Undertale Fallen Determination: Book 2

Chapter 9: Heartache

"Prove yourself... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

As Toriel spoke these words, I prepared myself for the fight I could see was about to go down. Toriel was blocking the path into the rest of the Underground, hoping to collapse the entrance, to keep me and my guidee from harm by trapping us here.

Meanwhile, here I was, facing the monster woman that I knew as my adoptive mother. But I remembered that she wouldn't know who I was, thanks to my prior nonexistence. She wouldn't know I was her daughter, nor that she was my first teacher, before the then young Gaster took up my education. She also wouldn't remember that she was the one who started my magic training.

Consider that last point, this was going to be a surprise to her.

Still...

"Listen, Toriel, you don't need to do this," I told her.

"...Yes, I do," she replied, and then she raised her hands. They alit with orange fire, and she summoned numerous fireballs of the same color, flying towards me going back and forth. I could've tried to dodge them, but I wasn't planning on messing around.

I raised my own hands, and made a motion of pushing away, as if I was swimming. With this, using my magic, I pulled the fireballs away from me and to the sides, all of them flying harmlessly past me.

Toriel was surprised by this, which I kind of expected. "You can use magic?"

"Yeah, you- someone important to me gave the spark I needed, so I could use magic," I told her, catching myself from accidentally telling her she was the one who gave me that spark.

Toriel just took a deep breath. "Very well, show me what you are capable of."

Seeing the challenge she was presenting me, I summoned my own fireballs, spheres of crimson-red flames floating around me, prepared to strike. Toriel didn't move much, but I knew she was ready to defend. Those who used fire magic were resistant to other flames, but not immune, so my magic could harm her, but not by much, and the same goes for me. Still, no matter the element, strong magic could still hurt, a lot.

I launched my fireballs at Toriel, and while she moved to push them aside, the same way I had, she wasn't prepared what they were going to actually do. I made a clenched fist, and that motion caused my fireballs to explode and knock her Toriel off her feet.

I smiled in satisfaction. Now there's a fire magic technique you don't see every day. Condensed fire magic, ready to burst at a moment's notice, I thought. But as Toriel got back up, I saw the pain on her face, and immediately felt guilty. No... I won't do this.

Toriel launched another wave fireballs at me, and I dodge underneath them. This continued for while, me dodging her fireballs, or using my magic to push them aside.

Eventually, Toriel got a frustrated, but questioning look. "What are you doing?"

"I... I won't fight you!" I told her.

Toriel became angry at this. "Attack or run away!"

As she seemed to look straight through me, she waved her hands horizontally across each other, summoning two lines of fireballs at my sides. In response, I made a circle of my own fireballs around me, and then spun around my body as a shield. As Toriel's fireballs flew towards me, I forced them to merge with my own.

Once I had control of all the fireballs, I looked towards Toriel. I could see in her expression that she expected me to launch them at her. Instead, I clenched my fist again, causing the fireballs around me to explode harmlessly. I couldn't hurt myself with my own magic after all.