Underearth/Book 5/Chapter 9

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Stepping from the elevator, Frisk proceeded into the main parts of Elysium: the Elysium Palace. Reaching Asgore's home, Frisk stepped inside. Looking around, he noticed Chara seemed a bit sluggish.

"Hey Chara," he called, "you alright?"

Chara snapped back to attention. "Y... yeah. Yeah, I am alright."

Turning back around, Frisk walked over to Asriel's and Chara's old room. Opening the door, a wave of dust shot across the floor from the air pushed away by its opening. Within, Frisk walked across the room and grabbed both the locket and the dagger, placing the former around his neck, and the latter into his bag. Chara simply floated along, taking in the atmosphere of her old home.

Stepping from the room, Frisk went and grabbed the first key at the end of the hall. Upon turning around, an Elysian Guard stood behind him.

"HUMAN." the Elysian said. "I HAVE BEEN SENT BY ASGORE TO TELL YOU THE TRAGIC TALE OF OUR PEOPLE."

"Alright. Come along, I've got to make it to Asgore himself." Frisk said, passing.

"A LONG TIME AGO, A HUMAN FELL INTO THE CITADEL. INJURED BY ITS FALL, THE HUMAN CALLED OUT FOR HELP. ASRIEL, THE KING'S SON, HEARD THE HUMAN'S CALL. HE BROUGHT THE HUMAN BACK TO THE CASTLE."

As the machine spoke, Frisk grabbed the second key in the kitchen and unlocked the chain blocking the stairs in the foyer.

"OVER TIME, ASRIEL AND THE HUMAN BECAME LIKE SIBLINGS. THE KING AND QUEEN TREATED THE HUMAN CHILD AS THEIR OWN. THE UNDERGROUND WAS FULL OF HOPE. THEN... ONE DAY... THE HUMAN BECAME VERY ILL. THE SICK HUMAN HAD ONLY ONE REQUEST. TO SEE THE FLOWERS FROM OCHYRO, THEIR VILLAGE. BUT THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO. THE NEXT DAY, THE HUMAN DIED. ASRIEL, WRACKED WITH GRIEF, ABSORBED THE HUMAN'S SOUL. HE TRANSFORMED INTO A BEING WITH INCREDIBLE POWER. WITH THE HUMAN SOUL, ASRIEL CROSSED THROUGH THE BARRIER. HE CARRIED THE HUMAN'S BODY INTO THE SUNSET, BACK TO OCHYRO. ASRIEL REACHED THE CENTER OF THE VILLAGE. THERE, HE FOUND A BED OF GOLDEN FLOWERS. HE CARRIED THE HUMAN ONTO IT. SUDDENLY, SCREAMS RANG OUT. THE TOWNSPEOPLE SAW ASRIEL HOLDING THE HUMAN'S BODY. THEY THOUGHT THAT HE HAD KILLED THE CHILD. THE HUMANS ATTACKED HIM WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAD. HE WAS STRUCK WITH BLOW AFTER BLOW. ASRIEL HAD THE POWER TO DESTROY THEM ALL. BUT... ASRIEL DID NOT FIGHT BACK."

Chara, who Frisk had been watching while the Elysian told its story, twitched at this last line.

"CLUTCHING THE HUMAN... ASRIEL SMILED AND WALKED AWAY. WOUNDED, ASRIEL STUMBLED HOME. HE ENTERED THE PALACE AND COLLAPSED. HIS DUST SPREAD ACROSS THE GARDEN."

"That... that is wrong..." Chara whispered, her eyes starting to flood with tears. "This whole thing is wrong."

"THE KINGDOM FELL INTO DISPAIR. THE KING AND QUEEN HAD LOST TWO CHILDREN IN ONE NIGHT. THE HUMANS HAD ONCE AGAIN TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM US. THE KING DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO END OUR SUFFERING. EVERY HUMAN WHO FALLS DOWN HERE MUST DIE. WITH ENOUGH SOULS, WE CAN SHATTER THE BARRIER FOREVER."

Frisk, who walked along the entire way, saw the archway to the Judgement Hall come into sight.

"IT'S NOT LONG NOW. KING ASGORE WILL LET US GO, GIVE US HOPE, AND SAVE US ALL." The Elysian leaned down to Frisk's head level. "YOU SHOULD BE SMILING, TOO. AREN'T YOU EXCITED? AREN'T YOU HAPPY? YOU'RE GOING TO BE FREE."

The Elysian spread its wings and shot off into the air, flying out of sight.

Frisk looked over at Chara, who was half-curled into a ball, her face buried in her hands.

"Are you okay?"

"... no..." Chara mumbled. "No, I am not okay..."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I... I..." Chara finished curling into a ball. "No, I don't want to talk about it..."

"Okay." Frisk sighed before entering the Judgement Hall.

Within, he ran into Sans, who judged him just as he had back in the second World. At the end, Sans then told Frisk that Undyne wanted to give him something before he left. Nodding, Frisk left the Hall soon after Sans, backtracking to Helios Station, then back to the MTT Resort, where Undyne called and asked him to stop by. From there, Frisk hurried to the R3 elevator, down to the L1 elevator, and then finally headed to Charon's boat, where both Calibri and Charon stood waiting.

"Ah, Frisk. Knew you'd be coming this way right about now." Calibri said.

"Yeah. Off to get Undyne's letter and deliver it to Alphys."

"Wanna postpone that for a bit?"

"And do what?"

"Take a quick boat-ride with Charon. You were gonna ride with him to Snowdin anyway, why not continue past and see everything the Acheron has to offer?"

Frisk looked over at Charon. "If it's okay with you, I don't see why not."

Charon simply waved his hand to his boat. Frisk climbed aboard and sat down. Charon quickly followed.

"Oh," Calibri said, "before you go, take this." he handed a small light-blue rock to Frisk. "I meant to hand this to you back in the MTT Resort, but you left before I could."

"Thanks." Frisk said, taking the stone. "Er... what is it?"

"It's a diaphone stone. Basically, a two-way radio, but magical. Both Sans and I have one. I'm sure you saw Sans holding his at some point before."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Excellent. This will allow instant communication between us. Just put a bit of SOUL AURA into it to activate it. That will either cause a call to be sent out, or to be answered. Send a bit more in to reverse it."

"I see. Thank you."

"No problem. Enjoy yourself." Calibri said, waving goodbye to them as Frisk and Charon began moving up the river.

Frisk placed the diaphone stone in his pocket.

"Tra la la, I will be dropping all my illusions on this journey." Charon said.

"Works for me."

As the boat slid along, they quickly reached and passed the dock to the Quiet Village, then the Snowdin docks, and finally entered the Citadel. Quickly after entering, a warm, familiar light shone ahead in the tunnel. Reaching the source, Frisk saw a great water wheel turning in the water, along with the front courtyard of Toriel's home. Toriel, unfortunately, was not present.

Continuing along, they once again entered a dark tunnel, which soon ended in the grand opening of many purple buildings. Banners bearing a sword situated behind a shield were flown in various places.

After a few minutes, the boat re-entered a tunnel at the other end of the Citadel. Emerging, Frisk saw a massive portcullis blocking a just as massive archway in the middle of the Citadel wall.

"Is that the main entrance?" Frisk asked Charon.

"Yes. Originally, there was a path that led to it, but it has long since been destroyed."

"Destroyed? By whom?"

"My brother. Or, at least, he gave the order. It would be more accurate to say the Unitary Republic of Home destroyed it. Ever since, besides this river, the fortified postern in Snowdin has been the only reliable way in and out of the City of Home. Nobody uses it, however, because it was designed to prevent an invasion, and so Asgore was more than wise to end his direct conflict with the Republic."

"Why were they in conflict."

"The Republic believed Asgore was a faulty ruler and wished to leave his tyrannical kingdom. The Underground, being a prison, made this particularly difficult. So, they took refuge within the walls of the Citadel and blocked off all attempts to force them back under Asgore's rule."

The boat continued along the river. As it continued, a palace soon came into view.

"We come upon the Oldtown Palace." Charon said.

"Can we stop there for a bit, Frisk?" Chara asked.

Frisk repeated the message to Charon, and he simply nodded.

Going inside a massive archway, Frisk and Charon entered a great hall covered in vines. Stopping in the center, Frisk disembarked and went further inside; Charon opted to stay with the boat.

The inside was brilliant. The walls were made of granite and were covered in great cloths of purple, gold occasionally finding its way in places. Walking the halls, Frisk found the interior to be quite simple. Two great halls featured themselves on either side of the palace; one leading into the City itself (which Frisk didn't dare enter), and the other being the one he'd emerged from originally. Both connected to an outer square of a hallway, which led to an inward hallway, which continued to an inner courtyard.

Upon turning the corner to this courtyard, Chara shot ahead, into the center. Confused as to why, Frisk looked ahead himself, catching sight of a great golden tree which seemed to emit this otherworldly golden light. Chara floated near one of the branches, taking in the radiant glow.

The golden tree itself was shaped like a great goblet, though the "cup" portion made up numerous symmetrical branches that continued in a pattern perfectly, as though it were constructed rather than grown.

Stepping toward the courtyard, Frisk suddenly found a couple spear-points aimed right at his throat.

"THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA. TURN BACK IMMEDIATELY." a robotic voice sounded from Frisk's left.

Moving his eyes to see what was there, he found a winged Elysian, battle-ready and not looking like it was into joking around. Stepping back, the Elysians that pointed their spears at him relaxed their aggressive stance and returned to a more passive posture. Taking a second to properly look at the rest of the courtyard instead of just at the tree, Frisk noticed that both doorways into the courtyard had two Elysians stationed at it. Within the courtyard itself, Frisk also noticed at least four orb-like Elysians—with horns coming out the tops and a great eye watching for trespassers—situated around the corners of the courtyard, floating far above where one would normally think to look.

Floating back, Chara asked Frisk what happened.

"These kind Elysians decided that it would be rude if I entered." Frisk answered.

"What? Why? It's just Chrykardro."

"Chrykardro?"

"That is what this tree is called... My tree. It has the most spectacular fruit. You should try some!"

"I'd love to, but like I said, these Elysians won't let me enter."

Chara looked back at the machines, which stood completely still on either side of the doorway.

"Maybe Calibri will know why?" Chara suggested.

Frisk thought about it for a second. "Good idea." he said, pulling the diaphone stone from his pocket.

Looking over the stone, he eventually tried pouring a bit of magic into it. Immediately, the stone started glowing light blue. A few seconds later, the shade darkened to a more modest blue.

"Joe's bar 'n grill. How may I take your order?" a voice came from the stone.

"Er... what?" Frisk said.

"Oh, hey kid, it's Sans. Cal gave you a rock, huh."

"Yeah. Speaking of them, you know where Calibri is?"

"Give him a second. It usually takes him a bit."

The stone flashed light blue again before returning to the more modest shade.

"Calibri here. What's up?"

"Ah, Calibri. I wanted to ask you something." Frisk said.

"Ask away."

"Alright. I'm currently in the City of New Home, specifically the palace here."

"You're asking about the Tree of Golden Leaves?"

"Er... yes?"

"A giant golden tree in the courtyard of the palace surrounded by Elysians, that sound about right?"

"Yeah, that's the place."

"What'd you want to know?"

"Why are there so many Elysians?" Frisk asked.

"That's an excellent question. One I don't have a confirmed answer for, however. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because that tree is the greatest reminder Asgore has of Chara, and so he wants it protected at all costs. Interestingly enough, that courtyard is the most guarded location in the entire Underground."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. You try to step foot in there, and every Elysian in the Underground is liable to kill you."

Frisk shuddered and stepped further away from the doorway. "Thanks for the heads-up." he said.

"No problem. If you need anything else, feel free to contact me again."

Frisk sent another wave of magic into the stone, causing it to stop glowing. In the following minutes, Frisk backtracked to the chamber through which the Acheron flowed. Nearing Charon, Frisk noticed a grand purple curtain veiling something at the back of the hall. Jumping over the river, Frisk continued to the curtain, pulling it aside.

Behind the curtain, Frisk found a grand painting, standing at least three times his height, depicting a fluffy white goat-Monster, and a Human with rosy cheeks and crimson-red eyes. They were both draped in flowing purple cloaks, with the Monster crest—the winged orb with three triangles beneath—pinning the two sides of the cloak together.

Both Frisk and Chara stood speechless in front of the painting, taking in its every detail. Eventually, however, Frisk stepped away. Returning to Charon, he climbed back aboard his boat and they all sailed back upstream.

Soon after leaving the palace, Mount Hot once again came into view. Passing the Hotlands and Waterfall again, the boat slowed to a stop at the edge of Snowdin.

"Thanks." Frisk said, disembarking.

"Come again some time. Tra la la."

Frisk walked further into the town. First stopping by the shop, Frisk hurried and bought the dagger sheath, placing it on his belt and sliding the dagger into it. He then hurried to Papyrus's house. Upon reaching Papyrus's house, he called out to Undyne.

"Oh hey! So, um, I have a favor to ask you." Undyne said.

"Delivery, right? What do you need me to take, and where do you need me to take it?"

"Uuuuh, I... oh, right. It's... to Doctor Alphys."

"And you want me to take it because Hotland eats away at your energy, right?"

"What? I mean, uh... yeah. Yeah that's why!" Undyne pulled the letter from her pocket and thrust it into Frisk's hands.

"Did you remember to sign it so she knows who sent it?" Frisk asked, taking the letter.

"Ye— w... wait a second..."

"Welp, better get on with my delivery."

"WAIT!!!" Undyne shouted.

In an instant, Undyne snatched the letter back from Frisk's hands. She then ran into Papyrus's house.

"Wow, she seems rather absent-minded."

"REALLY?" Papyrus said.

"You haven't noticed?"

"THE ONLY THING I HAVE NOTICED IS THE NUMBER OF LETTERS SHE WRITES. IT'S VERY HIGH. HOWEVER, SHE CAN NEVER SEEM TO FIND THE RIGHT WORDS, SO WHEN SHE GOES TO DELIVER THEM HERSELF, SHE ALWAYS QUITS SO SHE CAN GO BACK AND REWRITE." Papyrus looked straight at Frisk. "THAT'S WHY SHE ASKED YOU!! BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO STANDARDS!!!"

"Oh, wow, thanks."

"YOU'RE WELCOME!"

The front door burst open again, with Undyne running back out. "Here!!!" she shouted, shoving the letter into Frisk's chest, knocking him down into the snow.

"Thanks..." Frisk said, standing up. Looking at the letter, there was now writing streaked across the back of the envelope. Not that it helped, seeing as it was practically illegible, but it was forward progress.

"So? What are you waiting for?" Undyne asked. "The sooner you get it over with, the better!"

"You know, you could just *call* her, right?"

Undyne stepped back, her face growing just a few shades red. "N... no! Th... that wouldn't work."

"Whatever. I'll go deliver it now." Frisk started making his way towards the Waterfall Caves.

"You won't be taking the boat?" Chara asked.

"Nah. I know it's faster, but I'm fine with walking for now."

"Alright."

Entering the Waterfall Caves, Frisk walked through the encroaching darkness for a few minutes before conversation restarted.

"So, what is the deal with Undyne?" Chara asked. "She seemed... odd. Distracted."

"She likes Alphys."

"What?"

"What what? Undyne likes Alphys, so she stumbles over her words when talking about her, or to her, and so on. Honestly, I find it silly. If you like somebody, you should just tell them."

"But... isn't... aren't they both... female?" Chara asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Barbarian!" Chara shuddered bitterly.

"Excuse me?" Frisk stopped walking and looked right at Chara, who wore a look of disgust. "Did you just call Undyne a barbarian?"

"Of course! She is participating in a barbarous act!!"

Frisk scratched his head. "So what?" he asked.

"So, if that vile act spreads, all of civilization could collapse. They must be stopped! Burn that letter—"

"Chara!" Frisk shouted firmly. "Relax!"

Chara, looking reprehensively at Frisk, eventually calmed down.

"Okay..." Frisk breathed. "What the hell?"

"What?" Chara asked, bemused.

Frisk's thoughts raced. Even on the surface, same-sex attraction was a contentious subject, and Frisk had seen on a few occasions some people with very strong opinions one way or another.

Taking a deep breath, Frisk looked back at Chara. "Okay, help me understand. You called Undyne a barbarian. Why is she a barbarian?"

"Because she likes Alphys in *that* way."

Frisk brought his hands forward, gesturing for her to continue. "That's it?" he eventually said when she didn't. "That's the only reason?"

"Do I need another?"

*Oh boy...*

"Alright, what makes same-sex attraction barbaric?"

"Because that is what is said within the Thiakereexe too Politismoo. The document from which the Anendotos Kingdom held to and lasted for three thousand years from. To stray from it is to accept the destruction of our way of life."

"Chara—"

"What!?"

Frisk froze, then sighed. "Nevermind." he went back to thinking.

"Say your right..." Frisk eventually said. "Say this... act *is* barbaric. So what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just that. So what? What Undyne feels for Alphys doesn't affect me or you, and the same is true in reverse. Speaking of the reverse, why didn't we have this conversation outside Alphys's lab when Mettaton stated that Alphys had a crush on Undyne?"

"I... I was going to mention something about that, but it was just an attraction at that point, not an attempt to act on the attraction. So, I didn't bother."

"So now that I'm delivering this love letter, you feel that you must provide your own input."

"Yes."

"Well then, I go back to my earlier question. So what? So what if Undyne and Alphys love each-other? What they do doesn't affect either of us, so why worry about it?"

Chara remained silent.

"Think about this for now. If you wanna resume this conversation later, I'd be more than willing to continue." Frisk said as he resumed walking.

Down the tunnel, Frisk reached a chamber that started with a wooden bridge. Crossing it, he then saw something... unexpected.

"What in the hell?" he said.

"What?" Chara asked.

Frisk pointed at the object.

It was a Human. Or, at the very least, humanoid. Stepping closer, it looked to be a giant doll, standing a head or two above Frisk. The doll featured pink hair, spanning into two long pigtails that stretched out from either side of its head. Above the pigtails, around the middle-top of its head, were two cat ears with a large golden bell secured below each ear. It wore a pink dress that stretched down to its knees, the lower half of which was white, with white gloves and boots worn over its hands and feet. Bells were secured to the bridge of the boots. A long tail, roughly the length of one of the doll's legs stretched out from beneath the dress.

"What is this?" Chara said, floating around the back of it.

"Kinda looks like something Alphys would be interested in..."

Frisk reached up to the head of the doll and scratched behind its cat ears.

"What are you doing?" Chara asked.

"It looks like a cat."

"What's a cat?"

Frisk didn't bother answering. Instead, he just continued scratching.

"ENOUGH!!!" a shout sounded throughout the room. "ENOUGH!!!! ENOUGH!!!!!!"

Frisk quickly pulled his hand back to his side. The doll suddenly shot backward, its face contorting into a nasty grimace.

"FOOL!! DON'T YOU KNOW NOT TO TOUCH PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW!?" the doll shouted. "ESPECIALLY!! WHEN!!! THEY'RE!!! Ticklish."

*What the... what...?* Frisk thought, staring at the doll.

"Huh? You don't recognize me...?" the doll then asked.

"Can't... can't say that I do."

"Ohhh ho ho... That's all for the better~! Once I fuse with this *perfect* new body, mew~, A brand new, *wonderful* life is going to begin!"

"This kind of sounds like that one angry dummy from the garbage dump." Chara said, observing the situation with distant glee.

"You think so?"

"... but as much as I try to fuse..." the doll continued, unaware of Frisk and Chara's dialogue, "IT'S!! NOT!!! WORKING!!!! MY EMOTIONS AREN'T PURE ENOUGH!! I need TENSION! CONFLICT! Something to bring out my ANGER!!!" something then clicked within the doll. "That's it!!!" it shouted in a cutesy voice. "YOU!!! Human!!! Fight with me!!! COMBAT!! BLOODLUST!! DESTRUCTION!! It's the perfect emotional cocktail... To fuse with my new body, mew~"

As the doll finished speaking, numerous giant orbs appeared around it and shot straight at Frisk. Frisk, seeing these approaching, summoned a shield.

"You, I remember you now." Frisk said dramatically. "You're that dummy from the garbage dump!"

"Correct you are." the doll said. "But I have shed that bleak form for this new fantastic (and cute) body. Wondering where I got it from?"

"Would be interesting to know."

The doll laughed. "I found it in... a strange place. A... sciency place." the doll launched more orbs at Frisk, who either blocked or dodged them. "No idea what was going on *there*, but... as soon as I saw this body, I just knew... IT WAS ME!!! ME!!! ME!!!! So I *took* it! You can't blame me! Why does a scientist need a life-sized girl statue anyway!?"

*So it **did** belong to Alphys before, huh. Well, it's in better hands now.*

Frisk dodged more orbs launched his way.

"I probably saved it from *experiments*!!!" the doll continued. "I'm a *hero*, and I rescued *myself*!!! And now, with this new body, I've got a *brand-new* life ahead of me!! And *now*, I'll finally be able to... I'll... finally be able to... uhh, continue being Undyne's training dummy. BUT BETTER!!! Ah, Undyne... Sweet, violent Undyne~. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees me~."

*Ah, another person interested in Undyne...* Frisk thought, letter still tight in hand. Chara let out an annoyed sigh, floating backwards away from the fight. The doll simply continued daydreaming, absentmindedly summoning more orbs to throw at Frisk.

"She'll blast me with a storm of spears~. I'll be the world's greatest pin cushion~." the doll opened its eyes from its daydream, noticing Frisk's now somewhat somber face. "H-huh...!? That look on your face, she's already got... somebody else?" the doll's own face went dark.

"Sorry to say, but... yeah."

The doll stood there in silence for a few seconds. Eventually, though, it began laughing maniacally. "Well, if she's got somebody else..." it started saying. "THEN YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO TO THEM!?? I'LL RESPECT THEM!!! I'LL RESPECT HER RELATIONSHIP!!! HAHAHA!!! HAPPY FOR HER!! NOTHING BUT THE BEST!!! BEST OF LUCK!!!" with each exclamation, the doll fired more orbs, far more fiercely than before. As Frisk listen, he couldn't help but feel there was a hint of... melancholy hidden beneath the shouts and violent projectiles.

The doll snapped focus back onto the battle. "Enough. ENOUGH. ENOUGH!!! *Why* haven't I *fused* yet!? Do I have to use my *full power*!?" it looked back at Frisk. "COME ON! IS THIS ENOUGH FOR YOU!?" the doll fired more orbs, yet nothing it fired could pierce Frisk's indomitable shield.

"Enough. ENOUGH. ENOUGH!!!" the doll shouted again. "WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING!? NO MATTER HOW MAD I GET, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I FIGHT, I JUST CAN'T FUSE WITH THIS BODY!!! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!?!?" the doll dropped its fierceness and slumped backwards against the chamber wall. "What am I doing wrong..."

"You think that maybe anger is the wrong emotion to use?" Frisk asked.

"H... huh? You mean I might have to try... other... emotions? You mean something like... love? Then, I... I'll..." the doll went silent.

Frisk walked over to the doll and hugged it.

"Huh...? Such... such kindness...!" the doll said, surprised at the sudden Human now hugging it. "It's... making me *feel* something!"

Frisk let go and stepped back. The doll looked down at itself, deep in contemplation, then up at Frisk.

"It may be a while before I can truly fuse with this body." it said. "But I think this is a start...! Heh, to think that even though I hid here to be alone... I somehow made a friend!!! Thank you. Thank you! THANK YOU!!"

"No need to thank me. I'm just... glad I could help out." Frisk said. "Say, if we're friends now, shouldn't we know each-other's names?"

The doll looked contemplatively at Frisk. "Heh, of course!" it said, outstretching its hand. "I'm Chilabl—" it froze for a second. "Chilaton."

"Nice to meet you, Chilaton." Frisk said, taking her outstretched hand. "I'm Frisk."

They both shook on their greeting.

"Anyway, I'd best get going." Frisk said. "See you around."

Crossing a river between him and the exit, Frisk passed through a doorway, where he found Chara waiting on the other side.

"Took you long enough." she said.

"Sorry, was making sure Chilaton felt better before continuing on my way."

"Oh, so her name is Chilaton, huh. Another damn barbarian, it seems."

Frisk's teeth clenched. "What the hell is your problem!?"

"EVERYTHING!!!" Chara shouted.

Frisk stepped back, surprised at her sudden uproar. Chara, too, seemed a bit astonished, but continued regardless.

"I don't understand *anything*! Everything I've learned within these past few hours... don't you get it? I... I feel like my entire life was just one big lie... one big lie I only discover after I gave my life to save the deceivers."

"Chara—"

"I'm not finished! My father—my *real* father—sought my own death because I believed in something contrary to him. My adoptive father—Asgore—apparently butchered all of Diesian Lake, among other things. My adoptive mother—Toriel—is a damned coward who runs from responsibility. Even my adoptive brother—Asriel..." tears began seeping from her eyes as she spoke. "he's now just a flower who seeks *joy* in the death and suffering of others."

Chara focused back on Frisk. "And *you*!!!" her voice burned with acid. "The damn, *vile Human filth* I just had to be bound to. Perhaps the worst of them *all*. The one who, after making great friends out of Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, mom, dad, and all the other Monsters you took the time of day to get to know, even marginally; you return with that *horrid* power and *butcher them **all***. Not *once*. Not *twice*. Not *thrice* or *quice*, but ***five times***!! Five times you saw fit in carving a path through Monsters, uncaring of who you killed, all in the name of some 'greater good' or whatever. A desire to protect your friends. And at the end of it all, you have the *gall* to take my SOUL, and try to become *friends* with me? You want to know what my problem is? My problem is *you*! You and your entire *filthy **species***. My problem is that you threw *everything* away for some naive want. My problem is that, even after *everything* I did to my family, most of all Asriel, I'm not suffering in the darkest pits of Tartarus!"

Chara breathed heavily as she finished, the burning of her flame of hatred bringing a subtle wetness to her eyes again. After a few seconds, she turned away and floated into the wall behind her.

"Cha—" Frisk called out, yet his call was ignored.

Looking up at the twinkling gems above, Frisk collapsed to the ground. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he then buried his head in his arms and remained there, the occasional sound of sobbing echoing off the tunnel walls and out the orifices of the surrounding echo flowers.