Chapter Text
The first thing the soul felt was a sharp, ripping pain. How it knew what it was it didn’t know.
He knew. He knew because he died and it hurt-
And it didn’t know who he was, but he was him and him was he.
Everything felt wrong, he didn’t have what the other him did but he knew what he was missing he just couldn’t get the right words.
Blinking open his eyes he looked around the best he could. He was in a weird place, a robed being walking around and… checking things? Doing weird things with his hands and even tapping away on something.
“ What are you doing? ” No sound was made, but the being turned around, eye…things lighting up.
“You can soul speak.” The being laughed, it sounded horrifying and the little soul shook.
“ What is soulspeak? ” The tiny soul responded, his body not moving but he was working the best he could to move.
Suddenly the pain was back as the being pressed a button.
He screamed and screamed, everything hurt why where his bones out of his skin?! Why?! Why does it hurt?!
“Magical output is good.” The being nodded to his thing in his hands.
“ Why hurt me? ” The little soul finally got out, his phalanges flexing.
“Hurt you? No no 000 you are not to be hurt, I am checking your vitals. Then I can release you.”
“ I… am 000? ”
The being scowled, his white features coated over with disdain. The same ripping sharp pain came through once more. The little soul then made a true sound from the body that he was connected to.
But it wasn’t his body. It was wrong. His body was tall and strong not weak and small.
A screamed rung out in the building, it was deep and low, but high and pitched at the same time, two voices merging into one.
“Now 000. Let’s get to know each other.” The smile on the being was cold and cruel and the little soul, no, 000, hated it, wanted it to go away.
The place 000 was in opened, and the being moved him, somehow, some unknown way, to a chair. He was strapped down immediately, his tiny, weak body unable to fight against it.
“000. While we get to know each other you will feel a pinch of pain. I just need to check your soul.”
“ Yes. ”
“I am Gaster. You shall refer to me as Sir.”
“ Yes.. sir. ”
“000, how long have you been conscious?”
“ Conscious? ” 000 did not know what being conscious was, was it good? Was it bad? The other him had slight knowledge on what it was but the other him was fuzzy and.
It hurt! It hurt just like when-
The memory cut off almost immediately, 000 thrashing in the restraints as Gaster had taken a hold of his soul and turned it around and poked at it.
“Hmm… mostly monster, slight green. Kindness would be determined as the donors main soul type.” Gaster spoke, mostly to himself. “Some blue and yellow, integrity and justice as well. More kindness. Need to get rid of that.”
000’s mind latched onto that word, green. Green was good, he needed to stay green. “Donor soul especially strong. Potentially stronger then a boss monsters.” 000s mind kept latching onto any and all information, no matter the pain he was in.
000 knew he didn’t like Gaster, didn’t know why, but Gaster was scary, Gaster was horrible. Gaster invoked other hims fear, and other him didn’t seem like the type to be scared.
His mind wuickly caught on that the other him was the donor soul Gaster kept speaking about. He’d protect other him from now on. It was his turn to protect, to take the pain. Making his first promise, however unspoken, caused a surge of magic so strong it knocked out the lights.
Gasters eyelights flashed to him, anger flaring. “Did you try to summon an attack 000?”
“ What is… attack sir? ”
Gaster formed a beast, who floated at his side. “This is an example of an attack 000. Do watch closely.” Gaster snapped, the beast sending out a stream of light towards the now discarded area 000 had been in.
“Try to summon one. I need to register your magic.”
Within a moment a beast popped into being beside him, she, how did he know she was a she? Was it other him who know? She immediately floated down, laying beside him.
“Good. Dissipate it.”
Doing so, 000 breathed in shakily, using magic was easy, like breathing, but it also felt like he was using other him to fuel himself.
“We start your training tomorrow 000. Be ready.” Was the last words Gaster spoke, before he left, leaving 000 all alone in the dark of the building with nothing but a burning in his soul. His shared soul.
“ Hello? ” He called out, hoping other him would anwser.
The pain, the cold, the needles, the pricks, it all hurt so bad and it wouldn’t stop it’d never stop. Other him gave up, other him lost HoPe.
The next day when Gaster came back he let 000 out, stretching out his phalanges weakly 000 snorted softly, his hands looked like the fake skeletons you put out on Halloween.
Freezing he made a fist, that was a other him memory, other him communicated! At that he felt elated.
Gasters training started simple, getting him to walk and move. It went like that until 000 got the hang of it, and could move freely. Running came next, Gaster made him run until he dropped, and then run some more. It felt like he was conditioning 000’s body for something.
War.
Other him supplied, flashes of dead bodies, dust floating, flashed through his mind. A pretty blue, slowly going dull. Ruby , other him supplied once more. The pretty blue, Ruby, other him had held great affection for, not like the kind of affection 000 held for other him, but similar.
After that came the magic training, 000 had reserves that ran deep, and apparently would keep growing as he grew. Gaster was proud of that, of choosing a good Donor soul. The first time Gaster ran him into magic exhaustion was horrible, memories from other him flashed through his mind over and over, he couldn’t stop shaking and shivering until a week later. Gaster never ran him to magic exhaustion again.