Golden Path

Origins of the Angel

Chara still remembers the first fallen and how their fate came to be.

They had woken up from their deathly slumber to the bright light of the sky blazing down on them. The entrance of the underground, a massive hole they once fell, stared at them, mocking in its distance. They stared back, head ringing in confusion as they slowly sat up. Why were they back here? Their plan failed, had it not? They should be dead; just a body lying with a pile of dust. And yet, they were here. They sat up, staring blankly at the undisturbed flowers they were resting on, each petal perfectly healthy and golden, just as they were when they first fell.

Their thoughts couldn't linger on the weight of their actions much longer, however. Something else was here. They could hear the slight crinkling of some of the flowers, the shifting of dirt; they could see something moving out of the corner of their eye, something blue and small. They looked to their left to see a young human around their age shifting, trying to gain some balance. Oddly orange skin aside, they seemed average for a human child, maybe a little chubby. Mid-length, straight brown hair obscured their face. Then the child looked up. Well, "looked" is a stretch, more like they raised their head. Their eyes, however, remained closed. Yet it seems like they could see as they stopped in their tracks while looking at Chara.

They had a kind look. Despite being injured and in pain, they looked at Chara not with fear or suspicion but rather with playful curiosity. They held out their bleeding hand to Chara and asked them if they were okay before introducing themself as "Frisk". Chara was fine, they weren't injured at all, Frisk however was worse for wear.

Frisk tried to stand and failed, their leg seemed injured, possibly broken. It was hard to watch them squirm and attempt to get up like a newborn animal. While Chara had no love in their heart for humans, something about this one made them feel...pity. A small, scared, injured child that was either bold, stupid or had a similar past to Chara's that led them to this fate of theirs. It made them seem non-threatening. And besides, maybe keeping this human around would be for the better, even if they seem non-threatening, that doesn't make them non-threatening.

Chara attempted to help them up, but their hand just phased through the child's body.

"...What?" Chara has few words. How was that possible?

Frisk seemed confused too, their hand reaching out and through Chara. They looked at their hands only to finally notice that they were see-through. Then it all clicked, the untouched flowers they were laying on, why Chara was uninjured while Frisk seemed badly injured, why they were back after dying. Chara wasn't alive, they were incorporeal. A ghost. So, their plan did fail. They did die. And Asriel really was....

It was too late to do anything. All they could do was follow around this curious, new companion. Frisk stood up shakily, their injured leg making standing a challenging feat. Gaining their balance, they hobbled through the darkness. As Frisk wandered into the next room, a flower was there, staring with an empty, expecting stare and a smile that was too wide. Did it know that Frisk was here already?

"Howdy! My name is Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" It said in an overly cheerful tone. Even for the Underground's overly friendly nature, this was much, and its tone felt so fake.

Nevertheless, Frisk trusted the flower. Too bad that little weed didn't return the kindness. It attacked Frisk out of pure malice. Actions like that were normal for Chara, for humanity, but from a monster? It was cruel. Its torment was thankfully cut short by a bright ball of flame that cast the weed into the darkness. A familiar figure approached.

Out of instinct, Chara called out.

"Mom!"

And tried to hug their beloved mother. They just passed right through her though. And no matter how many times they called her name, or how many times they stood right in front of her face, she didn't even acknowledge them. Instead, she acknowledged the human behind them, looking right through them and at Frisk.