Interesting facts: He likes to read books, loves fruits, plays the violin, he knows how to manipulate other people and monsters, loves to flirt, loves children.
Talking with different bird language, telekinesis, super strength, super strength, disguise, healing, copy power, levitation, sound volume, telepathy, wings, fire and wind, teleportation.
Interesting facts: He loves tangerines, loves birds, plays the flute, loves hugging more, Loves sports and skipping rope, he is engaged in artistic art, he is a popular graffiti artist, he loves to draw graffiti, works as a designer for art artists.
TA-DAM!!! OMG!! SO! I'll tell you his story about au soon.😈💅👏💥
Knife watched Dream run down the streets clanging the trashcan lids together, monsters chasing after him, including the ones that had been attacking him and Murder, and he was almost disappointed. He'd been enjoying the fighting, the combat overall refreshing, as much as Sheath disliked it. He could hear him whining in his mind, the most prominent thing he could hear in his mind, and the most difficult to ignore. Knife turned his attention back to Murder, looking at him as he held his injured right arm, red liquid seeping through the cut in his sleeve. His HP was fine, it wouldn't kill him, and so it was nothing Knife needed to worry about.
"dream's such a self-sacrificing idiot..." Murder muttered, moving to stand next to Knife as he watched the stampede behind Dream.
"takes one to know one, huh?" Knife smirked, receiving a sharp elbow to the arm.
"shut up. i don't know what's worse, the fact he left us completely unsupervised or the fact that he's being chased by a pack of rabid monsters." Murder mumbled, and Knife shrugged.
'i hope he'll be ok...'
'that makes one of us. you're the main one that gives a crap about him.' Knife retorted.
'that's because i don't only care about color and myself.' Sheath pointed out, pulling half of Knife's face into a frown.
'yeah well i'm not pathetic enough to care about just anyone.' Knife told him, the other side of his face frowning as well.
'you call it pathetic, i call it not being a heartless jerk.' Sheath sounded like he would be crossing his arms.
'to each their own.' Knife shrugged, half of his face smiling again as he looked over at Murder, seeing the transparent red smiley face hovering over his face.
It'd been there since Knife had seen him at Ccino's, and it'd been slowly fading over time. The LV still had it's claws in him, but it was seemingly getting more manageable based on how it'd slowly faded.
"so, you ready to find this other me?" Knife questioned, and Murder sighed, nodding a bit.
"yeah, let's just get this over with." Murder sighed, heading to another rooftop, and Knife followed after him.
As they ran along the rooftops, Knife looked around for any of the monsters, and there was none too close. Sheath was the one worried about Murder anyways, he was always the worried one.
'one of us has to worry, knife... i like him. he's nice, and he doesn't like you that much.' Sheath responded, and Knife smirked a bit.
'you still don't like me, huh?' Knife asked.
'no. i know how your mind works, knife. i know you don't care about who feels who deserves to die, you just know that once someone is stronger than someone else they can kill someone else. you think of everyone as a pawn in someone else's game.' Sheath still had half of Knife's face frowning.
'because we are. you were a pawn to them, and so was i, but i was the pawn they liked. the one they wanted. you're only around because color likes you and wants us to get along.' Knife told him, jumping to another rooftop.
'the same goes for you. neither of us trust you because you're not someone who can be trusted. you've only been out so much since you're the only one out of the two of us that likes fighting.' Sheath countered.
'you upset prisoners get yard time, sheath?' Knife teased.
'no, i'm upset that this is what you like doing the most with your time.' Sheath sighed.
'because it's what i'm made for. it's what they coded us into, sheath. they changed your no into a yes, and sure, our soul changing solved some things for you, but i'm still their walking talking knife, you're just the sheath that hides me.' Knife said as he and Murder jumped to another rooftop.
'until you're out and i wish you were back in.' Sheath mumbled.
'i could easily make you go to sleep, sheath. take a nice little nap. i'm not, though, since color wouldn't want me to do that, and you would tell him, which would cause what freedom i do have to be revoked.' Knife shrugged, jumping over an AC unit.
'typical, knife.' Sheath sighed again.
'typical sheath.' Knife countered, jumping to another rooftop, watching as a monster shot up at them, Murder shooting bones and firing blasters at it, but he wouldn't go in for the kill.
Knife sighed this time, grabbing his knife and lunging at it, finishing the job and turning it to dust.
He turned around to look at Murder, saying, "you need to go in for the kill, murder, otherwise you will be killed."
"dream doesn't want anyone to die, and on top of that, i can't kill again!" Murder retorted.
"these are wild animals, murder. they haven't been sane or conscious for a long time. guided purely by instinct and the need to kill." Knife told him, remembering a certain stage as he spoke, "look, i don't kill anymore either, i haven't in years, but this is one of those times when you need to."
"knife, if i start-" Murder started, but Knife cut him off.
"you don't think you'll be able to stop, i know." Knife rolled his eyelights.
'be nice.' Sheath chastised.
'no.' Knife refused.
"you're gonna need to kill some of these things, though. dream doesn't have to know."
"if i do he'll know since i'll tell him." Murder glared.
"will you, though? he just needs to know you did some things to live." Knife told him.
"he doesn't like killing for one, and secondly, he would figure it out by sensing me." Murder pointed out.
"i wonder who dream values more, you or those things. sounds to me like he would rather you end up like blue than kill to survive." Knife mentioned, and he was quickly met with Murder holding a sharp bone to his throat.
"don't you dare bring him into this." Murder hissed, eyelights cyan and red with purple smoke trailing from his left eyelight.
Knife smirked, using his foot to sweep Murder's feet out from under him, grabbing Murder's left wrist with his left hand, his right hand and arm supporting Murder's back to keep him from hitting the rooftop. Murder glared up at him, trying to punch him with his right hand, but Killer moved his right hand to dig into the cut in his upper arm, making Murder grit his teeth in pain. He tried anyways, though, but Knife only let him fall to the concrete roof, pinning him down, his right hand holding down Murder's right wrist. Killer's left hand was grabbing Murder's left wrist, but he'd raised it to where the tip was at his throat.
"go ahead, murder. kill me if you want to. we both know you're all bark and no bite, unlike the hounds down there." Knife smirked, bringing it closer to his vertebrae, drawing some of his blood.
'knife, stop it! this is why you two never get along!!' Sheath snapped, but Knife only pulled half of his face into a smirk.
Murder was silent, glaring up at him, but he sighed, getting rid of the weapon. He still glared at him though, clearly pissed, but the expression only made Knife chuckle.
"that's what i thought~" Knife mused, getting up and pulling Murder up with him.
Murder yanked his wrists out of Knife's grasp, muttering something in another language, and while Knife didn't understand it, he laughed a bit anyways.
"you don't even know what i said." Murder pointed out.
"uh.... 'we'll ride the hopping llamas'?" Knife guessed.
"you're such an idiot." Murder grumbled.
"i know you are but what am i?" Knife smirked.
"i'm not dealing with this today." Murder sighed, and he started running across the rooftops again, Knife chuckling before following him.
'why can't you just leave him alone? or at least try getting along with him? you helped him at the supermarket-'
'no, you wouldn't shut up about helping him and bringing him to the panic room. sure, i like the guy, he's fun to play with, and i need him alive for him to be any fun. besides, he hates me, there's no way we could ever be friends, so why even try?' Knife asked.
'maybe, just maybe, you're the reason you don't get along and can't be friends. because you won't try and you only piss him off to amuse yourself.' Sheath suggested, and Knife rolled his eyelights.
'he's a hypocrite, sheath. that or he's deflecting his own self hatred for enjoying killing onto me. either way, he hates me, and he'll continue to hate me.' Knife told him.
'is that why you want him to kill? so that he'll be more likely to be friends with you?' Sheath questioned.
'maybe, maybe not. i'll probably think about that while i stay awake watching murder sleep later.' Knife responded.
Sheath sighed, mumbling something as Knife jumped over another gap.
Knife saw something up ahead, a large pool on top of a hotel, and he saw something inside of the water. The hotel itself had a tan floor, gold colored railings, and the pool had white tiles around it, a shadowed creature below the surface of the stars and night sky reflected in the water. Glowing red eyes were staring at them from the depths, and Knife looked between the eyes and Murder, realizing this was probably dangerous. Knife looked between the monster and Murder, then back at the monster, than Murder again, and he huffed. Right as the monstrous and feral Undyne lunged at Murder, Knife used blue magic on Murder's soul, pulling him back away from it.
The fish monster was covered in dark blue scales, it's eyes were glowing red, and it had long and matted red hair, sharp and jagged yellow teeth, the usual red-webbed fins. It also had a massive fin along it's back, on it's forearms, and the backs of it's thighs had them as well. It also had a tail, the fins going down it, and the end looked webbed. It was mainly wearing tattered and old wraps, enough to cover most of it's torso and lower area but not much else. It let out this feral screech as it flew through the air, a mix of Undyne's voice and something else, something feral.
"oh crap!" Murder yelled, summoning bones and Gaster Blasters, firing them at it, his and Knife's themes starting and mixing into one.
Some of the attacks hit it, and it let out a loud, angry shriek, swinging it's tail and slamming it into Murder's chest. He grunted, and Knife moved in with his own sharp bones, which were blocked by blue spears. Sure, Knife could always just use his knife and instantly finish it off, but where was the fun in that? Murder jumped up to avoid the tail again as Knife shot several sharp bones at it, aiming for it's joints and potential weak spots.
Murder was still holding back, not going in for the kill, but Knife knew he would eventually, it was just a matter of time. It either dodged their attacks or it got hit, but with how much HP it had, not dodging some attacks wouldn't do much but piss it off. It created more blue spears, firing them at Knife and Murder, making them have to weave around them, which was harder because of how erratic the attacks were. Knife grabbed it's tail, swinging it around in a few circles before throwing it at the main door from the hotel to the rooftop, the fish monster slamming into the wall.
It let out an enraged snarl, pulling itself out of the wreckage, a pipe lodged in it's left eye, blood exiting the metal tube. It pulled the pipe out, it's eye with it, and it snarled as the liquid exited from the hole where it's eyeball had once been. It lunged at Knife without warning, webbed hands pinning his arms down as he used his legs to push against it's chest, keeping held back as it's sharp yellow teeth tried biting his skull off as it's blood dripped onto his skull. It kept trying to reach it's head forward to bite them, only barely held back, and it's breath was also terrible, which Knife wasn't a fan of.
'oh god oh god oh god!' Sheath panicked, and Knife felt him retreat into their subconscious.
"ugh, coward!" Knife called him out loud, and apparently this thing thought he was talking to it.
"not you! don't be so conceited!" Knife snapped, pulling one of his feet back to land a sharp kick where the sun doesn't shine.
It let out a pained roar, stumbling back with it's tail tucked between it's legs, and Murder summoned several Gaster Blasters, firing them at it. It dodged some of them, but some of them also hit it, and it whipped it's tail at Murder again, and he ducked underneath it, and Knife summoned more sharp bones, firing them at the blue Loch Ness Monster. It let out another pained growl, glaring at Murder with it's remaining eye, slamming it's tail into Knife before it created several blue spears and fired them at the two of them, making them have to dodge the attacks while trying to land hits. It tackled Knife a second time, trying the same thing as before, firing spears at Murder as it tried to single out Knife to finish him off.
It got a bit too close for comfort, and while Knife thought about using blue magic, that made this too easy. He kicked it off again, sending it flying back, and it lunged at them once it got up, snarling as it went in for the kill again. It went for Murder this time, distracting Knife with blue spears, and Murder didn't have the strength Knife did to keep it back. The spears kept Knife occupied, and some were getting closer to hitting him than he'd intended.
Several of them were converging at him from all angles, and suddenly, they all stopped, freezing in the air before fizzling out of existence, his and Murder's mixed theme abruptly ending. Knife looked over at Murder and the fish monster in confusion and then in satisfaction, seeing Murder holding a sharp bone in his left hand, the weapon stabbing straight through where it's soul was, something even Determination couldn't keep it alive through. The monster had gone still, limbs shaking before it's body turned to dust, getting all over Murder's clothes. The skeleton was laying there panting, the bone falling from his hand as it trembled, his fingers falling open.
There we go... Knife smirked, going over to Murder as he sat up, looking at his hands and the dust with trembling eyelights and shaky breaths. The glowing red smiley face over Murder's face was more prominent than it was before, and Knife knew the LV was gonna be messing with him once again, if it'd even stopped since the last time. Knife crouched down behind him, his arms reaching forward to gently grab Murder's wrists, tilting his hands up to where Murder could see the amount of dust on them. Murder had finally done it, just like Knife had known he would.
Knife rested his chin on Murder's shoulder, saying next to his skull, "there you go. that wasn't so hard now, was it?"
Murder's bones rattled, and Knife's smirk sharpened. Chara had done this to him too, and it'd helped him overtime, and he'd known that. They'd taught him everything he'd known, from being created on that patch of yellow flowers to when he'd killed them. They'd been friends, sure, but Knife hadn't needed them anymore, not when he was Determined enough to Reset.
"dr-dream's gonna-" Murder started to say, but Knife silenced him.
"shhhhh...." Knife whispered, moving his arms to hug Murder, one hand raised to press his pointer finger against Murder's mouth, "it'll be fine... you had to, it's ok..."
Murder bit his finger, shrugging him off and standing up, starting to pace on the rooftop. Knife remained crouched, looking down at his bleeding finger, his smirk turning into a smile as he looked back up at Murder.
"you had to kill it, murder. you showed mercy by fighting. it was too far gone." Knife attempted to ease him; Chara had done so much better when they'd helped him with his 'outbursts'.
"i could've just used blue magic on her-!" Murder started again, but Knife teleported over to him, pressing his injured finger against Murder's mouth again.
"it. it wasn't undyne, murder. you have to understand that. besides, i don't think you wanted to." Knife told him, "i think you wanted to kill it."
"i didn't." Murder denied, swatting his hand away, Knife's blood on his teeth.
"you did. i can see it on your face, murder, you liked it. you always have." Knife pointed out, "you have an lv of 30 after you killed insanity, you have so much of a capability to hurt without caring, and you don't care about who you kill, do you? no, you care about how dream will react. you don't give a damn who you kill, and you can't deny that."
". . . even if i don't care, dream will still be-" Murder began, but Knife cut him off.
"tsk tsk tsk. here we go again with dream. murder, you needed to kill it. if he can't accept that you need to kill or you'll be killed, then he's not your friend." Knife told him.
"oh, but you are?" Murder scoffed, turning away from him and looking back down at the dust next to the pool, "knife, we are not friends. i may tolerate you, but i don't like you, and i never will."
Murder started walking, and a shadowy figure appeared as Murder passed by a certain spot. It was another hallucination, great. It was Chara, completely black except for gray eyes, gray blush on their cheeks, and a gray mouth, along with a gray stripe across their chest.
'You've been busy...' They hummed.
'been a while since you've shown up.' Was Knife's response, and they huffed.
'Sure, act like you aren't happy to see me...' They rolled their eyes, and Knife started following Murder once he started running across the rooftops again.
'i know you're not real, and all you're gonna say is things i'm already thinking, so why should i listen?' Knife asked.
'Because i think a part of you feels bad about manipulating Murder.' They smiled, 'You're doing to him what happened to you.'
'i didn't turn out that bad, though. besides, what the real chara had done was helpful sometimes.' Knife responded, jumping over a rooftop.
'Didn't Color tell you that that was wrong? You've been in the Omega Timeline for years, and yet you still think that your friendship with me wasn't that bad. Haven't you learned anything?' They asked.
'i tried color's be friendly and hope it works way. it clearly didn't work. murder doesn't like me, he just said that. so, i'm going back to my roots until i can find out what makes him tick.' Knife replied.
'What's with the hyper fixation, hmm?' They questioned, and Knife leapt over another gap.
'because he's fun. he's trying so hard to be sane and sure, sheath wants that and him and murder usually get along because of it, but i want to get along with him too. murder's trying to be the good guy, even though he's schizophrenia wrapped up in an angsty package. besides, like i said, murder's fun, and he'll be even more fun once he stops holding back.' Knife explained.
'Murder's right to be worried about Dream, though. He won't be happy, and if he or anyone else, especially Color, finds out about this game you're playing with them, you'll probably get grounded again, not to mention kicked off the team.'
'dream can't be too upset at us for playing exterminator, not when it keeps us alive. besides, murder'll be fine. he'll probably thank me for helping him.'
'Whatever you wanna keep telling yourself, Sans.'
Knife summoned some sharp bones, firing them in the hallucination's direction, and they vanished. Murder turned around to look at him, seeming confused, but he shrugged it off with an eyeroll and he kept running. Knife and Murder ran mostly close together for a few minutes, Knife keeping up with him no matter how fast he tried to run, which he could tell probably irritated him. They both landed on a roof at the same time, and Knife's eye sockets widened as the surface cracked under their feet.
"أوه اللعنة-" Knife and Murder fell, Knife vaguely wondering if this is what Frisk and Chara experienced, and they hit the floor hard.
Knife grunted, slamming into the floor hard. The floor was concrete, and it seemed to be an abandoned building of some kind. Knife looked up at the ceiling, and he saw sharp bones around where the hole in the ceiling was. Smart.
"i'm glad you two could drop in." Knife looked up to see the other version of himself sitting on a large wood crate and smirking at them, legs crossed and a knife spinning in his left hand.
"killer." Murder spat, pulling himself up.
"well hello there, murder." Killer greeted bitterly, "got some more lv i see."
"you've seen how those things are out there. hell, that's probably why you're in here." Knife mentioned, and Killer smirked.
"nah, i've been all over. i just saw you two heading this way and figured it'd be a good spot for an ambush." Killer explained, "y'know... knife, right? you're missin' out."
"yeah, maybe, but i've got friends on the other side." Knife smiled.
"whatever you say." Killer shrugged, and he uncrossed his legs before pulling himself on top of the wooden crate, standing up.
Murder summoned Gaster Blasters and bones, and Knife summoned his sharp bones, not using his Gaster Blaster yet. Everything was quiet, and then...
Killer's knife turned glowing red, and he slashed it, a red streak shooting from the blade and towards them, Knife's theme starting, despite it belonging to Killer. Knife dodged it, jumping to the left, and Murder jumped to the right. The concrete exploded once the streak hit it, and Knife looked at Killer in fascination. He grinned, shooting the sharp bones at him one after the other, and he dodged as Killer returned the attacks.
Murder summoned and fired Gaster Blasters at Killer, only for him to dodge, sending several sharp bones through them before throwing his knife at Murder, something Knife didn't expect. Murder dodged it, the blade sinking deep into a wall behind him, only for it to vanish and appear back in Killer's hand. Knife lunged at Killer with his own knife, trying to land a hit, only for it to be blocked by Killer holding two knives. They continued to fight, blocking each other's blades, and Knife saw Murder summoning sharp bones and firing them at the two of them.
Knife got hit, and he turned to him, scolding, "hey! it's me you idiot!" while Killer laughed.
"i can't tell you two apart!!" Murder snapped.
"then stay out of this!" Knife told him, trying to stab Killer again.
Killer used blue magic on his soul, throwing him into Murder before leaping into the air, slashing his knife at them again. Knife tackled Murder out of the way of the attack, Murder pushing him away, and Knife sighed.
"we have to work together if we wanna beat him, murder!" Knife told him.
"hell no!" Murder glared.
"do you want to get killed?" Knife asked, pinning him to the floor.
"we're fighting here!!" Killer piped up.
"give us a minute!" Knife responded, and he looked down at Murder while Killer grumbled under his breath, "so, do you wanna get killed, or do you wanna work together?"
". . . damnit." Murder sighed, his skull falling back to his the floor.
Knife smirked, patting his head, almost receiving a punch if he hadn't blocked it, and he got up before lunging at Killer, who had been prepared for it. Murder teleported behind Killer, firing bones at him, but Killer teleported out of the way, Knife getting a sharp bone lodged in his right arm.
"this isn't working together!" Knife pointed out.
"shut up, knife!" Murder snapped, causing him to laugh before Murder tackled him out of the way of a knife materializing and shooting at his skull, "is that working together?"
"heh, yeah. you should pin me down more often." Knife smirked, and Murder slid him across the floor before he got up, flipping Knife off in the process.
Knife chuckled, pulling himself up before looking up at Killer with interest, watching a few knives appear in the air behind him, acting like a bone attack.
"how the hell are you doing that?!" Murder demanded, voicing Knife's curiosity.
"just a little trick i learned." Killer smirked.
"of course you won't explain it, why would you." Murder rolled his eyelights, and Killer chuckled, firing the knives at them.
Murder and Knife dodged them, staying out of each others' way this time before countering with their own attacks, Knife summoning his Gaster Blaster while Murder summoned his. They both fired, homing in on Killer, who teleported out of sight. The Gaster Blasters left large holes in the walls, so they were probably a poor choice given the things running rampant outside. Killer was out of sight, and Knife and Murder backed up into each other, backs pressed together as they made sure to leave Killer no blind spot to attack from.
"so, this has been fun. wanna get coffee after this?" Knife asked.
"why do you have to be so damn annoying?" Murder questioned.
"uh, rude, but also i was just being nice~" Knife said innocently.
"that's a load of crap, knife." Murder grumbled, and Knife snickered.
"and i get called mean..." Knife teased.
Murder elbowed him harshly in the back, making Knife smirk, and he saw a glowing red target above them. Killer was up there watching them, and once he realized he'd been seen, he slashed his knife at them again, Knife grabbing Murder's wrist before teleporting them both out of the way of the slash. Murder and Knife both fired bones at Killer, the skeleton dodging, and Knife tugged him down to the floor with blue magic. Murder took that as his cue to summon several Gaster Blasters, firing them at Killer, and they hit their mark.
"lucky hit." Killer smirked, covered in scorches, and he summoned his Gaster Blaster again, Knife summoning his to counter it.
The beams of raw magic hit each other, causing a massive explosion, and Killer lunged at them through the smoke, slashing his knife several times, the red streaks shooting at them. Knife and Murder teleported out of the way, Knife tackling Murder as knives sailed over them, teleporting them out of the way as they turned around and shot down at them. Murder brought up bones to block them while Knife summoned a wave of sharp bones and fired it at Killer, the skeleton teleporting out of the way. Murder and Knife dodged as Killer summoned his Gaster Blaster again, Killer then tackling Murder, trying to stab his knife into Murder's skull, and the dusty skeleton kicked him between the legs. Killer yelped, stumbling back a bit and clutching his pelvis, on his knees and holding himself up with his free hand.
Knife and Murder exchanged confused looks, both unsure as to what had happened, and Murder asked, "uh... what are you doing? we don't have anything down there, and my pelvis isn't a weak spot."
"maybe you don't." Killer hissed, glaring at him.
Realization hit, and Knife's eye sockets widened, "how do you-"
"came with the soul change! you mean you don't have anything down there?!" Killer questioned.
"want me to pull my shorts down and show ya?~" Knife asked, hands nearing the hem of his white shorts.
"no! no, we believe you!" Murder said quickly, pulling Knife's hands away from his shorts.
"i wasn't gonna actually do it." Knife lied.
"whatever you say." Murder rolled his eyelights, only for his eye sockets to widen as a loud whistle filled the area.
Knife looked past Murder to see Killer with a dog whistle raised to his mouth, blowing into it, and him and Murder both tensed up, summoning bones as the monsters lunged through the openings in the walls.
"have fun with the mutts." Killer smirked, still looking pained as he teleported out of sight.
"damnit!" Murder yelled as Killer's theme ended, starting over with Murder's theme mixed in, but they seemed a bit more harmonic this time.
The monsters were pouring through the walls, and Knife smiled as he grabbed his knife from his pocket again as he lunged at one of them, using it to kill the monster easily. He was also using his Gaster Blaster to kill multiple of them in one go, and his smile widened as he saw Murder killing them from the corner of his vision. Knife jumped forward, killing a monster as it attacked Murder from behind, and Murder summoned several Gaster Blasters, firing them at the monsters and killing some of them on the first hit, then more as his intent increased. Knife smiled in satisfaction, watching as Murder finally stopped holding back, and they started falling into a rhythm.
Knife and Murder killed the monsters closest to themselves while covering each others' backs, and halfway through the fight, the red smiley face in front of Murder's face was glowing. Sheath wouldn't be too happy about Murder finally cutting loose, but he wasn't happy about much of anything Knife did anyways. The fight continued for a few more minutes, a blur of explosions, bones, knife slashes, and snarls from the monster, both covered in scratches from the creatures, Knife's right arm broken from a monster biting it.
Knife watched in entertainment as Murder stabbed a sharp bone through the last monster's head, killing it. They were both covered in dust, as was the floor, with piles of it all over the place, and they were both panting. Murder had a wide, crazed grin on his face, clearly high from all of the power, and he fell to the floor with a giggle, making a snow angel in the dust. Knife laughed at the sight, flopping down and joining him, snickering as he looked over at him, his clothes practically gray from how much dust was on him.
"you... haha... you were right..." Murder panted, grinning up at the ceiling, "i did miss this..."
"thought so." Knife smirked, sitting up and sitting on his knees next to Murder.
"dream's gonna kill me..." Murder mumbled, before he grinned, "but i don't care! hahahahahaha!!!"
Murder broke out into a fit of giggles again, laughing uncontrollably, hugging his own ribcage as he ran out of air but he still kept laughing. Knife was extremely amused by how much Murder had lost it, and sure, they'd both killed a lot of those things, but this was the most out of it Knife had seen him. After what happened with Insanity, Murder had been fine, just slightly off with a few episodes, but this was... this was something else entirely, and Knife loved it. Murder coughed on some dust, sitting up, and Knife patted his back, helping him get it out.
"thanks." Murder thanked him between coughs, and he looked up at him.
"you're welcome. you never answered, though, you wanna get some coughee later?" Knife asked, and Murder burst out into another fit of laughter, leaning against Knife's side.
Knife wrapped an arm around him, smirking down at Murder in triumph, and he got an idea. He grabbed some dust from next to himself, and he tried molding it into a ball, but it was too powdery.
"damn." Knife muttered.
"what?" Murder asked, curious.
"can't make a dustball." Knife sighed.
"hmm..." Murder hummed, and Knife suddenly found his hood pulled over his skull, filled with the dusty powder all around them, and Murder was running away giggling.
Knife blinked for a moment, surprised, before he chuckled, getting up and taking his shoes off, filling them with dust before chasing after Murder, getting close and dumping the dust onto him. Murder yelped in surprise, taking off his slippers and filling them with dust, and they started chasing each other around. Knife would admit it, he could be childish, this was a known fact, and Murder was always so serious. He needed to cut lose, and now that he had, it was a sight to see. This continued until Murder ran out of stamina again, panting and dropping his slippers before he flopped down to lay on the floor, trying to catch his breath. Knife smiled, sitting next to him and looking down at him in satisfaction.
"oh damn, i think i forgot my meds this morning..." Murder mumbled, and Knife tilted his skull a little.
"why do ya say that?" Knife asked.
"because i'm seeing blue now instead of paps...." Murder replied, "and dream too..... dream's not dead, right?"
Knife looked up, seeing Dream and an Underswap Sans watching them through the hole in the roof, and Dream looked pissed.
"maybe he doesn't have to be dead... oh well. hey blue, what's up!!" Murder waved.
"you're uh... you're not hallucinating." Knife told him.
"i'm not?..." Murder asked, and Knife nodded, ". . . oh. so that's..."
"dream, yup." Knife finished, nodding again.
". . . oh." Murder said.
"KNIFE!!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!?!?!" Dream demanded.
"i am so dead..." Knife chuckled, voice strained.
"yep..." Murder agreed, giggling a bit next to him.
Undertale AU Predatortale!Papyrus route- Chapter 6- Suspicion
While Sans gently stirred the pot of spaghetti noodles on top of the warm stove, he kept a close eye on the human next to him. The child had taken to warming themselves up from the residual heat of the appliance during the preparation process, which definitely was a reminder of the chilled nature he and his brother were quite numb to. Being skeletons had left them with the ability to weather such temperatures; pun intended. With a heavy sigh, he set the ladle on the countertop before taking off his jacket, wrapping the kid in it to secure their fleeting warmth. The jacket was at least three sizes too big for the young human, but Sans couldn’t have them catching cold. If they fell ill it could interfere with the next crucial step.
The child looked up at him meekly, seemingly grateful for the jacket, but he could tell they weren’t too pleased with the smell. Though Sans could understand, since the jacket hadn’t been washed in quite some time. Not having a nose had offered a benefit in that regard so he never really bothered with the idea of laundry. In addition, the jacket was dirtied with dust here and there, something he didn’t feel was necessary to explain to the kid as he returned his attention to the stovetop.
“Looks like the noodles are almost ready. You wanna get the sauce from the fridge kiddo?”
They gave a light nod and waddled over to the fridge, the jacket weighing them down significantly as they went to grab the sauce. While keeping watch on them, Sans reached into his right pocket of his shorts, gripping the bottle he had stashed away with a light squeeze. It was one thing that he had been using painkillers to keep Papyrus rested, but what he was about to do next was going to determine whether his brother made it out of the underground alive. He despised the methods he was having to use, tricking his brother like this left a bad taste in his mouth, but there was no going back.
The kid returned over from the fridge, looking up at Sans’s mix of emotions upon his skull with worry before Sans offered his trademark smile, chuckling lightly as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and took the jar of sauce from the human.
“Don’t worry about it, kiddo… Just hungry. I’m sure Papyrus is, too.”
The human child gave a nod, they had taken note of how the two skeletons seemed to have a more stable hold on themselves, but at the same time there was no denying it. They were hungry just like every other monster in the underground, but despite that this one was helping them to eventually escape the underground. Something their motherly guide had said they would do, and yet they still felt unease standing alone in this room with them. Something about them screamed not to be trusted, despite everything they had said and done thus far, despite Toriel’s reassurance. It was like their instincts were screaming for them to run as far as they could.
The fearful undertones of their expression didn’t escape Sans’s observation, as he lightly patted the kid’s head.
“Hey, it’s okay… The food’s almost ready, so why don’t you go join Papyrus in the living room while I finish up?”
Given the opportunity, the human child gave a few quick nods, fumbling out of the kitchen as they dragged along the oversized jacket they wore before disappearing around the corner into the living room. With the child gone, Sans returned his focus to the food preparation. As usual he reached into the lower cupboard, the canister of substitute retrieved as he prepared Papyrus’s plate first. Then he returned the canister, with the remaining contents. There was no need to take it, because it would be crucial for the next step.
Next, he reached for the medicine in his right pocket. This time, it wasn’t painkillers he had prepared, but instead a mix of a sleeping medication with sleep walking side effects and a hunger stimulant, both acquired at the suggestion of his patron. The sleeping medication was more of a hallucinogen, allowing for easy initiation of sleep, but the sleep walking would make the hunger stimulant that much more potent. Mixing the medicine into the food, he kept an eye on the entrance to the kitchen, listening to his brother speaking with the child while he started to prepare a plate for himself and the human child.
Outside the kitchen, the child had taken a seat next to Papyrus, much to the dismay of how close they were to the tall skeleton on the tiny worn down sofa. Papyrus was indeed happy to make a new friend, but given the circumstances, things were not particularly safe for them to be this close by. The smell, even without a nose, was eliciting a response from his instincts. There was prey sitting next to him, his instincts were practically screaming in his skull, but his logic would never fail him. He was The Great Papyrus, friend to humans and monsters alike. He would never fall to such barbaric measures.
Though he couldn’t deny that his new found strength had left him with a sense of unease. Just as he had recovered enough to walk around this human had appeared, almost as if his body knew this, like his true nature was starting to take hold of him. It scared him. The thought of one day losing his battle with his own inner shrilling voice in his skull encouraging him to kill. Something he never wanted to do. The substitute was enough, it had to be enough.
In need of a distraction, he turned his attention to the jacket on the human, obviously too large for their small stature. It was his brother’s jacket. It was rare that his brother would show such acts of kindness, and it was, despite how terrible he felt being distrustful of his family, suspicious that he had brought this human here of all places. However, Sans wasn’t lying. This kid had come here likely from the ruins, but as to why he did not know. With that path of inquiry in mind, he smiled slightly at them.
“So…Sans said you came from the entrance to the ruins… Why were you there?”
The human looked at Papyrus with a tinge of sadness, remembering the face of Toriel before lowering their gaze to the floor. They didn’t want to leave such a seemingly warm and safe place, Toriel was quite possibly the only one thus far that made them feel genuinely safe. Even Papyrus, as kind as they seemed, still gave them some kind of instinctual sense of restlessness and desire to bolt out the door.
“...you must have been scared. You still are.”
With a nod, the child shrunk into the jacket more, thankfully it masked their scent a bit more, making Papyrus’s inner voice quiet down even further.
“Well…I’m not sure why my brother is involved, but…be sure you don’t let your guard down… He’s…he’s not a bad monster…but…he’s made bad choices before…”
Papyrus still remembered how he had been snatched by their next meal from the place they once called home years ago. Sans had rescued him and slaughtered his new friend, though Papyrus knew why they did it. He knew why the human kidnapped him, as well as why Sans made the choice he did, but it was still wrong. In his mind, they could have talked it out. They could have been friends. There had to be another way forward aside from all this senseless killing, despite everything the core of his being was telling him.
“Sans isn’t a bad monster… He’s always taking care of me…despite me still acting like a babybones…but… Human…”
Papyrus looked to them with a serious expression, any sense of trust fading in that moment as he stared quietly at them. His voice hushed as he looked to the kitchen with a quick glance before proceeding.
“...do not trust my brother…do you understand?”
It felt disgusting to have those words leave him, to be said with his own voice, but he couldn’t shake his suspicions. Bringing a human to their home never meant anything good, he knew this, and his brother had never shown any sign of kindness towards a human prior to this one, so it was unlikely that this act of kindness was of his own volition. He would protect Frisk from Sans. That was what he decided. There was no way he’d let Sans carry out whatever he had planned for this child.
With that thought in mind, he felt a sense of relief seeing the child’s knowing nod. It seems they too had the same conclusion just based on instinct alone. Papyrus hated to distrust Sans so much, but he couldn’t deny that his brother was up to something. However, even if he was, he hadn’t had the strength to lift so much as a phalange in order to investigate. It was all he could do to keep his instincts in check with this newfound strength, but he would protect Frisk with everything he could muster.
As he steeled his resolve, his brother came into view, carrying a plate for him and the child. Spaghetti was always his favorite, and Sans had gotten quite good at making it. Thanking his brother, he quickly started to eat the food, the nourishment serving to add fuel to his determination to protect the human as he watched his brother closely. The child took their share and started to eat as well before Sans returned to the kitchen to get his own. Papyrus knew it wasn’t exactly what he wanted, there was a human right next to him after all. However, maybe his brother could be convinced to not make a meal out of Frisk if he tried hard enough.
Though, convincing Sans not to eat a human, it had never crossed his mind as a possible outcome. Sans fully embraced what it meant to be a monster, it was Papyrus who was the outlier. No other monsters thought like him, all of them had laughed at Papyrus’s ridiculous notion about being friends with your food. How could you be friends, yet also hunt the very ones you were friends with? The humans wouldn’t forgive that, so why bother trying? That was the same answer he got time and time again. Nobody would side with him, not even his own brother.
When Sans returned from the kitchen, instead of carrying a plate of spaghetti he instead had a couple of brown pellets in his hand. The substitute medication that he and his brother took was the only thing keeping them stable. Keeping them sane. Papyrus didn’t like the stuff, but he knew not taking it was not going to help him protect Frisk. When presented with the medicine, he swallowed it down, quickly stuffing a bite of pasta into his mouth to wash out the taste. He didn’t like the taste, or rather, he didn’t like how it made him feel when he tasted it. It always made his instincts get all riled up due to it not being ‘the real deal’ and having a human sitting literally right next to him would only make that worse.
Upon finishing his food, he started to feel a little groggy, trying to shake it off as his brother took his plate.
“Hey…Paps, are you okay? You’re not looking so good…”
Papyrus raised a hand and nodded.
“I’m fine…”
He needed to protect Frisk, he couldn’t let himself start to drift off again, but nevertheless Sans persisted.
“Papyrus… I know you’re excited about a human being here…but you shouldn’t push yourself, okay?”
Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets at his brother, causing the shorter skeleton to stiffen a bit at the reaction his concern got.
“I said I’m fine. I want to…talk with the human a bit longer… I’ll go to bed a-...”
He nearly fell over onto the floor, his brother catching him as he started to feel the room spin.
“H-Hey! Papyrus-!”
Papyrus put his hands on his brother’s shoulders as the room spun around him, earning a groan from the taller skeleton as Frisk froze up with a mix of fear and concern.
“Look, bro, you’ll get to talk with Frisk in the morning… You really should get to bed…”
Unable to argue anymore, Papyrus gave a concerned look to the human, who seemed to practically be begging not to be left alone with Sans. Given the warning he had given them, it was only natural that they didn’t want to be alone. Sans could tell his brother was worried, he had the right to be, so he then decided to make a suggestion, the final nail in the coffin.
“...why don’t you have the human sleep in your room with you? Will that make you feel better?”
Papyrus’s eyes widened at his brother’s suggestion. It was not something he figured his brother would ever suggest, but one look at his brother told him everything he needed to know. His brother knew that he didn’t trust him, and that hurt. A lot. Sans knew that Papyrus didn’t trust him, and he could see how much that hurt his brother. He had doubted Sans, he didn’t trust him with this human’s life in the slightest, and was suspecting his brother of planning something terrible. He was right to be suspicious, he knew this, but why did it hurt to see Sans so sad about it? Papyrus hung his head in shame. He wanted to trust his brother, he didn’t like making Sans feel like this, but there was no denying he was up to something.
“Papyrus…please…it’s okay…I know, alright?”
Papyrus leaned back into the sofa, staring at his brother who wouldn’t meet his gaze. Sans knew Papyrus didn’t trust him. It hurt Sans a great deal, but he could use this moment to his advantage. Playing up the disappointment, he let out a light, disheartened laugh.
“You don’t have to say anything for me to know… It’s okay…”
Frisk looked between the two as they remained tense, the taller skeleton finally letting out a sigh as he looked to his brother.
“...I’ll have the human stay in my room with me then.”
Sans gave a nod, his smile fading a bit as Papyrus finally let him help with getting him up the stairs to his room.
“Come on, kid… I think we’re all tired. You and my bro can have a sleepover upstairs while I clean up.”
The human quickly got to their feet, leaving their plate behind as they followed up the stairs to Papyrus’s room. They felt a great deal safer knowing they would be close to the taller of the brothers, especially when Sans was clearly labeled as untrustworthy to be around. Once they all finally made it to the room, Sans helped Papyrus get into his bed, grabbing an extra pillow and blanket for Frisk from a nearby dresser. However, before Frisk was allowed inside, Sans walked over to them at the door, leaning in slightly to look them straight in the eye.
“...kid…do me a favor…do not hurt my brother…do you understand?”
His words were only audible to Frisk, Papyrus already starting to drift off as the human wanted nothing more than to shut out Sans from the room and get to the side of the only one he trusted at the time. With a gulp, the child gave a quick nod.
“Good.”
That said, Sans gave the blanket and pillow to Frisk, allowing the human to enter as he exited Papyrus’s room, closing the door quietly. Once the door was shut, he turned his attention to his room, making his way over to enter and shut himself within his own quarters before breathing a sigh of relief. He could practically feel the dark grin upon him as he had completed the final step.
“And now…we wait…”
Alphys set another tray of food before she spoke, “I'm glad you got the lockets back.”
Chara held both lockets tightly. The other hand was used to eat. “And now he threatens the second I take a single step out of line... he will shatter them both.”
Alphys sighed as she settled in her usual spot, “I... figured he'd do something like that.”
Chara ate in silence. Their gaze shifted to their bed every once in a while. A full minute of silence and slight glances. Alphys turned towards Chara. She went to speak with a smile but stopped before she could utter a sound. Her mouth closed. She raised a confused brow. “Chara?”
“Hmm?” Chara let out a questioning noise, preoccupied. Alphys continued, “Is something wrong with your bed? You're... not hiding something dangerous again, are you?”
Chara set down their food before they glanced up at the cameras. They'd stared up at them many times since they've been relegated to this new prison over a month ago. The way the cameras were designed suggested they only record visuals. No audio devices within or attached. Alphys let out a confused voice, “The cameras? I don't like them either, but I can't get them removed.”
“I already guessed that. No. I do not want him to know just yet.”
“Know what?”
Chara met Alphys's gaze with a serious, yet dead expression. “That I know what he did to me.”
Concern grew in Alphys's voice and expression. “Chara, I um... I-I don't... I don't understand what you mean.”
“This- everything that's happened in this lab- everything he's done, this is all a dream. A figment. A curse.”
Alphys paled in worry. She began to curl in on herself. Chara said many things in their depressive state that would often scare and worry her. This was different. This was said as a matter of fact with a straight, serious face. Nothing was real? She gave a nervous laugh, “Chara... it... it sounds like you don't believe I'm... real...”
Chara's expression melted into uncertainty. They were quiet for a moment. “I... am not certain with you. Whether you are a figment, or a victim, like me.”
Alphys relaxed her shoulders a little. “What do you mean, a victim?”
Chara went to speak before they stopped themselves. A grave expression dawned. Could they even tell her about Asriel and waking from this nightmare? What if she was a figment and reported this to him? What would he do to them? To Asriel? Chara's panicked mind stopped. What if... she didn't have to know the details? Chara looked back at Alphys. “If I tell you how I know, you must swear you will not tell him how I know.”
Alphys nodded and smiled. Her voice became gentle again, “Of course, Chara. I swear.”
“You swear...”
“Oh! Right! Sorry. I swear I won't tell him how you know that you're in a dream. Or, a curse, or... whatever... this is...”
Chara took a deep breath. They had to choose their words carefully. “When... I finally saved Asriel from him... I... I fell asleep clutching the lockets. I... I woke up... back with my... family. Yet, I was barely able to move. I felt so weak. So exhausted. H- my family tried to get me something to eat... but I asked... them to stay with me. They told me I was asleep for a long time. They tried so much to wake me, including talking to me whenever they could. He-they were the whispers I kept hearing!”
Chara paused for a moment. They knew the next part would be tricky. They mulled it over and decided the bare-bones explanation would be enough. “We caught each other up on everything. I told them about the nightmare. They told me everything that had happened while I was asleep. When we talked... they noted something strange. Nothing could wake me. Nothing. It was as though I was forced to sleep indefinitely.”
Chara's tone soured, “Then... I felt exhausted. I couldn't move. I could barely hear... them. They tried to call to me and keep me awake... but it failed. They tried to fall asleep with me and... I was... back here.”
Alphys blinked. They were so hesitant to say who was in their dream. Was it Asriel? Alphys pushed that thought aside. No. Chara was very open to talking about Asriel with her. No. There was one topic Chara had put strictly off-limits in their discussions. The surface. Their birth family. Their life before they fell into the underground. Was them telling her about this dream the closest she'd get to knowing about Chara's birth family? Besides the admission that Chara's birth mother had abused them somehow.
Wait. That didn't explain how the events of the lab were only a dream. She questioned, “That... That's a strange dre- experience. But, um, that-that doesn't really explain why you think-know! Know that this is all a dream.”
Chara's tone evened, “When they told me how long I was asleep and how nothing they could do would wake me, I knew it could only be his doing.”
Alphys mused aloud, “I don't know... I don't think Gaster knows that kind of magic. And if he did... it would take a huge amount of magic to keep you... under the spell for this long. With how we are... no monster would be able to sustain it- or even cast such a spell! Maybe... for an hour or so... but... then they'd Fall Down before long...”
Chara raised a brow. “What makes you so sure this kind of curse needs to be sustained?”
“Well... complexity, really. Not only does it need to be cast to put you to sleep and keep you asleep, but it also needs to create a constantly changing scenario. The spell would have to be crafted with the entire underground in mind!”
Chara smirked. “He doesn't need the entire underground. His lab would be sufficient enough. Or, even smaller. The lower laboratory. That is why he was desperate to keep me here. To maintain the curse.”
They chuckled, “My escapes must have strained him since I was able to break free for a few minutes.”
“Okay... um... what about me? You said you didn't know if I was a figment or a victim. What did you mean?”
“...I need to ask you a question to aid in determining that.”
“Okay...”
“Why did he chose you to be my caretaker? What are you to him?”
Alphys scratched her head. “Um... I'm just an intern. Really. I've only been working for him for a few months. I'm... not sure why he chose me. All I know is he said he couldn't trust his assistant with the task.”
“His assistant?” Chara eyed Alphys with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
“He has an assistant named Sans. He's a skeleton, too.”
Chara's eyes widened. They remembered. The skeleton that took Asriel away when Gaster confronted them in Snowdin Forest. They gritted their teeth for a moment. “I have seen him before.”
Panic encompassed Alphys for a moment. “Y-you have?! When? I-it wasn't here, was it?!”
Chara instinctively grasped the lockets. “He helped Gaster kidnap me by separating Asriel and I. Anyway, why was he not selected?”
Alphys calmed with Chara's explanation. “Um... I think Gaster said something like... um... he's useful elsewhere? Or something like that? He didn't elaborate.”
“It sounds as though he wasn't suited for the task.” Chara shrugged. “He probably would have eaten me, rather than take care of me.”
Alphys chuckled nervously, “Y-yeah... knowing Sans... that's... probably right. I don't see him much, but... I think he's a lot like Gaster.”
“A psychopath?” Chara curtly cut in. Alphys shook her head. “Well... I couldn't confirm that.”
Alphys counted out silently on her fingers. “Um... but, I mean... the two are short-tempered. And... I think have similar powers, from what little I saw. And... I sometimes hear rumors of them talking to each other in a different language.”
Chara was quiet for a moment. They had a serious expression on their face as their mind raced. Could they be... related? Chara thought. Disgust grew on their face. It would make sense, from what Alphys said.
Chara shook off that train of thought. They sighed, “Well, all that tangent proved is that he thought you could be trusted not to devour me.”
Alphys frowned. “So, you still need to think about it. Whether I'm a victim or a figment, I mean.”
Chara nodded. They pushed the empty tray of food back under the force field. Alphys collected the tray silently. She heard Chara speak quietly in confusion, “Asriel?”
Alphys blinked at the name. She looked back at Chara and saw something strange. Chara had their gaze locked onto their bed with shock. Their eyes quickly darted between the cameras before Chara's gaze fell onto her. A fearful gaze. Alphys locked eyes with Chara for a moment before she looked over towards the bed. Nothing was there. Chara quickly looked back at the bed and shushed at... something. Alphys gave Chara a confused and concerned gaze. “Is something wrong?”
Chara gave a suspicious glance at Alphys. It soon melted into confusion. They looked back at the bed briefly before they finally relaxed. Chara had a nearly even tone, but Alphys could tell they were still nervous, “No... everything is fine.”
Alphys frowned. She knew this conversation wouldn't continue. She smiled. “Okay... I... should give you some time to think about this whole... curse... nightmare... thing. See you tomorrow.”
Alphys walked away without another word.
Alphys felt her concern grow as she went back to her makeshift kitchen. Conversations with Chara were heavy at times, especially when they were hurt or grieving. But, this was different. There was an unsettling calm with how Chara spoke. How Chara was certain their entire reality was false. There was no hesitation in the majority of their reasoning, and anything Alphys said seemed to strengthen that delusion. She couldn't leave it alone. The only thing she could do was report it.
Once done with cleaning the dishes, she dug out her phone. She dialed Gaster's number by memory. She waited. Two rings sounded before her boss answered, “Yes?”
“Um... it's Alphys. I-I need to talk to you about Chara. Are... are you busy?”
“No. I'm doing some paperwork in my office currently. I do need to discuss something with you as well. Come by, I assume you are done with your duties for the night?”
“Yes, sir. I'll be there soon.”
The call cut without another word. Alphys sighed. She began to walk, nervousness encompassed her throughout the walk. Her mind raced on how to phrase what had just happened with Chara while also fulfilling Chara's request. Not to mention that he had something to say to her as well. Was it bad? Maybe not; he didn't sound angry with her on the phone. She still had to proceed with caution on what they both wanted to talk about.
Alphys quietly knocked on the door to Gaster's office before she entered. There were two enormous stacks of papers on Gaster's desk. Gaster put a paper he had been attending to on the stack to his right before he looked up at Alphys. She sat down in a chair in front of his desk as he spoke, “What happened?”
Alphys twiddled with her thumbs and spoke hesitantly, “Um... I-I know you don't want to talk about anything regarding Chara's mental health... but... they said something that... I just... I just can't shrug off this time.”
Gaster relaxed in his chair. “Actually, the human's mental health is tangential to what I wanted to speak with you about.”
Alphys sat upright in her chair. Shock grew onto her face. “R-Really?”
Gaster motioned for Alphys to continue. “But, I will hear what you have to say first.”
“Oh... okay...” Alphys took a deep breath before she continued, “Chara... doesn't believe that this is reality anymore.”
Gaster raised a brow and said nothing before Alphys continued, “Well... they told me that they think-well, they're certain they 'know' you... cursed them to uh, sleep indefinitely and that this-everything that's happened to them in the lab... is just some nightmare... caused by some curse you cast.”
Gaster held back a snicker. One sputtered chuckle escaped. He couldn't help but show an amused smile at the idea. “And... how did it come to such a ludicrous conclusion?”
Alphys's expression dropped. “They wouldn't tell me... but... I think it could have something to do with Asriel, or at least his locket.”
Gaster pulled out a notebook and began to take notes. “Then, today is the first time hearing of such things?”
“Yes. Just now when I uh, gave them their dinner.”
“Hmm... then it is reasonable to assume that giving the human Asriel's locket is the trigger for this.”
“I think so.” Alphys sighed. “I... I don't know if this kind of thinking could harm them or not. I just... to see them broken and then so sure of something...”
Her voice became more frustrated, “So... unbelievable! I just...”
She deflated and held her head. “I... I don't know how I can help with this sort of thinking.”
Gaster looked up from his notes curiously, yet coyly. “Are you implying you are no longer fit to care for the human?”
Alphys paled. Her mind raced. No. He can't think that! She can't get separated from Chara. No one would help them. No none would want to. And, Chara wouldn't trust anyone else, especially with how long Alphys has helped them. All of this blazed through Alphys's mind in a second. She sat straight in her chair. A determined look filled her face. She roared out in worry, “NO!”
Gaster's eyes widened momentarily at Alphys's shout. A perturbed expression was struck across his skull. Alphys quickly realized what she'd done. She panicked and waved her arms nervously. “I-I mean! I-I uh, um was just...”
She took a deep breath to calm herself. “...This was far removed from what I've... helped with so far... I... I thought I should get a.. second opinion to address it.”
She went on a nervous tangent. “B-besides! It would be really bad to change caretakers at this point! W-with all Chara's been through, I don't think anyone else would be equipped for the task. Or even want to do it! And-and Chara! I don't think they'd trust whoever would replace me!”
Gaster kept a calm expression as Alphys stammered. He waited until Alphys was finished. His expression turned serious. “You do have a point.”
“I... I do?”
Gaster rested his hand in his lap, away from his notes. “The task of replacing you would be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. Especially concerning what I wanted to discuss with you today.”
Alphys was surprised. Her boss didn't anger at her outburst. Perturbed, yes, but no external signs of anger. Somehow, this sent more of a chill up Alphys's spine than the expected possibility. She shook off those thoughts as Gaster pulled out a different notebook and flipped to a page. She was now curious. “Um... what did you want to talk about?”
Gaster spoke nonchalantly as he took out two papers that had been put into the notebook, “Today, I was able to test the new soul scanning device on the human.”
He extended the two pages to Alphys. “It was a basic scan, but considering the first scan from the old machine was interrupted, it was the first real look into the human's soul.”
Alphys gently received the pages from Gaster and looked over them. “Is this... the data from the two scans?”
“The summary of it. Take notice of the stability of the soul from each scan.”
Alphys scanned the pages, quickly able to find it. Both stability reports... soul damage. Her head snapped up. “Wait... did the first scan capture the stability of Chara's soul as the crack happened?!”
“Surprisingly, yes. But, that is not all. Take a look at the second scan.”
Alphys scanned the second report for the value. She paused. Her eyes widened in shock. Her eyes darted back to the first report to confirm it. She looked back to her boss in worry. “What... does this mean that the crack in Chara's soul has grown?!”
“To a small degree, yes.”
Alphys put the reports back onto Gaster's desk. Dread and worry encompassed her expression. Gaster smiled, “You should be happy. Now there is a small amount of data to support your hypothesis.”
Despite the worried expression, Alphys had a small bit of hope in her voice, “Really?”
Gaster collected the pages and returned them to his notebook. “It is a start. There is still far more research to be done on the matter for it to be a solid theory. But, the soul scanning device has revealed the possibility.”
He looked back at Alphys calmly. “If your theory holds true, then it will cement you as irreplaceable in regards to the human's care. If not...”
He smirks, “I'm sure someone else would be suitable for the task, should you... slip up, that is...”
Alphys nodded but said nothing. Gaster returned to his calm expression. “Good. Now, in regards to his new delusion, I suggest continuously cementing that this is reality. If the human believes this is not real, it could either become reckless or even rebellious once more. Find the holes and contradictions in its logic, and the problem should sort itself out.”
Alphys nodded, “Okay... but... what if they don't respond to logic? What if they drown out any of my logical explanations? They aren't sure whether I'm real or not, too.”
Gaster hand waved. “Then play on its emotions.”
“Okay...”
Gaster motioned towards the door. “With that, I believe we are done, for now. Correct?”
Alphys hopped out of her chair. “Yes, sir. Thank you for hearing me out... and for researching my theo- my... hypothesis.”
Gaster had already begun to dive back into the mountain of paperwork at his desk. He practically ignored Alphys at this point. Alphys quickly left without another word. Gaster waited a few moments before he pulled out his journal and began to write.
An expert from the journal of Dr. W.D Gaster
With the soul scanning device's completion, research on the human's soul has finally begun. The first scan brought the troubling fact that the crack in the human's soul has grown a small amount. The soul is still stable, but I can only theorize that if the crack continues to grow, it could lead to the soul shattering. Now, I must look into whether this growth is a natural progression, or caused by the repeated punishments the human has brought upon itself. Psychological included.
I decided to bring this to Alphys's attention. Her hypothesis now has some merit, after all. She also had something to report. The human has the delusion that they are trapped in a false reality. Supposedly, this was triggered when I gave the human the lockets. It is unknown how the human could react to such delusions, as this could evolve into the human attempting to harm itself again. Something that I can never risk happening again.
Behold! The final part (so far) of one of my most popular comic dub series! I hope you’re happy. XD I apologize for the video being so short, but what do you expect when that’s all there is left of the comic?
Comic created by @foxy-sierra.
Again, thanks for being my epic scary Undyne predator, @ellynore-moonwood!
