Souls & Hearts:Underground

[Quillion9000]

Roxas' Diary
Day 7: Entry 1
It's been a week since I got here. Saix told me to keep a diary, but what am I supposed to write about? Well, today they told us to go to the Round Room where we met our new member, No. XIV. Was I like that when I first got here? I think I was, but I don't remember too well.

Day 8: Entry 2
Axel and I went to Twilight Town today. He taught me a lot. Before we RTC'd (Returned To the Castle), we swung by the clock tower and had some sea-salt ice cream. Axel called it the "icing on the cake" after a successful mission, except there was no cake just the ice cream.

I don't know what to write in this thing!

Day 9: Entry 3
The past few days, the other members have been showing me how to fight and do mission stuff. They also told me more about the Organization and myself. I still don't really get what a 'heart' is. Apparently, it's a vital piece to who I am, so I've decided to cooperate. If I collect enough hearts, I can complete Kingdom Hearts. Then, I'll be whole.

Day 14: Entry 4
Axel and I went on a mission to Twilight Town. Afterwards, we had ice cream again up on the clock tower. He said friends do stuff like that, or they laugh together. Does that mean we are friends?

Day 15: Entry 5
The other members have been teaching me more about fighting and stuff. It's going well, I guess. Every day, after work, I've been meeting Axel at the clock tower to have sea-salt ice cream. It really is salty yet sweet. How come it tastes so familiar?

Day 22: Entry 6
Axel is going to some place called Castle Oblivion. He told me because we're friends. He had to go home early to get ready. After he left, I noticed the word 'WINNER' on my ice cream stick. I wonder what I won? I'll ask Axel when I see him tomorrow.

Day 23: Entry 7
Axel left before I woke this morning. I never got to ask him about the ice cream stick. I was partnered with No. XIV for today's mission. Xion wore a hood the whole time and wouldn't say a word. Come to think of it, I didn't have a lot to say. Afterwards, I had ice cream by myself.

Day 24: Entry 8
I teamed up with No. XIV again today, and we finally talked a little. Xion even said my name for the first time. Afterwards, I had ice cream by myself again. The lady at the shop said you can trade the WINNER stick for an extra bar, but I can't eat more than one.

Day 25: Entry 9
Today was my third day with Xion, and I've gotten to know a little more about her. That's right! She's a girl with black hair and can even use the Keyblade like me! I took her out for ice cream afterwards, but I'm saving the WINNER stick. Axel deserves a reward when he gets back. Xion wants to have ice cream with us from now on, so maybe we'll all be friends.

Day 26: How Long?
I heard somebody sent to Castle Oblivion was terminated. Saix said it may have been Axel. I tried to ask Xigbar about it on today's mission, and he said nothing is left of Nobodies once we're gone. It's because we have no hearts to leave behind. I don't remember much after that.

They say I then collapsed and wouldn't wake up…

Day 50: Xion's Seashells
I woke up to find a bunch of seashells by my pillow. I counted them, one for each day I was asleep. I wondered who left them, but when I got to the clock tower, Xion gave me another. I held it up to my ear and could hear the ocean…

Why did it sound familiar?

The stuff I dreamed about felt strangely familiar to. I remember being in a white room with somebody in red. Then, he disappeared into the white. There was also this girl's voice. She said she knew I'd be "snoozing." Why would she know that?

The voice sounded a little like Xion's.

Day 51: Annihilated
It sounds like the worst has come to pass. The whole C.O. team, wiped from existence. It's hard to come to grips with the idea Axel is gone. I feel…choked up? I don't know what you'd call it. I went up to the clock tower to have ice cream, but no one else showed up.

Day 52: Ice Cream Alone
I sit up on the clock tower, but no one comes. Not Axel, not even Xion. That weird lump in my throat won't go away. Something else is bothering me. This is going to sound crazy (good thing this is a private diary!), but these pictures keep flashing through my head. Not all the time, just sometimes since I collapsed. It happens when I'm awake too, so I don't think they're dreams.

Where do the pictures coming from?

Day 71: Axel's Back
After work, Axel turned up out of nowhere. I didn't know what to say. I thought we'd lost him for good. We went up to the clock tower and talked for a while. I told him about Xion. The choked-up sensation has gone away.

Day 72: Ice Cream with Axel
Axel and I went to Agrabah. He seems different now that he's back from C.O. Ice cream was just the two of us today.

I wonder when Axel, Xion, and I will get to have ice cream together?

Day 73: Where's Xion?
After I finished my mission, I wanted all three of us to have ice cream, but I couldn't find Xion. It's been at least ten days since I've last seen her. Axel said he'd ask Saix what was going on. Speaking of Axel, I didn't see him at the clock tower today.

Day 74: The Three of Us
Today, my job was to help Axel find Xion. It turns out she had gone missing, but we managed to find her. We finally got to have ice cream together, which was nice, but Xion can't use her Keyblade anymore. Axel says friends help each other, so I'm going on missions with her until she remembers how to work the Keyblade herself.

Day 75: Inseparable
Xion and I are working together now. The Genie we met in Agrabah said he and his friend Al are "inseparable." Axel told us best friends can be inseparable even if they're not always together, but it sounded like he wasn't sure about it himself.

I thought Axel knew everything.

That reminds me, those weird pictures flashed through my head again while I was in Agrabah. The boy in red I wrote about before…

Has he been to Agrabah or something?

Day 94: Kingdom Hearts
Xemnas summoned us. Nothing he says ever makes sense to me. He showed us Kingdom Hearts, a big heart-shaped moon floating up there in the night sky. He said the human heart will never have power over us. Great, I guess? So, why are we trying to get hearts again?

Axel said I'll understand once I have a heart, but I'm not sure…

Day 95: My Past
I went to Agrabah today with Xion. We make a pretty good team now. Afterwards, we spoke with Axel about the other Nobodies. The ones who make it into the Organization are powerful enough to keep their memories, yet Xion and I can't remember our pasts.

What was I like?

Day 96: Out of Trouble
Today's mission was with Xion, in Beast's Castle. I tried loaning her my Keyblade, and she had no problem using it. That meant I had to fight without it, but we got the job done. Afterwards, Xion remembered how to summon her own Keyblade, so I guess we're out of trouble. When we were done, we all had ice cream together.

Day 97: Our Place
Every day, after work, the three of us have been going to our place on top of the clock tower to have ice cream. We don't talk about much, but I wouldn't miss these conversations for the world. I wonder if Axel and Xion feel the same…

Do the other Organization members have their own routines? It's hard to picture.

Day 117: Special Nobodies
Today, it was Xigbar and me while Axel and Xion went out on their own mission. Xigbar told me Xion and I are "exceptional." You know, special Nobodies. Because we can use the Keyblade? Work dragged on late, so I didn't make it up to the clock tower.

I wonder if Xion and Axel made it. Those pictures started flashing through my head again on the mission. The boy in red…What's it all about? Maybe when Xigbar called me "special" he meant "crazy." Seriously, is Xion experiencing the same thing? It feels weird to ask.

Day 118: Vacation
Today was my first vacation ever. I didn't know what to do with it, and all Axel would say was to do what I like. Well, all I like is having ice cream with my friends, so that's what I ended up doing. Axel leaves tomorrow for a mission.

That reminds me, I still haven't given him the WINNER stick!

Day 119: Something to Protect
Today, Xaldin and I explored Beast's Castle and found something he wants to protect. Xaldin says that's a weakness, but I'm not sure. What does it mean to care about something that much? I don't, so it's hard to wrap my head around the whole idea.

Day 149: WINNER
Today's mission took me to a new world. It was a weird place. I was up on the clock tower afterwards when Axel turned up after being away forever. He said he finished that long mission, but this time Xion didn't show. I was going to give Axel that WINNER stick, but I should wait until I get another. It wouldn't be fair to leave Xion out.

Day 150: Too Precious to Lose
Xion didn't come to the clock tower again today. She and Saix had some kind of argument. Axel and I talked for a while about the things we can't bear to lose. Axel thinks for Nobodies it's our past because that's all we have to remember the pain of losing something.

I don't remember my past, but the idea of losing the present, Axel or Xion, scares me.

Day 151: What Makes Us Different?
I ran into Xion in Twilight Town. I guess she messed up a mission bad the other day, and it's been bugging her. We went up to the clock tower afterwards. She said we're different. That's obvious if you look at us, but I don't think that's what she meant.

A lot seems to be on her mind, and it's not the same as what's on mine.

Day 152: I Don't Get It
I think Xion might be mad at me, but I don't know why. Axel says girls are complicated. You can't press the wrong buttons.

Like I'm supposed to know what the right ones are!

Day 153: No Taste for It
It's hard spending time with Xion, and Axel seems busy too. I've been having ice cream alone, but it's just not the same. All I taste is the salt, and my hands get sticky. It's like I'm going through the motions of eating it just to throw the stick out and get on with life.

I must've had about a hundred of these things, yet I still haven't found another WINNER. I never did find a way to ask Xion about the pictures going through my head. I don't really know what to do about anything right now.

Day 171: What's Love?
On my mission to Beast's Castle, Xaldin told me about 'love,' and the special power it has over people. I tried to ask Axel about it, but his explanation didn't make any sense to me. Every time I ask him about this, he tells me I need a heart to understand. It's like he's dodging the question.

Day 172: Xion Collapsed
Xion failed her mission and now she's in a deep sleep. I thought they were lying to me when they told me, but I went to see her. She really was just asleep. I left a seashell by her pillow, just like she did for me. Saix hates her, and I don't know why.

Maybe he knows more about her than the rest of us do. Those pictures flashed through my mind again on today's mission (the same boy in red as usual). I guess he's been to Wonderland. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm seeing.

Day 173: Picking Up the Slack
I've decided to work harder while Xion is asleep and pick up the slack. Axel said he asked Saix about her, but no dice. He did say Saix was having second thoughts about calling her broken, though.

I just hope we get this drama ironed out before she wakes.

Day 174: Seashells for Her
Xion hasn't woken up, but I'm pulling double duty to make up for it. Axel and I talk about the dumbest stuff now, up at the clock tower. Afterwards, we head back to the castle, and I leave a seashell by Xion's pillow.

It would please me to see her smile when she finds them. Pictures flashed through my head again in Never Land, and when I flew, it felt like I'd done it prior. Has the guy in red flown before, is that it?

Day 193: Best Friends
Xion's awake! The three of us were going to get ice cream after our mission; however, she passed out again, so we had to take her home. I talked with Axel in her room until she woke. He said the three of us were best friends, inseparable.

Day 194: Even Far Apart
We've all started going back to our usual spot after work. Sometimes, Axel and Xion are there waiting for me. Other times, I get there first. Things have gotten busier for us, so we can't all make it every day.

But even if they're not there, at least now it seems like we're together again. I wonder if it seems that way to them too. I forgot to ask Xion about the pictures in my head again…It was the same kid in red.

Who is he, and what does he have to do with me?

Day 224: What's Gotten Into Her?
I think something's wrong with Xion. Is she not feeling well again? Axel said we should all go to the beach next time we get a vacation. I think he senses something is wrong too. That's why he suggested the beach, to make her feel better.

Day 225: Something Must Be Wrong
Okay, now I'm really worried about Xion. I told Axel, but all he said was that she'll get through it. He knows something is wrong. I bet he's just telling me that to put my mind at ease. Well, it's not working.

Day 255: Now Axel's Acting Weird
I had ice cream with Axel after work today, but Xion didn't show. Axel said she got sent on an important mission, but he wouldn't look at me when he said it. I've been wondering what's wrong with Xion all this time, but now that I think about it, Axel's not himself either.

Day 256: Xion's Gone Missing
Xion has gone missing. Nobody has said anything about her being hurt, so that's good…I guess. Did she run off? That doesn't make sense. Xemnas told us not to go after her. The way Saix explained it, it's almost like they don't think she's worth getting back.

What is going on?

Day 257: He's Avoiding Me
I want to talk to Axel about Xion, but I can't seem to get ten seconds with the guy. What am I supposed to do? I can't believe he's avoiding me.

We're supposed to be friends…

Day 276: By the Sea
I don't remember much about today's mission, just that it was by the beach. Or was it? The mission didn't even feel real. Axel and I agreed to start looking for Xion tomorrow.

Day 277: No Sign of Her
I've looked everywhere for Xion, in every world, but there's just no sign of her. Where is she? Why did she leave the Organization?

I don't get it, any of it…

Day 296: Castle Oblivion
There's one place we haven't checked for Xion, Castle Oblivion. When I brought it up with Axel, he surprised me by saying C.O. is where she comes from. I guess he just found out himself.

Is that where she is?

Day 297: Who is That Guy?
I went to Castle Oblivion to find Xion, but I don't remember anything about it. Axel said I collapsed as soon as I got there. I woke up in Twilight Town. Incredibly enough, Xion was there, but she wasn't alone. There was this guy wearing our cloak, yet he wasn't one of us.

Who is he?

Day 298: Some Other Way
I don't believe it! Axel attacked Xion. There must have been some other way. I know she's acting weird, but I hardly recognize Axel these days either. What's going through their heads?

I feel so left out…

Day 299: Sora?
Xemnas told me 'Sora' is the connection between Xion and me.

Who exactly is Sora?

Day 300: No Words
For the first time in a while, the three of us met up on the clock tower. None of us really knew what to say. We used to talk each other's ears off, but I guess those days are gone. So much has happened lately.

I've even been forgetting to write about those pictures in my head. They now happen even when I'm not on missions. More often too. They even show up in my dreams. Xion told me she has dreams too.

Is all of this connected?

Day 301: My Dream
I dream all the time now, but I don't sleep well. I wake up tired every day. I guess that makes them nightmares, not dreams. Xion and Axel don't come to the clock tower anymore. I thought maybe if I got everything off my chest with them, I might stop having the nightmares.

So much for testing that theory…

Day 321: No Energy Left
I feel so tired, almost disconnected from my body. The dreams have gotten stranger. Now, I wake up with water on my cheeks. I don't know how it got there, but I think there's something wrong with me. Today, I was teamed up with Xion. She seems to be in better shape than me. We had ice cream together, something we hadn't done in a while.

Day 322: Another Dream
I had another dream. My head feels heavy. I want to have ice cream with Xion and Axel again.

Day 352: Us and the Sunset
Xion, Axel, and I had ice cream. The sunset was beautiful. I don't have to write anything else down because I'll never forget this day.

Day 353: Broken Trust
Axel let Xion leave the Organization, like he wanted her to go. She's a puppet? A mirror that reflects me? He's talking nonsense.

I can't trust him anymore.

Day 354: Who Am I?
I don't understand the Organization. I don't understand Axel…I understand myself least of all. Why do I keep coming back to the castle? Xion and I are special, connected by "Sora." If she's a puppet, maybe I am too.

I don't know what I am.

Day 355: I Am
I must know who I am…

I am DONE WITH THIS.

Day 357: Three Again?
I'm going to set Kingdom Hearts free and find my way to Sora. I'm going to get Xion back. The three of us will have ice cream together again…

I know it.

The World That Never Was: Day 358…
It was stormy within the World That Never Was as Roxas exited his corridor of darkness. Typically, one could see he was Sora's Nobody by his facial features which closely resembled the island boy. This included his bright blue eyes, build, and spiky hair.

In contrast to Sora's brown hair, Roxas' was a golden blond and styled more windswept. None of this could be seen due to the black coat he wore with the hood up. Roxas was now making his way through the neon lit city.

"All those hearts I've captured…Kingdom Hearts…Set them free."

Those words echoed within Roxas' mind as he tore through Neo Shadow after Neo Shadow. His keyblades, Oathkeeper and Oblivion, moved in accordance with his thoughts in a deadly dance. He never stopped nor hesitated. With each felled Heartless rose an inky black mist.

His blades moved so quickly it yanked the mist forth to fill its wake. "I'll make them pay, Xion."

He didn't care what she claimed because he would never forget. She was his friend, and he was hers. Once he was done fulfilling her last wish, once everyone paid for what they had done, he would go to…Static.

"No." Roxas muttered, shaking his head. "Her name is Xion. Her name is Xion. Her name…"

He had reached the base of Memory's Skyscraper. With his focus elsewhere, he didn't see the Neo Shadows pop up behind him, following him stealthily. That did not last as Roxas soon came to notice he was surrounded. He spun his Keyblades, accepting their challenge.

Roxas proceeded to tear through the Heartless, eliminating each foe with his deadly dance. Thunder crashed as he ripped through the last Neo Shadow, illuminating a figure high above. It was that unknown figure who wore the same cloak yet wasn't part of the Organization.

His hood was down, showing silvery hair blowing in the breeze and a blindfold which covered his eyes. Roxas jumped to the side of Memory's Skyscraper and dashed up its surface as more incoming Neo Shadows attempted to attack him. Roxas slashed through them, barely impeded.

He then threw one of his Keyblades, Oblivion, at the figure who jumped down and dived to catch it. Upon grasping the blade, memories of Xion came to his mind. He remembered when he met the wounded girl on the bridge as he held her in his arms.

The figure and Roxas passed each other, one falling while the other rose. While Roxas reached the top of the skyscraper, the figure gracefully landed. He stumbled and held his head as more Neo Shadows surrounded him.

When one lunged for the figure, he easily dispatched it. Roxas then jumped off the top of the building and landed. Wordlessly, they took the remaining Heartless down before jumping back and facing each other.

"Who are you?" Roxas asked.

"Why does it matter?" The figured asked. "I'm here for you."

Roxas' blue eyes angrily glimmered beneath his hood. "Why are you trying to stop me?"

"Because I want the rest of Sora's memories." The figure answered.

"Sora!?" Roxas exclaimed, sick of that name. "Enough about him!"

"Do you have some kind of plan?" The figure asked.

"I'm going to set Kingdom Hearts free." Roxas replied firmly. "Then, everything can go back to the way it was. Xion will return, and the three of us can be together again."

"Xion…" The figure looked at Oblivion. "You're managing to remember her, yet it's a struggle for me to recall her name. Regardless, I can't let you do anything crazy."

"I'm freeing Kingdom Hearts." Roxas held his Keyblade out. "Then, I'm finding this Sora person and bringing Xion back. "

The figure sighed, shaking his head. "The Organization will destroy you well before you reach Kingdom Hearts."

"Enough!" Roxas shouted, swinging Oathkeeper.

He then charged the figure, striking him only to hit a barrier. Despite his anger, that was enough to see Roxas exercising caution. As the figure struck, Roxas blocked. Both now circled each other before clashing. They blocked each other's strikes, though occasionally got a hit in.

The figure was sturdier than Roxas, resulting in him utilizing his magic and limit break to strike back fiercely. This managed to even up the battle before overcoming the figure and knocking him on his butt. Roxas now towered over his opponent, panting from what he had used to win.

"Why!? Why do you have the Keyblade?" The figure asked.

Roxas stared at Oathkeeper before shaking his head. "Shut up."

Roxas tried to attack the figure again, but he was the one knocked away this time through a powerful clash. Oathkeeper was sent flying as Roxas lost his grip on the blade. The boy who laid on the ground now thought back to his memories of himself, Axel, and Xion.

The figure approached and slammed Oblivion into the ground beside him. He was taken aback when Roxas struggled to rise, using the blade as support. He managed to slash it out, forcing the figure back before charging forward.

The figure shot off a Dark Firaga, but Roxas slashed through the spell as he lunged at the figure. He slashed his blade, forcing his opponent to evade him before eventually hopping back. The two faced off once more, both clearly winded.

"Why don't you quit!?" Roxas yelled.

"Come on, Sora." The figure decided to try something. "I thought you were stronger than this."

"Huh? Get real." Roxas spoke, though his tone was lighter than normal. "Look which one of us is winning."

The duel wielder was surprised, covering his mouth at the outburst in confusion.

"So, it's true." The figure was somewhat pleased. "You really are his Nobody. Guess DiZ was right after all."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas questioned, frustrated. "I am me!" He summoned Oathkeeper to his free hand, brandishing both Keyblades once more. "Nobody else!"

Roxas then charged his opponent again. The figure managed to dodge the first slash, but he could only cross his arms and take the attack which followed. He was sent skidding back and brought to his knees, darn near out of juice as he currently was.

"Riku, please!" A voice rang out, only for the figure to hear. "You must stop him!"

Roxas' breathing was shaky. "How many times do I have to beat you?"

"Alright." Riku had some issues standing. "You've left me no other choice."

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I have to release the power in my heart." Riku removed his blindfold. "The dark power I've been holding back. Even…if it changes me forever."

He let out a scream as pillars of dark energy surrounded him.

"It can't end here!" Roxas' eyes widened at the display of power. "I-I don't have the magic or energy to combat him further."

He had to use a lot of what he had to bring Riku down the first time. This guy wasn't even as unpredictable as Xion had been; however, his skill was undeniable. To see this outpouring of powerful darkness…

"I can still fight." Roxas firmly clenched his Keyblades. "That's a lot of darkness though, and if I do fall, I won't achieve…Wait! There is something else I can do." He held out his hand behind him. "I need to regroup anywhere but here."

The dark, flame-like corridor opened behind him as the darkness around Riku faded. He was now a taller man with silver hair and tan skin. Roxas didn't waste time as he lept back into his corridor, deciding he had to escape now.

Riku saw this in shock before lunging forward in desperation. "No!"

Roxas made it through the corridor. It closed before Riku could follow, seeing him hitting the ground stomach first.

 

[Quillion9000]

Undertale
Whether one records it, history shapes the present. When it comes to the history of this world, it's present is one which tends to see Humans agree they should stay away from Mount Ebott. Located within the vast forest of the oldest kingdom on Earth, it towers above all.

Unusual height aside, Mount Ebott has no distinct physical features. Numerous outcroppings and steep paths lined its slopes, with trees practically covering every other surface. These days, the prospect of venturing up the mountain is primarily discussed among children.

Generally, none have the nerve to go too far up, awarding it ever greater intrigue. Sometimes, adults would discuss the place with each other when not otherwise occupied. Many could be just as easily excited by the secrecy of it as those younger than them are.

Traversing the mountain was banned by the Council of Souls, but the laws prohibiting its exploration are hardly upheld these days. This essentially makes it public property, yet few ever dare to climb all the way to the summit.

Any who may have, haven't been heard from again. Depending on who you ask, what their affiliation is, and/or what they are permitted to say, you'd be liable to get a plethora of explanations. What you'll hear most commonly is the following:

Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS.
One day, war broke out between the two races.
After a long battle, the Humans were victorious.
They sealed the Monsters underground with a magic spell.

Monsters, a species comprised of magic energy and possessing various powers. Terrified locals believe to this day they prey on those who have been foolish or unlucky enough to enter their domain. Despite everything, there are those curious enough to venture up Mount Ebott.

Ebott Forest: Early Morning…
Roxas emerged from his corridor of darkness, hitting ground back first as it closed behind him. From all his experience fighting on different worlds, The Nobody could guess he landed somewhere with grass.

The sky above was just starting to lighten, indicating it was sunrise on whatever world he landed on. Just as Roxas was getting his wits about him, given his sudden retreat, the sky flashed between colors in a way he had never seen on any other world.

Only the sun remained as the sky became red, light blue, orange, blue, purple, green, yellow, and white. They were solid colors, starkly different from how natural the sky had looked and only made more noticeable as said sky reverted to its natural state.

"I don't think this is any world I've been on before."

Regardless of whether he has been to this world or not, one thing the Nobody knew was he had to get moving. This was the place his corridor of darkness spat him out. While it wasn't consistent, there was a chance those who used the same means would appear here too.

Roxas began to rise, struggling against his body's current state as the battle with that silver hired guy had taken a lot out of him. "I just got to get somewhere…"

His thoughts trailed off as he spotted something over his chest. It was an amulet in the shape of a heart, segmented into eight equal pieces. Each piece was a different gem, though the design was uniform. In the center was a red piece above a white piece.

Surrounding them were a light blue, orange, blue, purple, green, and yellow piece. The eight uniform pieces were within a silver outline which connected to a silver chain Roxas realized was around his neck. When he attempted to remove the amulet, it wouldn't go past his neck.

"I don't have time for this." Roxas let the amulet fall, it resting over his chest as he took in his surroundings. "I'll try to figure out what this is about once I'm in a safe place."

Roxas noted he seemed to be in the middle of a forest, though he ruled this out as being Twilight Town. Aside from the obvious sky, this forest didn't match what he's seen there. Eventually, the Nobody locked onto a large mountain in the distance and started walking.

Morning…
Roxas trudged forward in a sluggish manner, his shoulders drooped while his arms hung limp at his sides. His body ached and groaned from exhaustion. A plea for him to stop. To sit or lean against even one of the many trees he passed on his way towards the mountain.

Roxas was exhausted, more than he's been in his life. His magic supply was running on fumes while his body was still recovering. He kept moving regardless, wanting to ensure he had a safe place to rest. It'd either be at the top of this mountain, or he'd hopefully see a place from atop it.

"It'd be just my luck." Roxas thought. "Decide to rest up around one of these trees, only to be attacked by a pack of wolves."

He'd seen wildlife in the forest outside Twilight Town, anyone he was partnered with for the day telling him what they were. While he wasn't certain such wildlife inhabited this forest, the Nobody wasn't about to take the chance.

Roxas eventually came to a stop as he realized, later than he'd have liked even in his current state, he'd ended up within a man-made meadow of flowers. It wasn't man-made in that someone planted flowers, more that someone cut down trees to the stump in all directions he looked.

"What is this?" Roxas contemplated.

The strangeness of this sight couldn't help but bring out the investigative side the Organization had cultivated within him through the reconnaissance of various worlds. Mostly due to anything that can at minimum do something like this being trouble given his current state.

"You're not supposed to be here." A female voice called out, her tone cold.

Roxas turned around to see an athletic, feminine figure. She wore a military uniform that was a mixture of red and gunmetal black with steel-tipped boots and metal plates on the back of her gloves. A katana was sheathed at her side while she wore a featureless, metal mask.

Since arriving in this world, Roxas hasn't seen signs of civilization or people. If he had prior to seeing this girl, he hadn't planned on them seeing him. Despite the times he broke it, one of the first things he learned from the Organization was to stay clear of natives.

That seemed imperative now given he'd escaped the white haired boy wearing their cloak to recuperate. If Roxas ran into anyone, his plan had been to tail them until they led him to a place where he could rest. Whoever this figure was, they didn't allow him to respond.

Instead, the figure held out her right hand towards him as the familiar sight of fire magic became evident. Instinct took over as Roxas summoned forth Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Energy the Nobody didn't know he still had surged forth, seeing him rush forward.

"Fireaga!" The figure called out.

A large sphere of fire came at Roxas, which he cut through with Oathkeeper before pressing on and slashing at his opponent with Oblivion. She drew her sword, slashing out at the same time and managing to knock him back.

As Roxas flew back, he pointed Oathkeeper at her. "Bizzaga!"

Three spheres of ice fired off at the figure. She slashed through the first two before the third hit, freezing her within an ice crystal. As Roxas landed, he began panting heavily while recognizing he was out of magic. Still though, he pushed on and charged his opponent.

Upon reaching her, Roxas swung each of his keyblades. They shattered the ice to reach her body before he swung them into her gut together. The figure was sent tumbling along the ground but just managed to end up in a crouched position as the Nobody charged her once more.

The figure held her right arm aloft. "Thundaga!"

Roxas attempted to dodge, only to move too slow and be struck by lightning from above that had him crying out in pain. The figure now charged forward, reaching her opponent. She laid into him with slashes and kicks, the final foot thrusted into his gut knocked Roxas away.

The figure then held her right arm towards her opponent. "Blizzaga!"

She fired off the three spheres of ice at Roxas, who landed and panted heavier as his eyes widened. "Damnit, I can't fall here!"

His body wasn't going to like this, but it was all he could do.

The Nobody spread his Keyblades apart as darkness radiated off him. "Enough!"

He ascended slightly and held his blades together over his head as rays of light rained down. They smashed through the oncoming spheres of ice before attempting to tag the figure, who proceeded to fluidly move through them.

Roxas separated his blades once more, the intensity and speed of the beams increasing. While the figure was able to avoid the prior beams of light, these managed to tag her until she ended up taking them head on and was bombarded.

Upon landing, he saw the figure was still standing. She wasn't as sure footed, but that hardly mattered. His current state was much worse off now. He'd just used up every ounce of magic on that Blizzaga before pushing his body further with a Limit Break.

This time, there was no way he could summon a Dark Corridor, so he did the only thing he could think of. Roxas hurled both his Keyblades with everything he had, time having slowed down as his mind raced to process things, before turning and stumble sprinting away.

Both blades hit her, Oblivion nailing the figure in the neck simultaneously with Oathkeeper nailing her in the legs. Both hits knocked the figure flat on her back before they vanished. Roxas didn't see this as he kept his focus on getting away, moving in the direction of the mountain.

Mount Ebott: Midday…
Roxas was stumbling as he walked or ran, in short burst, up a path he found. He forced his body to keep moving, even as every part of him screamed to stop. Somehow, he managed not to fall. Perhaps it was because hitting the ground would render him unconscious.

The Nobody had left a world with one figure attacking him, only for another to crop up on this new world not even an hour removed. Roxas soon saw he was seemingly reaching the top of this mountain and even spotted what looked like the mouth of a cave.

"I can rest there." The Nobody thought.

He reached the mouth of the cave, only to pause as someone was inside. It was a girl, someone who looked a little younger than him. She was stood at the edge of a hole. This girl had a tan skin tone and brown hair reaching straight down like a bowl cut.

She wore a blue shirt with purple stripes, a pair of jeans, and a basic pair of sneakers. A bandage was stuck to her face, a leather bag was slung around her frame, and she carried a stick. One not too dissimilar to what Roxas used after loaning Xion his Keyblade that one time.

"Doesn't seem to have any relation to that girl I fought." Roxas noted.

He was about to depart when he heard what sounded like ground cracking followed by a scream. Roxas looked back into the cave, seeing the edge that girl was standing on starting to give way. He acted without thinking, rushing in as fast as his body would allow in its current state.

The Nobody ended up leaping for it and extending his arms, just managing to catch the girl by the back of her shirt with his right hand as the section of ground she was on fell. At this point, his muscles were screaming at him for the sudden movement and weight he now held.

"She's not even heavy, but this girl might as well weigh a ton right now." Roxas grit his teeth. "Hold on." The girl managed to look up and meet his gaze with her golden eyes. "I'll pull you…"

Whatever he was going to say next died in his throat as the ground gave way. Roxas and the girl screamed as they plummeted into the darkness below. The Nobody was too weak to do anything to save himself, let alone this girl.

Underground: Later…
The girl stirred groggily, amazed to be alive. While not remembering when she fell, the girl knew it must have been a far one given she'd been at the top of Mount Ebott. She then remembered the guy who tried to save her. The girl got to her feet, blinking to adjust her sight to the darkness.

She rapidly looked around the cave, knowing it to be one by the rocky walls and mostly dirt covered ground. The only exception was a large bed of bright yellow flowers which seemingly cushioned her fall alongside the older boy's, who she spotted not far from her.

The girl rushed over, kneeling by his side. "Hey!"

She checked his pulse while looking him over. This guy looked to be in rough shape, rougher than the girl thought she was in currently, though his heart still beat well enough. Just then, Roxas' eyes opened seeing him stare out the hole above and making out the early evening light.

"You're awake." The girl noticed he was conscious, relieved as she helped him slowly sit up. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

Roxas' body still ached; however, he could feel some of his energy had returned after he'd been unconscious for however long. "I'm fine." He looked at her. "You stuck around to help me?"

"I only woke up minutes before you, so all I really did was confirm you were alive." The girl responded. "Even then, it's not like I could have left you. Not after you tried to save me. For what everyone says about Mount Ebott, loose ground isn't one of the common dangers."

"Mount Ebott?" Roxas questioned. "Is that where we are?"

"You didn't know you were on Mount Ebott?" The girl asked, dismayed. "It is the landmark anyone on Earth should know, right alongside Ebott Forest and City. Did you hit your head?" She began examining him. "You are banged up. What do you remember?"

Roxas recognized his blunder, alongside the fact he likely couldn't come up with a convincing enough story without sounding like he didn't belong. While he had clearly failed at being covert, he couldn't exactly go with the truth here.

Telling a native he opened a corridor from another world to escape a silver haired boy who apparently wants him dead, not to mention the organization he betrayed wants the same, might not go over well. Roxas wasn't even certain he could speak on that female figure he fought.

"Maybe I did hit my head since I can't recall much." He replied, trying to sound friendly.

Roxas was nearly back in the condition he'd been upon first setting foot on this world. Not to mention he still didn't have a clue as to where he was or where civilization was. He could try leaving via a corridor of darkness, but he thought on that a little more now.

He didn't know of any worlds the Organization didn't know of, so it was likely they would track him down in an instant. Even with that girl in red about, he wanted to stay for at least a bit. To do that now, he needed to find somewhere there were people.

"Do you remember your name?" The girl asked.

"Yes, my name is Roxas." Roxas responded, smiling.

It wasn't exact, but something about this girl reminded him of Xion. Even knowing she wasn't his friend, it was still a comfort to the Nobody after everything he's been through recently.

"Well, I'm Frisk." Frisk introduced. "Our only real way to go is down that path to a purple archway since we can't climb back up barehanded, and I'm not seeing anything we could use nearby. Maybe there's someone down here who could look at your head."

If Roxas rested a little longer, he could run up. Even if he abandoned Frisk here, it wouldn't magically mean she forgot him. There was also that girl in red to consider. He hadn't seen her since throwing his Keyblades and running; however, she could very well have tracked him.

"It might be best to stick with Frisk for now." Roxas reasoned, unaware just what it took to leave the Underground. "Maybe you're onto something."

He had never seen this world, and, far as he knew, none of the other Organization members mentioned a world like this. He would have heard it from someone had they encountered that girl in red. Maybe that meant this world was unknown to Organization 13.

The impromptu pair began to proceed towards the purple archway, both unsteady from the fall and/or what happened to them prior to it. They soon felt a peculiar thumping against their skulls. It sounded like a conversation.

"So, you think we're here because of them?"

Down the hall, the pair could now see another pair of people appear who looked incorporeal. A guy floating next to a girl who leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, both around their age. The guy had a fair complexion, short brown hair, and yellow eyes.

He wore a brown long-sleeved shirt beneath a dark brown vest and denim pants. Said pants were girded by a dark reddish-brown belt with a gold buckle. He also wore brown shoes with a checkered blue and yellow bandana around his neck.

The girl had medium length brown hair, a cream colored skin tone with rosy cheeks, and red eyes. She wore a long-sleeved neon green sweater with a horizontal cream stripe, brown pants, and matching shoes.

"That's what I said." The girl returned sardonically. "Can you stop asking questions?"

"Right." The guy chuckled at that. "Sorry."

The girl looked the pair's way. "Looks like they can hear and see us now."

"Roxas, do you see them to?" Frisk whispered, a tad stunned

Given the things Roxas has seen, this wasn't that weird. "If you're talking about the two incorporeal people, I see them."

"Either I'm not insane, or the two of us hit our heads." Frisk reasoned.

"First, I'm Clover while this is Chara." Clover introduced. "Secondly, neither of you hit your head or are insane. The two of us are just incorporeal. Far as we reckon, you two are the only ones who can likely see us."

"You two should get moving." Chara interjected. "Someone up ahead can help you." She then floated up next to Frisk while Clover floated up next to Roxas. "Given we have nothing better to do…"

"We'll accompany you." Clover voiced. "Consider us your friendly advisers." He smiled. "Now, onward!"

They then faded, leaving Frisk staring where they had been. "You think they're still here?"

"Probably still here and listening." Roxas reasoned.

It was strange to go from being alone to having three people. Given they were native to this world, Roxas wasn't about to complain. On Frisk's end, the Nobody's ease, coupled with neither 'advisor' seeming like a bad person, led to her accepting it. So, the pair moved to the next room.

Despite no clear light source being present, it wasn't as dark as it should have been. It was a dull and colorless location, save for one spot of what looked like bright green grass in the center. A single golden flower, just like the ones prior, sprouted and stood about three feet tall.

Behind the flower was another archway. As the pair started to walk forward, the previously immobile plant suddenly grew a pair of beady black eyes and a mouth. Frisk stepped back while brandishing her stick. Roxas summoned Oblivion, having fought his fair share of plants.

"Granted, those were Heartless while this thing doesn't seem to be one." Roxas noted.

As the Nobody's mind was elsewhere, Frisk and Flowey glanced at the Keyblade. Within their gazes was recognition. Frisk hadn't seen this weapon in person, but Flowey was different. Whenever he tried to recall where, the memory wasn't there like it should have been.

"Aren't Keyblades just a legend?" Frisk pondered.

Then again, anything being under Mount Ebott was once a legend to her.

"Howdy!" The flower chirped.

His voice was that of a high-pitched male. His gaze of recognition had been replaced by an easy going grin as he seemed unfazed by their gestures.

"I'm Flowey!" Flowey introduced. "Flowey the Flower!" Snapping out of her initial shock, Frisk joined Roxas in staring blankly at this creature. "Hmmm…You two are new to the Underground, aren'tcha? Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work here!

I guess little old me will have to do. Your heart is your soul, the very culmination of your being. I can see your souls, both are weak." Flowey stared at Roxas. "Yours particularly so and incomplete. Regardless, both can grow stronger if you get lots of LV."

"This Flowey must be lying." Roxas rationalized. "Nobodies can't have a heart."

That point had been drilled into him by the various Organization members, seeing the Nobody firm his hold on Oblivion. Frisk noted how said Nobody tensed up as the flower talked, uncertain why its words seemed to affect him like this.

"What's LV stand for?" Flowey continued. "Why, LOVE of course! You two want some LOVE, don't you? You'll need a bit of EXP, or experience, first! Don't worry, I'll share some with you."

At this, he winked. Five spinning white orbs emerged from somewhere behind the flower and hovered in a circle around him.

"Down here, LOVE is shared through little white… 'Friendliness Pellets.'" Flowey voiced. "They'll give you all the EXP you need to get started. Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!"

The pellets slowly approached. Even with Roxas' current intensity, Frisk was willing to give it a try. She never got the chance as the Nobody swung Oblivion in an arc to shatter the five pellets.

Before Frisk could speak, Flowey's face shifted to something knowing. "You know what's going on here, don't you?"

"I heard what you had to say." Roxas declared. "What I do know of myself makes it where I can say with certainty you must be lying."

"No, what you really want was for me to suffer." Flowey returned, his face morphing to terrifying. "You idiots. In this world, it's kill or be killed! Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?"

His voice, formerly light and friendly, had changed to a raspy growl that was punctuated by unsettling laughter. A sharp, buzzing noise filled the air, and the pair realizing they were now surrounded by at least thirty 'Friendliness' Pellets.

They were slowly getting closer as Flowey's face distorted. "DIE!"

Frisk held her stick, though knew it couldn't exactly defend her against this many projectiles. As the pellets were now close, Roxas summoned Oathkeeper to his free had. Flowey showed visible shock upon seeing two Keyblades.

The Nobody held the white Keyblade aloft. "Thundaga!"

Electricity discharged down from above, arching along the now close together pellets, like it would do for Heartless, and destroying them. Frisk looked at Roxas in amazement. His intuition and magic coupled with two Keyblades making her now wonder just who he was.

"With his memory gone, it's not like he'd know." Frisk thought. "Without memory, how does he know how to use them? Is that something the legends don't say?"

Roxas then brandished his Keyblades as he faced Flowey, the creature sneering. Before things could kick off, a large fireball slammed into the creature from behind. Flowey was almost uprooted by the blast and turned to face the source with a scowl.

Several Friendliness Pellets appeared as he returned fire, but they were incinerated. After this failed, Flowey shot the Humans one last sneer before sinking under the grass. Frisk was understandably terrified as an enormous black figure lumbered forward while Roxas faced it.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such poor, innocent youths…"

Frisk's fear seemed to fade while Roxas was given pause. Unlike the flower, this voice held no malice. It sounded like that of a woman, warm and gentle. The speaker became illuminated by the light of the room to reveal herself as a female goat Monster with off-red eyes.

She had large paws for hands and feet, with the head of a goat complete with stubby horns. Her entire body was covered in white fur while she wore some kind of white-sleeved purple dress. The blue and white pattern on the front was of three triangles surrounded by a winged circle.

She got closer to the Humans. Both recalling what just happened, Frisk tightened her grip on the stick while Roxas wouldn't lower his Keyblades. The goat-woman's eyes took note of the weapons, her gaze zeroing in on the keyblades since she's seen these prior.

Then, there was this feeling she had forgotten an instance before shaking her head. "Do not be afraid, my children. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. Are you two all right?"

Apparently noticing their injuries, she raised one of her hands which emitted a soft, green light.

"Healing magic, like the Cure line." Roxas recognized.

Both suddenly felt their pain lessen as their respective injuries healed. While this did nothing for Roxas' magic reserves, feeling the relief across his body was enough. Even with what she'd done, the pair were unsure if they should trust anyone else.

"I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen." Toriel explained. "You are the first humans to come here in a while."

Frisk vaguely remembered hearing about a missing-person's report of someone who had tried climbing the mountain years ago. Feeling increasingly nervous, she didn't say anything. With everything Roxas has lost, he didn't quite know how to respond to this kindness.

"You should not stay here, for that flower might return." Toriel continued. "Come! I will guide you through the catacombs to safety."

Toriel left through the doorway she'd come from, seeing their 'advisors' appear.

"Flowey…" Clover voiced, confused. "Was that really him?"

"You know him?" Frisk asked.

"I did, before I…" Clover shook his head. "Well, you know. Flowey…" He smiled. "He wouldn't do anything like THAT."

"Are you certain?" Chara asked. "He seemed pretty willing to me."

"He wouldn't!" Clover exclaimed. "He's a little apathetic, sure, but he saved me countless times. Plus he'd call me his…"

He seemed to drift off at that, his smile faltering. With him growing quiet, Frisk looked to Roxas who still held Oblivion and Oathkeeper.

"Roxas, you have Keyblades." She noted.

That got their incorporeal tagalongs looking at the Nobody, Clover in a similar way to Frisk while Chara was more in line with Flowey and Toriel. The former had never seen a Keyblade while the latter knew she should recognize it only for her mind to drum up nothing.

Roxas looked at his weapons before looking to them. "You know what these are?"

"Just legends…at least, that's what everyone assumes." Frisk reasoned.

"Yeah, I can confirm as much." Clover added.

"What's up with her?" Roxas asked, nodding to Chara.

"Not sure." Clover replied. "In the short time we've been awake, can't say I've seen her concentrate like that."

"Whatever." Chara shook her head dismissively. "It's nothing."

She vanished with none of them believing that, though Clover vanished after her.

Frisk looked to Roxas. "What should we do now?"

Was landing here the universe throwing him a bone, or would it all end up being a waste of time? Roxas had no idea. All he knew was he wanted to ask these people about the Keyblade, though recognized now probably wasn't the time.

"We'll have to go the way Toriel took regardless." Roxas pointed out.

"Yeah, guess there is no real alternative." Frisk agreed.

---

Let's have a little chat about ages. In the chronological sense, Roxas isn't even one year old at this point in time as he came into being when Sora turned himself into a heartless. Chronologically, he's not even a year old at the time this story takes place, 358 days old. Given he was manifested from Sora, along with the wiki saying as much, his age should be 14-15 by now given Sora was 14 in Kingdom Hearts.

This goes under the assumption Sora's birthday might be within those last few days of a full year. Personally, I'm just going to go with Roxas is now 15. As for Clover and Chara, their ages stopped when they died, but technically by existing one could count the years since they've been dead. I'm not going to do that, but you could. With that, here's the age of the group as I've decided:

Roxas & Chara: 15
Clover & Frisk: 14

 

[Quillion9000]

Ruins
Roxas and Frisk entered a room that seemed more like the entrance to a temple than a cave with smooth, purple stone walls and a cobbled floor. All of it was lit by several lanterns strung up. The structure before them had an elevated platform leading to yet another doorway.

Two short flights of white stairs on either side would allow one to proceed. Strangely, quite a few red leaves were scattered about even though no trees could be seen, and flanking the doorway were green vines.

"Up here, my children." Toriel didn't sound impatient, but the pair were still quick to join her. "Oh goodness, where have my manners gone?" They proceeded through the doorway, heading into a semi-dark hallway. "I haven't even asked your names."

Frisk and Roxas glanced at one another. It's been such a brief time, neither wholly knowing what to make of the other. Comparatively, things seemed to be going well when put up against their introduction to Flowey.

"My name is Frisk."

"Roxas. I am Roxas."

"Frisk, Roxas, I am delighted to meet you." Toriel replied. "Welcome to the Underground."

"So, what else is down here?" Frisk asked.

"There are other Monsters, and quite a few interesting places to visit." Toriel replied. "You should see my favorite bug catching spot sometime. The flower bed where you two must have landed is also a nice place.

I tend too it every day, and it's quite the relaxing activity." Toriel noticed she was rambling and abruptly stopped with a chuckle. "Well, I'm sure you'll have a chance to look around once you've had a nice meal."

That reminded both they were hungry. The last thing Roxas had was a sea salt ice cream while Frisk ate a sandwich prior to climbing the mountain. Their attention was soon drawn to the next room, which was a circular chamber with a door.

Notably, the door featured the same pattern as the one on Toriel's dress, only in black. Six gray, cylindrical stones were arranged on the ground beside the door. What resembled a yellow lever was mounted on the wall.

"Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." Toriel stepped on four specific stones and pulled the lever to open the door. "The Ruins are full of puzzles, ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please, adjust yourself to the sight of them."

The next room, rectangular in shape, contained another puzzle. A sign on the wall facing them read 'stay on the path,' which was a section of pale stone. They noticed it branched off at two points, leading to more yellow switches. One of two switches at the far end of the room didn't have a path, though the area there had been heavily boarded up with purple wood.

"Go on, my children." Toriel encouraged. "Can you solve this? I have made it relatively simple."

As they approached the first switch, Roxas sweat dropped upon seeing how simple it really was. Despite the sign already hinting at which ones to use, Toriel had written 'please activate this switch' in bright yellow letters.

While Roxas hasn't had to deal with puzzle's, all that recon he did for Organization 13 made a hint like this seem good-natured yet unnecessary. Frisk just rolled her eyes and pressed the lever before Roxas followed it up with the second.

"Splendid!" Toriel exclaimed cheerfully. "I am proud of you, little ones." She walked through where there had been spikes. "Now, let us move to the next room."

"While this seems like an easy puzzle, what's the deal with that wood under where that other switch is?" Frisk asked.

"Don't press that." Only Clover appeared, his face pale. "Trust me."

Frisk glanced from the wood to his incorporeal form. "Is that how…"

"No." Clover shook his head. "Still though, I'd advise you both ignore it."

He then vanished, leaving the pair to glance at each other before deciding to heed his advice. The chamber they entered next contained a training dummy, with an off-white stuffed cylinder for a body and a triangular head sporting two buttons for eyes.

"As Humans living in the Underground, Monsters may attack you." Toriel instructed. "You will need to be prepared for this situation." Seeing Frisk become nervous, she gave them a pat on the head. "Worry not for the process is simple.

When you encounter a Monster, you will enter a fight. Strike up a friendly conversation and stall for time." Roxas looked at the Monster skeptically. "I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy, please."

Frisk looked at the dummy uncertainly before approaching. "Um… hello. How are you?"

She felt foolish since the dummy wasn't going to respond; however, Toriel was visibly pleased.

"Does this really work?" Roxas questioned incredulously.

This wasn't how he was trained. Roxas recognized the Organization's faults and was willing to bet there were more in the information he lacked. The one area they hadn't failed him was combat, only failing him when he wasn't strong enough.

Frisk looked to the conflicted boy. "What kind of life has he led to talk like this?"

She didn't think Roxas was a bad person, the little time they've known each other and his current expression confirmed that for her. She then looked to the caretaker who crouched before the Nobody with a look of understanding.

"There may be times where I'm not there to look over you two." Toriel rested a hand gently on the Keyblade wielder's shoulder. "If you feel you have no choice, you should survive. What I will say is we Monsters lack the durability we used to have.

These days, we are like snow in that it's easy to see us vanish by your hands. It is worth noting, even if a Monster does attack first, the encounter can end positively through action. I'm certain we'll run into another Monster soon, so can you try a little compassion there?"

Compassion was a strange word. It was something Roxas knew the meaning of yet couldn't apply to anyone he knew who was still here. Even when it had applied to certain people, it didn't apply on missions. When it came to missions were world natives got in his way, he beat them.

"If monsters truly aren't that durable…" Roxas didn't know exactly how hard a strike with his Keyblades was, but he had been tearing through Neoshadows with ease before running into that silver haired boy. "The next Monster we come across, I'll try it your way."

Even if Roxas didn't look like her, Toriel was reminded of another who fell long ago. By the nature of his question, she could tell this boy had led a troubled life. One where now telling him not to do something wouldn't help like guiding him would.

"That is all I ask." Toriel gave Roxas' shoulder a gentle squeeze and offered a sincere smile before standing. "Now, let us proceed."

Roxas turned to the dummy, staring at it. Frisk stared at the older boy's back, wondering what could be running through his mind. Clover appeared wanting to speak, only for Chara to appear and shake her head.

He frowned, vanishing before Chara glanced at the Nobody. She then followed suit. Eventually, Roxas walked off after Toriel wordlessly. Frisk now looked at the dummy blankly, wondering what about this brought out thoughts like that from the older boy.

"Could it be this is drumming up his memories, or was his amnesia a lie because he doesn't want to talk about his past?" Frisk pondered.

Upon entering the next room, Roxas couldn't immediately see Toriel and was met instead by a large white frog. Its bulging eyes focused on him before it hoped at him. He rolled out of the way as the frog tried to tackle him.

"What is this thing?" Roxas pondered.

As the Monster slowly turned to face him, Roxas felt a bizarre sensation within his chest. It went beyond that physical heartbeat, as that wasn't the heart Nobodies lacked. Suddenly, he knew a new spell.

The Nobody summoned forth Oathkeeper, pointing it at the Monster. "Check!"

"Froggit: Life is difficult for this enemy."

Looking over the Froggit again, Roxas noted how it ambled around clumsily and had a rather vacant look in its eyes. Even knowing what he now did, The Nobody still brandished his Keyblade. He then thought back to what Toriel told him.

This saw Roxas dismiss his Keyblade before addressing the Monster. "Uh, you…jump good."

The Froggit didn't understand what he said, though a deep red blush appeared on its face. The Monster then took off as Frisk entered the room, seeing her staring after the retreating Monster.

"Are you hurt, little one." Toriel suddenly approached, having seen Froggit leaving. "I am sorry for leaving you alone. The next puzzle was a tad too dangerous, so I solved…"

"No, I'm actually fine." Roxas interrupted, stunned by how that encounter went. "I don't think this would work on the Organization, that silver haired guy, or girl dressed in red. Apparently it does at least seem to work down here."

Toriel smiled and ruffled his hair.

Frisk approached. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To my home at the far side of the Ruins." Toriel answered. "We're taking a shortcut under the city. This path leads there as long as we don't stray."

The pair followed, gradually starting to trust their guide more. As nice as she seemed, Frisk wanted to return to the Surface since being stuck here forever didn't sound like her idea of fun. Roxas was fine going along with things for now, but he wanted to eventually try his way out.

"Could I ask something of you, my children?" Toriel questioned.

"Sure, I guess you could." Frisk answered.

Toriel looked worried and embarrassed. "Do you think you could stay here for a little while? I have some business to attend to, and the road ahead is dangerous." Eager to be alone for a bit, Frisk and Roxas nodded.

"All right, I will trust you to take care of yourselves. I know, I'll give you a cell phone." She pulled one out. "I only have this one extra, so you'd need to share. If you ever need anything, you can just call me."

Frisk blinked in surprise. "There are phones down here?"

"I wouldn't know how to use that, so you can entrust it to Frisk." Roxas voiced.

Before Frisk could respond, she was given the phone. It seemed to be low-tech, having no features aside from the basic call function and a clock.

"My number is already listed." Toriel voiced. "Be good, won't you? I shall return soon."

With that, she proceeded out of the room. Clover and Chara then appeared.

"Hey, just know you can always talk to us as well." Clover informed happily.

"No guarantee we'll respond." Chara smirked. "It'd be hysterical to see you scream at nothing for hours, waiting for somebody to respond."

"She kind of reminds me of Larxene, though a version I could have gotten along with." Roxas noted.

"…Or we could just talk to them." Clover voiced.

"Where's the fun in that?" Chara retorted.

"Despite what Chara said, having them around makes things less lonely." Frisk thought. "Granted, Roxas and Toriel also do that. Guess what I'm getting at is they're nice to have around." Her eyes went wide. "We should have had Toriel look at your head Roxas."

Initially, she hadn't thought to ask given the goat Monster had come fresh off the heels of Flowey. Even though some doubt about his story had entered Frisk's mind now, she still would like to ask Toriel given the level of trust she was able to build with them.

"What's this about Roxas hitting his head?" Clover asked confused.

Roxas glanced at their two incorporeal 'advisors.' "They were talking as though they could see and hear us before we could do the same in turn."

Despite the fact Roxas had interacted with natives before, he knew he'd done a lot better than this in keeping what mattered close to his chest. Given everything that has happened in a short amount of time, he wasn't on top of his game.

Even then, he was certain plenty of people could argue that wasn't a good game to begin with given the number of times he interacted with natives when on missions. Still though, he had been unbelievably sloppy in his approach here.

"Neither of you fell on your heads, meaning any claims Roxas is making to amnesia would have occurred prior to the fall." Chara voiced.

Frisk looked at Roxas, a hurt expression on her face.

"I'm sorry." The Nobody apologized. "It was easier to say that because it's complicated. Even if we have time, I don't want to get into my whole story. What I will say is I'm kind of on the run."

"Given what you can hear of the Keyblade, that might make sense." Clover noted.

"Despite having and utilizing them, I don't know much about the Keyblade." Roxas admitted. "What do you three know?"

"I've heard the obvious." Clover responded. "It's a blade shaped like a key that only a select few can wield. How exactly someone is chosen, I've never heard a thing about it. Supposedly, a human king in the distant past wielded one."

"They're capable of various phenomena." Chara added. "You can swing it and have the potential to cast magic. Whoever owns the blade can summon them, dispel them, and recall them to their hands in the case they lose them."

"If that's true, I could have recalled Oblivion from that silver haired guy." Roxas realized, looking at his hands. "Wait." He suddenly looked to the incorporeal girl. "The way you speak, it's as though you know this to be true rather than having heard of it like Clover."

That got Clover and Frisk looking her way.

"I'm not sure how I know, only that I do." Chara admitted. "Whenever I try to recall how, the memory isn't there. I can say with certainty I never had a keyblade, though I can't seem to recall who did."

The incorporeal girl's face was troubled while the other three were left bewildered.

Frisk turned to the Nobody. "Who exactly is after you?"

"People like me, mostly." Roxas answered. "They don't have Keyblades, though wear the same coat and trained me. There's also this silver haired guy not part of the group who wears the coat, and I ran into this girl in all black and red who had a problem with me being in that forest."

"Where did you come from?" Frisk asked.

Roxas looked away at that. "Just…not from around here."

"If you won't answer that, why are you being chased?" Clover asked.

"The girl in red might not be, haven't seen her since we fought over me being in the forest." Roxas answered. "The silver haired guy wants to take me somewhere. The rest is the Organization, who hunts down anyone for leaving."

"Even with all that, you still tried to save me from falling?" Frisk asked, stunned.

"Yeah, I guess so." Roxas answered.

He was still unsure why he did that, though didn't exactly regret it.

"We should warn Toriel, just in case." Frisk voiced, figuring it was the least they could do for the compassion she's shown them. "She said her house was at the end of the path."

"Alright, let's go." Roxas agreed.

"Before we do go on, I forgive you for lying." Frisk looked to the Nobody. "I mean, we did just meet, and I get it's hard to talk about these things in this case. Just say you don't want to talk about something over lying if we're going to continue traveling together."

Roxas looked to this person he's only really just met as silence dragged on between them.

…

The Nobody recognized he was falling into what the Organization had done to him by withholding things. While not as severe given the short time they've known each other, being like them was not what Roxas wanted.

"Fair enough." The Nobody agreed.

So, the pair pushed on with the intention of getting to Toriel sooner than she'd come back to them.

Within the next room, they actually found the Froggit from before. "Good day, Human."

It was strange to hear this Monster speak since the Nobody got the impression it hadn't understood what he'd said.

"Hi there." Frisk spoke up. "Do you know where the way out is?"

It raised a webbed foot to point further down the path. "The exit to the Ruins is beyond the home of Toriel. Take caution, for there are more Monsters in your way. As a favor to the taller Human, I will tell my fellow Froggits to leave you two be."

"Could it really be that simple?" Roxas questioned, a tad dismayed.

"Well, at least one type of danger was taken care of." Frisk thought.

"In addition, I have some advice." Froggit continued. "Monsters can be talked down from fighting, so please show mercy. We are no match for the might of a Human."

That had the pair recalling what Toriel told Roxas.

"These days, we are like snow in that it's easy to see us vanish by your hands."

"Sure, we'll try not to hurt anyone." Frisk promised.

While they had been pointed in the direction of Toriel's, the pair did stop in at a room just above where they found a bowl of 'monster candy' with a sign reading 'please take one.'

"Candy!" Clover exclaimed happily.

"I prefer chocolate." Chara smiled slightly. "Though, this would be a close second."

Frisk and Roxas each ended up taking three pieces, the former feeling guilty though both hadn't eaten anything in a good while. As they moved on, both popped a piece into their mouth. While it was no sea salt ice cream, the flavor was still sweet and fruity.

True to the Froggit's word, none of its kind seemed interested in battling either Human. This didn't mean they weren't confronted by other Monsters, one of them being a flying, insect-like monster that seemed utterly terrified of everything.

Just as Roxas summoned forth Oathkeeper, Frisk felt that same sensation within her chest and pointed at the monster. "Check!"

"Whimsun: This Monster is too sensitive to fight…"

As if to prove that point, the mere act of Frisk pointing saw the Monster rush off in tears.

"You can perform magic?" Roxas questioned.

Not every native he has seen could do that.

"Guess I can." Frisk looked at her still outstretched hand. "That's actually kind of new. Haven't really tried since I didn't have a teacher to test me on if I could."

Made sense given Roxas wouldn't have known he could do magic without the Organization, though generally his magic just seemed to improve over time. In particular, he seemed to gain something new by watching them or overcoming a tough battle.

"My stick is about the same length as those Keyblades and I can use magic." Frisk suddenly looked to the Nobody. "Roxas, you should be my teacher!"

"Wait, what?" Roxas questioned, stunned.

"You know magic and how to actually swing your weapon." Frisk voiced. "I don't have any interest in using what you'd teach me on anyone down here, but it'd still be cool to learn. Given you have people after you, it's likely I might need to defend myself from something."

"I don't know." Roxas shook his head. "While I was taught a little, most of what I got came naturally."

"I'll be patient as you figure it out if you're patient with me learning." Frisk offered.

This wasn't even a matter of not being able to teach her anything. She has a stick with the capacity for magic. The Nobody hadn't even considered she'd potentially be a target sticking with him.

"Probably should have." Roxas looked away from her. "I'll give it some thought."

"Awesome!" Frisk cheered, confident he'd come around on the idea.

Roxas opted to continue without a word more on the topic, with Frisk moving to walk alongside him. Other Monsters tried to attack but weren't hard to handle. Whimsuns and Moldsmals, gelatinous blobs with little care for fights, were easily ignored or appeased.

To the pair's surprise, they started receiving what they assumed was money. It was yellow-tinted metal coins of which each of them ended up with 10 each, 20 in total. Roxas let Frisk hold onto his share in her bag. What puzzles they came across weren't much more challenging.

For all of Toriel's fear, they were making progress with little effort. Clover at least found them to be fun, though admitted they could be harder when Chara voiced her dislike of their ease. As they journeyed, Toriel called to ask what they preferred between cinnamon and butterscotch.

"Oh, I definitely prefer cinnamon." Frisk answered instantly.

"I wouldn't know which I prefer." Roxas answered, drawing a wide-eyed look from Frisk.

"Have you never had sweets before, my child?" Toriel asked, concerned.

"I've only ever had something called sea salt ice cream." Roxas sweat dropped and scratched his cheek. "They're this light blue ice cream bar that taste salty yet sweet."

"Salty yet sweet…" Toriel voiced, her tone contemplative.

"Yeah, it was something a friend introduced me to." Roxas' face fell at that as he recalled how things were when he last saw Axel, though he couldn't help himself from smiling slightly. "It was the 'icing on the cake' after we'd complete something."

"I see." Toriel voiced.

"While you're on the line, would you mind telling us a bit about yourself?" Frisk inquired.

"Me?" Toriel gave a little, genuine laugh. "I'm just a silly old woman who worries too much. Now, I must go."

The pair soon arrived at a room with a wooden table that had a very large cheese wedge stuck to it. A small mouse was determinedly nibbling on the corner of it, discouraging them from trying to take any as it made squeaking sounds.

Something about how focused the mouse was in its task inspired Frisk, leading to a more powerful feeling in her chest. "I'll succeed too…I will get out of here."

Before Roxas could comment on that, a box of white text appeared before her.

[SAVE FILE CREATED]

"I…don't think that's magic." Roxas commented.

Clover and Chara appeared.

"I've seen that before." Clover noted. "It'd appear before Flowery, who'd do it for me if I ever need a save."

"Okay, what exactly is it?" Frisk asked.

"I suppose I would describe it as the manifestation of a being's will." Chara replied. "Something which only appears to any being down here due to unique circumstances."

"It hasn't appeared before Roxas, and it never happened for me either." Clover voiced.

"…We should keep moving." Chara retorted.

She vanished with Clover following.

"They didn't exactly say what it does." Roxas noted.

"It might be like a game, just in real life." Frisk reasoned, noting the confused look the Nobody gave her at hearing that. "Basically, within the confines of a game, a person can return to the point a save is created if their character dies. It's like a do-over."

Roxas could think of quite a few people in the Organization who'd want to test that theory. "If it works, great." He shook his head, hoping she would never need something like that. "Hopefully, you won't have to use it."

"That might be easier were you to train me." Frisk pointed out.

Roxas face turned to one of disbelief since she had him there. He just didn't really know how to train someone in a better way than he had been. The Organization's training methods all seemed to revolve around throwing you into the deep end.

"Like I said, I'll give it thought." Roxas retorted.

Suddenly, Clover appeared. "Squeak!"

The pair looked at him while Chara appeared with her arms crossed. "I do not think a…unique sense of humor is what's needed."

"Squeakity Squeak." Clover retorted.

That got a laugh from Frisk while Roxas just stared at the guy, unsure what to make of this.

"Frisk, don't encourage him." Chara sighed. "As for you, I'm now thinking you're just trying to be annoying."

"Me?" Clover gave a faux, offended face. "I would never."

This conversation followed them into the next room, which was an H-shaped chamber with a red patch of leaves. There was something on top of them, blocking their way forward. It was a large, white object that hovered in the air. Soft whimpering moans could be heard.

"What the…" Frisk began.

The thing turned around to reveal it was a ghost. Round at the top and bumpy at the bottom, it looked like a bedsheet worn by a child. A hollow pair of black eyes and a small frown were the only features it seemed to have.

"It's a ghost!" Clover exclaimed.

"Your presumption is incorrect." Chara replied.

"Zzzzzzzz…"

It was pretending to sleep and doing a miserable job since it just kept saying the letter 'z' out loud in the hopes they would go away.

"Hey, we have to get past." Frisk tried.

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"

"Come on, move it!" Roxas called out.

No reply. Shrugging her shoulders, Frisk charged at the ghost to try and run through it. The target of her attack looked startled and began to shed large, white tears.

Seeing this, Roxas called forth Oathkeeper. "Aero!"

He generated a small vortex which circled around the Monster, its attack, and Frisk to suck everything in. Everything was then tossed away with the tears nailing the wall, the Monster ending up across from Roxas, and said Nobody catching Frisk.

"Sorry about my friend and I." Frisk called out as the Nobody set her down. "We just need to get past, please."

The ghost Monster just cried more deadly tears, which defied gravity as they flew horizontally at the two Humans. The pair both dodged. His attacks seemed to carry a sense of resignation, like he didn't really care about fighting.

Roxas then pointed Oathkeeper. "Check!"

"Napstablook: This Monster doesn't seem to have a sense of humor…"

After a moment, the tears abruptly stopped. "Really not feelin' up to it right now, sorry…"

Frisk wondered if Napstablook would move if he were cheered up. "That's fine." She gave a patient smile. "By the way, you float well."

He seemed affected enough to chuckle softly. "Here, want to see something I can do?" Tears flowed upward from his eyes and formed a white top hat which rested on his head, giving him an almost goofy look. "I call it 'Dapper Blook.' Do you like it…?"

"Yeah, it's great!" Frisk agreed. "Look, I'm sorry for running at you. I didn't want to scare you, but we do need to get through here."

"Heh, usually I come to the Ruins because nobody is around, but today I met someone nice." Napstablook returned. "I'll get out of your way."

With that, the ghost vanished. There was now a branching pathway. They couldn't tell which way was correct, so the pair decided on a whim to try the path to the right. While it led to a dead end, it wasn't a total waste of time.

Inside was a signpost reading 'Spider Bake Sale: All proceeds go to real spiders.' as well as a pair of large webs suspended under holes in the ceiling. The pair noticed they were both labeled and curiously approached one of them.

"Spider Donut-7G."

Assuming 'G' was currency, they each took seven of their coins and stuck them on the web. Within seconds, tiny spiders dropped from a hole above to collect the coins. In return, they left behind two donuts. They didn't look pleasant, being a sickly purple in color and smelling odd.

Both forwent eating them. Frisk stuck the pastries in her bag as they opted instead to eat one of their remaining candies. They then returned to the crossroads and traveled to the left where another signpost greeted them.

"Did you miss it? Spider bake sale down and to the right. Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!"

Frisk tried to push away the revelation of what their donuts were made of. Roxas was confused since he hadn't seen spiders on the donuts. Still, they soldiered on. Four Froggits, one of which was the size of an ant, were hopping around the next room.

They gave the Humans a short wave as they passed. Napstablook also made his return, laying on the ground of another room. He said hello before vanishing once again. The next few chambers proved to be more difficult. Increasingly elaborate puzzles slowed their progress.

Monsters such as Migosp (which resembled a beetle standing on two legs), Vegetoid (essentially a large carrot with a face), and Loox (a bipedal demon-looking creature with a single large eye) were more time consuming to pacify.

Eventually, they reached another fork in the path. The way left contained another patch of red leaves with a small building in the distance while continuing straight led to another doorway. Deciding to go with the latter option for the time being, they came across a lone Froggit.

"Toriel came out of here earlier carrying some groceries." It informed casually. "I didn't ask what they were for since we're all too intimidated to talk to her. Ribbit."

"That makes sense." Frisk thought. "All the small monsters living in the Ruins would be nervous around someone as large as Toriel."

The next room was some kind of observation point. Countless tall buildings that looked in relatively poor condition extended as far as the eye could see. Aside from a few Monsters moving about the desolate streets, the place looked abandoned.

"Whoa, I never knew the Ruins were this big!" Clover commented, stunned.

"This place was the capital at one point." Chara looked off to the side before becoming annoyed. "Also, stop shouting."

"Looking around, I could probably have deduced that." Roxas thought. "Unlike recons, it's different learning about a world from the people. Yeah, I guess I learned a little something from prior interactions, but this is the first time I've spent this much time around world natives."

"I wonder how much further we have to go before we reach Toriel's?" Frisk contemplated.

She then noticed what looked like a plastic knife sitting on the ground nearby. It had a red, faded ribbon around its handle to improve its grip. She picked it up and put it into her bag since it could come in handy later.

 

[Quillion9000]

Ruins
Heading out into the former capital of Monsters was an option, just not one Roxas and Frisk were going to exercise at this time. They had simply decided to check out the next room without knowing how large the Ruins were.

With Toriel having come from this way with groceries, coupled with them coming from one of only two directions you'd run into doing that, the pair reasoned they needed to head back to the fork in the path and up to that small building they'd spotted.

Taking the path they hadn't taken prior, the two of them ended up at a black-barked tree with a large pile of red leaves at its base. Roxas assumed this was the source of the leaves they'd seen while Frisk pondered if this were a special tree capable of growing down here through magic.

They didn't get much further as Toriel walked around the tree. "Oh dear, that took longer than…" She noticed the pair and hurriedly approached them. "How did you get here, my children? Are you hurt? Please, come with me, and I will get you rested up."

As the Monster began to walk back towards the building, Frisk called out to her. "Wait!"

Toriel stopped and turned. "What is it, my child?"

Frisk realized she'd been a bit too quick on trying to speak about something that wasn't hers to share. She looked back to Roxas with an apologetic look. While he had agreed they'd tell Toriel, what needed to be said was his to share.

Roxas shot the girl what he hoped was an understanding look before turning to the goat Monster. "I don't know what you have planned, but it needs to be pushed aside because there's something I need to tell you concerning dangerous people."

"Alright." Toriel nodded in understanding. "I'm all ears, my child."

Roxas couldn't bring himself to speak the whole truth, not at this time. He decided to continue with the partial truths he'd given Frisk, Chara, and Clover.

"I'm kind of on the run from certain people." Roxas stated in a low voice.

"Who are these people chasing you?" Toriel questioned, concerned.

"People like me, mostly." Roxas answered. "There's the group who wears the same coat and trained me. There's also this silver haired guy not part of the group who wears the coat, and I ran into this girl in all black and red who had a problem with me being in the forest above."

"Why are you being chased?" Toriel asked.

"The girl in red might not be, haven't seen her since we fought over me being in the forest." Roxas answered. "The silver haired guy wants to take me somewhere. The rest is the Organization, who hunts down anyone for leaving."

"Has the Surface become that dangerous a place?" Toriel asked, worried.

"If it has, I've never heard or nor seen it." Frisk supplied. "I also haven't heard anyone speak of some girl in red, but I do trust him at his word." She shook her head. "I just can't say where people like that are on the Surface."

"From what prior children have told me of the Surface, I don't recall people with black coats or wearing all red." Toriel thought. "Perhaps they sprang up in Clover's time, though Frisk hasn't heard of them. Regardless, this explains Roxas' state in comparison to Frisk's."

Roxas had certainly looked rougher than Frisk prior to her healing, to the point it had taken quite a bit more of her magic to heal him than it had her. It was likely both children were tired, though the former was perhaps exhausted and merely trained to go beyond such a state.

While his situation was unique by comparison, Roxas was reminding the goat Monster more of Chara as further details about him came to light. Perhaps in some ways he had it worse since the first Human to fall hadn't been as willing to kill.

"I thank you for telling me this, my child." Toriel smiled as she gently ruffled Roxas' hair. "Rest assured, you'll be safe under my care if any of them come looking for you. Speaking of safe, let's get you settled in as I suspect both of you are tired."

Toriel began to walk towards the small building just before Roxas looked down, uncertainty evident on his face. The Monster likely would have assured him had she seen it. What had him uncertain was the fact the Organization's track record against world natives was exceptional.

Whenever someone failed a mission, it tended to lay outside the parameters of being able to deal with a world native. None of this even accounted for that silver haired guy and red attired girl, who he knew were skilled in their own right.

Frisk noticed the Nobody's current state and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention. Rather than offer him words, she gave a reassuring smile. Roxas merely nodded, reasoning it was better to be here than running off because of what could happen.

Toriel's Home
Roxas and Frisk ended up following Toriel into the small building, finding it to be larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Said inside was in heavy contrast to the outside. Warm, yellow light and wooden surfaces were a welcome change from the endless purple stone.

The air also felt less stale. Furniture and potted plants were neatly arranged in several spots, books and decorations were stacked in a tidy fashion, and delicious smells wafted from down the hall. One of the smells was familiar to Roxas, though he was having trouble placing it.

"There's a competing, good smell that I can't place to one I want to identify." Roxas thought.

"Do you smell that?" Toriel asked them both. "Surprise! I have made a butterscotch-cinnamon pie, alongside trying my hand at a sea salt pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival, so I decided to refrain from making snail pie tonight."

"That's what the familiar smell was." Roxas recognized.

If the smell he was getting reminded him of sea salt ice cream, he hoped the taste would do the same. Suddenly, given the environment relaxing the two of them, their respective exhaustion settled in. Toriel gently picked both Humans up and carried them to the bedroom she prepared.

Room Between
Within the basement of Toriel's home you'd find the exit to the Ruins. It would lead one out into Snowdin Forest, though anything leaving the Ruins this way would first need to traverse a dark path leading to a chamber.

This chamber looked exactly like the first chamber nine young Humans have passed through after falling into the Underground. It was here Flowey appeared, sprouting up from the ground as he'd await the latest two Human here after having followed them through the Ruins.

"Two Humans who think they can play by their own rules." Flowey's face morphed to be sinister. "In this world, it is kill or be killed. To see when either reaches that point, at least that is something interesting."

"I know your desires, Flowey."

"That voice sounds familiar." Flowey thought.

It was distinctly female, a name was on the tip of his tongue. Flowey looking at his surroundings, knowing no one could come from the Ruins and determining the way out into Snowdin Forest hadn't been open.

Suddenly, what Flowey could only describe as darkness sprang up beneath him and proceeded to engulf the room itself. The soulless creature wasn't scared, though he still tried to leave only to find such an action impossible.

"Beyond the surface level, which boils down to satiating your curiosity and experiencing something new, your deepest desire is that which you lost. You crave a soul. Something you seemingly gave up on yet opted to seek out the Human souls in Asgore's possession."

"You claim to have the answer for my 'deepest desire'." Flowey's face turned scary. "It's unwise to mess with the true prince of this world's future."

"The darkness within you is an open book to the likes of me. You've always had the vain hope you'd feel something. All you were left with was the memory of what emotions felt like. While your appearance is an outlier, the rest is not abnormal.

If you still don't believe me, the process will at least be a new experience. Whatever doubts you still have, the layer above your deepest desire is that craving for new experiences. Really, what is it you have to lose at this point by trying my method?"

"I have done everything this world has to offer, which is why I let time move forward and ended up with those two dropping into the Underground." Flowey wouldn't let this person know her words were getting to him. "It's just like with Clover.

Even before those three, I'd read and burned every book. I'd won and lost every game. I' appeased everyone and killed everyone. Sets of numbers and lines of dialogue, I've seen them all." Flowey looked up, his face softening. "What do I have to do?"

"A soulless being, such as yourself, living long enough will eventually see a new soul burgeoning within their body. As you are now, you alone couldn't hope to cultivate it into a proper soul. That is where the darkness comes in. Simply let it in."

If for nothing else than this new experience, Flowey closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The darkness soon condensed and pooled underneath the flower. It then flowed up along his stem to the flower head before seeping into his being.

Flowey soon turned into absolute darkness, which shifted and grew into the shape of a goat Monster. When the darkness faded, that is what stood where Flowey had been. With this seemingly working, the Monster stared at his hands.

Flowey was now a young goat Monster, roughly half the size of Flowey, with white fur, long ears, a snout, and a set of visible fangs. He wore a green, long-sleeved shirt with yellow stripes and black pants. It was an attire all too similar to Chara's.

"I'm me again…" Flowey voiced in disbelief, his voice far softer, before the darkness melted off him, and he was a flower once more. "No…" He was distraught. "No. No! NO!"

"Letting the darkness in was merely one step further in cultivating your bludgeoning soul. Now, you are left with a choice. You can harness the darkness to restore your body or forever remain a flower. I can guide you in the right direction if you accept my guidance."

Whoever this was, they had been right. Flowey craved a soul well before he ever desired new experiences. With what just happened, his first desire was brought back to the forefront because it was no longer beyond his reach. This was everything he wanted.

"I do not fear darkness." Flowey answered.

Darkness once more swirled around the flower, only this time it took him away from the room.

Frisk's Dream
Frisk seemingly found herself back on the Surface, though she wasn't convinced since she distinctly remembered passing out within Toriel's home. It made the Human nearly certain this was a dream. The sun above was nice though, as was the view.

Before her was a three story white manor with black accents. It looked well maintained and had plenty of windows. There was even a bay window on the third floor. Looking around the grounds, Frisk could see flowers of various colors in bloom.

"Frisk."

Upon hearing the gentle yet forlorn tone, Frisk turned to see what looked like a tall skeleton with his back turned to her. He wore grey pants, a matching lab coat, and black shoes. He seemed to be watering the flowers. She attempted to speak, only no words nor even a sound came out.

"I'll keep this brief." The skeleton voiced.

The box that had contained that white text appeared before Frisk. "Is this creating another save?"

All Frisk had to go on with this was what Clover told her and knowledge from what video games she's played. Frisk noticed there weren't any words popping up, so it was likely her prior thought was wrong.

"At certain points, a save is created." The skeleton voiced. "At any point, you can load to the last save made. A mere handful within this world would know you did, with them having few options available, if any, to stop you. This is a minor factor given how frequent a save tends to be made.

Something more major is your ability to rest to the beginning of your journey. At any time, you can return to that flower bed. Going back in that way is far more substantial, with even those who might be aware of you loading unable to truly understand what you've done.

Realistically, this tends to differ between Alternative Universes and Timelines. How it works here is only a certain machine would truly know you've reset. At least, that is how is should work; however, Roxas has become an anomaly that anchors this reality.

He does nothing to prevent you from resetting, but his existence ensures this world cannot be overwritten. You'll merely be transferred to a world identical to this one as it would exist without him. This does mean anything his presence has caused won't be there either."

Even though Frisk didn't know if she could or should trust this skeleton, it was a lot to take in regardless. The ability to reset the world, or at least to seemingly reset the Underground.

"Does this extend beyond the Underground?" Frisk contemplated.

Frisk had questions and tried to speak; however, she still couldn't say a thing.

"I've relayed what I was requested to." The skeleton voiced. "I can show you nothing to present myself as honest, but what I have told you is the truth. When you are awake, merely think of bringing up the reset option. Let that speak for itself."

Toriel's Home: Very Early Morning…
Frisk stirred from her slumber and tried to process everything. Judging by the soft and warm feeling beneath her, she seemed to be in a bed. For a moment, Frisk wondered if everything in the Underground and with that skeleton had been a dream.

The largely unfamiliar smell assured her at least the Underground portion wasn't. Looking to her left, while blinking a few times to help her eyes adjust to the darkness, Frisk could make out Roxas' body lain out in his own bed across the room.

The steady rise and fall she noted told her he was asleep. This got Frisk silently sitting up in bed where she did as the skeleton said. The white box appeared before her, though this time there were two options beneath that looked like buttons. They were: 'Load' and 'Reset'.

"That means the skeleton wasn't a dream…"

Chara and Clover appeared nearby, staring at her with their own variations of curiosity. Unlike when the save was created, neither of them could see a thing now. To them, it just looked like Frisk was staring off into nothing. As for said Human, she had no desire to use either option.

She merely dismissed the interface before silently getting out of bed and opting to sneak out of the room. Clover wanted to speak up, not to dissuade her since he believed Frisk and Roxas were good people. This was in spite of what Roxas might think of himself or what little he's told them.

Chara tapped him on the shoulder, getting Clover's attention and gesturing for him to remain quiet. Clover nodded, the two of them vanishing though both would be following Frisk on whatever she was doing now.

Speaking of said Human, she stepped into the hallway where a small light was on. "Toriel must have left one on in case we woke in the night." She then tried to figure out if Toriel was awake. "There's no sound, though I should probably not open doors given one must lead to her room."

Frisk walked down the hall, noting there seemed to be three bedrooms. Though, it was more of a guess given the two aside from the room they'd been put in had their doors closed. At the end of the hall was a bathroom, which reminded her how long its assumedly been since she went.

Frisk stepped inside, closing the door and hoping her incorporeal guides had the decency not to follow. Chara and Clover both briefly appeared as she closed the door, the pair of them leaning against a nearby wall as her hope was correct.

After leaving the bathroom, Frisk was wishing she could take a shower. Since that might wake Toriel and/or Roxas, she held off. Walking back down the hallway and past their room, Frisk found a living room, kitchen, front entrance, and what looked like an entrance to a basement.

Frisk saw plenty, even though she didn't turn on any lights, though there came a point when she was left with two options aside from heading back to the bedroom. She could head out into the Ruins again but ended up dismissing such an idea rather quickly.

"I don't know who I could awaken, alongside there being no certainty I'd be safe even with the pacifying Roxas and I did." She looked to a clock on the wall, it reading three o'clock. "Unless Toriel gets up super early, I should have plenty of time to look at that basement."

Frisk made her way down the stairs and saw a long hallway that ended at a right turn. She walked down to the turn and saw it was another long hallway, though this time it led to a door. Frisk figured this had to be the way out of the Ruins that one Froggit had mentioned.

While she wasn't about to leave without talking to Toriel and assumedly having Roxas with her, that didn't mean the Human couldn't head up to the door. As Frisk walked, her mind turned towards that dream with the skeleton.

"I don't want to hide anything from Roxas, Clover, and Chara." Frisk thought. "If I did want to, it'd be hypocritical given what I told Roxas assumedly yesterday." The Human didn't know how long she slept. "I'll wait until Roxas is awake, giving me time to process it further."

Frisk soon reached the door and noticed a cool breeze coming from the bottom. Given how old it looked, she reasoned it must have been able to seal off completely however many years ago this had been put here. Aside from how ancient the door was, it looked heavy and was large.

Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the door, followed shortly by a voice. "Hey, ya there today?" It was masculine and fairly deep. "Guess not…" There was a sigh. "Welp, guess I'll have to practice on the door by myself."

Frisk then heard a body slide against the heavy door. "Is this a friend of Toriel's?"

There was knocking on the door, followed again by the voice. "Who's there…A broke pencil…A broken pencil who…? Never mind, it's pointless."

Frisk liked jokes well enough, even simple ones. The way whoever was behind this door told them would have usually had the girl laughing. Since she didn't want to give away her presence, she stifled her laughter.

"Man, it's weird when she's not here." There was another sigh. "Gets pretty bonely. Guess I should have expected this, given I came out here at such an abnormal time. Fairly boneheaded move on my end."

Frisk covered her mouth, only being a few seconds too late, which saw a laughter escape her. Things went quiet on the other side of the door, whoever this was must be listening intently.

"Who's there?" The voice was deeper now.

"Sorry." Frisk voiced. "Toriel is letting me stay here, and I woke up before deciding to explore. Then, I heard you on the other side. I'll say, your jokes are rather humerus."

Given the bone centered jokes being made, Frisk decided to reciprocate at the end there. Silence reigned for a few seconds before there was laughter.

"Wasn't expecting another pun lover." The voice returned, his tone softer. "What happened to the older lady?"

"Sleeping, I suppose." Frisk replied. "Can't say for certain since I didn't check any of the bedrooms, beyond the one she put me in. Anyways, could you tell me your name?"

"Sans, Sans the skeleton."

"A skeleton?" Frisk thought back to the tall one in her dreams. "Eh, as nice as it might be, it's not like I can expect every Monster I meet to know every other Monster like them."

"Shy about yourself?" Sans questioned, taking her silence not exactly the way she intended. "Not like you're Human, right?"

Frisk frowned at that. "Is that a bad thing?"

"The other lady often asks the same thing when we conversate like this." Sans noted.

"Is conversating like this all you two do?" Frisk asked.

"She doesn't ever step out of the Ruins, even for supplies." Sans replied. "She's locked herself in the Ruins for a long time. I don't know why, but she has her reasons."

"You still haven't answered me." Frisk voiced. "Are humans bad?"

"Hasn't anyone told ya the history of us Monsters?" Sans questioned. "We're locked down here because of them."

Sans tone wasn't rough or angry. It sounded like he had accepted his lot in life and was simply telling her what you'd expect from a Monster.

"Can't imagine every Human who participated in the war or even the seven who sealed them were all bad." Frisk returned genuinely. "I'd like to believe there's good and bad no matter which you're talking about, Humans or Monsters."

"You sound just like her." Sans chuckled. "Can't say it's a bad thought to have."

"What would happen if we were to find a human?" Frisk asked.

"Depends." Sans returned. "If they're like me, they won't care too much about capturing one. For most, they'd take them to the king and have their soul used to break the barrier. We only need one more to do it."

"Those who've gone missing on Mt. Ebott." Frisk thought.

Her mind turned to Clover and Chara, their incorporeal forms. They were just two of seven people, ranging from ages ten to seventeen, who had gone missing on this mountain prior to Roxas and her.

"Anyway, how long are you planning on staying with Toriel?" Sans questioned.

"Uncertain." Frisk stated. "To my knowledge, I arrived just last night with a friend of mine. He could use more rest, and I'm not certain what he wants to do fully. Ideally though, it'd be a few days before we both set off through this door."

Despite the apparent dangers, Frisk now had a desire to see more of the Underground. Not to mention she wanted to find a way back to the Surface since she was still on a mission to prove herself to her parents.

"I don't regret stopping to check out that cave, but I still need to collect a tree branch from the top of Mount Ebott." Frisk thought. "If Roxas agrees to train me, I can get my parents to approve him as a teacher through our original deal."

They had said she'd be permitted to learn magic if she could climb to the top of Mt. Ebott and bring down a branch from one of those rumored year long, red leaved branches. Even beyond that aspect, there were things Frisk knew she'd miss on the Surface.

"I see." Sans voiced. "Well, I'll have to talk with ya every now and then until you leave. Enjoy a new person to talk with. While I'm not particularly interested in capturing them, I'm still out here patrolling for Humans every day."

"I'll try to come around." Frisk responded. "For now, I should get back before Toriel wakes. By the way, my name is Frisk."

"Good to finally have a name." She could hear Sans rise from his spot. "Talk to you soon, Frisk."

Frisk then heard him step away, so she did the same. "I think I've had enough exploring for now. I should get back to bed." Her stomach growled. "It's been awhile since I ate anything aside from candy. I might have to eat my Spider Donut alongside my last piece."

Twilight Town: Sora's Dive to the Heart
Namine awoke within Sora's Station of Serenity. It was a solitary pillar, shaded white and with the image of Sora prominent. Within four circles near that prominent image were the images of Kari, Riku, Donald, and Goofy. DiZ had ordered Namine to find Roxas.

She could only really do that from within here. Since learning from Riku he had failed to secure Roxas, DiZ was angry. He was naturally angry with Roxas for prolonging Sora's recovery through his continued existence, but Riku had not escaped the man's ire for his blatant failure.

Rather than enter through a nearby door to the Station of Calling, Namine drew on her connection to Sora's Heart, seeing a grey door appear across from the door to the Station of Calling. She then entered through the newly created door.

Roxas' Dive to the Heart
Namine now stood within Roxas' own Station of Serenity, this one being a solitary pillar shaded black and with the image of Roxas prominent. Everything else was blacked out, with even her prowess not allowing her to progress.

"This isn't right…" Namine noted.

She knelt to touch the station, wanting to see if that changed things. Then, she heard a distinctive, sharp sound. The female Nobody stood to see what looked like a tall skeleton standing before her.

Both his eyes held white pupils and had cracks, though differently positioned. The left came from the top while the right came from the bottom. Holes were in the palms of his hands. His attire consisted of grey pants, a matching lab coat, white dress shirt, and black shoes.

"Who are you?" Namine asked.

In response, light flashed briefly from the skeleton's right palm. To Namine's surprise, he summoned a keyblade. The shaft was one of the longer variety and shaped like a bone. It's guard was strangely squared rather than cylindrical and was six different colors evenly represented.

These colors were: red, light blue, orange, blue, purple, green, and yellow. It's keychain was six simple chain links ending with a small hand with a hole through the palm. The teeth of this keyblade were represented by a menacing looking skull.

Namine held up her hands. "Wait, I'm not here to hurt Roxas."

In response, both of the skeleton's eyes glowed a purple darker than that which was on his guard. While he wasn't speaking, this skeleton's gaze told Namine she wasn't believed. He then surged forward. Namine screamed as she ejected herself from the Dive to the Heart completely.

Mansion
DiZ and Riku, who was stuck looking like Ansem, Seeker of Darkness after utilizing his darkness, were waiting for Namine in the former's lab. When said Nobody came running in screaming, Riku was concerned.

"Namine what happened?" He asked.

"Roxas' Dive to the Heart was covered while there was this living skeleton who could wield a keyblade in there." Namine relayed, scared. "It wouldn't talk and was fast."

"What skeleton?" DiZ asked. "Did it look like Roxas?"

"No, this skeleton was tall with cracks on its skull and holes in the palms of his hands." Namine relayed. "His eyes were white though soon changed to a dark purple. His attire looked like that of a scientist."

"I would have guessed it was a Heartless, but none of them have ever used a keyblade." Riku noted, troubled by this news.

"It's a keyblade wielder, somehow housing the ability to exist within there and intending on guarding him." DiZ noted, not liking this turn of events.

"Send me in." Riku voiced instantly. "I'll deal with this skeleton."

"You've already failed going solo." DiZ sneered. "No, we'll get help. Someone you'll back up in dispensing with this obstacle."

 

[Quillion9000]

Roxas' Dream
Roxas didn't know what to make of this given he remembered passing out within Toriel's home. Now, he found himself on a paved path with a blue sky above. There were various flowers around and in bloom, arranged in a way someone could walk among them.

His gaze soon turned to the only building within range of his sight, a three story white manor with black accents just down the path. It looked well maintained with plenty of windows that would allow in light. The largest of these was a bay window up at the third floor.

Roxas briefly considered this being the doing of anyone who might be after him, though was quick to discarded such a notion. Those people either wanted him dead or captured, neither of which he was to his knowledge. No, being here was for something different.

"I need to figure out what this is while being ready to leave at a moment's notice." Roxas thought, deciding to investigate the grounds prior to checking the manor. "I'm not sure how it works; however, Clover and Chara haven't appeared. That might mean Frisk isn't here."

He was under the assumption the incorporeal guides needed them to be in relative proximity to appear. If Frisk wasn't here, then it was unlikely Toriel would be here. In the end, this was merely him guessing until he gathered more information.

The only vantage point was to run straight up the manor, something Roxas ruled out given someone might be inside. This resulted in the Nobody walking around the manor while attempting to see anything else aside from what he's seen.

There was nothing else he could see, leading him to conclude whoever was taking care of this place had to live within the manor. With nothing more to explore outside, Roxas approached the manor and decided to try the front door. It was unlocked.

Upon opening it, Roxas could hear what sounded like classical music being played on a piano. He contemplated leaving, whether it be walking off in a random direction or through a corridor of darkness. Ultimately, the curiosity instilled within him from the Organization won out.

Roxas slipped inside the manor, finding the design oddly familiar. "Has Sora been here to?"

Even though he thought that, it sounded wrong. This place had a different sense of familiarity to him than any place he's been while working for the Organization. Even then, something seemed off. The front door had led into a long hallway to the back of the building.

It was primarily white with black accents and had plenty of crossroads which seemingly led to hallways with doors and doorways into various rooms. It was the color black, along with those crossroads, that stuck out for reasons the Nobody couldn't identify.

Even if this weren't connected to Sora, Roxas knew from experience nothing would be resolved by standing around pondering. He took a deep breath before opting to investigate the music, noting it would be wise to pinpoint where the world natives were first.

Roxas drew closer to the music before peeking inside a room to find a rather cozy looking living room with a piano being played by what looked like a tall skeleton with holes in the palms of his hands. He wore grey pants, a matching lab coat, and black shoes.

"Is that a Monster?" Roxas contemplated. "Does that mean I'm on a similar world or the same world? If it's the same world, what would a Monster be doing on the Surface? I got the impression they're all in the Underground for some reason."

For everything Roxas had learned of the world he ended up on after escaping the silver haired guy, he had failed to question why things were the way they were. If he still worked for the Organization, they'd be displeased with such information from a first visit to a world.

"Come to think of it, I don't think the Organization was ever supposed to enter a building, yet we did it anyways." Roxas recognized. "Putting aside whether this is the same or a new world, perhaps I should have left in whatever way…"

The skeleton's fingers suddenly stopped as he addressed the hidden Nobody, his tone soft. "Your days of needing to lurk are behind you, Roxas."

Roxas tensed. With the members of the Organization who fell, whether it be at Castle Oblivion or Xion, the number of people left who knew his name could be counted between his two hands. That meant there were a limited number of people who could have informed this skeleton of him.

"Calm yourself, for I am not your enemy." The skeleton turned around in his seat to face the keyblade wielder. "I am Doctor Wingdings Gaster, though you may call me Gaster or Dr. Gaster."

"Alright, Gaster." Roxas stepped into the doorway, though made no move to enter the room. "How do you know my name?"

"Given my current existence, nearly nothing on this world is beyond my purview." Gaster informed. "Until recently, all I could do was see without interaction and exist in a way only one person remembers me in my entirety."

"Explain." Roxas demanded.

"To put it into terms you may understand, the various worlds currently perceive me as something below a Nobody." Gaster explained. "Whereas Nobodies resist fading into the darkness and aren't embraced by the light, they still exist.

I do not even have that beyond the confines of a space known as the Void. It's a location I fell into that attempted to cleave my existence from the world. My memory stripped from those who knew me while anything I created is either attributed to someone forgotten or unexplained.

I did say 'attempted' because it failed on two Monsters, though one was young to the point any memories he does have are liable to be faint ones at best. From my place within the Void, I can see almost everything within relation to this world. You became part of it upon landing here."

"That doesn't make sense." Roxas retorted. "You said yourself a Nobody like me resist fading into the darkness yet isn't embraced by the light. The light is where this world resides. Even then, I've never heard of someone embraced by the light becoming part of another world."

Granted, he had never heard of such a thing until now and already knew from experience the Organization was unreliable. Though knowing something was unreliable didn't just erase beliefs one had been instilled with their entire life. Even if that life was less than a year long.

"I can't just tell him something like this." No, Gaster knew it was a truth the Nobody needed to come to terms with himself. "You'd be surprised what worlds can do. In any case, you coming here has allowed me to see your past. I can see from the day you came into existence to now."

"So, you know my entire history?" Roxas questioned, uncertain.

"Not your entire history." Gaster waved a hand. "I'm not omni present and time still passes. If I were always busy looking into what has happened, I'd miss out on events of the present that require my attention."

"You mentioned until recently all you could do was see without interaction and said almost all of this world was under your purview." Roxas noted. "What's changed the former and why is the latter the way it is?"

"My ability to view the world is a matter of perspective I won't bore you with at this time." Gaster began. "By my perspective, it wasn't too long ago that I found blind spots without the ability to ascertain what caused them.

As for the former point…" The skeleton monster's expression fell as he looked down. "I'm still bound to the void, though interaction with Humans who fell into the Underground is the result of someone who found a place in my heart. She is no longer here."

Given Roxas' life, what he's heard was certainly believable. This left him uncertain how to think about someone else knowing anything about his past. He has certainly been sloppy, though not to the point anyone he's met knew the whole truth.

"I could tell you ways I've been on your side, though they would just be words at this point and cause unnecessary worry." Gaster voiced.

The skeleton then stood and started to approach Roxas, seeing the Nobody tense. He didn't summon his keyblades yet, though was ready to at a moment's notice.

"Rather than attempt that, I'll leave you with this." Gaster had reached Roxas and gently ruffled his hair. "You're a remarkable young man. Even in the face of grief, you persist."

Toriel's Home: Midnight…
Roxas opened his eyes a touch dazed as he wondered if what just happened was real. The slowly fading sensation of Gaster's hand rubbing the top of his head seemed to indicate whatever happened had been real, weather it was a dream or not.

If what he experienced was real, there was a lot to digest. Especially in that last moment as though it had been a skeletal hand, there was a certain level of warmth Roxas couldn't explain. Just then, the fact he was starving hit him all at once.

"Er, just how long have I been out?" Roxas contemplated.

He needed something and immediately scanned the room. It was dark, though Roxas' eyes adjusted fast given he'd been to some relatively dark places on missions. He spotted Frisk under covers as she slept within a bed across the room.

The Nobody then managed to spot the girl's bag, which hopefully still held his last piece of monster candy and that spider donut. At this point, he didn't care what that thing was made of. Roxas got out of bed and silently made his way over.

He looked inside the bag. Inside there was: one piece of candy, one spider donut, a plastic knife with a faded red ribbon tied around the handle, and 26 metal coins. It'd been 6 after they bought those spider donuts, but the Monsters they'd ran into on their way here had given them 20 more.

Roxas was quick to eat his share, being pleasantly surprised at just how good the donut tasted. As he ate, he didn't really notice there being spiders within it. Regardless, the Nobody reasoned Toriel might be asleep if Frisk was any indication.

"Since I'm up now, I could make my way back to that bed of flowers and see about getting back up that hole." Roxas thought, silently making his way to the door out of the room. "Might try a corridor of darkness while I'm at it."

Given what answers this world may hold about Keyblades, coupled with the fact he still didn't know if the people after him could track him, Roxas had no intention of leaving this world. He just wanted to see what was possible. Just as they did last night, Chara and Clover appeared.

As they had been through this, the pair nodded before vanishing. They would be following Roxas without showing themselves. Perhaps like with her, there would be nothing that drew them back out. Speaking of said Nobody, he stepped into the hallway where a small light was on.

"There's no sound, good indication I can get out without being noticed." Roxas thought. "First, I should use that bathroom."

Roxas had been looking right initially at the entrance to the building before looking left down the hall and seeing said bathroom. The Nobody realized he really had to go and silently stalked his way in there. Only once he was done did Roxas leave the house.

The Ruins
The first thing Roxas noticed upon leaving Toriel's home is that things were marginally darker. The second was that things seemed quieter, and the Nobody knew he wasn't attributing that to the fact Frisk wasn't with him.

"Must be late at night, whether as they see it or genuinely." Roxas started walking. "I'll get the general idea once I've made it back to that hole."

Roxas had a goal in mind, so he didn't even contemplate going into that old capital. He merely traversed back through the path already taken. Despite what time he theorized it to be, the Nobody ran into his fair share of Monsters. It was a tossup whether they'd attack.

If they were encountered prior or seemingly heard about it, they were content to ignore Roxas. Those who hadn't tried their luck with the Nobody, he pacified them like he remembered. It was still bizarre how these encounters were like puzzles rather than an actual fight.

At least they left behind a few metal coins every time. There was also marginal training to this. Even though Roxas was fast, encounters with two to three monsters at a time provided projectiles to evade or block. It wasn't much but better than nothing.

"If you exclude Toriel, the Monsters of the Ruins might be able to handle the lowest tiered Heartless or Nobodies." Roxas noted. "I'd bet on the various Loox to last the longest, though too large a number would likely overwhelm this place in the long run.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen Heartless or Nobodies on this world. Not really sure what that means. Though like dealing with low tier enemies, Going through the Ruins like this would benefit Frisk more than me."

He stopped upon realizing his thoughts turned towards training Frisk. Who was he to think of such? Nothing's really changed. He doesn't know how to train someone. What ways he did know were minimal and likely wrong since they came from the Organization.

"Do I turn her down, or would it be better than nothing to at least try?" Roxas contemplated.

The Nobody couldn't come to a decision, opting to push the subject of training Frisk away as he did when she asked. Roxas eventually made it back to the spider back sale, a sizeable chunk of coins being just enough to get two spider donuts.

As he proceeded onward, Roxas munched down both of them which left his stomach satisfied. With this part of the Ruins housing easier to pacify Monsters and less of them challenging him, it didn't take long to finally reach where he'd landed with Frisk.

"Looks like despite being underground, the Monsters have set their time accordingly because it is night up there." Roxas noted, this lending credence to that time on the phone Frisk had likely being correct. "Alright, time to begin."

Roxas settled on creating a corridor of darkness first, only for nothing to happen. He could feel his connection to that power. When he attempted to make one, nothing. A corridor of darkness was easier for him to use than a level one spell, yet he couldn't summon it forth.

"This…This hasn't happened on any world unless I'm absolutely drained like in the aftermath of that fight with the girl in red." Roxas noted. "Under the assumption they could track my corridor, is this why the Organization hasn't come for me?"

It was troubling to discover he couldn't utilize his corridor of darkness, but Roxas recognized all he'd be doing at this point was guessing why he was incapable. Something was telling him there was other ways off a world. Perhaps this idea came from his connection to Sora.

Maybe it had something to do with what he was experiencing from his time within that dream he had. Regardless, he wasn't going to let something like this derail him. His goal was still to return to the Castle That Never Was and free Kingdom Hearts.

A little roadblock like this wasn't going to stop him. With the corridor of darkness inaccessible, Roxas turned his attention to the hole above. He sprinted up the rocky wall before leaping with his arm outstretched, only to crash into something he could not see.

Roxas' eyes widened as he fell. "W-What…?"

He landed feet first on the golden bed of flowers, his gaze still fixed upon the hole above.

"Whoa, I didn't know you could run up things." Clover voiced, impressed.

Roxas turned to see Clover and Chara had appeared. "They can follow Frisk or me?"

"We established you don't have amnesia, but you're one clueless guy." Chara sighed.

"Do you two know what I hit up there?" Roxas questioned.

"It's the barrier." Chara replied. "After the war between Humans and Monsters, the former emerged victorious." She didn't sound pleased to be saying this. "They then sealed Monsters underground with a magic spell."

"Anything can enter Mt. Ebott, but nothing can leave unless seven human souls are gathered to break the barrier." Clover added.

"Is that magic spell why I can't summon my corridor of darkness?" Roxas contemplated, looking up once more.

"Is this why you came back here?" Chara questioned, drawing the Nobody's attention. "Given you clearly didn't know about the barrier, was this you attempting to abandon Frisk?"

"Believe what you want, I was merely seeing what was possible." Roxas shook his head. "If I were going to leave, I'd at least tell her."

Chara stared critically at Roxas upon hearing that before sighing. "Are we going to go now, or are you planning on wasting more time?"

"Come on, Chara." Clover smiled. "You should have said, 'Onwards to adventure.'"

"You and Roxas are 'unique' in your own rights." Chara sighed.

"Uh, thanks…" Roxas tried.

"Yeah." Clover agreed.

"That was not a compliment." Chara retorted dismissively.

Roxas stared up at the hole one last time. "If it is the barrier preventing me from leaving, I'll need to find some way through it." He tore his gaze away from the hole and started the trek back to Toriel's, the incorporeal guides following. "No matter what, I must free Kingdom Hearts…"

Toriel's Home: Midday…
Roxas had returned to Toriel's, only getting into a few encounters along the way. He deposited the 20 metal coins he ended with into Frisk's bag before deciding to go back to bed. When next he woke, everything was lighter to the point he could now see the room. It was pink.

Most features of the room seemed to be this color with only the desk being of a wooden color and floor seeming to not be. Roxas stood and noted he was hungry, though not to the extent he had been last he woke. The Nobody proceeded to open the door into the hallway.

He was greeted by the yellow colored hallway he recalled before passing out. He could hear laughter. Roxas followed it to a living room where he found Frisk sat on a wooden chair before Toriel, who sat in a large recliner. The Monster held what looked like some sort of joke book.

Toriel was the first to notice him. "Oh, you're awake my child."

That got Frisk looking back, seeing her smile. "You're finally awake!"

"Eh, how long was I out?" Roxas questioned.

"From the time you both passed out, you've slept through that night, yesterday, last night, and the morning." Toriel voiced. "It's now noon of your two's second day here."

"I was starting to worry you'd never wake up." Frisk replied sincerely.

"I assume I woke up sometime last night." Roxas nodded. "Well, guess I just needed sleep."

"With you awake, you must be starving." Toriel stood from her chair, setting the book down on a nearby nightstand. "I'll get you a plate from the lunch I made."

"Her food is amazing Roxas." Frisk smiled. "Her pies are even better. By the way, that sea salt pie you got her to make was unlike anything I ever tasted. I can't decide if I like it more than the butterscotch-cinnamon pie she made."

Roxas could recall smelling that pie and found himself hoping it tasted right. So, the three of them traveled to the kitchen entrance where Toriel made a plate of spaghetti for the Nobody and heated it with fire magic to a steaming state.

Once she was done, she handed it to Roxas who proceeded to have a seat at the table and eat. Toriel's cooking was better than anything the Nobody got from the Castle That Never Was. Even though Roxas had eaten three donuts and piece of candy last night, he was still ravenous now.

"My, you are hungry." Toriel cast a worried glance his way. "You poor child."

"I'm fine." Roxas voiced. "I've handled whatever is thrown my way well enough."

He wanted to assure Toriel, though it didn't seem to work from what he could tell. Now even Frisk was looking at him with concern. This told the Nobody he hadn't assured anyone, and letting him know he had to study up on social interactions.

"With Roxas eating, I think I'll grab a shower." Frisk stated.

The Human had a lot she wanted to talk about with Roxas, a bit of it now to address how he'd just responded. With a majority of it being things they shouldn't talk about while around Toriel, Frisk opted to let him enjoy the meal.

Once Frisk was gone, Toriel looked to Roxas. "My child?"

"Yeah?" Roxas returned.

"I was hoping to understand further of what you've been through." Toriel began slowly. "You were part of a group that now hunts you and acquired two others potentially doing the same. I just want to understand how someone so young ends up in something like that."

"Guess it just comes with the coat." Roxas gave a sullen look, not necessarily lying since he was given this coat before joining Organization XIII. "Anyone who wears it did bad things, and I'm no different because at one point they were my allies."

Upon hearing that, Toriel stood up abruptly. This saw the Nobody hang his head. Rather than footsteps walking away, he herd them approaching before suddenly being embraced. Roxas turned to see the Monster was kneeling and had hugged him.

"Well, good on you for no longer being part of such a group." Toriel voiced sincerely. "Who you are now matters more than who you used to be. Especially with how I suspect someone like you wouldn't have willingly joined them had you known better."

Roxas was surprised.

Toriel soon let go and stood before offering a gentle smile. "Once you are in the shower, I'll get you a replacement outfit." She picked up his plate. "What can be done right now is getting you a slice of pie. Hopefully, the sea salt one is a good substitute for that ice cream."

Roxas was left speechless, processing what had just happened until Toriel returned with a slice of pie. The filling was surprisingly accurate to how a sea salt ice cream looked. The Nobody took a bite before blinking.

"It's salty…no, sweet." Roxas thought fondly, closing his eyes.

Memories of sitting atop that clocktower with Axel and Xion flooded his mind. It reminded Roxas of what he truly wanted. By freeing Kingdom Hearts, he would get to have those times back. This line of thinking led him to the last times he saw those two.

Flashback: Axel
Roxas was lying in his bed at the Castle That Never Was. "Xion…Replica Program…Xion was a puppet made to replicate my powers-the Keyblade's powers. When Xion left the Organization, Axel didn't stop her. He's probably known about Xion for some time, but kept it from me.

Xion and I are both special Nobodies. Xion was a replica. A puppet. What about me? Am I a puppet, too? Xemnas said Sora was what connects her and me. Who is Sora? Who am I supposed to be? He sat up. "Axel…If he's hiding things about Xion, what could he be hiding about me?"

Deciding to confront Axel, Roxas got out of bed.

He walked to the Grey Area where he found the fiery Nobody gazing out the window. "Axel."

"Hey, Roxas." Axel greeted.

There was a pause for a moment.

…

"Did you find Xion yet?" Roxas asked.

Axel shook his head. "You know it isn't going to be that easy."

"I suppose not…" Roxas replied. "Have you known… about Xion this whole time?"

"No, not the whole time."

"Since when then?"

"I can't exactly remember."

"Didn't get it memorized, huh?" Roxas tried to force a smile but couldn't. "Axel…Who am I really?" There was no reply. "I'm special, like Xion, I know that, but the Organization wanted me out of the picture. Am I right?"

Axel sadly nodded. "Yeah…They did."

"I guess it's cause Xion copied the Keyblade's powers, and they didn't need me anymore." Roxas laughed. "I guess you were no different."

"You're wrong." Axel denied instantly. "You'll always be…my best friend."

"Best friends are supposed to be honest with each other!" Roxas only got angrier. "Who am I, Axel? Xemnas says me and Xion are connected to each other through Sora. I don't even know a Sora! Am I a puppet like Xion?"

Axel shook his head. "You're different from Xion."

"Then why did…"

Axel interrupted Roxas. "Finding out the truth doesn't always work out for the best."

"What's makes you so sure?" Roxas shook his head. "I have the right to know the truth! How did I even get here? Why am I special? Where did I learn how to use the Keyblade? I hardly know who I am! What is so wrong with wanting some answers!?"

"Roxas…"

"I need to know, Axel." Roxas looked down sadly. "Please, who am I?"

"You've just got to trust me, Roxas." Axel returned.

"I don't." Roxas voiced, turning away. "I can't."

"Roxas…" Axel tried.

"Somebody knows where I came from." Roxas didn't stop. "If I can't get answers here, I'll get them somewhere else. That'll be the person…I trust."

Roxas went back to his room where he retrieved that 'WINNER' popsicle stick. "I tried, but I have to find out about myself." He lowered the hand holding the popsicle stick. "There's no reason for me to be here…anymore."

Roxas decided to leave Organization XIII. He went down the halls, fighting the Dusks who opposed his escape before coming to blows with Saïx. After achieving victory there, Roxas exited out into the World That Never Was.

He passed by Axel, who happened to be waiting for him as he leaned up against the building. "Your mind's made up?"

"Why did the Keyblade choose me?" The blond stopped and glanced at him. "I have to know."

Axel turned around to face Roxas, panicked. "You can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!"

"No one would miss me." With apathy, Roxas looked away from him and proceeded.

Roxas knew Axel likely said something, though he was out of earshot.

Flashback: Xion
Roxas held his head as Xion fell to her knees, the darkness around her dissipating.

Roxas stumbled towards her. "Who are you…again?" Xion weakly smiled. "It's weird. I feel like I'm forgetting something important."

"You'll be…better off now…Roxas." Xion breathed.

Roxas just barely caught her when she fell over. Xion appeared to be splintering as shards of light began to float up into the sky. This was her existence.

Roxas didn't understand, but he was worried. "Am I…the one who did this to you?"

"No…" Xion shook her head. "It was my choice…to go away now. Better that, than to do nothing…and let Xemnas have his way. I belong with Sora. Now, I am going back…to be with him. Roxas…" She weakly put her hand on his. "I need you…to do me a favor. All those hearts I've captured…Kingdom Hearts…set them free."

"Kingdom Hearts…Free them?" Roxas asked, not understanding.

Xion weakly nodded, only for her legs to crystalize. "It's too late…for me to undo my mistakes. But, you can't let Xemnas…have Kingdom Hearts. You can't." Her voice grew weaker. "Good-bye, Roxas.

I'm glad…I got to meet you. Oh, and of course, Axel too. You're both my best friends." Losing energy as her existence began to finally fade away, she finally put a hand on Roxas's cheek. "Never forget. That's the truth."

Her hand then dropped, only for Roxas to panic and grab it as his memories of her flooded back. "No…Xion! Who else will I have ice cream with?"

Roxas got no reply as Xion's entire existence faded away, the crystal enveloping her body. Upon being bathed in a warm light, she vanished. All that remained of her was a seashell which Roxas took.

Toriel's Home: Present…
Just like that day, Roxas' breath got shaky as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Xion…"

"My child, are you okay?" Toriel asked, concerned.

She began to approach him, only for Roxas to stand. "It's nothing." He walked away. "I'm going to see if Frisk is done with the shower."

Toriel looked at his retreating back sadly, now wondering who this Xion was to get a reaction like that. Roxas walked down the hallway to the bathroom, arriving just as the door opened to reveal Frisk, who was clothed with her hair damp.

Upon seeing the current state of the Nobody, she was immediately concerned. "Roxas?"

The Nobody breezed past her. "It's complicated."

He immediately shut the door.