When the Stars Die

Chapter 4

(Okay so I'm trying out the glitchy text for the first time. Please please P L E A S E let me know if it is like impossible for you guys to read it. Since I'm using a generator for it, I can adjust the craziness of the glitchy format. I'll be putting the text in a normal font after each dialogue piece just in case, except for the last one.)

"W-What!? What do you mean your scythe is gone!?"

Now it was Toriel's turn to roughly grab Reaper by his shoulders. Due to being the Goddess of Life, her physical strength surpassed that of most of the others. The only ones who could rival her in raw power were Asgore, Papyrus, and Reaper. But even so, he flinched a bit as she gripped his shoulders. Any of the fury that had been on Undyne's face was wiped away, replaced by terror and realization.

Reaper took in a deep, shaky breath as he tried to calm himself down. If he spoke in nothing but quick sentences, nothing would get done. He was having flashbacks to when Chara had first stolen his scythe. The chaos in the mortal world as people just dropped dead without warning or apparent cause, the chaos in the world of the Gods as the balance was tipping.

"I-I don't know how, but it is!" He said. "I opened up the case where I always keep it and it was gone!"

"Is there any way you can track it down?" Undyne asked. "Papyrus?"

"N-No, I can't. The scythes don't work like that." He shook his head. "I don't want to even begin to imagine what chaos is gonna happen this time around."

Frisk stood off to the side while the Gods discussed the revelation of news. In their time of living, they had never heard of a God's sacred artifact going missing, let alone being stolen. They shifted on their feet uncomfortably, giving their wings a small flap. The news would spread like wildfire if it got out. The minor gods would all scramble to find the scythe to return it to Reaper. Doing a great deed for a major god was like the epic quest of the demigods in mythology stories. It could earn them the favor of a major god, an incredible honor.

Frisk had an idea of who had stolen the scythe. They'd had a few encounters with her while trying to teach the mortals about mercy. They had tried to extend their hand to her in their mission, but she refused and called them a blind fool. A naive follower of gods that wouldn't lift a finger to help them. Frisk knew it was the truth, but unlike that "anomaly", they knew why the gods wouldn't do a thing to help them. Gods could not get directly involved in the affairs of the mortal world, at least not entirely.

The gods could not teach the mortal world about mercy, as they themselves did not entirely understand the value of it either, other than it being important. That was why Frisk was created in the first place. To fulfill a role that the gods could not. Frisk did feel a bit of pity towards Reaper. He couldn't say the "anomaly"'s name, the glitch in the coding of their world prevented him from doing so. He could only say it to people who also knew of the glitch. Those people being Frisk, Toriel, Flowey, and Gaster. If he were still around, that is.

"U-Um... e-excuse me," they spoke up, bringing the attention of the gods to them. "Um... why don't we just ask the flower?"

"Flowers don't talk," Undyne said blankly.

"This is a different kind of flower," Toriel pitched in. "Frisk, you know how unreliable h-- .... that flower... can be."

"Yes, I know, but it's always worth a try," they pressed. "That flower is our best chance at finding the culprit."

"What are you guys talking about?" Papyrus asked, just as confused as Undyne. "What flower?"

The one-way portal closed.

Chara stood on the ground beside the golden flower, her hands behind her back. There was a gentle breeze drifting through the room where Flowey was being contained. It felt a bit relieving as it went through her locks of dark brown hair. A rare moment of peace in her busy life. While she had come to hate everything to do with peace and order, with her friend here, it wasn't so bad. She was humming under her breath, thinking about what she had just observed.