Undertale: Discarded Soul Ch. 1 - 2

A Brief Disclaimer

I must ask everyone to read this in it's entirety. If you don't agree with it, that's fine, but I want anyone reading to see where I'm coming from, and the rules I follow for this work.

First: This book contains characters, references, and other information relating to the game "Undertale." Comprehensive knowledge of the game and its fanbase is not needed for understanding, (save your sanity, don't even try to do that), and a basic knowledge of it and the fangame Undertale Yellow will be enough to comprehend the large majority of this book.

Second: This is a fan work. The character interactions and scenes are of my own imagination and headcanon of the characters' personalities, abilities, and traits. Some pieces and mechanics are also of my own creation, and are not to be associated with the original source. However, the cannon provided by the original games will be held as to as closely as I can while still following the story's path.

Third: Odds are that when this is being read this is still a work in progress. Any recommendations would be appreciated, but please try and be civil about it. You know the sort of people I'm talking about, and I won't deal with that again.

Fourth: These characters are exactly that: characters. Any relations to persons living or dead are completely coincidental, as is the case with scenes, descriptions, etc. Any assumptions about the author outside of reasonable conclusions drawn from logical rhetorical analysis of the work are to be considered false and will result in immediate VAC banning.

Finally: Don't be weird. That's all I ask. I'm not trying to make a point, I'm not trying to call out anyone or any group in particular; I'm just trying to have fun and write about interesting characters of my own invention.

With that in mind, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 1: The Fall

Run. Flee. Escape. These were the words that were running through my mind. All I could think about was getting away from the people who were after me. The forest seemed to only get more dense the farther I went, branches closing in, bushes and twigs pulling at me, trying to drag me down, hold me down, so that I could be found. I pushed through. I was not getting caught here. I needed to make it somewhere safe.

Then, I heard them.

They were crashing through the brush behind me like wild animals, tracking me, hunting me. I kept running. If I could make it to the mountain, there were caves. I could hide in the caves. It would have to work. I could feel the ground getting steeper under me. I saw a path off to my left, and I pushed for it. It wrapped around the side of the mountain. I could still hear them behind me.

A cave. To my right. But before I could make it there, I felt something large and heavy slam into the back of my head. I barely noticed when I hit the ground, rolling further down the path. I could hear vague voices, coming from what felt like miles away.

"You idiot! You weren't supposed to kill her!"

"And who was the one who suggested I throw a ROCK at her HEAD, huh?!"

"I didn't think you'd actually hit her! It would've been a warning shot!"

"Both of you, shut up! The bigger problem here is what do we do with her now?"

That voice brought me back. I knew the two chasing me, but I hadn't expected him to be a third. Someone I had called a friend. I felt arms under me, I was lifted into the air. The smell became older, muskier. As my head fell to one side, I forced my eyes open slightly. The light felt like hammers on my brain, but what I saw terrified me more: a massive, gaping hole, straight into the ground. I tried to do something, say something, but nothing happened. I was dropped to the ground, and heard the voices again.

"Well, that's one solution I guess."

"Feels a bit ... mean. No one's ever gonna find the body."

"Who cares. It's not like anyone's gonna come looking for her anyway. You know that state of the city. Of her family. If anything, they'll be relieved she's gone."

I felt a foot in my side. I tried to scream. Nothing happened.

"I'd apologize, but ... I'm not really that sorry. See you Mira."

A shove.

Whipping air.

Such a long fall.

Nothing left.

No one's here.

Crunch.

No pain.

Dark, darker, yet darker.

Is there any light left?

...

...

. . .

. . .

"No."

A voice.

Pain.

Rushing heat.

Hurts.

"It's not time yet."

Bones splintering.

Blood boiling.

Something's changing.

"I won't let it happen again."

Who ... are ... you?

"..."

"My name is G̶a̵s̸t̵e̵r̸."
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Chapter 1.5: Unconscious Hearing

...

...

...

"Hmm?"

"Oh my! Child, are you alright?"

"Hello, can you hear me?"

"Poor thing, must've passed out somehow."

"How did you come to be here? I have not seen someone like you in a long, long time."

"It does not matter. I will take care of you until you wake up. Then you can tell me everything."

(footsteps on gravel)

(footsteps on stone)

(door opens)

(footsteps on wood)

(another door opens)

(soft noises)

"Rest here child. When you awake, I shall be ready for you."

(footsteps depart)

(door closes)

(silence)
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Chapter 2: Awaken

I'm not completely certain when I woke up, but the first thing I smelled was a freshly baked pastry of some sort. Which was ... odd. Lena wouldn't make anything like this, and if she did, she certainly wouldn't leave any lying around for me to find. So why...

Suddenly.

Flashbacks.

Running.

Hide.

Pain.

Can't move.

Cave.

Hole.

Falling.

Darkness.

I felt like my head was exploding, and my chest was heaving. Why would they do that? I didn't ... I didn't do anything to them. And him? Why was he with them? I had to find out why.

The feelings passed, and I managed to regain my breath. A few moments breathing allowed me to regain my mind and control over myself. I pulled myself up on the bed behind me and sat quietly for a moment. I just took more deep breaths, trying to calm down. I focused on the familiar sensations: my hair on my back, the rushing of my lungs, the warmth of the bed-.

Wait. Warmth of the bed? My room was always cold. The thermostat was broken, so I couldn't control the temperature. So, why was it warm? In fact, why was the entire room warm? I usually woke up to an arctic blast. Then I felt something brush against my back. I was so startled I jumped up from the bed, whipping around as my eyes darted around. There was nothing there. It was just me. But other causes for alarm were making themselves known. I didn't recognize the room. I didn't recognize the bed. And I could see my own nose. It was a black triangle at the end of a short muzzle that, last I checked, didn't belong to me. I checked the rest of myself and found no relief from the weirdness. My whole body was covered in brown fur, and my fingertips had small retractable claws. I wasn't me anymore.

There was a mirror mounted on the wall next to the bed, and I ran to it. My reflection just refined what I thought I was seeing. Instead of a young woman with pale skin looking back at me, there was a human-fox morph, eyes wide, staring, afraid of what it was seeing. But one small piece brought me back from the brink of total panic: my eyes. They were still the same at least. I was the only one in my family with purple irises, and their color hadn't changed at all. My hair had also remained: a light shade of brown, hanging just to my shoulders. I took multiple breaths, slow and deep, calming myself down. After I could think clearly again, I started to take a closer look at myself. Nothing had changed in the five seconds I had my eyes closed, but there were two things I had missed that were pretty glaringly obvious now: I had a tail. It wasn't too much, just a singular fox tail attached to my tailbone, which makes sense I guess. The other difference was two ears, standing alert on the top of my head. And as far as I could tell, the ones that had been on the sides of my head had vanished completely.

As I stood there, I noticed other things as well. I could hear a great deal more, which also made sense. I could see more details in the things I looked at. I could ... sense more? It was like my spatial awareness had gotten better, that's the best way I could describe it. I could also feel that I was faster, stronger. Before I could figure anything else out, I heard a noise from behind me. I snapped around (like I said, faster), and saw a shadow appear on the other side of the door to the room. The door opened slowly, and someone peaked their head in. It was some sort of humanoid goat woman, and upon seeing me, she seemed slightly taken aback. And by that I mean she jumped, recoiling backwards and whacked her head on the doorframe.

"Ow..." She grumbled as she opened the door fully. If I had to guess, she was about 6' 0", with white fur, small gray horns, and light red eyes. She rubbed the back of her head with one hand, which also had small claws on her fingertips, and grimaced slightly. "My apologies, child." She said in a light, kind-sounding voice. "You startled me. I was not expecting you to be awake. May I come in?"

I didn't expect her to ask. "Uhh, sure." I said. My voice was still the same, which was a nice relief as well. She entered and sat down on a chair next to a desk I hadn't noticed. I was still wary, after all, I had no idea where I was and a random stranger seemed to know me, but I sat down on the bed. We looked at each other for a moment before both turning away embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm ... still a little disoriented. Why don't you start?" I said. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.

"Oh! Very well then." She said, taking a moment herself. "My name is Toriel, and I am the caretaker of the Ruins. I found you unconscious on a bed of flowers in the oldest part of the Ruins. I must ask, what were you doing there child? And how did you get here in the first place? The Ruins are sealed off from the rest of the Underground."

"The Underground?!" I yelped, whipping around to look at her. Not a good idea. The sudden neck movement caused a surge of pain in my head, and I bent over double, groaning in pain, trying not to throw up. The goat lady was at my side in an instant, one hand on my back, the other on my leg.

"Child, are you alright?" She asked. I could hear the genuine concern in her voice. I couldn't say anything but a small groan of pain. "Shh, it's alright." She said quietly. "It's alright. I'm here, calm down." I wanted to curl into a ball and die right there, but I didn't. I was going to push on. I slowly pulled myself back to a seated position, leaning right into the hands of the lady. After a little bit I felt like I wasn't going to die, and sat up fully, still breathing heavily.

"Sorry ... about that," I said. "That's ... never happened before."

"It's alright child," she replied, still worried. "Are you going to be alright yourself? A moment ago I thought you were about to die."

"I'll be fine. It's already mostly faded," I returned. "What did you say your name was again?"

She smiled lightly. "Toriel."

Toriel.

A flood of information filled my mind. It didn't hurt, but it felt like pressure was building in my head. Memories that I didn't remember rushed in. They were foreign, but also strangely familiar. I must've made some sort of noise, because her eyes were full of concern again. "Are you certain you'll be okay?"

I didn't respond for a moment. My head was still spinning. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. It just ... took more out of me than I thought it would."

"Very well then," she said. I could tell she didn't fully believe me, but I nodded and she pulled away. There had been a warmth emanating from her body that vanished as she moved slightly away, and I couldn't help but shiver a little. "Now," she continued. "What are you doing here?"

"I hate to be cliché, but, where exactly am I?" She looked confused. "I know you said this was the Underground, but ... that doesn't make sense. I ... I don't think I should be here." I groaned and held my head again. "Sorry, everything's really scrambled right now."

"You have no need to apologize." She replied. She seemed to deliberate with herself for a moment, before standing up and offering me her ... hand? Paw? Which is right here? "Come. Maybe something to eat or drink may make you feel a little better."

I took her offering and stood up. I nearly lost my balance immediately, and she grabbed my side, helping support me. After another minute I got my feet back under me, and we moved towards the open door.

The light outside was beautiful. A soft, golden glow seemed to fill the space, and the cut wood still produced its amazing smell. A few unsteady steps down the hall made me want to pause. I leaned against the wall and asked Toriel for a minute to catch my breath. She nodded and said she'd be right back. She went down the hall and into what appeared to be the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, I looked down at my feet. I guess I hadn't realized how much had really changed. My legs were like the hind legs of a fox, which also made sense (unfortunately). No wonder I was so off balance; I wasn't used to standing on my toes 24/7. After another minute I finally got a feeling for this new style of walking, it felt so much more floaty and graceful than I was used to, not to mention the fact that my center of gravity had completely shifted. It was lower than I expected. I guess it gave me better balance, with that plus the tail. But I got used to it pretty quickly, I guess increased adaptability is one of my special boosts as well.

With my balance successfully regained, I headed down the hallway after the goat lady, Toriel. She had a really nice house here. The floors were made of some sort of lightly colored wood that was sanded smooth. The walls were made of the same stuff, and it, combined with the lights, really seemed to make the place glow. There was a big staircase heading down into what looked like a basement. It was right inside the front door, which felt like a weird design choice to me, but to each their own. I crossed that area and right across was a living room. There were a few floor-to-ceiling bookshelves absolutely filled with books, a fireplace, currently crackling with a fire, and a large, quite comfortable looking chair. It must've been Toriel's. It looked like the perfect size for her.

Through an archway on the far right side of the room was the kitchen, where Toriel was now, currently cutting into a pie. She must've heard me, because she turned around and smiled at me. "Ah, I am sorry child. I was going to bring you this, but it appears you've regained yourself quite well now." She placed a slice of the pie on a plate and handed it to me. "I hope you enjoy it." I took the plate quietly and followed her back into the living room. With nowhere else for me to go, I sat down on the floor. I wasn't certain about this pie, but upon taking a bite all of my doubts were gone. It was the most amazing thing I had ever tasted. I could tell she appreciated my enthusiasm.

"I'm glad you like it," she said with a small chuckle. "I haven't seen anyone eat something of mine with this level of joy in a long time."

"It's amazing," I replied. "Is everything you make this incredible?"

She laughed, a hearty sound. "I would love to think so. Unfortunately, I do not believe you will like snail pie as much as cinnamon-butterscotch pie. But I may be proven wrong."

"I've eaten worse." I could see she didn't quite believe me. "I've had to live off tree bark for a week or more. If it's edible by actual people, I'll take it."

I had said too much. The concern had returned to her eyes. "Child, what pushed you to such a point to eat tree bark?"

I was tempted to lie. To tell her that I had gotten lost and had to eat it to survive. But something inside me refused. I guess my sense of integrity was too high. I sighed. "My family ... don't ... really ... like me. Well, they're technically not my family. My real parents died when I was really young, I don't even remember them. The people that I live with already have a son, and to them, he can't do anything wrong." At this point I was just info-dumping her, but I was getting mad, and I couldn't stop. "He's their little angel, their prince, and everything he says goes. But for me? I'm the scum of the earth. I'm a stain upon their perfect life, and boy, oh boy, do they treat me like it."

"Child-" Toriel began, but I kept talking, cutting her off.

"No heat, bed as solid as a rock, table scraps for all meals, and not even a ride to school. Nothing new, only pre-used. Oh, and that's not the worst of it! If their son says I did something, they believe him, and punish me for it. And if he does something wrong, he blames me, and they still believe him, even if they saw him do it!"

As I was raging, the house started shaking. I couldn't tell from inside my own head, but my eyes were glowing brighter and brighter purple. Things in the kitchen were rattling aggressively, and books were starting to slip off the bookshelves. Toriel dropped down in front of me and grabbed me by the shoulders, looking me in the eyes. "Child, calm down." Her voice was no longer kind and warm, but instead full of authority and power. The shaking slowed and stopped, the place going quiet again. I finally saw Toriel kneeling in front of me, her eyes now full of determination. But that faded to relief, and she breathed out. I could feel myself shaking uncontrollably, and I could also feel tears forming in my eyes. I threw myself into her, unable to hold back those emotions any more. She was shocked for an instant, but she quickly switched to a motherly approach, holding me and making soothing noises. I don't know how long we sat there. She didn't complain, didn't respond negatively, she sat there and comforted me for as long as I needed. When I got my voice back, I think I started speaking nonsense, but the one thing I heard that made sense was a repeated plea. "Don't make me go back there." I'm not sure if I was calling out to God or to Toriel, but she was the one who responded.

"It's alright. You don't have to. You can stay here." She said quietly. A little later I managed to pull myself together, and sat back up again.

"I'm sorry." I said, sniffling.

"You have no reason to apologize, child." She replied. "You have been apologizing ever since you woke up for no reason. You are safe here. It's going to be alright. I believe that."