Never Die Again

3. Two Betrayals

"We will eradicate the enemy and become strong."

- Chara

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It had been four years since Chara had suffered a sleepless night, but here she was, breaking that streak. She lay wide awake in bed next to Frisk, their naked bodies concealed under the bedsheets. Although she had hidden it well, her encounter with Cathleen had shaken her more than she cared to admit. There was no doubt that she was a demon, and her goal was Ascension. After defeating Cade, Chara had been fortunate enough to live the rest of her college days in peace, but it turned out that her next enemy had been in front of her all along.

Shit.

Chara turned in the covers. What was she afraid of? She had beaten Cathleen, and neither of them had held back. Chara could see the frustration in Cathleen's eyes when she had lost; it was not the expression of someone who had failed on purpose. It was the look of someone who couldn't accept a crushing defeat. If she had been acting, she was damn good. No, Chara was stronger than her. She knew that. If they clashed, Cathleen wouldn't stand a chance against her.

However, that was assuming two things. The first, Cathleen fought her one-on-one, but what if she had allies? After all, someone must have been responsible for resurrecting her. Who was it? And was Cathleen the only one? Were there more? For all Chara knew, there was an army of demons mobilizing to take over the world. The thought of fighting so many made Chara sick. She prayed that their numbers weren't so great.

And the second assumption was that Cathleen didn't gain any power before Chara fought her. That was not something she could count on. The more people a demon killed, the more powerful they became. Chara may have beaten Cathleen, but it hadn't been close. And Chara had been three levels higher. If that advantage were reversed, she didn't know if she would survive.

Hopefully, Chara wouldn't have to fight her at all. Like Cade, Cathleen had two options. She could try to kill Chara first, or she could start by grinding levels on softer targets. The former was risky and only possible if Cathleen had access to an anti-reset weapon, but if successful, she would immediately become the new World Master. There was no need to explain how useful the ability to reset would be for a mass murdering demon. Chara couldn't let Cathleen have that power.

But there was another way. A demon's determination increased dramatically with LOVE, so if Cathleen raised her LV above Chara's - LV 6 - that would also make her the new World Master. The problem was that she would either need to be very sneaky or very quick. As soon as she was caught, the full might of the World Government would be upon her. Not only that, Gaster would certainly join the hunt in order to harvest Cathleen's soul. With a powerful force like him pursuing her, Chara probably wouldn't need to lift a finger.

Well, Chara would keep her eyes open. If she had to defend herself, she would, but otherwise, this wasn't her fight. She had already killed one demon. Could anyone blame her for letting the professionals take care of it for once? She was just a Lab Assistant working for AlTech, not a solider. She had no intention of risking her life if she didn't have to.

Let the Government sort this one out.

... that's what Chara wanted, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to work out that way. She tossed roughly in the bedsheets, frustrated by her body's refusal to sleep. She curled up and shut her eyes as tightly as she could.

Why are you so afraid? she chided herself. You know you can beat her. There's nothing to worry about. Go to sleep already.

Cathleen's soul-piercing stare invaded her mind. What about you? Are you happy that Frisk was able to come back?