( Above song is good, but has a "swear" the word 'hell'. So, yea.
Also is pretty good for this chapter, and Gaster!Sans, yay.
Edit: thank you for 100+ reads already! Its amazing! Update will probably come sometime today.
swearing also b/c gaster!sans.
Yea. Read my trash. Lyrics to song above at the end)!
I'm nervous for this chapter because I don't want my precious Gasty to seem mean but the story demands it! and so does his personality! He's kind of harsh!
But it explains it later in the chapter so, don't freak out, darlings!)
~*~Nightmare~*~
~*~Sans~*~
I'm awakened by someone shaking me.
I'm bleeding again.
I thought..
I healed...?
Frisk is whispering in my head.
'I'm not strong enough... your soul is still damaged.'
I think they're talking about the wound.
I cough, blood rises in my mouth.
It's best not to think too hard about it.
It's... Undyne...?
And... Papyrus...?
The girl, although is staring into my eyes.
She's so relieved.
I smile.
"Undyne, Papyrus... Why are you here?"
"Brother, you may have done some bad things, but you're still good inside!"
I smile, feebly.
"Sans, I'm sorry. I didn't think-that idiot would- Sorry."
I grab her hand, and wink.
I pull out a cigarette, and light it.
They seem annoyed.
"You're dying yet you still have time to smoke?"
"There's always time to smoke." The words come out choppy, as I try to sound brave, easy-going.
It feels so...familiar...
no.. It- couldn't- be.
They smile.
I stand up, and they try to push me back down, but I shove past them, heading into the light of the day.
My jacket is soaked with crimson, and it hurts when I move, but I stand tall, blood dripping down my left hand as I cover it.
"What's everyone standing around for."
My voice sounds ...wrong.
Everyone freezes.
"Oh my god he's alive."
"You were dead!"
"You- How?"
The words come as a startling halt, and I'm frozen.
"-the hell?"
My voice is rugged, back to it's cut-throat ring I've worked so hard to bring it to.
"S-sans, we were trying to tell you! You're seriously injured!" Undyne snaps, almost too sharp.
"You were dead." The girl whispers.
"I think you reset..." She says it so softly.
I freeze, and my joints lock.
"W-what?"
My eyes are black, my teeth snap shut, fists curl together, and I crack my knuckles.
oh hell, this isn't true, that's not true it's a miscommunication, Frisk, I didn't die did I, I didn't cause a reset, I- Couldn't- have.
"S-sans?"
I cover my wound with the tips of my fingers, I look at the blood dripping through the hole in my palm, and laugh.
They stare, horrified, like I'm going insane.
It's shock.
I tell myself.
It's just shock.
I can't tell whether I'm lying or not.
I just stand there, motionless, like something's nailed me to the ground.
I can feel my health slipping.
I try to heal, but my magic refuses to cooperate.
F-frisk... A little help here?
They respond by sparking me with a bit of energy, like a match striking a fuse.
I feel it surge through my marrow, and end up in my fingers touching the wound, the blood drips down my rib-cage with crimson.
Bleeding is incredible.
I'm horrified at the thought, but just keep concentrating on what I'm doing.
The bones fold over each other, and I cringe, hearing them crackle and snap, it sends shock-waves through my nerves, like I'm in pain.
Probably because I am.
I put a cigarette between my teeth, and lean against the wall, trying to seem like everything is absolutely dandy, absolutely fine.
Nothing to see here, you know, I just caused a reset, that's all.
The thing I've been fearing, and avoiding since I ever caught sight of the first one. No big deal.
The first reset, I recall, musing to myself, what a horror that was!
It's almost..
funny.
I shake my head.
Frisk, you okay, kiddo?
A surge of energy tells me the answer.
of course.
I step down the concrete foundation of the bunker, and gaze around.
Everyone's staring, like they want me dead.
Maybe...
maybe they do.
The thought suddenly comes to me.
I wouldn't blame them, I think silently, if I were them, I'd want me dead too.
"Look, guys. You may have thought I was dead, but I'm not, alright? So get back to your lives, before all hell breaks loose and-"
"He caused a reset!"
It's a small voice.
"Shut up!" It sounds like Caine.
Caine is trying to keep the boy we saved out a view, seems like he's the one who spoke.
"What's ya name, kiddo?" My eyes lock onto the boy, dancing white orbs settling on his frail posture.
He refuses to respond.
"That's fine. Don't need to talk to me. But if ya ain't gonna talk to me, then don't talk about me, kay?"
My voice in it's all is low-toned, and rolls when it catches on a word, like a growl.
"My name is Cipher."
He says, boldly, his yellow-gold eyes try to meet my face.
I just take a drag from my cigarette, and inhale the air.
"What are you trying to prove, Cipher?"
"What?"
"By telling people I caused a reset- whatever that is- What are you trying to prove?"
"Dunno.. Guess the people should know the truth, that's all."
I know more than I let on, and the kid seems to know, raising to his full height, he tries to look tough.
"What do ya want, then, kid? A show? Attention? Ya want panic? Hmm?"
Undyne and Papyrus, I can tell, are behind me, ready to break up a fight at any second.
"I want you shown as the murderer you are. You're just as bad as the ones you aim to stop."
I refuse to let the words penetrate my shell, and try to keep them from reaching Frisk.
"Kid, I'm not a murderer. And I sure as hell may be as bad as Asgore or Hadet, but hey, let's just... hmm, I'm... let's say... an.... anti-hero."
My eyes are black, and then revert to their normal hue.
"Some anti-hero. You killed my mother. She was innocent."
"You're going with that? I've killed your mother, eh? Sure, maybe I did. But, Who's to say she didn't deserve it? Maybe she wasn't so innocent after-all."
The kid gasps in horror, and the people around me hold their breath.
"She- she didn't! How- Why would you say that! How could you?" The kid, perhaps was on the verge of tears.
"Easy. I thought about what to say, and then it just came out."
"You're a monster!"
"I won't disagree with ya, kid."
"You know something? I bet you did kill Frisk, I bet you planned it all along, just to get their soul! And Ii bet you're planning to kill us, too! And so then you'll have seven handy-dandy human souls, and you can rule the world like the demonic tyrant you are!"
"Listen, kid. I've survived this long, not on playing nice or being friendly. I've survived this long, because I will do whatever I must, to give those people who rely on guys, on survivors like me, a happy ending. Capiche? And if that makes me a demon, or a monster, a tyrant, a murderer, or all of the above, well than so be it, because I ain't- lettin' anyone of these people who rely on me down.So, if anyone wants to come in the way of that, well, heh."
My eyes, are shadows, in the depths of my skull.
"Ya better get ready to have
one helluva
b a d t i m e."
I usually wouldn't say the words unless I really meant it, and so now was no exception.
"P.s. If ya ever, and I mean, so god help me, if you ever say I killed Frisk again... I will raise a Gaster Blaster to the ground quicker than you can dodge it and obliterate ya on the spot. Then I will take your soul and shred it to bloodied pieces, so ya can't even try to come back. Sound like fun?"
The kid backs up into Caine, who just puts his hands on his shoulders.
"I'd like to see you try."
He whispers.
"I don't try, kid. I either will, or I won't. So, keep your mouth shut."
I glare at the kid, the teen, really, probably a bit older than Caine, younger than the girl.
The girl's probably a year or so younger than I am.
Doesn't look it though, with her rugged expression, how she clenches her jaw when I look back at her.
Maybe now she really sees me for who I am.
Took her long enough.
I think, in the background of my thoughts.
The girl just spins around on her heels, folds her arms and strides back into the bunker, shaking her head the slightest bit.
Disappointment, maybe.
Undyne and Papyrus look at me, but don't say a word.
"You can leave, y'know."
The words are cold, when they come out.
"Sans... how could you say that to a kid?" Undyne pulls me aside.
"You wouldn't?" My expression is solid, unchanging.
"Of course not! He doesn't know any better!"
"Now he does."
She looks at me with disgust.
"I need to go comfort Papyrus." She hisses.
I look thoughtfully at my brother, who's crying the slightest bit, and wave.
He looks at me with a horrified expression.
"He's under a lot of stress, Papyrus."
I can hear Undyne saying.
She looks back at me with a deadly glare.
I just shrug, and walk forward.
She waves me off, before I take a step, a spear appearing in her hand.
"Get away from him, Sans. I don't even know who you are any more."
The words are startling, at first.
And then it's like they melt away.
I shrug.
"You'll see when it's over, that I've done this all for you guys."
Something is telling me to move on, something is telling me to keep going.
Determination, I guess.
I walk into the Bunker, and Undyne shuts the door behind me.
The girl is staring.
"What's your problem?" She asks, walking up to me, her hips stay erect as she moves.
Her whole body stays straight, she's furious, but she keeps it in with a glare in her eye.
She's.. clearly... considering what would happen if she tried to stab me again.
"My problem? You just... stood there! What was I supposed to say? Oh- I was dying, I couldn't stop the reset even if I wanted to! No! Undyne and Papyrus still believe that I'm oblivious! I'm Sans! I have a base stat of one, I drink ketchup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and every hour in-between, I'm left-handed and couldn't hurt a fly if I tried- Which I don't because I'm lazy when I'm actually struggling with Fatalism-almost-depression. I've got powers nobody cares to understand, and tend to sleep on the job, I play a trom-BONE because it's funny , and I'm supposed to be a sentry in Snowdin forest! Whenever I greet someone new I put a whoopie cushion in my hand, and introduce myself as 'Sans. Sans the skeleton'. I look at conveniently-shaped lamps all day, and stack hot-dogs on people's heads! I wore the same blue hoodie, white shirt, slippers and shorts for- I don't even know how long! I like bad puns and good laughs and nice friends and I don't really care about capturing anybody! Grillby's is my favorite place to go when I'm sad, and I go every-day cause inside I'm always sad, and I like space-time shenanigans! I talk in all lower-case letters, and sometimes don't even know why I'm trying anymore! I gave up trying to go back a long time ago, and have some kind of strange machine in my garage, and something in my scrapbook with faces not even I recognize anymore, with something that says 'don't forget'! I can't even remember what not to forget anymore! I'm a fatalist, and I'm lazy, and I know more than I let on, but I'm still a nice guy! My magic is blue and I have an attack called karmic retribution, and I judge people by how much Level Of ViolencE and Execution points they earn, my boss battle caused the kid more resets than anyone else, I only cared to count their death up to the number thirteen, Papyrus never wants anything, and my last attack is absolutely nothing! I dodge without even being able to defend from one hit that would land on me, and on the other hand, I have a quantum physics book, and I'm not even sure why! When I'm mad all HELL breaks loose and when I'm scared my eye lights up with blue power and when I'm extremely mad it turns gold, I laughed when I saw Papyrus die because I guess I just snapped I didn't cry because I forgot how and I guess that makes me lovable!"
I took a breath, as she looked at me, with pitiful eyes.
"And then, on the other hand, there's a crowd of people who think I'm .. some kind of... Gaster Blaster, or, Gaster Sans, the leader of the most cut-throat group of murderers you'll ever meet, with holes in his hands and cracks in his skull! He's got a human soul that he stole from his best friend, and wears black because he's dark on the inside and outside, his magic is a hell-fire golden-orange and his smile is deadly, and there's no one who gets in his way and survives. He's left handed but he also uses his right when he's really itching to kill, and he's either smoking a cigarette or a cigar all the time! He's infamous in a way that makes everyone use the name of his magic skull-demon I-don't-even-know-what-to-call-anymore rather than the real name, and yet every time he walks by ladies swoon and whistle at him! he calls his group of genocidal maniacs Ascension because he wants to take over the world, and although he could seduce whoever he wanted, he's got the hots for a girl he barely even knows, because she listens when he talks and doesn't hate him when he tells her the truth, and reminds him of what's lost, because she's beautiful and smart but she's also vulnerable and perfect in every goddamn way but he's pushed her away too! And his own brother is scared of him, even though that's the whole reason he's doing it- to protect his brother, And he's scared of what he's become and what he's done, And he tells everyone the stuff he smokes isn't bad, but in truth it's really just that the cigars aren't bad, so he smokes those around people he thinks might be able to tell or might look at him nervously , and when he says the cigarettes aren't bad he's lying because they're really the worst he could find so that maybe- just maybe it'll finally kill him! He's suicidal in a way that he couldn't kill himself even though he's tried, and he's tried to reset but his hand just hovers fingertips away from the option, and he's been shot, stabbed, shredded, broken and beaten but he only now snaps because he's scared this time he might not be able to crawl out of the grave he's dug for himself!"
I'm yelling, by now.
She just stares, lips partially spread apart with thought, eye-brows twisted.
"So, dammit if I'm a bad person, fine! But I'm not going to be the good person I had always been when I screw it up!"
She thinks for a minute.
"It's like a shell."
"What?"
"Who you are, now. It's like a shell. You wear the shell so that when you can maybe one day return to who you were, it'll just be like discarding a used napkin. And no one will remember. But by now you've realized it's deeper than that. You've realized it's your soul that's damaged, not your... not your image."
I shrug, and trace my lower-scar with the edge of my finger.
I don't respond to her, and then-
What Frisk said earlier catches up to me.
I'm not strong enough... Your soul is still damaged.
"...My soul...?" I pull back my jacket, walking over to the dirty mirror.
Sure enough, there it is.
A crack, straight down the middle, a chunk was missing.
"W-what.."
"What's wrong... what...?"
"That's why... I've been experiencing.. all these different... It was like, every day I was... begging to die... It's because my soul is aching to reset, to regenerate. I thinks I've died."
"...You... what now?"
I look toward a wall, and I open a route to the core-code with ease.
"I think it might be time to visit an old friend."
Lyrics:
"Nightmare" by: Set it Off
They're coming creeping from the corner
And all I know is that I don't feel safe
I feel the tapping on my shoulder
I turn around in an alarming state
But am I losing my mind?
I really think so
Not a creature in sight
But, what you don't know
Is that my breathing gets faster and so does my heartbeat
I wish this was over, I wish that this was a dream but
I created a monster, a hell within my head
Nowhere to go, I'm out on my own
Oh I'm so scared
I created a monster, a beast inside my brain
I've nowhere to go, I'm out on my own
My mind impaired
Awake me from my nightmare
Wait, something doesn't feel right (feel right)
No, something seems wrong (wrong)
And I've been feeling this way (oh that's too bad), for
Far too long
As my vision gets blurred, my skin's getting colder
Appearing young, while I'm growing older
I collapse to the floor and scream:
"Can anybody save me from myself?"
I created a monster, a hell within my head
Nowhere to go, I'm out on my own
Oh I'm so scared (Oh I'm so scared)
I created a monster, a beast inside my brain
I've nowhere to go, I'm out on my own
My mind impaired
Awake me from my nightmare
Walking to the ledge
I find myself looking down
Frozen still with fear
Now I'm plunging to the ground
If only I knew how to fly
Then I could convince myself this isn't my time to die
Instead, I'm rocketing faster and faster
I dive bomb to the floor
And when my body crashes to the pavement
I'm right back where I was before
I created a monster, a hell within my head
Nowhere to go, I'm out on my own
Oh I'm so scared
I created a monster, a hell within my head
Nowhere to go, I'm out on my own
Oh I'm so scared
No!
I created a monster, a beast inside my brain
Nowhere to go, I'm out on my own
My mind impaired
Awake me from my nightmare (I'm so scared)
Awake me from my nightmare (I'm so scared)
Awake me from my nightmare (I'm so scared)
Awake me from my nightmare (I'm so scared)
Awake me from my nightmare
Hints for upcoming character:
yes its one of the A.U.'s.
Try and figure it out.
(As many of you have already stated, yes. It is in fact Aftertale.)