“Water. What is the weight of a drop? How about two? Four? How about the weight of an ocean? The burden of the heart weighs heavier than the fathomless depths. Well, adventurer? What is the weight of your worth?”

Sans read the stele before him for the umpteenth time.

“Did you figure it out yet?”

A flowery voice disrupted his thoughts. Sans faced the speaker with a frown.

“Did you resolve their crisis?”

He answered back with a question of his own. Elsie let out a small hum and stood beside him.

“I did. That girl Meysi was asking for you. Why didn’t you come with me?”

Elsie probed him, her full helm hiding a mischievous smile.

“Don’t speak nonsense. You also saw it in her eyes. I recognize that cloudy grey look anywhere.”

Sans grumbled and waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh? Then why don’t you do something about it?”

“And just what could I possibly do if I don’t know what’s causing it?”

“It’s because you’re so charming, obviously.”

Elsie elbowed him and hid a small laugh.

“That’s ironic, coming from you.”

“Why is that ironic?”

“Because you’re char-… never mind.”

“Because I’m what?”

Sans ignored her and focused his attention on the stele once again.

“The weight of a drop… a drop of water. Hmm. I would say very light, but the weight of an ocean… very heavy.”

“Stop wasting your time on that old message board and race me.”

Elsie tugged on Sans’ shirt as if to pry him away.

“Race?”

He glanced at her with intrigue.

Everything about this trial eludes to the weight of water. I suspect that the weight is increased with every step you take. Is it perhaps doubled? Maybe not…

“Yes! A race between you and me! How fun and romantic would that be?”

Elsie reached her arms overhead before stretching her legs to either side. She warmed up further by doing rapid hops in place.

“I don’t understand…what is there to race? If anything, we should bet on who could make it furthest into the water.”

Sans gestured to the abundance of people in the water. Each of them seemingly chained to the floor as they strived for just one extra step. Elsie snorted in disdain without sparing the mass of people a glance.

“Don’t compare us to them. Let’s go! If you win, I’ll show you something spectacular.”

“Something spectacular? Who cares about that.”

Sans grumbled as he begrudgingly followed after her. Walking through the crowds, it didn’t take long for him to notice something peculiar—everyone was staring at him!

“Elsie…”

“Hmm?”

He huddled close and whispered over her shoulder.

“Why is everyone staring at us?”

Elsie glanced around with a chuckle. In every direction, trial takers stared at Sans with mouths ajar. Girls shied away with flushed cheeks, while even men couldn’t help but stare with quickened breath.

“There’s a very good reason, but I can assure you that it’s not one you want to hear.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to hear it? Can’t you just tell me? This is…unnerving.”

Elsie stopped dead in her tracks before staring right into her servant’s eyes. For some inexplicable reason, Sans felt like he were face to face with an apex predator.

“It’s because…”

Sans nervously swallowed his saliva.

“B-Because…?”

“Because you’re too charming.”

Elsie snickered and turned away, leaving Sans both dumbstruck and angry at the same time.

“Now I know for sure that you’re messing with me. Why do you always have to be so cryptic?!”

He stomped after her in a huff. At this point, he no longer cared about the onlookers. His gaze, furious and brooding, was locked onto the back of Elsie’s helmet.

Charming? Beautiful? My ass! Why does she always have to be like this!

His ruminated on petty thoughts as they made their way to the shoreline. Elsie performed a little jig in excitement before turning to Sans.

“We’re here! Ready to race me?”

“Fine, fine. Where do you want to race? The island and back? Whatever you say.”

“The island? Pfft!”

Elsie hugged her slim belly and giggled. Seeing as he was being mocked once again, Sans frowned in rage.

“Well, maybe I don’t want to race then!”

He faced away from her with a pout.

“No, no, no. Okay, I’m sorry. But you must race with me.”

“Nope, I’m not racing.”

“Aiyaa…”

Elsie let out a sigh.

“If you win the race, I’ll tell you how I knew your real name.”

Sans’ eyes widened as he spun around.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, but you have to win.”

“Deal. Where to?”

He scanned the shimmering water, looking for anything that could be used as a goal post.

“The winner is the first to pass through the wall.”

Elsie pointed in the distance.

“….Wall?”

Following her finger, Sans quickly realized she was pointing to the black shroud in the distance.

“T-That wall?!”

His mouth hung agape as his eyes traversed over the endless stretch of shimmering water. Just as he was about to respond further, a fanatical wave of cheers rang out from the side.

“A genius! 50 steps! Someone reached 50 steps!”

“This is a historic moment! Who is she?!”

“Gather around everyone!”

The commotion threw Sans into a momentary spell of silence. He watched as a young girl stood on shaky legs around 50 steps away from the shore.

“Meysi?”

He muttered curiously as the crowd grew more heated.

“Someone! Anyone! Who is that girl?!”

People shouted left and right as they fought for information. Meysi remained where she was, completely oblivious to the spectacle behind her. Her eyes stared forward as she threatened to take another step.

“She’s still going!”

A man roared at the top of his lungs.

“51! She took another step!”

“You can do it girl! 52!”

The crowd burst into cries of encouragement as Meysi struggled against an impossible and invisible force. Before everyone’s eyes, she crumpled to her hands and knees, gasping for breath.

“Tsk. Silly girl. Did I think too highly of you?”

Elsie clicked her tongue in dismay, but suddenly Meysi stood back up! It was as if Elsie’s words had floated through the air and were delivered directly to her.

“She’s trying again! 52!”

“She did it! 52 steps! 53!”

A mass of people rushed out into the water, filled with vigor and emotion. Each of them threw themselves at the arduous trial with inspired determination. Despite the fanatical gusto and enthusiasm that carried them into the water, most quickly found themselves trapped in a quagmire of liquid chains.

“Elsie.”

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Sans called out to her with a grim look.

“What is it?”

“Those people are calling that Meysi girl a genius.”

“And? So?”

The boy gestured toward Meysi and those that followed after her as if to put them on display.

“What do you mean?! Look at them struggle! Look at Meysi! She’s barely 50 steps in!”

“54 steps now.”

Elsie corrected him nonchalantly, leaving him speechless. She glanced at him innocently.

“What’s your point?”

“My point?”

Sans pointed to the far wall that was like a looming black hole.

“That’s my point! That wall must be thousands of steps away!”

“Hmpf. Well it wouldn’t be much of a race otherwise. 50 steps should be nothing to you.”

Elsie snorted before positioning herself just before the waterline.

“Get ready!”

She called out, causing Sans to grumble under his breath.

“The weight of the ocean…”

He stood by Elsie’s side, casting his eyes across the surface of the water once more.

Maybe she’s right…the water doesn’t seem so threatening. I can only know once I step inside.

“Get set!”

Does the water get deeper further out? Is it always so shallow?

“Go!”

Before Sans could spare another thought, Elsie cried out!

Both bodies shot into the water like human projectiles. Each step kicked up an explosive splash backwards as they split through the water.

10 steps. 20 steps. 30 steps. 40 steps. 50 steps.

In a matter of seconds, the two of them flew past Meysi’s position, whom of which looked up in shock and awe.

60 steps. 70 steps. 80 steps. 90…100…

Sans remained fully locked in, embracing the changes of pressure that surrounded him.

150…200… It’s getting heavier. Doesn’t matter.

Two streams of water trailed behind the master and servant pair. The screams and shouts of the crowd had long died away, and only a painful silence hung in the air.

300…400…500…

The moment Sans passed the 500 mark, he felt a drastic increase of pressure. However, it wasn’t nearly enough to stop his relentless charge.

600…How is Elsie doing?

He glanced out the corner of his eye, before suddenly wishing he hadn’t.

With a silly and gleaming smile, Elsie skipped along beside him, keeping perfect pace with his mad dash.

When did she take her helmet off?!

Noticing his gaze, Elsie stuck her tongue out before pulling ahead. Her cape fluttered wildly behind her as she raced forward.

And how is she so fast?!

Just as his thoughts went astray, the weight increased by another few orders of magnitude. His eyes widened as his veins bulged and writhed all throughout his body. Yet even still, he pounded his feet into the water with more ferocity than before. This time, his eyes were no longer locked onto the shrouded wall, but rather burned a hole into Elsie’s back.

800…900…1000…

The pressure increased once more, slowing his charge to a labored jog. His shoulders ached and his calves screamed in terror, but nonetheless he pressed forward. He could sense that Elsie’s speed had also taken a hit as she was no longer skipping about, but instead running with a consistent rhythm.

1100…1200…1300…Is it even possible to beat her? 1400…1500…!

Upon reaching the 1500 step mark, Sans found himself moving at a fraction of his former speed. Similar as before, Elsie was affected all the same. The air was almost tangible with how thick and heavy the pressure was around the two of them. It seemed as if space had become like water itself.

1600…It’s only 100 more steps, but I can’t run anymore.

Sans took a heavy step forward, ending his charge once and for all. He stopped in place and took in deep breaths. From his bones and tendons to his inner organs and brain, everything hurt.

“Giving up?”

Elsie faced him, standing just ten steps ahead. Her hands were placed on her hips, while her face now held a condescending smirk.

“Are you not affected? Is this the weight of an ocean?”

Sans gasped in more air, which burned and suffocated his lungs. Elsie responded.

“The weight of an ocean? Hmm. No. This is the weight of your worth. Is my own worth only this much?”

Elsie took a step toward the wall.

“Or is it this much? How much are you worth? How can you tell? What’s holding you back?”

Without another word, Elsie walked away, leaving Sans the view of her heroic cape fluttering behind.

One second she’s like a childish girl yearning for an adventure. The next second, she’s as mature and wise as if her aged surpasses the sun. Ugh…

Sans place a foot in front, immediately sensing a drastic increase in pressure.

I can’t go further than this. Right?

He thought back to Meysi, who just earlier had struggled with all her might to gain a few extra steps. The trial had even brought her down to her hands and knees, but she still struggled forward.

What is my worth? I don’t know. But I do know one thing… I’m going to pass through that wall even if I have to crawl.

No longer fixated on the wall, or even on Elsie’s back, Sans powered through another step, and then another. Somehow the pressure seemed to lesson, but it also could have been his imagination.

1610…1611…1612…

Before he knew it, he was already pushed beyond his known limits. With every step he took, he could feel his body adapting and coursing with energy. His stride became more confident, and his posture straightened with pride.

1640…1650…1660…1670…1680…1690…

Misty white steam escaped through the gaps in his teeth as he willed himself to cross the final ten steps. This was no longer a race, but instead an attack on his integrity. He could sense a harrowing fact. If he did not cross through that threshold—he would lose an essential part of who he was.

1698…1699…

The shroud of black mist loomed directly before him. Sans fearlessly stepped through, facing no resistance whatsoever. Darkness momentarily enveloped him, and a refreshing sensation skimmed across the surface of his body like a thin stream of water.

“I…I did it!”

He cried out after regaining his vision. The pressure was lifted, allowing his body to bask in freedom once more.

“You did, but you lost the race. Tsk-tsk.”

Elsie clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Who cares about the race! That was an impossible task! How could you expect anyone to try and compete with you?!”

“I don’t expect anyone else to compete with me. Just. You.”

Elsie booped him on the nose with her pointer finger. Sans wrinkled his face and gave her a sour look.

“Why me…”

He grumbled and cast his eyes toward his surroundings.

“Where is this?”

Before him was a massive canyon that was hundreds of meters wide, while its length was stretched as far as the eye could see. He seemed to be at the entrance of the canyon, which was created by two sleek and shimmering cliffs that extended upward endlessly.

Some distance away, at the center of the canyon, was a quaint house surrounded by a small but beautiful garden. A dim light shone through the house’s many windows, while a grey stream of smoke snaked out of the chimney.

“Should we see if anyone is home?”

Sans asked Elsie, who had already begun walking toward the house.

“No one’s home. Well, not yet.”

“Not yet?”

“We’re not there yet, are we?”

Elsie shrugged her shoulders and flicker hair to the side.

Always so cryptic.

Sans let out a sigh and followed along. Walking through the canyon, he quickly realized how oddly smooth the floor was. In fact, there wasn’t a sign of natural life anywhere along the floor—except the garden of course.

“Um, Elsie. This place seems a little weird?”

He ran up beside her, and just as he looked in her direction, that’s when he saw it.

Stretched horizontally along the face of the cliff, was a wide mouth filled with spear-like teeth, each as long as a tree. The creature’s hide was dark, and its body snaked off into the distance before disappearing into the fathomless depths.

“T-That’s not a cliff…”

Sans stared in horror at the colossal sea monster, only now coming to a certain realization. What he initially assumed to be two incredibly smooth cliffs, were actually walls of water that seemed to be held back by some invisible force. Looking directly at the wall, he was able to clearly see through it, where he found a thriving ecosystem.

Am I at the bottom of the ocean?!

The sea monster turned its head toward the curious boy. It had six massive and beady eyes resting just above its incredibly wide mouth.

“Elsie… are we safe here?”

Sans tapped her arm and pointed toward the sea monster. Its tail swayed in the distance as if it were preparing to strike at any moment.

“Hmm?”

Elsie glanced in the monster’s direction and shrugged her shoulders.

“Perfectly safe. Although… I’ve never heard of that creature before.”

The two of them stopped in place and watched the creature sway in the water.

“What do you think it’s doing?”

Sans whispered to her side, which caused Elsie to stifle a laugh.

“Who knows. Oh… it’s attacking.”

The sea monster’s mouth widened and let loose a vibrating roar, but oddly none of the sound was able to escape beyond the wall. Its tail came crashing forward like a massive tower of flesh and bone.

Sans grasped onto Elsie’s sleeve with a loose hand as he braced for impact. Yet, no impact arrived. Just as the creature’s tail reached the dividing wall, it swiftly shredded to pieces!

“What in the world…”

The boy stared in awe as flesh and blood sprayed out into the ocean’s depths. The monster’s wide mouth contorted in fury and pain as it recoiled away from the wall. Its once magnificent tail had been reduced into a sad stump, a fraction of its former glory.

“Hmpf. That beasty has to learn one way or another. Let’s go.”

Elsie resumed her stride while Sans trailed behind her.

“S-So, that wall. How did that wall get there? Are we still in the Trial of Water? Is this like a different reward space?”

He shot question after question to the nonchalant woman, forgetting that his hand was still clutched onto her sleeve.

“This is similar to a reward space, but we’re not in the trial.”

“Then… where are we?”

Elsie paused just outside the door to the house and pointed to one of the walls. Looking into the water, Sans could see aquatic beasts and fish of all types peacefully going about their lives.

“This is Ambrosia’s Aquarium!”

“Aquarium?!”

Sans stared at her strangely before looking out once again.

This is not an aquarium! This is the ocean itself!

“Of course it’s an aquarium! It was made by Ambrosia’s lover after all. Isn’t he so romantic?”

Elsie clasped her hand over Sans’, which he then promptly withdrew his hand.

“Romantic? How is this romantic? Isn’t this more terrifying?”

Sans snorted, still in shock over the sea monster of nightmares.

“Well, that monster certainly seemed a bit braver than the others. But… Wouldn’t you do the same for your lover? That is… make this wonderful aquarium.”

“No? How could I possibly create something like this! Speaking of which… how was this place created?”

Sans peered at the wall a little closer. For some reason, he could feel a sharp intent radiating outward, almost as if the wall itself were formed of countless blades.

“Let’s go inside.”

Elsie opened the door, and they both entered the house. Decorated with two simple padded mats and a lone fireplace, Sans was a surprised at how sparse the inside was. Burning in the fireplace wasn’t wood, instead it was three sapphire gems that sat beneath an eternal fire that blazed upward. Hanging above the fireplace was a carved message.

“An aquarium for my eternal love, Ambrosia. Forever yours until the end of time – Marumen.”

Sans whispered the passage out loud, when he felt Elsie’s intense gaze.

“What’s up with you?”

It was the first time he had ever seen the girl so still and seemingly out of breath, and for some reason it made his chest feel lighter than ever before.

“Hmm? Nothing.”

Elsie shrugged before taking a seat on one of the floor mats.

“Come! Sit down with me.”

She beamed a brilliant smile, one that could both destroy nations and resolve world hunger.

“Fine. So Marumen made this place huh.”

Sans flopped onto the floor and cast his gaze out the window.

“I wonder how he…”

The boy went silent as a vivid image flashed through his mind. Some weeks back, when he first met Elsie, she once shared an ancient legend of a man swinging a sword.

“The slash that cut the ocean apart…”

He muttered under his breath with shocked eyes. Elsie smirked from across the floor as she watched the boy go through a range of emotions.

“It was real?! That man sliced apart an ocean just for his beloved wife? What a crazy guy…”

“I don’t think he was crazy.”

Elsie countered back with pouted lips.

“If he’s not crazy, then what is he?”

“Hmm? How about, romantic.”

Sans scoffed upon hearing her answer.

“The day I consider Marumen romantic is the day I go out there and slay that sea monster with my own two hands.”

Elsie’s eyes gleamed with a knowing smile. Feeling unnerved, Sans frowned and questioned her.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just wondering when you’ll be killing that monster.”

Sans held up a halting hand.

“Never.”

“Never say never.”

“I’m saying never. It’s never happening.”

The boy shook his head and stood up with a stretch.

“Well, unless there’s a reward here, we should probably head back.”

“There is a reward.”

Elsie stood up as well as she spoke. She then walked over to the fireplace, and beckoned Sans over.

“See? Inside there.”

She pointed to the sapphire gems with a light smile.

“How do we get it?”

“Obviously we reach in a grab it.”

Sans grimaced as he watched the fire dance and twist.

“You want me to reach into a fire that was created by Marumen himself?”

Elsie didn’t respond, merely scooping up the gem in one smooth action.

“If Marumen wanted to hurt us, do you think he would need this fire to do so?”

Sans let out a sigh of relief before retrieving his own gem. Inspecting it, he noticed a series of white lines that interconnected and formed an odd pattern.

“What is this for? And why was it underneath the fire?”

“You’ve already seen what it does.”

“I did?”

Sans glanced back at the gem in confusion.

“No I didn’t.”

Elsie chuckled before pointing to the fire.

“Did you really think you could reach into a fire created by Marumen himself without harm?”

Sans stared at her speechless.

“You said it was safe!”

“And it was safe, wasn’t it?”

Elsie gestured toward the sapphire gem. Sans let out a sigh before stowing the gem away.

“I see now. The gem protects against fire.”

“That’s right. Would you like to continue our date and enjoy the scenery for a bit longer? Or would you like to continue to the Trial of Man?”

Elsie reached out for Sans’ hands, which he prompted pulled away from her.

“This isn’t a date. Let’s go to the Trial of Man. …I hate the ocean.”

Sans sulked out of the door without another word, leaving Elsie alone in the room. She stood by the window and looked out into the deep abyss with a small grin.

“I know you hate the ocean. You always have.”

She spoke in a quiet voice before leaving the house as well, once and for all.