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Sunshine crept in through the Judgement Hall. Serenity filled those inside, breathing in the perfume of Mother Nature. And the only one residing in it was a small, chubby skeleton: Sans.
Sans wasn’t compensated by money for his job, though that did not mean it lacked any pay. A type of community service, at least that’s how he thought of it. In truth, he didn’t do this job particularly well, he chuckled to himself. By principle he was a total pushover and would let anybody pass.
But here, that principle would be tested.
The skeleton had already been expecting the human to come through. Their name was Frisk, a small, chubby child much like himself. They were quaint enough at first, enjoying Sans’s puns as if they were meeting an old friend. Although, things weren’t all fine and dandy between them. Sans had been watching them; he’d seen the mismatch between their words and actions. Frisk slew others, hunting them and claiming their money as their own. The kid knew how to counter the monsters’ moves, dodging masterfully between dozens of attacks. Sometimes they’d go as far as taunting them before ending their life, threatening to go after their family.
Sans saw how the EXP trickled upward, how the LV increased, and how emotionally distant they became, even if they played face. He was fully aware of all their little tricks and stratagems. They were an anomaly, something with the power to change fate itself to the child’s liking. Yet, Sans refused to believe so at the start. This wasn’t their first rodeo in their Underground; that was more than apparent.
Small steps approached with ferocity.
Sans closed his eyes, sighing in preparation. He’d memorized his speech and could predict exactly what the human would say. Part of him was not ready to face them. Unwilling to confront reality that often spooked Sans into nihilistic submission. But there was no going back now, was there? He had to be a righteous judge; Papyrus would’ve been proud of that, he mused.
In front of him the human now stood, as if awaiting their judgement. Bells tolled for the wicked, and the birds faltered in the face of evil. No more tranquility, no more respite.
Sans held his tone as neutral as he could manage. Inevitably, cracks of hostility still seeped through. “So you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand. Together... You will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned. What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for ‘execution points.’ A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for ‘Level of Violence.’ A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others.“
Time to skip the formalities. His next words came not from a prefabricated script but from Sans’s own mind. He knew finally confess his rage one way or another, but again, what kind of judge would he be if he didn’t? “...truthfully, it doesn't really matter what you said. all that's important is that you were honest with yourself. what happens now... we leave up to you.” His face heeded no change; Sans’s self-control was superb—yet coming to an end. The human’s sins would not go unnoticed, not by him, not by anyone. “though... one thing about you always struck me as kinda odd. now, i understand acting in self-defense. you were thrown into those situations against your will. but... sometimes... you act like you know what's gonna happen. like you've already experienced it all before. this is an odd thing to say, but... if you have some sort of special power... isn't it your responsibility to do the right thing?”
They said no.
What audacity of the human to deny accountability for their own actions? When he lost friends and family that he held dear because of this determined devil? It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that this power was owned by such a horrible being, with a disregard for everything but themselves.
‘Damn them!’ Sans thought, ‘Damn them for coming here and turning their happy, freedomless world into a broken, freedomless world.’
What could really be done at this point, other than give his judgment and depart? He was no parole, he was no law, and he was certainly no justice. One day, nevertheless, somebody embodying justice for the Underground would come... At least he hoped...
“heh,” he said, tone laced with fury. “well, that’s your viewpoint. i won’t judge you for it.”
Sans closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself and conceal his true emotions. But, like a dam that bursts after too much water has overflowed into it, he could no longer resist it. “You dirty brother killer.”
There was no more business left to be had with the puny human. With a conscience that weighed heavy on his inaction, he teleported in front of the child—secrecy be damned. His sins, though, would be known only to himself. The files of his sloth, regardless of the cause, would be forever engraved in his mind, never to be erased. It’d be a mark he’d have to forever carry onward and into his future.
Maybe Grillby’s would be open, and he’d let him eat away his despairs like he’d done before. Just that this time, instead of his usual, perhaps he’d order a larger bottle of ketchup now.