Fallen Hero (Rewritten)

Lessons and Questions

(Newly discovered method of breaking all creativity blocks.

Draw memes > draw sketches > draw art > write another chapter > repeat

And when drawing doesn't work, I hop on Terraria to see if I can beat my own personal challenge to gain all achievements without outside help.

It's fun... I'm so bored.)

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The Dreemur's were warm.

If anyone asked, that's how Izuku would describe it. Warm. The hearth was always aflame with a fire that never burned. The air was forever rich with a sweetness that stained his lungs and imprinted upon his memory. And the feeling radiated throughout the house and well into the Underground. It felt safe. It felt warm.

He stuck his hand inside the fireplace once to see how hot it was but didn't so much as flinch at the heat that reminded him of a fluffy blanket. It enveloped his hand and licked at his fingers but never harmed him. So- magic fire. He was pulled back by a very panicked Toriel who fussed over him for far too long - much too busy lecturing him to notice the lack of burns. She then proceeded to explain the difference between the magic types and how they function ("No, Izuku, just because it's made of magic does not make it safe to touch." "Oh...").

Sometimes, he'd wake to the cinnamon and sugar and see Toriel in the kitchen. Other times it would be the scent of flowers and tea and he'd meet Asgore at the table. But the stubborn aroma of grass and oak stuck to his nose every time he woke up to Asriel's sleepy face, always reminding him that it was going to be another fun day of adventure and learning.

The Dreemurs were bright today.

They teemed with life and glowed with delight. Izuku watched as Toriel bustled about with tea and cookies while Asgore collected papers and a strange book he'd never seen before. It looked important. Asriel sat down next to him and began rambling about a guest who came by every now and again. Asriel didn't have any memories of "the doctor", but Toriel and Asgore seemed to speak of him in high regard, so he surely must be worth all this effort.

An hour passed and the chaos finally moved outside to a small cloth set up on the ground with a low table atop it. The children peeked through the window to see what was going on, Izuku more curious than anything. A man in a long white coat walked into the area, sitting down with the two, and discussed things Izuku couldn't hear from within the house. Asriel didn't make any moves toward the door so he assumed it was normal and wandered back to their room to read.

Toriel's earlier lecture on magic got him curious so he went digging through her bookcase and found a book that looked accurate. Toriel has been praising his reading skills lately, so while he didn't understand most of the odd words in the textbook, he understood the point they were trying to make. And that was enough to get him looking into something other than storybooks (apparently "fairytales" were a bit more literal than he thought) and dictionaries. And with how many dictionaries and encyclopedias he's been breezing through, he's certain he's surpassed Kachan's reading skills. (Hah! Take that baka-chan!)

He had to read a few paragraphs at least three times before he was able to fill in the gaps with context clues. It sure wasn't easy, and Asriel had a fun little habit of interrupting his "nerd time" for games but it was worth it. Now he could read all the complex words surrounding the magic he hadn't encountered yet. Even better, he was able to understand Toriel's speech style. She always felt so cool and wise, and he liked that about her, so he started copying her speech style.

Toriel wouldn't admit it aloud, but she found it cute.

"Seriously? Weren't the dictionaries enough for you?" Asriel joked, poking his head into the room. "Of course not! The is no harm in learning new things, Asriel. That in itself is a journey. I am not to blame for you not wanting to venture that path," Izuku snarked back, adding in as many big words as he could to bother Asriel. It got the desired effect when Izuku heard a loud groan of exasperation from the other, "Ugh, do you seriously have to make yourself sound so smart all the time? Talk like a normal person, Zuku!" Izuku smirked, earning himself a very grumpy glare from Asriel.