Broken Souls

Chapter 15 - The Eighth Soul

When Papyrus and Alphys heard Sans and Frisk arrive back home, they expected the two to be accompanied by a some sort of super scientist. Perhaps crazy hair, a labcoat stained with mysterious substances and big round glasses. Of course, when the scrawny ginger girl came stumbling through into the living room, looking ready to throw up, there was quite the shock.

Sans had stepped out of his shortcut easily and even Frisk was more or less used to the strange sensation, so they followed the girl with somewhat more ease. Papyrus looked baffled at the human girl now leaning against the wall.

"Brother, is this the human who is meant to help us?" he asked, Sans nodded,

"yeah bro. her name's c."

"Oh! Hello C! My name is Papyrus, it is very nice to meet you."

C smiled weakly and waved a hand. She still looked very white from the shortcut but the colour had started to return to her already pale face. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths before standing up straight and stepping away from the wall.

=

"Papyrus! Are Sans and Frisk back yet? He's getting worse!" Toriel shouted from upstairs. The assembled people downstairs could hear the strain in her voice from how much healing Magic she was using. Sans drew a sharp breath and faced C,

"listen human. i don't trust you but the kid does so i want you to come upstairs with pap and i and you will help our dad. understand?"

"Yes." C said blankly, following Sans up the stairs and into Papyrus' room, leaving Alphys downstairs. Toriel was sat on a chair by the bed, one hand spread over Gaster's rib cage, sending healing Magic straight into his Soul. Gaster himself was unconscious, although he was shifting uncomfortably and letting out occasional cries of pain. C approached Toriel with a curious expression, Toriel returned the gesture with a tired smile and moved to give C room.

Bending over the dying skeleton and peering at his Soul, C began to look for exactly why he was in so much pain. She could see the cracks, deciding that those were to blame almost instantly, but she was more interested in something else. Gaster's Soul also had two chunks missing, one from the left and one on the right. She sent a glance behind her, focusing on Sans and Papyrus' ribcages and imagining two smaller, whole versions of Gaster's Soul within the brothers.

Done with her quick examination and satisfied with the purpose of the missing chunks from Gaster's Soul, C stepped back and turned back to her audience. Sans was watching her carefully, his eye sockets blank; Papyrus was rocking nervously on his heels, muttering to himself; Toriel was whispering to Frisk who had just come in before leading them back downstairs. C offered the brothers a nod,

"His Soul is splintering apart, without something strong enough to hold it together, your friend is going to stop existing. The only thing I can think of that might help is either Determination...."

"but determination melts monsters!" Sans interrupted, "we already gave up on that idea!"

"If you'd let me finish." C sighed, "I was about to say that there's another Soul trait we can use. It's stronger and doesn't have the same... unfortunate effects as Determination."

Papyrus clapped his hands together gleefully and let out a happy laugh.

"That's great news. What do you need to get this stuff?"

C grinned,

"Just a syringe. And a sharp one at that."

===

The pain was getting more than unbearable now. Gaster couldn't stay awake for longer than a minute before passing out and his Soul was dangerously close to splitting apart entirely. He could faintly sense the presence of a human Soul, but not like any he'd ever experienced before. It wasn't like Frisk's Soul, definitely not Determination but something else. Something more powerful. And much, much darker.

And then, his Soul gave another agonising lurch and he felt his grip on existence lessen ever so slightly. Gaster was filled with fear and if he was still conscious he'd be panicking. But he wasn't, so the only thing he could do was scream into his dreams and hope that someone would find a way to fix his Soul, once and for all.

===

Sans didn't trust what C was doing. She hadn't told him anything more than "it's something stronger and less dangerous than Determination" and he was getting worried. Papyrus had yet to come back with a syringe, leaving C to aimlessly check over Gaster again and again. Finally though, Sans had enough and decided to question C.

"so where are you getting this "extract" from exactly?" he asked. C didn't turn around,

"My Soul of course. You don't see any other humans around do you?"

"what's your trait if not determination. i was under the impression that determination was the strongest yet you claim that this extract is stronger."

This time, C did look at him. She smirked and placed a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath.

"Well. That was a complicated way just to ask to see my Soul."

And with that, C's hand pulled away from her chest, only now there was something floating above her palm. It was a Soul. But not like any Soul Sans had ever seen. It was black, pitch black, darker than dark black. Sans knew there were only seven Soul traits with Determination being the strongest. But C's was different... it was an eighth Soul trait.

"what is your trait?" Sans asked again.

"Creativity."

"uh... explain?"

"Hmmm. Basically means I create stuff."

"well put."

"I know."

Sans was about to say something back, perhaps more serious, but was interrupted by Papyrus striding through the door with a syringe in one hand. He handed it to C who took it in one hand and carried both her Soul and syringe over to Gaster.

The skeleton brothers watched as C took a few deep breaths, steadying her hands. She lifted the syringe over her Soul and hovered it just above the black surface.

"wait, what are you doing?" Sans asked,

"Getting a fresh supply." C said simply. And then, before anyone could argue, she plunged the needle point into her Soul. She screamed through gritted teeth, ignoring her pain in order to fill the syringe with a strange white fluid. Gasping, C pulled the needle out of her Soul and shoved it back into her chest. Then, her hands shaking like leaves, she threaded the syringe's needle past Gaster's ribs and injected the pale substance directly into his Soul. Gaster shuddered in his sleep, but his breathing slowed until he seemed deeply asleep. C stood over Gaster, watching as the cracks in Gaster's Soul slowly healed over. The Soul extract even soften the edges of the two chunks missing, although couldn't fix them entirely.

"It worked!" she exclaimed suddenly, stepping backwards. Papyrus let out a peal of happy laughter and Sans' shoulders slumped as he finally relaxed. Both brothers went forwards to see their father as C turned to leave. Before the skeletons could cross the room however, her face fell and she collapsed. Papyrus knelt down to check C whilst Sans watched their father.

"oh great." Sans groaned, "now we have two comatose people."