It’s another Monday. And, for the first time in ages… you attended class.
Delighted, your classmates crowded around you during homeroom. They have lots of tales to share.
“First, a weird fog flooded the town. We tried to evacuate.”
“But none of us could get out! It’s like, we were trapped in a giant glass bubble, yo.”
“Then a HUUUUUGE gate in the sky opened up!”
“Doctor Alphys gathered everyone to some weird star diagram.”
“A goopy monster summoned many GIANT hands!”
“Yeah, and we pooled ALL of our magic together to save the town from that bad man!”
“Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!”
Wow. That sounds super duper awesome. You wished that you could have joined them in their effort.
Monster Kid, whose real name is also Kid, then asked: “Yo Frisk, where were you that time?”
Believe it or not, Kid, you were on the other side of the gate. Long, crazy story. Had to foil that hooded criminal’s plans and stuff.
“Wow. Like. We saved you???”
Yup yup. Big time. You gave everyone with limbs a high five, and pats for those who don’t have any.
Snowdrake a.k.a Snowy wondered: “Was that really Dunkle Sans? Or a lookalike?”
Huh? A Sans lookalike? Why did Snowy think so?
“Oh, I heard the red bird screaming to the big bad in the sky. Something along the lines of…” He cleared his throat for his dramatic reenactment. “Where is the real Sans? What have you done to him???”
“Hey, that’s pretty good.”
“Those drama classes are finally paying off, huh?”
While your other classmates congratulated Snowdrake on his acting prowess, you’re filled with deep concern. On one hand, they all saw Sans. On the other hand, they don’t believe it’s him in the bones.
Team Magus warned you to not disclose the true extent of his involvement. You understand why. Sans was not just ‘one can of worms’: he’s an entire worm farm!
You told your classmates that the true identity of the ‘big bad’ was top secret. Rest assured, he has been dealt with and will never again cause anyone trouble.
Your classmates stared in wonder for a few seconds. Then, they all breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“Coooool!”
“So it wasn’t Sans after all.”
“Skeletons are so hard to distinguish, seriously.”
“It would have been silly if the number one lazy slob in town grew epic wings.”
“Pfft. Sounds like a dumb movie.”
Phew. Crisis averted.
In your mind, you tell yourself that you’ll accept the headcanons. Yes. Let the people make their own cover story.
…Better direct them away from any more Sans talk.
You asked your classmates about your missed lessons. How far behind were you?
There was an instant change in the atmosphere. The kids started looking at each other, their eyes filled with awkwardness.
The inn bunny boy finally broke the silence: “I think you might have to say goodbye to summer holidays.”
Oh. Crap.
Summer holidays?
The biggest chunk of free time in your life?
Lost to schoolwork like the dreaded MATH?
Pressure mounted on your shoulders. Your chest cringed at the loss of anime binge nights.
You clutched your head and let out a big ‘Nooooooooooooooo!’
Kid place his notebook on your table with his mouth. “But you can borrow my notes!” he said.
“And mine!”
“And mine too!”
Awww, thanks a ton!
“No probs. We’re just doing our part in helping you out. You protect us as our Ambassador, and in return we’ll protect your homework.”
Around that moment, Mom entered the room. “Good morning, children.”
“Good morning, Miss Toriel!” Everyone greeted back.
Smiling, she said. “Please return to your seats, my dears. I have an important announcement to make.”
Everyone shuffled back to their desks. It’s great to see Mom smiling again, considering how she broke down into tears over the smashed window. It was the last straw after a long, stressful day. At least the new window should arrive tomorrow.
Mom stood before the class. “We’re going to have a very important guest visiting our school this evening. He and his sons will have a private tour of the whole building. So, before the day ends we will dedicate some time to clean the classroom.”
“Are they humans?” a classmate asked.
“Yes, they are dear. Not just any local human either. They come from a land far away.”
Some of the kids started to get excited.
“From far, far away?”
“How far is this far?”
“Ooooh. Will we get to see them?”
“Are they friendly??”
“Would like some friendlies after that big mess.”
“Well…” Mom glanced to the side. “They won’t meet you, I’m afraid. It’s after class hours, and the Royal Guard wants every child back home safe and sound.”
Then the class groaned in disappointment. Though some were relieved. Not everyone liked meeting new folks.
Kid bobbed up and down from his seat. “Miss Toriel, what if we make them some cool art?”
“An arts and crafts display? What an excellent idea! We shall do that for our guests.”
* * *
The local celebrity named Mettaton had suggested to Papyrus that he should keep a journal. That way, he won’t forget anything important.
“DEAR JOURNAL,” Papyrus read it out loud. “TODAY I AM OFFERED TO COOK A VERY IMPORTANT DELECTABLE FEAST! IT INVOLVES DEEP FRIED DUMPLINGS, AMONG OTHER THINGS. IT MAY NOT BE THE HEALTHIEST OF CHOICES, BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS WON’T TURN DOWN A REQUEST SO SPECIFIC.”
“I WILL FOLLOW THE GUIDANCE OF UNCLE GASTER, WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE MY MOTHER AND FATHER, HELVETICA AND TIMES ROMAN, ASSIMILATED INTO HIS GOOPY BEING.”
Satisfied, he closed the journal for the time being.
Papyrus got up from his car shaped bed and pulled the curtains. What a bright, wonderful morning: perfect to go hunting for groceries.
He was told that this was his room, filled with his favourite things. Papyrus sensed an endearing connection… but he couldn’t remember why it’s there.
The clatter of cutlery alerted him that breakfast would soon be ready. So, down the stairs he went to join the family table.
Sans Serif, the man who should be his elder brother, was setting the table with his cool telekinetic powers.
Noticing him, the short one greeted: “Hey, morning bro.”
“GOOD MORNING, MY APPARENT ELDER BROTHER.”
“Take a seat, Paps. Ol’ G should be done with the pancakes any moment now.”
The two sat down. Then… an awkward silence hung in the air for a while.
“UM,” said Papyrus. “HOW'S YOUR ARM? THE DANGLING ONE. I HEARD YOU HAD IT INJURED FROM A NASTY FIGHT.”
Sans touched the right side. “Being ‘dead weight’, as usual.”
The ‘punishment’ followed right upon that instant. Sans groaned as he reeled against the back of his chair.
“ARE YOU A MASOCHIST?” Papyrus exclaimed, irritated. “FIRST, YOUR PUN WAS TERRIBLE. SECOND, YOU KEEP TRIPPING YOURSELF WITH THAT AWFUL RED LIGHT!”
Sans chuckled. “Heh, maybe I am. Say, how much did Lil’ Miss Lucy update ya?”
“QUITE A PLENTY. I HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF WHAT MY PAST LIFE IS LIKE, COMPLETE WITH FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND MY NOW-FORMER JOB AT THE CAFETERIA.”
“Wait. Letting you off without notice is illegal.”
“NO… I…” Papyrus lowered his head and gripped his hands together. “I’M RESIGNING. WELL, I HAVEN’T DELIVERED THE LETTER YET. BUT I WILL TODAY.”
“I WANT TO WORK WITH THE FAIRY GODMOTHER AS HER ASSISTANT. I APPARENTLY MADE A PROMISE TO FRISK TO HELP THEM IN THEIR DIPLOMATIC JOB. STAYING IN THE SCHOOL CAFETERIA DOESN’T SEEM RIGHT ANYMORE.”
“Oh.” Sans looked relieved. “True. A direct connection with the Chronographer will help our kiddo in the long run. Did she mention anything about training you?”
“NO. WHAT ABOUT TRAINING ME?”
“Well… The Association offered you an apprenticeship. But that was before the big incident.”
“I SEE…”
Papyrus blinked his moistened eyes. “AM I GONNA BE CRIPPLED FOREVER?”
“Nope,” said Sans. “There’s still hope for you. Come over to Alphys’ Lab about noon. I’ve got a thing brewing that may give you your memories back. Well. Some of them at least.”
“REALLY?!?!”
“Yup.”
Papyrus sparkled with delight. All his initial sorrows vanished like mist under sunlight.
“Oh, hey, the pancakes are coming. Let’s dig in.”
* * *
Undyne stood vigilant at the borders of Ebott Town. She’s not on duty this shift, but she didn’t care. She thought that maybe if she glared hard enough into the yonder, the baddies won’t dare to step foot into town.
At least, that’s what she wanted to believe. If they so desired, the enemy could snipe her down on the spot. It’s sobering to think that she’s at the mercy of political agreements.
“Yo Cap!”
Cenna walked on over, carrying a tote bag.
“Morning Cen,” Undyne grinned. “How are you healing up?”
The other replied, “Fine, thanks! It no longer hurts. You had breakfast yet? I brought sandwiches.”
“Yeah, I did. But my breakfast was so early, THE FREAKING SUN looked lazy! I’m up for a snack.” Undyne’s stomach then growled right on cue. She let her fellow guards know that she’s going to take an early lunch break.
The two ladies had a hearty sandwich. The filling consisted of slices of cured beef with cheese and ham, laced with honey mustard sauce. The only vegetables in there were sliced dill pickles.
It’s unusual for sure but Undyne ain’t complaining.
“Damn, this stuff is GOOD! A big kick of salt, vinegar, meat, and mustard. IN THE FACE! YEAH!!!”
“Right? Great wake up call for the day.” Cenna chuckled, passing a bottle of water. “Gotta stay hydrated though.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Undyne forgot how thirsty she had become by standing on guard for hours. The plain, refreshing water really hit the spot. “Thanks a ton for the refuel.”
“No probs,” said Cenna. “Hey, mind if I hang out for a while?”
“Well, sure. Though things are gonna get real busy in the next hour or so. Morning market closing shop. Lotsa human vendors and such leaving town all at once.”
“That’s fine. It won’t be for too long. I gotta pick up Anise either way. Did ya know we went to the Tem Shop this morning?”
“Oh my god. Your colleague? She’s like a human Temmie herself!”
Waving the phone before Undyne, Cenna grinned. “I have the recording right here.”
Undyne’s mouth curled into cat mode. “Show me. Don’t forget to send a copy to the chatroom.”
The Magus cackled in delight. “Aye, aye, Cap!”
They watched the video together. It’s Anise Anise, the Alchemist, in the Temmie’s natural habitat.
“hOI i’M tEM!!!”
“HOI I’M ANISE!!! Kyaaaaa oh my god they’re so cute! Are they cats? Dogs? Cat dogs? With hair? They look sooooooo fluffy!”
“can tem pet human?????”
“Pet? Me? Of course you can! Give me all your pets!!! I WILL PET YOU TOO!!!”
Masses of Temmies crowded around Anise to give her pets. Meanwhile, Anise scooped them up like puppies: complete with a constant excited squeal. In the midst of the cuddling, red puffy spots sprouted all over the monsters.
“W-w-w-what’s happening?”
“tem is allergic to hoomans! i hear hoomans are allergic to tem too!”
“You’re telling me that now?!?!?!?!?! I’m feeling itchy oh no oh no am I showing allergic reactions?!? Oh wait it’s just psychological-- DID I SEE A SPOT???”
“it! hOIVES!!! It’s ok tem is allergic to tem too.”
“KYAAAAAAAAA!!! Cenny, help meeeeeeee!!!!”
“Y'all ain’t touching me! I ain’t getting no ‘hoives’ now, ya hear???”
“Ceeeennnnyyyyyyyy!”
Recording, end. “And we took her to the mobile clinic for a shot. I’m just waiting out here for the meds to take effect.”
Undyne burst into a guffaw. “Your Anise friend is HILARIOUS! I thought girls like her only exist in anime. Is she always like this?”
“Yup. I guess it’s one of the reasons why Lady Lucy hasn’t dismissed her yet. Smart, cute, and funny. Livens up the place.”
“Hmmmm… I think you got a point. That Lady cares about Papyrus too, and he’s a real sunshine.”
Thinking back, Undyne always saw this Lucidia as a rather gloomy person. It’s not like Alphys’ ‘glitter-coated trashcan’ imagery. That’s but a poor attempt of covering stinky issues with a peppy front.
Lucidia was more akin to a crystal sculpture in an empty vault. Lacking in forced pretense, yet still isolated. It’s too easy to romanticize the untouchable gleam.
Undyne didn’t feel like gossiping at the moment, though. Better talk about the REAL news!
“Hey,” she poked the human with her elbow. “I heard you’re gonna attend tonight's big feast as ‘Princess Cenna’. To think we used to be enemies, and believed you’re Frisk’s Magus Aunt!”
How the human got flustered. “Oh man, don’t tell me the title is official…”
“If the King says he’s gonna adopt you, that’s official enough for me! Welcome to the Dreemurr family.”
“Aw shucks that’s sweet of y’all.” She looked in the general direction of The Spire, nostalgic. “Guess I had it easy. Real adoptions have a ton of red tape. Ol’ Mez must have used his clout to get me a home.”
“Speaking of which,” said Cenna. “Mind sharing more about your past? It’s pretty obvious that you and the King have a strong father-daughter relationship.”
Undyne replied, “As long you share more of yours too.”
That’s what they did. The two tough ladies exchanged the bobs and bits of their yesteryears. Fun stories. Cute moments. Silly tales…
But as the sun grew higher and hotter, the conversation turned to more serious matters. Like the Royal Guard. Gun laws. Protocol. Vanquishers and the police force.
Then Undyne asked…
“Can’t you just stay alive?”
Undyne wasn’t sure how she ended up with that question. To some extent, she regretted it immediately… but words spoken could never be taken back.
Cenna stared back with a sense of betrayed shock. At least, that’s how Undyne understood her expression.
“I-I mean, there has to be some old geezer out there with lots of experience! They would have lived their full life, right? Why not choose them for the Merger? You have lots to catch up with Frisk!”
“Y’know, Cap,” said the Vanquisher. “I had thought of that too. But, erm. Last thing I want is for Frisky to resent me.”
That was not the reply the Captain expected. Taken aback, she exclaimed: “Why would they?!? Getting to spend more time with their long-lost sister has gotta be the BEST outcome, no matter what! Right?”
Cenna frowned. “Well. Yeah. I get what you mean. But I had visited enough hospitals to know that caring for an invalid ain’t all hunky dory.”
“Cap.” She looked away, trying to hide her tears. “According to Lucy, I survived past spring before. And, uh, I would be in a wheelchair by Summer. I don’t think I’d live past the year.”
Undyne should have known better. Perhaps let the issue slide. Or acknowledge it with a sad “oh” and move on. Yet…
“What if you piggyback in Asgore’s body?” exclaimed Undyne. “Continue living as a SOUL?” One second later, she wished that she could suplex herself. Hard. Of all the things she could say… it had to be the worst.
The air became uncomfortable. Awkward.
At long last, Cenna answered. “Y’know. I’ll think about that. Thanks.” And then the Vanquisher scooted off into the yonder.
The words indicated hope, but her body language said anything but. It’s possible that Cenna had already considered the option a long time ago.
Undyne used the bottle to splash some fresh cold water on her face. It’s the sensation of regret over rash words.
Off in the distance, an increased density of vans and trucks began their daily commute toward the border.
“Argh dammit. I gotta focus. The post-market crowd is coming…”
* * *
If Sans had two functional hands, he would have snapped together the final components thirty minutes ago.
Those thirty minutes had become a full hour, and he still struggled to get it right.
The theory was sound: use his False Blue to make the parts stand vertical, tune the alignment with his functioning left hand, and then let gravity help push the slots into the right place.
Except… he’s no Lady Lucy. Without the guidance of his right hand, his False Blue came out far too ‘floaty’. It’s like working without friction. Things kept bobbing up and down and sliding out of place, hampering progress on the Seraph System.
Right now, functionality was incomplete. It can load but one additional colour, and only had a basic DT battery. Not to mention that he hadn’t even started on the casing. It’s just the bare-bones skeletal components.
“Steady. Steady.” he muttered to himself.
After the umpteenth try, he finally heard a satisfying ‘click’. The Seraph System’s interiors are at last one and whole.
He laid everything back down on his workspace. There’s a long way to go, but Sans was content with his current progress.
“That’ll do. Alright. Time to take a break.”
After covering the machine with a piece of loose cloth, he headed out towards the kitchen for a drink. Too bad he’s banned from ketchup with the threat of death. Would be nice to have some.
He took a mug from the drawers and filled it halfway with water. He then walked towards the table to observe the damages from yesterday, sitting down next to the charred lightning print.
Touching the pattern, he muttered: “Lightning, electricity… not immune to backfire. Persona didn’t have that problem. Curious.”
“Hmmm… Frisk, the star. Cosmic power, light, hope. Dreams personified.”
“Mezil, the butterfly. Chaos, life, death and rebirth. Vampire of Time.”
“Mine, the seraph. Divine messenger. ‘Holy, holy, holy, LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory’.”
“Then what of Aiden, the lightning bolt? Gungnir, Odin’s spear. Symbol of power? No. Symbol of control.”
At the end of his musings, the mug’s contents were finished clean. It’s already almost noon. The market should have closed. Once Papyrus delivers the ingredients to the school, he would be on his way back to the lab.
“I wonder what’s up with the others.”
So Sans teleported straight into the heart of the True Lab.
Lady Lucy was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, the Royal Scientists had their heads down in distressed fatigue.
Judging from the spread out pile of papers, they were trying to consolidate their research about Determination. Results, forever pending.
Lifting a brow, Sans commented, “Looks like you two are having a bad time.”
Alphys lifted her finger at Sans. “Do not.”
Sans being Sans, played it cool. “Hey, hey, don’t be so prickly. I’ve been holed up in my workshop the whole morning. Cut off from the rest of the world. An update would be nice.”
Gaster sprung up from his seat. From the looks of things, he’s going to explode into a giant rant.
“CURSE THOSE LIGHTNING MEATHEEEAAAADDSSS!!!” the doctor yelled. “We are behind schedule for an ENTIRE WEEK! That’s one third of our precious, precious time! GONE! Yet we’re faffing around hosting a feast instead of preventing a calamity. I daresay we should be building WAR MACHINES!!!”
The doctor’s extreme outburst raised an internal red flag. Sans never liked those. “Ok doc, calm down. Breathe. Take a cough drop before you rip your throat in half.”
There was no smart retort coming from the goopy doctor. He instead slunk back into a puddle of despair.
“I-I’m trying hard to not cry, Sans.” Alphys added. “Please take your japes elsewhere.”
“Ooookay. I’ll move along then.”
Stability wouldn’t be found in this room. So, he teleported to the lobby. Papyrus had yet to arrive.
It’s a prime opportunity for a quick nap. He thus laid down on the nearest sofa and napped away. No matter the outcome of the feast, he’ll need all the rest he could get for the next round of the midnight oil.
A troubled dream plagued his sleep. Beads of sweat rolled down his bald head, stirring in incoherent mumbling.
Attempts to wake up failed. The mind wanted to flee, yet the bones were unwilling to stir from their stupor.
Until…
“SANS!”
The booming voice of his younger brother jolted him out of the mental hellscape. It’s fortunate that he didn’t misfire a bone or a teleport.
Sans wheezed a few times from the shock. After he settled, he said, “Uh, hi.”
Papyrus asked with a worried frown: “ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU COULDN’T STOP TURNING IN YOUR SLEEP.”
“Oh.” Wiping his forehead, Sans realised he was drenched with sweat too. “I had a weird dream. A nightmare. Couldn’t wake up… until you rolled in. Thanks for saving my pelvis, heh.”
“WITH GREAT PLEASURE, MY APPARENT ELDER BROTHER!” Papyrus shone with genuine joy.
There was a great comfort knowing that despite the amnesia, Papyrus’ core personality hadn’t changed a single bit.
“Come, follow me to my workshop. Let’s put the memory fixing tech to the test.”
“OH BOY, I’M EXCITED!”
Sans let Papyrus nerd out in the science workshop for a while. His little brother always liked the cool and the complex, despite lacking the right mind to grasp their innerworkings.
The book on advanced puzzle construction actually once belonged to Sans himself. But Papyrus appreciated it more than he ever would, so the elder gifted it to the younger. A scientist Papyrus AU was not such a crazy stretch after all.
Pointing to the sheet-covered mechanism on the table, Papyrus asked: “WHAT’S THAT?”
“Heh,” Sans replied, “That is my Magnum Opus, Version 2.0. It’s not done yet though.”
He unveiled the construct. Instant sparkles from Papyrus.
“IT’S SO COOOOOOOOOL! …BUT I HAVE ZERO IDEA WHAT IT DOES. HOW DOES ONE USE THIS CONTRAPTION?”
“You wear it like a bracer. Here, I’ll help.”
After some’ guidance, Papyrus strapped the Seraph System on his left arm without issues. Detecting a flow of magic, the display turned on.
Papyrus’ face lit up in delight. “WOWIE! IT’S WORKING!!! HMMM… ‘ACTIVE: O / B / G’? ‘INACTIVE: C / Y / P’? ‘DT: 0%’??? WHY IS IT ZERO?!”
“Interesting, ain’t it? Maybe it’s better if we jump straight into it. Learning by doing, y’know. Right now, you have the following three colour-coded Seer powers: Orange, Blue, and Green. Our objective is to add Purple on top of your current set.”
Sans pointed at the ‘DT’ meter. “In order to do that, you need to pay the cost. The cleanest and most concentrated source of Determination comes from a SOUL.”
“Monsters have a tiny quantity of it, while humans have much more. So, don’t use it on a monster. That’s a recipe for disaster. On the other hand, getting a permission from a human can be a mite tricky. They’re not bottomless wells either.”
“WHAT ABOUT FRISK?”
“Ah, they’re the exception. Kid’s got more DT than they know what to do with. They’re in school though. Busy, busy.”
“WHAT ABOUT…” Papyrus hesitated. “NEVERMIND. I DON’T THINK HE’S AROUND. IT’S NOON AND VAMPIRES DON’T COME OUT INTO THE SUN.”
Interesting little tidbit. It seemed that the amnesiac Papyrus had an encounter with Mezil Thyme in the vision dive. In addition, he knew that man had plenty of Determination.
“I know who you’re talking about, Paps. And you’re right. Don’t wanna wake him up for something like this. He’s got a big day ahead of him.”
“So,” Sans continued, “Troubling, eh? You need DT-currency but you ain’t got none. Lucky for you, I can foot the bill. Just say yes and I’ll dig into my reserves.”
“OH YOU KNOW SOMEBODY? WAIT.” Papyrus rubbed his chin. “YOU… SAID ‘YOU’ CAN FOOT THE BILL? BUT, MY APPARENT BROTHER, YOU JUST TOLD ME TO NEVER USE THIS DEVICE ON A MONSTER!”
“Ah. Well… about that. I’m not exactly a monster anymore.”
Before Papyrus could react, Sans grabbed the youngster’s arm and pulled it close towards his chest. A bit of telekinesis was enough to eject the hidden blade from its sheath.
“SANS?!” he asked. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING???”
“Papyrus, I want you to understand something. No matter what happens, I will always, always love you.”
Sans then smashed the ‘needle’ straight into his red-dyed SOUL. The procedure began immediately, draining from an ever-replenishing supply of Determination.
“NO!!!” Papyrus freaked out, trying to pull himself free. “STOP THIS INSTANT! I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU!”
“Bro. Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt.”
Though it was true that he felt no pain, his body didn’t like the procedure a single bit. His Determination levels plummeted. At the same time his ‘Redness’ refilled it almost instantly. His head spun from the dizziness caused by the rapid cycle of all or nothing.
When the device had gained enough, Sans let go. He couldn’t stop panting.
Concerned, Papyrus reached out. “A-ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”
“Papyrus,” Sans winced. “There’s… a ‘curse’ on Seers like us. The stronger the Eye, the worse our weakness wanes. To reconnect with your past self, you need to add what you lack.”
“Purple should be enough for now. Don’t try adding any more: the machine doesn’t have that function yet.”
Whimpering, Papyrus clutched the bracer: “I… I… I’M SCARED.”
“I know you are. That’s normal. It is a scary powerful tool after all. Welp. Do you believe in me, a stranger to your current self?”
The hard questions caused a bout of confusion. Papyrus hesitated. Mulled. Pondered. Squeezed both his eyes shut in the struggle to make a decision.
But in the end, Papyrus drew in a deep breath and said: “I BELIEVE, BECAUSE DEEP DOWN I KNOW YOU’RE NOT A STRANGER.”
The Seraph System hummed to life, spawning a pentagram over the Eye. Three points for Orange, Blue, Green. One more to open up a slot. And one final point to add in Purple. With it, Papyrus’ Eye gained a fourth colour, burning with the intensity of a furnace.
“NYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!!”
Mere seconds later, the fire extinguished. Papyrus swayed and wobbled. Sans quickly propped him up with his False Blue magic.
“Bro?” Sans asked. He was prepared for the worst, yet facing the possibility of a botched attempt still filled him with dread.
Then…
…Papyrus gave Sans a great big hug.
“I’M SORRY,” he whimpered, “I’M SO, SO, SORRY FOR FORGETTING YOU.”
It worked. The procedure worked! Sans hugged back tight.
“I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF MYSELF BETTER! OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING???”
“Hey bro, don’t beat yourself up too much. Take it as a lesson. First-hand experience is the best teacher after all.”
Before Sans could send Papyrus off, he needed to confirm one more thing.
“Say, how much of your memory have you recovered? Try to think back as far as you can.”
Papyrus put both fingers on his temple. “HMMMMMMM… I DON’T THINK I CAN RECALL ANYTHING BEFORE MEETING FLOWEY.”
“Hm. Thought so. It appears you only recovered about two years. But that’s enough for you to tackle the feast, at least.”
Sans noticed an oddity. “Wait. Did you just call Flowey… ‘Flowey’?”
“YES, THAT’S HIS NAME ISN’T IT? OR SHOULD I CALL HIM PRINCE ASRIEL?”
Another failure to the failure pile. It’s an expected disappointment. Recovery is always a long, uncertain road.
“…Damn. That’s a bust, huh? You remember what you did, but it’s not personal for you.”
“I SUPPOSE…” Papyrus sighed.
“If that’s the case, be careful. If Aiden finds out you had amnesia, he may void the whole event.”
“WHY?”
“Many possible reasons. Imagine, for example, that he’d accuse the Magus Association or the Dreemurrs of exploiting your condition. Crazy? Maybe. But belief doesn’t run on common sense.”
Papyrus nodded with enthusiasm. “IN OTHER WORDS, I HAVE TO KEEP MY WITS ABOUT ME. I SHALL DO JUST THAT, MY GENUINE BROTHER! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.”
Not even a fraction of self-doubt, as usual. At least Papyrus had enough discernment to ask questions. Though, with the ‘curse’ of the Seers… one can’t take anything for granted.
“Whatever you do, don’t burn your Eye. It’ll eat whatever Purple is left in your body.”
“UNDERSTOOD!” Papyrus returned the Seraph System and left for the school, fired up for his new mission.
Though incomplete, the Seraph System still managed to help. Perhaps Sans had underestimated the potential applications of his creation. He wondered about the potential of this technology.
Could his weapon one day become medicine?