Chapter Text
It was finally over. I managed to SAVE him. Had I couldn't figure it out sooner, I might die over and over again and then the cycle will continue. With my Determination, I called out Asriel and finally broke out the cycle of never ending battle of control. I once approached to Asriel who was weeping with tears. He finally spoke up to me.
"I'm so sorry." was the first thing he says.
"I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara? ...I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? She's been gone for a long time. Um... what... what is your name?"
"Frisk" I replied.
"That's... a nice name." He spoke up "Frisk... I haven't felt like this for a long time. As a flower, I feel soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone's soul inside me... I nor only have my compassion back... But I can feel every other monster as well. They all care about each other so much. And... they care about you too, Frisk. I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus, Sans, Alphys, Undyne and even Toriel too. Monsters are weird. Even though they barely know you... It feels like they really like you."
Asriel starts to laugh lightly, not in a creepy way but a delightful one. Suddenly, Asriel's smile turned into miserable one. He felt sad.
"Frisk... I... I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, families, bystanders... There's no excuse for what I've done."
Asriel knew what he meant, he used his DETERMINATION powers to toy with every monster-kind in the underground. Ever since he became a flower, he lost all sense of feelings inside of him. His mind became twisted and warped with malice ever since I first met him. Now, if I were in his shoes, I could've felt what he was feeling too. But that was all in the past, I made up my mind and said my piece to him.
"I couldn't care less what you did back then but, I forgive you" I said to Asriel.
"Wh...what? Frisk, come on. You're... you're gonna make me cry again. Besides, even if you do forgive me, I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first, there's something I have to do."
"Do what?" I asked
"Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power... With everyone's determination... It's time for monsters... To finally go free."
By saying this, Asriel closed his eyes and he begins to chant something. Not sure why but when I saw all the six human souls and the entire monster souls, I knew Asriel is going to set them free. With what's left of its power, I can see the barrier has been destroyed. Afterwards, Asriel opened his eye once more and he looks at me as if he was about to say something.
"Frisk, I have to go now." said Asriel.
"Where will you go?" I retorted.
"Without the power of everyone's souls, I can't keep maintain this form. In a little while, I'll turn back into a flower, I'll stop being 'myself', I'll stop being able to feel love again. So Frisk, it's best if you forget about me, okay? Just be with the people who love you."
I don't know what to say about him, he wants to me to forget? Like I even care! I approached Asriel who looks miserable and then, best thing I could do is, give him a hug. Who wanted a hug anyway. All I want him for me to say everyone cares about you! To my surprise, he hugged me back as I began to caress his head.
"Everything's going to be okay." I said confidently.
"Frisk, you always care about me that much." Asriel said weakly.
I finally let go of the hug and Asriel looked at me one more time.
"Frisk, you're going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do, everyone will be there for you, okay?"
Before Asriel begin to walk out of my sight, he said this to me. "My time is running out, goodbye." But he look back at me one last time. "By the way, Frisk? Take care of Mom and Dad for me, okay?"
"I will!" I yelled proudly at him. Asriel smiled as everything starts fading to white.
As I woke up, I saw everyone. Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys and Asgore were all here. They said that the barrier has been broken down. They remember that we were attacked by Flowey but they don't remember what happens afterwards. I soon remember that I have to talk to everyone that the barrier finally broken. At best, I could revisit my the very first place I've fallen down. Soon as I made my way to the ruins, I saw Asriel looking at the golden flowers, the very same place where I had fallen down.
"Those flowers are kinda pretty." I managed to start up a conversation.
"Yeah." Asriel replied. "Someone has to take care of these flowers."
"When will you turn back into flower again? Cause I don't see it happening yet."
"It's complicated, Frisk. I don't know when will I revert back to flower."
"It would be better if you come with us. At least, Toriel and Asgore would happy to see you again."
"Frisk, I can't come with you! I just can't, okay?"
"But why?" I asked
"Because, I don't want to break their hearts all over again! It would be for the better if they never see me again. Just, leave me alone." Asriel answered.
Seeing Asriel, I knew he doesn't want to break their hearts. At the very least, I just want them to know at the very least that, Asriel is still alive after all these years. I couldn't manage to speak up in the end. I just stood silent, watching a patch of golden flowers in the ruins. The silence went on for a while.
"Why are you still here?" Asriel broke the silence first. "Are you trying to keep me a company?"
"...maybe." I answered. "I like looking at flowers, that's all." The only excuse I came up with to open up to Asriel.
"Um, Frisk? Let me ask you questions. Why did you come here?" Asriel asked me. "Everyone knows the legend, right? 'Travelers who climb the Mt. Ebott are said to disappear.' Why would you climb up a mountain in the first place? Was it foolishness? Was it fate? Was it..."
"Because I managed to save someone." I answered. The entire time, that thought hasn't occurred to me until Asriel brought it up.
"Who did you save?" Asriel asked me with curiosity.
"A girl. Same age as me, long hair, green eyes, she was crying. First time I saw her, she was climbing up the mountain. I tried to stop her from climbing up the mountain because of a rumor that the people will never come back once they climbed Mt. Ebott. So I went after her and stop her from climb further into the mountain. She felt sad at first because she lost something precious to her."
"Who did she lost?"
"Her pen. She told me it was her mother's gift to her and a most precious one. Suddenly, she lost her precious pen and she couldn't face her mother if she lost it. I tried to calm her down and heck, I even told her to buy a new pen for her, an exact same replica or we'll find her missing pen together. After I said this, she said thank you and gave me a sweetest smile she could muster. Anything I could do to see her smile once again!"
"Did you do it afterward?"
"Before I commit to do it, an earthquake happen and next thing I know, I fell down into the mountain in her place and I ended up here! And that's how you and I met for the first time."
After telling Asriel how I ended up here in the first place, he couldn't help but laugh. Not everyday you get to see this mini-goat laugh and being happy for the first time.
"You know, I think I understand why Chara climbed the mountain in the first place." Asriel said to me. "It wasn't for a very happy reasons. The reason Chara climbed the mountains because she hated humanity."
"Why?" I asked Asriel.
"She never told me why she hated them. But she felt very strongly about it."
"She wanted them gone. Isn't she?" I asked.
"Yes." Asriel answered. "Chara poisoned herself with the buttercups so that she wanted me to take her soul and wants me to kill them. But I refused. Part of me never wanted to kill all those humans in the first place. In the end, I returned back to the Underground while carrying Chara's body and you know the rest, Frisk."
"I'm truly sorry." That was the only response I came up with. Why Chara did this, we'll never understand.
"Frisk, you're completely different from Chara." Asriel said out of the blue. "Though you have similar fashion choices, I don't know why I acted you were the same person?"
"Did Chara wore the same clothes as me? Or do we have same semi-long hair?" I asked Asriel.
"The truth is, Chara wasn't a greatest person I know. She always pranks me nonstop and when I cry a bit, she used to yell 'crybaby' all the time. Maybe Chara was right, I really am a crybaby because, I actually miss her a lot."
"It's okay if you want to cry Azzy, you're no crybaby. You're the sweetest friend in the entire Underground as well as the surface." There, I said it. At least Asriel might get comforted hearing those words.
"Frisk, thank you. You're the only type of friend I wish I always had." Asriel finally confessed.
"So, you gonna come with me to the surface?" I solemnly asked.
"Haha, nice try Frisk, but I'm not coming whether you like it or not." Asriel already had me there. "There's one last thing I should tell you Frisk, when Chara and I combined our SOULs, the control was actually split between us. She was the one who picked up her own empty body. And in the village, she was the one who wanted to use our full power against them. But I was the one who refused to do it. Because of me, that's how I became a flower. This whole time, I blamed myself for that decision. That's why I came up with the decision to reflect the horrible views of this world."
"Kill or be killed" I asked.
"Yes. Weird things actually came to my mind when I was a flower. But now, after meeting you, I no longer regret the decision I made back then. I made the right thing. If I killed those humans back then, we would have to wage war against humanity itself."
"And then, after getting all seven souls, humanity will be wiped out and the monsterkind will take back the Earth, isn't it?"
"Yes, you have a point. But now, everyone's free and it took this long for it to happen. Sometimes, one of the hardest decisions can't be a perfect one right?"
"The hardest choice requires the strongest wills."
"Frisk, thank you for listening to me. You should really go and be with your friends now, okay?"
"What about you? You are my friend too, right?"
"I wish I could." Asriel stood silent. "In the future, if you, um, ever see me, don't think of it as me, okay? I just want you to remember like this. Someone who was your friend a little while ago."
"You're making it more complicated than I thought."
"Oh, and Frisk? Be careful in the outside world. Despite what everyone thinks, its not as nice as you think it is. There are lot of Floweys out there and not everything can be resolved with kindness and being nice. Frisk, don't kill and don't be killed, alright?"
"I expect the same from you." I said. Then, I left him alone in the garden. Part of me felt bad about leaving him but, I don't buy a single bit that he was about to turn back into a flower despite what he's gone through.
"Hey, Asriel?" I said to him. "If we ever meet in the future, I want you to meet someone! She's a dear friend of mine!"
"Frisk, I told you I can't come-"
"Trust me! You'll like her too! She constantly nags all the time but she's a kind hearted friend too! I won't leave until you promise me!" I yelled as hard as I could.
"...fine." Asriel admitted defeat. "I'll think about it later. But, I won't be the same 'Asriel' you once knew a while ago."
"Thanks a lot, see you at the surface!" I ran back as soon as I said it. Even though, it doesn't matter in the near future, whether I'll be seeing Asriel or Flowey or a completely different person. I made Asriel to make a promise and that's what it counts.
The surface, how I longed for it to be here and this time, I'm with my friends that I made on the underground. This is what it feels like, a new chapter where humans and monsters gets to live side by side.
Just as Asgore said, this is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters. When he told me to act as the ambassador of humans. I immediatrly agree.
"WOWIE, FRISK WILL BE THE GREAT AMBASSADOR AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BECOME THE BEST MASCOT! I'LL GO AND MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!" Papyrus then ran straight down the mountains. Hopefully, few other people won't be terrified by seeing a running and talking skeleton in front of them. I really hope Papyrus's first impression isn't scaring people away.
"someone's gonna keep him from getting into trouble. see you guys," Sans literally head back to the underground even though the barrier's been destroyed.
"Man, do I have to do EVERYTHING? Papyrus, wait!!!" Undyne rushed down the mountains to went after Papyrus. Hopefully, people won't be terrified to see a talking humanoid fish coming in their way.
"Hey, Undyne!! Wait up!!" Alphys went after Undyne. Part of me were hoping they don't get to scare those humans away.
"Whoops." Asgore said it after a few moments. Then, he starts to speak up. "Should I do something?"
Toriel didn't say something instead she glared at him in hatred and disgust. Sheesh, she still didn't forgive that poor guy. I felt bad for him, nonetheless.
"Well, gotta go!" Asgore immediately bolted off, leaving only Toriel and me.
"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off." She finally spoke up, followed by a silence. Then she looks at me, presumably for the last time. "Frisk, you came from this world, right? So you must have a place to return to, do you not? What will you do now?"
"I have places to go." I said.
"I see. Well, this is goodbye then. That means, I am not keeping you around. See you around, Frisk." With that, Toriel went off to be with others while I stood around the mountain, watching the sunset flows by. I must be wondering, did I made the right choice? That's a problem for future me, I guess.
How much days has it passed since I fell down on Mt. Ebott? Is the girl safe? Did she try to warn others that I fell down and most importantly, Shoot, my Mom and Dad! They must be worried sick about me! After wasting no time, I safely climbed down to the mountain and ran as fast as my legs could take me.
I managed to get down on the mountains safely and rush back outta here where I can finally made my way through the forest and into the plains where Papyrus spotted me all of a sudden. "THERE YOU ARE FRISK! WE'RE HAVING A GROUP PHOTO! COME AND JOIN US, FRISK!"
I can't help but agreeing to having one. "Sure, I'm coming!" I said to Papyrus and rush over to them. Alphys set the timer on the camera and returned to the group and the camera finally took off. Me, Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys and Asgore were all in this picture. They all started agreeing upon themselves what to do next now the barrier's been freed. Sans stood behind me as if he wants to ask me about something.
"hey kiddo, what's the rush? you look like you're in a hurry."
"Yeah, it was my Mom and Dad. They were worried sick about me. I need to get to them as soon as possible!"
"oh i see then, i suppose this is goodbye then."
"Well, this isn't goodbye! We'll meet again soon sometime, y'know!" I feigned an optimism.
"i see, see ya frisk. you shouldn't keep your parents waiting." Sans told me. "oh don't worry about others, i should tell them sooner."
"Thank you Sans. 'Ketch-you-up' later!" I made an obvious pun before I left. That got Sans laughing.
"hehehe, same here." Sans raised his hand at me and we both held for an handshake. It was the same whoopie cushion trick I fell for again.
I ran back to the road and arrived at the hotel. As soon as I arrived at the lobby, I saw my parents carrying their luggage and are checking out at the reception center. When my parents saw me, they were in a cheerful manner.
"There you are Frisk. Sorry for taking so long." my mom said. Either my parents were taking too long packing up our belongings and checking out our room or does time work differently at Mt. Ebott. I asked my parents what time is it and my dad says it 5:00 PM. I just realized that I entered and exited the mountain while befriending each and every monsters, spending much time on the underground in just matter of three hours!?
"Sorry Frisk, we were taking too much of our time." my dad said to me. "Anyhow, time to head home?"
"Sure! It's been fun!" my mom looks cheerful. "Did you enjoy it too?"
"Y-yeah, I had fun too!" I genuinely said the truth. Had I not fell down on this mountain and got out alive? I might have given a different answer back then or not at all cause I would be dead. We left the hotel and rode the taxi back home. I wish Sans and the others are doing just fine.
It's been six years since I last climbed the mountain. I was 12 back then.