Toriel rushed into the small room after hearing (Name)'s scream pierce through the silence of the ruins. When she arrived, she found the mage curled into a ball on the bed, huddled into the corner pf the room. She sensed a strong magical aura emanating from within the mage, enough to cause Toriel's fur to stand on end. The small lightbulb that lit the room flickered slightly with each wave of magical energy.
Toriel approached her cautiously, speaking quietly and sweetly, yet no words seemed to find their way to her ears. She spoke louder, hoping to get her attention. The mage slowly raised her head and locked eyes with Toriel. Her irises had faded to light stormy grey, and Toriel could have sworn she saw bolts of lightning striking within them. The mage did not seem to be looking at Toriel, however. Instead she was locked into a glassy, thousand-yard stare that went right through her.
Just as Toriel was about to speak again, a sudden wave of energy was unleashed from within the mage. For an instant, Toriel felt a stab of fear run through her body; magic this powerful could gravely injure her if it intended to do so. Toriel instinctually took a defensive position, ready to brave whatever attack the mage threw at her. However, the energy seemed to move and swirl around her. Whipping the air around her but leaving Toriel completely untouched. As the energy faded, she looked up at the mage once more as she slowly extended her legs and lifted herself up from her place in the corner. Her eyes now seemed to register Toriel's presence but didn't seem to recognize her. The mage's expression morphed from a hollow, blank gaze to one of confusion and fear.
"Where am I?" The mage spoke at last. Her voice seemed different. A light shift in pitch, a soft lilt in her voice, a slightly different rhythm to her cadence. Toriel could still hear the familiar voice of the mage she met the day before, but it was overlapped by another voice that didn't come from her. It, instead, seemed to speak directly Toriel's mind. And the mage's true voice was left as an echo of that one.
"You are in my home near the end of the ruins," she replied aloud, unsure of whether thought alone would convey her message. "I found you after you fell down into the underground."
"How did I fall here?" the mage said.
"I am unsure my child. You seemed to be troubled when I found you, most ones who fall down here are. But you never told me how you fell."
"And who are you?"
"It is I, my child. Toriel, the caretaker of the ruins."
The mage sat quietly for a moment, maintaining eye contact with Toriel all the while. She seemed to be thinking, trying to remember something. Something faint, like a distant memory. Her movements slowed more than they already had. The small rise and fall of her chest as she breathed slowed to a crawl, blinking to her seemed like an action one had to put effort into.
"Toriel, I recognize that name," the mage said quietly. "As in Queen of the Monsters."
Toriel was taken aback for a moment. Her past as a monarch was not something she indulged in thinking about, let alone telling the mage about it. But the look in her eyes seemed to show more than just surface level knowledge. It became clear that they, perhaps not the mage herself, had met before.
"It has been a long time, your majesty," the mage spoke again. "It is an honor to be able to speak to you again." The voice of the mage faded a touch more, leaving more room for the unknown voice.
"I'm sorry, my child. I must admit I am a touch confused. I don't remember a time before yesterday where we had met."
The mage smiled, as if laughing, but no sound came out. "I apologize. While she does look similar, it would make sense that you wouldn't recognize me simply from her face alone."
The voice had taken on a much more familiar tone. One she could vaguely recognize. She racked her brain as to who this voice could belong to. For a moment, a familiar face flashed in Toriel's mind. A face that she had not seen or thought about in a very long time.
"Eden?" Toriel said, shocked. In retrospect, both Eden and (Name) did look eerily similar; their hair, their faces. The only difference were Eden's grey eyes that, now that she remembered them, were the same haunting shade as (Name)'s current eye color.
"Ah," Eden said, the slight twinge of his voice giving away his delight. "It seems like you do remember me."
"How are you doing this? Why are you doing this? How-" Toriel's mind was going a mile a minute, trying to filter through all the question she wanted to ask Eden. But before she could start, Eden interrupted her.
"I wish I had could explain, your majesty. But I am afraid I don't have much time, I'm glad I was able to speak with you, if only for a short time." Eden said, his voice now fading. His cadence shifted into one more serious, almost grave. "Please, allow me to ask just one more request of you."
"Of course, Eden."
"Be there for her. I know you are not omnipotent, but as much as you can," Eden's voice fading to a whisper. "I was unable to prevent her suffering before. And even now, I am afraid that what is left of me will be too weak to help her. Please, Toriel."
As Eden's voice faded completely, Toriel realized (Name) had not opened her mouth in a long while. The magical energy slowly fizzled out. (Name)'s intense expression shifted to one much more relaxed, almost peaceful as she fell back on to the bed in exhaustion. As she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep her eye color returned to their natural state. Toriel silently approached the bed and tucked her back under the covers and gave the mage a light tap on the head. She peered into (Name)'s soul and saw a burning, fiery, red heart beating in her chest; calm, poised yet passionate.
"Of course, Eden," Toriel replied to the now, non-existent voice. "Anything for you, old friend."
(Name) awoke from a long, somehow tiring rest. Her head pounded and her chest ached. She couldn't describe how, but she felt different. Not in any negative way, however. She just felt safer, less alone. It felt strange. She hadn't felt this way for a long time, not since mages stilled lived in peace among the humans. She laid in bed for a while more, until the pounding in her head ceased. She stared at the ceiling blankly, counting each second that ticked by silently.
Just as her headache subsided, Toriel entered the room quietly, holding a slice of pie from the night before.
"Good morning, my child. How was your rest?" She said putting the plate of food down on a nearby table.
"It was fine, Toriel," She responded. "Though, I must admit, I am a bit more tired than I should be after a full night's rest."
"I can imagine," Toriel said chuckling under her breath as she sat near the foot of the bed. She paused for a moment. "May I ask you a question?"
"Of course," She sat up in her bed. "I only hope I can answer it."
"Do you remember anything from last night?"
Images of the premonition from the night before flashed in her mind. For a moment, she considered telling Toriel of the haunting imagery she saw. But as she looked up into Toriel's eyes, she was met with a hopeful expression, as if she was expecting something. Something that wasn't part of her vision. And as much as she wanted to confide with Toriel on the matter, the idea of weighing down such a hopeful look was too much to bear.
"No, not really," she said finally, lying through her teeth. "Only small snippets of the dream I had last night. Sorry."
"No apology is necessary," Toriel said after a moment of thought. "Now, let's get ready to start a new day!"
What felt like weeks passed in the ruins with Toriel. It became much harder get an accurate sense of time without the sun or moon. And as time passed (Name) became increasingly less content with her home in the ruins.
Toriel could sense this.
With each passing day she began to go out of the house more, explore the farther and more dangerous parts of the ruins. She was becoming restless. From what Toriel knew of mages, she knew that they were instinctually nomadic. And from what Toriel had been told about the surface, it was obvious her instincts were screaming at her to continue moving for her own survival.
It all came to a head one day, where she found (Name) staring at the door that lead outside of the ruins. For a moment, Toriel was heartbroken that she would leave without so much as a "goodbye," but she didn't move from her spot in front of the door. Instead, she gazed up at it for a long while, guiding her hand along the winged pattern of the door, as if memorizing it, then turning around and heading back into the ruins. Before she could make her way down the long hallway, Toriel stopped her.
"Do you wish to leave the ruins, dear?" She asked, placing a paw on the mage's shoulder.
(Name) seemed shocked by this inquiry, "No! It's not like that! I just- I wanted to-"
"It is okay if you want to. I know that the ruins is not what many people would want to consider as home."
"It's not that, I swear. You've been nothing but kind to me, and it would be selfish of me to want to leave," (Name) said.
"I have not had the pleasure of meeting many mages in my lifetime, but of the ones I did meet, the best and wisest ones knew they had to follow their instincts, even if it means defying reason and seeming a bit egotistical," Toriel said softly. "If your instincts are telling you to leave, then I won't stop you. But if you decide not to, you may stay as long as you like."
Toriel lifted her paw off her shoulder and began to turn to walk away, when (Name) pulled her in for a hug. While Toriel felt remorse for all the things they didn't do together, she knew that leaving the ruins was the best thing for her.
Eden hadn't liked staying in one place either.
That evening, Toriel helped her pack to leave the ruins, having lost everything when she fell; a small bag, some food, and a few bandages. Then, the next morning, (Name) left with a final goodbye and a hug. And as the door closed she realized she was out on her own again. Though, strangely, she didn't feel alone.