SOLARVERSE: The Raven

Chapter 5 - Lenore

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token.

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"

This I whispered and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"-

Merely this, and nevermore.

...

"Where will you be heading, stranger?" Old Man River questioned as they, next to Sans, sat on the wooden bridge as their umbrella rested on their laps, four feet were dangling from that suspending bridge, Sans' eyes traveled around Waterfall for a moment, leaving a momentary silence before speaking in a tongue of guilt and irritation.

"...I don't know, I'm not sure," Sans said, his eyes ignorantly trailing off once more, yet again in reluctance as he was still suspicious of the man, they exuded an eerie, unnatural energy... And more importantly, those eyes, without a doubt looked almost the same as that damned beast, it left an aching pit in Sans' ribcage as he gripped tightly on his chest, suffocatingly.

"...Snowdin is a few trails back if perhaps you wish to go there-" Old Man River suggested, raising a hand to point slightly over to the path back to Snowdin, but Sans' eyes widened in anger as he fixated his gaze on the 'old man', gritting his teeth as he struck soundly onto the wooden plank of the bridge, making a fairly loud bang throughout the area they rested upon.

"That's not where I'm going! That's... That's not my home anymore," Sans yelled furiously as he got up, shaking the bridge in the process the man was unfazed by Sans' reaction, oddly enough they seemed lifeless, like a statue once more, at this point, anyone would have thought they would have been dead had they not spoken once more, as their neck twisted slowly and thoroughly to Sans' direction, akin to that of an animatronic thing.

"Then where are you really going?" The old man asked 'politely', once again, and yet, doubtlessly the hidden tone and way they said it made it seem like the exact opposite, it seemed forceful and impending, as Old Man River stood up, taking their umbrella gracefully in their hand, with Sans, instinctually, stepping back as if in fear, gulping up their saliva as a drop of sweat raced down his face suddenly.

However, before Sans was to let out a word, slowly, yet thoroughly, it began to shower across all of Waterfall, raining down on both Sans and the old man, as Sans was left standing in the rain, cold and soaked in an instant while the old man before him opened up, and protected himself with their umbrella, looking at this invoked a strange feeling within the skeleton, one ultimately vague but doubtlessly so, he felt envious, why was it that he could not be protected? Perhaps Sans truly was a fool, it was the right choice to bring that stupid umbrella after all, Sans thought angrily as he clenched his fist and put up his hoodie to stop the rain from further soaking him.

"Young man, are you troubled... No, you are, perhaps you have committed a grave sin?" Old Man River smiled as they tilted their head to the side, this single statement alone clearly invoked frustration from Sans as their head immediately shot up, their eyes glowing from the shadows of their hood in a nasty tone of despair, they struck back almost immediately after.

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?! YOU JUST MET ME, YOU SICK BASTARD!" Sans lashed out as he stomped his foot forward, shaking the bridge the both of them stood one as the old man's smile was quick to turn into an emotionless expression once again as, while the rain still raged on, they held away and then closed their umbrella abruptly, spinning it around and holding it behind their back, much to Sans' puzzlement which was quick to override his initial ferocity at that moment.