#but since the red witch loves cookies so much she 'reincarnate' them so cookies that crumbled can live again but with past memories erased

[allimili]

"You Poor soul. . ."

[devildom-dedicated-daydreams]

Afterstory (Diavolo)

Arc 3: The Cursed Witch Seduces the Wild Prince

@karmaaf @mac-the-oregonian @imagine-my-hero-and-vills @lady-naho @viptrash @cinnamon-bisquit xxnio-chanxx @pen-observing I wanna be friends with you, too <3 

“Princess … ”

Diavolo cradled your body closer to him. Your warmth seeped out with each second. Stale blood dripped from your wounds.

Diavolo chuckled drily.

Those gentle hands that would pat his head, the calloused but lovely fingers that drove him crazy with each touch--he will never feel them again.

Chuckling became laughing.

His flames blazed brighter and pitch-black smoke rose from earth. Rising higher into the sky, Diavolo’s wings grew and stretched so far they covered the sun and engulfed the city in darkness. From his flames swung out a tail with scarlet scales. It swept across the buildings, killing hundreds and destroying everything.

“Beast!” The humans screamed. “The witch summoned a beast!”

“Witch?” Diavolo repeated.

His maniacal laugh thundered throughout the city.

“You killed her for that?” The woman he loved was a soul who would never use her magic selfishly. You never turned away a patient even when they disrespected you.

The red dragon tenderly gazed at the lifeless body in his hand.

The skin had lost its vigor, scratches covered your face, and the arms …

How long did you suffer? How much did you suffer?

If only … if only he stayed with her.

“Unholy beast!”

Diavolo’s thoughts were interrupted when the human soldiers started shooting arrows at him. One arrow flew past his claws and almost hit your corpse.

The red dragon roared into the sky.

The large city that once bustled with life was reduced to ashes in less than half a day.

Diavolo flew back to your home. When he found the squatters wearing your clothes and the kids trampling the flowers you adored, he almost sent them to the next life. But he sensed the mana that radiated from them. It was your mana.

“Take off the clothes that aren’t yours and leave behind what belongs in this house,” he ordered with glowing eyes.

There were a foolish few who disobeyed by pocketing a ruby Diavolo gifted. They were two kids, the ones who threw rocks at you--

Half their faces were melted off.

“A saint touched your souls so I won’t kill you,” Diavolo said. “But don’t test my patience.”

The refugees ran for the mountains and Diavolo was left alone.

“I’m here,” he whispered, kissing the top of your head. “I’m right here, princess, so come back soon … ”

Gabriel and Lilith arrived a few weeks later. They’ve only now just heard the news.

Shock didn’t begin to describe what they felt at the scene that welcomed them.

Your humble mud house was transformed into a wooden cottage. The tiny patch of soil you proudly called a garden was bigger, lining the side of the river with herbs and flowers and other plants.

Life seemed to overflow

Gabriel barged inside the cottage.

The crown prince of hell sat on the edge of a bed. He was wiping the feet of a corpse, his eyes full of mad love while telling a story about how big the pomegranates were.

“I promise I didn’t use any magic. When you wake up, let’s make some dessert with them--”

A fist flew and Diavolo landed on the ground.

“You crazy … ” Gabriel’s chest heaved. He didn’t even know where to begin.

Luckily, Lilith was there. She patted his shoulder before approaching the prince. “Cousin, this is wrong.”

Diavolo lifted his head, eyes empty before focusing on Lilith. He grinned mechanically. “Oh, I didn’t notice you coming in.”

The angels exchanged glances.

“Do you like the house? I built it myself.”

“Diavolo--”

“I was giving princess a bath, she’s so spoiled--”

“Diavolo,” Lilith cut him off. “Diavolo, MC is dead.”

“She’s sleeping, Lilith. She can’t be dead, she’s going to be the queen of hell. We promised we’d be together so there’s no way she’s dead.”

“Oy,” Gabriel stepped forward, glaring at the prince. “Stop running away from this, bastard. MC is dead. She’s gone.”

“Gone,” Diavolo repeated with a whisper.

Your soul was gone.

Your soul was gone.

Your soul was gone.

But that’s not possible. When you became one, he reinforced his seal so you would be bound to him forever. But your soul was gone. You weren’t just dead, your soul was gone. He couldn’t feel it anymore. Your soul vanished like a whisper in the wind.

Gone--

You were gone.

Diavolo clawed at his chest, cutting skin and drawing blood. His insides twisted. He buckled down and threw up.

“Right--” He croaked as angry fat, angry tears blurred his vision. He pulled on his hair. “She’s gone. She’s gone … Even Barbatos said her soul … she’s gone.”

“Do you think that’s true?” Lilith knelt down and looked straight into his eyes. “Diavolo, think again.”

“A soul is immortal. She may be lost,” Gabriel said. “But she’s not irretrievable. And when she comes back is this how you want to greet her?” He gestured at the ice-cold body.

Diavolo chuckled wearily. “What do you know?”

“I know that you didn’t deserve her--”

“Gabriel--” Lilith tried to calm him down again but he shrugged her off.

“--I know that she deserves more than a pathetic, sobbing mess who avoids responsibility.”

The demon prince couldn’t bring himself to retort. Gabriel was right, he was pathetic.

“I know this doesn’t sound much from an uncultured girl like me but … but I want to work together with you. I want to be a partner who can help you with your problems.”

Your words echoed in the back of his mind and Diavolo laughed again. With a tearful smile, he looked out the window and into the clear morning sky.

“You win, princess. You always win.”

Meanwhile, in a roofless room surrounded by stars and with walls that stretched so far you could not see the end, two men played a game of chess.

The one who held an ebony pawn sighed. It was King Drakul of Devildom.

His opponent, a man with greying hair crudely dyed purple at the tips, quirked an eyebrow. “Something wrong, old friend?”

“I was just thinking--it’s very hard being a father.”

“Oh.” His opponent nodded in agreement. “I feel ya. Lately, Lili has taken an interest in the human realm and Levi…the one with the bowl haircut keeps messing with the time warps. He’s already reading literature that shouldn’t be in existence yet.”

“First of all, their names are Lilith and Leviathan. Secondly, my case is different from yours. Diavolo--”

“It’s about time Diavolo fixes his behavior.”

“I suppose … ”

“Cheer up, Drakul. Our plan worked, or rather, it’s going to work. Ain’t that right, Barbatos?”

Barbatos appeared with a burst of green smoke. He refilled their teacups. “You are correct, Lord God.”

Drakul sighed again.

“Hey now, you can’t start regretting it now,” said Lord God. “I went AWOL for an extra five thousand years just for this moment.”

He disappeared for millenia, causing conflict among the angels, and then arrived in time to stop a full-scale war. Not to mention, he had to create a random body and puppeteer it from the sidelines while waiting for a Host.

“You can’t soften up now. Otherwise all that effort to educate Diavolo would have gone to waste. Think of those poor souls who failed and got sent to punishment worlds because of him, think of those humans he killed when he went feral the other day--think of how many loops Barbatos has gone through--and the beating Diavolo almost gave him!” Lord God dropped a sugar cube into his cup.

“I know, I know … But those 2430 souls are on you. You could easily have asked Barbatos who would be the successful Host.”

“You know I don’t roll like that. It’s boring to know everything—why do ya think I sealed away my powers?” Lord God added another sugar cube. “Ah, speaking of, what do you think of my newest recruit? The second genius I’ve encountered since I started this gig.”

“Hm, let’s see.” Drakul grabbed a flower-shaped cookie. “Sharp-witted, competent and ruthless. I say, they’d be an excellent queen.”

Lord God spat out his tea. “You can’t--cough--you can’t be serious.”

“You can't deny that there is a possibility." He turned to his butler. "Right, Barbatos?”

A mysterious look ghosted over Barbato's eyes, then he grinned subserviently. “It is as you say, sire.”

Author’s note:

If you know me from Tumblr then you already know that I have this headcanon: In the past Diavolo was a wild, rebellious blood knight but now he is desperate to maintain peace in the three realms because he fell in love with a human in the past and patiently waits for her reincarnation so he can welcome her as his queen. Also, he's only the crown prince in the Obey Me! storyline because he refuses to become king without his beloved.

Man, I know I poke fun at him for being a reckless idiot in the story, but damn.

And imagine all the crap he deals with for uniting the three realms--all that effort for a soul who didn’t even look back when she left. 🤧

(To have that kind of power on a man... Ate MC, paturo naman po. Charot lang. We must aspire to be good people haha)

Oh, and by the way--

I would like to clarify something since you guys keep making so many conspiracy theories.

Regarding the characters from the fictional worlds and the real world:

The Obey Me! Characters that manifest in the fictional worlds are treated as separate entities from those in the Real World. E.g. Lucifer from the CEO’s arc is different from the Lucifer in Diavolo’s arc/Real World, so if the same character appears twice, our MC will not compare their names, appearances, etc. Think of it as a perception filter. However, you can say that they are still connected because they are alternative selves of each other. So residual affections felt by CEO!Lucifer will be felt by Real World!Lucifer.

What was the third party interference at the end?

Unless the above story wasn't clear enough, the interference was Diavolo. 

Will MC have a harem?

Who knows.

Hope that makes things clear :D

(And please keep up with the praise, this madam would sell her firstborn for more praises from you guys.)

Until the next arc, my dear readers!

[ruetheend]

BitterBlossoms - Chapter 3: Ruins, a moral compass.

The story so far: Frisk learned more about Tori, Asgore, and Flowey. It seems that in this timeline, Tori and Asgore are not royalty. Meanwhile, Frisk suffers from her own memories as she prepares to battle the ex-captain of the royal guard, Tori Dreemurr.

Click to read the chapter below.

Chapter 3

Author’s Note: Best read on AO3. For original readers of this fic who are wondering where all the chapters have gone, check out my update.

Frisk made an attempt to smile as her adoptive mother placed a piece of pie down on the table before her, but her expression remained neutral despite her intentions. It was hard for Frisk to feel anything aside from a singular feeling of loathing. It had been months since the incident, and Toriel grew more and more concerned with her daughter's behavior. The human girl barely managed to pass her GED test despite Toriel's tutelage. The older goat woman had been shaken up as much as anyone else had been when they heard the news of the dusting, but Frisk's grief was paralyzing. Toriel talked around the issue often, trying phrase things gently or avoiding the topic altogether, but she could not stand to see her child look so wrapped up with... guilt. The mother placed a loving hand on her child's shoulder, and offered her daughter her ear once more, hoping this time Frisk would take it. "My child, you know you can tell me anything, do you not? I desire to give you the space you need to process what happened... but I worry that in doing so I am now enabling you to... give up on life."

The silence that hung between them seemed to burn in Toriel's mind. She could not let Frisk feel so overwhelmed by herself. She could not go through this again with another child. Toriel worried about drawing parallels between Frisk and her other children, but the burning sensation would not let up. Her words were like the water required to stop the flames. "There was nothing more you could have done, my child," Toriel pulled Frisk into a tight embrace. The corners of Frisk's eyes burned as she felt the tears fighting to escape. "Had you become more involved... if you had stepped in... Frisk, we could have lost more than-"

With that, Frisk pushed away from Toriel. Despite herself, Frisk's tears ran down her face. She wanted to be like him, smiling despite how horrible the world could be. Frisk wanted to be strong, but all she could do was cry and feel sorry for herself. The one emotion she could summon in her voice was anger. "Mom, you don't... You don't get it."

Toriel's eyes narrowed at her child. She looked from Frisk to the ground, "Do you not recall? I was around for the war that had my people sealed away. I understa-"

"No, mom, no." Frisk interrupted, her tone taut. "You don't understand. In fact, it's impossible for you to understand. If I just had more control, I could fix everything! If I could just bring up the damn menu-" It was Frisk's turn to be interrupted.

"Frisk," Toriel commanded in her motherly voice. "In this home, you will listen to me and obey my rules. We do not curse in this household, and we certainly do not shout at each other. I love you. You are my child. I think it is time that we discuss active healing from this incident. Perhaps it is time to seek help or meditation..."

Frisk stared at the slice of pie as Toriel lectured her. It was butterscotch-cinnamon, Toriel and Frisk's shared favorite. She noticed then that there was also a small, red cookie on the side in the shape of a heart. It had a sugary powder on it. Dust on red...

Red eyes flashed from beyond the witch hat. Tori stood before Frisk wearing a big brimmed witch hat and holding an oaken staff. A feeling of deja vu overtook Frisk. She had fought her mother before in this very same room. The delta rune on the double doors leading to Snowdin seemed to have something etched around them, but Frisk had no time to inspect this now. Frisk felt the air around her chill as Tori began to levitate from the ground. The goat woman was poised, ready for battle. This Tori was not like the Toriel of her past. Was it so wrong to feel excited? To see something new from a familiar face? Frisk immediately CHECKed Tori.

* Tori - ATK 80 DEF 80

* Only wants what is best for everyone.

"You know, I had once stood in the sun, protecting not only my people... but your people as well," Tori spoke to the ground as icicles began to appear from the ground beneath Frisk's SOUL. The red SOUL moved around, dodging the attacks. It was unexpected, and Frisk felt a strange feeling in her heart. She was about to see something truly awe inspiring.

Frisk lingered on the ACT menu but saw nothing there for her aside from CHECK. She considered for a moment trying to MERCY her would-be mother, but, weren't monsters always at their best when actually challenged? As she fought, Frisk had expected to fight with her bare hands. However, a red knife materialized in her right palm. She looked at it strangely. Tori didn't wait for Frisk to make her attack.

"Even after the humans banished us, I believed in them." Tori summoned a micro hail storm over the red SOUL. The small, hard pellets came out in a zigzag of sorts. Frisk struggled to find the pattern, taking some damage in response.

Once the spell finished, Frisk lunged at Tori with the red knife. The red knife seemed to hit something right in front of Tori that Frisk had not seen. It crackled under the slice of the knife. Tori looked up at Frisk with a determined look.

"Even after our people banished us, I still believed," Tori's next attack was familiar to Frisk. It resembled a giant double helix, made of snowflakes rather than fire. Frisk felt relieved by the familiar attack, weaving her soul in and out of the attack. The attack dissipated, and Frisk wasted no time. With a tight grip, she attacked Tori once again.

Again it was deflected by some invisible barrier.

"But here we are, human, fighting. I cannot help but wonder if I have been wrong to believe... Would my son... my son..." Tori muttered, her face lowering even more, her face completely obscured by her hat. Frisk couldn't help but feel her interest piqued. Of course Asriel had died in this timeline too, after all, Flowey was present. The hail storm fell again, dropping Frisk down to half her health. She cursed under her breath at the damage. Frisk tried again to attack, but already knew the result: no hit. What would it take to land a blow to Tori?

"My son... my poor... son..." The room became deathly quiet as Tori landed on her knees. Frisk tilted her head confused for a moment, but realized the goat woman was crying. It was then Frisk noticed her ACT button glowing red. She examined her new options...

* BARRIER BREAK

What was that? She had never seen an ACT like that before. Without a second thought, Frisk pressed it. Her body seemed to work on its own. She lifted her free, left hand toward Tori and shouted, "Barrier break!" The once invisible wall surrounding Tori shattered visibly before her like glass. Once the shards hit the ground, they dissipated from existence. Frisk noticed Tori holding her face in her hands as she wept. Tori was completely distracted by her grief.

The red knife burned in Frisk's right hand. Its heat comforted her, and she felt guided to end this mother's suffering. That was her mission this whole time, was it not? To end suffering for everyone. Was this not just another means to that end?

You are filled with determination.

The words echoed through her body and mind. Her unstoppable force of will. What she wanted would happen, no matter what. Even the impossible was not outside of her reach. Her constant reincarnation was proof of this, was it not?

With a wicked smile, she approached the grieving mother. Still a wretch as ever. Still just a sad, old woman. The knife came down...

And was met with her staff!

"I am done with believing in humans," Tori looked up from her grounded position. With those words, a large, white circle appeared below Frisk's feet. Frisk could not see Tori's obscured face, but the eye Frisk could see flashed white. As it did, Tori managed to push Frisk far from her, whirling her staff with a flourish. "You would attack me at my lowest point... I cannot go easy on you any longer. This is the point of no return..."

The sorceress floated high into the air, both of her eyes glowing white with power. "I was told it is dangerous for me to go all out while I carry another little one... but in your case, I have run low on options." Tori started to chant a spell beneath her breath. A triangle appeared within the circle, its lines traced in white. Distracted by the appearing lines, Frisk didn't notice the room grow hotter until fire balls summoned and spiraled around. Frisk found little room for error as she danced with the flames. In many ways, she was already practiced to handle this particular spell. It was a piece of King Asgore's repertoire. Before Frisk could even react, Tori whirled her staff around. Several electrical bolts shot from it, following the red SOUL despite being unprepared. Frisk tumbled backward, not having expected the attack.

The Supreme Sorceress has appeared.

Frisk narrowed her eyes at Tori, and through gritted teeth rolled quickly out of the way of a large bolt Tori launched to finish the electrical attack with.

"I am the master of magic, human," Tori's voice was calm. In many ways, she sounded just like the Toriel Frisk knew. "No human has ever gotten past me. You will surely perish."

Her SOUL suddenly turned orange-red. As she stood still, she felt her body and SOUL burn, she rolled into a standing position, finding that it alleviated the pain and quickly began running side to side as Tori fired off another round of fire balls.

"You will witness my special attack," Tori stated plainly. A crescent moon shape appeared within the circle. As it did, more shapes brightly formed alongside the crescent moon both within and without the triangle. "Good bye, foolish one."

Frisk could feel that this would be the end of the fight if she didn't act quickly. Her ACT was a dark red color once more, and so she pulled it up.

* ???

With nothing left to lose, Frisk pressed the curious option. Once again, she reached out with her free, left hand and chanted, "$@#!! &$%*^." The words were foreign to her, and she did not understand what she had even said. However, the magic circle that had started to swirl beneath her feet seemed to go haywire. The lines spun quickly, wire-like strings breaking from the circle. Quickly, the whole thing faded away. For once, Tori looked shocked, even horrified. Without realizing it, Frisk had leaped toward Tori and slashed. Her hand felt guided. Her blade bore deep into Tori's shoulder. Her already widened eyes opened more as the pain flooded her body.

"That's high-level magic... how...?" Tori exclaimed pulling away from Frisk; the red knife buried deep into her shoulder. She collapsed to the floor on her knees again, but her form looked completely unstable. "I... I... I was wrong about you humans..." Tori pulled her head back and laughed. "D.e.s.p.i.t.e. e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g., I... c.o.u.l.d. n.o.t. p.r.o.t.e.c.t..." As she spoke, her voice wavered as if these words took all her leftover power to say. Her body began to disintegrate, turning to dust. First her legs, then her waist, and as it reached her torso, Tori managed to utter her last words. "... e.i.t.h.e.r. o.f. m.y. c.h.i.l.d.r.e.n."

All that remained in that room of Tori was her hat. Everything else about her turned to dust. Frisk looked down at the ground, seeing an insignificant pile of dust. Without another word, Frisk walked into the long hallway behind the double doors. Each step felt like hours as the distance grew between Frisk and Tori. It was okay, right? It wasn't like Tori was dead for good. Frisk was just curious about Tori and her power. Tori and the story she would probably not tell her without being pushed to the brink of death. Seeing her monster family in all their glory... that was okay, was it not? All she needed to do was...

Reset?

Frisk stood in front of Flowey. His blue face pointed at her, but his eyes seemed to look beyond Frisk. He was looking at her face, but not into her eyes. Frisk clenched her fists, ready to be ridiculed by Flowey for giving in again. For, again, killing Toriel in this kill or be killed world.

"Did you really... have to go that far?" Flowey's voice was soft and sounded more closely like the voice Frisk had only heard a few times before. "Don't you think there could've been another way?"

There was a long silence between them. Frisk could say nothing to Flowey. Instead, she felt guilt surging up her spine.

"I... I understand how you feel, Frisk," Flowey's lips curled into a small smile as he looked away from Frisk. "When I watched you fight... You reminded me of me... I can't help but wonder if maybe you've already seen this all before. I wonder if you feel bored of this world..."

Frisk felt her breath catch in her throat. If she said a word, she knew she would start crying. Instead, she stayed silent and held her ground.

"There is still hope for you if you have the same power that I had... go back and undo what you have done. You didn't kill anyone in the ruins, so I think that... the fight was some weird mistake. Mom would never have gone after you so viciously as she did... reset this mistake, Frisk."

With that, Flowey plunged into the earth. By themselves, Frisk's feet moved forward. One after another. Her health was extremely low, but Frisk did not care. Finally, she was outside.

The brisk air chilled her to the bone. Frisk didn't seem to notice. Her mind was numb as she walked with one foot in front of the other. Reset, Frisk thought as she walked toward the bridge. Reset this mistake, reset this mistake. It was so simple, wasn't it? Any mistake could just be reset, and it would be as if nothing had ever happened. Isn't that how Frisk got into this mess in the first place? Her heart felt heavy with guilt. Reset. Isn't that what caused her to feel free with her curiosity? She could kill some of her friends. She could spare some of her friends. She could start out merciful and destroy everyone near New Home. Frisk could commit mass murder in the ruins and come out a saint. She killed in various combinations when she came back into the Underground. When she realized that it was her last chance to see the different outcomes.

Frisk reached the bridge and stood paralyzed before it. How had she not learned her lesson? Frisk cannot quickly reset her mistakes in this world. She could not let her strange and morbid curiosity overcome her. The human let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in. Hot tears streamed down her face, leaving streaks as it did. That was when she sensed it. The hooded creature that had killed her stood behind her. She turned around to meet it.

They stood before her, towering her by a whole head and a half. Frisk had a hard time seeing this monster, as the hot tears in her eyes blurred her vision. They seemed to be dressed like death, in black robes with a black hood. The hood completely shrouded the monster's head in darkness, but she could make out the delta rune symbol on their chest. It was in white; however, it laid on a dark blue color. Frisk was certain this was the monster who had killed her before. It seemed to let her live for longer this time around. Reset.

Frisk suddenly reached out to the creature, grabbing at what seemed like it's arm. Hysterically, she yanked them toward her, but they resisted, pulling away and retaking a step.

"H-help me," Frisk stuttered as she continued to pull at his sleeve. "I-I... I need to die." She looked up at the grim reaper with wide, frightened eyes. "I need-" The wind was taken out of her as the great monster pulled her close, his hood falling back with the motion. They had a skull for a head. They wore a familiar, broad smile.

"would be wrong of me not to help a lady in need," he mused, his skeletal mouth not moving an inch. Somehow, his eyes were not as friendly as she remembered, and his smile, while full, did not seem quite as happy. He brought his face close to Frisk's, almost as if he intended to kiss her somehow. "though i guess i would never have considered myself a lady killer." He chuckled at his pun. Frisk looked up at him, some of the fear leaving her face. Something about that disturbed the skeleton, and he reared his head back. Shortly after he shrugged. "now, since you won't mind... i'll take your SOUL as payment, little lady."

The human felt a sudden pain in her abdomen, and she could feel her vision turning white just has it had before. The world around her burned out, though she could feel her body drop into the snowy ground as the skeleton seemed to curse to himself over and over. His voice became so distant that she could no longer understand anything he said.

The entire world was dark. Much darker than she had seen anywhere else in the Underground. A ray of light grew from a singular point, bathing golden flowers in its radiance. Facing away was a young human. They had brown hair tied up in a messy ponytail, fair skin, and their eyes were such a rich brown they could be mistaken for red. It took Frisk a moment to realize she was alive, but somewhere else. She approached the young human, but paused in her footsteps. Something about them was uncomfortably familiar. Nevertheless, they were human. Humans only wanted to hurt others... even Frisk, herself, was proof of that. The other human seemed to sense her presence and took his gaze from the flowers to her eyes. There was no mistaking it this person looked like an older Chara. He wore different clothing, a green button-up shirt with a yellow bow tie. Despite his soft look and friendly face, Frisk knew better than to trust him.

Greetings, I am Chara.

Frisk narrowed her eyes at him. She took a step back but was ready to fight.

I understand if you are angry with me, however, you are mad at the wrong people.

I am not the Chara of your world. I am also not the one who has killed others for the sake of curiosity.

Even without a weapon, Chara found the right dagger to twist. Frisk paused in her tracks and flinched as he spoke the words.

In fact, am I quite sure I am a victim of your brutality, Frisk. After all... you used my magic to kill poor Toriel Dreemurr.

Frisk looked at him confused.

Your connection to... let us call him, C D for the sake of simplicity. Chara Dreemurr, or C D, is the Chara of your world.

Do you not think you may have molded him into who he is now? Do you say you are entirely blameless in this?

And now you use this connection to corrupt me as well... When you first appeared here, I made the same mistake as he...

I lent you my determination because I sensed that you had none. However, it seemed that you were meant like a Trojan Horse.

You were sent here to infect me, but I was more cunning... and now you are cursed.

The flowers that sprout from your body are my doing, but my hand was forced.

Each time you die, you are closer to true death. Each flower signifies your weakening hold over the material world.

However...

Chara looked Frisk up and down, and his eyes softened.

I can sense that you feel guilt. You feel regret for what you have done in the past... and despite your actions most recently, you regret killing our great captain.

You do not trust me as I do not trust you. However, if there is hope you can be made right again... then I shall aid you.

Frisk took in a deep breath. She always found it difficult to speak to Chara the few times he had bothered to approach her in the abyss. She wasn't sure what to say.

Say nothing, Frisk. Prove to me that you will change, and I will help you in any way that I can... Until we meet again.

When Frisk blinked, she appeared from that otherworldly space to the save point in front of the Dreemurr's home. Her head hurt somewhat, and she hugged something close to her body. She stood there holding Flowey in his flower pot, which she now hugged. He looked up at her with a soft smile. His eyes traveled from her eyes up to where the blue flower had been. He grew a concerned look.

"There is another flower on your head, Frisk," His smile wavered for a moment, but he tried his best to look sharp. "Thank you... for resetting. I know it is a bit hard, but... I know you are a good person."

"How can you tell that?" Frisk responded quickly and shortly. She felt like a monster. Not like her friends, but the sort of monsters she heard of as a child before she found her family beneath the earth. "How can everyone be so sure that I'm..."

"You didn't attack me, for one thing," Flowey gestured with his leaf, tapping it with his other leaf. "For another, you didn't kill da-Gori." He tapped his blade, but fumbled with his words, apparently forgetting he had already referred to Tori as his mother earlier. "Finally... Tori came after you pretty harshly out of nowhere. I mean, I knew a lil about how strong she was, but... what was that about? Were you trying to leave again?"

"Yeah..." Frisk sighed. Toriel always blocked the way to the ruins, but this time her words were starkly different. She wasn't trying to protect Frisk from the monsters. No, she was trying to protect the monsters from Frisk. Rightfully so. Frisk hated the strange feeling that crawled up her spine. She wanted to be a better person, and not descend into madness as she had in the prior run. Her curiosity got the better of her. Sometimes, she felt like her body moved on its own, but Frisk felt that a poor excuse. She lamented how quickly she turned away from pacifism.

"Listen, Frisk," Flowey folded his petals and seemed to prepare to lecture her. "I can tell that Tori is going to guard that door again... and if you want to leave so badly, well... I guess I've got to go with you."

Frisk gave Flowey a blank stare. Flowey was strange enough with his helpful demeanor and his lack of calling her an idiot. She was unsure about bringing him along. Flowey seemed able to read the expression on her face and rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don't want you to feel forced to kill Tori again, but I also don't want anything bad to happen to you." Flowey suddenly blushed, looked away, and quickly added, "O-or anybody else Underground! I-I mean, you defeated Tori at her full power! I am not sure how you did that, and honestly, that means I should keep my eye on you, right?"

Frisk laughed to herself and shook her head. Flowey wanted to help her out. Oddly, this time... perhaps Flowey would help be her moral compass as opposed to goading her to hurt her friends.