The man's words settled into the damp air, the fire flickering low now, casting a warm orange glow onto the stones around them. The girl didn't move. She simply sat, her hands wrapped around her knees, eyes fixed on the flames as if trying to peer into the past itself. The rain still whispered through the trees, weaving its rhythm into the silence.
Then, gently, the man began to speak again.
"We return, then, to the final moments of that timeline. When peace was no longer a dream… but something real."
And just like that, they were back there.
—
The barrier had shattered. For the first time in centuries, the monsters stepped out of the Underground and into the wide open sky. The surface world was bright, overwhelming—a canvas of colours they had forgotten existed.
Frisk stood among them, arms outstretched, spinning once under the open sky. A breeze danced through their hair. They laughed. A real laugh—small, unsure, but pure.
Toriel and Asgore walked side by side, their history heavy between them, but hope starting to stitch something tentative and new. Papyrus gawked at the trees, the birds, and the clouds. "NYEH HEH HEH! THE SURFACE IS EVEN MORE MAJESTIC THAN I IMAGINED!"
Undyne immediately began exploring, dragging Alphys with her, eyes alight with fierce wonder. "A NEW WORLD TO DEFEND! LET'S SEE IF THERE ARE ANY EVIL TREES OUT HERE."
Alphys stammered something about biology and accidentally walked face-first into a squirrel.
Even Sans smiled faintly, watching everyone with his usual half-lidded gaze. But Frisk could see the glint in his eyes—he was thinking. Always thinking.
Through it all, Chara stood quietly at Frisk's side. No one else could see her, but to Frisk, she was as real as the sun now rising over the horizon.
She smiled—truly smiled—for the first time since she had awoken. "You did it," she whispered, voice like a fading thought. "You really did."
Frisk turned to her, beaming.
Chara's smile faltered only slightly. "This world… it isn't for me. But I'm glad I got to see it. Even just once."
Frisk reached out, but Chara stepped back, her eyes soft with understanding.
"Don't worry. I'll always be watching. And if you ever fall again… I'll help you back up."
Her voice grew fainter, like mist dissolving in sunlight.
"Thank you… for showing me mercy."
And then she was gone.
—
The girl looked up sharply, her eyes wide beneath the hood of her coat.
The man glanced at her, head tilted slightly.
She made a small motion—a finger swirling in the air, like wind or dust being carried away.
"Yes," he murmured, "Chara faded. But she left something behind. Not regret. Not anger. Just… hope."
The fire cracked softly. The rain eased, becoming a whisper rather than a chorus. The mountain breathed.
"And that," the man said gently, "was the end of one story. A quiet, imperfect peace. Not everyone understood it. Not everyone wanted it. But it was real."
The girl nodded slowly. Then she raised a hand.
The man paused.
She pointed to the fire, then drew a slow, straight line in the air. She was ready. Ready for the next part.
The man leaned forward, his voice a low murmur beneath the wind.
"Then let us begin a new story…"
His fingers brushed the firewood, and the flames danced higher as if stirred by the promise.
"Once upon a time…"