You finished restoring the last of the burns.
Phew. That’s a ton of work. The sheer concentration made you break a sweat at the edges of your forehead.
The Gram deactivated, leaving behind an unlit star.
You asked Papyrus if he can sit up.
To your relief, he did.
“WOWIE! YOU’RE A NATURAL!” said Papyrus. “I WOULD TOTALLY BELIEVE YOU IF YOU CLAIM TO BE A MONSTER.”
You sheepishly rubbed the back of your head. Aww shucks, that’s a super compliment.
Besides, you told Papyrus that HE is the great one! That battle with Sans! It’s SO AWESOME! That quickdraw was the best!
Hype level, off the charts.
“NYEH HEH HEH, OF COURSE -- I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL! I MEAN WHAT I SAY. AT LEAST, WHEN IT COMES TO MY GREATNESS.”
You never told him, but you realised that you would be deader than dead if Papyrus didn’t stick with his true pacifist route back then.
“But, what now?” Goner Kid asked.
Good point. You turned towards Sans, wondering what’s going on in his mind.
The bubble started to ripple.
Uh. Bad sign. Bad, bad sign. The Trap Harvester is slowly failing.
Papyrus picked you up. You’re surprised that he’s healed enough to do so.
“WE SHOULD HIDE.”
Agreed. But, where? Other than your ‘bedroom’, there’s nowhere else to go.
Actually… that’s an excellent idea. As long as someone watches the entrance, Sans won’t be able to strike an ambush too easily.
The shortie reassured. “We can keep watch. Stay low, alright?”
Thanks a bunch.
Papyrus made his dashing escape with you along. But, when he arrived near the stairwell… you heard a rumble in the distance.
“WHAT WAS THAT?” he asked.
You asked Papyrus to put you on his shoulders for extra height.
“OKAY, FRISK.”
Sitting on his shoulders, you tried to peer far into the horizon.
You spotted a crack.
A crawling, sprawling crack.
It’s approaching you at breakneck speeds.
The Barrier! It’s breaking apart!
The rescue team did it!!!
The crystalline shards snapped apart and fell down in a cascading shower.
You never get tired of this. It’s as beautiful and enchanting as your first successful attempt.
You stole a glance at Papyrus. You smiled at his sense of wonder. Almost made you forget about what he went through.
“WOWIE… IT’S SO PRETTY.”
Yup. Rewarding, isn’t it?
The Gaster followers started to shiver. You asked what’s wrong.
Rhymer burst out: “The Vanquisher cometh! The Vanquisher cometh!”
The Vanquisher… cometh? Cometh?!
You can’t just rhyme a word with itself and get away with it!
Wait, could it be…?!
It’s Cenna!
Your grey time-displaced friends ran off, screaming in fear.
Drats. You didn’t get to tell them that the Vanquisher is your big sis. And an ally.
“MISS AUNT MADE IT AFTER ALL! I’M SO HAPPY. AND ALSO WORRIED.”
…You understand why. The moment she reaches to your rescue, she’s either going to arrest Sans, or have a final showdown.
It’s not going to be easy for anyone…
* * *
Cenna stopped midway her ascend. Lifted her communications pendant and waved it around. By theory, destroying the Barrier should immediately reestablish her connection to Lucidia.
Except…
It’s not happening as fast as she’d like.
“C’mon, get a signal already.”
Just when she wanted to grumble a string of expletives, she heard an incoming broadcast on her earpiece.
Lucidia of House Berendin had finally come through.
“Seer Lucidia speaking. Do you copy? Over.”
“Copy that, over!” Cenna exclaimed. “Oh thank God. Can ya see me?”
“Confirmation: Yes, I can. Requesting update on your current status.”
“Condition green, other than a minor zap. Fresh water would be nice.”
“Caution: Consuming any liquids on the job poses a risk. Not recommended.”
“If you can give me a lift, though, I’d be stoked. Because. Fuck stairs. Like seriously fuck ‘em. There’s no end in sight.”
“A sentiment shared with Captain Undyne. Please give me a moment.”
“Any other updates in the meantime?”
“Observation: I am detecting a strong disruption of spacetime on the rooftop. It appears that someone triggered the Trap Harvester.”
Cenna furrowed her brows. “Did Sans use it on Frisky?”
“Negative.”
“Cinnamon Roll?”
“Negative as well,” confirmed Lucidia. “Preliminary scanning indicates those two are not in the disruption. Odd. I am unable to mine more data due to the presence of an unknown interference.”
Knowing that Lucy’s watching, Cenna stuck her hands in her pockets and flashed a confident smile.
“That’s why you got me, Cenna, in the field!”
“I’m glad. Sending the enchantment scroll now.”
A rolled up bundle of cloth materialized before her. Snatched it right out of the air and opened it. One look was all she needed to confirm its contents.
“Booyah! Wingboots, here I come!”
She wasted no time unwrapping the Gram onto the steps.
“Correction: Blue magic doesn’t actually give you wings.”
“Feels like it.”
“Please hurry, Judge Caraway.”
“Alright, alright.”
The soles of Cenna’s boots shone with magic. A simple spark triggered the imbuement. Cobalt ink lines vanished upon the completion of its purpose.
“Now to take the fast lane.”
Green shields, activated. That should protect her from the inevitable ceiling-bust.
One jump later and she’s flying high over the roof.
Expectation: 20 or so floors to go
Reality: 2 floors to the rooftop arena.
Jaw, drop.
“What the shit?!” she exclaimed. “I SWEAR I ran up at least a dozen before I paged ya, Lucy!”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Lucidia replied, “It would not surprise me if Sans Serif rigged an eternal-stairway as a final trap. It fits his MO.”
Realising that she got conned, Cenna let out an exasperated groan. “I fell for a freakin’ STEPMILL?!?! Fuck that! Seriously!”
From the high-view, she spotted Sans below. He’s encased in a vast bubble of Determination.
“Lucy, I identified the source of your distortion. It’s Sans. And he’s the one trapped!”
“Oh? Hypothesis: sabotage. Encasing oneself in frozen time is counterproductive. If I do say so myself.”
“Sis, you’re here!”
“MISS AUNT!”
Her attention shifted to Frisk and Papyrus. Both alive and well. Welcomed her with plenty of hand-waving and happy greetings.
The ‘wingboots’ lowered Cenna down at a slow and steady pace. The moment she’s on solid matter… she rushed straight to hug her younger sibling.
It’s tempting to not let go. But, she can’t glue herself there forever. Gotta be the big sister. Check for any injuries.
“You alright, Frisky?” she asked.
The kid nodded. “I’m okay. Sans treated me well.”
“No fights? Really expecting you to tangle with Mister Assassino.”
“Nope,” Frisk turned their head towards their friend with a frown. “Paps was the one who duelled Sans.”
Cenna peered at Papyrus. There’s something wrong about the way he stood. Reminded her of the many times when she’s discharged from the hospital: somewhat okay, yet not fully healed.
Truesight, activated. The results made her bite her lower lip.
“Well shit, we’re too late. That bad, huh? Lucy, what’s the strongest painkiller you can send over?”
Papyrus asked, “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I’M FEELING POSITIVELY FINE.”
“Noooot taking any chances. Trust me on that, Cinnamon Roll.”
Cenna turned away from the group. Lowered her voice to a whisper. “These Seal Scars are the worst I’ve ever seen. Give me everything and more. Someone patched him up just enough to not be an ER case, though.”
“Noted. Continued healing outside of an Intensive Repair Pod will do more harm than good. Please deliver the proper medication to Papyrus.”
“Gotcha.”
The lady Chronographer sent a potion bottle. Medication, straight into Papyrus’ hands.
“Bottoms up. It’s a sweet mix of Kindness, Perseverance, and a whole lot of other sciency stuff.”
He downed the contents in one gulp. “GADZOOKS, IT’S DELIGHTFULLY GRAPEY. AND I’M FEELING BETTER THAN I EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE!”
“Told ya.” The Magus chuckled. “Now take it easy. Leave the rest to the pros.”
With that out of the way, Cenna turned to the short skeleton trapped in a plan of his own making.
She planted her face into her palm. “That pose… it’s straight out from a cover art! Getting some pretty deep regrets about crowning him as Sir Assassino.”
“Too cool?” Frisk stated.
“Totally,” she replied. “He’s gonna be that one guy with a bajillion overdrawn fanart. Guh, I can imagine the internet frenzy and all those out-of-context materials.”
The time for funny commentary had passed. Cenna lowered her head. Grim.
“Sorry, but you guys gotta make some distance. Can’t have you guys get caught up.”
Frisk frowned. “I understand. But, can you promise me one thing?”
“Not to kill your friend?”
The kid nodded many times.
Cenna rubbed their head. Messed up that hair. Smiled while doing so.
They’re a bit happier now. “Thanks. C’mon Paps, let’s give her some space.”
“LET’S GO DOWNSTAIRS.”
“No. I wanna see what happens.” Frisk pointed at the opposite end of the arena. “Why not over there?”
While the two relocated themselves, the Magus discussed the matter with Lucidia.
“Lucy. If you have no other suggestions, I’m making my call.”
So the Lady of House Berendin commanded: “Do as you must.”
“Thanks.”
Cenna planted her boots firmly on the floor. The soles ground against the rough concrete when she prepared her fighting stance.
It’s been a long, long while since I recited this prayer. Forgive me for being doubtful, Almighty. I know I’ve not been sailing steady.
Please… guide my hand. Now more than ever.
Golden wisps surrounded the Vanquisher. Magic curled the ends of her short hair.
Glowing kindness be our shield;
Persevere and never yield.
The updraft of force danced with her trenchcoat.
Sacred Justice heed my call;
Smite this evil, make them fall!
Upon that moment, her Psychia infused itself into every portion of her being.
A bow conjured in her outstretched arm: the icon of skill and precision for thousands of years.
One of the wisps floated close to her free hand. Transformed into an arrow, shining bright in retribution’s light.
Cenna then rested the nock on the bowstring.
She recalled a brief talk she had with Captain Undyne, right before they parted ways for their respective missions.
“Cenna… can I ask you for a favour?”
“Sure thing, Cap. What’s up?”
“Please promise to spare Sans.”
“…No guarantees on that. Sorry.”
“I know this is a tall order. But. I realised that killing him for the sake of convenience isn’t justice. We’ll just become the real villains. And… and… that really got me.”
“If ya put it that way. Keep your fingers crossed. It all depends on our options.”
Mentally prepared, she drew far back. Aimed her weapon not at Sans: instead her bullseye fell onto the Seraph System.
Okay. So. There are two separate components. The control panel, and the Trap Harvester containing Mezil’s ‘World’.
Right now, I just need the right amount of power to wreck that bracer alone. Doing that will destroy Sans’ access to that wellspring of DT.
…God forbid I hit the Trap Harvester. With what it has now, it’ll will blow up like a nuke. Right in Sans’ face. Cinnamon Roll won’t have anyone left to call ‘brother’.
She took care to fine-tune the point and its power.
Too little, and it might not damage the system enough.
Too much, and it’s bye-bye San Serif.
One shot to set things right.
Only a little bit more…
The bubble shattered much sooner than anticipated.
“What the hell?!”
Sans’s consciousness had yet to catch up, but he’s locking his sights on her.
She expected his left Eye to burn. Yet, it looked dull. Almost… grey?
But Cenna didn’t think twice about it. No luxury for contemplation.
Shit!
She released the bowstring. Let her shot fly. Hoped that she reacted fast enough to accomplish her mission.
At the very last second, Sans dropped his arm… exposing his chest to the direct line of fire.
The arrow pierced straight through the sternum and his spine. It’s meant for Determination imbued matter, too powerful for mere magical bone.
It continued to fly until it hit the concrete railing. From the impact point, that entire section instantly disintegrated. It didn’t revert either. Stayed broken like a normal, physical phenomenon.
With his meagre lifeforce gone, the skeleton began to crumble to dust. His clothes fluttered down, and the Seraph System dropped with a metallic clang.
The screams of the victim’s loved ones rung through the air.
Cenna stood there. Shocked. Failure slapped her in the face.
What…?
It doesn’t make sense! He should have kept the device up to protect himself.
I expected top-notch self-preservation from that guy. He’s got that track record.
As the last particle fell, Cenna spotted something that shouldn’t be there:
It’s a Psychia, a monster’s SOUL.
Among their kind, none but a Boss should leave these behind.
Alarms soon overrode her senses. She spotted Frisk and Papyrus already trying to run up to the dead man. Two quick arrows at the ground before their feet stopped them dead in their tracks. They looked up at her with a puzzled expression.
“Stay back!” She warned.
The cordate heart floated above the dusty remains, lingering.
It’s not shaking, nor breaking apart.
This whole deal is abnormal to the bone.
Just when Cenna thought things couldn’t get any worse…
Sans’ Psychia dyed scarlet.
Dust and clothes reversed in time.
Whatever scattered, gathered. Whatever lost, restored.
At the very end, Sans Serif returned from the brink of death. Complete with the Seraph System strapped back at its original place.
He staggered forward, engulfed in an eerie cyan aura, resembling a Grim Reaper through and through.
No way… an Ascension?
Him, of all people?!
Cenna prepared another arrow, just in case.
Sans meanwhile looked at his own hands. Muttered to himself.
“So. ‘In The End, I persevere’…”
“Guess that’s the ‘real me’. Who would have thought? I’m supposed to be the lazy trashbag here.”
He examined the screen of the device. “Error. No output device detected?”
“…My Eye’s still gone, eh? Welp. No problem.”
With his other hand, he waved over the empty socket. Restored the organ to full functionality in the blink of an Eye.
Except… it wasn’t the Cyan-Yellow-Purple mix that everyone had learned to fear.
This one. It burned---
“White? Wha?” Cenna blurted. She’s used to the various shades of red that DEMONS flaunt around as a symbol of might. ‘White’ had associations with Monsterkind’s’ weakness more than anything else.
Why would Sans Serif choose that colour?
“Judge Caraway, said Lucidia, “Do not be fooled.”
“Explanations, please?”
“You’re looking at all the seven Psychia colours combined. That’s why it’s white. In other words… a true ‘Seven Aspect Eye’.”
Sans replied: “The lady’s right.”
By Lucidia’s assumptions, Sans now has the power to examine any event at his disposal. Be it past, present, or future. Distant or nearby. That includes their secure communication feeds. Combine that with his genius… it’s bad news all over.
The short guy continued: “Determination is essentially spacetime magic. But there’s no such thing as Red Seers because only six of the seven types of Liches can reproduce.
“So what if I make this hypothetical Red Eye possible to have? Combine that with the rest… heh. The wonders of engineering. It’s a life saver.”
Cenna furrowed her brows. Narrowed her gaze. The grip tightened on her bow.
“I see it now. ‘The Victor’s Phylactery’. That little machine of yours… it forever restores your body to pristine condition so it can never Amalgamate. Red Eye or no Eye. Your ‘1 HP’ might as well be ‘infinite’.”
“Yup,” he confirmed. “Huh. You’re brighter than you act.”
“That reminds me. Snakeface mentioned something about a ‘Wanderstar’ speciality. Guess that’s it, huh? No wonder you’re the top dog.”
“That arrow. It destabilizes DT and triggers self-cannibalization, like my Karma. Not surprising since they share the same roots: Justice and Perseverance.”
Interesting, Cenna thought. The founder created this power out of Justice and Determination. Perseverance was the closest match for non-Reds to replicate his skill.
Always something new to learn, as the old saying goes.
“Hey,” said the Vanquisher. “Remember what I said before this fiasco started? I know you don’t do shit without a reason. Spill the beans. Give us your thoughts.”
Sans shrugged. “Does it matter? I’ve hurt people. Hurt Papyrus. Committed crimes beyond compare. All to amass a power greater than any Living Victory. For what end?”
“Sure, I could tell you that I think your Spring Mission is destined to fail. But whatever I say would just be brushed aside. Declared insane.”
“‘People only want convenient justice’, to quote your boss. I’m currently the most inconvenient obstacle around. Keeping me alive would be a real downer.”
“Hey now, don’t leave me hanging.” said Cenna. “I wanna at least hear some opinions about ‘me’.”
Sans shrugged. “Heh. Okay. Since you asked…”
“I do think you’ve got a serious hero-complex going on. It’s fine if you’re honest about it, like some folks I know. But hell, you try to play coy. Cheeky, cocky, with a dose of fake humility on top. Leaves a big distaste in my mouth.”
“To make matter’s worse… you’re actually in terrible, terrible shape. I mean, I knew you were sick. But I didn’t expect your condition to be THAT bad.”
“How ‘bad’ is this bad, O’ Great Seraphim?” Cenna teased.
“You’re on your last legs. Your physical self, that is. Most of your nerves? Gone. Hence why you don’t feel as much pain as you should. The only thing keeping you mobile is that network of magical puppet strings throughout your body. As a result, you gotta balance between physical integrity and magic output.”
“Right on the money, as usual.” she confirmed. “Anything else?”
“To fight the Abomination, you require your Ascension at the cost of everything else. Even then… the mission will never succeed.”
The Magus responded with a bitter smirk. “That’s what I heard.”
“It’s ‘The End’. Again. The future refused to change. Wouldn’t it better if you give up and leave it to me? Increase your chances, and so on.”
“Hah. Give me a moment.” Cenna just wanted to mock Sans while she still can. Tilted her head right. Then left. Finished it all with a big eye-roll.
“Sorry hun. I ain’t that kind of complicated girl. I’m just gonna do my job one step at a time… Starting with you.”
Sans raised a brow at her. “Don’t wanna be friends?”
The Magus huffed. “Na-uh. No deal.”
“Thought you said you could trust me.”
“Well, I trust Sans, Papyrus’ brother. Not Sans, the guy who reverted his death with a machine.”
“Fair point. I’m a true DEMON now. And you’re a Vanquisher. We don’t mix. Welp, gotta take what’s given to you.”
The white Seer’s Eye flared. Its presence alone… made it difficult to remain composed.
But she must.
“Ready for a rematch?” asked Sans Serif.
Sorry guys. It doesn’t look like I can keep that promise.
Gotta take what’s given to you. Cenna Wanderstar agreed.
“Bring it on!”