“Flowey… I’m sorry.” Lily tried.
 
“Stop calling me that!” He snapped, his stem straightening as if to make himself look larger than his diminutive size would allow. “I wondered about it before, but now it makes sense. You don’t even know where we are, do you? You didn’t come here because you cared, you just got lost!”
 
“Just let me explain!” Lily cried desperately, and Frisk could feel his own eyes flooding with tears. “I didn’t want to-”
 
“Shut UP! I don’t want to hear your excuses!” Flowey’s voice echoed throughout the cavern. “You don’t have the right. You can’t even remember my name!”
 
Somehow the flower’s anger and hurt felt more intimidating than the threat he presented. In an instant the evil, cackling imp had been reduced to a shrieking mess. His own eyes almost seemed to somehow water with tears of their own.
 
“Well… what about you, then?” Lily said, voice cracking in her grief. “If you know me so well, then why not help me remember. Don’t you think I want that? You haven’t called me by name at all yet!”
 
At that, Flowey’s angry, hurt expression took on a hint of confusion for just a moment before his glare deepened once again.
 
“What are you, deaf or just stupid?” He spat. “I’ve been saying your name ever since we started talking!”
 
Frisk and Lily both recoiled as one. “W-what?”
 
“What kind of sick joke are you playing? ” He accused. “No… you know what? I don’t care. I don’t have to deal with this. I have better things to do than waste time on some ‘friend’ who doesn’t even know who I am.”
 
“Flowey, wait!” Lily called in desperation.
 
“J-JUST GO TO HELL!”
 
The flower’s voice cracked from the strain of his shout, but the intensity of it was enough to silence both children for a few seconds. Flowey didn’t wait, diving once again beneath the earth and vanishing in an instant. Frisk’s body stood there, the glowing eye that was his friend flickering in the cavern’s gloom. She sank to her knees and Frisk’s body did the same. At last, the tears she’d tried so hard to hold back streamed down the boy’s cheek.
 
“Wait…please…” Lily’s voice faded to a whisper, staring at the place where her first solid connection to her past, a friend she couldn’t remember, disappeared beneath the soil.
 
The tears leaked unabated down. Even if she had the mind she would have been unable to stop them. Sobbing gently, she brought Frisk’s hands to his eyes and rubbed them. Try as she might, however his cheeks remained stained with her sorrow.
 
‘I…I’m a horrible friend. No, I’m a horrible person.’ A sniffle. ’He needed me… he needed me… and I just… I couldn’t…’ She gently gripped Frisk’s shirt tightly at the chest as if to hold together her breaking heart.
 
A sorrowful, humorless chuckle echoed through her mind. “Kill or be killed”. It was all her. She was the one who set the psychotic flower on his nihilistic path. Teaching him such a horrific worldview, leaving him alone, and now forgetting him… how awful a person must she have been. Maybe this half-living state was her punishment? A consequence for a grievous sin committed in life… that sounded right. Maybe she should just…
 
”LILY!!” Frisk’s yell jolted the girl from her dark thoughts.
 
”F… Frisk?” she stammered, snapping the boy’s head side to side as if expecting to see him.
 
”Finally… I’ve been yelling for you for a while now…” She finally recognized the voice coming from inside her head.
 
Guilt flowed through her like the water that surrounded them as she realized she was ignoring her friend. “I…” She paused, casting their shared eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry Frisk. Here, let me…”
 
She pulled herself from his SOUL, leaving the blind boy back in control of his body as her ethereal form materialized in front of him. Frisk took a moment to look at his best friend, worry itching his brain while the horridly acidic scent he’d been smelling for several minutes now lingered on his nostrils. Reaching a hand up to scratch the bridge of his nose, he ran his sightless gaze carefully along her spectral form.
 
’That affected her a lot. She’s hardly even floating anymore and… and she’s crying.’ That alone threw him for a loop. It was the first time he’d ever seen her cry openly about anything: not even the memory of her own death. Even back in the Ruins when Flowey’s magic had literally torn through her, it had only resulted a little moisture, and even then it was out of pain rather than sadness. But now…
 
‘I wonder what happened between her and Flowey. It’s not like I can ask. But… what should I do then? What do you say to someone when…when something like this happens?'
 
A small sniffle broke him from his analysis as he watched Lily rub her face. Throwing any half-formed idea from his mind he quickly moved forward and gathered his friend in his arms, hugging her to his chest. Lily’s body immediately went rigid, and for a split second, he wondered if he’d acted too quickly and made the wrong decision. He was about to let go when she reached up and gripped his shirt with trembling hands, gripping tightly like it was her life-line.
 
Right now, maybe it was just that.
 
He tightened his hold on her, rubbing a hand along her back while shifting his legs to sit more comfortably. Their journey could wait for now.
 
It took several minutes before Lily’s sniffles began to subside until they were eventually overtaken by the echo of the burbling streams. For a moment Frisk thought she may have fallen asleep until at last, she spoke.
 
”T-thank you Frisk. Thank you for everything.” The ghostly girl’s head lifted from her friend’s shoulder and she gave him a watery smile. Hastily, she wiped the last of the fleeting tears from her face. Though the image of sorrow remained, she seemed to be feeling a little better.
 
“I care about you. You know that.” He gave her a smile of his own as he gently pushed a few strands of hair from her eyes. ”You’d do the same for me, wouldn’t you?”
 
”Of course I would, Frisk… I just thought.. after what we learned… That maybe you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore…” She replied, her voice lowering towards the end.
 
“What? Why would you think that?” He asked, concerned as he places a hand on her shoulder. “You’re my friend. Why would I give that up?”
 
”B…because I was the one who made him that way! You heard him… I was the one who taught him that the law of the world is ‘kill, or be killed’. It’s my fault!” At those words she launched herself back at Frisk, burying her face into the fabric of his jacket. “I’m a terrible person Frisk…”
 
“No, you’re not. I’ve met plenty of bad people and you aren’t like them at all.” He consoled her, stroking her back with his free hand. “I don’t think you’d say something like that without a good reason.”
 
”But you only know me now,” she protested faintly. “I don’t even remember who I was before. I might have been completely different.” Her voice fades to nearly a whisper. “I might have been even worse than Flowey… he learned it from me, after all.”
 
Frisk thought about that for a moment. He did say that… and unlike their earlier encounters with him, it didn’t feel like he was trying to manipulate them either. But something still wasn’t adding up to Frisk. Was it bias because Lily was his friend, or…
 
”Hm… Actually…” A thought came to his mind as he remembered what happened moments before. “Now that I think on it. Didn’t Flowey seem like he knew about those Echo Flowers? What if the other voice was him?” Lily didn’t say anything so the boy continued. “Well, to me those wishes sounded like they came from two friends hoping for a better future for everyone. Doesn’t sound like the kind of people who would believe something like that just because, does it?” He punctuated his reasoning with a gentle poke to Lily’s side, causing the spectral girl to jump.
 
Lily pulled back, a grin forming across her rosy cheeks. “I… I guess not…” She turned a thoughtful gaze down to her hands which now rested in her lap. “Then… what changed? Something must have, right?”
 
The blind child reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers.
 
“I don’t know.” He admitted finally. “But I do know this. Who you are now is more important than who you were before. You can’t change what happened in the past, but you can learn from it. You can... try to be better.” He closed his eyes thoughtfully. If anyone could attest to that, it would be him.
 
After a moment he continued. “I don’t know what you did or didn’t do or who you were then… but I know the you that’s here right now. And right now, you’re my best friend. So come on,” he reached into the pouch at his hip and produced one of the chocolate bars. “let’s take a breather and think about what to do next okay?”
 
Like a magnet, Lily’s eyes were drawn to the confectionery in the boy's hand. Her grin widened and she wasted no time in returning herself to Frisk’s SOUL, eager to share the treat that Papyrus was so kind to buy for her.
 
He was right. As long as she was here she could make things better. As long as they were together, they could work toward that future she and her old friend had wished for. Then maybe… she could make Flowey understand. At least through it all she knew that Frisk would be with her.
 
‘We’ll always be friends Frisk. Best friends forever, okay?’
 
”Of course.” The scent of honey and lemons danced upon the boy’s nose, as together they savored the warm richness of the chocolate.

Chapter Text

The taste of chocolate still fresh on their tongues, the two children continued on their way. Weaving through the labyrinth of gem encrusted walls and pools of crystalline water, they eventually found their way back to the main path. After some consideration they decided to brave the direct route, favoring expediency over subtlety, at least for now.
 
As they walked, the silence was filled with the wishes of dozens of monsters, spoken by the Echo Flowers. On the surface, they seemed hopeful and yet the more he listened, the more Frisk sensed something hidden deeper within. There was no variety, no differing goals or aspirations. Thousands of voices but only a single, consistent desire: Freedom. As beautiful as this place was, it was sometimes easy to forget that it was, in fact, a prison. This truth had become clearer to him with each passing day.
 
Only one cluster of echoes was absent the desperation of the rest: that voiced by Lily and her lost friend. Could it really have been Flowey, who she’d shared so precious a moment with? The pieces certainly fit, and yet a few seemed to be missing. How could such words, spoken with so much innocence and optimism, have come from the mouth of someone like Flowey, a person who had displayed so little of both?
 
It was then the boy’s train of thought lead him to what had happened after. Nothing about the subsequent conversation between Lily and the nihilistic flower had been pleasant… but one thing in particular bothered him. He’d chosen not to mention it at right then - Lily had had enough on her mind - but it continued to frustrate him like an itch that lay just out of reach. Maybe now was the time.
 
“Hey, Lily?” He spoke.
 
The girl jumped slightly at the broken silence - impressive, given she was already off the ground. “Sorry… what?”
 
Frisk studied her for a moment. While she seemed to be feeling a little better, it was clear the ordeal had been taxing. Still, curiosity urged him to continue and he complied.
 
“About… what happened earlier,” he began cautiously. “Sorry for bringing it up again but… something’s bothering me.”
 
Lily, now fully attentive, turned to her friend and frowned. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for you to get dragged into that.”
 
“No, it’s not that.” The boy shook his head. “I know it might not be something you want to think about but… did anything Flowey said sound strange to you?”
 
“Maybe a little…? But… well, he was so upset.” Lily replied dourly. “I feel terrible.”
 
“No, I mean…” Frisk quickly backpedaled, hoping to steer the conversation away from that dark place. “Your name. He said… he told us that he’d said your name a few times, right? I didn’t hear it though, did you?”
 
“My name…?” Lily’s forlorn expression was replaced by puzzlement as Frisk’s words dawned on her. “I don’t… think so? I don’t remember it though. Would I have even recognized it if I did hear it?”
 
“Lily… he didn’t say a name at all.” Frisk clarified. “Not his, not yours, not mine… none. He didn’t say it.”
 
“That doesn’t make sense though.” Lily protested. “Why would he lie about something like that, after… after getting so angry.”
 
“I don’t…” Frisk paused at the idea that popped into his head. It was preposterous, and yet… “I don’t think he was lying.”
 
“W-what do you mean?” She gave him a look like he was suddenly standing on his head.
 
For all Frisk knew, he might as well have been. He couldn’t believe what he was about to say. It was absurd… impossible, but at the same time he would have said that about a lot of the things he’d experienced over the last few weeks. He couldn’t explain how or why, but Flowey hadn’t seemed dishonest. While Frisk wouldn’t put it past him to rub salt in the wound, that didn’t seem to be the case here. Outlandish as it was, that left only one explanation.
 
“In his mind, he honestly believes he said your name,” Frisk began slowly. “and I believe him. But for some reason neither one of us heard it. To us, he didn’t say it at all.”
 
Lily’s head swam at the contradiction. He said it, but he didn’t? That made even less sense than him lying about it to make her feel worse. Nevermind that there was no way such a lie would hold water.
 
But…
 
“There’s no way…” she protested, though even she could hear the uncertainty in it. “We must have just not heard him.”
 
“Neither of us?” Frisk countered. “I think something like your name would probably stick out wouldn’t it? Think about it… after Sans’ workshop and everything else that’s happened, this wouldn’t be the weirdest thing that’s happened to us.”
 
“It’s pretty close…” Lily murmured, and Frisk couldn’t really disagree with that. “But even if you’re right, what does that even mean?”
 
“I don’t know…” Frisk replied simply.
 
“Ugh… my head.” the confused girl sighed, massaging her temples. “I already couldn’t remember my name, now I can’t even hear it when someone says it?”
 
“I’m sorry,” Frisk apologized. “Maybe Sans would know something about this? We can ask him next time we see him.”
 
“Yeah,” Lily said. “but… let’s get out of here first okay? I think I’ve had my fill of this place.”
 
Frisk nodded, squeezing Lily’s hand reassuringly. “Of course.”
 
Giving him a thankful smile, the spectral girl pulled her friend along the glowing, mossy path. The echo flowers grew sparser the further they traveled, until only small clusters remained of the veritable forest that was the Wishing Room. In time, their path lead them to what appeared, as far as Lily could see, to be a giant underground lake. A number of boats both large and small were pulled onto the glittering grey sand beach. The only available light came from the glowing moss creeping along the walls and shore as well as a few of the distant star like crystals on the high ceiling.
 
”Hey Frisk. There’s a huge lake here. I don’t see any path across it.” Lily explained, turning her gaze to the blind boy next to her. “There’s a few boats with oars though. I think we’ll have to take one if we want to get to the other side.”
 
“Maybe we can find someone to take us over?” The boy suggested.
 
Lily pondered that for a moment, scanning the beach for any sign of a monster that might pass for a shipwright, but the beach seemed barren apart from the two of them. There wasn’t even anything that resembled a dock as far as she could tell.
 
“I don’t think there is anyone.” She concluded. “But someone must be using all of these boats. You think the monsters just take them when they need to?”
 
Oh boy… 
 
Frisk shuddered slightly. Remembered his dip in the Ruins and the close call at the falls not long ago, where he slipped on the path. Water didn’t seem to be agreeing with him recently.
 
”Maybe? I guess it wouldn’t hurt if we just… borrowed one?” Frisk replied, his worry slipping through slightly. He knew they didn’t have many options, but still…
 
”Don’t worry Frisky. I promise I won’t let you fall into the water, okay?” Lily squeezed his hand a little.
 
Frisk nodded, still a little uncertain as she guided him towards one of the smaller boats. With a little direction from Lily, the small child managed to get both himself in the boat and the boat in the water without capsizing. So far so good. Lily settled her own weightless form into the vessel across from him. The encouraging sight of his friend helped cool his nervousness a little.
 
‘Lily’s with me this time. And she knows what to watch for. Everything will be fine.’ 
 
Lily, in her eagerness, quickly grabbed for one of the oars… only for her hands to slip right through it.
 
“Oh…right…oops…” she said sheepishly.
 
Frisk, having guessed what happened from the motion and her words, chuckled softly. “It’s alright. You just tell me where to go okay?”
 
Placing his stick across his lap, he fumbled for the oars a little before finding them. He felt nervous, having never rowed a boat before. Still, after some experimentation and feedback from Lily (who was operating more off common sense than any real knowledge herself), he managed to find a somewhat passable rhythm before pushing the canoe further into the water.
 
A gasp lifted from Lily’s lips as she stared at the ripples spreading from the drifting vessel. “Oh my… It’s beautiful… Frisk! The water glows! ”
 
”Wait, glowing water? How…?”
 
Sure enough. The moment they’d cast off, the water surrounding the boat was set alight with a strange blue luminescence. It brightened and faded in time with the rippling water, undulating like an aurora. Lily quickly leaned over the side of the boat to get a closer look. Had she been solid, her eagerness might have turned them over but the canoe stayed afloat.
 
“It looks like there’s little moving things in it… The ripples from the boat on the water is making them glow…”
 
”Hm.. little things in water that look like they’re moving…” He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Plankton! They must be creatures called plankton. I read about those. A lot of fish and other animals eat them and there’s a few types can give off a really bright glow. They’re probably what’s lighting up the water.” He grinned as he paddled onward, the tiny creatures’ glow following their boat like the tail of a comet.
 
”They’re so pretty. I can’t believe how bri-…” She paused, leaning so far over the boat Frisk thought she might go overboard. “What…was that? ”
 
Within the dark depths, a large shadow grew close to the surface before slipping back into the depths. A number of the glowing plankton pulsed beneath the surface like a plume of smoke in its wake. Squinting her eyes, Lily managed to make out several more shadows of varying sizes and shapes slipping in and out of view, never coming close enough for her to actually identify them.
 
”What is it?” Frisk asked hesitantly, pausing his rowing.
 
”I think… there’s monsters down there, in the water. Big monsters… bigger than even mom…” Lily spoke slowly, not taking her eyes off its glowing surface.
 
Frisk shrunk a little at that. “Maybe we shou-”
 
Lily took a quick glance at her friend. “Stay right here… I want to make sure they’re not getting too close…” And with those words she slipped over the side of the boat and into the darkness below.
 
Frisk let out a small cry of alarm.
 
”Lily!” He called, scrambling to the side, causing the boat to rock precariously while its wooden frame creaked in protest. Glancing over the edge, he relaxed slightly when he noticed her spectral form floating just below, safe and sound as she scanned the area beneath them.
 
“Jeez, Frisk. She’s incorporeal… of course she wouldn’t drown…” He mumbled to himself, startling slightly when the girl suddenly popped back out of the water and into the boat.
 
”I couldn’t see a darn thing under there. But it didn’t seem like they’re close enough to bother us…” She reassured him.
 
Looking across the lake once more she quickly resumed her duty as guide. Frisk smiled softly, shaking his head at his own worriment before taking hold of the oars and following the directions she gave him.
 
”A little left… Oh wait, go back right. A rock is poking out… Okay, now back left… There. That should do it. Just a couple more minutes and we’ll reach the end…”
 
Just as she said they soon reached another shore, again cluttered with vessels of varying size. The boat lurched onto the embankment and the two children disembarked onto the dark sand. Lily guided Frisk in pulling the boat further onto the shore so it wouldn’t drift off into the lake before leaving it behind to continue their journey.
 
”Wow, it’s really dark…” Lily mused, squinting in the darkness that seemed deeper than the rest of Waterfall. “Careful. We might be moving along water again soon but it looks like there’s at least a path this time.”
 
Thus the children continued on, braving the gloom that stretched before them. The trail proved more arduous than either of them had anticipated. The narrow boardwalk twisted and weaved amidst the rocks and plant matter cresting the surface of the mire. Their progress was slowed further by the low lit gloom, which cast shadows in each and every direction, confusing Lily’s eyes and their movements. It was a puzzle of an entirely different nature, and neither she nor Frisk could know if its design was a cultural choice or merely the result of necessity.
 
Squeezing Lily’s hand, Frisk kept his ears and nose focused for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing of the sort reached his senses, and yet he could not shake the niggling sensation upon his neck. He stopped in place, his arm growing taut and catching Lily as she continued ahead. The girl turned to him.
 
“What’s wrong?” She asked quietly. “Did you notice something?”
 
“No, but…” Frisk began, unsure of how to explain. “I don’t like this… it feels wrong.” Lily nodded.
 
“Neither do I.” She agreed. “Let’s hurry and get out of… L-look out!”
 
From the corner of her eye she spotted it, a flash of aquamarine light from behind the nearby columns of stone. In a reaction born of instinct she shoved Frisk backwards, using the momentum to propel herself in the opposite direction. Not an instant later the wooden planks splintered, struck by the source of that light - a phantasmal spear, rippling with powerful magic.
 
Frisk immediately called upon his SOUL and beheld the mass of energy before him an instant before it dissipated into the air and faded from his sight. Beyond it, he saw Lily, her own eyes glued to a far more immediate threat.
 
There, concealed within the forest of stone stood a figure, its body encased entirely in dark plate armor. A helmet baring a horrifying fanged visage covered the being’s face, obscuring the shape of the monster who wore it. The right socket of the helm almost seemed to glow with the eerie yellow hue of the eye beneath, while the left held nothing but darkness. A shock of red fluttering behind the figure like an open flame was the only other color it bore.
 
“It’s her…” Lily stammered. The girl had never before seen Undyne and Papyrus was not exactly specific in his descriptions of her, but it was clear enough. This was the one who was hunting them.
 
The dark knight’s gaze slowly shifted to Frisk who was still sprawled upon the ground, disoriented. She said not a word as she lifted her hand above her head. The crackle of magic echoed through the cavern as three more spears baring the same light as the first materialized above her. Frisk barely had time to gasp before the deadly missiles spun upon their axes and hurtled towards him.
 
Lily’s response was instant: barreling through the air, she forced all her weight into the boy’s small form. The breath Frisk had been holding was quickly forced from his lungs as both he and Lily tumbled from the planks and into the brackish shallows beneath. The spears soared over the empty space where the boy once sat, their mission thwarted by the quick thinking of his unseen companion.
 
“Hurry, get up! We have to run!” Lily cried, pulling the drenched boy to his feet.
 
Frisk needed no further convincing. His right hand found the edge of the boardwalk and he scrambled back up. Lily’s hand found his wrist a moment later and at once they were off while the clunk of metal grieves upon hard stone followed swiftly behind. Following his friend’s lead, Frisk glanced back toward the menacing figure that was Undyne, her form a white shadow against the darkness of his sight. It flickered in and out of focus as she gave chase, obscured by the towering columns which did little to hinder her pursuit.
 
Another flash of light saw three more spears form above the armored assassin. Even to Frisk’s largely colorless sight, their alabaster tips seemed to gleam threateningly - ominously - as they took aim. Undyne commanded and the magic obeyed, slicing through the moist air toward her target. Once again they caught nothing as Lily pulled Frisk around the winding planks out of their reach. Frisk breathed out a sigh at the narrow miss and resumed his focus on Lily as she lead him on.
 
The sound of splintering wood beneath his boots was enough to dash that momentary sense of relief. The weak planks gave out, robbing him of balance and sending him heavily into the ground. Two flung spears soared over his fallen form.
 
The third wouldn’t miss.
 
Lily’s pale face grew white as snow as she felt Frisk’s hand slip from hers. She stopped in place and turned in air only to watch as one of the glowing javelins ran him through, its point burying deeply into his back. Horrified, she reached desperately for the boy but it was to no avail. Her cry of anguish was silenced before it even left her lips as two more spears pieced the soft flesh of her friend, pinning him to the boardwalk in a grim crucifixion.
 
Confusion ran thick as fog through Frisk’s mind. The last thing he felt was the dull impact of his body hitting the planks, then a flash of extreme pain. Now, he felt nothing. Not the soaked fabric of his clothes, not the rough wood against his cheek… not even the cool, damp air around him. The only exception was the faint warmth of the vermilion light that hovered over his prone form. He tried to move, to pull himself up but his body wouldn’t respond.
 
When it finally did, it was not by his own power. His limbs turned over, falling limply to his sides as he was moved onto his back. It took a few moments for him to recognize the image of Lily hovering over him.
 
“Frisk…?” She gasped. Her voice sounded far away… “Can you hear me…? Frisk? C- come on… get up, we have to go.”
 
Were those… tears? Why did she sound so sad?
 
“Frisk?” Lily’s hands rested gently against the boy’s arm. ““It’ll be okay. You just have to eat something… then you’ll be fine. Right?”
 
The spirit knelt beside her fallen friend. The magical spears had dissipated allowing her to move him onto his back, but the damage was done. Crimson pooled beneath him from the wounds left behind, and his whole body was limp. In her mind’s eye she could see the numbers ticking lower, his HoPe slowly diminishing with each second.
 
“Don’t go… You can’t leave me, not you too…!” She whispered weakly. “Please, don’t go… I can’t-”
 
She stopped as the sound of metal scraping against wood drew her attention from Frisk. While she’d been watching over her injured friend, Undyne had managed to make her way across the marsh and onto the boardwalk. The armored reaper picked herself up and turned slowly toward the child, or more specifically, to the red SOUL that floated above him. She stepped towards it.
 
“Leave him alone!” Lily shouted, darting in front of the glowing heart as if to shield it from the approaching monster.
 
Her voice fell upon deaf ears as Undyne continued to advance.
 
“I said stop!” The girl cried, unafraid of the looming threat. “You can’t take him, I won’t let you!”
 
Again, nothing. No words from the ironclad monster as she came within arm’s reach of Lily and the SOUL of Frisk which floated behind her. A hand, sheathed in metal reached outward intent to pluck that fragile glow from its owner. Lily retreated from it until a warmth at her back warned her against going further.
 
To move or to stay? Either choice would lead to the same end. The child spirit shut her eyes cursing her powerlessness as metal digits began to pass slowly through her intangible form.
 
“GO AWAY!” She shrieked the command with all the voice she had left. It echoed throughout the marsh, otherworldly and distorted by the cavernous interior.
 
The hand stopped short.
 
“What…?” A single hushed word sounded beneath the helmet. The glinting eye within its confines glanced about, as if distracted by something.
 
Was it possible that she…?
 
K..kkkrrrk…
 
The ominous sound drew the attention of both Undyne and Lily. It came from the SOUL that hovered over the fallen boy. Its red glow flickered, brightening and darkening randomly as cracks of white light spider-webbed along its surface. The fractures grew larger with each moment, splitting wider like a sheet of ice under far too much strain.
 
“No no no no!”
 
Lily sprang forward, both hands reaching for the cracking heart-shaped icon, the proof of her friend’s life. Before her eyes the display of his dwindling HP ticked lower.
 
The heart shuddered
 
HP: 1/20
 
Her palms came together around the SOUL, caging it between her fingers.
 
HP: 0/20
 
An effort of futility. But an instant before it was contained entirely, the crimson light burst into a thousand fragments, shattered along with the life of the one who wielded it. Lily’s eyes widened as the fragments forced themselves through the gaps in her fingers and drifted upward, disappearing one by one into the cold air.
 
Her wordless scream echoed unheard.

Clink…
 
Clink…
 
A sound chimed through the empty space. It was faint, almost imperceptible, like a collision of the smallest of ice crystals. It may have gone unnoticed had even a whisper existed to drown it out. Instead, that faint ring, might as well have been a howling blizzard for the silence that surrounded it.
 
The vast expanse of blackness was pock marked with small slivers of crimson light. Countless glittering rubies drifted through infinity granting color to a place where such should not exist. Each moved differently, some fast some slow, straight ahead, or in a spiral, but one thing was the same for them all: their destination. The thousands of red dwarves converged upon a single space within the empty realm. One by one, they joined together like pieces of a puzzle, socketing themselves into place until eventually they began to resemble a shape. In time, the last of these found its place within the concurrence.
 
A heart-shaped figure pulsed with their shared light, and within it, a consciousness awakened.
 
“...h- huh?”
 
Another shape began to form behind the glowing heart: the silhouette of a small, frail boy with bangs of brown hair and eyes which never opened.
 
“What… happened?”
 
All he could remember was being unable to move, looking up in a stupor as Lily placed herself between him and the foreboding tower that was Undyne. Now he was somewhere completely different and both the dark knight and his friend were nowhere to be seen. The pain and numbness were gone, but so was something else… something that should have been there but wasn’t. It was difficult to grasp exactly what that was, but eventually he came to a conclusion:
 
He felt… physically distant. While he was aware of himself mentally, and while his SOUL bobbed calmly before his eyes, he could not feel his body. It was wholly different to the dull numbness from before… almost like he was made entirely of liquid or air; cohesive, but not contained.
 
Could he move like this? He decided try, willing what he could sense of himself to take a step forward. Nothing changed about his surroundings - there was nothing to change - but he still recognized some kind of shift of position. So he kept going, on and on, through the scopeless plane.
 
As he traveled, he slowly began to process the surreality of the situation. This odd, pseudo-physical state he found himself in was only the beginning. What intrigued him more was how he felt about it all. He was… calm. He was alone, the silence was practically suffocating, and he had no idea where he was. And yet, none of that bothered him.
 
At length, there was a break in the never-changing realm. A pinprick of white far in the distance beckoned to him. He made for it, and as he drew closer noticed something else was there too, or rather, someone. A tall, lanky figure wearing spherical armor and a bright orange scarf stood within a patch of white snow, his face baring not skin, but bone.
 
“Papyrus?” Frisk mused, moving closer to the familiar skeleton.
 
Papyrus’ gloved hand scratched his chin and his brow ridge furrowed as he studied the puzzle book he held. Frisk’s initial confusion at seeing the exuberant superhero was amplified ten fold the moment he processed exactly what he was seeing. It was indeed Papyrus, but he was in color: the red-orange scarf, gloves and boots, silver armor with gold trimming, blue briefs, and black tights covering his milk white bones - it was all there.
 
The skeleton turned up from his book, seeming to notice Frisk and his skull shifted like clay into a friendly smile. Frisk quickened his pace to meet him.
 
“Papyrus, where are we? What’s going on?” The child asked. “How… how come I can see you?”
 
Papyrus looked down to him and his jawbone shifted, opened and closed as if he was speaking but his normally voluminous speech patterns were completely silent to Frisk. The boy was about to question him further when a flash of yellow drew his attention away from the skeleton.
 
Instinctively, his eyes followed and eventually settled upon the image of Kidd, darting past them. The lizard-like monster tripped and fell onto the black emptiness before quickly jumping back to his feet and shooting off again. Frisk’s eyes followed him as he went until still another peculiar sight drew him away. Just to the right of where the energetic monster had run bloomed a small patch of golden flowers - another change to the changeless much like the snow upon which Papyrus stood. Sitting in the middle, tending to the tiny garden with a pair of well-kept shears was another familiar figure… the most familiar of all to Frisk.
 
“Lily!”
 
He moved to approach her but stopped short as another figure stepped into his line of sight. It was a tall monster in a flowing purple robe, white fur, and caprine features. Toriel knelt down next to the girl, and placed a plateful of pie into her lap. Lily looked to her and smiled as the gentle caretaker rubbed her hair.
 
“Wait… that doesn’t make sense. Mom couldn’t even see Lily back in the Ruins.”
 
Lily’s face turned from Toriel’s and her brown eyes met Frisk’s. A grin spread across her rosy cheeks and she lifted a hand to wave to him. Frisk approached with a bit of uncertainty. She followed him, the smile never leaving her lips as he sat down next to her. The boy willed himself to reach out to touch her and his nebulous form responded. His hand passed through her body just as hers did any time she touched something other than him and the image of his friend flickered for a moment before settling once again.
 
“They aren’t real…” He said, trying to wrap his mind around what it all meant. The memory of their run in with Undyne played within his mind up until the moment his SOUL shattered. “That’s right… I died, didn’t I? But… my SOUL is here. Is it fake too? No… it isn’t. So… what what’s going on then? I feel like I’m supposed to do something… but what?”
 
A small hand placed upon his shoulder drew Frisk’s gaze to the simulacrum of Lily who sat at his side. She lowered her chin in a wordless nod before extending a finger outward, pointing into the distance. Frisk followed its path, gazing outward into the emptiness that seemed eternal. He focused, straining to utilize whatever manner sorcery allowed him to use his eyes as intended. Eventually the effort paid off, and he caught a glimpse of something in the distance. He turned his attention back to the girl. She simply nodded again before folding her hands in her lap.
 
Taking this as a sign, the boy stood. Leaving the flower patch behind, he stepped again into the blackness, the figure in the distance guiding him like a lighthouse on the edge of an endless sea. It seemed so far away… miles. A mere speck on the dark horizon.
 
Then suddenly he was there and the beckoning figure stood before him.
 
It was an obelisk; rectangular in shape but ascending in a gradual curve toward the back. A number of groves ran parallel to one another along its silvery surface and, emblazoned at its center where they converged was the faintly glowing image of a four pointed star.
 
“What is this?” Frisk mused, willing himself to touch it. The texture was unlike anything he’d ever known. “It looks like… my SAVE point?”
 
The obelisk sprang to life the moment the formless child made contact with it. The star at its center grew brighter, and light flooded like tiny streams into the grooves, causing them to take on a golden glow which pulsed in time with his SOUL. Frisk took a step back, fearful for only a moment as a translucent image sprang from its surface. Shown was a still depiction of an isolated bench and a lone luminescent flower that sat at its side. After his initial shock, Frisk quickly recognized it as the room where they’d rested and discovered the abandoned quiche.
 
“Its where I saved last… hold on. What’s that?” He watched as a number of words, numbers and symbols imposed themselves over the image. He read them.
 
Waterfall - Abandoned Cove
 
Frisk (LV 1) - HP: 20/20 - SS: 84%.
Lily: (LV ??) - HP: 16/16 - SS: ??
 
“Huh…?” He contemplated the information. “LV is Level Of Violence, and HP is HoPe. So, what does SS mean?”
 
As his fingers (Aura? Essence? He couldn’t tell) passed over the words, the strange monument reacted once again. The light it emitted grew even brighter, spilling from the grooves and into the emptiness that surrounded him. The light pooled beneath the obelisk like water from a fountain, spreading outward until the entire area was awash in a white-gold glow.
 
Frisk turned quickly from the blinding radiance. When at last he dared to look, he found himself staring at the simulacrums of Lily, Toriel, Papyrus, and Kidd, each of them wearing an encouraging smile. The image of Lily stepped forward.
 
“You’re the best, Frisk!” She said, her words no longer stifled by this strange realm. “Stay determined, okay?”
 
That was all he heard as he was enveloped in the light, and his consciousness faded out once again.

When at last Frisk felt his senses return to him, the second thing he noticed was the  renewed awareness of his body, including the return of the blind darkness he’d grown accustomed to.
 
The first was the sound of screaming but inches away from his ear.
 
It took the boy but a few seconds to set his sightless gaze on the one responsible for it: the source being Lily.
 
In her deplorable state, the only thing she knew was that her best friend was dead. She could still hear that ear splitting noise as it echoed through her mind, while the fragile heart shattered like glass between her fingers.
 
As the scream slowly died on her lips, she curled herself into ball of anguish. In her mind she wanted to hate this place for bringing them to this point… to hate Undyne for how ruthlessly she’d murdered her friend. But mostly… mostly she hated herself for being unable to protect him. Her mind roiled with all the ways she could have prevented it from happening: diving into Frisk’s SOUL, and taking some of the damage onto herself, force some food into him, even taking the spear with her own body. Something. Anything…
 
The soft sound of rustling clothes caught her attention in the now quiet cave, ringing loudly in her grief-stricken ears despite the faintness of it. Lily’s head jerked up as she looked about wildly, ready to defend Frisk’s body to the best of her ability or else to drag him away until she could somehow get a hold of Papyrus or Sans. The sight that greeted her frantic search was not that of the planks on the water however, nor was it the armored form of Undyne.
 
It was Frisk.
 
Whole. Unhurt. And very much alive, slowly moving his hands away from his ears.
 
Lily could do nothing but stare in disbelief for a few moments at the sight before her. Her gaze panned around the room, as her mind desperately tried to make sense of what her eyes were seeing. Bench. Echo Flower. Bridge Seeds. Frisk.
 
At last, she remembered how her body worked.
 
Thoughts still reeling, she launched herself at her friend, causing the blind boy to tumble to the ground. He responded quickly despite this, throwing his arms around his spectral companion. Lily felt the warmth of his arms, the softness of his shirt, the soft beating within his chest…
 
Alive.
 
”Frisk!!! FRISK! You’re okay! Oh my God, you’re okay!” She shouted, burying her head into his wrinkled, stripped shirt. “I’m so sorry! I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you! I’m sorry I didn’t do mo-”
 
Disoriented by his own experience, Frisk responded the only way he could think of: by hugging her tightly, quickly cutting off Lily’s rant. “I… I’m here Lily. I came back… I’m okay…”
 
The ghostly girl pulled back slightly, bringing Frisk into a sitting position in the same motion. She looked into his squinted eyes, still hardly believing her own. ”B- but Frisk… I… I saw you die… I saw your SOUL shatter…. How…? How are you…?”
 
Frisk said nothing. He didn’t know how to explain it. Instead, he raised a hand to point at the gold star sitting but a foot away from them, sparkling innocently while casting them in its soft golden glow.
 
Lily glanced to the piece of magic and the star seemed to glow brighter as if acknowledging the boy’s silent answer as truth. “So the star… saved you?” She asked softly. Frisk nodded. “J- just like mom…” The last part came out as a whisper.
 
“Yeah.” The boy said, placing his hand in hers and hoping its warmth would serve as further proof. “I don’t really understand how… but I’m back now. Whatever magic that is, I… I guess it works on me too.”
 
As she felt the heat radiating from it, Lily could only accept the impossible for what it was. And yet, her joy and relief at seeing him safe was tempered by something far more sobering.
 
“I’m terribly sorry, Frisk…” She said, lowering her eyes to the ground. “I broke our promise… I wasn’t able to protect you.”
 
Frisk simply shook his head and pulled her into another hug. The sudden action caused the girl to gasp slightly in surprise.
 
“Undyne snuck up on us.” He said decisively. “There wasn’t anything either of us could have done… It would be stupid of me to hold it against you when we couldn’t know what would happen. Even if we could, I still wouldn’t do that.” He paused for a moment, allowing that to sink in. “I’m here now… that’s what matters, right?”
 
Lily sighed heavily, before turning her attention back to the boy and pressing her forehead against his in a gentle headbutt. “Then… promise me something else. Promise you wont die again? When I thought you were gone forever, I… ” Her voice cracked towards the end as she hugged Frisk, rubbing their foreheads together.
 
Frisk winced slightly at the question, as well as her pleading expression. He wanted to make that promise. To ensure her that everything would be alright, and that they both would remain safe and unharmed from now on. Before all of this, he very well may have done just that. But now… now he knew that things were rarely that simple.
 
“Lily… I can’t promise that…” He quickly shushed her as she began to protest, pulling away slightly “I can try my best, but, you know… with Undyne chasing us and who knows how many others, we never know what could happen…”
 
“But…” Lily began, but then shook her head. “No, I… You’re right. I guess… after what happened with Flowey and my memories I… I just don’t want to lose anything else, least of all you.”
 
“I know. I don’t either. Maybe I can’t promise that... but I can promise something else.” The girl gave him a questioning look. An understanding smile spread across his lips as he reached for something at his side. “Now we know we have something else on our side, right? I can’t promise I won’t die… but I can promise I’ll come back. After all, now we know that if it happens again… it won’t stick.”
 
As he finished, he brandished the stick in his left hand. The small leaf tickled her cheek.
 
Lily stared at him, appalled for a moment before bursting into a strained laugh and shaking her head.
 
“Oh my God, and I thought I had the morbid sense of humor…” She said when she finally brought herself under control before turning a slight smile toward her friend. “Thanks, Frisk… that means a lot.”
 
The blind boy’s grin widened a little. Morbid though it was, it seemed his joke worked to make her feel a little better.
 
With danger and despair averted for the time being, the two children took a moment to just relax in each others’ presence and assure themselves that the other was indeed safe and well. After some time, some water, and maybe another bite of pie, the two of them set about putting everything back together to continue on. They were about to make for the bridge seeds when Lily stopped for a moment.
 
“Umm… since we know Undyne is ahead of us on this path now maybe we should try another?” She asked of Frisk, who was busy returning their supplies to the satchel.
 
”That sounds like a good idea. Let me ju- shoot!” He cried out, as the canteen slipped from his hand and began to roll away.
 
Lily sprang up quickly and followed it as it tumbled toward a patch of cave grass growing against the wall behind the bench. She opened her mouth to direct Frisk to its location only to close it again as the vessel slipped behind the moss and disappeared.
 
”Huh?”
 
Raising an eyebrow she lowered herself to the ground to follow, pushing her way easily through the tall blades. There, was revealed a hole in the wall with the canteen resting another foot inside. Her gaze shifted curiously from the container and deeper into the tunnel. It was dark in there without any glowing stones, mushrooms or echo flowers to light the way and there was no exit that she could see. She jerked back slightly, feeling somewhat unnerved.
 
”Did you find it?” Frisk asked watching her over the backboard of the bench.
 
”Y..yeah. There’s some kind of tunnel behind this grass and it rolled in there.”
 
”A tunnel? That’s pretty convenient. Maybe we should try going that way.” Frisk suggested, giving her a thumbs up as he walked closer.
 
Turning back to the wall Lily chewed her lower lip slightly. It bothered her that she couldn’t see the end… this ‘claustrophobia’ as Frisk called it was starting to get frustrating. Still, with everything that happened it might be a lot safer for the boy in question. And with a hole that small, Undyne would definitely not be able to follow them through it. Weighing the options in her mind she nodded in reluctant agreement.
 
”Alright. I’ll.. I’ll go first, that way if there’s anything at the other end of the dark, cramped tunnel I can warn you.” She mentally slapped herself. That sounded a lot more uncertain than she meant it.
 
Giving Frisk a reassuring smile, she turned back to the wall. Giving herself small shake to prepare herself, she ducked down and crawled into the tunnel.
 
’Let’s hope this path is safer… for both of us…’
 
Frisk felt about the darkness where his friend had just slipped in, eventually getting a general idea of how wide the cave was before crouching down. Finding the canteen was simple enough and he placed it properly back in the satchel as he prepared to follow his friend into the gloom. Just as he began to cross the threshold however, his notice was seized by a faint pressure within his chest. It faded quickly, but he nonetheless noticed that his free hand had moved unconsciously to his heart.
 
Memories of his death at the hands of Undyne flashed through his mind.
 
‘It still hurts…’
 
The realization troubled him but he forced himself to shelve it for now and slipped into the tunnel after Lily.

A delicious scent permeated the air about the snow-capped sentry station/food stall, accompanied by the sizzle and pop of grilling meat. A bony hand flipped the well cooked hot dog from the small grill and onto the awaiting bun. Slathering a generous helping of ketchup to complete the dish, Sans presented it to his eager customer.
 
"there ya go, bud. don't tell those furry guys in snowdin. otherwise..." He winked. "they might just come here and buy me out."
 
"Lovely dog. So good!" The little fire monster chirped.
 
The Vulkin took the hot dog with a grateful smile before placing it into the molten liquid at the top of its head which slowly began to consume it whole.
 
"well then. looks like you got a bad case of in-digestion there, buddy."
 
Sans chuckled, taking the gold coins left in exchange and put them away in the pocket of his shorts as the happy monster departed the station to enjoy its treat. To anyone, it might have seemed that Sans was simply being his usual, lazy self. His uncanny ability to be everywhere at once was well known amongst the Underground, despite the fact that he never seemed to do anything worthwhile with it. And yet, his easy going nature was precisely why he was so easy to remember.
 
This time, that was exactly what he wanted. They would be his alibi.
 
"last customer of the day. welp. guess its time i got going." He said to himself, cracking his knuckles and stepping away from the stand.
 
Several miles passed before his foot touched the ground again. When it did, it was not on the rough stone or metal conveyors of Hotland proper, but cool, clean tile. He took half a second to reorient himself, confirming that he had in fact landed in the proper location.
 
‘wires, check. machinery, check. weird anime shit, check.’ Sans listed off the points in his head. ‘yep. this is it.’
 
He turned to the large monitor to his left, currently showing a feed of the tunnel leading toward the Wishing Room in Waterfall. A squat, yellow-scaled monster in a white lab-coat was sat in front of it, eyes glued to the screen as if waiting for something. Seemed she hadn't noticed him yet.
 
A moment later the screen blurred as the camera panned to the left and focused on a figure that Sans recognized: Frisk, stick poised ahead with his other arm grasping the air ahead of him. The skeleton knew well what that meant.
 
‘kay, i’ve heard of the blind leading the blind, but the invisible leading the blind? i don’t think i’ll ever get used to that.’
 
The boy’s arm slackened a bit as he stopped to touch an echo flower and listen to the voice left behind. The monitor resounded with the distorted conversation between a mother and her young child. All the while, the lizard in the lab coat stared, watching the scene play out.
 
“Ohmigod, t-that’s so adorable!” She gushed at a restrained giggle from the humans as they listened to short conversation between a mother and her child.
 
"hey alph. anything good on?" Sans said, giving a short wave of his phalanges before stuffing his hands in his pockets.
 
A high pitched squeak came from the monster as she tried to cover the screen with her hands as if hiding something incriminating. Her crested head whipped back, eyes falling upon the skeleton from behind the thick glasses she wore.
 
“S-Sans?!” Alphys stammered, and her hands fell away from the screen. “W- when did you get here?”
 
“just now.” Sans said matter-of-factly. “so?”
 
“It’s um… surveillance! Yeah.” The scientist seemed to struggle for the words. “I’ve… I’ve been keeping an eye on the humans, like you asked.”
 
Sans might have used a different term with her reactions to the supposed ‘surveillance’ but chose not to. Instead he asked, “how’s that going?”
 
“W-well…” Alphys began, turning her swivel chair about to watch the screen again. The two had moved on from the first Flower and were now listening to another. “It’s… really interesting actually. Watching their adventures, their meetings and partings, the friends they make. They deal with so much and yet they keep going even when it gets hard. I- it’s inspiring really… almost like an anime. Um, I mean, j-just the other day they went on patrol with your brother, and it looked like they had so much fun. But the best part was when they sat under the tree to rest. Their conversation was so sweet, I couldn’t stop squee-ing! B-but I felt really bad for Lily, you know? I can’t imagine what it would be like to forget everyone I care about. A-and Frisk too! Yeah… losing his eyes so young… it’s no wonder he’s afraid of fire.”
 
Alphys voice slowly became more and more excitable as she detailed the children’s exploits as if recapping her favorite show. Sans knew what the Royal Scientist was like when she entered ‘anime mode’ and knew they’d never get anywhere if he let her keep going. Normally, that would be fine by him - anything to avoid tarnishing his perfect record of laziness - but this was a little too important.
 
“ahem…” the skeleton interrupted, breaking the lizard monster from her excited rambling. “that’s great, and all but i think I’ll wait for the movie.”
 
“O-oh! S... sorry.” Alphys clapped her hands over her mouth, blushing furiously as she realized what she was doing.
 
“so… the info?” Sans offered. “you said you found something.”
 
“Ah! T-that’s right. A few things actually. Just let me…”
 
With reluctance, Alphys managed to tear her eyes away from the screen and made her way over to the cluttered desk nearby. The thing was nearly buried beneath a mountain of papers, figurines, sticky notes and stacks upon stacks of empty ramen bowls. The lizard scientist’s tail ended up striking a pile of documents as she maneuvered around the mess, which quickly scattered about the area. A complex graph and messy scrawl of mechanical notes landed at Sans’ feet alongside a convoluted theory regarding the hanging plot threads of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie.
 
At last, she settled in and the screen flickered to life. “H-have a look at this.”
 
Alphys swept away the tower of empty noodle bowls to give Sans better access to the monitor. Upon it were two screens. The left displayed a diagram of human and monster SOUL anatomy as well as a wealth of information regarding both, the right bore an image of Frisk and a mess of disorganized notes. At the bottom of the screen was a detailed graph showing her findings. Sans immediately noticed the readings and raised a brow ridge. Many of the statistics read numbers far higher than anything he’d seen before.
 
“...the hell?” He said, checking the numbers again just to be sure.
 
“The DT levels alone are off the charts. I knew a Red affinity would probably have a lot, b-b-but this goes beyond anything I could have expected. I- it pretty much overwhelms all the other elements. But that’s not all. Look here. This SOUL… Err, th- the amount of energy it contains in general is at least double, m-maybe even triple that of the others.“ Alphys explained. “It shouldn’t be possible. I’ve studied the Human SOULs in our possession and each one has, well… they’ve all stuck to a pattern. Y-yeah, they’re powerful, but they’ve always been consistent. This one though… A- at first I thought my equipment was broken, but everything is in order. These… these are the real readings.”
 
Even as Alphys spoke it was clear she was struggling to accept the discovery. Sans looked long and hard at the graph, deep in thought. He turned his eye sockets back to the surveillance monitor as the SOULmates traveled further into the Wishing Room. He knew Frisk was special but to have a SOUL almost three times as strong as a normal human was unprecedented. Was he even a normal human? He did have a ghost riding around with him…
 
He sighed and turned back to the screen, his mind now filled with more questions than when he came in. It wouldn’t be the last of them either, as the white prick of his eye fell upon something he hadn’t noticed the first time.
 
“wait…” Sans spoke, when his eye caught sight of something else. The symbols and equations would mean nothing to a layman, but the skeleton recognized them. “that what I think it is?”
 
“S- so you did notice it.” Alphys observed. “I wasn’t sure if it was a false reading or not, considering everything else.”
 
“magic.” Sans said. “natural magic? you’re tellin’ me the kiddo’s a sorcerer too?”
 
“S-seems to be.” Alphys stammered. “It might explain why his SOUL is so powerful.”
 
“makes sense… the kid’s certainly got some kinda weird mojo goin’ on in there.” Sans said thoughtfully. “certainly enough to blind my chromatis for a bit.”
 
Alphys shuddered. She’d seen the whole thing over her monitor. “Imposing” wasn’t really a good word to describe Sans most days, but he could be downright scary when he wanted to be.
 
“Oh yeah, t-that. That was a little, err… never mind.” The scientist stopped herself before she said something she might regret. “Still, to create so much magical feedback… e- enough to disable your eye even for a little while. It’s incredible.”
 
“but a human shouldn’t be able to use that much. not without training anyway…” Sans thought for a moment.
 
“Um, what if… let me see.” Without finishing her thought, Alphys turned back to her computer and began to input something.
 
Another page popped into existence on screen and the reptilian scientist’s fingers flashed across the keyboard, adding a few more notes to a document concerning the two humans. While she wasn’t the most organized, compared to the labyrinth that was Sans’ own archive, it was practically a straight path. Knowing it was a bad idea to disturb the nervous scientist while she worked, Sans turned his attention back to the monitor to check on the children… or would have, if the screen wasn’t displaying a rather picturesque but clearly human-less view of the Wishing Room. They must have moved out of range of surveillance.
 
Sans watched for about fifteen minutes with no other sign of activity, outside of the occasional monster passing in front of the camera. Eventually, the blue skeleton’s eye sockets began to fall and he was about to nod off when a sigh from Alphys drew his attention back to her. Sans shook his skull to chase off the drowsiness before turning to her.
 
“so?” He asked.
 
“W-well, I was thinking…” Alphys began, folding her hands in front of her. “What if the source of that magic pulse wasn’t Frisk? M-maybe it could have been Lily?”
 
“huh.” Sans thought about that. “it was just after that she started speaking through him. the soul still needs to have the ‘spark’ though, or it wouldn’t matter. it’s a bit easier to swallow than the kid just suddenly being able to blast me with a solar flare, though.”
 
“All she’d need is a s-source of power capable of manifesting the arcane… and from what we’ve seen of Frisk’s SOUL…”
 
“it’s one big battery.” Sans finished.
 
“I-it’s basically the perfect conduit.” Alphys agreed. “It would be easy to channel a large amount of magic through a SOUL like that, even for a human.”
 
“but she doesn’t even know who she is. how would she remember to use magic but not anything else?” the blue skeleton challenged. “think she’s lying?”
 
The Royal Scientist shook her head. "S-She’s not. I mean, you know… I don’t think she is.”
 
“you sound pretty sure about that.”
 
“I’ve spent a long time r-researching magic and SOULS.” Alphys insisted. “Humans use magic a lot differently than we do. For them, it’s, um, more forceful…? little more than raw power. It takes a lot for them to create a controlled system.”
 
Sans knew the concept better than he’d like to admit. “that’s how the barrier was made.”
 
“Right. It’s a lot different than how magic j-just ‘responds’ to monsterkind.”
 
“we knock on the door, they kick it in.” Sans simplified before his expression shifted. “wait… you don’t mean…?”
 
“Exactly. The p-pulse of magic that hit your eye… the readings don’t fit what we’ve come to expect from a human sorcerer.” Alphys said. “I-it looks more like something from one of us!”
 
Sans’ impassive mask cracked for but a moment at the scientist’s revelation.
 
“that would mean…”
 
Alphys went on to explain the details of her findings, pulling up a model of the Barrier, and a recording of the event near the river for the sake of illustration.
 
Sans wasn’t hearing any of it, though. His mind was elsewhere. Not only a human that could use magic… but one that could use magic like monsters do. It was something that defied possibility. And yet, it would explain why she was suddenly able to do so despite not remembering anything. If she could somehow use magic like one of their kind, she wouldn’t need memories to tap into at least the basics. Which made him wonder just how much she could have done if she remembered it all. It took every bit of will he had to keep his bones from rattling - he was lucky to be alive right now.
 
“T-the only conclusion I can see is that she must have been taught by a monster.” Alphys finished.
 
“how in the world would she have managed that?” Sans questioned. “we ain’t exactly the best of neighbors, even without the shiny, kingdom-sized, impenetrable wall around us. but… hmm.”
 
“W-what is it?”
 
“well… just somethin’ I remembered from the other day.” Sans explained. “didn’t think much of it at the time but… she mentioned something. said she could understand the froggits in the ruins when they were there. those guys ain’t exactly easy to translate.”
 
“R-really? That is strange… it took me years to learn the basics of their language and even then I haven’t mastered it.” Alphys said, tapping a claw on her chin. “It’s a shame I don’t have any cameras set up there… I would have loved to record their interactions. Y-you think it might have something else to do with Frisk’s SOUL?”
 
Sans shook his head. “wouldn’t work. if it was like that, the kid would be able to pick it up too, and he didn’t act like he did. nah, she would’ve had to have learned it somewhere.”
 
“That shouldn’t be possible…” Alphys mused. “I mean, we’ve only had c-contact with a few humans since the sealing, and the only one of THOSE that might have had the ability to use magic and have some knowledge of monster lexicons was-”
 
The scientist stopped short, clapping her hands over her mouth again. It was clear sign. Sans turned an inquisitive glance to the squat lizard.
 
“was…?” he prompted.
 
“N-nothing…” Alphys said meekly. It was clear she’d already said more than she meant to. The gears in her mind were already spinning, however. ‘Is that it? I’ve heard she was a Red too. It’s the only thing that makes sense, but… that was more than a thousand years ago. Is it even possible?’
 
Sans could tell she was thinking intently about something. Her expression alone would speak volumes even if she wasn’t glancing at the monitor every few seconds.
 
“come on, alph. what’s goin’ on?”
 
“I-I… I just had an idea, a-a-about the humans.” She relented. “About Lily, actually. I might… ahh, I might have an idea who she is.”
 
Sans straightened up instantly at the confession. Now that was something interesting. If he knew who she was it might go a long way towards figuring this all out.
 
“who?”
 
“I…” Alphys hesitated for a second, and for a moment it seemed like she’d forgotten how to speak. “Ican’ttellyou…!”
 
The words, when they finally came out were almost spoken too quickly to understand, but Sans caught them nonetheless. He hid his frustration behind a mask of indifference.
 
“why not?” He asked simply.
 
“I just… I-I can’t.” Alphys said. “I-I’m probably wrong anyway. I shouldn’t have e-even said that much.”
 
“did you say since the sealing?” The blue skeleton pressed. “you mean someone who came here after they locked us in? come on, alph… you gotta tell me who.”
 
“E-even for you, Sans t-the answer is ‘no’.” She said, surprisingly resolute. “It isn’t… my place to-”
 
###
 
“wait…” Sans spoke, when his eye caught sight of something else. The symbols and equations would mean nothing to a layman, but the skeleton recognized them. “that what I think it is?”
 
“S- so you did notice it.” Alphys observed. “I wasn’t sure if it was a false reading or not, considering everything else.”
 
“magic.” Sans said. “natural magic? you’re tellin’ me the kiddo’s-”
 
Sans stopped mid-sentence. ‘hold on… didn’t we just go over this?’
 
“A-a magic user, yeah.” Alphys stammered. “Sorcerer, wizard, magician… w-whatever you want to call it. He h-has the affinity for it.”
 
“makes sense… the kid’s certainly got some kinda weird mojo goin’ on in there.” Sans said thoughtfully. “certainly enough to blind my chromatis for a bit.”
 
“Oh yeah, t-that. That was a little… never mind.” The scientist stopped herself before she said something she might regret. “Still, to create so much m-magical feedback… e-enough to disable your eye even for a little while. I-it’s incredible.”
 
“but a human shouldn’t be able to use that much. Not without training anyway…” Sans thought for a moment.
 
“Um, what if… let me see.” Without finishing her thought, Alphys turned back to her computer and began to input something.
 
‘we did, didn’t we?’ Sans mused. ‘somethin’ about the ghost-kid came up, right? but alphys wouldn’t spill. why would i know that? Unless…’
 
As Alphys tapped away at her keyboard, Sans’ eyesockets began to wander the room, trying to wrap his mind around the strong sense of déjà vu he felt. He knew it well at this point, or a part of him did, but that didn’t make it any less disorienting. His eyes fell upon the ramen bowls littering the floor: there were a few more of them than he recalled. The mechanical notes and odd anime headcanon that he vaguely recalled falling at his feet were replaced with a complicated blueprint of a strangely human-looking robot, and an unopened letter from Shyren.
 
At last Sans turned his attention to the monitor. He’d expected to see the Wishing Room again, but the on screen image displayed something different. Half-obscured by the tall grass that surrounded it, the camera focused on a small tunnel hidden in the blades. From its mouth, Frisk emerged, right hand grasping the air before him. He turned about a few times, no doubt guided by an unseen Lily, before ducking into the grass and out of sight.
 
Sans knew the area: it was a place he’d often go fishing for water-sausages. More than that though, it was at least a good half hour or more from the Wishing Room via normal routes, and that was without considering the lake. There was no way they could have traveled that far, that fast from where they were.
 
Which meant… a load happened at some point.
 
‘she must’ve got ‘em.’ Sans concluded. ‘maybe i can use this, though… i got a pretty good idea what me and alphys were talking about. maybe i can get a little more out of her…’
 
“say, alph.” Sans said, turning back to the lizard. “i had a bit of a thought.”
 
“Huh?” Alphys replied absently, without taking her eyes from the glowing monitor.
 
“what if not all of it was the kid? if he was adept, wouldn’t we have seen a lot more before now? maybe some of the magic we’re seeing is coming from his ghoul friend instead. whaddaya think?”
 
Alphys slowed for a second as she thought about that. “I-interesting idea. Um, It’s possible, I suppose…? So long as the SOUL has the aptitude for channeling anyway.”
 
“then, if the consciousness of someone who could use magic ended up in a different body with a different SOUL, that’d still work?” Sans offered, steering the conversation where he wanted it.
 
“In… theory? It’s never happened before.” Alphys said thoughtfully, intrigued by the notion. “But as long as the c-conditions are right… I don’t see any reason it w-wouldn’t work.”
 
“so a SOUL with an an affinity for magic, and someone with the know-how to use it.” Sans summarized. “supposing frisk’s the former and lily’s the latter… how’s that work? She shouldn’t even be able to do it without her memory. Unless… she was using magic like we do.”
 
Alphys gasped, and her fingers froze like she’d been struck with a sudden thought. “L-like we do…? Y-you came to that conclusion just like that. Did… did you read my notes or something?”
 
“nah.” Sans said nonchalantly. “just seemed the only thing that made sense is all. I mean what makes more sense? a human kid somehow stumbles on how to use magic like us, with all the holes and missing pieces a theory like that would have… or just that one of us taught ‘em? Besides, she mentioned knowing the language of those Froggits in the Ruins too. ribbits and croaks ain’t exactly easy to translate just on context, ya know?”
 
“B-but we’ve only had contact with a handful of humans since the sealing!” Alphys cried. It was clear Sans had caught her off guard. “And of those the only one that might fit with that theory was the one Asgore-”
 
Alphys stopped short, and clamped her mouth tight. Even still, Sans clearly heard the king’s name before she caught her blunder and shut up. That alone was a key piece of information in figuring this out. Still, it wasn’t enough. It would take more than fragmented, potentially inaccurate déjà vu and a bit of name dropping to solve this mystery.
 
“you okay?” asked Sans. He knew that a small bit of courtesy went a long way.
 
“S-sorry. I… I need time to think about all of this.” The scientist stammered.
 
“sounds like you figured somethin’ out.” The skeleton observed. “wanna let me in on it?”
 
“I… c-can’t.” Alphys voice was barely above a whisper. “Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into?”
 
“c’mon, it’s really important. and i don’t say that often.” Sans pressed. “if ya figured something out, i need to know.”
 
“N-not this… even I shouldn’t know this.” Alphys placed her hands on the sides of her head as if fighting off a migraine. “I never should have touched those things…”
 
“Alphys…” The skeleton said sternly, eyesockets darkening until they were nearly black.
 
The reptilian scientist shrank a little and for a moment Sans thought that would be enough to make her cave. In the end though, she forced herself to meet his gaze. Even with the sweating Sans found himself impressed by her resoluteness.
 
“J-just let it go, Sans… seriously, its better if you do.” she said quietly. “Besides, I’m n-not the only one with secrets.”
 
Sans’ pointed gaze softened a bit. “what secrets?” he asked inquisitively.
 
“I… I know I didn’t become the Royal Scientist because I’m the most fitting person for it.” She explained. “I only got the position because you turned it down. Why would you do that? It’s not because you aren’t interested… you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t interested.”
 
“well, you know me.” Sans feigned ignorance. “i ain’t much for the whole ‘work’ thing.”
 
Alphys shook her head. “Y-you say that, but I don’t b-buy it. My predecessor… um, I know he w-was grooming you to be his successor… and you’re a l-lot more q-qualified than I am. T-then he just disappears, and you stop caring? You really think I’m n-not going to find that a little suspicious?”
 
“you do not wanna go there, alph… trust me.” Sans threatened, but Alphys wasn’t deterred.
 
“I-isn’t it funny that no one seems to remember him…? At all?” She pressed further. “I wonder why that is.”
 
“alright… alright. ya made your point, geez…” Sans sighed. Alphys seemed to calm down when she realized he’d relented.
 
“S-sorry. But, um… I need time to figure all this out.” Alphys explained. “I’ll let you know I-if I find out anything else. B-but… there’s some things I just can’t talk about right now.”
 
“you’re still willin’ to help out?” Sans asked. If what she learned was as sensitive as it looked, he figured she’d want to throw in the towel at this point.
 
“I-I’ve gotten in this deep…” Alphys sounded reluctant but Sans knew when she put her mind to it, she could be counted on to see things through. It was enough for him.
 
“m’kay.” Sans said, suddenly back to his jolly, lazybones self. “guess all i can do is get back to break time for now, huh?”
 
“T-thanks, Sans. Really.” Alphys said, the last bit of her tension finally releasing itself in a sigh. “S-sorry to bring that up, but…”
 
Sans sighed. He hadn’t quite gotten what he wanted but it was a start. What’s more, she was still willing to help him out so he didn’t want to push it more than he already had. Besides… it was a small price to pay to avoid having to remember… that.
 
“don’t worry about it. just keep me updated,” He therefore said, before giving a nonchalant wave of his metacarpals. “see ya.”
 
The moment he’d said those last two words, Sans vanished from sight before the lizard monster’s eyes. She knew by now not to go looking for him. Still, Alphys couldn’t help but wonder exactly why Sans seemed so interested in the two humans to begin with. Sure they were nothing if not a mystery to be unraveled, but Sans was never the type to get too invested.
 
“I d-didn’t think to ask him what he knew.” Alphys realized. “That might have h-helped a little. Oh well.”
 
Sighing, she took a moment to check the cameras before turning back to her computer. Rooting around the mess of her desk, she eventually fished out the item she’d been looking for: an old DVD case with a faded picture of a colorful animated protagonist posing cutely. She popped it open and inserted the disk into her computer. A catchy theme tune began to play throughout the lab, while translated subtitles accompanied the flashy images of wild-haired characters.
 
Anime always helped her relax.

Chapter Text

After what felt like an eternity to Lily, the long, winding tunnel began to straighten. Stone walls widened as the children slowly crawled their way through, and eventually a faint light began to filter in. At last, it released them into a cluster of tall grass waving lazily at its mouth. The girl sighed slightly the moment the duo emerged into the grass, happy to be out of that tunnel.
 
She stopped short when a sound caught her ear: a rustling noise from close by.
 
Turning back to Frisk, it was clear the boy heard it too. Gesturing for him to wait, she drifted up and poked her head above the blades, catching sight of triangular ears and pure white fur moving through the bluish grass. The dog (er.. cat?) monster did not seem to notice them, and continued to move past where they were hiding. Lily was about to return to Frisk but paused when something drew her eye back to the creature.

”Is… is that monster… vibrating…?” She shook her head in disbelief, and watched as the creature did indeed twitch in place for a moment before dashing off at high speed through the reeds and vanishing into the distance.

”Wait… huh?” Frisk questioned, stepping forward. “What do you m-umph?!”

The boy grunted as he fell face first into the grass, his hand grazing against another echo flower blooming among the blades. He stifled his protests the moment he felt that familiar texture, unwilling to disrupt whatever wish was imprinted here. However what he heard was not the wish, dream or lament he’d come to expect from the strange flora.

Instead… a soft, quiet voice whispered around them.

”These shoes… I.. I can’t. They’re soaked…” A small grunt interrupted the hushed muttering. “Just.. gotta dry them a little…” 
 
Vaguely, Frisk could hear the sound of two small thuds accompanied by some squishing noises. Footsteps?

”Hey! You! Stop right there!” Another voice yelled, causing the first one to gasp in surprise. What followed was a loud rustling, like a hurried attempt to flee that faded gradually as the Echo faded once again.
 
Frisk lifted his head, listening thoughtfully to the Flower’s voice. It was far different from the other Echoes he’d heard up until now. Those had been deliberate recordings, preserving one’s wishes to be heard by those who came after. This one felt more like an audio recorder that had been left running which had picked up something it shouldn’t have. Contemplating this, Frisk carefully rolled away from the Echo Flower, hoping to get up as quietly as possible.
 
A hiss of surprise left his lips as he felt an uncomfortable pressure upon his back. Two hard lumps of something hidden within the grass dug into his back, reminding the boy of how he came to be in this position in the first place. Lily chuckled at his predicament, having been too distracted by the strange monster she’d seen to have heard the flower. Nevertheless, she grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled him to his up.

”You okay?” she asked as he got to his feet.
 
“Ugh… yeah.” Frisk nodded before grumbling under his breath about falling on his face again.
 
“Guess gravity sucks, huh?” She asked, with a chuckle while helping to steady him as he wiped down his shirt.
 
“Says the one who doesn’t have to worry about that.” Frisk retorted, but from the grin spreading on his face it was clear the joke had helped.
 
“What did you trip on anyway?”
 
“I dunno. There’s something in the grass there.” He replied, feeling his way carefully to the spot where he’d fallen.
 
Lily watched over his shoulder as the boy dug through the grass and soil. Eventually, the space was cleared and there, she saw them, half buried in the soil.

A pair of ballet shoes faded from the elements and covered in a light smattering of dirt.

Raising an eyebrow she grabbed Frisk’s hand, and guided him to where they lay, placing a finger to her lips as this once again took them near the Echo Flower. Feeling the touch of something neither grass nor soil, Frisk understood and worked at removing them from the ground before they both pulled away to leave the flower alone.

”Shoes?” Frisk asked.

”Ballet shoes…” Lily clarified.
 
The boy tilted his head, his face twisted in thought. “That echo flower… that wasn’t a wish, it was a recording.”
 
“Huh?”
 
“When I fell, I ended up touching the flower and heard what was on it. There were a few voices. One was quiet, like it was trying not to be heard… it said something about those shoes, and then there were a couple of others further away that sounded like they were chasing the first one.” Frisk explained what he heard before turning thoughtful for a moment. “I’m not sure why… but something tells me those belonged to another human.”
 
“Really?” Lily asked, before she thought about it for a second. “Wait… we found that tutu earlier, right? You think they go together?”
 
“Probably.” Frisk agreed.

”Mom did say that other humans have fallen before.” The spectral girl’s expression turned concerned. “A- and if that’s the case, they would have probably been captured… Like Papyrus tried to do…”

”Or killed… Like Undyne tried and succeeded to do…” Frisk finished somberly. All Lily could do was nod, coming to the same conclusion.
 
It was an ominous thought, but the one that made the most sense. The memory of Toriel’s warning flashed through his mind.
 
‘I have seen it, time and again. Humans come… they leave… they die.’
 
Unlike Lily, the boy could not see the bleached, faded color they held, but their depth in the earth and the bits of grass having threaded their way through them told him all he needed to know. These shoes were old. Probably as old as the tutu. A more painful memory brought the faded ribbon and plastic knife they’d found in the Ruins to mind. Were these also once the possessions of another child?
 
Just how many had come before them?

After a few moments of silence Frisk finally pulled himself from his thoughts. “Well… We shouldn’t leave them. We took the tutu. Maybe we should take these too… Whatcha think Lily?”

”You’re right. I think we should.” She gave him a reassuring smile as he placed the shoes into the bag with everything else. “And this time, not just because I think you would look cute in them.”
 
“Oh, come on!” Frisk groaned, but her contagious laughter eventually had him smiling as well.

Once done she drifted up once again, this time hoping to find a path of some kind. Glancing left and right it looked like the grasses stretched forever. She was about to resign herself to simply pick a direction when her eye caught sight of a familiar shock of yellow. In the distance she spotted Kidd alongside a small monster with a dome-like container on its head who seemed to be… washing him?
 
Shaking her head she returned quickly to Frisk, who was currently running his fingers thoughtfully over the bluish grass.

”I see Kidd down there. Maybe we should go see how he’s doing? He might know of a better place to hide than the uh.. dark tunnel…” She let out a small shudder, worrying her lip slightly before grabbing Frisk’s hand once more and walking in the direction of their yellow colored friend.
After a moment of walking Kidd turned away from the other monster only to see them heading his way.
 
“Yo, Frisk! Heya, Lily!” He called out, correctly assuming that the invisible girl was with her more solid companion. He quickly ran over to them, shaking the water from his face.

Raising a brow, Lily looked to Frisk, silently asking if she should merge with him again to which he nodded. Seeing the conformation she smiled before quickly focusing on his SOUL and disappearing into the particles of light, only to re-appear as the glowing red eye of magic.

””Hey Kidd!”” They both replied before Lily broached the question on both of their minds. “Who was that?”

”Huh? Oh you mean Woshua! They’re nice, I guess. They really like to clean things though… Kinda weird. BUT, they were super nice to wash my face after I fell into some mud earlier.” The armless lizard chuckled, falling into step with the two humans as they continued walking in the direction they were heading in when they approached him.

”Well at least you’re okay. That was really nice of them.” Frisk mused, pretty much letting Lily control his legs while he focused on listening to everything around them through the roaring of all the distant waterfalls.

”Yeah! It happened because I was trying to chase Undyne earlier. I wanted to see her beat up some bad guys! But I tripped. Like that’s new right?”

Both Frisk and Lily stiffened at the mention of Undyne. Both for slightly different reasons. For Lily, the sight of her friend impaled to the boardwalk flashed across her mind. Frisk meanwhile once again felt the phantom pain searing across his lower back. His fingers immediately went to rub the spot gently.

Lily was the first to recover, taking control quickly as to avoid any questions from their balance impaired friend. “Y-yeah. Nothing new there… Do you uh.. Know which way she went?”

Kidd grinned, jerking his head into a direction to his left. “Yeah. Last I saw her she was heading for the lake. I didn’t see where she went but I think she may have dived into the water.” He gave his best attempt at a shrug. “Can’t be sure though. With that armor and everything. But man! Is she sooo coooool!”
 
‘So the tunnel put us out on the other side of the lake…’ Lily mused now that they had an idea of their location. ‘That’s good, I guess.’

They began to turn a corner, heading in the direction of a distant rockface. Frisk was just about to open his mouth to respond when a loud popping noise resounded beside them. The three children let out simultaneous screams of surprise. Spinning in place quickly had Lily about ready to start ripping someone’s ear off for scaring them only to come face to face with a… slightly dizzy Sans.

”uh.. think I mighta misjudged that ‘cut…” The skeleton mumbled before realizing he had an audience. “oh, heya kids… whats up?” He grinned.

”’What’s up?’ ‘WHAT’S UP’!? You nearly gave us heart attacks! And I don’t even have one right now!” Lily all but yelled at the smiling comedian.
 
“whoa, didn’t mean to be so cold blooded.” Sans countered, throwing up his hands in a mock gesture of peace. “but i thought you’d be a little more thick-skinned than that.”
 
Lily snickered lightly. “Keep that up, and I’m gonna have a bone to pick with you.”
 
Sans simply shrugged his shoulders and grinned wider. “what can i say? i just can’t help bein’ a bit of a numbskull.”
 
“Pfff… okay, okay. You win.” she giggled.
 
Sans chuckled a little, calmly relishing his ‘victory’ along with the opportunity for a pun off. Up until now, the only other person he’d found who seemed to share his love for jokes so much was that old lady in the Ruins. It didn’t take much to figure out, but he still remembered the initial surprise when he learned that his new joke buddy was the queen herself! Then again, here he was standing before a kid who could control time, who was sharing his SOUL with another kid who he was joking with now. In hindsight, rubbing shoulders with the Queen of Monsters didn’t seem all that strange.
 
‘kinda weird how i always think of Tori when i talk to this kid… bet she’d like her.’
 
Frisk grinned inwardly at the exchange. He too had begun to feel a little more comfortable around Sans even if he hadn’t quite gotten over his initial anxiety. Yet, at the same time it felt like something was… off. He didn’t sense any hostility in the skeleton’s voice, so he felt pretty certain he wasn’t upset at them. And yet, his initial tone, just before he noticed them, as well as how starkly it changed afterword gave Frisk reason to think.
 
Something was bothering him.
 
“Sans? Are you okay?” The boy asked.
 
Sans just managed to avoid wincing at the simple but piercing question. His conversation with Alphys as well as the resurfacing of that… rather painful memory had shaken his stoic mask if only briefly. He knew he’d let his guard down for a minute but didn’t expect anyone to notice. It was so easy to underestimate this kid.
 
“no biggie.” He lied. “just ran into a bit of a snag before i popped in.”
 
“Do you need any help?” Frisk asked. “I might not be able to do much, but…”
 
The skeleton paused for a moment. After his meeting with the royal scientist there was a lot that needed discussing. Yet, the yellow monster child standing behind them didn’t look like he was going anywhere fast what with him staring like that. His presence would make any discussions of that particular nature… difficult to say the least.
 
There seemed to be nothing for it but to wait for a better opportunity. Sans still needed to get his thoughts together anyway
 
“nah, don’t worry about it. besides, i didn’t mean to get between you an the yellow guy there.” Sans nodded to Kidd, who simply stared, wide-eyed at the pudgy boneman. “we can chat a bit later.”
 
Frisk nodded in understanding. “Alright.”
 
“welp, be careful… and say ‘hey’ to pap if you run into him.” Sans said with a lazy wave. “see ya.”
 
With that, Sans took his leave, shuffling his way up the path ahead of them through the damp soil, uncaring of the grime that began to accumulate on his slippers. The two children silently watched him go until he was just a speck at the edge of the marsh.
 
“Huh, now that you mention it, he was acting a little weird, wasn’t he?” Lily said internally.
 
“I don’t think he wanted to talk about it with Kidd here, though.” Frisk observed. “I guess we’ll just have to ask him later.”
 
As one, the two turned their attention to their aforementioned companion, who hadn’t said a word since Sans arrived. He continued to stare in the direction the skeleton went. Frisk and Lily raised a collective brow while the latter waved a hand before the monster’s face.
 
“Uh… Kidd?” She asked.
 
“Dude…” Kidd said, eyes sparkling. “That… was awesome! He just appeared out of nowhere! Man, if I could do that I wouldn’t be falling down all the time!”
 
Frisk grinned a little at the little monster’s excitement. “Yeah, he’s gotten me and Lily with that a few times. You never know when he’s going to show up.”
 
“I wonder what other stuff he can do.” Kidd was practically bouncing. “Think he’d tell me if I asked?”
 
“You can try. Don’t know how far you’ll get with how thick-skulled he is though.” Lily giggled. “Besides, I thought you were obsessed with Undyne.”
 
A switch clicked on in Kidd’s head the moment the ghost girl spoke the name. “Oh yeah, Undyne! I was trying to find her when I ran into you guys. Man, I gotta go… I don’t want to miss her doing anything cool!”
 
Before he’d even finished the sentence Kidd was off like a spiky lightning bolt, dashing off in the direction Sans had headed moments before. Frisk and Lily were content to let him go pursue his hero, but in the midst of their conversation they’d forgotten an important detail: they didn’t exactly know where to go… and the only person who might be able to point them on their way was disappearing into the distance.
 
“Wait a minute, Kidd! Come back!” Lily cried as the two turned to chase after the speedy lizard monster.
 
Lily directed, lending what corrections she could to their direction while Frisk’s short but quick legs carried them along the path. By now, Kidd was little more than a speck in the distance but the girl still noticed him turning to the left, passing by the nearby tunnel and continuing on. Noting this, she refocused her efforts on guiding her solid friend.
 
Eventually, the two reached the distant rockface, where the path diverged into a number of directions. At Lily’s insistence, the two turned down the path immediately to their left and resumed the chase. The path was long and straight, and seemed pretty dry, a welcome contrast from the winding trails slick with mud they’d traveled so far.
 
“Do you see him?” Frisk asked, slowing to stop to take stock of their surroundings.
 
“No…” Lily said, confused. “I was sure he came this way.”
 
“You sure he didn’t take another path?” Frisk suggested.
 
“The only other one down this way was that tunnel, and I saw him ignore it.” Lily countered. “I don’t get it… he should be here.”
 
The two fell silent, at a complete loss of what to do next. If they kept going this way it was more likely they’d run into Undyne herself by the time they found Kidd… but with no knowledge of where to go or how to keep the dark knight off their trail, they were at a complete loss.
 
It was during this silent contemplation that Frisk noticed something… strange. Where as before he could hear the sound of rushing water and the whisper of wind between the grasses, here the only sound he could detect was that of his own breathing. When had it suddenly gotten so quiet… and why? Even the buzz of magic, so prevalent in the Underground was silent.
 
It was unnerving.
 
He was about to ask Lily about this, when a gasp from the girl in question drew his attention.
 
“What’s wrong?” Frisk asked with concern.
 
“There’s… a door here.” Lily answered, bewildered.
 
“Huh?”
 
Just as she said, nestled within the dark blue stone was a door, not unlike one found on a house but for the fact that it was drained entirely of color. The surface, knob, and hinges were all the same bleached gray, and seemed embedded directly into the wall itself. The strangest thing of all however was that it seemed to cast no shadow, even in the places where it met the stone around it. If anything, it almost seemed to glow with its own otherworldly light.
 
Though Frisk could not see it, its presence almost seemed to call to him. It felt… desperate. Like whatever lay beyond was calling out, begging to be heard. The boy reached out, and placed his hand upon the ice cold knob.
 
His fingers retracted an instant later, as a pain began to throb through his head.
 
“Wha- Frisk?! What happened?!” Lily cried, as the boy pressed a hand against his temple.
 
“My head…” He muttered clutching his temples in a vain attempt to stop the ringing in his ears. “I… I don’t like this place.”
 
Lily found herself sharing that thought. “Me either. Let’s get out of here, okay?”
 
With some effort, Frisk managed to pull himself away from the door, and the two retreated hastily back the way they came. They didn’t notice the gray door slowly fading into nothing behind them, leaving only a wall of blank stone behind…
 
In time, they returned once more to the junction where they lost Kidd. With nothing left to do they set their pace down the path they’d come from, none of the others seemed to have many places to hide but at least here, they had the grasses and shallows to dive into if need be.
 
“I wonder what that place was?” Lily pondered. “Who puts a door in the middle of a big rock like that?”
 
“I don’t know… the whole place felt weird.” The boy said, shuddering at the dead stillness he felt before that door. “I’m glad it’s behind us.”
 
Despite his words, the red child couldn’t suppress his own thoughtfulness on the matter. Had it not been for the sudden headache he’d experience, he may well have opened that door. Even now, he felt the gradually fading pull of some sort of presence, like the fading voice of someone desperate to not be left behind. In his chest, he felt the far more knowable pain of sympathy but forced it aside. There was something… not entirely right about that place. The logical part of his brain told him it was not something he should get involved in right now.
 
The emotional part prayed that the day would eventually come.
 
He forced the conflicting thoughts aside and eventually even the ‘voice’ beyond the door faded completely.
 
They continued on, the ground growing wetter the further they traveled, until eventually stable earth gave way to thick mud. Frisk’s boots sank frustratingly into the muck, squelching loudly as they walked. Passing beneath a rocky overhang they eventually emerged into another clearing. There were less Echo Flowers here, but high above the glittering stones shined down in abundance, casting the area in pale luminescence.
 
There, sitting beneath one of the glowing mushrooms was a peculiar monster. It was off-white, and shaped almost like a tear drop with eyes. Though it lacked a mouth, its voice spoke with clarity as it gazed at the stones above.
 
“O’ stars, shining in the heavens above. Please, send your Angel unto us.” It sounded like a prayer. “Let us be free, so that I might look upon you with my own eyes…”
 
The small monster did not seem to notice them as it gazed rapturously upon the stones. It was clear to both children that it would not be polite to interrupt. They watched for a while as the little monster stared reverently at the stones glimmering above, beautiful in their own right, but a pale imitation of the real thing. It only served as further proof of the kingdom’s plight.
 
‘We’ll make those wishes come true…’ Frisk thought, convicted. At his side, Lily’s own expression mirrored his thoughts. ‘We just need to find out how…’
 
Taking care to be as quiet as possible, they made their way around leaving the little teardrop to their prayers.
 
Eventually, the ground began to rise, as the soft mud again gave way to slick stone. Climbing to the top of the path, the children found themselves at the mouth of another cavern. A long slab of rock covered in moss formed a natural bridge above a vast expanse of water.
 
The two continued on their path, Frisk taking care to keep his footing on the unsure ground. Lily drifted ahead, occasionally glancing into the water on either side, and relaying what kind of monsters she saw to Frisk. In the middle of the lake below, she noticed a huge yellow, tentacled monster who looked as if they were sleeping.

Shivering from the cold, Frisk followed close behind the floating Lily as they traveled further, eventually finding themselves in another large room. There was much less water here, just a small pond in the center of the chamber, surrounded on all sides by solid earth and stone. Puffing warm air into his hands the boy stood at the entrance, watching his friend as she took a look around.
 
It was at that point he heard the sound of soft whispering coming from the far corner.

”My dear, you MUST practice! You are much much to shy! I need to hear you!” The voice spoke.
 
By this point, Lily too had noticed the source of the noise. A monster, it’s shape reminding her of a slug, or a lizards tail twitched in frustration as it spoke to another nearby. The small fish monster murmured softly, the antenna on her head shuddering in fear. She seemed to shrink at the voice of the other, hiding behind a sheet of dark green hair as if trying to make herself invisible. Seeing this, the first creature’s expression softened at it continued in a gentler tone.
 
”You can do it. I know you can. If you can’t do it for yourself do it for Maiada and Thimon.” The end of the monsters body came up to brush the small fish’s cheek. “It will be okay. I miss them too. Which is why we need to live on for them…”

”They look so sad… I wonder what’s wrong?” Lily said softly, her heart reaching for the shy girl. She continued to watch them as Frisk frowned, probably hearing more than she did.

”I want to help… but maybe now isn’t a good time.” The boy mumbled, with a shake of his head. “It seems really personal, you know?”
 
“Probably. Yeah… I guess we should keep going, huh?” Lily agreed reluctantly.

Nodding they continued forward, walking through another narrow corridor, leading into a small  room beyond. The glowing moss blossomed along the walls greatly, probably due to the water streaming down the walls. From Frisk’s perspective the constant trickle of water was almost disorienting, and yet occasionally his ears picked up the sound of a light pattering, as if somewhere in the room the water fell freely from above.
 
Winding her gaze about the room, Lily’s eyes found that very spot. Immediately she froze, her gaze focused upon a statue sitting on one side of the room, her eyes widening as she took it in.

The large statue, about a foot or so taller than her sat against the wall on the left, the only place in this chamber where the water fell like rain. It was broken and ruined, most details having been worn away from the water continuously raining down on it from a weathered hole in the ceiling. It struck Lily as looking similar to Toriel in the way it was built. However, the horns adoring its head were much larger and it had a much wider face. It clearly was not depicting the kindly matron in the Ruins and yet… her heart was still struck by a painful sense of familiarity.

As the ghostly girl went to move forward she was only distantly aware of Frisk grasping her hand.

”Lily? W-what is it?” The boy asked, concerned as his friend’s gazed seemed to be locked on something he couldn’t see.

”Huh..? Oh yeah… It’s just- It’s a statue. But it looks…sad?” She wondered aloud.
 
She continued to stare at the statue, a mysterious sense of longing coming over her. Its ruined arms were outstretched as if it was meant to be holding something. Lowering her eyes to the space beneath she saw the rubble around the statue’s crossed legs. For a moment, she thought she saw details of what looked like hair on one of the larger pieces, suggesting that it was meant to be the head of another figure, yet everything else had been washed away by the constant moisture making it impossible to know who or what it might have been depicting.

”Why would something like that be out here in the middle of nowhere?” Frisk observed, reaching out a hand and catching one of the droplets of water.

”I don’t know. But it feels like… it’s calling to me.” She confessed.

A grin pulled at Frisk’s lips. Daring to hope, he nudged her forward “Well then lets go. It might be something of your past!”

Smiling uncertainly Lily nodded, gripping his hand tighter before pulling him along. She approached slowly, almost reverently, as if afraid to damage it further. Frisk remained silent behind her, unwilling to interrupt what might be an important breakthrough in her memory. At last, Lily hovered face to face with the statue. Drifting up, she made her way carefully around it to get a better look.

Frisk moved his hand out to touch the weathered stone, hoping to get an understanding of it as well. The subterranean water falling upon it pelted against his hand, in a way that felt distantly familiar. It was at that moment he began to feel a familiar pain as he was assaulted by another vision.

”Oh yeah. The rain…” Frisk said, as a few drops of water pelted him in the face.

”Yeah. Come on dude. There’s a stand of umbrellas a little further on. We can barrow one from there! You’ll have to hold it though of course!” Kidd laughed, running forward before stopping next to the stand. “They're right here!”

”Coming!” Frisk forced a grin, following the voice of the reptilian monster, past the crumbling structure at his side.
 
He didn’t really need the yellow monster to point them out. He’d been through this same path a number of times already, and they were always in the same place. But Kidd didn’t know that. None of them did… so Frisk deigned to continue the charade. Someday, he wouldn’t have to pretend anymore.
 
Gripping the handle of one of the umbrellas, he pulled it from the receptacle before his sightless gaze turned back to the mournful looking statue. How many times had he walked passed it before noticing? When had these loop of time gotten so routine that he found himself contemplating the fate of a bit of wet stone? And yet, even as he thought of it he remembered the day he came here - how heavy the rain had felt when it clung to his hair and clothes. He couldn’t leave it like this.
 
“I’ll be right back.”

Shaking his head Frisk placed the palm of his hand to his left eye, rubbing the soreness out. Looking at Lily who was now frowning at the ceiling like her gaze would make the rain stop gave the boy an idea.

”Stay right here Lily, I’ll be right back, okay?” He warned his friend.

Lily blinked, taking a moment to process what her friend said. “Oh… okay. Don’t go to far. I don’t want Undyne to sneak up on us.” Misunderstanding his intentions, she gave a small smirk. Far be it for her to deny him the call of nature. At least it gave her more time to study the statue.

”Okay. Promise.” Giving a thumbs-up Frisk quickly made his way further down the path, feeling around with his stick until it hit something along the wall to his left. Reaching out his free hand, he was met with the curved handle of an umbrella. Grinning happily he took one, and quickly made his way back to his ghostly companion before showing his prize proudly. “Lily! Lets put this on it!”

Lily jumped slightly, not having expected him to be back so soon. ‘Well, that was quick.’
 
The girl whipped around only to be met with an umbrella opening in her face. She answered with a startled squeak as she jumped back slightly, before a laugh broke free from her lips.

’What the… I was completely off…’ The specter thought with a mental facepalm.
 
”Great idea Frisk. Come on let’s put it right here.” She said aloud, guiding her blind friend to place the umbrella in a spot within the statue’s hand that seemed like it would hold the shelter tightly. With a satisfied grin, she then motioned for Frisk to come closer and pointed to a small heart-shaped recess in the chest. There was something inside. “Look what I found. It looks like a music box! Can you pull it out and play it?” She asked with glee.

”Of course. Just lemme…” He reached in, his small fingers making quick work of pulling the box from its resting place. After feeling around its surface, he eventually found the ratchet and carefully turned it a couple times. Hoping it still had the power to play, the boy released it.
 
A soft, chiming melody began to chime from the delicate trinket, washing over both children with its song. Letting out a breath of relief, Frisk held out the box for the two of them to listen…

Lily’s eyes widened, the notes ringing in her ears as a feeling of home and safety washed over her. Phantoms of memory coursed through her head, too far to make out, but the feelings they held were unmistakable.
 
“I.. I know… I know this song?” She asked in a whisper, her lip trembling slightly as the tune faded out.

Worried for his friend but also wanting to help her, Frisk turned the crank, winding it as far as it could go to make the song last longer. Again the melody trilled into the cavern as the boy cradled the music box that so fascinated his companion, hoping against hope that it would not be for nothing. He wasn’t disappointed for after another minute of listening to the song...

Lily began to sing.

”It was so very long ago.
That we were cast down below.
But our future is so bright.
With this loving child of light.
 
Monsters had begun to hope.
And our hearts swelled with love.
With the prince of our world’s future.
We will start to rise above.”
 
Frisk listened as the spectral girl’s voice followed the melody of the music box. An odd mixture of familiarity and discovery tugged at his mind. Given what he now knew about himself it was almost certain that he had stumbled upon the statue and the music box it held before. However, the lyrics added by his friend were something entirely new. This was certain.
 
The music box continued to play, even after Lily’s voice grew quiet, yet her eyes remained locked onto where the statue sat. She almost seemed to be in a trance as she listened quietly to each note. Carefully cradling that source of precious memory, Frisk approached the statue once more, feeling about its surface for the recess and returned the music box to its place. Still, the song played without slowing, filling the chamber with its melancholy lullaby. Once done, the boy returned to Lily’s side, content to give her the time she needed.
 
“Hey… Frisk?” She spoke after a moment, though her eyes were still locked on the statue.
 
“Yeah?”
 
“Can we… stay here?” She asked absently. “Just for a little while?”
 
The boy reached up and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Sure… whatever you need.”
 
A nod was all the response that she gave, but Frisk could still smell the rosy scent of her thankfulness. Then slowly she approached the statue, settling herself down on the ground between its arms while the umbrella sheltered them both. Her eyes closed and her head lowered as she continued to listen to the song. In his mind Frisk tried to picture the statue behind her, its arms wrapped around her in a gentle embrace.
 
It seemed fitting… like that was exactly as it was meant to be.