Asriel sat at the back of the ship, his legs hanging through the space between the railing posts. He often sat back there, sometimes alone and other times accompanied by one or more of his friends, for two reasons, the first being that the front of the ship was incredibly noisy. The sound of the water cracking under the bow was nothing short of ear-splitting, which is why the ship's helm was also near the back of the ship, just in front of Captain Naddy's personal cabin.
The other reason was that the sight of the ships 's wake. Almost immediately after the ship passed, the shards of the Glass Ocean melded together again, cracks sealing with astonishing swiftness before returning to the normal, smooth ocean surface. Asriel could swear that there was a brief burst of light whenever the cracks sealed, so slight that he had to squint to see it. Was it magic, something native to the Deep? He didn't know. All he knew was that it was pretty to look at.
Asriel didn't like long trips, especially when there was nothing for him to do. He'd expected a ship as large as the Bazooie to have a crew, and was surprised when Naddy revealed that she controlled the ship herself by means of magic. It was spooky to see her on deck, standing firm at the helm as ropes and riggings moved about as though of their own volition. More than that, however, it meant he had nothing to do but think.
Without distraction, his thoughts went to the time before the Deep. How many years had he existed as Flowey? It was impossible to tell, what with all the resets. It was strange how appealing the ability to reset time sounded until you actually had it. At that point, it's just a matter of time before what seemed like a blessing was in fact a curse.
"ASRIEL!"
Asriel couldn't help but sigh as he heard the approaching footsteps, one set barely more than slight thuds on the wooden boards of the deck, and two set of clinking steps made by small metal paws. His vision was soon obscured by a pair of bright green eyes and a lot of black fur.
"Watcha doin'?" Shye asked, her hands on his ears as she leaned over his head to look at him.
"Same thing as yesterday, Shye." Asriel said, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head fall in his hands. It made it easier to bear the extra weight. "What are you doing, Shye?"
"Talkin' to you." Asriel felt her weight leave him moments before she sat down beside him. "You've been out here like every day."
"Mrow." Said Mina, quickly climbing to Shye's shoulder to stare at Asriel with her three gray eyes.
"I dunno." Asriel said, "I just feel like being alone."
Shye took a deep breath only to let it out slowly as her legs kicked against the side of the ship. Mina hopped from Shye's shoulder and curled up in a metallic yet fuzzy ball beside her.
After a few minutes, Shye said, "You miss your home and family."
Asriel looked at her. "How did you know?"
"Because I miss mine too. I even miss my brothers and sisters." She stuck out her bottom lip and added, "Except Darryl. He's a butt. And Mary's a tattle-tale. But the rest of them, I miss."
She tilted her head to look at Asriel. "But that doesn't mean I want to go back or anything. I mean, who knows what we'll find when we reach the edge. Hey, you think there will be a jungle?"
"A Jungle?"
"Yeah, with big trees and vines and stuff. Ooh, and an ancient temple! Big stone pyramids and ancient totem poles and trapped vaults filled with treasure. How awesome would that be?"
Shye's enthusiasm was infectious as always, and soon Asriel found the dark cloud over his thoughts departing.
"Maybe not so much the traps." Asriel said with a smile.
Shye stuck her tongue out at him. "Boring! Treasure's only as valuable as how much trouble it is to get! I don't wanna go home and tell Mum and dad that I just walked into an abandoned temple and just walked out again. I wanna be chased by boulders and have to jump over hidden pits!"
She stood on the rail and made a show of walking stealthily along the backside of the ship. When she reached the end, she whirled around and and said with a wide grin. "I wanna escape by the skin of my teeth, with treasure in my pockets and stories to tell. That's the whole point of adventures, right?"
"And where does eating onion rings while the rest of us get thrown in jail stack up on the adventure scale?" Asriel said, grinning at her.
She puffed her cheeks out and glowered at him before dropping down beside him with an audible thump.
Asriel resisted the urge to chuckle, yet as he watched her staring down at the wake of the ship, he couldn't help but think of Chara. He hadn't seen his sister since the Precious Meadows. The Everstar saved her too, he knew that now, but why was she keeping her distance from him? Why not join him and the others?"
Shye met Asriel's gaze, her eyes inquisitive. "Asriel? I know I'm cute, but you shouldn't stare."
"Wha…?" Asriel felt his cheeks burn as he quickly looked away. "Shut up. I was just thinkin' you remind me of someone, that's all."
"Oh? Was she your girlfriend?" Shye tackled Asriel to the deck without warning and started tickling him. Asriel tried to push her off, but he couldn't stop giggling. Shye laughed as well, her eyes shining as she hit every weak spot he had until Asriel was out of breath.
He'd just managed to reverse her hold on him when the sound of more laughter made him pause. He glanced to the apparent source, the open window of the captain's cabin just a few feet behind them.
He tried to stand, only for Shye to flip him back down on the deck. Triumph in her eyes, she opened her mouth to say something when her ears twitched, her no doubt hearing the same laughter. She immediately released Shye, stepping over him and approaching the window. Asriel rose to his feet and followed her. They both had to stand on their tiptoes to peer into the cabin, where they saw Captain Naddy Sylpha, and Bella sitting around a table.
"And that's when Sir Froderick turns to Squiggles and says, 'See? I told you so!'"
Those sitting at the table laughed at this, none louder than Naddy herself. They laughed until Sylpha let out a loud snort. The raccoon-woman put her hands over her mouth, looking very much embarrassed, but Naddy simply laughed, leaned toward her, and said, "I'll take that as a compliment, lass, and one much appreciated."
Sylpha's eyes were locked on Naddy's for a brief (but significant) moment before Naddy let out a laugh and sat back in her chair.
Letting out a polite cough, Bella asked, "So, how much longer until we reach this Edge of yours?"
"Oh, I'd say we have a day or two left." Naddy said, resting her feet on the table and leaning back in her chair.
"I-is it really … y'know … an edge?" Sylpha asked.
"That it is. At least, that's all I can think to call it. You'll see it for yourself soon. Me, I'm always interested in what's beyond."
"Beyond the Edge?" Bella leaned forward, either unaware of uncaring that the tip of her serpentine tail was waving back and forth behind her. "So there's something out there."
Naddy grinned, showing off a full set of pointed teeth. "You'll see."
Shye blew a soft raspberrt as the grown-ups continued talking. Turning away from the window, she said, "I'm bored. Let's go bug Golemite!"
Golemite was currently attending the helm. Well, she was at the helm, holding on to the handles with a firm grip. People actually attending to ship helms tend to be more … awake.
"Yep." Asriel said, chuckling as he looked up at his snoring friend. "Still out like a light. Wish I could sleep like that."
"Yeah, I heard you tossing about last night." Shye said, letting her hand brush over the rigging as she walked along the deck railing toward the stern of the ship. "I used to have nightmares too. Thought the trees of the brass woods would come and steal me away from the house."
Asriel paused to consider the mental image of dozens of clanking metal trees tearing apart a house to get at him. "Yeah, okay, that's pretty scary."
"It was just silly, of course, another of stupid-face Darryl's stories." Glancing back at Asriel, Shye asked, "What are you dreaming about?"
"A flower." Asriel said truthfully.
"What? Like a giant flower?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvcbSMQ9TQ
"No, just a little yellow one."
Shye snorted. "That's weird. Are you scared of flowers?"
"Just the one." Asriel murmured. He looked up at Golemite's face as she blissfully snored, her hands still holding the ship's course firm. He hadn't told anyone about Flowey's appearances, not even Golemite. He told himself this was because he was sure it was just a hallucination on his part, a remnant of his darker self that would likely never leave. That, ironically, was what he feared; that Flowey was real, and would never be gone.
"Oh my … Azzie! Azzie, come look!"
Asriel was jerked from his thoughts even as Shye jerked him away from Golemite toward the stern. His thoughts were too shaken to understand what she meant until they stopped at the spyglass mounted just in front of the mast, the sounds of cracking glass filling the air as the cutter broke through the Glass Ocean below.
"Look! Look!" Shye said, hopping up and down with excitement.
Puzzled, Asriel did so, only for his jaw to immediately drop. There was a floating island directly ahead of the ship. It was still distant, and mostly obscured by the clouds of the unending twilight surrounding them, but even from there Asriel could tell the island was massive, bigger perhaps even than Nowhere.
On the island was a massive temple of crystal and stone. As he watched in amazement, parapets shifted, twisted, and reformed into entirely new structures. The entire temple was in constant motion, continually changing shape. Massive towers grew to incredible heights before turning into skyway paths and ultimately returning to simple walls. The plants and trees around the structure seemed unaffected, though those ivies growing on the palace seemed equally fluid as the palace itself, spreading quickly to cover the changing structure only for other sections of growth to be cut off without warning.
Most amazing of all was the central tower; while other towers rose and fell, the central tower remained, its center a rotating sphere that appeared to hold other, smaller spheres, like some sort of giant gumball machine. The inner spheres shifted slowly about in an almost meandering, strangely lethargic way, especially when compared to the rapid movement of the rest of the temple.
"Whoa …" Asriel said. "Cool."
"I know, right!" She bumped Asriel lightly out of the way before looking in the spyglass again. "You just know there's gotta be some treasure in there."
Asriel looked down at his chest. He could feel it there, resonating with the shards he already carried. They were pulling him straight to the temple, a sure sign that another shard was there.
"I think I see someone there." Shye said.
"Let me see!" Asriel said. Shye stepped aside, though she squinted into the distance as though still keeping an eye on what lay beyond the lens. "Kinda looks like Golemite."
She was right. The figure appeared to be a golem, resembling Golemite before her accident in the Precious Meadows; bulky, blocky limbs, flaring lights for eyes. There were a few of them he could see, patrolling the walkways as though they knew exactly when and where they were going to form.
"What did I tell you?' She said, jogging Asriel's shoulder and causing him to bump the spyglass lower. He started to complain when his mind made sense of what his eyes were now looking at; a smooth expanse of glass that came to a jagged end, as though some great force had broken it from whatever previously lay beyond. Asriel thought for a moment that the spyglass had dipped so low he was seeing their own stern cutting it, but he quickly realized that the angle was wrong. He was looking ahead of the ship, and as he slowly raised his spyglass, he realized just why Naddy referred to it as 'the Edge'.
"Captain Naddy!" Asriel shouted, running for the captain's quarters. She emerged just as he reached the door, a speculative eyebrow raised above her remaining eye.
"The Ocean." He said, pointing at the stern. "It … it just stops!"
"Oh? Bless my soul, we made it quicker than I thought." Naddy turned back to her cabin and said, "Miss Bella, milady Sylpha, you're gonna wanna see this."
Most of the crew gathered near the front of the ship. The Edge was visible now, the sudden break in the ocean as eerie as ever, especially considering that there seemed to be nothing beyond it. No fragments, no shards, not even evidence of the Skyway.
"By the stars." Bella murmured, "It really does just come to an end."
"Yep." Captain Naddy said, arms behind her head and a smug look on her face. "Most turn tail at the sight of that alone. Yellow-bellied cowards, they are; after all, you see what's beyond the Edge?"
There was a brief pause as Sylpha and Bella took turns with the spyglass, each reacting with awe.
"That's amazing!" Sylpha said. This could mean my hypothesis was correct! There's more to this plane of existance than the Deep!"
"Oh, much more, I'd gather." Bella said, eyes alight. "I've never been much beyond the edge, but I can tell you I've seen other islands further away. Asriel, was it like this near the Precious Meadows?"
"Well, kinda." Asriel admitted, his eyes on the steadily approaching edge, "Um, shouldn't we do something about the Edge?"
Captain Naddy slapped her knee and said, "Too right you are! Come, lad, let's go see yer friend."
Asriel reached Golemite first. He tugged at her sleeve. "Golemite! Golemite, wake up!"
Golemite let out another snore, much to Asriel's horror. Captain Naddy only chuckled.
"Look at that. Sleepin' like a baby while standin' up. Wish I could do that; it'd make sailin' so much easier on these long trips."
Asriel tried prying Golemite's hand from the helm, but it was like moving the fingers of … well, a statue.
"What are we gonna do?" Asriel said as Sylpha, Bella, and Shye joined them.
Captain Naddy stared blankly at him a moment before feigning shock. "Oh! Oh, yer right, lad! Oh, we be in a heap o'trouble now! I'd better put her in full reverse!"
The captain pulled the throttle control for the auxiliary blades, sending them screeching into motion. The ship jerked forward, much to the horror of most of the crew, Asriel included.
"Wrong way!' he said, clutching Golemite's arm. "We gotta go the other way!"
"What's that, lad? We need more power?"
"NO!"
Grinning, the captain pulled the throttle down all the way. The ship crossed the last few meters to the Edge with frightening speed, leaving nothing ahead but twilight sky and the temple. Asriel clung to Golemite's leg with all his might, steeling himself for the plummet to whatever lay at the bottom of the deep, and the sickening sensation that accompanied free-fall.
The feeling never came. It was the Captain's guffaws that eventally made Asriel open his eyes to see that the Bazooie was soaring through the twilight sky as though it were still in the ocean.
There was a thud as Sylpha hit the deck, unconscious. The Captains stopped laughing and hurried to her side.
"Just passed out." The Captain said, lifting Sylpha easily from the deck. "Excitement was a bit too much, I'd wager. Oh well; there's time for her to take a quick nap. Golemite?"
Golemite snapped awake, a slightly confused look on her face. 'Wha…?"
"Yer doin' great for a land-lubber." Naddy said with an approving nod. "Go ahead and start bringing us in … back side, if you please. I'd rather not make to big a show of us bein' there, if ya know what I mean."
"Uh, right." Golemite shook her head and spun the helm.
"I'll prepare supply kits for our expedition." Bella said, her snake-half smoothly propelling her over the deck.
Asriel glowered at his friend one the others were gone. Golemite glanced at him curiously.
"You wake up when she yells." Asriel said, his tone sullen.
"I was asleep?" Golemite replied, sounding legitamitely surprised.
Snorting, Asriel left the now-confused Golemite at the helm.
Asriel and Shye kept a close watch on the moving stone figures as Golemite brought the ship around to what was, if not the back of the temple, at least the side that was facing away from the last bit of the Glass Ocean. The golems of the temple paid them little mind, though whether this was because they hadn't seen the Bazooie or simply didn't care, Asriel didn't know. Captain Naddy finally brought the ship to rest. With a wave of her hand, Naddy sent the anchor ashore to wrap against the thick trunk of a coconut tree.
"Right." She said, turning to the group. "We're here. Ah, Lady Sylpha! Glad you could join us."
"I'm okay." Sylpha said, her cheek fur red. Her embarressment passed, however, as the Captain helped her step from the gangplank to solid grass-covered ground surrounding the temple. Shye was next, followed by a more cautious Bella. Asriel hopped over the small gap, ignoring the small leap his stomach also made when his eyes slipped to the endless twilight sky beneath the island. Part of him expected to feel the island move a little, but it felt as solid as the rocky caverns of the Underground.
"Okay." Sylpha said, pulling a notebook from her pack. "Remember; we aren't here to interfere; just to observe."
Shye rolled her eyes even as Captain Naddy said, "Oh, of course, Lady Sylpha." The fact that she said it without a trace of sarcasm immediately sent warning flags up in Asriel's mind. He'd used … Flowey used a similar tone when trying to prod Frisk into slaughtering the monsters.
Asriel stopped at the memory of Frisk. The friend and sister he'd always wanted, the little girl who gave him so much when he deserved so little. He wondered if she was okay, perhaps enjoying a nice slice of Mom's butterscotch cinnamon pie even as Asriel prepared to dive into the unknown.
"Hey." Golemite prodded Asriel in what she probably thought was a gentle fashion. "You okay? You went all zoned out."
"R-right. Sorry.' Asriel said, shaking his head. "Just thinking."
"Well, keep focused, fuzzy-face." Golemite said, her a face solemn. "I got a funny feelin' 'bout this place."
"Really? Hey, maybe you were from here originally."
Golemite snorted. "I was from da Underground, fluff-brain, not dat yer folks would recognize me now."
"My folks? You knew my parents?"
"They were da king and queen. Of course I knew 'em."
"That's not what I mean." Asriel said. "They knew you? When? Before the War with humanity?"
When there was no response, Asriel glanced back at his friend only to find jungle growth. He stared at the green expanse, his mind not fully grasping the impact for a few moments. When realization hit, he shouted, "Golemite! Golemite, can you hear me?"
No answer was forthcoming, so Asriel turned to call after the group, only to find them well ahead of his position.
"Sylpha! Bella!" He shouted, running toward them. "Golemite's gone! He just-"
Disappeared is what he'd intended to say, but just as his friends were turning at the sound of his shouts, the ground his foot touched fell away. He was immediately swept along a smooth stone tunnel, the walls forming a perfect circle with no convenient bits sticking out for him to catch himself. He slid down what could only be called a stone tube, his claws scratching at the stone in the vain hope he could slow his descent. He was bustled side to side as the tunnel twisted and turned, only for the tunnel to come to an abrupt end, sending him tumbling through the darkness.
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