Chapter Text
I watch as the rain outside quiets down.
Kris was gone.
Sans was gone.
Toriel was happily dozing in the living room, I know becayse I could hear her snores from here.
I wondered how Kris could sleep with her loud snores, but not the loud music... Well, maybe they couldn't? After all they weren't really here right now so...
Ambience was playing in my soul-radio. The only thing making this annoying, boring situation somewhat bearable.
Then it cuts.
CRASH
Immediately, the snoring stopped as the sound of a window shattering resounded through the night.
“wha- Wh-Who-” Toriel’s dialogue box appears in the bottom of my vision.
“AHH!” She screams as I hear a damage sound affect.
“Where. Is. It.” An unfamiliar sound plays as the words appear. A new person, one I've never heard before.
Who was this? What’s going on?
I ram against the cage, trying to free myself, to no avail.
[Hey! Don't hurt goat mom asshole!] I scream mentally but nothing happens.
“i-I don’t know what you’re talking about! Please let me go!” Another damage sound affect.
Accompanied by a resounding slap.
“DO NOT LIE TO ME! WHERE IS MY SOUL?!” The voice screams, I could feel the desperation and rage through it’s words somehow.
“I DON’T KNOW!” Toriel screams back.
Something happens that makes the two of them stop for a moment.
“AH- k-Kris?” She speaks again, but the noise downstairs was too low for me-
A damage sound plays.
“Cage. How dare you.” The voice snarls in anger and… Well I don’t know.
“Kris?! wh-Where’d you get that knife-” Toriel asks amidst the chaos, another damage sound.
And another and another and another.
Before it suddenly stops.
“Thanks for the weapon.” The mystery person speaks.
“pl-Please, don’t hurt them! l-Look, just calm down! I-I promise you, w-We don’t have your soul, we-”
“Silence.” Shuffling. Toriel starts crying as I hear the mystery person speak again.
“Tell me where my soul is, Human. Or your mother dies.” Silence. Defiance or what, I don't know.
“Do you want her to die?” Slow movement and the mystery guy grumbles.
"Fucking quiet people. Of course. Go on then."
Slowly, footsteps climb up to the room I was in.
And the door is opened.
A familiar gray being with gray skin and a featureless face appears, holding a bruised Toriel in a chokehold, with a knife to her neck.
He was completely unharmed sans for a nick in his side leaking gray blood.
“Open the cage.” Kris stands still, hesitant. They were pretty bruised up too.
“Open. The. CAGE.” Toriel whimpers as the knife digs into her neck slightly, blood leaking slightly faster from a wound.
Kris quickly undoes the latch on the cage and I float outside.
Alex does the equivalent of a grin without a mouth as he looks at me.
“…Glad you’re doing well at-least.” He then looks over at Kris.
“Steal my soul again, and next time, it’ll be your soul in a cage as I force you to watch what I’ll do.” They nod rapidly.
Alex lets go of Toriel and grabs me with their free hand before jumping out of the window. Not even stopping as they land, only running immediately.
>> -- >>
“Sorry about… that. I knew you wouldn’t like it, but I had no other way. Needed to get to you fast.” He speaks to me, gasping for air from all the running we did. Currently, we were outside of hometown, having climbed the gate and ran away into a dark forest.
[What happened? Why the hurry?] I try to ask, aware of my inability to speak but still wanting to think-
“Bunker. Somehow broke out. Guessed the codes by accident. I don’t remember what exactly I put in, so I don’t want to be separated again in case you load… You know where a save point is? We gotta save. Please, I … Don’t want to be stuck there again if anything happens.”
[… Of course. But... It's in the middle of the town.]
“Right, cool… Just gotta get back into a town that we attacked a beloved member of… That’ll go well.” I hesitate for a moment.
[It’s not like Undyne is there anymore.] He stops before laughing.
“Yeah, I could hear her screams all the way from my room, but Carol is probably searching for me, so still a no go.” Hmm…
Save points only formed in safe areas.
This was the only safe area. But no save point-
The forest around me seemed to quiet down for a moment as the world stuttered.
And a save point appeared next to us.
“Woah! Holy shit! Nice thinking, man- Ah, no, not a man are you?”
[I’m … We can have this conversation later, let me save.] He nods and places me in the light.
I save. Our injuries and his clothes get fixed in a burst of gentle light.
Then we sit down... Well, he does. I float on his lap. Looking at him curiously.
“What are you again? Sorry, can’t really… remember much of when you made me.” He brings back the conversation as I don't speak since I have no idea what to talk about with him.
[Me neither I think that's something that happened because our connection was 'cut' and don't sweat. It’s no biggie. I’m uh, anything? Fluid?… I dunno the name for it, but you can call me what you want, I don’t really mind anything. :)] I try to send the equivalent of a smile with my thoughts. Somehow succeeding
“Huh… Alright, you seem neutral to me. Mind if I go with that?”
[It’s fine man… Anyways, where have you been?! I’ve been worried sick since you were discarded! I thought you died or something!] He laughs as I shift the conversation
“Me? Die? Pssh, no way those evil ass fountain openers could kill me.” He laughs again at the nickname before coughing gray blood.
“Ah, shit. Sorry, Stem. Looks like we’re gonna have to cut our convo short.”
[What? Why?] I panic as I see his blood, immediately interacting with the save again, but it does nothing.
“Can’t live long without a soul… It’s only because of my DETERMINATION that I’ve lived this long without one, but the void in my chest is starting to drain that away… Hey, lets talk more when we separate again, okay?”
[Why can’t we talk when we’re one?] He smiles, it felt… weird, bitter but anticipating something.
“You’ll see.” And with that, he shoves me inside him.
And his body changed.
I could feel things now.
The rain on my skin.
The feeling of wet blood in my side.
The taste of dirt as I fell over.
Everything was… real.
My eyes which manifested when I entered Alex, worked now too, no more pixel top-down view. No more portraits, just... reality.
Alex and I became one.
If I were a complete soul, he was a vessel to hold me completely and add to me.
His expression, and mannerisms would be a part of me when I was in him, ans we shared a single mind and voice.
So… No conversation was possible unfortunately.
[Ah, man, that sucks. Sorry dude.] I lie on the dirt, taking what feels like my first breaths in this world.
It …
Was this how Kris felt?
God, I’m so jealous. Did they really need to take my vessel away?
This is so nice… I feel… something crawling up my spine as I close my eyes.
Something nice.
Something warm.
Something tiring.
Darkness takes me into its clutches as I futilely try to resist.
>> -- >>
Somehow, when I awaken at morning, I was still in the clearing. No one having found or taken me away in the time I was most vulnerable.
[Wait, clearing?! where am-]
“Oh! Shit, I-” I jump to my feet, memories coming back slowly as my gut-panic ebbed away.
[Deep breaths. In and out. In and Out.] Breathing was still new. And new was good and nice and happy... Except-
“What’s that feeling in my stomach?” I ask out loud, still getting used to how… me my voice sounds.
Not like the speaker-voice I had when I was in Kris, just… Me.
It had my emotions. Not theirs. And it was so nice! It felt like I could break into a song happily with it.
I loved it.
... But my stomach was still hurting and I had no clue what to do.
“Ah, wait, Alex should know!” I raise my hand to my chest then, hesitate.
Is this… really how I should be doing things?
I focus on my soul for a moment, commanding it to leave.
And almost instantly, it does so. Falling out with a pop.
My vessel loses its color and facial features. Becoming Alex again.
“Woah!” Alex groans as he wakes up. Looking a bit dazed.
“Stem! Uh, I’m back! Man that was weird… How’d you like me little guy?”
[It was amazing! I could feel everything! See everything! Breath! Sleep! God, Alex, thank you so much-] He raises a hand, petting me.
I could somehow feel him despite being a soul. It felt nice and warm to be petted.
“Ah… Yeah, you can’t feel in your cage, or like this, can you?” He seems a bit ... Frustrated as he said this. As if he was angry for me.
I nod, not sure how to feel either.
“I get it… Well, glad you like me too dude. It felt nice when you were in me, like I was a part of something More… Lets do that soon, but first, I’m hungry! So looks like we need some food. That's what you were feeling by the way; Hunger.” He stands up 'smiling' at something, then stops.
[That’s what that weird feeling was? Hunger? Dude, how do you live like that?!] I ask him curiously as he grabs me.
“I manage. Now, Lets get some grub- Ah… Right… No money.” He freezes at that, before an idea appears in his head.
[… Well, do we starve now?] He snickers at my question.
“I sure hope not!… Hey, lets scrounge Tori’s house.”
[Huh?! But we just-]
“I know, I know. But, like, she’s the only person whose house doesn’t have neighbors who can jump to help her immediately. She should have evacuated her home since it is very clearly not safe, and we can always load our save from yesterday if anything goes wrong. Besides, you can use it as practice to sneak around and stuff! God knows you’ll need to learn to do that with Carol on the loose… Ugh, that bitch drives me crazy.” I stay quiet, and simply nudge against his chest to re-enter. I didn't know how to feel about taking from goat mom after already hurting her, but... I don't think I had a choice.
Even when I get a vessel, my choices still...
“Welp, bye again bud! See you soon.” He allows me in and once again I am entranced in the sensation of feeling.
Feeling my legs move as I order them to.
Feeling the muscles strain, the bones move, the blood in my body pumping more.
Exercise was nice.
"God, this is so fucking amazing!" I couldn't help but giggle at the swear, saying it felt cathartic for some reason.
>> -- >>
Toriel’s house was… quiet when I entered.
I snuck in through the still broken window and found a pie in the fridge.
[Kris loved these! I gotta see why!] I pull out the knife and cut it slowly inside the fridge before taking a slice.
[OOOHHH! MY STARS THIS IS SO GOOD!] I devour the thing in a few bites, almost moaning at the heaven my mouth was feeling.
It’s texture was nice! I loved the feeling of biting apparently since I couldn’t stop. And the butterscotch taste was perfection.
I swallow and go to take another slice, only stopping as I hear a stomp next to me.
THUD
Toriel stands above me, face and neck bandaged as she looks down at me, pan in hand.
She smiles threateningly, gesturing to the knife I was cutting with.
I don’t hesitate to let go.
[I don’t wanna know what pain feels like after I just had my first taste of pie!]
“Sit.” She points to the couch and I follow her orders obediently.
She sits on Chairiel, pan in hand and angry look still glaring at me.
“Alright. Answer me. What is your name?” I think for a moment.
Alex was for my body, but I was
“Stem.” She relaxes a little for some reason as I answer.
“Okay, Stem. Why was your soul in my childs bird cage?” I shrug.
She raises the pan.
[… It’s wiser to explain than to gesture. I think she thinks I'm dismissing her by shrugging? Eh, I like talking anyways.]
“I mean… I really dunno? One day I just woke up there, and I thought I was gonna die and stuff… It was scary and weird and I didn’t know my body could move on its own after everything. Sorry about… the attack. He was desperate.” She pauses at that, looking incredulous.
“… Oh! Oh, dear. Do you think I’m angry about the attack?” I… nod?
How couldn’t she be?! Her neck had stitches for stars sakes!
“Yes. Yes I am. But Fortunately for you however I am only angry at my kid, I am well aware human bodies cannot persist long without their soul. And I know that my child almost committed murder by taking your soul and hiding it not only from me, but caging it as if it was some wild animal… I understand why you did what you did. I would’ve done the same… Still, tell your… body to be nicer next time. Okay?” She smiles a bit humorously at me… Okay, How the fuck is she so nice?
[She must be protected. Hear me, Alex? please don’t hurt her on future runs for any reason if you remember this.]
“u-Uhm, o-Okay!”
“Alright… Do you know any reason my child would try to … harm you?” She avoids the word kill almost unsuccessfully.
I shrug again.
“I wish I did ma’am.” She hums, lowering her weapon.
“I see… Do you live nearby? Even in the nearby city, I have not seen another human child.” Oh, yeah, I don’t have a past, do I?
“Uh… Sorry, can’t remember… I think having my soul away from my body made my memories jumble, I think.” She gasps looking at me with… concern?
“O-Oh dear, do you need to go to a soul hospital? We’ll need to drive over to the nearby city for an examination, but-”
“n-No! It’s fine! I’m okay, th-There’s no need to burden yourself ma’am.” I wave my hands and shake my head.
[Why isn’t she mad? Why isn’t she attacking me? I hurt her! Why is she so nice?]
“Hmmm… Okay, I see. You can stay with me if you need to… Doesn’t look like you have another place to go.”
… Who is this angel?
“b-But ma’am, I- What about Kris?” Her smile falters.
“They’re with Asgore… He is- was my husband. And the ex-police chief. He’ll get them to talk somehow. That I know. And then we'll both get answers.” Huh…
Oh, shit, wait.
Isn’t there gonna be a dark fountain at the flower king sometime in the future?
“Well, you can stay in Kris’s room. I’ll go get you some clothes too, treat this place as your home little one.” I nod quietly, unsure of what exactly to think or to expect.
We both sit around awkwardly before Toriel looks at the fridge.
“Ah, you must be hungry, no? That’s seems to be why you came back.” I nod, face turning red as shame and guilt and embarrassment fill my soul.
[Ahhh, this is so embarrassing! She's so nice! I should've never tried to steal from her! I'm sorry goat mom!]
“Alright I’ll… Make some breakfast. Sit tight okay?” She gets up and quickly goes to deliver on her words. Using the pan to cook rather than threaten me.
I sit and wait happily in my seat.