No One is Happy with This (Undertale)

58 ~ A Solution

It's a chilling realization. That resetting can't fix everything. You knew this, of course. Sans warned you; even if he was talking about the Void, and not some slowly-killing-you-from-the-inside Magic buildup. Resetting can't fix everything, and you can die. You will die.

You just hope that it's sometime in the distant future, after Gaster's figured out a way to save you and you've lived a long, happy life.

But, in the meantime, you're confined to bed. The medicine that Gaster gave you, that neutralizes the Magic in your body, also neutralizes some of the natural Magic in your Soul. And that means you don't quite have all the Magic you need to sustain yourself, meaning you're tired all the time.

Not to mention the fact that taking the medicine makes you sick, and most of the time after that, you just want to curl up in a little ball for a few hours at least.

And the monsters, all of them, are more than sympathetic to your plight. For almost a week, you don't even see any of them except Toriel, because they're all afraid of adding to your pain because of the natural Magic residue they cause. But you assure them you'd much rather have them visit you and take a little more of the medicine than not see them. You don't think you can get through this alone.

Matt and Elise come visit sometimes, too. It seems the two humans have been thoroughly enchanted by the monster kingdom, and have at least decided to stick around for a little while, maybe even move in eventually. They say they feel bad for you, almost like they're partially responsible, because they were helping with the CORE prototype when it blew up. You tell them it's okay, and repeat what Gaster said about it happening eventually anyway. Still, they always try to bolster your spirits.

Speaking of Gaster, he really is working hard. Sans tells you he's put the whole CORE project on hold, and no one sees him much because he's in his lab all the time. You only see him every few days when he comes to check on you, and make sure you're still doing okay. Sometimes he takes more blood samples for his tests.

For a while, he seems perfectly normal. But then, as time drags on, he actually starts to look tired, the stress of his work showing on his face. Dark rings appear under his eyesockets, and when he speaks, his voice is rough and weary. Sometimes he just bursts out cursing furiously in Hands.

Even so, you always feel most confident in your survival when he's there. He always tells you he's on the verge of a breakthrough, and soon enough, you'll be able to get back to running around, doing stupid childish things all day again. And always, when he turns to leave, you repeat the same two words to him. "Stay Determined."

He always gives you a small smile. "Of course."

You think the only time he doesn't treat you so kindly is when he comes in, and Elise is there with you. She, of course, hardly notices his gruff manner, being utterly absorbed in the fact that Dr. Gaster is right there, but you can see the cold light burning in Gaster's eyes, and he spends little time in leaving.

But, for the most part, things are calm. Not alright, not easy, and certainly not enjoyable. But calm. Nothing is asked of you, nothing expected of you, but to keep holding on.

And you do. With all your friends, your family supporting you, cheering you on, you do.

It's almost two months by the time Gaster figures anything out, and you don't like his solution.

"I've exhausted all sorts of chemical and natural options. Some might slow it down, but in the end, they would all fail. The only solution I can find is with runes."

"Like... like you were using with the CORE prototype..?" You ask.

He just nods.

You frown a little. "But... how... how does that... how would you... I don't understand."

Gaster sighs a bit. "Runes are, in oversimplifies terms, the DNA of Magic. So I can, in theory, use them to change your own 'Magic genetic code' to make it so your body can properly filter out the Magic residue."

"But... how?"

"... I'll have to cut the runes into you."

You blink, not quite comprehending. "Like... like you'll... actually be..."

"Carving the runes into your flesh? Yep."

You're pretty sure you go quite pale.

"Hey, it's just like any surgery they would do in a hospital! Except all on the skin." He paused, then adds, "Mostly. I might have to get to your Soul."

And you think you go even more pale.

Gaster gives you an incredulous look and heaves an annoyed sigh. "Fine. Fine! I wasn't gonna tell you this, but if you're going to be all like... like that-" he gestures at you a bit, then his mock irritation breaks into amusement. "Look on the bright side, Frisk. I might even be able to make it so you don't just filter out the residual Magic, but store it... so you could use it."

That catches your attention. "Like-... like a wizard?"

He snorts. "I believe that is the term humans have come up with for Magic-wielders, yes."

"You could actually make someone a wizard?"

Gaster shakes his head. "No, no, definitely not. Natural-born Magic-wielders produce their own Magic. You'd be taking the leftover scraps of Magic from monsters and using that."

"But- but you could do that?"

A shrug. "Theoretically. I don't have all the schematics figured out yet, but I could, hypothetically, do it, yes."

Despite his slight uncertainty with it, when Gaster leaves, he leaves behind him a spark of excitement. To have something so potentially awesome as being able to use Magic after all this... it would almost make the whole thing worth it. Either way, Gaster says he'll be ready soon, and soon, you'll either be dead, or healed.

§

A/N

Gotta be honest, I'm kinda winging it here. Beyond this, I only have a general idea of where I want things to go, plot wise, and I'm making up the rest as I go.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and votes are my Favorite Things, and every notification I get makes my day!