I was finishing my daily chores in the Ruins: watering the flowers, tidying the rooms...my usual daily routine; there were not many distractions back then, or occasions to entertain myself for that matter, so everything engaged me even if just a little bit.

I did not have anyone to talk to: all the other monsters were too scared of me to even get close to me, but I did not want to make conversation anyway. Who knows what might have happened: I just needed the littlest reason to be angry and I would have made hell come to Earth.

But I am getting off-track: as I was saying, I was completing my daily routine; I had watered all the plants, except the ones in the last room. The golden flowers, the ones that grew thanks to the sunlight beams that miraculously arrived to that room.

I always wondered if my life would have ever changed, ever since arriving to the Ruins.

I always wondered if I even wanted it to change.

But that day I learned that change arrives even if you are not ready for it.

I knew something was off ever since I entered the room: usually it was quiet, not a sound to be heard, but that day I heard...crying, like a child crying for his mother to help him; it seemed to be coming right from around the corner.

I stepped forward, slowly. I remember my emotions vividly: surprise, curiosity, expectation...fear. While I was walking, I looked nervously at the bedrock walls: that day some water was dripping from the ceiling and crawling down the walls, giving the place a much scarier and sinister look. The floor absorbed the drops of water as soon as it touched them. I wondered if up on the Surface was raining: I remembered Them telling me that sometimes, in their world, water would drip from the sky and arrive to the ground...I still could not figure out how could water arrive from a ceiling that did not exist.

But it was not the right time and place to be distracted by those memories, so I focused on the present and prepared myself for whatever was in that room.

When I turned the corner, I saw it.

There was a kid, a human kid, sitting in a patch of golden buttercups, crying: the human was sobbing loudly, but it had yet to notice me.

My sins started crawling on my back: I stood there, evaluating my options. Maybe it would have been best to get away as fast as possible: I knew what could have happened if I did not, what could have happened if I got closer to the human.

As I was thinking, the crying stopped...well, almost, I could still hear some sobs from the human's direction.

I looked at the human, and...she looked at me.

I could see she was a girl, she had short brown hair enveloped in a...what do you call it again...oh, yes, a bowl haircut, and she had big brown teary eyes. She was wearing a purple-striped blue sweater, blue trousers and brown boots. I expected for her to look at me in fear but instead she looked surprised at first, then even sadder than before.

Suddenly, she exclaimed "Wow, a giant goat. Yup, I really am dead." she then stared at the golden flowers, completely disregarding my presence. I could have left her there, but something told me that I could not leave her like that, that I should have done something to make her...happier.

"I am afraid to say that you are not dead, human."

I did not know what was giving me the strength to even talk, but...that human...she looked sad, and I could not tolerate it: I said that phrase perfectly knowing that would've started a conversation. God, I hated conversations back then.

The human stopped looking at the flowers and started paying attention to me "What do you mean I'm not dead? I'm talking to a giant freaking goat right now: if I'm not in Heaven, then I've become crazy!" she ended the phrase with a small, nervous giggle.

"You are not in Heaven, human: you are in the Underground, home of the monsters. To be precise, you are in the Ruins right now..." I realized it right when I ended my sentence "Wait, did you just say I look like a...goat?"

"What, you're not a goat?" she replied, puzzled.

I did not know if to be more stunned by that human's boldness or angered that she had me confused me for a...goat? What were goats anyway? "I am not a "goat", human: I am a monster, and you should not be here, in the Underground."

The human stayed quiet for a while, until she said, with a cold tone "If I'm not in Heaven, then this is precisely where I shouldn't be right now."

That sentence, it hit me in the heart. What did she mean by that?

I had not enough time to reflect on that, as she immediately jumped to her feet and asked "You said you were...a monster, right? What's your name?"

I suddenly fell silent.

My thoughts were destroying my brain; I could hear them scramble my head: *I should run away* *I should tell her my name* *I should help her* *we should kill her right now*

That last thought...it was their idea, I knew it. If I could not control my own thoughts, then soon I would have been unable to control my own body as well. I had to get rid of my indecision fast.

I picked the first option that popped in my mind: "My name is Asriel Dreemurr. May I ask what is yours?"

I felt so stupid back then: I was breaking all the rules I imposed on myself in the past, like "Never interact with anyone" "Never let anyone know about you" "Never give Them a reason to take over you". I was breaking all the walls I erected around me to protect others from me, and it felt...good.

Like butterflies in my stomach finally exiting from my mouth.

The human approached me quietly and slowly, while I was thinking: I realized that because now I could feel her scent; she smelled of something sweet and fresh. I was not exactly sure what it was, maybe some flavor that only humans used, but it was very pleasant.

She then introduced herself "My name is Frisk."

Despite having learned her name, I kept referring to her as the "human": "Human...do you know

you made a big mistake falling down here?" I asked her.

"No, I didn't" she replied clearly.

Was this kid retarded or what?

"Listen kid, you should not be here...it is dangerous down here, you should be up there" I pointed at the hole in the ceiling, "With the other humans"

"No, I shouldn't." she once again replied.

This kid was getting on my nerves: even if she looked really young for a human, or so I thought, she should have understood by now that she was not safe, down here. Especially with me: I was not an expert on humans but, if I were a human and I had found a giant furry monster with horns, black eyes with red pupils, black tattoos underneath them and a huge mouth with fangs, I would've run away at the speed of light.

"Wait a moment...are you not...afraid?" I inquired.

"Of what?"

"Of me, of course!" what else could she be afraid of?

"Why should I?" she answered my question with another question.

"B-Because I am a monster! Humans are afraid of monsters, you have always been!"

"I don't see the reason why I should be afraid of you..."

I was now sure: that human was an idiot. If there was a meter for dumbness, she would have broke it. But there again, she did not look dumb: she REALLY was convinced of what she said.

The thought that I might have been dangerous did not even hit her.

I was still arguing in my head about her last sentence, when she asked "...Do I look scary perhaps? Are you scared of me?"

If I was confused before, now I was stunned "N-No...what is this question supposed to-"

"Then I shouldn't be afraid of you either." she simply continued.

Her motivations made perfect sense, in a childish and illogical way but they did, and I could not accept it: this girl was toying with fire and was really close to getting burned.

I was in a desperate need for words: something, ANYTHING, that would have made this human get away from me. I started panicking, but then I noticed she had ventured closer to the door that led to the rest to the Ruins. She stopped and asked "What is beyond that door?"

That was my opportunity.

"That door leads to the rest of the Ruins...and closer to the exit from the Underground. You need to continue through it to reach it."

"What, you're not coming?"

My head started spinning "W-Why should I come with you?"

"You said that the Underground was dangerous, right? So, don't you want to...protect me, or something?" she looked confused.

"I am protecting you!" I furiously replied.

"How can you be protecting me without standing by my side?"

"I am protecting you by not coming with you! Why can't you understand? I am the only one dangerous here!" I did not know why I spilled the truth at...Frisk, then. But it felt good, to finally express my rage at that kid, who just mocked me for what felt like the longest minute in my entire life.

Frisk, on the other end, became even more confused "You don't seem dangerous at all..."

"But I am!" I desperately tried to make her understand.

"...You shouldn't be underestimating yourself like that. Do you want to be "dangerous"?"

"N-No I do not! But..."

"Then you can't be something that you don't want to be." once again, her logic made perfect sense...in it's own way.

"It is not that simple...Frisk."

"I think it is. When I look at you, I don't see an evil person. So, you can't be evil."

That sentence...it was so stupid...but it had an incontestable logic.

That sentence...she really did not believe I was a dangerous or evil person.

That sentence...it made my worries, my problems, my fears...disappear.

That sentence...

It filled me with determination.

Maybe, it was that sentence that made me say what I did: before, it was just the last option I would ever pick, like an idea destined to be scrapped and forever forgotten; now it was clear, that was the only thing I had to do.

"You know what? You are right, I should come with you. But do not blame me if anything goes wrong..."

"YES! Thankyouthankyouthankyou..." she ran next to me and started jumping and squealing like a little baby who has just been given a treat.

"Okay, that is enough. Do not make me regret my promise..."

So I opened the giant door for the little human, and new thoughts started orbiting my brain *Maybe I did the right thing.* *Maybe this will be worth it.* *Maybe you just dug her own grave.*

I shrugged that last sentence off: I would not have let Them hurt the human.

I would have never let Them hurt Frisk.

Even if we just met, I could already feel something growing between us two, something that gave me...confidence. Something that made Them powerless, like They never existed at all, it felt like it was just me and Frisk in that cave.

The next room was just a green patch of dirt, illuminated by some light crystals that hung from the ceiling; the walls were made of the same bedrock that enclosed the other room, but no water was dripping on them: maybe the raining had stopped? For some reasons I never fully understood, no matter how hard I tried, I could never make anything grow on that patch of dirt. It was like it rejected every plant I tried to raise.

Frisk did not pay attention to the plot of dirt and hurried to the next door. She was so eager to explore the unknown...I recalled faint memories of my childhood: when was the last time I had been so curious?

Oh, right, it was when I was a kid and I kept on dreaming what would the world of the humans...the Surface, look like. Remembering the old times, when I was still childish, curious and brave made other memories resurface.

Memories of Them, from when he was still alive...still with me, being my best friend and my...I suddenly hit something hard with my head and fell to the ground. Mom always told me that thinking while walking is not a good idea. When I opened my eyes some seconds late I found out that the human was staring at me.

"Are you alright?" she asked, a bit preoccupied.

Their expression was so full of compassion it made me sick.

"Of course I am alright, who do you think I am?" I yelled at them, in an angry tone.

"Um, Asriel...Dreemurr?"

"Lord Asriel Dreemurr."

"Suuuree...Lord Asriel..."

"That is correct, and I do not need your pity! I can care after myself without your help!"

"...You just bumped in that door while looking straight at it though..."

"That does not count! I was...thinking...but that's none of your business!"

I thought I was teaching the human to respect me, but looking back at it I think I was just giving the human another reason to think funny of me.

So I was surprised when she exclaimed "That's okay, I can't really make fun of you for it: it happens to me as well! More often than you may think!"

She started laughing, but it wasn't directed at me. However, just to be sure, I yelled "Stop making fun of me!"

"I'm not making fun of you, I'm making fun of myself! But if you think that I was referring to you, then it's because you know you deserve it!" the kid was smart, too smart for my liking.

"T-That is incorrect!" I tried to explain myself.

"No it isn't! You should make fun of yourself more often: it helps, I swear!"

"I do not need help, especially if it comes under the guise of self-related jokes!"

"You talk too much Lord Asriel! Come on, you haven't even lifted yourself up!"

Too much smart...and I was so dumb. She tended me her tiny hand; I didn't want to appear any more idiotic, so I grabbed her hand: it felt so soft and fragile.

I wonder what she felt back then when she held my furry paw. I made it look like she was lifting me up, but in fact I was helping myself pushing the ground with my other hand. It was obvious she did not do anything at all, but she looked satisfied anyway.

I was about to open the door to the next room when Frisk grabbed a limb of my purple dress, almost making me trip: thankfully I was near the entrance, so I managed to stop my fall before it even happened.

I looked at Frisk, who almost made fun of me for the second time in 20 seconds. She was looking oddly at my face, as if there was something weird on it

"Hey, can you get kneel down for a second?" she asked as she signed me to get down to her height.

That request was so innocent I couldn't say no to her: I crouched and my face stopped really close to hers...then, in the fraction of a second, she poked at my nose and ran through the door.

Yeah, almost.

I felt my cheeks burning like they were being cooked in my Mom's oven...I felt like an ingredient in one of her pies. I yelled "Do you seriously think you can get away with that? Get back here!"

I started chasing her through the door, forgetting that two minutes prior I had tried to chase her away from me. That human was extremely good at making me forget my worries...and making new ones arise.