Welp. This is definitely straight out of science fiction.
Six containers. Six pipes connected to a central machine. And six human SOULS to fix.
First, the fragments were flooded with liquid ‘Patience’ to slow down further decay.
Once they had stabilized in their individual bottles, the fellow scientists added a new input to the machine. Liquid ‘Justice’ and ‘Integrity’ were injected straight into the system. The solution mixed as a swirling concoction of sunflower yellow and cobalt blue.
The multi-coloured mixture served a dual purpose: one to identify the correct parts, two to draw the pieces together. The computer does the fine tuning: not fun to have your arms connected to the hipbone so to speak.
Next, a jade liquid filled the canisters. ‘Kindness’ mended the fragments, promoting a cohesive whole. However, leaving them as they are would just slow an inevitable dissipation.
They’re out of energy. No strength. Running on empty stomachs. That won’t do.
A bright, candy-like mixture of orange ‘Bravery’ and purple ‘Perseverance’ replaced the peaceful green shades. Half a minute later, the bright crimson of ‘Determination’ was added in: a triple swirl of life.
The final result: the SOULS of the Six, fully formed. Sans couldn’t say that they’re in mint condition, though. They no longer shone as bright as he remembered. Almost translucent: about 80% opacity.
Still for all intents and purposes, the procedure went well.
Chara asked, “Is it done?”
Alphys rubbed her eyes. “I can’t believe it… but… but it finally is!”
Flowey heaved a groan of relief. “Good riddance. That was the longest day of the week. What time is it anyway?”
Sans replied, “Two in the morning. Wanna wake the kid up?”
Project Leader Lucidia frowned at the prospect. “Not yet. As they are, the Six won’t have the strength to communicate.”
“Fair enough. Guess it’s time to catch some zees.”
“Affirmative.” She nodded in approval.
Flowey, Chara, and Anise exclaimed a united cheer. And so, the people shuffled around in preparation to retire for the day.
Sans waited. Watched. Observed. It’s the same as he had done for so many years.
Doctor Gaster, trying to act like a responsible adult, ushered the ‘younglings’ out. Off to bed for them, before anyone changes their minds. No last-minute video games, no internet surfing, and no movie binging.
Lady Lucidia stayed behind. She would always be the last to leave. Sometimes she doesn’t leave at all.
The woman turned towards Sans, questioning: “What do you wish to discuss that requires such privacy?”
He replied, “What made you jump to that conclusion? I could just be too lazy to leave.”
“Fact: I am unable to relax around you.”
He couldn’t blame her for feeling that way. Lady Lucidia’s prim mannerisms served as a front to hide her flaws. In truth, she becomes emotionally unsteady in the heat of confrontations.
No surprise that Gaelic, her trusted bodyguard, always kept watch his mistress. Maybe he stalked the air vents. Maybe he bunkered down by the doorway. The locations shifted often, but his dedication did not.
Doubt he’d understand the details. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that he could chew me out over tone and body language.
Gotta play it safe.
“That’s some improper proper paranoia right there,” he said, “Nonetheless, I do wanna confirm something.”
He thus made himself comfortable. Teleported to the edge of the nearest table. Rather difficult to hoist himself up with one hand, after all.
“So,” he began. “Y’know that I read your DT book. Got inspired. And did a bunch of tinkering. Voila, my experimental playground happened: a moon aptly named ‘Megalovania’.”
“I happened to confirm a bunch of stuff there. Like, how the Barrier forms a sphere. And how it ignores non-sentient lifeforms. Then there’s the fact that it requires a constant tiny stream of Determination to function. Although, at that size ‘tiny’ becomes relative, no?”
The response? A miniscule, yet noticeable tense on Lucidia’s shoulders.
“Please get to the point.” There was a snap in her voice.
It’s quite clear why Lucidia didn’t have Patience as her strong trait. She’s the no nonsense type, not sparing any time for games or mysteries. He, on the other hand, had all the patience in the world.
“Don’t be like that.” Sans teased, “I mean, a story’s gotta have buildup. Right? Okay, now, we know that The Barrier is not a perpetual machine: it needs a source of DT that outlives the Seven Magi for any unknown amount of time. So what’s actually providing that power?”
Sans paused. He spared her a moment for a chance to answer.
And yet, she said nothing.
“Aw c’mon. Not even a guess? Fine then. Like or not, I’m gonna start presenting some hypotheses.”
“Let’s see. Hypothesis Number One. Give The Barrier a routine feeding of Determination. Like, leave a Legendary Artifact or something somewhere and replenish it at set intervals of time. Although… that’s not really a valid option. The Surface never did have any good DT-Extraction technology. Plus the logistics are a nightmare. Too much upkeep. Too easy to sabotage.”
“Hypothesis Number Two. Replace the aforementioned fuel source with your hubby’s ‘vampire’ system. This turns the Supreme Judge into a permanent battery. Sounds great on paper… until said battery gets assassinated for control of the Keys of Fate, starting the War of the Red Victory. Safe to say we can rule out this option too.”
“Next,” said Sans, “Hypothesis Number Three. Humans. To be exact, humans within the proximity of the Barrier. Their Aura of Determination is the perfect candidate. I bet Genocider realized this, so he planted his jolly band of Reds right at the foot of the mountain, growing a population of local DEMONs to further strengthen the stronghold.”
“But therein lies the conundrum… One day the Gungnir all left, and your Vanquishers exterminated their DEMON brethren. Nothing much would be fed to The Barrier henceforth. I bet the Magi thought that it’s gonna collapse. Except, it didn’t. Weird, huh?”
Quietly, Lady Lucidia’s persevered in her resistance. Judging from her intensifying glare, she caught on to those facts a long time ago. Yet, because of that she refused to grace a single word.
Yup. As expected, with her smarts, there’s no way she could have missed those details.
“So, I’ve been thinking. The Sealing was way long ago. The Barrier was getting old. Outdated. You can’t really install a new system without taking it apart and recasting it whole. That’s a no-go for the Mount Ebott situation.”
“…But what if the Barrier turned to a different source? Hey, a person is a person. Doesn’t matter whether or not they’re weak or strong. As long there’s someone creating the Determination, it’s all valid pickings.”
“Y’know,” he added: “Back in the day when I manned Gaster’s Chronograph, one of those nasty Dead Ends had monsters falling down en masse. Monsters, however, are immune to bacterial and viral infections. A ‘plague’ in the normal sense would be impossible.”
“That is… unless the Barrier, having turned toward us instead, started sucking out more than we could bear? Crazy thought, huh?”
Alright. This is gonna be the final nail in the coffin. It's now or never.
“Welp.” he shrugged, “Who knew ‘neglect’ was just another word for ‘genocide’.”
The prediction was spot on. True Blue magic lifted Sans off the table and clamped his jaws shut.
That was the reaction he had sought for.
Bingo.
[Silence,] Lucidia signed her threat. [Lest I slip my touch. A coin made from your bones is worth less than dust. This is your final warning.]
The pressure around his throat increased. Lucidia’s eyes burned in an intense fire. Her hair and clothes floated on their ends, bent by the force of her magic.
Do I even want to know what she does with coins??? If my neck is anything to go by, it’s nothing good.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
At the same time, Sans noticed the shadows from under the door had begun prowling back and forth. It’s Gaelic. The spike of Lucidia’s magic must have raised an alarm. But, he didn’t charge in. Could be due to the lack of commotion.
Man. I always thought she’s the scariest of the four. Cenna and Mezil have an obvious gradient. Snakedog, well, you expect him to be nutty. But the Lady? She’s a pressure cooker. Extra dangerous.
Lucidia began: [Insistence: we did NOT abandon you! Since its founding, The Magus Association’s primary goal has been to protect the monster nations from any and all threats. Yours included.]
[I know what you’re thinking, Sans Serif. You accuse us that we had lost sight of our duty. That the Supreme Judges of the past began to think of you as mere distant myth. That we killed your kin through inaction.]
[Perish that thought! I refuse to let you heap the sins of the long dead upon me!]
Sans Serif was more intrigued than nervous. In a way, she was right: he could dish out those accusations and more if he wanted to pick a bone. The act of ‘flaming’ didn’t need to be factual, only sensational.
However, she was also wrong: Sans intended to subvert the accusation. Alas, the Lady had presumed the worst outright.
He tried to sign back to her, but even that attempt to communicate was shut down. Her Blue grabbed his hand and lifted it up.
Lucidia narrowed her eyes. [Request to speak denied. I refuse to let you walk all over me.]
He started sweating.
Mental note: I may have gone a bit too far. Not my best decisions in hindsight.
[Listen here and read well,] she said. [The Barrier was meant to be broken from the outside. To do so, one of the two major clauses must be fulfilled: either the world becomes safe for Magickind, or your nation fails to thrive.]
[We were ready to mobilize after the Great Ebott Razing, fearing the worst case scenario. Yet, instead of confirming a decline, your nation’s lifesigns grew stronger. Denser. More robust. What should we conclude from this paradox? Break? Or don’t break? Factor: inconclusive.]
[Sans Serif, the quality and quantity of your Champions astounds me. You yourself have observed the effects. Experienced them. The moment the Barrier’s oppression ended, your Determination flourished to the point where you competed head-to-head with humans. And compete you did.]
[Cease your false casual friendliness, ‘Seraphim’. It’s a tasteless joke. Your reputation for being laid-back was nothing more than the side-effect of a taxing drain.]
Lady Lucidia gently lowered Sans back on the ground, marking the end of her long rant.
Freedom, at last. Sans rubbed his sore neck. The release hurt more than he expected.
“Um,” he said, “Wow. Bad mood much?”
Ignoring his commentary, the woman turned her head aside. “You win again, Sans Serif. You crafted your words to provoke a reaction, did you not?”
He asked back, “How so?”
“If I ignore and leave, it implies secrecy. If I deny, you’d counter me by exposing my lies. If I lashed out, you’ll confirm your suspicions. All of my possible actions will benefit your beloved Queen in the long run. She will have more power with her negotiations now.”
“Unless I play the cards in a way that favours both parties.” He retorted.
“Why should I trust you?” Lucidia replied, skeptical.
“You’re thinking that I always hide my real face under the fakes. Nah, Lady. That’s being too straight. Sure, I can goof around to make someone lower their guard. Yet, I like the friendly casual attitude too. Good for my SOUL. I don’t blame ya for getting the wrong idea though: we were on opposite sides for a long while.”
“That said, let’s clear up some misunderstandings here. Like, that key detail you gave me. It’s impossible for you to know the real condition of the Underground without breaking the Barrier. Good point. It’s Schrödingers Mountain, after all.”
“Tori’s a mom, and moms have a certain perspective. Make it known to her that you’re honest about your kind intentions. Revealing these troubling truths might make her relax her stance. No guarantees, but it’s better than nothing.”
“You…” Lucidia glanced at the floor. “We could have been allies had you bothered reading my letter.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I could still decline the offer.”
There and then, she shot an intense glare that rivalled her husband. If she had a gun, the bullet would have struck him square between the eyes.
“Who are you to presume the contents? Is it because I behave according to a certain archetype? What arrogance… I shall paraphrase the words you discarded.”
Here we go.
Wonder how will it line up with my predictions?
“Sans Serif, you are right. You are the worst kind of trash!”
The punchline hit so hard, Sans burst into laughter with the ‘hahs’ and the ‘hehs’ mixed together.
“T-that was your opening statement?” he snorted. “Oh God. Nice to know that you got your facts straight. I was under the impression that you didn’t think of me as trash.”
His commentary was not met with pleasure. “That is addressed in the letter too. Please, let me continue without any further interruption.”
“Cool. ‘K. Carry on.”
So, she did. “In the previous timeline, you had stripped my husband to his undergarments. In public. Before your fellow citizens of Mount Ebott. All for the sake of your twisted sense of humour!”
“Without a doubt your character belongs in a burning heap of refuse. And yet, I will disregard your flaws, for your mind is sharper than any blade.”
“By the time you read this letter, Judge Mezil Thyme had undone certain doom with the Keys of Fate. Your nation had sought independence. In doing so, your people fell prey to Gungnir and the media. Ebott was reduced to cinder, dust, and ashes.”
“At first, I wanted to mentor Papyrus as a Chronographer. However, not everyone with his potential has the strength to carry his duty.”
“I therefore asked myself: is it right to expose him to unspeakable horrors in search of a golden path that may not even exist? It’s an ethical dilemma that I do not have a clear answer for. The truth of the world can change a person for better or for worse. I know how it changed me, and I couldn’t wholeheartedly say it was ‘good’.”
“Then, you interceded. You bargained. You volunteered to bear the burden of his mission to convince The Dreemurr Nation to trust the Magus Association and cooperate. In exchange, Papyrus would be freed from the memories of genocide.”
“Judge Thyme questioned: ‘Why should I trust a man who trusts no one?’. You answered: ‘My actions will thus ‘butterfly’ out into the great unknown’. Though I cannot divulge my personal thoughts on the matter, I can say that I found the implications quite intriguing.”
“As part of our deal, I taught you everything I know about Determination: from its influence to its practical uses. We hoped that it would give you new inspiration to avert the grim tidings that await.”
“I shall now write down three main questions of our subsequent thought experiment, and their respective conclusions.”
“Question One. Can the law protect you? Conclusion: negative. A law is only as good as enforcement, and enforcement as good as detection. History shows this all too clear. Anyone can be corrupted. Twenty-five years ago, betrayal of the highest degree engulfed two of the three remaining monster nations on the Surface. The ramifications still linger today, threatening to destroy the world as we know it.”
“Question Two. Can the Supreme Judge protect you? Conclusion: conditional. The desire exists. I vouch for his upright and loyal character. But he too is mortal. Once his flesh wanes, there is no guarantee that he could keep a hold on the Keys of Fate.”
“Question Three. Can Frisk be trusted as a successor? Conclusion: uncertain. I acknowledge your concerns over their qualifications. They had once become a Seven SOUL-DEMON GOD, with many crimes that I had analyzed and categorized. Their potential so wide, yet so narrow. To you, they’re both a friend and an enemy. A student and a traitor. A dangerous entity. They must therefore, before further consideration, undergo the Trial of the Crimson Hall. It is the place where the body, mind, and heart of all candidates are tested.”
“As for Papyrus, if he’s injured we’ll heal him. If he’s in danger, we’ll protect him. We will not force him to become a Chronographer. However, if he insists on that path on informed consent, we will not deny it either. The training regiment will be tailored to his current ability, not future stakes. That’s the most I can assure you.”
“Perhaps you might suspect our altruism. Why should the Magi help you deal with the Gungnir? What hidden benefit is there to gain? Resources of your land? Manpower and talent? Credibility for a propaganda machine? And more?”
“Indeed: this is not mere altruism. We do need your help. As I alluded to earlier, there exists a grave threat of our own making. One beyond politics, beyond Gungnir, and beyond the powers of this world. Our allies are insufficient. Many of them cowered, while even more laughed: either at the impossibility of our prospects, or to allay their fears.”
“Suggestion: will you accept cooperation beyond our initial agreement? Our interests align, and multiple brilliant minds are better than one. Remember, it is sinners who need mercy. Not the spotless. Show mercy to us, and we shall do the same for you.”
“Signed, Lucidia of House Berendin.”
Sans drew a deep breath and held it for a while. The revealed contents of the letter sent shivers up his spine.
The hell? It’s almost point by point. Yet I’m a slob and she’s a maiden. How in the world did we end up being so different?
“Sorry to break it to ya, Lady. The only thing that I didn’t expect was the opening statement. I know it’s cliche to say ‘great minds think alike’, but yeah, ‘great minds think alike’…”
“Even the allusions to the Ocean Abomination?” she questioned. “You wouldn’t have known about that until after your gambit began. Your opinions really wouldn't have changed had you known of our plight beforehand?”
Sans pondered for a moment. “Considering scope, I would have done what I had done anyway. With or without your hints. A Dead End is a Dead End.”
Lucidia, the Sky Witch, used every bit of kindness, integrity, and perseverance to resist slapping the sense out of Sans. It’s already commendible that she tolerated his presence for so long.
For my own safety, I better calm her down. Don’t wanna get strangled again. Or dropped from the stratosphere. Nope, nope, nope.
“Speaking of hypotheticals,” he switched subjects, “Remember that Persona timeline? It’s the culmination of my Megalovania findings. Quite the eye opener that one.”
“Still… There IS something I didn’t realise until much later. Not until you had me catalogue everything from other perspectives. You, uh, made quite a sacrifice there. Integrated yourself into a machine… damn. Levitating an entire island 24/7 ain’t a joke. Not even gonna grace it with my usual puns; you’re something else alright.”
Sans sensed the tell-tale signs of floating hairs. She’s not keen about it. But it’s a point he has to make.
“What surprised me most was how Robo Lucy still tried to negotiate a cooperation with me. I would have expected her to rain hell the moment she had the opportunity. But… she gave Frisk the order to capture me alive instead. Contrast that with Grillby, who was more than ready to skim the pond scum out of the Waterworks and roast it into cinders.”
“Of course she wouldn’t,” grumbled Lucidia. “A machine is only concerned about the best logical outcome. She would have no room for petty feelings. Your skills were of paramount importance. That is all.”
“That’s where you misunderstand, Lady. You never did need my skills or my smarts. By all logic, I’m a liability. Unpredictable, with an abysmal track record to boot. The real best-but-amoral answer would be to kill me on sight and steal the Seraph System from my dusted bones.”
He concluded, “Even as a machine, you never did lose your Kindness. Just got better at pretending. Always caring so much about the wellbeing of others, to the point where you killed your SOUL for the sake of the world…”
“…If I knew the real depth of your heart, then yeah, we would have been allies.”
Lucidia bitterly replied, “Are you pinning the blame on me for lackluster communication?”
“Nope,” he winked. “Not at all. I’m just a poor judge of character. That’s why I’m not the one running the Crimson Hall. I would spend way too much time trolling the fuck out of everyone.”
“Would?” The woman huffed. “‘Did’ is the word. Also, mind your manners.”
“Eh, fair point. Sorry.”
“Anyway,” said Sans, “Be kinder to yourself, ‘kay? I know, I know. Least qualified guy to give you that advice and all. But hey, that’s my objective observation.”
“I see…” Lucidia faced the SOUL devices once more. Her gravity-defying aura faded.
Good to see her back to normal. Wouldn’t want to leave her high-strung.
“Welp. I’m gonna put the lab work down for the night. See ya.”
He teleported to the door to help himself out.
Gaelic blocked the way. What a pointless endeavor: as long the beast doesn’t catch his clothes or his dead arm, Sans could teleport to safety.
Should I get sassy? Or should I save my strength? Hmm. Decisions, decisions.
However, another person made it for him.
“Gaelic,” Lucidia called, “Let him go. Come help me monitor the Six instead.”
Though initially hesitant, the lanky skeleton soon bowed to the orders of his mistress. He fixed his watchful gaze on Sans as he slipped between the gaps.
“Thanks, Lady.”