Lines Out Of Place

{Draft} 1.c

They jumped as a tone reverberated through The VOID.

It echoed and pushed through the air stubbornly, resonating further and further.

With the notes diminishing, they noticed a face floating in The VOID.

It was a gleaming white, or it seemed much like it. White or another gray, It practically shone in contrast to the ever-present darkness that was The VOID. It sat there, unmoving.

They weren't sure what It was. It was just there, suddenly.

Like they were.

They were tempted to go up to It, speak and greet It like a long-lost friend. It had a draw to it. They wanted to interact.

Just how long had it been since they last saw another being in this place? Surely a short while would be fine.

Just a hello.

So they took a step forward.

And It whipped its head to look at them.

They flinched, not expecting such a reaction.

Then It...froze.

It just stayed there.

It stayed and stared, from that seemingly faraway spot.

It just stared.

And they couldn't move.

Not yet.

They didn't know what this thing was, and somehow the idea of interaction was terrifying, despite the inclination only a few moments before.

The duality of sociality, they supposed.

They weren't even in a comfortable position. They were on the tips of their toes, why didn't they just stand normally?

But posture correction with that...person? With Its gaze on them, they felt like they shouldn't do anything to gain attention.

Anything to not gain Its attention any further.

They also knew that It could somehow feel they were there.

It looked through them but it was so rigid, so still yet attentive in position that they felt like some specimen under researching gaze.

Gods, could It actually see them? For some reason, it didn't quite feel like it.

But It was definitely looking.

...

Okay, It? It was terrifying. They couldn't refute that fact anymore.

The fact they didn't know just what or who It was truly did not help in the slightest.

Neither of them moved, simply existing together in this strange place, black and ever-stretching, and the VOID watched on as the two watched at each other.

Chills ran down their spine, and they were quite sure that if they still had skin, sweat would've been pouring down already.

But honestly? That would've also felt incredibly gross, especially with It staring just across the way.

They couldn't quite help the soft exhale of laughter, something just short of a snort, at their own thoughts.

That set It off, they supposed.

Suddenly The VOID wasn't filled with silence, but an aching, distorted cacophony of noise that made them clutch at their skull. Symbols floated as they blinked in and out of the air, unintelligible and loud.

Somehow, they knew there was meaning to these...letters? But they couldn't piece them together. They didn't recognize them.

Yet, there was a distinct feeling that they were listening- looking at some foreign language.

They finally focused on the face of It again, and shuddered at the sudden widening of its eyes, glowing lights sparking in the center as It focused clearly on them.

Gasping, they felt breathless, like they had been punched too hard in the gut. The VOID suddenly felt as oppressive as it was when they first arrived.

Not in the same way, of course.

This time, the feeling was caused by It instead.

-'  + ´- .

° ´    '  

Just as quickly, The VOID went silent again as It faded from view.

The VOID listened on as they wheezed, legs trembling and teeth clacking. Scratch that, their whole being was shaking.

The VOID watched on as they crouched down, knees slamming onto the ground from their weight.

They were scared.

Whatever It was, was gone now.

It probably didn't even have any malicious intent.

But they didn't know that.

They didn't know much of anything.

They blinked hard, screwing their eyes shut before snapping them open again. The dark blackness of the VOID welcomed them as they calmed themself slowly. The VOID was silent, but they swore their ears were ringing.

Not that they had ears.

They groaned and placed a shaky hand on The VOID below them, breathing heavily; something without rhythm, leaving their chest heaving.

Gods, it was hard to breathe.

Seriously, their thoughts couldn't stay in a line for even one minute?

Weakly, they pushed themself up again, standing and wobbling as The VOID seemed to shift in assistance.

Really, what even was The VOID? It kept...moving in ways they never expect.

Was The VOID here to help, or was it simply there, and they were at its mercy?

They decided not to think.

So they took a step forward, aiming to continue their journey.

And The VOID refused.

The VOID thrashed under their feet, sending them forward as they cried out in shock.

They braced themself for an impact, arms coming forward.

The VOID stared.

They fell through.

___ .ˢᵉʳⁱᵉˢ ¹ ⱽᵉʳˢᵉ ⱽ. ___

《 A/N 》

YOOOOO- Hey it's me again.

I pumped out two chapters only to promptly leave this here, alone and unchanging. (T 3T)

So!

We're finally getting into some actual Undertale characters here lolz.

Updates are, if it's not painfully obvious, sporadic and infrequent. ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ)

Also, the video is supposed to be played after ["That set It off, they supposed"] but I didn't want to put a notice in between the paragraphs, so, uhm. Idk. I feel like stuff like that interrupts the story integration?? Like it subtracts from the experience??? But also having that specific audio blast from the beginning is nightmarish-

Should I add in a《Start Prompt / Timestamp》for videos in the chapters? Please do tell! 🙏

Also, also-- that absolute mess of symbols in the middle of the chapter when Gaster vanished was supposed to be something like a "pop!"

But, uh, Wattpad is funky, especially on mobile, so it's messing with the formatting I'm trying to get?? Maybe it's because I'm not adjust to Wattpad's format instead???

Annnnyway, hope you enjoyed!