One LOAD later, Frisk was lying in the middle of those flowers yet again. Frisk pulled themselves together. One stick and used bandage tie later. Frisk headed down the path towards their best friend Flowey. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea." Frisk said. It had been a while since their adventure in the underground.

In their excitement of Frisk only just now recalled that Flowey once had the same power as they ability to SAVE and LOAD.

"It has been taken care of" Chara said. There was satisfaction in the First Child's tone. Other than the grim determination and barely concealed hint of overwhelming hatred that Chara normally spoke with.

"If you say so " Frisk said. Then Flowey was there before them again. In that same clearing, showing no sign that they had done this dance same overly sappy introduction of how Flowey thought things ran down in the underground. A sentiment born of what he had gone through. Flowey repeated his insults after Frisk kept dodging his bullets.

Though with the third volley of shots. Flowey's face took on a sulking expression. "Come on, let me hit you already! You're just doing this cause you want to watch me suffer. DON'T YOU." And the flower's face took on that same terrifying look though for what reason both Frisk and Chara couldn't tell.

But Flowey pouted and called forth a ring of "friendliness pellets" to hem in Frisk's soul. They closed into the heart that culminated Frisk's entire being and Chara's continued existence. "Just go and DIE!" Flowey shouted.

Then Flowey got blasted in the face with a fireball.

In front of Frisk, a monster with the appearance of a goat came forth. "What a terrible creature. Torturing a poor innocent youth. Ah do not be afraid my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

Toriel spoke about her constant return to this place to check if any humans fall down into the Underground. She mentioned that Frisk was the newest in a long time. She called on Frisk to allow her to guide them through the ruins by following her.

"It's nice." Frisk said to Chara who was silent. "Being guided by Toriel again." The goat like monster taught about how to get through the Ruins. But doing everything from completing the puzzles and marking the correct levers for Frisk to pull.

But Toriel stopped Frisk in a room with a training dummy in it. It was her opinion that Frisk should learn how to defend themselves in the Ruins. After all Frisk was a human among monsters. The last human standing between monsters and their freedom. So it was only natural that Frisk should learn to be prepared if they ever encounter a monster further on.

Which in any case, ended up being that Frisk should stall for time while Toriel would take care of everything. Frisk went to the dummy, encountering it into another battle.

Frisk's encounter with this dummy in their first SAVE had them following Toriel's suggestion to talk to the dummy to stall for time. But Frisk remembered, that it had led to a rather troublesome meeting later on. So this time Frisk decided to do nothing instead.

Yes, nothing at all. No talking, no fighting. Just standing there, sparing the dummy from the fate of having Toriel glare straight at it. Chara considered it much more boring than what Frisk had done last time.

Then the dummy just floated away silently. Toriel was speechless. Her face just cycled through a variety of expressions. Then she merely said. "The next room awaits" And Toriel walked out.

There was the spike path puzzle which was basically Toriel leading Frisk by the hand. Not either Frisk or Chara complained. The sharp looking spikes retreated into their holes once stepped on by both Frisk's and Toriel's feet.

It was in the next room though that sent an unpleasant feeling in Frisk's stomach. Toriel asked if Frisk could walk through the corridor alone. There was no other choice that Frisk could take. So Frisk walked but every step seemed harder and harder down the long hallway deeper into the Ruins.

A bad time was faintly recalled in the back of their mind and memory. Something that drove Frisk's breathing to grow harsher and shallower. Their small hands shook as the walls of the actually narrow room seemed to spread off into the distance.

The only thing that kept them going was the fact or more like memory that Toriel was waiting for them at the end of the white stone path. But doubt and fear began seeping down like drizzling rain. Just because she was there behind the pillar last time. It didn't mean she would be there this time.

After all with the power of SAVE and LOAD, didn't that mean things could change. Things that one held to be unchanging could suddenly shift without warning. People could leave and never come back. Before it was still the shock of the fall and perhaps Chara's own apathy that kept Frisk's body going the first time. And then Frisk reached the end of the hall where Toriel popped out from behind the only pillar in the place. "Greetings, my child." Toriel said.

But she had to pause at the look of anguish on Frisk's face. "Oh my child." Toriel bent down hands on Frisk's shoulders. "Once again forgive me. I was behind the pillar the whole time. I did not leave you. This exercise was only to test your independence."

Toriel stood back. "I have business to attend to, and thus I must leave you alone for a while." She explained it was dangerous to explore the Ruins alone and it would be best if Frisk would wait here in this hall. Something about Frisk's current expression had her pause. "But I think it would be better if I give you this."

Frisk was handed their cell phone from Toriel. The one they used from their previous journey. It was sadly lacking in the upgrades from Alphys. "If you need anything, just call." Toriel said "Be good, alright?"

Toriel left. Frisk was alone again. Before they had gone further into the Ruins without any waiting. But for now they could afford to wait for a moment, especially with the puzzles that were coming up in the future. Still there was one important thing that Frisk wished to do. They pressed in a certain phone number they remembered, hoping that it had not changed and called.

"Hello...? Papyrus?"