Grillby x Reader: Burn the Witch

Part 3

Toriel rushed into the small room after hearing (Name)'s scream pierce through the silence of the ruins. When she arrived, she found the mage curled into a ball on the bed, huddled into the corner pf the room. She sensed a strong magical aura emanating from within the mage, enough to cause Toriel's fur to stand on end. The small lightbulb that lit the room flickered slightly with each wave of magical energy.

Toriel approached her cautiously, speaking quietly and sweetly, yet no words seemed to find their way to her ears. She spoke louder, hoping to get her attention. The mage slowly raised her head and locked eyes with Toriel. Her irises had faded to light stormy grey, and Toriel could have sworn she saw bolts of lightning striking within them. The mage did not seem to be looking at Toriel, however. Instead she was locked into a glassy, thousand-yard stare that went right through her.

Just as Toriel was about to speak again, a sudden wave of energy was unleashed from within the mage. For an instant, Toriel felt a stab of fear run through her body; magic this powerful could gravely injure her if it intended to do so. Toriel instinctually took a defensive position, ready to brave whatever attack the mage threw at her. However, the energy seemed to move and swirl around her. Whipping the air around her but leaving Toriel completely untouched. As the energy faded, she looked up at the mage once more as she slowly extended her legs and lifted herself up from her place in the corner. Her eyes now seemed to register Toriel's presence but didn't seem to recognize her. The mage's expression morphed from a hollow, blank gaze to one of confusion and fear.

"Where am I?" The mage spoke at last. Her voice seemed different. A light shift in pitch, a soft lilt in her voice, a slightly different rhythm to her cadence. Toriel could still hear the familiar voice of the mage she met the day before, but it was overlapped by another voice that didn't come from her. It, instead, seemed to speak directly Toriel's mind. And the mage's true voice was left as an echo of that one.

"You are in my home near the end of the ruins," she replied aloud, unsure of whether thought alone would convey her message. "I found you after you fell down into the underground."

"How did I fall here?" the mage said.

"I am unsure my child. You seemed to be troubled when I found you, most ones who fall down here are. But you never told me how you fell."

"And who are you?"

"It is I, my child. Toriel, the caretaker of the ruins."

The mage sat quietly for a moment, maintaining eye contact with Toriel all the while. She seemed to be thinking, trying to remember something. Something faint, like a distant memory. Her movements slowed more than they already had. The small rise and fall of her chest as she breathed slowed to a crawl, blinking to her seemed like an action one had to put effort into.

"Toriel, I recognize that name," the mage said quietly. "As in Queen of the Monsters."

Toriel was taken aback for a moment. Her past as a monarch was not something she indulged in thinking about, let alone telling the mage about it. But the look in her eyes seemed to show more than just surface level knowledge. It became clear that they, perhaps not the mage herself, had met before.

"It has been a long time, your majesty," the mage spoke again. "It is an honor to be able to speak to you again." The voice of the mage faded a touch more, leaving more room for the unknown voice.

"I'm sorry, my child. I must admit I am a touch confused. I don't remember a time before yesterday where we had met."

The mage smiled, as if laughing, but no sound came out. "I apologize. While she does look similar, it would make sense that you wouldn't recognize me simply from her face alone."