Understay - an Undertale Fanfic

Understay V - The Demon That Comes

"It's okay." Asriel smiled weakly. "You were able to resist him, huh?"

"I'd never do what he asked me to do. I couldn't."

"I thought the same. When he was dying, he... he asked me to do the same. To follow him to wherever he was going, and I... I chickened out. He died alone. I was so upset, I..." Asriel hugged his knees gently. "I took his soul anyway."

"What?" Frisk blinked, shocked.

"Back then, I knew there was a village beyond the barrier, he'd told me about it, so I... I went to bury his body there. Humans saw me with him and assumed I had killed him, so they attacked me. I headed home and... well, I must have died, but the next thing I remember, I was somewhere dark and quiet... a-and I couldn't feel... I couldn't..." he started to shudder with barely-suppressed tears. Frisk rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Asriel reacted by hugging Frisk, taking him a little by surprise, but he gingerly hugged back. "I... I was Flowey... and I did so many things... s-so many..."

"Shh..." Frisk comforted, running his hand gently through Asriel's coarse fur. "It's okay, it's okay... I forgive you..."

"Flowey... Flowey had Determination, but... every time a human fell down, he, he couldn't Save... he worked to destroy them, but Dad always captured the souls... this time, Flowey was..." he interrupted himself to sniffle a little. "He was going to kill Dad..."

"He didn't, though." Frisk reminded Asriel. "You won."

"Y-yeah... but we're going to go anyway..."

-----

"What?" Frisk looked at Asriel, confused.

"The souls can't stay with me... I'll just lose control again, like I did with Chara... I need to give them back..."

"Asriel, no! Y-you can't just give up now!" Frisk hugged Asriel tighter, but they both knew it was too late. Asriel was starting to glow...

"H-hey, guys..." Asriel muttered. Frisk looked around, but nobody was there. "When you get out... can you hang around? Help Frisk... help him save us all..."

"Asriel, don't go! You can save them yourself!" Asriel chuckled softly, looking up at Frisk. A little bit of dust trickled from the corner of his mouth, as a tear danced down from his eye.

"I never could... I don't have your Determination..." Asriel hugged tighter, but Frisk could feel his strength fading. "Y-you know... in some timelines, you try to give me your soul... I'd give you mine if... if I still had one..."

"Asriel!" Frisk sobbed, hugging Asriel as though his life depended on it. A ball of light pushed out of Asriel's back; although it was bright, Frisk could make out a heart shape in the centre. The first Soul had been freed.

"Look after... Mom and Dad for me..." Asriel whispered, closing his eyes as a second Soul escaped. His body began to shimmer as it started to lose cohesion.

"Asriel, please, don't go!" Frisk begged, wanting to hug still tighter but afraid to hurt him. Asriel grew quiet as the next two souls were freed.

"What's goi- Asriel!" Asgore exclaimed from upstairs, galloping down the stairs. Asriel opened an eye and smiled again.

"H-hi, dad..."

"M-my son... so soon...?"

"Sorry it..." Asriel coughed as the penultimate soul was freed. "Sorry it had to be like this... I... I love you..." Asgore sniffed, resting a gentle hand on Asriel's head.

"I have always loved you. I always will." Asriel closed his eye again as his chest glowed with the final soul's power.

"Look after... Mom..." he coughed again. His body shimmered and started to dissolve. This was it. Frisk wept, hugging the last part of Asriel even as it dissolved between his fingers. Asgore stood straight and grew quiet, mourning his son anew. The last soul floated out of his body; the last thing to dissolve was his kind smile.