Amnesiatale

Dying

I blinked. "say what?" I was staring intensely at Frisk. They'd stopped me after coming out of the mountain. "I.. I can't reset anymore.. The buttons won't appear. You got your wish." They said again. "holy.." On one hand this was the best thing in the world. On the other.. I sighed. "it's.. it's actually over? really?" They nodded. "No more resets." I already had a theory on why Frisk couldn't reset. They were using more determination than their soul could produce. In a few years they could probably do it again. Not that I was going to tell them that.

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I teleported into my basement after Pap went to bed. "time is flowing again.." I made a pulling motion, summoning my soul. It was light grey and riddled with cracks. Some pieces of it were missing, turned to dust due to the disease. "i'm running out of determination. i need to find a cure, and fast." I suffered from soul degradation. My soul was crumbling at the age of 2 and Gaster forced human determination into my soul. It slowed the effects considerably and if it started again I'd get more. All the time he searched for a cure. In time I had enough determination to stop the degradation completely, but monsters can't create determination like humans can. It is still only temporary. The resets had helped as well. Now that they were done, not that I'm happy about it, but now I was dying again. I'd need to find a cure myself.

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"S-symptoms in-include lethargy, loss of consciousness, lack of s-sleep, pain in the head and chest, greying of the soul, loss of magic, coughing u-up blood, a-and the soul w-will slowly s-start to c-crumble a-apart slowly hence why it's c-called degradation." Alphys explained. She was trying to help the humans in learning monster diseases. Ironic that it'd be on this.. "Monsters w-with this disease c-can't produce magic properly. Th-they lose more m-magic than they can p-produce, until they can't produce enough magic to hold their physical form and they fall down.. After that.. D-death.." The doctors were nodding. "So it's not treatable?"
"Th-there is no known cure.." I looked down. God I was tired. It was probably the illness talking. "stages?"
"R-right! There are three stages to soul degradation. 1. The soul weakens, as does the monsters stats. 2. M-most of the symptoms start, all but the loss of consciousness a-and the coughing up blood. 3. The last symptoms present themselves and within a week the monster is dead.

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I'm getting worse. I'm getting slower, taking more naps. I'm losing time. It's nowhere near ready. I've got nothing. Yet I still can't sleep at night. Yay. If my head isn't pounding my chest is. My soul is getting greyer and if I brush it, dust slides off. It's degrading faster. I groaned at yet another headache. I took some pain medication to help hide the symptoms. They didn't need to know. I'd fix this and if not, at least they'd be safe for awhile longer. I sighed for the millionth time. Maybe it was time to face reality.

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It was a sleepover at the skele bros new place on the surface. Sans had turned in earlier than usual, and all of them were quite worried. Sans was a skeleton of many secrets, they all knew that, but he'd been acting very off the last few months since getting to the surface. He'd always been lazy, but he now seemed to be finding difficulty in going from the couch to the kitchen without being out of breath. He tried to hide it, but Papyrus knew better. There was also dark bags under his eye sockets despite his constant- and increased- naps. They knew something was off. Maybe they knew that he was sick, but on this night they'd learn that something was in dead very, VERY, wrong with their skeleton friend.

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I felt very tired, but I was wide awake. Maybe it was the ache in my chest. Maybe it was the insomnia. Maybe it was the night terrors. Hell if I know. It was now going on 6:27. I closed my eyes against the new wave of pain. I grunted and opened my eyes again as it dulled to a throb. "...i'm ok..i'm ok.." I assured myself. Then my chest constricted and I started coughing. Yeah I'm not ok. I coughed harshly and tried to keep it muffled, but I was failing miserably. Especially now that something was coming up. Magic. Since im a skeleton, I kinda don't have blood. My door burst open towards the end of the fit and I stared blankly at the liquid blue magic on my hand. "stage three.." I was out of time.

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I was now on a gurney in Alphys' lab. "W-why didn't you say anything?!" She was chewing me out, but I was finding it hard to listen. They now knew I was sick. Now I had no choice but to tell Papyrus.. I had no more time. In a week I'll be.. "listen.. and listen close. i don't have anymore time." I looked up to my friends. My brother. "SANS? WHAT IS WRONG?" I sighed. Again. "i..i'm dying pap. my soul is degrading, and there is nothing that can be done now. i'm out of time." Silence followed as their expressions shifted into that of fear and uncertainty. "Your kidding, right?" Undyne asked. "no. i'm not. i'm dead serious." I pulled out my soul for proof. It was dark grey now, and malformed from the pieces that dusted. The cracks were deeper than ever. "i've only got a week left. i was trying for a cure but now.. i'm to late.." Tired. "S-sans.. You have.." I nodded slowly to Alphys. "soul degradation..." Really tired. "But.. But how?! How are you still alive!" I wanted to answer, I did, but I couldn't as I lapsed into unconsciousness.

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"THERES GOTTA BE SOMETHING WE CAN DO!" Pap-Papyrus?" I felt weak as I woke up. I cracked my sockets open. They weren't that far away. "Can I give him some of my determination?"
"won't work.. it's already been done.." God. I even sounded weak. "SANS!" Pap rushed over to me. "how long has it been?"
"4 d-days.. Y-youve had a lot of coughing fits in your.. State." Damn. "well. guess i should explain why i'm not dead yet."
"If you could, my friend."
"well.. for starters.. my dad is the old royal scientist. when he found out i was dying, he forced the determination of the human souls into mine. but as you all know, monsters can't produce determination and i'm running out. i've lasted this long.. it's been a good run, really. but i'm on my last legs. more determination would only delay the inevitable."
"BUT- BUT I CANT LOSE YOU, SANS! I NEED YOU!"
"i'm sorry bro. i can't continue like this.." I hugged him the best I could as he burst into tears. I spent my conscious time consoling them. The last thing I remembered as I slipped off for the last time was Pap's grasp tight in my own.