The Undying

Grief

"And it was just written on a sheet of paper in a box this whole time?"

The dim light of the upper floors of the Royal Labs cast long shadows over its two inhabitants. Their features were almost impossible to make out, but the first speaker was pacing nervously, gripping a sheet of paper almost tightly enough to tear it. The second occupant was wringing their hands nervously, and when they spoke up, they were quiet.

"Yes, I found the b-box just yesterday in one of t-the broken f-filing c-cabinets and I brought it up here to t-transcribe, and I just...I c-couldn't believe it w-when I s-saw it"

The first speaker stopped pacing and turned almost too quickly to face the other.

"Well? Where is this device?"

"I've g-got it right here. But S-Sans, wait! You can't use it!"

"Why the hell not?"

"G-Gaster said in his n-notes that he wouldn't be able to use it b-because his b-body density wasn't--"

"I can't use it because I'm a skeleton? Seriously?"

"Unfortunately, y-yes"

Sans threw his hands up in the air and resumed his pacing.

"Well, shit. What the hell are we going to do about this then? I'm not about to just give something like this up just because my fuckin' body density isn't high enough! Hell, Alph, this is the closest we've ever come to finding a solution to this!"

"I...I c-could use it"

There was a long pause.

"...Are you sure? Will you be able to take it? You barely survived Gaster implanting the memory modifier, how will you take this?"

"B-better than you, at l-least"

"I guess so. Well, how does it work?"

"Come on, I'll s-show you. Maybe we have some t-time for t-testing but if n-not, that's okay"

There was a short laugh before Alphys continued.

"It's n-not like I w-won't come b-back n-next time, r-right?"

"Alph, I'm sorry, you know I wouldn't--"

Sans was cut off by a loud noise from the large monitor on the other side of the labs.

"UNDYNE!!!"

He froze in his pacing and stared in the direction of the screens. He took half a step towards them before Alphys put a hand on his arm.

"S-Sans. Don't. Y-you don't have to w-watch it every time. If t-this works, y-you'll never h-have to watch it again"

There were more screams coming from the monitor, and Sans looked in that direction for a moment before turning to Alphys.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. Show me how the thing works, let's go"

They got into the elevator that led to the True Labs and the doors closed behind them, so that they couldn't hear when the screaming stopped and Undyne's voice filled the empty lab instead.

"Oh, God, Papyrus, no...nonono, Papyrus, goddamnit, no!"

X-X-X-X

Undyne stood in front of the doors to the lab, a soft red scarf clutched tightly in her hands. She had raised her hand to knock and found herself completely unable to. She was just so numb.

She wasn't sure exactly how long she'd searched the forest after finding Papyrus's dust, but she had found nothing. There was only the same paths, cropping up all over the forest and all leading to the same place, then joining into that single path. The path they had been following ended up circling back into itself. Useless.