The Silver Soul

5

 My body feels heavy and warm. There's a bright light behind my eyelids, and I can hear a child talking. There is a sweet smell in the air.

These are the things that greet me when I finally come round. All of these things give me a sense of security. Like an adult who would tell their child that monsters don't exist just to protect them. After being in some kind of void for so long, I'm more than happy to wake up. Although, I'll need to be extremely careful. That episode with Chara is still fresh in my mind, the pain still lingering n the places where I was cut, her words still ringing in my head.

My eyelids feel swollen, and they don't slide over my eyes too well. My sight is blurry, but I can register a white ceiling with a soft, golden light overhead. I can also see something else in the corner of my eye. Something more colourful. I open my mouth.

"Hherrro?" My throat is too raw to speak, and my lips feel awkwardly large. Nevertheless, a face pops into my view I can't see them too well, but I can make out that they're grinning widely. Blue and purple swirl hypnotically in my vision.

"Oh! You're awake!" Yup. "Mum and Dad were worried about you. So was Sans." Now they appeared to be talking to themselves. And what kind of name is Sans? The person turns their attention back to me. "Oops! Sorry. You don't know who Sans is, do you? Don't worry! He's a nice guy. You'll meet him eventually. You'll meet everybody." An awkward silence falls over us. I take the silence as a opportunity to get a closer look at them. They look small, petite, like a child. But their body seems almost unnaturally slim under the over-sized jumper. I wonder what happened to them.

"Frisk!" a different voice yells. "Child, is she awake?" This voice has a motherly quality to it. It sounds achingly familiar. 'Frisk' smiles in relief.

"Yeah Mum." She calls back. I hear footsteps approaching. Frisk turns to me. "When she comes in please don't be scared." The door swings open, and I have to clamp my teeth together so I don't scream. Because, right now, a monster is walking over to me. A goat-like monster with pure white fur and bright, violet eyes. Her long, purple dress brushes the wooden floor.

"Oh. Greetings, young one. I am Toriel," she says, smiling. Her smile makes her eyes twinkle. My fear starts to disappear, to be replaced by a sense of security. "You must have many questions. Do not worry, my child, I will answer them all in due time." Toriel frowns slightly. "But first, we need to know your name. Can you tell us, small one?"

I open my mouth to say the word on my mind: Will. The only thing that comes out of it is a dry, squeaking sound. The second try isn't any better. I start to panic, thinking that I might not be able speak again. I don't want to be mute.

Toriel seems to sense my dilemma, and takes a different tactic. "Maybe you can use your hands," she offers. My hands feel slightly numb, and oddly detached from my body. But I can still use them for basic sign language. Using my thumb and forefinger, I join them together to form the first letter. "Is that a 'w', my child?" I nod. I sign an 'i' and two 'l's'.

"Will. That's your name, right?" Frisk asks. I nod again. "That's a nice name!" she says. I smile at her, the awkwardness between us gone. Toriel looks like she wants to say more, but doesn't.

"Child, you are very sick right now. It will take a long time to heal properly. But I promise, you will be your old self when it is finished" Toriel says. "But for now, you must be hungry. I will get you something to eat. Then, you may sleep."

Toriel walks out of the room, Frisk running after her. They don't seem evil. I think.

And neither did Chara. You need to stay vigilant. Another voice answers me. I distract myself by looking around the room. It's very plain, with just a bed, two chairs and a small table beside it. The door is made of dark oak, smooth and polished. It seems to suggest another world, outside of these white walls.

I hear footsteps in the hall. Toriel walks through the door, carrying a steaming bowl. When you get over the fact that she's literally an anthropomorphic goat, one can call her beautiful. Under the robe, she's slim and walks with an elegant demeanour, like royalty. Her eyes twinkle kindly on her pure white face. I already feel myself trusting her.

Don't trust her, the little voice yells. I ignore it completely.

Toriel sits down beside me and starts spooning something hot and rich into my mouth. Half-way through the bowl, I feel myself slipping away into sleep. Toriel leans over and kisses me on the cheek.

"Sleep well, my child."