Determination (Charisk) [OUTDATED]

101 - AS IT WAS

(FRISK POV)

     It's been hours of doing nothing. There's nothing to eat or drink, but I'm not hungry or thirsty either. Usually I'd be crying over the fact that I'll never be able to see my friends and family again, but... I guess I'm still processing what happened back there... I felt myself die. It was a tangible event that I could feel, see, hear, smell, even taste. And it tasted like rust. Is this what happened to everyone I killed in the last timeline? Er, I suppose it isn't the last timeline anymore, but you know what I'm talking about. The genocide.

     If I wasn't sorry before, I sure as hell am sorry now. It felt like I was still in shock. My breathing was shallow, my skin was pale, my hands were shaking. Is this what Chara went through? I mean, I've died before, I've felt the pain of it, but... I never lost consciousness like that. I was still lucid enough to RESET during that short window between alive and dead. But this... it was... well. Nevermind.

     The less I have to think about this, the better.

     I looked around, and saw a door that definitely wasn't there before. I cautiously stepped through it, only to find... more nothing.

Right. What was I thinking? These are just remnants of what used to be. Appearing in and out of existence whenever it's relevant to the plot.

     Appearing in and out of existence... whenever it's relevant... Why is that so familiar? Then it clicked.

     All the way back in Hotland. The first time we actually went there, we were confronted by someone who looked a hell of a lot like sans.

He said that 'this was the origin.' What does that mean? I remember him also saying something about how we were glitches. If we were glitches, then what was he? I thought to myself. Speaking of glitches, what was up with the air back then?

     The air cracked and shattered like glass. The shards... I don't remember what happened to them, but that isn't how air should work. And after that, he was sent away by... presumably the VOID but... I couldn't be sure.

     "The origin." I found myself saying. I hadn't spoken in so long, my own voice felt alien in my mouth. "What does it mean?" My question went unanswered.

     I looked back through the door.

     There it was.

      A way out.

      It was a new button. The ability to RESET, given form. It was just like all the other buttons, about as long as my forearm, about as tall as my hand. It was a smooth matte black, with lettering and borders just as orange as rust. Unlike my other buttons, this one didn't have a small icon next to the word. FIGHT had a knife, ACT had what looked like cell service bars, ITEM had a burlap sack, and MERCY had an X. RESET was just... RESET.

     I went out to reach it, but... my hand passed through it. It wasn't there. It wasn't real. Of course it wasn't. RESET isn't a part of the GML, there's no reason it would manifest in button form. Flowey emerged from the ground.

     "Why...? Why did you let me go?"

     "I already told you. You don't deserve to die."

     "Don't you realize being nice... just makes you get hurt?" His face looked like he was actually feeling remorse. As if he understood what being nice was. And I don't mean that like a sarcastic comment, I meant like he looked like he actually understood what that was like.

     "Yeah. I do. It's happened so many times, and I keep thinking it'll change but... it doesn't. Being nice gets you hurt. But it makes others hurt less. That's good enough for me."