VOXISTALE: Novel Edition

Chapter 109

Chara's "tough love" had been enough to spur Frisk to continue on . . . but she was still extremely nervous. Uncomfortable. Entirely uncertain if she'd even be accepted back. Chara wasn't wrong, in the past, thanks to the RESETs, Frisk had simply assumed her past transgressions were merely in the past. Sans somehow was aware of it all, even down to the last, grittiest detail. She had no idea how exactly, and he wasn't one to share secrets like that. Flowey, too, had some awareness yet not on the level of Sans. Now that everyone seemed to know, Flowey was probably privy to the little details he'd been ignorant to now, as well.

A "battle for supremacy over the timeline" is what Chara had referred to the flash of crimson light as. Two beings with a significant amount of Determination had just ripped time apart in pursuit of domination over the timeline. Frisk could only assume that the new timeline holder had been challenged in this way by Undyne going into her Undying form. A sharp reminder of the past, and an even more painful reminder that Undyne was dead. Determination melted monsters, and if they failed to persevere, they turned to dust. In the company Undyne had in her final moments, she doubted Undyne was currently living as an Amalgamate or something of the sort.

The forest opened into a great clearing, revealing ancient majesty long forgotten. She had stepped out of the thickett into a courtyard, an old water fountain adorning the center cracked in half. Mossy water sat in the two ends, though not much. Vines and overgrowth swamped the courtyard, and many stone walls had long since fallen apart. A chute rose up to her left, though the top half was missing, probably making up a lot of the stone bricks that littered the courtyard, barely visible through the foliage.

The broken walls led to more of the castle, revealing more of the same. This old structure barely even existed anymore, and was so deep in the forest that nobody even bothered to visit. No tourists, or explorers, though Frisk felt sure not many even knew this place existed. She'd never heard about the ruins of an entire castle so close to home.

She wasn't offered much time to marvel at the ruins. The courtyard and beyond were occupied by the group of surviving monsters and humans. Many eyes turned her way, and for most, that intense loathing lit their irises. Frisk could feel her throat tightening as her mouth went dry. Awkwardly, she stood there at the edge of the courtyard for a moment, her eyes timidly searching the sea of faces. She recognized every single one.

Finding her voice, Frisk cleared her throat, diverting her gaze from anyone in particular, an unintentional sign of submission, her body language expressing no desire for confrontation. "Does . . . anyone know where A-Asgore is?" She bit her lip at the end, annoyed at herself for stuttering. Nobody answered her, increasing her anxiety—that is until a familiar skeleton moved from the crowd toward Frisk, offering her a strange smile she didn't often see on his face. Strained, unsure, yet hopeful. The smile he always wore before she murdered him in timelines passed.

Papyrus extended a gloved hand toward her. "I DO."

She had to commend the naive skeleton for his unwavering bravery and hopefulness. He was aware of the times she'd killed him now, betrayed his trust, yet even still he continued to believe in her. He truly was an unbreakable spirit of good.

A nearly overwhelming sense of emotion washed over Frisk, and she felt an almost insatiable urge to hug her friend, incredibly thankful that he still had not given up on her. She stowed it for now, however, and instead accepted his hand.

Papyrus led her through the edges of the angry mob. When they passed the courtyard, they wandered down what appeared to be a small, very old town square. There was . . . barely anything. Frisk suddenly felt a strange reminder that humans were the reason this kingdom was abandoned and forgotten in the first place. She still failed to look anyone in the eye, at least until Sadie started to approach her. Frisk mouthed 'wait' toward the girl, who appeared unsure, but obeyed, not coming any closer.