As appointed, you arrived at the Bunny Inn on 4.30 PM. Alone. You brought along a shopping bag filled with goodies.
At first, you told Mom that you want to give your long-lost sister a slice of her famous pie.
Then Mom thought that Cenna would need more than that. Before you knew it, Mom added a selection of dehydrated sachet drinks: both plain and chocolate milk, 3-in-1 coffee, and some cereal mixes.
These were a godsend for travellers. Most hotel rooms don’t have a kitchen. You utilized many of these products during your world-roaming timelines.
You said hello to the owner and her son.
“Hello, Frisk.” She greeted.
The bunny boy exclaimed, “Frisk! Did you get my get-well card?”
Yup. You thanked him for his sweetness. He’s delighted.
“How are you feeling now?” He asked, “Will you be going to school tomorrow?”
Much better than Friday for sure. But, you’re not sure if you’re well enough for Monday.
“Take care of yourself then. Shouldn’t you be home? I hear the winter air is bad for humans that are ill.”
You showed him the bag, explaining that you’re here to deliver some stuff to your relative. Remember the cool lady who hung out with everyone at recess?
“Ooooooooh! Just make sure you go back home early, okay?”
You nodded and thanked him for the concern.
Just when you finished up the conversation, a taxi stopped in front of the inn. Cenna stepped out, exiting the car in her full noir detective glory.
She didn’t even have to try to be stylish. The way she carried herself cemented the mood by default.
“Oh hey, she’s back!”
Cenna brightened up when she saw you. “Heya, Frisky! Looks like you got quite a bit of stuff there.”
Butterscotch cinnamon pie and drinks, courtesy of the Toriel household.
“Aww thanks. You’re all sweethearts.”
She rubbed your head. This time, you came prepared with a small wooden comb. You straightened out your hair as fast as she messed it up.
You both laughed together.
The innkeeper chuckled along. Then, she told Cenna: “Miss Caraway, I’ve cleaned your room just as requested.”
“Thanks a bunch, madam.” She tipped her hat as a token of gratitude. “C’mon Frisky, let’s have some pie together.”
If only the reason was the pie itself. The two of you knew that it’s not something so simple.
Cenna let you sit on the fresh bed itself, while she pushed a cushioned chair closer.
The chat-shop interface appeared the moment she sat down.
Her expression turned remorseful. “Sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long, Frisky. We couldn’t say much until we’re sure you’re prepared for it. More so with the whole DEMON deal.”
You understand. If you were in her position, you wouldn’t want to disclose too much information either.
“Ask me anything, Frisky. I ain’t got anything to hide anymore. Not at this point.”
> Red Butterfly
What does it mean?
“That’s Mezil Thyme’s SAVE symbol. It’s a link to the Determination of his SOUL. If you got that, it means you caught his attention. ”
“Remember the cinnamon roll, Papyrus? Mez planted his symbol on your friend and ‘Marked’ his existence, tying your skelly friend to a state outside of time. That’s how he remembered every loop and became a time-travelling hero.”
So that’s what Papyrus meant by ‘giving a chance to help’. No wonder he suddenly upgraded to ‘super awesome’ status.
The next question appeared before you.
> Who is Mezil Thyme?
Cenna answered, “He’s a ‘Living Victory’. A.k.a ‘Humanity’s Ultimate Weapon’.”
You thought The ‘Living Victories’ are DEMONS. What about the hero in the demon story?
“Yeah, I couldn’t explain that in detail back then. You see, The Living Victory doesn't just describe one person. It’s a title for anyone with the power over time. Frisky, you’re also a Living Victory.”
“Truth be told, there’s a thin line separating a Living Victory from a DEMON. Both are fuelled by Determination. A sense of conscience is the only thing that makes a difference. A Living Victory gone nutty might as well be a DEMON, even if they still have their SOUL.”
“And that’s what happened to the Fallen Hero. They succumbed to their own power and bloodlust. That fella’s already a psycho from the beginning. Having timey-wimey powers just made it all the worse.”
“But don’t get cocky, Frisky. Many, many other Living Victories fell into the same trap. I’ve read case files where they started out as good normal citizens. By the end, wow. They made me wanna guzzle down a whole bottle of mouthwash. Disgusting.”
You too almost fell into the darkest of darkness.
It was so close, it’s frightening.
> What does Mezil want?
“You. I ain’t kidding there. To be exact, he wants to judge your heart. That’s exactly why he’s ‘Judge’ Mezil Thyme, you know.”
That explains… so little.
You noticed a new option opening up to you.
> Judges.
What do they do?
“We examine others. For example, I’m a Judge Vanquisher. When it’s exam season, I’d duel my set of candidates and see if they got what it takes to bear that title.”
What about their passing rate?
Cenna lightened up a bit and shrugged. “Eh, I don’t have many years under my belt due to my age. I mean, I ain’t even thirty yet. But I give all my candidates a super hard time. Out of ten, only three ever match my standards. The usual passing rate is twice of that.”
Did it reach a point where the admins ‘subtly’ sent her out on a mission so they could pass more students?
“Hell yeah,” she laughed. “Oh man, it’s so blatant it’s funny. It’s not that I want to be mean or anything. All Magi have basic exorcism abilities. They can send off a low level DEMON or appease harmless spirits anytime.”
“But Vanquishers are specialists. When do you bring out the specialists? When crap hits the fan, of course. We deal with the deadly stuff. If I pass a fella who ain’t prepared, I’m just sending them to their death.”
“…I can’t let that happen. I know what’s it like to lose a family.”
Turns out your situation was so dangerous, they assigned one of the best. And she still died countless times. Dang.
> Mezil’s Exam.
Cenna answered, “He’s to judge the Living Victory: the number one examiner for anyone with power over time. You win the cosmic lottery? He’s gonna check ya through and through.”
Fffffffffffffffffffffff---
“Hey, hey Frisky. You look like you’re gonna explode there. Don’t panic, there are options. I’m here to explain to you all about that.”
“He’s strict, but not cruel. If your power popped up at random and you don’t want anything to do with it, you can choose to surrender. He’ll make the butterfly mark permanent and you’re free to live as a normal person. After some form-filling of course.”
“If you want that power just to solve a case like say, saving someone from death? Okay, he can ‘loan’ you that ability until you’re done. Heck, he’ll even show you the ropes. For these guys, their Determination levels tend to normalize after they completed their mission. He didn’t even need to alter them with magic. Most of the time anyway. After a quick registry, it’s back to normal life.”
“Now, if you think you’re worthy of keeping your power… that’s when things get complicated. You must submit yourselves through the Trial of the Crimson Hall. There are no exceptions.”
There’s nothing else to ask other than the trial itself.
>Trial of the Crimson Hall.
“After the Fallen Hero fiasco, the Magus Association implemented a system to examine those who want to join the Living Victory club.”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“They’ll give you a hard philosophical question. Then, they’ll push you to your physical, mental, and emotional limit. Do you have the ‘determination’ to overcome your trial without succumbing to the darkness?”
“If you fail at any point, the Judge will have the right to kill you on the spot.”
What.
What.
What?!?!?
You dropped your jaw.
Cenna flashed a weak, cynical grin. “Yeah. That’s right, Frisky. The penalty of failure is death. You answer the question wrong? You die. Fail to be determined? You die. Lose yourself? You’re definitely gonna die.”
“There’s more than one reason why that chamber is called the ‘Crimson Hall’. It’s not a game. If you can’t convince Mez, he’s gonna make sure you stay dead. Forever.”
But, why???
“Peace. Ironic, I know. Mez’s whole purpose in life is to make sure no psychopaths gain the power to manipulate time. Can you imagine the hell if a misanthropic chessmaster becomes the primary Living Victory? Mez knows that first hand.”
“He survived it.” Emphasis there.
“We Magi call that event the ‘War of the Red Victory’. One of the ugliest upsets in modern magic history.”
Now you’re curious.
>War of the Red Victory.
What happened back then?
“When Mez was my age, he gained the power of SAVES. Lucky for him, his collegemate came from a Magus background. Explained the circumstances and stakes, you know. Just like me.”
“Mez decided to undergo the trial. Why? I have no idea. He never wanted to share.”
“On the day of his trial, the previous judge -- one of the strongest Living Victories ever -- got murdered by another Living Victory. Dead for good. No RESETS, no LOADS, no revival. Nothing.”
You gasped.
“Without the linchpin, everything collapsed. Eight of the strongest Red SOULS gained full power of time: all at once, all in one place. It became a bloody battle royale to fill the empty throne.”
“One of the eight was Mezil himself. He made a red ally. Then he had to deal with two neutral parties who did whatever the hell they wanted. And the remaining four? Psychos of various levels.”
“One of those four was none other than the twisted ‘demon’ who started that mess. Mind you, they were all living people with their SOULS intact. It ain’t a Chara incident.”
“The mastermind played everyone out. At one point the bugger took advantage of a young girl’s insecurities and put Mez into a deathtrap. You can imagine the tears of regret. Poor lady.”
Talk about being rotten.
What’s the purpose behind all this violence? You don’t understand.
“To eliminate competitors, Frisky. Those manipulative bastards wanted the power all to themselves. If they sat on that throne, nobody could touch them. Imagine how they could play with the world if they became the Living Victory. It’ll be the Fallen Hero incident all over again. Maybe worse.”
And Mezil survived all of that?
“Oh yeah. He did. From what I’ve heard, Mez became so pissed off that he refused to die. Literally. Even when his body got burnt to ashes, his SOUL refused to break.”
Oh em gee.
It’s just like your battle with Asriel in his Hyperdeath mode.
Whenever your SOUL shattered, you forced it back together. Heck, you survived a direct beam blast that would have torn reality apart.
Mezil did the same.
“You know what this means, Frisky? That’s Ascension. For the Reds anyway. He pretty much flipped the tables and rewound time to his will. Since then, the outcome to the War of the Red Victory rested in the hands of two time-travelling determinators.”
“In the end, Mez and his team won. They had no choice but to kill. Too dangerous to keep alive, you know. That bastard’s already a full-fledged DEMON by then anyway. Flowey and Chara are nothing compared to that fella.”
“Obviously, the Association passed Mezil. The whole time-loop war might as well be a giant Crimson Hall. An unexpected and unwanted one, but he proved himself.”
“So they granted him the title of ‘Supreme Judge’ and recognized him as a Living Victory. He’s been at it since.”
The first reply that dropped out of your mouth was this: so Anime is real?
Cenna burst into laughter. “I knew you’re gonna say that! Heh, yeah. The realistic parts at least.”
At this rate, you can’t tell what’s ‘realistic’ anymore.
> Curious bonus question.
Selecting that prompt made Cenna raise one brow. “Huh? What’s that about Frisky?”
You asked her if, hypothetically, you decided to evade the trial while keeping your power. What’s going to happen?
She pulled her head back as if you suggested the worst decision possible. That might be true.
“Whoa. Whoaaa Frisky, I totally don’t recommend you to do that. If you abscond with your power, you’re telling Mez one thing and one thing only: you’re arrogant. The kind of arrogance that created that bastard DEMON of hell royale.”
“Mez will stop at nothing until you’re deader than dead.”
Wow. Someone actually tried to do that after all the warnings?
Cenna nodded at you. “Yup. There’re always jerks who think they’re above it all. They think they can’t be caught or killed just because they have power.”
“Well, they’re all done in by none other than Judge Mezil Thyme. He could either elect a proxy like Papyrus, or kill you with his own two hands. No one escapes his judgement.”
For some reason, you mentioned that it’s ‘just like Sans’.
You covered your mouth out of embarrassment when you realised what you had said. Cenna just smiled back.
“Oh yeah, Mister Blue Lichborn. You know Frisky, I respect him a ton. I mean it. Yeah, we’re not on good terms. But I know a dependable guy when I see one.”
Even if he looks like a ‘trashy lazybone’?
“Heh, don’t judge loot by its boxes. Lots of valuable contraband is packed behind plain fronts.”
Okay, you expected a more traditional idiom. That works well too. Better, if you’re honest.
“I tried to strike a truce with Sans at one point. Well, Mez told me he suffered a huge breakdown not long after. Guess that ain’t gonna go anywhere.”
Cenna passed you her phone. It’s set to Mezil Thyme’s number. All you needed to do was to tap the phone-shaped icon and you’d be on the line.
“Why don’t you talk to Mez for a bit?”
Blood ran from your face.
Who the heck calls the head examiner for more details?!
Isn’t that against student conventions???
Exams weren’t your strong points. As far as you could remember, you turn quieter than a mouse during the exam seasons. Even your friendlist teacher looked intimidating when they graded your stuff.
And that’s just math and assorted paper tests! Now you had to talk to a guy who could kill you???
She nudged you on the shoulder. “Aw c’mon Frisky. He’s a human being just like you and I. Plus, he’s a really big tsundere.”
You watched her lean back against the chair and cross her legs.
“Heh. I’m so casual around Mez ‘cause he’s a family friend. He took care of me after the quake killed our parents. Made sure I eat well, study hard, get the right healthcare, don’t go off the rebel path, and a bunch of other stuff. He watched over you too. From a distance, of course.”
So the whole co-worker problem was…?
“Haha! It’s just the both of us getting too used to each other, really. He watched me grow up, and I watched him go grey.”
Insert awkward chuckle from the cool woman here. “…Our yelling competitions ain’t healthy though. Sometimes I get too hot for my own good.”
Papyrus trusts this man too. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.
You tapped the call icon.
After three beeps, the other side answered. You said hello.
“Evening, Frisk. I presume you’ve listened to Cenna’s explanation?”
Yup, you did.
Calm down. Think logically. If you’re Sans, what would you ask first…?
Time. How much time do you have before your final decision?
“It depends on you.” said Mezil, “There are no minimum ages for the Trial, but we do follow standard consent laws. I believe you remember the timeline where you lost the custody case?”
That was the draggiest timeline ever. It’s an achievement that you held back the RESET button for so long.
You told him you remember.
“We’re on the same page then. I’ll say it upfront: back then, I couldn’t trust your monster family. They see you as a normal child. Too soft to realise the stakes.”
“The idea was to put you in a suitable human family who would coach you for the Trial. When you first emerged from the Underground, I thought to test you when you hit eighteen years of age.”
“But with every RESET, you grow stronger. You don’t feel it since it’s a gradual process, but it’s obvious to an outsider. Have you noticed that after a certain point, you no longer lose your memories even when you want to?”
You said ‘yes’ and nodded your head, although he won’t be able to see it.
“The same happened to me. For a veteran Living Victory, there’s no such thing as clean slates.”
“As your powers increase, so did the urgency. I was once ready to examine you as a young teen. Now, you haven’t even started puberty.”
“Nevertheless, I would personally ask for your decision. You have the choice to surrender. If you decide to keep your powers, I’d give you extra time to prepare for the Trial of the Crimson Hall. Should you pass… you’ll be trained to take my place.”
A successor?
“I won’t stay young forever, Frisk. Sooner or later I must plan my retirement. Anyone who takes after me must be capable of maintaining the peace. It’s a heavy and demanding job. Maybe you won’t be a Judge, but you’ll certainly hold great responsibility.”
But, why you? Isn’t there another Red SOUL who could fill in the shoes?
“Funny you should ask. It’s because you set Monsterkind free. No normal child is capable of that. Have you realised that the partitions never healed?”
You pushed out your SOUL to check. It’s still in pieces.
“That’s another sign of maturity. The average age to maintain a partition is fourteen years old. Your current actions and your mastery of Determination are on par with an adult in their twenties.”
That’s true. You won’t deny that your mind and experience had developed far beyond your physical age.
“I believe you’re now prepared to make your own decision. Hence, I marked you with my symbol and instructed Cenna to explain our history.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re still legally a minor. I don’t expect you to give up your childhood right away. But, if you’re certain… Cenna will sign the permission you require to enter the Crimson Hall.”
“Papyrus will protect you as my proxy in the meantime. Should any unfortunate accidents happen during your grace period, we’ll set things right.”
“Do you understand?”
Yes. You do.
You asked Mezil if he could give you a week to think.
“Just a week?”
Maybe you’d need more time to prepare, but for now a weekly checkup sounds good. This way, you could seek Mezil’s advice too.
“Very well. That’s a well-thought plan. Though, I would prefer to have your answer before Spring. Cenna will go on a very important mission then. I can’t guarantee the outcome.”
Judging from what you’ve heard about her health, it could be her last mission in more ways than one.
When in Spring itself? Does she have an exact date?
“It’s the season when cherry blossoms bloom. We have quite a few of those trees at the institute.”
You told Mezil that you understand.
Well, you had enough for now. You said good evening to him.
“One more advice before we end the call. Ask Doctor Gaster about the ‘Seven Sages’. I believe you’d find that story interesting, if not relevant to the Trial itself.”
More skeleton history?
More skeleton history. That does sound enticing. Sans did say that his people taught the humans magic. No doubt he learned that fact from his mentor, Gaster.
Now you’re going to have the opportunity to hear from the man himself.
Mezil said his goodbyes and ended the call. You handed the phone back to Cenna, telling her that you’ll contact him again.
“Told ya it ain’t so bad,” she said. “I’m gonna send you his number. Then you could phone in wherever, anytime.”
Thanks for that.
Now, it’s time for the glorious pie. You dug through the bag and presented Mom’s signature dish to Cenna.
“What pie is this?” She asked with great curiosity. “Never seen anything like it before.”
Serious? Cenna had never seen a butterscotch cinnamon pie, let alone eat one?
“Serious, Frisky.”
Then she must totally, absolutely, certainly try this. You helped her get a teaspoon from the counter.
Your eyes locked on her in anticipation for her first bite.
“Mmmm!” Cenna’s expression lit up as you expected. She then cut another small piece. “I ain’t a fan of desserts but this is awesome! Man, the wife would love the cinnamon.”
The wife…? Whose wife?
Here comes the grinning and eyebrow wriggling. It’s just like the girls’ sleepover with Undyne and Alphys: gossiping the latest stories and ranting about anime.
“Mez is married to a lovely lady,” said Cenna. “That butterfly brooch? His version of a wedding ring. The missus wears a matching sapphire-blue one.”
You squealed like the kid you are. That’s so romantic! Will you and your friends ever get the chance to meet her?
“Maaaaybe? First, you need to impress Mez by not kicking the bucket.”
She paused for a moment. “You ain’t scared, Frisky? Your life’s on the line. And yet we’re having pie-time like it’s nothing.”
If there’s one thing you learned from this time-looping-underground-monster fiasco, it’s to take it slow.
…To be honest, you were more afraid of falling from grace. You rather die as yourself than to live as a heartless DEMON.
“How close were ya?” She asked.
You pinched the tiniest space with your fingers, then peered in between them.
“Hah. No wonder death ain’t a big deal anymore. Well Frisky, I ain’t gonna leave you high and dry if you wanna take the Trial. I did swear on our parents’ grave that I’ll protect you.”
How will she help? You asked.
“By teaching you everything I know. About magic. The Association. And this!”
She unpocketed her watch and spun it around her finger.
Isn’t that the family heirloom?
“Yup! This, Frisky dear, is gonna be your trump card.”