Unrequited LOVE

•Chapter 37•

You don't have any time to respond before San's grabs both your wrists and pulls you into a hug. You try to return it, but his grip on your wrists prevents it.

"Sans-"

Ping.

Suddenly, you see something.

-A small figure stumbled through the snow, battling the merciless wind in their quest to keep moving. Clutched in their fist was a dirtied knife, crimson drops sliding from the blade onto the pristine snow-

What?

-there were two large, purposeful slits on the back and it was quite large.-

That was your jacket. The child wearing it was Frisk.

-A throne stood in the middle of the room. Its backrest bore the royal seal, though it was quite scrappy-looking. Everything about the room screamed abandonment.

"No one has entered in a long, long time."

Frisk stiffened at the voice. They clutched the knife tighter.

"Don't be afraid, child."

That... sounded like Toriel.

"-dirty brother killer..."

The voices surrounding them, some loud and some quiet. Sans' voice was by far the loudest, bouncing off the walls of the chamber. The lights, although real, seemed to flicker in time with the voices.

"-gonna have a bad time."

Their SOUL hurt; a dull ache that morphed into stinging pain. Frisk clutched their chest, cupping the small red heart as they sunk to their knees.

*You feel your SINS crawling on your back.-

And then, Gaster.

-"You will be given a second chance, though you do not deserve it."-

You saw everything; past, present, and future.

It was me... I killed them...

The thought that it had been you behind everything was too much. You slump against Sans' body, letting out a short whimper. Bony phalanges tighten around your wrists.

...I'm a monster.

And then, everything fades again. And you're left alone with no one but your thoughts.

It was all me.

All me.

ALL ME.

ALL ME!!

You can't focus. Everything hurts as the realization deepens.

No no no no no no no-

You don't deserve to live, to get a second chance, not after what you did time and time again. Tears bleed into your skin.

I'm so sorry, Sans!

You can see Sans in the judgement hall, fighting to avenge everything he ever believed in. A flash of terrible red crosses his chest and he'd gone, crumpling to dust like the rest of them.

Asgore, Toriel, Flowery, Undyne, Mettaton, Alphys - and so many more - all dead because of you.

And the Resets... Oh god, the Resets.

Your world came crashing down. The weight of past sins bore heavily on your shoulders, crawling up your spine with a terrible slickness.

"it's a beautiful day outside; birds are singing, flowers are blooming. on days like these, kids like you should be burning in hell."

Sans' voice cuts deeper than any weapon.

"-i didn't come for a fight, but i will fight till the end-"

You scream, curling into a ball on the ground. Guilt overwhelms all reason, infecting your conciseness with a flood of hurt. All their pain, struggles, and tears are magnified against your flesh.

This is their revenge. And you're in for one hell of a ride.

***

Something feels wrong as soon as they arrive in Gaster's residence. The air crackles as the portal closes. "we need to be quick, he could be anywhere," Ink warns. "stay close."

Everyone (Nightmare, Dust, Ink, Blue, and Error) nods. "let's go," Dust's sockets glow a deadening purple. "he's here."

Their surroundings shift, endless walls darkening as something begins whirling. A flash of light fills the space.

"watch out-!"

And then, he appears, dressed in all black.

"How nice of you all to join me," the dark skeleton says mockingly. "I've been waiting so long for this."

Nightmare growls. "What have you done with her, you miserable g-"

"I did not lie," Gaster interrupts with a dismissive wave. "She dusted... mostly."

"what the hell does that mean?!" Dust snarls angrily.

Gaster sighs, as if talking to incompetent children. "Her SOUL shattered. Well, most of it did," he gestured to his covered ribcage. "I did harvest the remaining fragment."

Nightmare felt his socket go dark. So that was what he felt; a mere remenat of you held captive by this monstrosity of a being. "You what?!"

Gaster chuckles coldly. "Oh, how sad. You actually care for her, don't you."

"w-w-w-we @ll d0, y0u pr!cK!" Error answers venomously. "y-y-y0u're g0nn@ p-p-p-p@y!"

"By all means, then," Gaster raises his hands threateningly, summoning a pair of huge hands. "Make me pay."

The others brandish their weapons, readying for a fight. Ink pulls the bottle of red paint from his belt and chugs the whole thing, red dripping down his mouth. "oh, we intend to."

And then, Gaster shot forwards, hands following suit. Dust summons a barrage of blasters, each shooting beams at the evil skeleton. Deadly blue strings crisscross the space, illuminating it with a terrible neon glow.

Ink used his brush to look Gaster's strike, sending a glob of black ink splashing on the skeleton. Gaster remained unaffected, easily sweeping the tattooed skeleton out of his way. Nightmare shot a barrage of black-tinted bones at him. "Die!"

CRASH!

A plume of smoke rose from the collision spot. Everyone stopped, staring at Gaster in shock when they saw what was surrounding him.

A red and green barrier.

...Your barrier.

"No..."

And in the middle of Gaster's ribcage was his SOUL, a horribly black heart with a thin streak of red and green in the center.

They all knew what it was.

Gaster had fused his SOUL with a fragment of yours.

Before any of them could react, red and green tentacles shot from the ground, wrapping around the five skeletons.

"let us go, you stupid-!"

"h-h-h0w d@r3 y-y-y-y0u!!"

But no matter how much any of them struggled, the magic didn't budge. It certainly didn't help that it was your magic holding them captive.

Then again, it only made them hate Gaster more.

And yet, anger turned to uncertainty when Gaster snapped his phalanges and the bound bodies of Sans, Red, Horror, Dream, and Killer appeared in the space.

In that moment, it all seemed lost. Gaster had won, and now, he was going to dust them.

Until the light came.

***

HOPE is stronger than LOVE, dear reader.