Chapter Text
The late-afternoon sunlight filtered through the leafy branches overhead, dappling the worn green metal bench where Asriel sat, tail curled loosely over the edge. Just beyond the little park, the faint shape of the Flower King’s tile roof peeked through the trees, its weathered sign catching the light from the distant baked-goods bakery across the street. Beside him, December adjusted the strap of her messenger bag and carefully unwrapped a stick of gum, her motions precise and practiced, as if savoring the ritual itself.
Their laughter from a few minutes ago still felt like it lingered in the air, mixing with the gentle drone of cicadas and the distant hum of Hometown’s main street. Somewhere, a faint bell rang from the direction of the hospital, blending in with the low babble of classmates heading toward QC’s Diner for after-school snacks. A faded poster for the upcoming festival, taped to a nearby lamppost, fluttered in the breeze, promising hot chocolate and a dance under the lights near Town Hall.
“So,” Asriel ventured, glancing sideways with a sheepish grin, “you really don’t mind just... sitting here? I know it’s not exactly, uh... action-packed.”
Dess popped the gum into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, the corner of her mouth lifting in a small, genuine smile. "Excitement's fine and all, but quiet like this," she gestured at the sunlit beach beyond the park, where the lake's gentle waves met the soft, windswept sand just a short walk away from their bench, "it's kind of nice. Besides, you're easy to be around."
He ducked his head, ears flushing pink. “Well, I brought this, at least,” Asriel revealed a slightly squashed paper bag from his lap, crinkling it open to reveal slices of bread. “For the ducks. I figured we could, y’know, bribe them for their attention.”
Dess laughed a soft, clear sound. “Y’know, I’ve always wondered if the ducks have favorites.”
Asriel grinned, relaxing a little. “Let’s find out.”
They walked together to the beach's edge, Asriel tearing a slice of bread into uneven pieces, handing a few to Dess. The ducks spotted them right away, gliding over with eager quacks and hopeful eyes.
Dess tossed a crumb and watched as two ducks scrambled for it, their webbed feet slapping against the water. “See? Instant popularity,” she teased, nudging Asriel gently with her shoulder.
He laughed, tossing his own piece. “I can’t compete with bread, but I’ll try.”
A comfortable silence settled between them as they fed the ducks, the world shrinking to just the two of them and the gentle ripples on the lake. Dess glanced at Asriel, her expression softening. “Y’know, I never really did this with anyone before. Not like this.”
Asriel looked at her, surprised. “Really?”
She shrugged, a little self-conscious. “It’s easy with you, like I don’t have to try so hard.”
He smiled, something warm settling in his chest. “Me too.”
For a moment, the ducks seemed to fade into the background, and all that remained was the quiet, honest comfort between friends who understood each other perfectly.
Dess broke the quiet first, her voice softer than before. "Do you ever think about what comes next? Like... after all this?" She waved her hand vaguely, as if trying to gather up the golden stillness around them, the slow days at school, the routines and old traditions of Hometown, even the strange, almost magical calm of their lakeside afternoon. "After all the classes, after everything changes." She hesitated for a moment, her gaze lingering on the lazy drift of sunlight across the water. "I guess sitting here with you, it just makes me realize how much things are going to change soon."
Dess hesitated, as if weighing her words, then spoke again, quieter. "It’s weird, but sometimes I dream about moving somewhere far from home, like some city where nobody knows me. I want to do something big, something that actually matters. But," she glanced down, voice tight, "what if I can’t handle it? What if I just end up wishing I never left?"
Her fingers paused on the strap of her bag, and for a moment, a shadow flickered in her eyes. "My family’s always expected me to follow a certain path, you know? Like, my mom wants me to go into politics, just like she did, and every holiday there's this talk about how I'll take over her office one day. One time during Thanksgiving, she even put a little campaign button at my place at the table, my name on it, as if it was already decided."
She let out a quiet breath, her thumb tracing the seam of her bag. "I remember when I tried to sign up for art club back in middle school, just because I liked it. My mom acted like it was a phase, told me it wouldn't look good on college applications. So I dropped it after a month. It's this constant thing, feeling like every choice I make is just part of their plan, not really mine."
"It gets in my head sometimes, even when I want to try something new, I catch myself thinking about how it would look to them, or how disappointed they'd be if I let them down. Sometimes it feels like my whole life was drawn out before I even had a say. Maybe that’s why I think about running, just to find out if I’m more than what everyone thinks I’m supposed to be."
Her thumb worried the edge of her bag. "Sometimes I wonder if I’ll find a place that feels right, when all this is gone. Or if I’ll just get lost. I guess that scares me more than I let on."
Asriel blinked, following the lazy path of a duck across the pond. “Sometimes. I guess I worry about it a lot, like, what if I don’t figure things out? Or if I mess up?”
She nodded, flicking another crumb into the water. “Yeah, me too. But... I think it’s okay. Not knowing. As long as you’ve got someone to figure it out with.”
He looked at her, eyes gentle. “I’d like that. To figure things out together.”
Dess smiled a small, real one that lingered. For a fleeting moment, her usually guarded heart fluttered with both relief and something achingly hopeful, surprised at how easy it felt to let her walls fall just for him. “Deal.”
Their hands brushed as they reached for another piece of bread, and neither of them pulled away.
For a few seconds, they just stood there, close, hands barely touching, the world stilled around them. Asriel felt his nerves flutter, but for once, the feeling wasn’t uncomfortable. Instead, it was something gentle and bright.
Dess glanced at him, her eyes reflecting the pond’s shifting light. “Hey, Azzy?”
He looked back, smile uncertain but hopeful. “Yeah?”
She hesitated, then squeezed his hand, not letting go. “Thanks, for today. I didn’t know I needed it.”
He squeezed back, his voice quiet and sincere. “Me neither. I’m glad you’re here.”
The ducks paddled away, leaving faint ripples behind them. Asriel and Dess lingered a little longer at the water’s edge, letting the warmth of the moment settle between them, steady and real.
Asriel’s words, “I’m glad you’re here,” hung in the air, more real than the hush of the wind or the lingering gold of the sunlight. The warmth between them seemed to linger, even as the late afternoon faded and the world around them shifted. A gentle breeze stirred, and in that fragile, glowing silence, Asriel felt a sense of belonging that he rarely let himself believe in.
Then, as if from far away, a draft of cool air stirred the fur at the back of Asriel's neck. The golden haze of sunlight and laughter softened, the sensation of the bench beneath him shifting from warm metal to the faint chill of a gym seat.
A dreamy haze lingered at the edges of Asriel’s mind, sunlight and laughter still swirling while the world around him grew dim. For a moment, he felt suspended between memory and present, reluctant to let go of the lakeside scene. Then, as if from far away, a draft of cool air stirred the fur at the back of his neck.
The golden haze softened, the sensation of the bench beneath him shifting from warm metal to the faint chill of a gym seat. The smell of grass was gradually replaced by the tang of sweat and metal, and the distant clang of weights pressed at the edges of his awareness, growing louder. Slowly, the world of the lakeside afternoon receded, replaced by the sharper air and bright lights of the gym. The comforting ease from before lingered for a breath, fading only as a gentle voice called his name. "Azzy?”
A cool draft brushed his fur, the spell of the moment dissolving into the everyday sounds of background chatter once more.
The voice called again, more insistent this time, “Azzy?”
Before Asriel could respond, a playful tap landed right between his horns, startling him out of the haze of the moment. He blinked and looked up to see a hand, warm, human, and unmistakably familiar, resting gently atop his head. “Asriel!”
The transition from tranquil connection to sudden reality was jarring, but not unwelcome, and in the fading light, the world felt just a little fuller, the day’s magic lingering around the edges of what came next.
“Daydreaming already? I didn’t think you found me that boring,” Chara teases, a crooked smile tugging at their lips, but there’s a flicker of concern in their eyes as they take in Asriel’s dazed expression. Dressed in gymwear with a towel slung over their shoulder, Chara stands with hands planted on their hips, a familiar, grounding presence against the surreal haze of the moment. “C’mon, Azzy, your set’s up. Don’t make me come drag you to the machine.”
Asriel stammers, cheeks flushed as the remnants of his reverie dissolve under Chara’s playful scrutiny. He rises from the bench, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, uh, yeah, right.” The gym’s fluorescent lights flicker overhead as he loads the weights, the familiar clank grounding him in the present. Chara hovers nearby, arms crossed, a mischievous smirk on their face as they prod, “Thinking about your girlfriend again?”
Asriel lets out a theatrical groan as he lowers himself into the first rep, the strain in his legs a welcome distraction from the flutter in his chest. “C’mon, Chara, you know how I feel about that,” he mutters, shooting them a mock glare. Despite himself, there’s a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, the lingering warmth from the lakeside still softening his edges.
Chara leans in, tone light but with a thread of real concern woven through their words. “You know, Azzy, there’s other people out there. Maybe you’d feel better if you let yourself actually find someone.” Their eyes flicker away for a second, just long enough to betray the sincerity beneath the teasing.
Asriel catches the nuance and shoots them a crooked grin as he pushes up from the next rep. “Oh? Says the one who never has anyone to daydream about.”
Chara rolls their eyes and gives his arm a playful smack, a faint blush dusting their cheeks. “Hey, you know I’m talking to someone.”
He raises an eyebrow, feigning shock. “Wait, seriously? Who, that farm kid you always run into in the city?”
Chara snorts, but their lips curl into a sly, self-aware smile. “Bold talk, considering you’re as small-town as the rest of us.”
Asriel waves a paw in mock defeat, exaggerating his sulk. “Wah, wah,” he says, but there’s no real bite to it, just the easy rhythm of familiar teasing. He sinks into the next rep, a soft laugh escaping him, the moment brightened by banter and the company that makes even hard work feel lighter.
Asriel’s eyes glint with mischief as he pushes up from the rep, barely containing a grin. He throws an arm out in exaggerated alarm, theatrically pointing across the gym. “Wait, is that them over there?!”
Chara’s reaction is immediate, a vivid blush blooms across their cheeks as they whip their gaze away, mortified and flustered. “Azzy!” they sputter, voice caught between a groan and a laugh. “Oh my God, you’re impossible!”
The playful energy crackles between them, the gym’s background noise fading into the rush of shared laughter and friendly embarrassment.
As the two exit the gym and step out onto the square at the heart of New Home University, the world expands around them in a wash of color and sound. The plaza is alive with end-of-day bustle, monsters and humans alike stream between the old stone buildings, their voices mingling in a dozen languages and dialects.
A pack of young bird monsters, colorful feathers ruffled and beaks buried in books, rush past, wings fluttering as they chatter excitedly about some impending exam. Tall, antlered reindeer monsters laugh with human classmates over coffee by a food cart, while a pair of fire elementals float above the crowd, their flickering forms casting playful glows on the pavement.
Benches ring a central water fountain where a gleaming, water-spouting statue of a noble skeleton monster surveys the square with a gentle smile, his stone hands outstretched as if welcoming everyone home. A group of tiny, giggling dog monsters chase each other between the legs of grown-ups, weaving through the swirl of students in vibrant club jackets, athletes still in practice gear, and professors in trailing scarves.
The air is thick with the scent of hot pretzels, cinnamon buns, and the crisp tang of autumn leaves. In this patchwork crowd, the boundaries between monster and human blur, laughter and stories are exchanged as easily as handshakes. Asriel and Chara merge into the flow, side by side, just another pair of friends in the living, breathing heart of the university. Near the fountain, a cluster of students in matching scarves wave cheerfully as they practice a campus tradition, tossing enchanted coins into the water to make a wish for exams, each coin sending up a little burst of colored sparks.
Across the square, the Magical Botany Club sets up their weekly display, delicate glowing seedlings sprouting in glass terrariums while a golem student hands out tiny pots to passersby. Nearby, the famous Cross-Species Cooking Collective rolls out sample trays, their table surrounded by monsters and humans eager to try spicy slime noodles and glowing moonberry tarts. Floating above the crowd, a notice board hovers with animated flyers announcing everything from the Midnight Dueling League to the annual Human-Monster Unity Lantern Parade. For a moment, the energy of the square lifts them, the noise and color spinning outward like a promise: here, anything is possible, and everyone can find a place to belong.
Asriel and Chara merge into the flow, side by side, just another pair of friends in the living, breathing heart of the university. For a moment, the energy of the square lifts them, the noise and color spinning outward like a promise, here, anything is possible, and everyone can find a place to belong. Just behind the bustle, a group of students gathers for the weekly Midnight Wishes Parade, carrying glow jars strung with flickering spells and chanting the school’s ancient motto in a dozen languages.
At the far end of the plaza, the enchanted bell tower begins its soft, off-key melody, sending floating notes that bob like soap bubbles above the crowd. It is the kind of place where, on the last Friday of each month, students sneak through the hidden Willow Gate to scatter paper boats across the fountain, hoping their wishes will come true before morning. All these little traditions weave together, making New Home University feel unmistakably its own kind of magic.
Asriel glanced over at Chara as the two melted into the current of the crowd, dodging a group of skateboarders and waving past a vendor hawking about friend onions. “Hey, have you heard about that SOUL study group the university’s organizing?” he asked, a hopeful tilt in his voice.
Chara lets out a long, exaggerated sigh, their hands tucked deep into their jacket pockets. “Yeah, I heard. Sorry, Azzy, but I’m not signing up. That whole thing sounds a little too pedantic for me. Besides, I don’t exactly love the ideas of being stuck in a room with six other humans just so everyone in the uni can stare at us.”
Asriel glanced down, paw scguffing the pavement as a wistful note crept into his voice. “Would’ve been nice to do it together, y’know? But I figured you’d say no.”
Chara nudged him lightly with their elbow, a lopsided grin softening their words. “Azzy, you know me. No study group’s gonna change how I do things. I’ll ace it my own way.”
“Still, you’d be a shoo-in if you wanted to join. The university’s putting together the SOUL study group to research how the different SOUL traits impact magic and cooperation, kind of a big deal for both monsters and humans.” Asriel combs his claws gently down through the fur of his forearm as he thinks, eyes drifting across the small crowds. “Basically, the group runs experiments and simulations to see how people with different SOUL traits can combine magic in unique ways, and whether groups with all seven traits can unlock new types of collaborative spells or even change the rules of magic itself.”
Chara softly pulls Asriel to their side to avoid a close incident between his shoulder and an advertising flag for one of the many stalls littered around the square. Asriel continues on without notice.
“Some faculty hope this project could bridge the gap between monsters and humans by revealing how their SOUL energies interact, while others think it might be the key to making shared magic safer and more powerful for everyone. At the same time, it is risky. If something goes wrong, there could be dangerous magical feedback, or someone could get hurt during the experiments. Worse, if the project fails publicly, it might stir up old tensions between monsters and humans, making people even more wary about working together. “
“Everything they do is going to be watched by both the administration and the council, and one mistake could put a lot on the line for everyone involved. There are even rumors that some council members have their own agendas, maybe hoping for the project to fail so they can push through new restrictions. And then there’s the old story about a containment spell hidden somewhere in the building, no one’s sure if it’s real, but if unstable magic sets it off, the group could accidentally unleash more than they bargained for. Some people have noticed strange figures lurking near the labs lately, like someone’s waiting to see if something will go wrong.”
Asriel shakes his head, ending his infodump. “They need one person for every trait, and they haven’t found a DETERMINATION type yet, y’know, the last slot before the project can really start. Just saying.”
Chara let out a dry laugh, raising an eyebrow. “All these people, and not a single DETERMINATION type? Guess you can’t just sign up for grit.” For a second, her eyes flick over the crowd, then flicker back to Asriel, lingering just a moment too long. “I mean, everyone talks about DETERMINATION being rare, but it’s more than just stubbornness here. Back in the day, people with DETERMINATION changed everything, they say it could even open the door between worlds. You hear stories about how sometimes it skips whole generations, or how nobody even knows for sure until someone does something impossible. Last year, I heard the faculty tried to develop a test for spotting it, but apparently almost everyone failed or the readings came out blank. People with DETERMINATION traits are supposed to be able to push the boundaries of magic and change the course of things, even when the odds are stacked.”
“It’s less about never giving up and more about this ability to keep moving when everyone else would have stopped, even when it means facing something alone. Like when that one student, three years ago, saved the chemistry wing during the explosion by just refusing to leave. Or that time back in the old days when someone with DETERMINATION wouldn’t let a spell break, even though it should have been impossible. Nobody ever knows for sure until the moment comes, but everyone’s always watching, hoping to see someone step up when it matters most. I get why everyone’s after it.” They pause for a moment, almost as if she’s about to add something, but instead just shrugs, their expression unreadable.
Asriel grinned, nudging them playfully. “Well, apparently you have to get really specific grades to even qualify. Maybe it’s just too tough for your band of rebellious genius.”
Chara clutches their chest in mock outrage, eyes wide and lips twitching with a barely suppressed grin. “Azzy, please! If I wanted, I’d break the grading curve and walk out with a medal.”
Asriel snorts, laughter spilling out as he bumps shoulders with them. “Don’t worry, I never doubted you for a second. This place wouldn’t know what hit it.”