True Reset: Chapter 1

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The human gasped for breath, his eyes opening and his mind flashed with sudden terror. He saw his ceiling above him and one of the posters on the wall right next to his bed. Sitting up, he glanced around the room in a panic. To his relief, everything seemed to be in the same place, the dresser drawers closed, his door cracked open just a tad, moonlight casting light through his uncovered window, and a plate covered in pie crumbs sitting on his nightstand. The finer details were checking out too as his heart rate slowed, his backpack laying against the desk in the corner of the room next to the closet, a row of long sleeve shirts visible behind the slightly opened closet doors. Everything was normal. This wasn't enough to comfort him though, he had to check for something else. Throwing his covers off of him he jumped to the ground and ran to the bottom drawer of the dresser and checked underneath all of his clothes on the left side. His fears were confirmed when he laid his eyes on an unmistakable shape.

A kitchen knife had been hidden underneath the pairs of pants and jeans, the stainless steel blade reflecting the moonlight into his face. He clenched his fists. He remembered how the handle had felt in his hand just a few minutes ago in his dreams.

The boy's body was shaking, his chest tight. Shutting the drawer without any care for how loud it would be he went to his backpack and grabbed a notepad from it. He sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed before reaching for the black pen that was laying on his nightstand. Flipping through the pages until he got to an empty one, he started to scribble on it as fast as he could.

I had the dream again. The one with the knife that keeps ending up in my bottom drawer. It feels like it's happening more often and then in the dreams more things are happening. Tonight was the worst. I didn't just think about it, I acted on the intent to hurt mom. I don't even want to try and write down what I was thinking in detail. I wish I could understand why this is happening. It doesn't make any sense. I would never, ever hurt her... so why do I keep seeing myself going to do just that?

He gulped, almost not believing that he had worked up the nerve to write it down at all. He felt tears coming on when he thought about the potential reaction to someone reading this note but he had to suppress the panic, the logical side of his brain knowing that it wouldn't do any good. He needed to let his mother know what was happening to him. Collecting his thoughts and tightening the grip on the pen, he decided to add one more line underneath.

I think I'm finally gonna tell mom about these dreams in the morning. No sugarcoating, no lying. I need to get help for this... I can't take it anymore.

Breathing out with finality, the boy shut the notepad quickly and tossed it onto the nightstand along with the pen which skittered off of the nightstand and fell on the floor. He groaned, shaking his head before flopping onto his back and shifting onto the bed. He pulled the covers over himself and shut his eyes but a nagging thought lingered even when he tried to force everything out and sleep. He opened one of his eyes just a bit, his sight landing right on the plate. He remembered his mom carrying in the piece of pie before bed because he had been having nightmares. It made him a little guilty being awake and leaving it until morning.

Toriel had taken very good care of him since he broke the barrier. She had become something like an adoptive mother to him, a role that Frisk knew she had been wanting to fulfill for a very long time. He was happy to be with her. It wasn't like he had a family to go back to.

"I hate seeing you so down, Frisk," his mother had said earlier that night. "So... I made your favorite: cinnamon-butterscotch pie. Maybe a slice will help you sleep better tonight." 

Frisk also knew that Toriel had been paying attention to his mental state recently. She knew that he had been doing worse in classes, avoiding social interaction even with his friends, and hardly doing any normal high school kid stuff. It wasn't like he could avoid her through any of it, she taught at the same high school he went to. He was self conscious about this fact. He knew he should be happy; he had by all accounts created a wonderful outcome and fulfilled the dreams of his new friends by giving them a path to freedom. 

And yet he was becoming so miserable and dysfunctional over horrible dreams that came out of nowhere. He didn't even have the mental fortitude to put the dirty plate away after he was done eating the pie his mother had made to help him feel better. He felt responsible and more than a little guilty. He needed to take a stand to try and change this if he was going to ask for help.

"I should probably deal with this..." Frisk said to himself. He climbed out of bed and picked up the plate, quietly shuffling across the floor. The pie had been delicious but that was to be expected, his mother's signature butterscotch-cinnamon pie was his favorite for a reason. His thoughts wandered back to the first time he had tried it back when he first arrived in the monster's domain under Mt. Ebott. It was several years ago now but the memory was still clear: it was unlike anything he had ever tasted. He smiled, the positive memory making him a little less nervous as he opened the door.

He took in a sharp breath when he stared down the dark hallway, completely losing his grip on the plate as it fell onto the floor and broke with an ear splitting crash. A girl was standing at the other end near the top of the stairs, illuminated by some otherworldly light. Her eyes were a fiery red, her hair the same brown as Frisk's, and she wore a green and yellow striped sweater not unlike the blue and purple one that he liked to wear. She looked about the same age and would probably not be so threatening if she hadn't suddenly appeared in his house. However, there was something very wrong about her. 

Her smile. It was a knowing grin that seemed unnaturally wide, the light that was being cast over her partially obscuring her face in shadow. Her disturbing gleeful eyes penetrated Frisk's fearful form. "Going somewhere?" her voice was not naturally that high pitched, sounding like a high schooler mocking a child's voice. She had her hands behind her back.

"Who... who are you...?" Frisk whispered.

"I think you already know," the girl replied, the tone of her voice lowering into condescending smugness. "You resist me years after the fact but the truth of the matter is that I've already won. Your soul was payment for bringing this world back from dust."

Frisk's mind was reeling. He had never seen this girl before in his life and now she was talking about things that didn't make any sense. His face hardened. "Why are you in my house?" he demanded.

The girl's smile grew wider, taking a few steps forward. "Just getting impatient is all. Looking forward to dreams becoming reality." She let her right hand fall to her side and in it was a kitchen knife. 

Frisk felt a chill down his spine, his right hand closing. "You..."

The girl chuckled quietly, her smile twisting into a monstrous grin as her grip tightened on her weapon. "It was only a matter of time." Her eyes seemed to grow wider, a red glow overtaking both of her eyes. Frisk could only stare hypnotically into them. "You belong to me, human. I'm sick of waiting. Tonight you'll kill Toriel and you'll LOVE it too. The best part is... she'll be just the start. We'll have lots of fun together slaughtering each and every one of your so-called friends."

Frisk tried to turn around, tried to run, tried to reach for the door but his body refused to respond to the barrage of desperate mental commands his brain was throwing. It was like he was a puppet being held in place, the crazed visage of the girl in front of him relishing in his suffering. She was beginning to laugh, first quietly and then increasing in volume as she stalked toward him brandishing the knife. The edges of his vision began to blur, blackness following in the wake of it. He could only stare at the girl, totally transfixed. She crushed a piece of a plate shard under her foot, her free hand reaching out to grab Frisk's neck.

"Stop."

A voice boomed through the hall and emanated a very tangible, terrible power before a bright white light appeared in front of Frisk, blocking his view of the girl suddenly and breaking him from his trance. It hurt his eyes and he shielded them with his hands. This close to the light it sounded like he was in a thunderstorm in Frisk's ears, a fierce but natural blast of power surrounding that felt like the wind of a tornado or a hurricane. It was hard to stay standing.

The girl recoiled from the light, clutching her hand where she had almost touched it. "No!" she screamed, her voice almost incomprehensible to Frisk even as the close distance she was away. "I've already beaten you!" 

"You outwitted me once but our battle is far from over."

"That's impossible... I know you don't have the determination!"

Frisk's vision was totally overtaken by the light and then all of his senses went blank.

The human gasped for breath, his eyes opening and his mind flashed with sudden terror. He saw his ceiling above him and one of the posters on the wall right next to his bed. Sitting up, he glanced around the room... but this time confusion was more prevalent than any fear.

"Huh?" Having an odd thought about what he had just seen, he climbed out of bed and ran to his backpack to find his notebook inside. He flipped the page to the back and was surprised to see the page he swore he had written moments ago was no longer there, totally blank. Shaking his head in disbelief he touched his head and trained his eyes around his room. "Was any of that... real?"

"Unfortunately, yes it was."

"Gah!" Frisk cried out, falling onto his stomach and rolling over to face the bright light that manifested at the foot of his bed. It stood tall above him from his place on the ground, its shape roughly humanoid Now that it was calmer he had heard the voice more clearly. It was strange, like a hundred different voices of all kinds speaking in total synchronicity. Was it a monster? Clearly it wasn't human like himself. It seemed to know the girl that attacked him though.

When Frisk opened his mouth to speak the creature made of light raised an extremity that looked like a hand to silence him. "I understand that you have a lot of questions, Frisk. I do not have the time to answer them all. We are running out of time: in a few moments Chara will be back to possess your body once more. I will not allow that to happen."

Frisk whispered the name he had just heard to himself. An image of the knife appeared in his brain and he made a connection that terrified him. "Chara... she's that girl." He had heard that name before... Asriel had said it when Frisk was fighting to save everyone's souls. He thought that Chara might have been important to Asriel but he never thought he would hear the name again.

As if it was reading his discomfort and confusion, the being of light spoke again. "She is very dangerous but she lives inside of you. It's something I failed to prevent. Even a being such as myself is fallible to simple human desires and curiosities. I apologize for putting you in harm's way because of it."

Frisk was afraid but the light gave him a warm, comforting feeling that welled up in his heart. The same subconscious feeling that manifested when he heard Chara speak was also felt with this new being but in a much more positive way. Even if he wasn't sure if he could trust the being of light, the feeling in his soul was resonating. He gathered the courage and slowly stood, holding onto the notebook as he did. "W-What do you need me to do? Whatever it is... I'll do it," he said, his voice wavering only slightly.

The being of light seemed to nod. "Seems you still don't lack determination. That's good, you'll need it. I'm going to lead you somewhere. It isn't far but we will have to leave now."

Frisk's fear crept back in but not for himself this time. "Will mom be OK?"

"Yes, she'll be fine."

Frisk paused, not sure if he fully trusted the being's words, but he nodded. "Alright. Let's get moving then."

Frisk quickly prepared, slipping on his shoes and picking up his backpack for school. He dumped the contents of it on his bed, a Calculus textbook, a book of theoretical physics he had borrowed from Sans, a bone that belonged to Papyrus, and a whole bunch of pieces of monster candy before tossing his notebook back inside of it and throwing it over his back.

"Walking will take some time."

"I can take mom's car," Frisk said without missing a beat. "If this really is life or death I'm sure she'll understand."

The being of light said nothing and simply followed Frisk as he left the room, its light dimming for Frisk's sake. Frisk moved slowly at first, paranoid that he would see the girl again at the end of the hall at the top of the stairs. When he was sure the path was clear he crept quietly down the hall and then down the stairs, being careful to avoid making noise when he got to the bottom.

The house wasn't small but it was still rather quaint. In the living room to the right was a large TV stand and a TV that hardly got used. Snail memorabilia was everywhere on the walls, on shelves, and the end table next to the couch. Family photos were on the walls. Frisk couldn't help but glance at some of them, some of which contained himself and his friends from the underground. They really were like family to him.

He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed the keys to Toriel's car. He was no stranger to driving it but given the circumstances he felt a little guilty that he couldn't tell her. He passed the island in the middle of the kitchen and glanced at the pie that had been sitting there. 

He sighed, realizing that in his haste he had forgotten to bring the plate back down. Feeling a pang of guilt, he stopped, opened his backpack and ripped a page from his notebook. He quickly scrawled out a message and set it next to the pie that had left out. "Sorry mom..."

Frisk hopped out of the car and locked it. He had parked it on the side of the highway about a mile outside of the town of Foxknoll, his hometown and the place where most of the monsters had ended up after leaving the underground. It made him a little wary. It was nearly five o' clock AM and the pitch black darkness of the early morning was still in effect. He stared at the tree line on the side of the highway.

"Is this where you want me to go?" he asked, putting his backpack on and carrying a flashlight that he kept in the side pocket.

"Yes," the being of light said, reappearing. It seemed that he was much brighter here, casting so much light that the path into the trees wasn't covered in any shadow. "I will be your light."

Frisk looked over to them and shielded his eyes by reflex when he felt his eyes sting with pain. Sighing, he looked back ahead to the path and started walking. He decided to start pressing this strange being for answers to his questions while he had the chance. "So, how can I know if I can trust you? I have no idea where we are going right and I didn't when I was driving either. I just... had a gut feeling when I was in the car and we ended up in the right spot. If Chara's goal was to control me, what makes you any different? You seem to have some kind of effect on me." His voice was calm and steady, his fear controlled. He had felt this way before down in the underground in many places.

"Determination can be a positive and a negative force," the being replied, floating down from the air and landing on its feet next to Frisk. "Chara is determined to use her influence to destroy. It was my mistake that allowed her to gain this power and go free. Now I am determined to make it right."

Frisk walked onward, confident that he was going the right way but he still didn't know exactly where. "Why do you need me though? Why am I special?"

"Frisk... you are a connection point directly to her."

Frisk's eyes widened. Without even thinking about it, he had a thought that he voiced out loud to the being. "Is that why I have those dreams?"

The being was silent for a moment, continuing to walk beside him. "Your soul belongs to her. Tonight she tried to come and collect. If she does that, no one in this world will be safe."

Frisk lowered his head, thoughts swirling. He thought about asking how or why this demon was in ownership of his soul, what mistake this being had made that had allowed that to happen in the first place, and why he had been so easily persuaded to steal his mother's car to drive out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. Instead though, all of those thoughts fell to the wayside. Something more important was welling up inside of him, something that he was sure in despite all of the uncertainties of this terrifying night. It had been almost forgotten but in this moment he could place what this was.

He was filled with determination.

"We have to stop her," Frisk said, nodding and focusing on the path once more. "That's all that matters."

The being of light didn't say anything else from then on. Together the two walked through the woods for nearly an hour, the human never once fearing for his safety or anything at all except for the task at hand. At the end of their journey through the woods, a small clearing was visible. Frisk looked ahead to that place and focused. This place seemed to be the destination, he could feel it in his soul.

The forest was still but something still loomed over the two travelers, a sinister whisper that carried on the wind. Frisk could recognize the presence of evil very tangibly. At the corners of his vision he swore he could see shadows moving, red eyes poking through the gaps between the trees, an extra rustling in the grass that didn't belong to any animal. In the light he was unafraid, walking tall and with conviction. The demon would not touch him but he wasn't sure where he got this confidence. Less than an hour ago he was consumed with fear, unable to move. Logically he should be afraid.

Something occurred to him. He turned to the being of light whose glow seemed to be diminishing a bit. 

"You saved me earlier but..." Frisk said, trembling. "I remember... so many times when I was in the underground when I felt just the same as I do now. I felt like my path was clear, like I knew that everything would be alright if I just kept going." The feeling was rising. He knew that something very important was about to happen but he didn't exactly know why. It was almost enough to bring him to tears as he and the being of light came into the clearing, illuminating the whole area around them. 

Plants brushed against Frisk's pajama bottoms, the boy gasped when he took in what they were. Yellow flowers. They grew freely all about the clearing, standing tall in their majesty. It was a beautiful picturesque scene that could be from a photo album or art photography book, but the power that this place held was something that had to be felt. Frisk's soul resonated and it led him to the middle of the field. The power had gotten too intense, the sheer weight of it physically overwhelming him and making him drop to a knee. 

The sky was changing color, the morning sun peeking out over the horizon and washing the place with an orange glow and casting a broad shadow. Frisk was exhausted but he managed to look up to the east to see it, the not so distant Mt. Ebott partially blocking it out as the shape rose. His eyes closed from the intensity of the sun's light, looking back down to the flowers that surrounded him. He reached down slowly and placed a hand on the grass. The explosion of color around him, the still quiet of the forest, the overwhelming power that this place held... he seemed to be emanating it now.

"The power to SAVE," the being of light finally said, their light fading into the color of the morning.

"I get it..." Frisk said, realizing. The tears were streaming down his face. "You... you were the one who gave me the power to... SAVE Asriel."

"And hopefully you'll be able to SAVE again. This time... the stakes are even greater, Frisk."

Frisk swallowed, keeping his hand planted on the ground. "I can feel someone's presence here in this place..."

The being of light lifted its hand and pointed to the forest edge some distance away, Frisk managing to raise his head to look. He could see the familiar shape of a person, standing on two legs. His heart leaped when he absorbed the rest of the details, the brown hair, the green and yellow sweater. "It's... it's her?" he said in disbelief.

"There was a town here many, many years ago," the being of light explained solemnly, "a town that was mostly destroyed in a violent riot when a monster came to the surface from the underground, carrying a small child. The humans... they believed that the monster had killed the child. The monster carried the child to the village and endured numerous brutal attacks from the humans, never fighting back once. The monster used the last of their strength to bring the child to see their favorite flowers in accordance with their last wish before carrying them back to the underground."

Frisk was stunned. He had heard the story before in bits and pieces and he didn't quite understand. Now everything was clear and he filled in the blanks. Asriel had carried through her old town, dying in effort to honor her last wish. This is the spot where Asriel had taken her. Closing his eyes, he lowered his head and focused on the spot beneath his hand.

"I know I am asking you a lot. It may even sound completely impossible. But this is the only way we can save you, Frisk," the being of light said, floating above him and floating down slowly to rest its hand on his back. "We might only have one shot at what I'm about to do. The effects are going to be drastic."

"I don't care... about saving myself," Frisk replied, his body shaking. "Do it. Do whatever you need to do with me. If I have a chance to SAVE someone else, I'll make any sacrifice."

"Foolish child," a voice whispered into Frisk's ears. "You think that your choices matter, that your sacrifice will matter? You cannot SAVE someone when no remnant of who they are remains."

Frisk knew who this was. He felt the presence of her over him just as the being of light was. "But... a remnant of you still exists. Inside of my soul."

The being of light's hand phased through Frisk's back and with some effort was able to grasp what he was searching for. Frisk's eyes closed tighter in pain as the hand slowly pulled a red heart from his back. The being of light cradled it in both of its arms, looking up and facing the pale faced girl that stood inches from Frisk. The two of them stood silently, the soul in the being's arms radiating its red glow and being shielded by the determination held within. The only noise that was heard was the sounds of nature, Frisk's heavy breathing, and a quiet hum of energy that came from Frisk's exposed soul.

"You are a meddling nuisance," Chara said coldly, no emotion showing on her face. "Wasting my time will get you nowhere. There are billions of other timelines where I have already won... and it was all your fault too."

"You underestimate the power of a human soul, especially the connections that it makes," the being of light said. "I continue to interfere in these worlds because I care enough to believe that people who live in them can change the fate that was meant for them... even yours, Chara."

She frowned. "Don't pretend that you care. I know who you really are... you are a fickle beast, your emotions constantly changing, your twisted curiosity allowing the people who you claim to protect to lapse into chaos and violence just for the fun of it. You created me."

The being of light looked down at the human beneath them, Frisk somehow remaining conscious even after his soul was removed. "You're absolutely right. That's why an outsider like me won't be the one to rescue you from your fate." They held the soul above Frisk's body and left it suspended in the air above him. Chara wanted to grab it and she tried to, but the light that it was outputting and the light of the sun hitting her made her body unresponsive. The being of light extended their hands, a concentrated beam of light extended from them directly into Frisk's soul. The bottom of their feet began to disappear, their form melting away as they pumped energy into the suspended soul. 

Chara blinked, watching them slowly fade from the physical realm. Something was happening around them, the space around the soul distorting and expanding outward to enclose them. Very quickly she realized that this was a trap. She tried to turn around and run but the field of distortion encapsulated her before she could think about making a move. She was stuck, forced to the being of light fade into nothingness and the world around Frisk disappearing into a rift.

Frisk was beginning to lose consciousness again, the blackness enveloping him and making his body fade in a similar fashion to the outsider. He closed his eyes, his body awash with pain... but he held onto his determination as the darkness took hold.

A red soul floated in the void, trembling as it came back to its senses. Everything was black, the entire world around them blank as a powered off TV screen. It was confusing. What was this place? Where was the strange being and the girl? More importantly, how did it get here? It looked around the strange place for any trace of something, anything, that was here with it.

"H-Hello? Is anyone out there? I'm scared..."

The red soul jumped, turning around fully at the sound of the voice. In the blackness it spotted something, a white soul floating in the void that seemed very far away but whose voice could be heard clearly even at this distance. It had to belong to a monster. "Over here!"

A gasp came in reply, the white soul stopping. "Who is that?" There was no longer any doubt about who this was.

"Asriel... it's me, Frisk," the red soul replied.

The white soul was still for a moment before floating toward the red one, following the intense glow. "Is it... really you, Frisk?" it said when it came to a halt.

"Yes," the red soul replied, stunned. The white soul sniffed, floated right next to the red one until the two of them were touching. 

The first thing Frisk was able to feel in the void was the arms around him, hugging him tightly. Just as his senses were returning he could feel his body doing the same, so he closed his eyes, reached out and hugged back. For several moments he held the hug, unsure if what was happening here was real or some kind of dream. Slightly opening one of his eyes just to check he was met with the sight a green shirt, black pants, and white fluffy feet standing in the black void along him. He pulled back his head, prompting the boss monster to do the same. The two boys looked into each other's eyes, remembering when they had done this before in a very similar place. Neither of them had ever envisioned it happening again though, not in forever.

"Asriel," Frisk whispered, a smile tugging at the sides of his mouth.

"Frisk," Asriel said, blushing heavily. He sniffed again, tears flowing freely down his face. "You look... older."

"It has been a while since we last saw each other," Frisk said, a single tear falling from his eye before he wiped his face. "Years even..." The human was definitely a lot taller than the boss monster was now.

"I missed you," Asriel said. "When everyone left the underground, I... I thought I'd just fade out there all alone... cease to be me again." He frowned, looking down at the ground. "Like... when I was a flower..."

Frisk drew Asriel close into a hug again. "I don't know how we got here... but I will never let you go again, OK?" This took Asriel over the edge of emotion that had been building, sobbing into Frisk's shoulder and holding onto him like his life depended on it. The two boys hugged for what seemed like several hours, getting out all of their emotions. Frisk wasn't sure why that he was so protective of Asriel and in equal measure Asriel wasn't sure why he felt so safe in Frisk's presence but none of it mattered in the moment.

When Asriel finally opened his eyes he saw something in the distance behind Frisk. "Frisk... there's other people here."

"Hm?" Frisk let go of Asriel, turning around to try and get a look. Sure enough, he saw a group of two in the distance, vague shapes that faded in from red and white souls just like he and Asriel had done. A tall human boy with shaggy brown hair that covered his face held the hand of a small monster who wore green robes that covered almost all of their body were wandering aimlessly.

"Who are they...?" Asriel asked, staying close to Frisk.

Frisk shook his head. "I'm not sure exactly." When he spoke the two newcomers turned their heads and saw him and Asriel. It was like his voice carried infinitely in this place. Noticing this, he raised his hand and waved to them. "Hey!"

"Oh, hello!" a voice replied, sounding high pitched and boyish and reminding Frisk of Asriel. "Should we go and meet them? They sound nice."

"Fine... but stay behind me," a much deeper, raspy male voice said. The two approached cautiously, Frisk's head slowly rising as he stared at the tall boy's face. Long brown hair covered his eyes completely and his face was hardened and a little scary looking. When they were near, Frisk and this new boy's height difference was clear.

The small monster wearing green peeked out from around the tall boy and smiled. "Hey there. You really don't have to be so on edge, Kris. These two don't look dangerous at all." This close it was now obvious that he was wearing glasses even with the shadow of his hat totally obscuring the finer details on his face.

The tall boy apparently named Kris crossed his arms and looked down at the monster. "I will not take any unnecessary risks when you're around. Especially not in a place like this..."

Frisk was much less suspicious of the tall boy now that he saw this interaction between him and the monster. They seemed to be very close, the boy just didn't want anything bad to happen to the monster. He felt the same way about Asriel so it was a point that he immediately related to. "I feel the same way. However, there is strength in numbers," he said, his face serious. 

Asriel smiled, coming and standing side by side with Frisk. "That's right. I'm actually kind of glad to see more people here... makes me feel less lonely even if you are strangers."

"Hopefully not strangers for long though," the monster in green said, fully stepping out to the side and giving a little bow. "I'm Ralsei and this is one of my best buddies Kris. It's a pleasure to meet you both." 

Kris sighed but he couldn't help but give a small smile to his friend. "I could have introduced myself you know..."

"Asriel," the white furred monster said, putting a hand on his chest. Kris opened his mouth when he heard the name.

"And I'm Frisk," the smaller human boy said, nodding. The dark place went quiet after he was finished speaking, the humans and the monsters not quite sure how to proceed.

"So, uh... any idea of what this place is?" Ralsei said with a nervous smile. Asriel looked at Frisk expectantly but he only shook his head in reply.

"I couldn't say for sure exactly what is going on," Frisk started, trying to gather his thoughts. "I do know something about what is causing this... but the how part is something I have no idea about." He looked to Kris and Ralsei. "I apologize for pulling you here if I had a hand in it."

Kris sighed, frowning when he looked down to Frisk. "Don't be sorry. I'd much rather be here than where I was just a few minutes ago." He pulled Ralsei closer to him. 

Ralsei noticed Kris' soured expression. "Kris? Did something happen when you went back to the world of light?"

"I'd rather... not say right now," Kris mumbled. The other boys showed some concern on their faces.

Right as Frisk was about to say something a horrible sound suddenly pierced through Frisk's ears. It was like the sound of a metal utensil hitting hard floor, it reverberated in his head in an amplified volume. He groaned and clutched his head, the surprise nearly making him double over. 

"Frisk, what's wrong?" Asriel said, holding onto him.

"Someone else is here..." Frisk lifted his head and saw a fifth soul floating around in the void. It was completely black, only visible now because it had gotten closer to the group. As the shape started to form around it the gathered boys could see the weapon it had dropped on the ground behind it, a stainless steel kitchen knife. The sight made Frisk flinch and Kris step forward in front of Ralsei.

"This is who I am stuck with, two boys whose bodies I came to collect and their friends?  What kind of pathetic attempt is this?" It was Chara, the image of the girl unmistakable. "I don't know what that fool thought they were doing trapping me here with the very prey that I came to destroy... even if I can't carry my weapon here."

Asriel stared in awe. "C-Chara?"

Kris growled, gritting his teeth. "You." Before anyone could stop him he sprinted at the girl with his hands clenched, screaming and raising a fist. Chara made no attempt to move and simply watched Kris unamused, almost ignoring him. It only served to make Kris more angry as he threw his entire weight into the punch only for his fist to pass right over her ducking head. He nearly lost his balance but he stayed on his feet, turning around and raising both of his fists. "I'll kill you..."

"Don't be an idiot," Chara said, glancing over her shoulder at him. "You could never kill me. I own you."

"Like hell..." Kris shot back.

"Chara... you're alive?" Asriel said, more tears starting to well up in his eyes at the sight of his adoptive sibling. "Why are you talking like that? It’s scary."

"Don't bother, Prince Dreemurr. The Chara you knew died in your arms a very long time ago," Chara replied coldly, making Asriel gasp.

Ralsei blinked. "Prince..." He looked at Asriel inquisitively and noticed his pained expression. Ralsei stepped in front of Frisk and Asriel. "Hi there, um... Chara is it? I'm Ralsei. You seem to... know everyone here including my friend Kris. I thought I would introduce myself."

Chara tilted her head. “What are you doing here? You are nothing but a meaningless reflection of Prince Dreemurr, a replacement.”

“He is not meaningless!” Kris called out, approaching Chara again for another attack. She stepped out of the way and stuck out her foot, this time causing Kris to fall face first onto the ground. 

Ralsei, scrambling over to Kris, crouched down and used healing magic on him. “Who is this girl? She reminds me of Susie when she first arrived…”

“She’s… nothing like Susie,” Kris grunted, getting back to his feet. “Nothing at all…”

Frisk took a stand at this point, deciding to interrogate Chara. “What are you doing in this place… have you come just to torment us?”

Chara frowned, meeting Frisk's eyes. “The exact opposite seems to be true. You are the one who trapped me here. A foolish decision... as now there is nothing stopping me from finishing what I started with you and with the other human.” She grinned. "You both being together... That's the biggest mistake they ever made!" She reached out her hand to grab Frisk's neck but her hand was stopped just out of reach, Frisk recoiling in surprise.

Asriel noticed it first, looking up to the dark space around them and seeing it light up with ethereal color. "Look!" he called out.

Frisk, Kris, and Ralsei too were stunned when they saw the sight. The black sky was now filled with souls, hearts just like the ones they first appeared as. They were red, blue, yellow, every color of the rainbow, emanating a glow that casted a beautiful spectrum of light onto the floor. There were easily thousands of hearts that surrounded them in the sky and more that multiplied every second. 

"All of us together are giving you a chance to save more than just this world, but an infinite amount of worlds," a cacophony of voices echoed all at once. It was confusing and terrifying for most, but Frisk understood who this was: this had to be the true form of the being of light that had led him to the forest clearing. Frisk realized that he too was putting out light that was bending around Chara's form and preventing her from moving.

"You can't destroy me... you're all outsiders!" Chara screeched, frozen in the light. "And if you think these insignificant beings can do it you're absolutely mistaken..."

The glow around Frisk's body was brightening. The words that the being of light spoke before came back to him. "The power to SAVE..." He looked Chara in the face, his eyes filling with clarity even as the others were still in awe and confusion. "You..."

Chara was furious. "What!?"

"Frisk, you know what you have to do now. We will be leaving you. Be mindful: the world you return to will be different in many ways because of this process. Some may shock you... it is imperative that you and others adapt if this plan is to be successful."

"I... I understand," Frisk said, his soul glowing so brightly that it was becoming hard for him to keep his eyes open.

"Keep your friends close, including those from the other world. They are critical as well. Do help them adjust to their changes."

"Alright... I'll do it."

Frisk's eyes fluttered open, the yellow flowers that he remembered from the field meeting his gaze. He nearly expected them to talk to him...

Everything felt strange to him laying on the ground. His head hurt, he was uncomfortably warm under the light of the sun that got into his eyes, and his feet ached. He grunted, forcing his eyes open more to see an odd white structure before him. He tried to sit up, rubbing his eyes with a hand only to realize that something else was off. What was wrong with the texture of his hands? And his nose definitely wasn't this long or this flat. He sat up and looked down at himself.

His mouth opened. On top of the fact that his pajamas had disappeared his entire body was covered in white fur all the way down to his feet. There were two fluffy white orbs on his chest, ones that he immediately reached up to touch only to recoil at how sensitive they were to his nerves. He shook his head slowly... only to have two long ears drop in front of his eyes. The form was alien to his physical senses but it wasn't unfamiliar. His morbid curiosity overwhelming his shock, he reached above his head and found two horns. They felt like teeth did, nerve endings that he was vaguely able to sense and feel.

"Boss monster..." he said quietly, a chill running up his spine when he noted the feminine quality of his voice. Before any more panic could set in he realized that this is what the being of light, the outsiders as Chara called them, meant by side effects. "But... it doesn't make any sense..." he said, looking up past the ground and seeing something odd. 

The clearing was now populated by a small stone platform with five pillars surrounding it. Floating in the air right in the center of this temple was a red heart, a human soul. His thoughts flashed back to when the being of light had been standing on that exact spot... 

Frisk decided that he needed to investigate, planting his hands on the ground and trying to get to his feet. The moment he tried to put weight on his left foot, he lost his balance. "Woah!" he fell over on his side, grimacing. "Right... boss monsters stand on their toes..." He got to his feet eventually, his toes wobbling from the discomfort of his new gait. He stumbled over to the closest pillar, nearly falling up the small stairs in doing so, and put a hand on it for support while trying not to panic in the process. 

When he got closer to the soul the details of the small temple became clear. Each of the pillars had a heart engraved into it, the one he was leaning on had a red heart just like the one in the center. Blinking, his eyes drifted to each of the other pillars. Another red heart... two white ones, monster souls... and then a black heart.

"Five souls..." Frisk said. "So... was anything that happened in that place actually real?" He slowly turned around and looked over the clearing filled with flowers. There was a shuffling in his field of view and he whipped his head over to it. He saw a heap of white fur laid out. Frisk's eyes widened. "Oh... hey."

"What... woah..." Frisk heard from the heap, a feminine voice that sounded older and deeper than his was. "Where..."

Frisk limped over to the monster. "Hey! Are you alright?" he called out, not sure if his new voice would be recognized. 

The shape raised up, another female boss monster, but this one much older given their size and apparent height. Frisk saw black markings across their otherwise white fur, and their eyes seemed to be black as well. The visual was striking and it reminded him of...

The other boss monster looked at Frisk oddly. "What... another...?"

Frisk swallowed, a blush flaring across his cheeks. Being nude was one thing, but also waking up female... "Asriel, is that you?" he managed to say, his pace increasing toward the other boss monster.

Asriel slowly nodded, very confused at the sight he was seeing.

Frisk stood over Asriel, breathing heavily and falling to his knees. "Frisk... it's me, Frisk."

"Frisk?" Asriel was in awe. "You're... you're a monster like me! And... you're a girl?"

Frisk crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm aware... but you're a girl too."

Asriel rolled his eyes. "Obviously... these things are heavy you know," he said, gesturing to his breasts which were much larger than Frisk's were. 

Frisk's panic was subsiding now that he had someone else to talk to even if the situation was becoming stranger and stranger by the second. He smiled at Asriel on the ground next to him, moved over and hugged him tightly. "You're... you're alive..."

Asriel smiled warmly and hugged Frisk back. "Yeah... I am."

"We'll figure this weird stuff out eventually, but... I'm so glad you're here," Frisk said, letting go of him. He frowned when he looked over Asriel's markings. "When I fought you... that's when I remember these black marks from."

"Huh... you're right," Asriel said, looking at his arms and legs. "I called that form the God of Hyperdeath... so silly. But I guess I'm the Goddess of Hyperlife now." 

Frisk chuckled. "That's... that's horrible."

"The kind of joke my dad would make," Asriel agreed with a smirk. 

Now that everything was starting to clear up in his head, Frisk's attention went back to the temple. "What happened to those other guys..." He slowly got to his feet and offered Asriel a hand. "Ralsei and Kris. I wonder if they're here too."

Asriel took Frisk's hand and got up much easier, Frisk gasping when he realized that Asriel was more than a head taller than he was. Asriel seemed shocked too, looking down at Frisk. "Wow. Either I'm ridiculously tall..." He smirked. "Or you're just a baby goat."

Frisk sighed and started back toward the temple. "At least you're taking this well..." 

"Who cares if I got turned into a girl or I'm like my powered up form? I'm alive! And it's all thanks to you," Asriel said, walking proudly behind Frisk. "It's a small price to pay really."

"Speak for yourself..." Frisk groaned. "I need to get one of my sweaters at least... Being naked is so..."

A black shape rose up in the corner of Frisk's eye and he turned his head. 

"Asriel!" a scratchy female voice came from the black furred monster. The moment that it tried to stand it fell over and groaned. "Awww, damn it..."

Frisk made the connection. This monster couldn't walk just the same as him... "Kris?"

"Kris!" Another female black furred monster came running past Asriel and Frisk and slid on their knees to reach the other. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I just lost my balance, Ral... sei?" This was followed by a scream that caused birds in the trees nearby to get spooked and fly off into the distance.

Asriel and Frisk quickly came over to the two black furred boss monsters, watching the short bottom heavy one tending to the taller and bustier one on the ground who was now hyperventilating. 

"Knew someone wouldn't take this well..." Frisk said quietly. "Ralsei, Kris."

Ralsei was using magic to sooth Kris' panic but he looked up at Frisk and Asriel. "Uh, um... I guess you two must be Frisk and Asriel."

"That would be right," Asriel said. "So... we're all female boss monsters."

"That, um... would seem to be the case," Ralsei said, blushing brightly as he patted Kris' head. Kris was breathing steadily now but he was curled up in a ball and shivering constantly. "I take it that this wasn't done on purpose."

"This is apparently a side effect of what the outsiders did," Frisk said, nodding.

"Why though...? Why did it turn us into..." Kris mumbled, his black fur hanging down over his eyes. "Ugh... this is so weird..."

Just as Kris said this, the sky above them rippled with red color before fading back to its normal blue color it was accompanied by another cry of pain that came from the temple, sounding like it popped into existence. Everyone turned to look. Another white boss monster was now sitting next to the floating soul, looking like they were recovering from some kind of magic attack.

Through a process of elimination Frisk made a guess, running over to the temple and standing over the final boss monster. "Chara?"

The girl whipped her head up, staring back at Frisk with piercing bright red eyes. "So..." she said, trembling and clenching her fists. "This was your plan..."

Frisk stepped back, taking on a more defensive stance. "Plan?"

Chara screamed, slamming her hands into the temple platform and then getting to her feet. Frisk held his arms in front of him to defend himself but Chara actually struck in a different direction, the soul that floated in the temple. Her hand impacted a red field that rippled the same as the sky, the boss monster howling in pain and recoiling from it. 

Frisk noted this. It must have been some kind of barrier like the one that sealed the underground. "Calm down, OK? You're just going to hurt yourself."

Chara sneered at Frisk, stepping away from him and clutching her hand. "What... do you care? You trapped me here... you and the outsiders!"

Asriel came running up behind Frisk. "Chara! You're here too!"

"Stay... away from me," Chara said, stepping back. "You have no idea ho-"

There was a sickening crack as Kris ran up and suckerpunched Chara in the nose to interrupt her, sending the smaller girl to the ground and knocking her out. Kris growled, shaking his fist and looking down at her limp body as the others reacted in horror. "That... that is what that demon gets..."

"Dude! That's my sister!" Asriel shouted angrily, approaching Kris with clenched fists. 

Kris frowned at him. "I don't care if you look like Asriel, you're clearly not the one I know. If that's your sister, then she's a monster."

"Who's the monster here, the one who says mean things or the one who punches someone out and breaks their damn nose for no reason?" Asriel snarked.

"Are you saying I don't have a reason!?" Kris snarled.

Frisk got between the two of them before they could touch each other, keeping them at arm's length. "Alright, enough! Guys, we have a mission to do here. All of this is happening for a reason. We can't do what the outsiders brought us here to do if we're all fighting. Understand?" Kris and Asriel looked at each other over Frisk's head and frowned but they yielded, backing away from Frisk and making space. "Excellent... now let's take care of Chara while she's out."

Ralsei was already at Chara's side, casting a spell on her unconscious body. "I guess if we are at each other's throats all the time I can make good use of my healing magic. Just don’t punch me out and we’ll be fine, hehe…"