Determination (Charisk) [OUTDATED]

96 - BERGENTRÜKING

(FRISK POV)

     It had been 3 days since the speech. Undyne hadn't come checked on me, Chara hadn't come talk to me, even the guards who gave me food and water barely talked to me. They seemed scared to even look at me. Figures. If people don't hate me, they fear me. I looked at my reflection in one of the provided spoons. My red eyes, they seemed to almost... Glow. My SOUL felt heavy in my hands. Like it was made of glass. I tried so hard to remember the last time I was happy, but the only image I could manage was Chara's face as he turned away from me, back to the crowd. They were so... angry.

I tried to focus on our link again. I tried to pick up something, anything at all. Chara was feeling... Determined. To do what? This wasn't like anything Diitii could produce, it was just a pure drive. What the hell was Chara doing? As if the universe was answering me, I heard a knock on the cell door.

"Inspection again? I already said, you took anything I could've—"

"I-It's me." It was Alphys.

"Alphys? Oh my god, what's going on? What are you doing here?"

"L-Listen we d-dont have much t-t-time." Keys rattled and clanked in the old lock.

"Until what?"

"I had 10 minutes to escort you to a private viewing cell, but... I... uh... got distracted." The thick metal door swung open. "We o-only have 5 now."

     "That doesn't answer my question. What the hell am I going to be viewing?"

     "Walk and t-talk." She meekly grabbed my chains with enough slack that I could still walk comfortably. We quickly walked through seemingly a maze of hallways and doors. This castle was huge. "So the only reason that I-I'm allowed to e-escort you is because I-I... um... I c-convinced King Asgore that I... I had a secret w-weapon to use a-against you."

     "Okay, but why did you have to convince him in the first place? Why couldn't just anyone take me to this mysterious event that you still haven't told me about?" Alphys turned back to face me.

     "You brought Prince Chara back from the dead. No one is taking any chances. The o-only reason that the P-P-Prince couldn't come get you himself is b-because he's b-been deemed t-to close to the s-s-situation...."

     "What situation?!"

     "C-Chara challenged King Asgore to a Magic Duel." She said it with so much seriousness and terror in her voice, as if this was something that could break the barrier, even. Chara's Determination seemed to increase ten-fold.

     "And that means what exactly?"

     "It means— hold on." Alphys nodded to the guards, and they stepped out of the way so that we could enter. This room was a lot nicer than my previous two cells. It had fluorescent lights, a TV, some potted plants, a coffee table, a couch, and 4 separate surveillance cameras. The door shut, and Alphys sat down on the couch. "It means that Chara is fighting King Asgore 1 on 1 using nothing but magic in front of thousands of people for your right to trial by combat instead of execution." I sat down next to her.

      "Oh my god. Why would he do that? 3 days ago, he was going on and on about how much the surface had hurt him and the Underground, and how my bloodline is the reason they're trapped here in the first place!" Alphys looked at me dumbfounded before facepalming.

     "That's right, you didn't hear the rest of the speech."

     "What?"

     "Here," Alphys turned on the TV and put on a recording of Chara's announcement, fast forwarding to right after I left.