((HUGE THANKS TO mk_atwal FOR THE FANTABULOUS COVER!))

I approached Asgore, who had been
sitting on his throne contently. Undyne stood next to him, clad in her steel armor. Her eyes held a light of dread upon seeing me.

"Kid, why are you being so nice to me?? Don't you know that only gets you hurt?!"

The king finally noticed me. I gripped my burnt pan nervously.

"Who taught you to be so kind, kid? It's not something people learn easily." Undyne had asked me after I spared her consistently.

I sighed. "You don't have to tell me twice."

Undyne narrowed her unpatched eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My father... He demonstrated a level of behavior that I didn't approve of on me." I paused, but in seeing Undyne's probing stare, I decided to elaborate. "He hurt me. He beat me. He abused me."

Undyne looked furious. "What?!? Who would do that to their own kid?! That's horrible!!"

I shot her a sad look. "There's more monsters on the surface than you might think, Undyne. And I taught myself to be kind, because I was never going to be like him."

"Hello, child." Asgore said kindly.

I bowed to the Boss Monster. "Greetings, King Dreemurr."

"Asgore, this is the human I encountered earlier." Undyne informed him.

Asgore chuckled a bit. "I see." Then his smile vanished. "I suppose you want to go home now, don't you?"

I shook my head. "No, your majesty."

"Kid, what are you gonna do when you encounter Asgore?" Undyne asked, sighing.

I paused. "I don't know yet." I looked up to her. "Could you tell me how you all got down here? I need to know, if I'm going to decide what to do."

"No?" Undyne looked shocked. Asgore looked just as confused.

"When I first fell down here, I was lost and scared and alone. But I found so many monsters down here who all had their ambitions and dreams of seeing the surface. Kindness is what I'm known for, and I felt guilty for being a part of the race that locked you all away just because of something you might do. I don't want to go back to the surface, Your Majesty, because humanity, I suppose, are just simply monsters on the inside. Like my father, who hurt and abused a poor child for his own personal satisfaction. I hate the fact that the beings down here are called Monsters simply because of their appearances, because I believe the term should account for who you are on the inside, not the outside. I think humans are the real monsters, because down here, all I've seen are beautiful people. Humans could learn some kindness from you all, and I want to let you all see the surface again. If I continue to live, I'm simply keeping you all trapped down here that much longer." I breathed in a bit. "I'm going to offer you my soul willingly, so that you shall use it in part with the next three human souls that you obtain to break the barrier."

Undyne ran up to me. "No way, Kid! I... I won't let you do that!"

"Undyne, it's not up to you. I've made my choice already."

Undyne looked as though she couldn't accept my choice. "But... You... You can't!"

"I can." I said, hugging her tightly. "Just know that there was at least one human down here you'd feel bad about beating up."

Undyne returned my hug. "I gotta know, kid. What is the best way?"

"Hey Undyne!"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I know the best way to defeat your enemy."

"So do I, kid." Undyne grinned. "With magical spears!"

"Nope, that's not the best way. It works, but it's not the best way."

"What?? No way! What's the best way?"

I pulled away from our hug. "The best way to defeat your enemies?" I smiled.

"To be kind to them."

I walked away from Undyne and towards Asgore.

"The Underground cannot thank you enough for your sacrifice." Asgore bowed to me. "What is your name, child? I must carve it onto your coffin."

"My name is Bailey." I told him.

I reached deep down inside myself, until I felt like I could almost hear my soul, and I took my soul in my hands and held it out to Asgore.

It was a vivid green.