Understay - an Undertale Fanfic

Understay V - The Demon That Comes

A black void surrounded them, the howling wind the only background.

"Whuh... where am I?"

"The end of the world." the figure replied in Frisk's own voice, catching him off-guard. "A world caused by your own hand."

"N-no! I wouldn't do this!"

"Is that so?" the other smiled slightly, opening his palm. Three glimmering spheres leapt out of his grip and floated above him, enlarging enough to let Frisk see into them. He had to back away, though; the spheres showed terrible scenes, the murders of his friends. One sphere showed him punching the decapitated skull of Papyrus until it faded into the snow beneath. One showed the scattered blood of Undyne, some being on a child's horrified face. The last showed a twisted, vile version of himself, his trousers coated in dust, the blade red and grey, a vicious smile on his lips as he picked up Sans' dusty jacket from the ground.

"Stop it!" Frisk yelled, bunching his fists. "This isn't me!"

"But it was you, once. And it will be you in the future. Your fate and mine are one and the same."

"Who are you, anyway?"

"I am the demon that comes when you call its name. I am the darkness in the sky of a thousand dying stars. I go by many names, but you may know me as Chara."

"Chara? As in Asriel's brother? The owner of the locket? That Chara?"

"The very same."

"Why... why are you here? Why are you in my head?"

"Humans. Monsters. Everyone deserves nothing but death. You have helped me before, and you shall help me again."

"Forget it! I'm not hurting anybody! Just... leave me alone!"

"And if I do not?"

"H-huh?"

"If I do not leave you be, what will you do? Try and convince me to be your friend too? Beg for mercy, grovelling at my feet? Or will you do as so many before you have, and succumbed to my whispers?"

"I... I don't need to do any of that."

"Oh?" Chara smiled slightly. A thin trail of blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. "What makes you say that?"

"I... I can rely on my friends to help me. I don't need to beg you for anything, and if you don't want to be helped I can't-"

"Oh, but I do want your help." Chara chuckled, vanishing from view - only to reappear right in his face, making him recoil in surprise. "As much as I would love to descend on that plane again, as much as I want to reap the devastation of a destroyed plane of existence, I cannot. That is your role."

"Forget it! I won't!"

"We shall see." The world dulled to grey, then to darkness again, taking the spheres and Chara with them. Frisk was alone. Not even Chara's voice could be heard.

-----

Frisk sat up with a jolt, gasping for breath. A panicked moment's observation revealed he was back in Papyrus' house, safe on the sofa... with Asriel at his feet, curled up and seemingly asleep. He turned to get up, but the motion disturbed Asriel.

"Nn... howdy..." he murmured, stretching a little. "You okay?"

"Kinda..." he replied. "I had a really bad nightmare..."

"... was it Chara...?" Frisk flinched, surprised. How had he known? "Thought so... He visited Flowey a lot, too."

"I... I'm so sorry..."