Andlátkyn; Vandr Sanses unin Alagaësia

A New Angel Appears

"You're not.. really Sans, are you? You're not my brother."
He bit back the ache he felt upon hearing those words, the brother that was and wasn't his sitting limply upright, empty container and fork nearly falling out of his lap.
"...Not.. not really. Yes, but no." He admitted.

The frail one regarded him sadly.
"Is he dead?"
Classic blinked. "No. I know that much. He's just out of reach."
They sat in silence, neither wanting to turn on the lights.
"Who are you really? Where is this?"
He stared over at the kitchen, not sure how to respond to that.

"I.." Classic sighed, facing Papyrus.
"Do you remember all that science-y talk about a Multiverse and timelines? Versions of the universe where one thing went a little differently leading to greater changes down the line or other universes where core values are simply different?"
"...A little."
"Well.. it's true. And it's possible to travel in-between them as well."

".... You're Sans, but from another world?"
"Timeline." He corrected absently, picking at the arm of the couch.
"Everything's the same except for you.. Frisk came through and then left you behind. Maybe tried to forget everything. And the Core. Eventually.. failed. And couldn't be repaired. That's not what happened for me." He shrugged, not wanting to elaborate in case it hurt the other too much.

"Frisk? Is that the human's name?"
"Yeah."
"..Is human Frisk okay here?"
Surprised, Classic looked up, meeting shrunken, lightless sockets. "You care about Frisk? After everything you went through?"
Papyrus glanced away abashedly. "I knew they were trying to be a good person. They just had no choice if they wanted to leave the Underground.... How could they have known what would happen?"

He started to quietly laugh, the sound hollow in the quiet house.
"You'll never not be too good for me."
"But you're not really my brother.."
Classic fell silent, sighing. "Kind of."
Staring at the slight snowfall outside, he tried to explain.
"The thing about timelines as opposed to alternate universes is that, at the core, they're the same. All that really sets us apart is the fact that for you, Frisk went through the Underground and left, while for me, they somehow broke the Barrier. Events just continued to cascade beyond that separation, but.. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I both am and am not your brother. Either way, I couldn't leave you like that when I found you."

The living room was quiet for a while before Papyrus whispered achingly.
"The Barrier is broken here?" He asked, understanding where he was at last.
"..Yeah."
"Can I see the sky?"
"Of course. Do you want me to carry you?"
"I think.." He grimaced as he pushed off the couch, wobbling as he put weight on his legs.

He abruptly cried out and collapsed, almost colliding with the couch before he was held up with blue magic, gasping at the overwhelming sensations.
"What hurts? What's wrong?"
"Ee- f-" He winced as fresh blood was flicked out from his teeth and shakily indicated his worn boots.

Classic winced at the sight, gritting his teeth and carefully sliding off the shoes, unable to control the gasp that escaped him then. He set Papyrus back on the couch as delicately as cracked glass, slipping off the other boot, a bit of dust raining down.
"How.. how long has it been since you last ate?" He couldn't stop the wobble that crept into his words. "...Two.. months? I think..?"

"Paps.." He whispered, feeling a little sick at the partially dissolved bones, the feet looking utterly mangled. "Let me.." He grimaced as he summoned forth a weak green, doing his best to heal the damage.

Tԋιʂ ιʂ ԃҽҽρҽɾ ƚԋαɳ ƚყριƈαʅ ɯσυɳԃʂ.
ェ 𝗄ηoԝ..
Yσυ ɯιʂԋ ƚσ ʂҽҽ ƚԋҽ ԃαɱαɠҽ υɳԃσɳҽ.
He paused at the swirling energies in his core.
𝐶ɑη 𝘺oս? He found himself asking.
Destiny did not reply, instead a sense of blue flowing outward, darkness freckled with stars appearing and fading away, blue leafy vines flashing into existence briefly before the light blinded him.