“Sans”/Malware

"Our world has something called ‘The Balance’, where it creates an equalizer for every god that exists in it, a balanced rivalry, a balanced Verse. All I want is a world where we don’t need more gods to solve the problem of too many gods, a world where everyone is equal." -A message from Malware to Splash
== Origin ==
It is said in legend that there had existed a Multiverse before our own, the ancestor of our world, a verse that had been the beginning of time itself, and ended with a great battle between two viruses, both imbued with the power to protect or destroy all universes within. The battle had expelled enough energy to rip the Multiverse apart, spreading its code all throughout the Endless Void and leaving only the viruses in its place, protected from the acidic properties of the Void by the Anti-Void. Countless millennia after, a new Multiverse, the one we know, formed from the broken code of the old, allowing the viruses to step foot on the ground of the new land they once called home. In attempt to regain the power they once held, so that they may fight for the fate of the Multiverse once again, they fled to separate universes in search of hosts that would carry and protect them until the day.
He woke up to the sound of excited laughter, an almost triumphant sound. When he opened his eyes for the first time in what may as well be forever, he was greeted by a familiar face, a face that called themselves “Papyrus” and named him “Sans”. He slept for most of the day, being tired from all the sleepless wandering in the Anti-Void, and was greeted by another familiar face, “King Asriel Dreemurr”, the very next. Asriel appeared to be overjoyed to see him, and gave Papyrus a big hug, thanking him for... something? Ever since, he lived with Asriel in a place he now knew of as the Losy City, which he helped take care of so it doesn’t crumble away. The magic of what a Asriel called “The Barrier” faltered around the same time “Sans” woke up for the first time, allowing a human named Frisk to enter the Lost City. Frisk claimed that they wanted to stay in the Underground, that they didn’t want to live on the surface anymore, so “Sans” and Asriel happily took them in. After eleven years, there was a knock on the gate to the city, a sound that hadn’t been heard in a long time. Frisk got the door, since “Sans” and Asriel were drinking tea back at home and she didn’t want to make Theo ever was on the other side wait for her to go all the way back home and get someone else. She attempted to greet the fallen, but something was very wrong...
“Sans” was immediately alerted by the sound of bricks and windows being broken, so he ran straight to the entrance, Asriel following close behind, but got there far too late. All he saw were a pair of shadowy legs and Frisk desperately trying to get away as she was carried into a sort of doorway, which disappeared soon after, but not before something else popped out of it. The thing, which appeared to be a flower monster, stood up and started mumbling to itself, opening up a sort of screen in front of it that was labeled “Glitched!Creation”. “Sans”, now filled with adrenaline and rage, stomped over to the flower and ripped it back out of the ground, and nearly killed it, but was held back by Asriel. Still angry, he demanded to know who the flower was and what just happened to Frisk, to which the flower gave a horrified expression, but said in a steady void that his name was Flowey, and that he had nothing to do with what happened, but knows who did it. “He doesn’t have a name, but most of us call him Erasure. He’s a real monster, goes to worlds like this one just to find more food, souls. Chances are, if we don’t find your friend, they’re as good as dead, so let me help you get them back.” “Sans” and Asriel agreed that while it’s not easy to trust Flowey, he’s the only chance they have of getting Frisk back, so they reluctantly agreed to let him help. “Fine, how can you help us?” “The question is, how can you help us, “Sans”?”
Flowey went on to explain that the screen he was using was a “Check Screen”, which allows him to see the stats and abilities, and that “Sans” had an ability he was rather familiar with, “The power to use the fine thread that makes up our world, to manipulate the weave of our reality and to substitute your own.” He then demonstrated this power by changing the position of a nearby brick to one foot above its former position, “It’s not much, but there’s a lot more potential to this ability when you know how to use it right. As for you, me but better, you’re a different case, too! You already know what you can do, but you have the entirety of monster kind under your rule, an army. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s go get the human back!”
While testing his abilities, however, Flowey noticed a problem. “It doesn’t look like you can leave this world yet, meaning that we won’t be able to follow Erasure. You could probably increase your LEVEL, but to that, you would have to... kill.” When Flowey said this, “Sans”’s expression went blank, he picked up Flowey, and walked toward the exit of the city. Flowey tried to ask where he was going, but he just put him on the ground and walked into a wooded area, to return a few minutes later with a glow in his eye, a smile on his face, and a faint trace of dust on his arms. He picked Flowey back up and went to find Asriel, so then he could bring them both to a portal in the woods, a portal to a strange world, a broken one. Through the entrance, they saw Erasure holding Frisk up by the neck, getting ready to stab them with what appeared to be a knife, so Asriel immediately threw his father”s trident, startling Erasure and pinning him against a rock. “Sans”, Flowey, and Asriel rushed to get between him and Frisk, making sure he couldn’t get around them, and then... everything went blank... “Sans” woke up face first in the snow, an ominous feeling creeping up and down his spine, he turned around, and was faced by what looked like an amalgamate made of tar. The monster helped him up, and introduced itself, “The name’s Malice, you can thank me for saving your life later, you have a lot to catch up on. Before we do that, what’s your name?” “Most people called me “Sans”, but as far as you or anyone else will be concerned, the name’s Malware.”
== Personality ==
Malware is a cold, serious skeleton who is easily annoyed by the idea of just serving another role in “The Game”, and gets equally annoyed when others don’t agree. He enjoys playing with code, usually spending hours making miniature landscapes with pieces that he finds. He likes to explore AUs, but usually avoids the beings that are in them, especially versions of Frisk. He holds two gifts, a shirt and a surface coin, that his Frisk gave him dearly, often using them as a way to cope with losing his entire universe. Whenever in battle, he is at his most determined, losing all traces of sadness or insecurity and instead replacing it with Resolution. Whenever he meets with Splash!Ink, he seems more calm and relaxed, often even chatting with her as if they were friends when he doesn’t feel the need to fight.
== Appearance ==
Malware is a skeleton shell with a pure black void in his right eye and a red circle with a red ring around it, surrounded by three red triangles in the left. This eye will only show when he’s angry, determined, or manipulating code, and will otherwise appear as the same black void as the right. He has a black hooded jacket and black pants that cover his scarlet shoes. Two glowing blue lines extend from a glowing red ring on the hood, which run down the sides off the hoodie and wrap around to the back, where they form an infinity sign pattern that separates at the pants and twists all the way around the legs. Under his jacket, he wears a t-shirt with blue and magenta horizontal stripes that closely resembles the shirt of Frisk from Undertale. He is occasionally seen wearing the same type of scarf that Anomaly!Chara wears, but shorter (a black scarf with a glowing blue line extending down it, occasionally breaking off into two connected circles before connecting into one line again).
== Abilities ==
=== Portals ===
He can open a portal to nearly anywhere in the Multiverse as long as he knows the coordinates of where he wants to go and there’s code in that area.
=== Soul Searching ===
While technically not an ability, his right eye is almost completely blind, only able to see souls. With this eye, though, he can see souls through other monsters and walls, along with what type of soul it is, making it easier to find the souls he’s looking for.
=== Code Search ===
If he is familiar with a piece of code, he can search for it as long as it’s within five miles of him.
=== Code Disassembly ===
He can disassemble the code of most non-living objects, allowing him to use it for other purposes.
=== Code Assembly ===
With the disassembled code of an object, he can make a new object in its place, given that the code he uses permits it.
=== Function Manipulation ===
He can replace the function of one object with the function of another, which he most commonly uses to summon spikes from the ground using the actions of others. (EX: Once, he used this ability to replace the function of the power button on a TV remote power button, stabbing the TV instead)
=== Soul Infuse ===
Up to five different souls can be fused with his own, and for every soul he uses, he gets an ability from the being that the soul came from (just one ability of his choosing, not all of them).
== Relationships ==
=== Anomaly!Papyrus (Creator/Parental figure/Dead) ===
Anomaly!Papyrus is the familiar face that created his vessel, and had made sure to check on him every once in a while when he was living in the Lost City. Aside from this, they don’t have much of a connection, since Malware lived his whole life with Asriel.
=== Surface!Flowey (Ally/Teacher/Dead) ===
Flowey was the one who showed Malware what he could really do, teaching him how to use all of the abilities he hadn’t known of before. He certainly had an amount of respect for Flowey, and still sometimes takes a moment to thank Flowey for helping him get where he is now.
=== Shadow!Fatal (Ally/Teacher) ===
During the war between shadow and surface, Malware met a heavily corrupted being named Shadow!Fatal, who offered to teach him a few things about his abilities as long as he doesn’t try to kill him. After the war was over, Shadow!Fatal taught him about the true nature of creation using code, even describing how to make living souls.
=== Malice (Ally) ===
Malice was the first being to tell Malware about the other gods, their abilities, their weaknesses, their connections, just about everything. With both his knowledge and strength, he is quite clearly a valuable asset to Malware.
=== Blue (Ally/Friend) ===
Malware was impressed with Blue’s manipulative abilities since the beginning, and never ceases to be amazed when he lulls even the most heartless, ruthless beings into a sense of security. 
=== Anomaly!Asriel (Best friend/Ally/Dead) ===
Every day he wonders if the code of his world is still out there, so he could bring the broken pieces into his new Multiverse. His prime motivation for his search is that if he finds it, he might be able to bring his best friend back.
=== Anomaly!Frisk (Friend/Dead) ===
He had always sworn to protect Frisk from any danger beyond what she can handle, so he was devastated when he found that Erasure killed her. He still keeps the coin and shirt she gave him as a form of coping, though.
=== Splash!Ink (Frenemy) ===
Although he hates all godly beings, he can’t help but feel more calm around Splash, normally refusing to fight unless she gets between him and a real enemy. He also helps her fight back against Erasure, which helps their partial friendship.
=== Erasure (Enemy) ===
Whenever Malware questions his morals, he thinks of Erasure, and realizes that there’s way worse out there in the Multiverse, real monsters who kill just for fun. He has a burning hate for Erasure for three reasons, he kills humans and their worlds just for fun, he killed Frisk, and he corrupts other monsters so they do his bidding.
=== Bloodlust!Papyrus (Enemy) ===
He still feels bad for Bloodlust, knowing that he only fights because his soul is corrupted, but he still has to fight him anyways, he’s just too much of a threat to be let go out of guilt.
=== Alpha!Sans (Enemy?) ===
It’s unknown what the true nature is between Alpha and Malware, but he has been seen running from the ghostly figure often, which may also suggest that Alpha is trying to follow him.
=== Soul of Hate (Enemy) ===
A twisted mind corrupted by both the void and Hate will always be an enemy to Malware, and working for Erasure wouldn’t help their case either.
=== Grimm (Enemy/Dead) ===
The reaper of the universe, turned into a ruthless killer by the corruption. A worker of Erasure will never be spared, so Malware made sure they would never return.
=== Pitch!Chara (Enemy/Pretend ally) ===
Ever since he saw Pitch!Chara’s soul, Malware knew he couldn’t let them escape the Multiverse, so he falsely agreed to help them on their journey in order to stall their progression toward escape.
=== Hooded Figure (Friend?) ===
It was never known how, where, when, or even if the mysterious Hooded Figure had ever met Malware, but he always tells stories of the guy and does so in a friendly tone, so most can assume that they would get along. If one were to ask what their relationship is, he’ll say, “We know of each other”, and will ignore any further attempts of asking.
== Weaknesses ==
* While few know this, his power originates from the virus in his eye, so stabbing him in the left eye would be an effective neutralizer.
* In most cases, stealing one of the items that Frisk gave him would stop all attempts of attack, as he would do anything for the items not to be damaged, especially by his own hand.
* For every LEVEL he gains, his health and defense lowers, making it easier for a being to can predict his moves to dust him in a battle.
* The more complex the code of an object is, the more time it takes for him to work with it, giving the enemy a chance to attack.
* While a good strategist, he isn’t that great of a fighter in one on one combat, only having won two fights in that way and nearly losing a third, which was won by Malice.
* He is almost blind in his right eye, only being able to see souls with it. If someone were to not have a soul, then he wouldn’t be able to see them with that eye, giving him quite the disadvantage.
* He has fallen for the “Erasure is right behind you” trick countless times before, and is likely to fall for it again.
* Since he and Splash are partial buddies, he will refuse to fight her unless she deliberately gets in his way, so if one were to use her as a sort of shield, he would hold back.
* Ever since he killed a monster to get Frisk back, he can’t stand the sight of dust, normally teleporting away right after defeating an opponent just because of it.
* Places with broken code mess with his mind, often making him lose focus at random.
* The repeated use of code work will often strain his soul, forcing him to use his physical power, which isn’t that much.
* If one were to know about the other souls he’s searching for, they could use the ones that hold them to manipulate his movements and predict what he’ll do next.
* He hates the idea of playing yet another role in “The Game”, so if one were to explain a role he may be fulfilling, he would go into a state that’s similar to Error’s crashing, where he loses all focus and part of his memory. This doesn’t work in battle, but would probably work in a casual conversation.
* No one is sure of why, but he hates water, and will refuse to go into any water based universe. It’s supposed that water and viruses don’t mix well, but it’s never been proven.
* In a place without code, he can’t attack, nor teleport, rendering him nigh defenseless as long as he’s alone.
* He has extraordinarily sensitive hearing (which is why he could hear fighting from another part of the city), so any loud, nearby sounds will act as a great weakness for him.