Undertale: Resurrected

Chapter Twenty: Burns

She hadn't meant to touch it. that was the last thing she'd planned on doing. After all, it was an oven. The device was still a tad new to her, but she knew what it did. It warmed things up. It cooked food for those in the house. It was much more efficient than the fire she would cook with on the mountain. That was why she'd wanted to take a closer look, and when the babysitter had startled her upon return, one of her hands had accidentally hit the pot of boiling water. This was where it all began.

         Daya didn't remember burning herself before this event. She'd always been so careful with the fire, even going as far as to have bratty little Vera start it when she was unsure of herself. But she hadn't been careful this time. If anything, she'd been careless. And now her hand felt like it was burning. No. Not her hand. Her arm. Her shoulder. Her chest. Everything was burning, and it was excruciating.

         Suddenly, the young girl didn't know where she was as images began flashing by her. Images of two adults walking with her down the street, two adults that she felt strangely close to. Those adults appeared again in a blur, along with the smell of something that she knew she loved. They were cooking. Baking. One of the two, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the images continued.

         There were more people around. Lots of people. So many people. But she was happy for some reason. She felt happy among the crowd of what she guessed were children. Not just any children. Friends. Her friends. She had friends? Friends outside of the five? So many people... And somehow, she knew this wasn't a dream.

         Another blur, this time accompanied by whispers, whispers of a strange legend telling of monsters. There was advice too, advice on not to climb. No one wanted to get eaten by the monsters. No one wanted to disappear.

         Suddenly, there she was, climbing the mountain, determination in every step. She could barely remember this, but Daya somehow knew this was real. Every step she took was real, and so was the fall that came afterwards.

         Fall. Wake up. Purple. Purple everywhere. And a monster. No. Toriel. That had to be Toriel. Yes. More happy feelings. More sweet smells, and then it all vanished once she heard the monster echo out a goodbye.

         Then came the terror. The tears. The running. All of this fear... It shocked Daya to suddenly witness all of this. Experience all of this. Remember all of this. Bits and pieces, yes, but they were all so familiar. That was the scary part. Even when feelings of relief came along, the fear was still there. Fear of familiarity. Fear of the monsters all around her. And it only got worse as the temperature increased, and the scenery blurred once again until another one appeared.

         This one was clearer than the rest. It was still a blur, but she could make out more than just simple silhouettes and echoes. This world was rocky and heated, like she were running around inside a volcano. But she knew where she was. She somehow knew right where she was. She was still in that hole, walking and walking. No. Not walking. Staggering. It was so hot. She was so tired. She'd even thrown down that... apron... She had to keep cool. She had to keep going. But how could she keep going when someone needed her help?

         Yes, that was what was happening. A fearful cry from a strange creature trapped on a ledge. She felt the need to help them. She had to help them. That was why she'd gotten on her knees to try and reach out... And then suddenly, Daya felt herself topple over. Something had happened, and now she wasn't stationed on that rocky ledge anymore. She was falling, and she didn't stop falling until suddenly, she felt like she was burning, and this time, the burning wasn't just in the background like everything else. No. This was painful. This was terrifying. This felt like her hand, like she'd touched the pot again. But it was worse. So much worse. The pain and the heat surging through her body was impossible for the child to comprehend; all she could do was scream and cry and hope for the pain to stop, and suddenly, it did.