Chapter Text
It was cold. That was the first thing I noticed as I woke up. The second thing I noticed was that I was sat on something soft - flowers, I think.
I sit up, and after making sure I haven't injured myself (I haven't), I call out.
"Hello?"
My voice echoes, confirming that I'm probably in a cave or something. There is silence for a few seconds. Suddenly, I hear it.
"Hello,"
I turn towards the voice, startled.
"Who's there?" I ask warily, as I had not actually expected a reply.
"Do not be afraid. My name is Chara. I mean no harm."
Chara, huh? I stare at where the sound is coming from, and I can feel someone watching me.
"Well," I say, "my name is Frisk. Uh, where am I, exactly?" If there was someone else down here, then surely there must be another way in - and thus, another way out.
Chara giggles, and I get the feeling she (I think they're a she) is smiling. "Frisk. That's a nice name. Anyway, you are in the Underground, home of monsters."
Wait, what? "I'm sorry... monsters?"
"Yes, monsters. A few hundred years ago, a war between humans and monsters broke out, the humans won, sealed the monsters underground with a magical barrier, and there you go. The entire human-monster war summed up in one sentence."
"Are you a monster?" I ask nervously. If monsters really did exist...
Chara snorted. "Do I look like a monster to you?"
For some reason, the emphasis she put on the word look really irked me.
"Well, it's not my fucking fault I haven't been able to see shit since I was bloody born, is it?"
Shit. Shit shit shit. Did I really just say that?
There was a tense silence, before Chara spoke softly. "You're... you're blind?"
Regretting my sudden outburst, I spoke slowly, unsure of what to say. "Yeah... been it my whole life. Made my life kinda shitty, to be honest." I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. "Sorry for, uh, shouting at you back then. I just get a little sensitive sometimes."
"No, no. It's fine. I made a mistake, you have the right to be annoyed." I could hear the fabrics of her clothes shifting, as if she was fiddling with them. "By the way, I'm not a monster, but I guess I'm not really a human, either."
I must have looked as confused as I felt, because she was quick to clarify.
"I guess you could say I was a ghost, or something like that. In case you're wondering, the flowerbed you fell on was my grave."
Her grave? Ghost? This day was already pretty bloody strange.
"Wait, so you're a ghost..."
"Yep."
"And I fell on a flowerbed that is also your grave?"
"Yep."
"Holy shit." I sat down, trying to process this information. Monsters also existed, apparently, and now I had fallen into their home. Typical.
"May I just ask," I said, as a thought came into my head, "what are the monsters down here like, exactly?"
Chara sighed. "They are... not nice. Most of them will probably just tear you to shreds the second they see you. Their king, Asgore, has this huge bounty out for anyone who finds a human. If they collect enough souls, they could destroy the barrier, and make their way back onto the surface."
Damn, that did not sound good. "Wait, souls?"
"Yeah. Every living being has a soul. Monster souls are pretty weak, which is why they can't break out the barrier now. A humans soul, however, is much stronger. If Asgore absorbed seven human souls, he would be powerful enough to break they barrier."
"Seven? How many does he have?"
I heard Chara swallow nervously. "Six. You would be the last, before they break free. And it will not be pretty."
I was worried now. I was the last human they needed? That was not good. I decided to change the subject, as Chara sounded rather uncomfortable.
"Hey, um, Chara?" I ask awkwardly. Not everyone responded well to this question.
"Yes, Frisk?" she replied, seemingly glad to be off topic.
"Can I... can I feel your face? So I know what you look like. I just want to have an idea of what the person I'm talking to looks like."
"Oh, um, sure, okay then." Chara sounded surprised and maybe a little embarrassed, and I put my hands to where I thought her face was.
"Up here, darling." She said, my face turning bright red. Yeah, she was much taller than I thought. Heh...
Now actually touching her face, I could tell that she was rather thin, but not unhealthily so. Her skin was cold, although that was probably because she was a ghost. Her nose was small, and she seemed to have dimples, implying that she probably smiled a lot. Good for her. From what I could tell, she had rather large eyes, and a pointed chin. For some reason, I couldn't help but feel her hair as well, which was soft and straight, albeit also rather messy. It was short like mine, only going down to her shoulders.
"You done yet?" asked Chara patiently.
"Sorry, it's just... I don't get to do that often. So I like to take it in, get a proper picture of what they look like." I smiled up at where I detected her face was.
"Of course. So, how do I appear to you?" It was an innocent question, just out of curiosity. I felt like I could trust Chara, with her soft spoken voice and calm, relaxed attitude.
"Not gonna lie," I say, my face flushing, "you're kinda cute..."
I really need to keep my mouth shut.
There was a sharp intake of breath from Chara, followed by an awkward silence. When Chara spoke again, it was honestly one of the saddest voices I had ever heard. It felt like she had never received a compliment before.
"Do you really think... that I'm cute?" It was quiet, her voice, but I could tell that she was blushing. I smiled at her, my face still burning with embarrassment.
"Of course. I don't lie, especially not to someone so nice."
"Heh, thanks, Frisk..." Chara coughed, before grabbing my arm and steering me towards the left.
"Anyway, we should get going. You'll probably want to head home, right?"
Home. Did I really want to go back? I mean, I couldn't stay down here, that's for sure.
"Uh, yeah. Let's go." I say, and I let Chara drag me along as our journey begins.