Chapter Text
A prick of the needle feels so easy to take back. After a long day drinking all her money away at the saloon, Ceroba would lay on her bed for hours. She reached her hand out into the darkness, desperately clawing the air. Maybe if her will is strong enough, if her claws strike down at the right angle, the right speed, she could tear a hole through the fabric of space and time and stop her past self. Alas, it never worked. So, she turned to her side and hugged the air, trying to remember her daughter's warmth.
After Chujin's death, Kanako could only sleep next to her. Ceroba didn't sleep for the first night after the funeral. Her arm wrapped around Kanako, pulling her in so tightly Kanako would complain. All Ceroba could do was mutter a sorry and loosen her grip. And as the night went on, Ceroba's mind never resting, Kanako's breathing would slow down as she fell asleep. Ceroba thought about how small Kanako was. How defenseless. How fragile. Her mind cast back to the time they almost lost her to a human. She was away from her daughter, not there to protect her. A pit fell to her stomach, her daughter could die before her. That is a possibility she of course knew, but she didn't understand. She thought she did at that moment as she held her daughter. The fear that struck her at that instant was one she never felt before. But it didn’t compare to the terror felt when her daughter fell into her arms, unresponsive. One moment she was laughing, excited even. The next, she was at deaths door. Her daughter fell down into a sleep she never woke from.
In her panic, She stopped responding to everyone. The house's lights shut all day as she desperately tried to take out the poison that she injected into her daughter, which most likely made Kanako's condition worse. After a week of continuous trial and error, she gave up. This wasn't working, what was done was done, and can't be taken back. She placed her left arm under Kanako's knees, and the other under her neck, making sure to grip her shoulders. As she lifted Kanako off of the desk, her head flopped back, and mouth was opened. Immediately, Ceroba let go, startled. Kanako fell on the table with a thud. The world spun around Ceroba. She closed her eyes, like she had done many times that week, and hoped she would wake up. Wake up with her daughter. But when she opened her eyes she was still in her nightmare, the world still spinning. The ground under her feet moved. She spun around and was sent meandering to the door. She gripped the frame of the door. Please wake up… Please just wake up… Please I beg you just wake up. Her head was a hundred ton weight over her shoulder crashing down onto the floor. The fall knocked her out.
She woke up. A massive headache over her head. Her eye's slowly open. Grey, Grey that black lines cut across, making small squares. Gaps between the gray tiles. In front of her were steps that went up to a trap door. She was in the basement, she realized in an instant. Has she woken up? was this all a dream all along? She quickly got up and looked behind her.
No, no, it wasn't. It was never a dream. Her daughter was still on the desk, waiting to be put to rest. Ceroba looked away. She just wanted something better, to make Chujin proud, to fulfill his legacy. This wasn't supposed to happen. Tears well up in her eyes. What has she done? Just brought shame to her husband's name. From every angle that she looked at her actions she saw the sum of all of it. Herself. A horrible destructive thing. That's what she was.
The least she could do was lay her daughter to rest. Wait until she was well and truly gone. Then… she'll deal with herself. She took Kanako off of the desk, carrying her up the stairs and into Ceroba's room. Carefully, she laid her down on the bed. Her daughter's breathing was steady, never wavering. She could hold her as tightly as she wanted. But really, there was no one left to hold anymore.
She stroked the air, trying to feel Kanako's smooth bushy hair. She wrapped her arms around nothing, desperate for that warm hug, but all that's left is the cold void left by her daughter; the frigid air that did not yield to her will. Her daughter is gone, and she has no one to blame but herself.
"Ceroba…?" Starlo says as he passes by her, pulling her out of her trance. "We'll…" He pauses holding in a sniffle "We'll be outside." He exits the balcony.
Ceroba and Clover are left alone. Cherry petals littering the floor. The wind hums above the city of New Home. “You've earned my respect,” she says. “I mean it.” Clover smiles. She extends her right arm to the side, wrist relaxed, and palm facing the sky. A medium size cylinder materializes above her hand. It's capped from both ends by a black plastic, or metal, it's hard to tell. Between the caps the cylinder is made of glass. Clover's stomach churns, and their throat is parched. They are reminded of those days at the doctor's office, so scared of whats coming and already wants it to be over and done with. They take a deep breath. Its going to be okay… Ceroba steps closer, not at all helping their stress.
Their face scrunches. Hands roll into a fist as a sting pierces right through their chest, which fades away quickly. Already…? Why… why didn't she warn me? Clover opens their eyes. It's pitch black. They bring their hands up to their face, but it's too dark. They squint their eyes… nothing. They bring their hands closer to their face, expecting them to emerge out of the dark. Instead, their hands touch their face. C-Ceroba…? No sound, even though they can feel their mouth and their tongue move. H-Hello!? The dark doesn't shift as they move their head. It is absolute. A fire burns in their stomach. Hello!? Ceroba? Martlet? Star? The burn spreads to their chest, then to their throat, causing it to tighten. Where am I? Why can't I see anything…? Their lungs scream out for air, as if they have been holding their breath. So, they take a deep breath, and fill their lungs up to their fullest. More, they need more. They try again… then again, then again. The burn gets stronger, hotter. I need to get out of here… I need to… Their heart thumps. Clover spins around, trying to see anything. They turn and turn and turn, desperately hoping to see something, anything, a friend, a tree, some structure they had before seen, but there was nothing. Clover stops, but the world still spins around them. Stumbling through the dark and collapsing onto the floor, they can't hear their own breathing. They are breathing so quickly, so loudly. They know it, but they can't hear it.
A white light appears in the distance, star shaped, Pulsating and rotating. The light illuminates Clover's hands resting on the pitch black floor. They lock their eyes at it. Whatever that is, it is surely better than here. They crawl. Then, without stopping, they get up and run towards the light. The burn in their heart reaches its crescendo. This place, it's a cramped room for the mind, no room to see, no things to hear, the floor feels like air. It can't be where they stay, there must be some place better. Something else.
No matter how much Clover runs, the light isn't getting closer. No, it's only getting dimmer. They stop, breathing heavily from the exhaustion and the panic, kneeling. The view of their shoes dims. It's getting dark, darker, yet darker. The star is shrinking, and the void is once again consuming the cowboy. Clover reaches out their hand towards the star PLEASE NO! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! They push through the exhaustion and take a small step, their feet weighing heavily on their legs. They will not be trapped here. The light stops shrinking. It rapidly grows, and consumes the void. Clover closes their eyes, and collapses from exhaustion.
Their heart is beating out of their chest, mouth is incredibly dry. Their chest is crushing their lungs now, breathing in and out, in and out, over and over. They open their eyes. They are on a wooden floor, it looks very, very familiar. I need to… calm down. They rub their shaking fingers on the wood floor, it's smooth, the ridges are subtle, no splinters. They listen. Wind. A fire at the other side of the room crackling. There is a faint sound of static as well. Their hands stop shaking. Their breaths slow down, each breath getting farther apart from the other. It feels so familiar. Everything about this place strikes Clover's heart. Where am I? They look up. Their head shakes subtly in bewilderment, It's Ceroba's living room.
It's just the way them and Martlet left it. The table in the middle has been moved, and the trap door is lifted up, revealing the Grey interior under the house. It's also the source of the static sound. Clover fills their lungs with air, and with newly found hope they pick themselves up in one swift push up. They step towards the trap door, leaning over it. The floor of the basement is about seven steps down, only lit by something out of view further into the basement. Hello? They try speaking. Still, no sound. They take one last look at Ceroba's house. To the left was the hallway that leads to Ceroba's and Kanako's rooms. After seeing Ceroba's memories, it definitely feels like the sense of tension they felt when they were exploring those rooms has been released. But now, they just feel pity for Ceroba. Even after all she did, Clover understands she truly meant her family and friends no harm. She just wanted something better, and they can't fault her for that.
They muster the courage to take the first step down the stairs. "This is all a misunderstanding" It's Martlet! She's in the basement. Clover quickly runs down the stairs. Martlet is standing in front of the TV, the source of the static. Martlet! Clover tries to yell. However, they realize she can't hear them, so they run over to her. Clover grabs her wing, but their hand fazes right through it. What? Clover says. They bring their hands up against the TV static. They are translucent, their entire body is. that's clearer now in front of the white static of the television. Clover stares at their hands. The desaturated green tile is visible through their palms.
"This will clear things up… it has to." Martlet says, holding up a video tape in her hand.
These words, they have heard them before. She has said those exact words back when they were here together. It hit them, this is a memory, just like the one they saw when they reached out to Ceroba's soul. But now it is theirs. Martlet inserted the tape into the VCR, and hits play. The TV emits a blinding white light.
The light dissipates. It's Starlo, at the path to the entrance to the steamworks. Clover looks at them W-what? How did I— Starlo smiles. With a flick of his revolver, the chamber pops out. He studies the chamber, "Only one shot at this." He says. It's another memory. That fight between them is a real sore spot. Though they really don't hold it against Star. The underground seems to make everyone here very desperate. With another flick, the chamber goes back in its place, then he pulls the hammer. "Make it count, pardners. " He grins, as he points the gun at Clover. What? Starlo never said that. The gun flashes that same white light.
This time it's the tracks with the feisty four. When they did that moral dilemma test. Before Clover can react. They are at the boat with Martlet in the blink of an eye, then Martlet's kiosk, meeting Flowey, Toriel, the bed of flowers they fell on. Clover holds their breath in anticipation. The seconds go by without any change, however. It seems like it's over for now. They remember this room, the very first place they saw down here. They never really looked back at it when they woke up. It's beautiful. The hole in the ceiling shines with the light of the surface, seemingly the only source of light for the bed of flowers.
A barrage of sharp stings pass through Clover. They yelp. It ends just as suddenly as it starts, leaving Clover a heaving mess. Clover leans on the wall, taking deep breaths. Their body is heavier all the sudden. They slide down the wall and fall to the floor with a thud. Their legs are dead weight, so when they lean forward to get up they fall on their stomach. They crawl to the flowers and turn over to lie on their back. Their breathing is slowing. The bright light of the surface shining through the hole falls on them as their eyes grow heavy. They put their limp wrist over their chest, and feel their heart beat. A slow thumbing, in tune with their breathing. A sudden fear struck Clover. This beat that they hold in their hand, the thing that keeps them alive, will cease. The memory of their friends will be erased, their friends that they will never get to see again. Wait, what will they ever see again? What will they even see? Will they even think? What will become of their body? Their friends? For a brief moment, they regretted this, all of this.
No, that's not true. This is the best thing to do. Martlet, Starlo, Ceroba, all the wonderful monsters they met. Each one is suffering greatly, and if Clover's death will bring them a step closer to ending that suffering then there is nothing to regret. What was their life about before they came here anyways? They already lost everything. It was the same nothing every day for the past year and a half. They tried to get along with everyone, even tried to make things better, to move on—
"There is no moving on from what happened, Flowers."
Clover's eyes widen in an instant. A chill runs down their spine. Their body hair stands. In their mind screams a single command, RUN! Their body is energized as the adrenaline kicks in. The light from the surface switches to blood red, and screams fill the air, begging for mercy. Clover Picks themselves off the floor. Black duct tape burst from the ground, like snakes they wrap around Clover's hand and feet. "NO!" Clover screeches as they fall to their knees. "PLEASE NO!" A piece of tape wraps around their skull, covering their mouth. The screams plead. Leave us alone, please! They scream out as their doom approaches, his eyes locked onto their necks. Clover's looks at the flower's. They knew every word they screamed. They remember each inflection. Each gasp. Every cry. That scream. That horrific scream accompanied by the slap of blood hitting the floor before everything went quite. It haunts them every time they are left alone to think for too long.
A streak of blood cuts across the yellow flowers. A pool of red creeps its way to Clover, carrying a shadow on its back. Clover looks up. It's him. That face is burned straight into their psyche. A young man with blonde hair, and a stubble. He stares at Clover, his brown eyes open wide, and a horrific grin from ear to ear that could only be worn by a demon. The blood on his face contrasts his pasty white skin. He has a knife in his hand. He grabs Clover by their hair, and aims their face to look at their parents. Clover closes their eyes. "Flowers?" He hums, like a mother waking up her child in the morning. Clover tries to scream through the gag. "Don't cry. Don't cry Flowers. You— you're going right with them, I know you wanna see them again." He chuckles. The knife is pushed against Clover’s neck, Clover goes silent in an instant. They open their eyes wide as they feel the wet steel push against their neck. Their eyes are assaulted with the scene they wish they could forget. Their mother, on the floor lying on her stomach, Looking at Clover, eyes and mouth wide open, frozen in an expression of terror. Under her throat is an expanding puddle of blood pouring out onto the floor. Their father, His face on the floor, drowning in a puddle of blood.
"I can't wait to see you just like them." He says.
Clover whimpers out a defeated "No…" From under their gag.
"Really now? Alright then… suit yourself." He removes the knife, and let's go of Clover’s hair, they face plant on the bloodied flowers. Clover picks their head up to see where he is going. He is going towards the door. He is leaving. This man just ruined their life, and he is leaving. No, they can't let him leave. He can't just leave. Not after what he did. Not after all the suffering. He mangled their bodies, made Clover watch every moment. Now he thinks he can leave? When Clover catches him, they're going to take that knife and ram it into his stomach. They will jam their thumbs into his eyes, hammer down his head with theirs, dig their knee into his chest. They will pull that knife out and stick into his arms, his sides, his chest. They won't stop, not even after he's dead.
Clover tries to break their restraints by pushing their hands apart. They attempt to grab the tape with their tongue so that they can chew through it. He steps to the other side and turns. His eyes fixed on Clover's. Grinning ear to ear. Clover screams, but all that he could hear from them was the muffled crying of a powerless child. He slowly closes the door, making sure to look at Clover through the ever tightening gap of the door. "See ya real soon" The instant the door shuts, Clover's restraints falls apart and they lunges at the door.
"Whoa!" Ceroba shouts, as Clover lunges at her. She falls on her back.
"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" They scream. Clover dashes as her, digging their knee into her chest. She screams.
"AH NO! STOP!" She begs. Clover grip the collar of her robe and punch her in the face. She yelps. She holds her hands in front of her face. Clover hammers down on her right hand, causing her knuckles to hit her snout.
"STOP! PLEA—" She is cut off by another punch from Clover. "CLOVER STOP!" She screams as she tries to push them away, but they are too heavy.
Clover stops, they are hyperventilating and vigorously shaking. They look around "Where…? where am I!?" They say. They look down to see Ceroba. Her hands covering her face. Clover is still grabbing her by the collar. "C-Ceroba!?" Clovers lets go of her, and stands up. Ceroba gasps and coughs as the pressure on her chest is released. She hoists herself up. Clover stares at her as they back away. Just then Martlet and Starlo come running.
"What's goin' on!?" Starlo asks. Ceroba looks back at them, then at Clover. Her eyes widen as she realizes that clover is going to back over the railing
"CLOVER!" She yells as she gets up and dashes towards them, snatching them By the wrist and pulling them towards her. She looks at them, their face is that of complete panic and confusion. Their pupils are pinpoint, and their body is shaking vigorously. Their breaths are quick.
"It's okay, it's okay." She hushes. Clover continues to wail loudly. She pulls them into a hug.
"Ceroba what did you do!?" Martlet asks. Ceroba glares back at Martlet as she holds Clover tightly in her arms, but she quickly loses her anger as she is reminded Martlet shouldn't really trust her. She gestures over to them to help her calm Clover down.
Martlet and Star walk over and hug Clover. Ceroba raises her hand and pats Clover's head softly. "It's okay… it's okay…" She whispers.
It dawns on her, there isn't any way out for clover. This is the only way, but it is Clover's choice, and after what she did to them, she will do anything to protect them. Her protection will most likely be in vain, but it's not like she has anything to lose anyways. Eventually, Clover calms down. They all stay silent, hugging Clover.
"I-I'm sorry…" Clover says, looking away from Ceroba
"I-It's alright kid…" Ceroba answers. "Didn't even hurt."
"I'm sorry…" Clover responds. "I wasn't talking to you… this wasn't about you… I'm so sorry." Clover starts tearing up again. Ceroba pulls them into her shoulder. And hushes them softly
"Yeah, I figured." Ceroba says. They stay silent as Clover regains their composure. Martlet and Starlo sharing an awkward look. Clover immediately knows what they were thinking.
"We have to do this again." Clover says.
"Clover, don't do something you don't want to" Starlo says.
"What's your alternative, huh? You know nothing else will work!" They scream in an outburst. star is hurt, And Clover can see that. "No… No I'm sorry." Clover says. "I want to do this. This is what I want."
"I don't think your willingness matters here." Ceroba says.
"What… What do you mean?" Clover asks.
"I know this is what you want… But your body doesn't seem to care." She answers. "It will do everything to keep you alive."
"No! That's not what happened" Clover yells. Ceroba looks at them, her head tilted with a puzzled look on her face.
"Then what?" She asks.
Clover sighs, seeing as how she probably won't take their soul unless they admit what they saw, they ready themselves. "It was just…" They take another deep breath. Suddenly they are bombarded with images of their parent in their final moments. They gasp and flinch. "No…" Clover says. "Please I don't wanna do this again" They whimper, as they bring their hands up to the sides of the head.
Ceroba stares at Clover. What did this kid see? Clover is shaking, they draw sharp breath after sharp breath, as they crawl away from their friends, gluing themselves to the balcony railing.
"Clover..." Ceroba says. She reaches out to touch their shoulder "Listen—" Clover slaps her hand away.
"No, shut up! Shut up!" They yell. "We are doing this, And if you won't, I'll just go and let Asgore do it!"
"I—" Suddenly, Ceroba has an idea. "I think I know what might help." Clover, Star and Martlet all look at her.
"What? How?" Clover asks.
"Hold my hand." She extends a hand out to Clover. "Clover, remember when you connected with my soul for a moment and saw… my memories." She asks.
"Yes…" They say as they piece together what she is saying.
"I may be able to do the same. I don't know if it'll work but… its worth a shot." She says
"Yes… let's do it." Clover says, as they hold her hand.
"W-wait! are... you sure about this?" Martlet intervenes. Clover looks at her. They nod.
"Okay…" She sighs, as she stands up. Then she turns to Clover "Before we go, one last hug?" She asks. extending her arms outwards.
Clover smiles, the request was unexpected but definitely welcome. "Of course." Clover says. They get up and go to hug her. Starlo joins. Ceroba was still sitting on the floor, waiting. Martlet ushers for her to join, so she does.
"We're gonna miss you, Clover." Martlet says.
"We really will" Star says. Clover doesn't know how to respond. So they just hug them tighter. They all let go. Star turns to Ceroba "We'll be outside." He whispers.
Ceroba goes to get the soul chamber that got dropped. "Clover… is there anything you wanna tell me?" Clove looks away from her.
They think for a good while, then they answer, "I don't know…" Ceroba doesn't respond, waiting for them to keep going. "I— just—" It all starts flooding back, they can feel the cuts on their parents necks like it is on theirs. A gash that burns through their throat and sucks the air out of their lungs. They start breathing heavily again.
"Whoa whoa, hey!" She says. "I'm sorry okay you don't have to say anything." Clover crouches down, their hands over their head gripping their hair.
"Please just… get this over with…" Clover says. If the situation is a little different, if there is a way to hide them, to keep them safe. She would've done so. Clover doesn't seem to be in sound mind to make this decision, but the only actions she could really take would only delay the inevitable. Worse, their end would be less gentle if it's up to Asgore.
"okay…" She whispers. She steps over to them and crouches down, putting her hand on their shoulder. Clover looks up at her "Whatever it is, I'm going to be right there with you." She let's go of their shoulder, and offers her hand for them to hold. "I'm not gonna let anything hurt you in there." As Clover stares at her hand they feel calm, and safe. They take her hand. "Ready?" She says.
"Yes!" Clover answers. The barrage of stings strike through Clover's chest again. Ceroba doesn't disappear this time. Instead the balcony transform into the cavern they woke up in. Ceroba looks around.
"Huh…" She says. She looks back at Clover, who is starting to look scared. "Clover just look at me." Suddenly, someone kicks her, sending her across the room.
"Ceroba!" Clover screams. Just like before, tape comes out of the ground and restrains them. Ceroba grunts.
"What the hell was that!?" She looks up. The person who kicked her is a Blond human man. He lunges at her. He grabs her right arm and twists her around onto her stomach, pushing her head into the ground. He then digs his knee into her back. Ceroba screams in pain "No! get off me!"
"Flowers, your brought me a present. How very generous." He says. "How very generous."
"Leave her alone!" Clover screams. The man chuckles.
He grabs her hand, and twists her arm. Ceroba screams "No! Stop, stop, stop!" With his knife he slashes her palm. She yelps.
"Flowers…? Whats up with your little friend? did someone already get to her? Where's is all her blood?" Clover grits their teeth and grunts as they struggle to break the restraints.
"Leave her alone!" They screech.
"Well, she does feel pain so that's something, I guess." He shrugs "I'll just have to… take it slow with her." He raises his knife up right above her palm.
A loud bang, a gunshot. The pressure on Ceroba's back goes away. And this hand softly glides across her hair until it hits the floor to her right. He falls over with a thud. She turns to look. Clover stands across the room, holding their smoking gun. Their teeth grit, eyes staring a hole right through the man on the floor. They are breathing incredibly loudly through their teeth. The man is moaning in pain. With his right arm, he starts crawling away from Clover. Another shot, accompanying it a scream from the man. He doesn't stop crawling. Clover shoots them again. "Clover stop!" Ceroba yells.
Clover snaps their stare towards Ceroba. That same hatred now directed towards her. Everything turns blood red, leaving a yellow glow where Clover's eyes are "No… No… No… I'm… not going to stop." They say. "I'm never going to stop."
"Clover… This isn't you." Ceroba says. "Please…"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE DID TO ME" Their voice echoes across the blood red void. "Let me show you." Suddenly, she is in the middle of a room. Clover is sitting on a couch across from her, holding a flower close to their nose. There is also a flower sticking out of their hair. Behind her is a TV, on it is a cowboy riding a weird creature into a bright yellow circle off in the horizon. Behind the couch is a door to another room. A sudden crash of glass breaking from behind the door, followed by a woman's scream.
"SHUT UP!" A man yells. It was the voice of the blond man.
Clover turns their head, "Mom!" They yell, as they get up from the couch and sprint to the door across the room, and open it. Ceroba follows behind them. When Clover gets to the door they freeze, eyes wide open, leaning away from the door. Clover? she says, but no sound. She gets infront of the door way. The man, standing, holding a knife stained in red. The corpse of a woman lays behind his ankles.
He lunges at Clover, grabbing them by their hair. At the same time, Ceroba grabs Clover's wrist, but her hands faze right through, and Clover gets dragged into the room in the blink of an eye. The door closes on her face. No! She lunges at the door. The knob won't twist. She bangs on the door, but it produces no sound. Clover!? She tries to scream. Clover screams from the other side of the door. Crying for help, for mercy, for him to stop. Ceroba tries to manifest a fire to burn down the door, but she can't, she can't feel her magic. The cries become muffled.
Ceroba closes her eyes. The fire, she needs to make one, she has to. But, no matter how much she tries, she can't. The muffled screams stop. She opens her eyes back up, and she is right back with Clover again.
"W-What?" She says, on the verge of tears. Clover's expression doesn't change. "Clover…? What… happened?" Clover doesn't respond. They turn around towards the crawling man. He has crawled all the way to the wall. With all their might Clover stomps down on his left ankle, completely breaking it with a spine chilling crack. Ceroba recoils, she doesn't want to stop them. But, she can't help but feel like she should. The man screams in pain, sharply breathing through his teeth. Then he starts laughing, as he turns himself on his side to look at Clover.
"What is that, flowers?" The man says. His words drawn out in mockery. "Are you… enjoying this?" He laughs, causing him to vomit out blood onto the floor. "Then you get it now, don't you? You can't fault me! You bastard!" Clover shoots him, the bullet hits his face, and he drops on his stomach. Clover shoot him again, then again then again. Until the gun only responds with clicks as the try to fire. They throw the gun at him, which hits him in the back of the head. They are breathing heavily, their shoulders going up and down with their breaths.
It's not enough. Its not enough. He didn't suffer enough. Clover grabs his shoulder and turns him around. They wrap both of their hands around the side of his head and insert their thumbs into his eyes. They push down into his eyes, but he didn't suffer. Clover opens their mouth, and bites down onto the man's nose. They bite it clean off. It's not enough— Clover gasps as they clasp their chest. They yell out in pain. Then they fall to the side, right next to the corpse.
"CLOVER!" Ceroba screams. She runs over to them. She crouches down and looks at them. Their teeth are grit, mouth covered in blood. They extend their arm out towards the corpse, still trying to reach the man, still wanting more. Ceroba grabs their hand as it tries to reach him. "Clover…" Their eyes lock to hers. "I…" She can't think of anything to say. She can see it, they are dying. "I… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry" She whimpers. Their breathing slows down. Their eyes relax as they stay focused on her. "I'm not going anywhere." She says fighting through her tears. She brings their hand up to her face. The breaths slow down, they draw out. Every breath feels like it could be their last. They take a breath in, and as Clover holds it, Ceroba holds hers. Then Clover exhales. The weight of her actions bears down on her head. Clover doesn't deserve this. If anyone deserve to have their soul taken, it's that man. Not a random child that drops down here, and especially not Clover.
No, this isn't right. And this isn't the only way, no, it isn't. She knows that. Asgore has to know that. He is nothing but a coward, he has more than enough souls to cross the barrier and enough power to collect 100 human souls if he chooses to. Then why? Why doesn't he do it? What is he so scared of? Why let monsterkind suffer? Why let the innocent humans who fall down here suffer? She tries to think, maybe he is scared the humans will retaliate in the long run? But he will be god with the 7 souls. What can they do? She can't figure it out, nothing makes sense.
Ceroba focus her eyes, snapping out of her train of thoughts. She's back at the balcony. Between her hands, a yellow glow. Clover's soul. And in her mind, a new resolve, RETRIBUTION.
CHAPTER 1 END