Undertale: Reason to Live

Undertale: Reason to Live

"So, you're really going through with this? Aren't you?" Flowey asked.

There, Frisk was, lying in the snow in the middle of the Snowdin woods, where he thought no one would find him, yet somehow, he did.

"I have to say I was hoping for a better ending than this," Flowey said in his cold and mocking tone. "I mean seeing you try to play this game without killing anyone only to fail. Every. Single. Time. That was entertaining. Watching you try so hard to stay the pacifist only to snap. Every. Single. Time. That was hilarious. Then, watching as slowly your hope vanished until your determination withered away from your wasted efforts. That was unbelievably satisfying. But seeing you like this, with no hope left, resigning yourself to freeze to death in the woods, completely alone. It doesn't feel like the ending you deserve."

Frisk had no energy left to cry or even to react. He had shed all his tears. He had lost all his feelings. He no longer cared what happened. He stared emotionlessly through Flowey as if he wasn't even there though he heard every word. Frisk was waiting to die.

"Oh, well," Flowey said shaking his head. "I'm not complaining. After all, once you're gone, I get a soul. You know, I could make this go faster if you wanted me to. I could kill you and take your soul myself, like I almost did before…"

Flowey showed his more menacing face. He pulled Frisk's soul out of his body and prepared to destroy him with his seeds. When Frisk didn't react, Flowey relaxed his features back to normal, let his soul go, and made his weapons disappear.

"No, it just doesn't feel the same," Flowey said. "It just doesn't feel the same now that you've given up hope. It's no fun now that there's no terror behind your eyes or determination to fight against. Besides, that would only be giving you what you want. Wouldn't it? I'll let you die your own way in your own pain, human. Then once your corpse is frozen, I'll take your soul and carry out my own plans. Together, we'll give this world the hell it deserves. It will be so much fun. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am."

Frisk's only response was to roll over on his other side so that he was facing away from Flowey.

"Alright then," Flowey gloated. "I suppose I can let you have your final minutes of peace. Enjoy them while you can. I'll be waiting."

Flowey disappeared finally leaving Frisk alone with his thoughts. Once he disappeared, he let what few tears he had left flow freely. Even his last-ditch attempt to make everything right had failed. When Frisk froze to death, he wouldn't be allowed to move on to the afterlife in peace. Flowey would take his soul and bring about his hell on earth. Whether he lived or died, Frisk would still cause misery. It was unfair.

Frisk couldn't even run somewhere else. He was too weak now to even move. All he could do was wait. His body was cold, and he was so tired. His eyes were so heavy now. His eyelids shut, and he began to lose consciousness. It was so peaceful and quiet. Why couldn't he stay this way?

Frisk fell asleep and began to dream. In his dreams, it was dark, and he was alone, but instead of the cold, he felt warm. A mist surrounded him and held him in an embrace. He couldn't explain it, but he knew he was loved and he was safe in its presence. Frisk finally felt happy and at peace. He could have stayed there forever.

"You don't really want to die, do you?" the mist asked in a sad but kind and concerned voice.

Frisk shed a few tears and nodded. He suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air.

"You don't want to leave," the mist said still kind but overwhelming in his love and power. "You only want to be free from pain and stop hurting others, but this isn't the way."

The mist transfigured into a light that grew brighter and brighter until it dominated Frisk's field of vision.

"My mercy is yours if only you'll take it," the light said. "Won't you take it?"

The light reached out his hand towards Frisk and he hesitated before falling back into the darkness of his sleep.

When Frisk gained consciousness again, he was aware that he was being held in a bathtub filled with hot water and wearing swim trunks.

"Oh, human! You're finally awake! Nyeh heh heh!" a familiar voice yelled while sitting him up. "I knew you weren't dead!"

Frisk turned around to see Papyrus.

"Don't look so surprised, human!" Papyrus said proudly. "It would have been dishonorable of me to leave you to die without engaging you in a proper battle first, so after you ran away from me, I ran into the woods to find you and healed your wounds. You're lucky I caught you when I did, or you would have frozen to death. Nyeh heh heh!"

Papyrus lifted Frisk out of the tub, placed him on the floor, and wrapped his shivering body in a few towels. Papyrus then stood up and opened the door to leave revealing that they were in his room.

"Now, stay here, human," Papyrus said. "I'll see if your clothes are ready and then we can engage in battle! Just stay quiet. My brother Sans doesn't know you're…"

"Hiya, Papyrus," Sans said appearing suddenly in his room.

Papyrus pushed the human back in the bathroom and shut the door.

"Hi, Sans," he said.

"Was that the human in your bathroom?"

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Papyrus, I saw him standing there."

"No, you didn't."

"He was in a towel."

"No, he wasn't."

"Oh, my God! Was he naked?"

"No, he was wearing one of my bathing suits."

"So, the human is in there."

Papyrus stomped the ground and said, "Sans, you tricked me!"

"So, why is the human in our house?" Sans asked inquisitively.

"He would have died if I hadn't."

In the meantime, Frisk backed away as far away from the door he could in fear. He remembered what happened when he snapped and killed Papyrus. He remembered Sans' brokenness and his fierce anger. Frisk had to get out and end everything in a way that not even Flowey could reach. He looked around for an exit and saw a window.

"So, let me get this straight," Sans said after hearing his brother's explanation. "The human was freezing to death, so instead of taking him to Undyne, you brought him here, gave him a bath, and are now washing his clothes."

"Yes," Papyrus replied. "I couldn't just leave him to die, Sans. Besides, his clothes were wet and dirty."

"I know. I'm just surprised is all. Let me see him."

"No, get out of my room!"

Sans shortcut past him and into the bathroom. Frisk was gone, and the window was wide open.

"Dammit, Sans! I hate it when you do that," Papyrus complained while opening the door. "Where's the human?"

"I think he ran away," Sans said gesturing towards the open window.

"You scared him away, Sans," Papyrus yelled in a panic while looking out the window. "Where'd you go, human?! We won't hurt you! We promise! Now, he's gonna freeze to death again! I have to go find him!"

Papyrus bolted past Sans, ran down the stairs, and out the door as quickly as he could. Sans short cut to the ground to see if he could follow the human's tracks. He found them, and they were going straight for the river.

Frisk ran as fast as he could with his bare feet in the snow and still wrapped in his towels. He finally knew a place where Flowey would not be able to reach him, the river. If he died there, Flowey would not be able to retrieve his soul. He would be able to stay in peace, as he was in his dream with the entity who loved him.

Frisk stopped only when he was at the river's edge. He hesitated at its bank. The voice was right. He didn't want to die, but what else could he do? Every time he failed, he only brought pain to the people he wanted to help the most. Frisk couldn't do that again, not to Papyrus, not to Sans, not to any of them. The best thing he could do was get himself out of their lives. That is what he told himself as he stuck the toes of one foot into the water and prepared to take the plunge.

"It's a bit cold for a swim, ain't it, human?" Sans asked interrupting his thoughts.

Frisk turned around and shook at seeing him again. Somehow, Sans knew what he was thinking.

"It's alright, human," Sans said. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just stay calm. My brother and me, we look scary, but we're harmless, especially Papyrus. What's your name?"

Frisk looked away in shame. Something in his look gave Sans déjà-vu.

"What is your name, kid?" Sans asked again.

"Frisk," Frisk answered quietly.

"Okay, Frisk," Sans said calmly. "You're going to be okay. Come inside. I'll find you some warm clothes until my brother gets yours back."

"Sans," Frisk said. "I don't want to have a bad time. I don't want anyone to have a bad time."

Sans froze for a minute. Those words sounded familiar, but he didn't know how or where…

"I think it's better for everyone if I just give up, like you wanted me to," Frisk said before dropping the towels on the shore and letting himself fall into the water. "I'm sorry."

The cold water was quick and overpowering, much more so than the snow. He looked up and saw the reflection on the surface of Sans looking down at him while the air escaped from his lungs and the current washed him downstream. As before, it was peaceful and quiet. It was nice. Frisk closed his eyes and waited to drown.

His soul came out of his body. Frisk opened his eyes and smiled thinking that mean the end was here, but he felt dismay when his soul flew upwards eventually pulling him out of the water.

Frisk coughed hard while regaining the ability to breath. Meanwhile, he was pulled back to shore where Sans was. Papyrus stood next to him looking sad and confused.

"No," Frisk yelled tiredly feeling weak again after his second exposure to hypothermia that day. "No! No! No! No! Put me down! Let me go! Please! I just wanna die! That's the only way! Please!"

He started to cry again as Sans put him down. Sans looked at him with pity and compassion. Frisk tried to make a break for it again, but Sans grabbed his arm and refused to let him go. Frisk was exhausted, but he didn't give it up. He could barely stand, but he thrashed around with all the strength he had left.

"Stop it, Frisk," Sans said firmly. "Stop it right now!"

"No, please! You don't understand! If I die anywhere else…" Frisk rambled quickly losing the energy he had left.

"You're not dying, Frisk," Sans said resolutely and authoritatively to him looking him in the eyes as he would his own brother. "No one is going to kill you, and no one is going to hurt you. You're sick and you need to come inside now."

"But I am a monster."

"So, is everyone else, kid. You need to calm down now. We'll take care of you. Okay? Papyrus? Carry him in please? I don't think he can walk two feet."

"Of course," Papyrus said scooping him in his arms.

Sans handed him the towels, so he could keep Frisk warm. Frisk began to calm down as they walked back to the house as quickly as they could. His breathing got more even, and he began to doze off.

"Sans, what's wrong with him?" Papyrus asked. "Why is he acting so crazy? Is this normal for humans?"

"No," Sans said. "He's manically depressed. We have to look after him now."