Avid Adopter

1 - Find

I looked up at the roof. Seeing the newly-built ceiling could only provide safety in my mind; I couldn't really expect it to not fall down, again. With all the fighting going on, I doubted that my house would even stay in one piece for the next week, let alone a month. I didn't want to be inside; it was too quiet. I simply couldn't stand the silence of my house..I used to think that I liked silence; well, I didn't, anymore. I stood up, ignoring the pain wracking my body, and looked at the bookshelves around me. The library, my favorite room, where I could find peace when all else was lost..or at least..it was. I had read every book in there countless times; it was too repetitive. I needed something new. I needed a way to escape my futile existence. I couldn't keep living like this. My routine had been ingrained into my mind, as if begging me to leave it. Wake up, eat something, spread negativity, battle with my brother, heal my wounds, read a book, and go to sleep. I had done it so many times; it was insanity. I shook my skull; I needed to do something else. Reading a book would simply have to wait until another day; I was going to take a walk.

A simple walk didn't seem like much to the average monster, but to me, it was practically life or death. I was relieved that neutral AUs existed; I wouldn't have to worry about dying, today. Sure, a neutral AU was supposed to be open to everyone, but the presence of the Guardian of Negativity didn't exactly scream "welcoming." In effect, I mainly stayed in alleys and the outskirts of towns; they didn't bother me, and I wouldn't bother them. It was difficult for AUs to actually pick a side, but there were three options: the "good" side, the "bad" side, and neutrality. If one picked the good side, they would have the protection of the Star Sanses: Ink, Dream, and the Underswap Sans. If it chose the bad side, I was obliged to protect them - not that any AUs actually chose that side..none did. If neutrality was chosen, the AU would receive no protection, but nobody would attack it, either. I had agreed to that long ago; a memory of being tied to a wall and forced to sign a contract still lingered in my mind, but that was years ago, and I really didn't mind it. I decided to choose the neutral AU of Outertale; the stars were rather bright at this time of day. 

I opened a portal, a gateway between alternate universes, to Outertale. Outertale had been neutral from the start, as the inhabitants believed that nobody should have been kept from the outstanding sight; I was glad of that. Sitting on a ridge near the town, I stared up at the stars, finding the setting to be quite peaceful. I stared at the sight for what must have been hours, until I heard some yelling..well, I wasn't one to sit around and not look into things. I walked over to the source of the yelling, finding it to be coming from an alley. It wasn't just any alley, either - it was a dark alley. Few people knew the difference, but dark alleys were much more prone to crime than bright alleys; I knew from experience, sometimes attacking, and other times being the one attacked - of course, I hadn't been attacked in that way in a long time. When I entered the dark alley, I found a group of children gathered around a small skeleton child; I wouldn't have thought much of it..if they weren't trying to kill him. That brought too many memories back..too many screams..

"Please stop!" The skeleton sobbed.

"You don't belong here, tear ducts!" A child scoffed, further increasing the damage done to the skeleton with a sharp kick to the side.

"Mercy!" The skeleton cried out.

"You don't deserve mercy, bonebag!" Another child stepped on the skeleton's leg; it looked as if it had already been shattered. I wouldn't waste any more time; this child was in danger of dusting.