Asriel awoke only to find himself surrounded by darkness. He rose to his feet slowly, groaning as he forced his battered body to move. Fortunately, nothing seemed broken; just bruised.
He peered into the darkness for a few moments before summoning a small ball of fire. The flickering flame didn't provide much light, but it was enough to make out the walls of the stone chamber. A glance up showed only solid stone: no hole, no hinge, not even so much as a crack.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Golemite either, nor any of his friends. Given that Golemite had only been a few feet away before vanishing, it occurred to Asriel that perhaps their separation wasn't an accident. He slid one of the crystal blades from his back. The blades, only half their original size after Asriel snapped them in half during the fight with Saymor Drax, were light, easy to use, and sharp as broken glass.
He moved slowly through the stone chamber, following the wall until he found a corridor leading out. The walls were covered with strange runes; Asriel wasn't sure whether they were decorations or somehow functional. He proceeded slowly, careful to keep an eye out for anything even remotely suspicious.
Just how far down was he? The temple island hadn't appeared to go down very far. Asriel supposed he should've been grateful he hadn't fallen through and ended up plummeting through the endless sky.
There was something to the pattern of the runes, if that was in fact what they were. Eventually, curiosity won over and Asriel brushed his hand against the wall, intending to wipe the dust away. At his touch, however, the lines etched in the wall began to emanate a faint blue light. Asriel froze instantly, fireball poised to pelt any unpleasant newcomers in the face should they appear.
The light spread across the runes, only to reveal they were, in fact, all part of a massive ongoing mural. Soon, the entire wall was lit up, displaying an image of a great city with a tower in the center.
Asriel stared at it for a few moments before letting out a gasp as the images started to move. The mural shifted, zooming in to the top of the tower, where thirteen figures stood around a small crystal. As Asriel watched, each of the figures emitted a small beam of light into the crystal, causing it to grow and slowly rise into the air. One by one, the figures vanished, each sliding into a strange glyph that carried them away from the tower. This continued until only two figures remained, but only for a moment. The final figures seemed to be absorbed into their own beams, which flowed into the crystal moments before it ignited. The view pulled back to view a vast expanse filled with floating islands, the city with the tower in the very center. Above the tower, the restored crystal filled the expanse with light.
Asriel was still pondering the images when a small voice said, "The restoration of the Solarius."
Asriel whirled around to find he was no longer alone. A figure easily a foot shorter than Asriel stood behind him, its features obscured by a thick dark-blue hooded robe.
The figure ignored Asriel's drawn blade and moved to stand beside him. As Asriel took a hesitant step back, the figure continued to stare at the mural. "When thirteen stood as One, and saved the Realm and all the universes it encompassed. There are more now, of course; Creation is a continual process, with no true ending."
"W-who are you?" Asriel asked.
The dark blue hood turned to regard Asriel. While he couldn't make out a face, Asriel could feel eyes watching him from beneath the dark depths of the hood.
"I am the keeper of history. I keep a record of all that happens within the Realm. You may call me Keeper, if you wish."
"The Realm?" Asriel asked. "But I thought this was the Deep."
The figure was silent for a long moment before finally turning away from Asriel and calmly walking down the corridor. Feeling as though he were meant to follow, Asriel hurried to catch up with his mysterious companion.
"I keep watch on the Realm," said Keeper, "and record it here, within the walls of this temple."
"You're a librarian?"
"In a sense. I guard the knowledge of the Dream Realm, so that the deeds of those who came before are not forgotten. The Restoration of the Solarius, the founding of the Shining Force, the rise and fall of Terael. I was there to see the creation of Junction Point, the vanishing of Lysandria, and the birth of the Wanderlands."
Asriel, who had never heard of any of these things, asked, "And the Deep?"
"Ah, yes, the Deep. Yes, I was here when it came into being." Without another word, the figure stopped, turned to the wall on their left, and pressed a gloved hand to the wall.
Asriel gasped as a mural formed on the wall, clearly depicting the entirety of the Deep. He'd seen similar maps in the headquarters of the Skyway Repair Crew: There was a difference, however.
"Where are the Precious Meadows?" Asriel asked. "They should be north of the Brass Woods."
"This is a map of the Deep as it was upon creation." Keeper said. "The Precious Meadows have only recently joined, the first of many such areas I believe."
"Recently joined?"
"Patience." The robed figure said, patting Asriel on the shoulder. "I will answer all questions in time. First, however, I must ask a favor; you see, this temple of memory is meant to traverse the realm. One cannot properly record history from outside, after all. Unfortunately, we are bound here as long as it remains within."
"As long as what remains?" Asriel asked.
"The Everstar shard, of course."734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSUauyPH4t
Asriel stopped walking immediately. Keeper took a few more steps before slightly inclining his head back at Asriel. "You do seek the Everstar, do you not?"
As he spoke, several star-shaped glyphs appeared on the murals, each glowing brightly. Asriel was surprised to find that the glyph was present on so many
"Yes!" Asriel said, "Where is it?"
"I'm afraid I cannot be exact. As I said, I am not seeking the Everstar; as such, I cannot approach it without it relocating. Unfortunately, the Everstar is bound to the Deep. As such, we cannot leave as long as the shard remains in our halls."
Asriel said, "So I can have it?"
"With our blessings." Keeper said, bowing his robed head. "But it may not be easy. The halls of this temple are not constant, and there are risks involved, as with any venture."
The Keeper took a few steps away from Asriel before stopping again. Not turning around, Keeper said, "I will give you three pieces of advice to aid your search. The first is this: nothing can be taken from these halls without something being left in its place. To do otherwise might upset the guardians."
Asriel started to ask who the guardians were, only to remember the golems patrolling the outside of the temple. Having seen first hand just what Golemite could do when angry, Asriel decided to take Keeper's advice very seriously.
"The second piece of advice I have for you is to mind where you are. The corridors shift and change, and it is all too easy to get lost. If you do get stuck, however, remember; this is a repository of knowledge. Perhaps you will find the answer you need nearby."
Asriel nodded. "And the third thing?"
The Keeper nodded. "You shouldn't travel alone. Good advice for life, really. Fortunately, it seems that will not be an issue."
Asriel opened his mouth to ask what Keeper meant by this when he heard a familiar voice call out, "Azzie! Azzie, is dat you?"
Asriel turned and was momentarily blinded by the light coming from Golemite's eyes. He brought up a hand to shield his eyes from the light.
The light dimmed. "Sorry 'bout dat. You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Listen, Golemite, this is-" Asriel turned to find that Keeper was gone.
He was still staring when he felt Golemite's hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're okay, Azzie?"
"Yeah." Asriel said, shaking his head. "But I'd better fill you in before we get moving."
Golemite listened in silence as Asriel relayed his experiences so far along with what Keeper told him. Much to Asriel's relief, she didn't seem inclined to question it.
"All right." Golemtie said, "So we just gotta find the shard and leave something with it, huh? Sounds simple enough."
"Somehow, I get the feeling simple isn't gonna enter into it." Asriel said before patting Golemite's arm. "Betcha I find it first!"
"Oh, like dat's fair; you can sense the ruddy thing."
They moved through the corridors in relative silence, aside from Golemite's footsteps … at least, Asriel thought they were hers. After a few corridors, however, the lumbering form of one of the stone guardians stomped into view.
"Watch it, Azzie." Golemite warned, assuming a defensive stance.
"It's okay." Azriel told her. "Keeper said they wouldn't mess with us unless provoked."
"Uh-huh." Despite the doubt in Golemite's tone, the guardian didn't so much as stop to look at them. It simply stomped onward, apparently oblivious to everything but its destination.
Shaking his head, Asriel and Golemite continued through the corridors, pausing only briefly to activate the ruins so they had continuous light.
It was hard not to look at the murals, especially since they were moving. Every ten-foot segment of wall was a different story, apparently from what Keeper referred to as 'the Realm'. Given some of the things the walls displayed, however, Asriel couldn't help but wonder just what kind of a place the Realm really was.
More than once, Asriel caught a mural that displayed a strange black energy; appearing as black spots, they sometimes spread through a mural, only to be purged a few moments later. While it was impossible to tell the true nature of the stories on display without context, it was clear the black energy was something bad, something that heroic figures regularly fought against and usually defeated.
They encountered their first shifting corridor about thirty minutes into their exploration. Deciding to backtrack, Asriel and Golemite turned to find the corridor they'd previously traveled through was now a dead end. Golemite pushed against the wall to no avail, inadvertantly triggering a mural about a scarecrow and a centauress fighting some kind of winged monstrosity that emerged from a segment of the strange black energy.
They encountered their first relic a few minutes later; a harvesting scythe that was strangely familiar. It took Asriel a few minutes to realize he'd seen it on the mural with the scarecrow, in hands of the centauress.
"So there's a connection between the artifacts and the murals." Asriel said.
"I guess so." Golemite sighed. "Feels like we've been down here fer hours. We gettin' any closer?"
Asriel closed his eyes and focused on the shard. "I … I think so."
It was a lie, but one meant out of kindness. In truth, he'd been feeling the presence of the shard off-and-on for awhile; from the way it felt as though it were moving, Asriel could only guess that it was in some corridor or chamber that was shifting around them.
"Hang on." Asriel said, his eyes on a nearby mural. "Maybe we've been going about this the wrong way."
"Huh?"
It took a few walls for Asriel to spot the Everstar Glyph. When he did, he pressed his hand against it and focused once again.
"Azzie, what are you … oh!"
Asriel smiled; there were three more glyphs nearby, each heading down the same hall. "A repository of knowledge, where the nearby murals are linked to the artifacts. Golemite, all we gotta do is follow the path made by the murals that talk about the Everstar, and I bet it'll lead us right to it!"
"Uh, if you say so." Golemite said.
Asriel resumed walking with renewed energy, pausing every now and then to reignite the glyphs. With little else to do, he found himself watching the murals as they passed.
The Everstar was always a prominent part of any mural that included it, usually at the very beginning or the very end. The pattern was always the same; the Everstar did … something, and the Realm was changed. Sometimes it was for the better, creating entirely new lands out of nothing. Sometimes it wasn't so happy; these murals depicted shattered continents, and beings both strange and normal screaming as they were killed. Usually it was only a single person who held the Everstar, but on rare occasions, there was a small group standing around the holder, each bearing a fragment of the glyph even though the central person held the completed Everstar.
There were more active murals now, on both sides of them. The events depicted grew larger in scope; worlds torn from their orbits, galaxies springing to life or snuffed out like candles, people becoming imbued with power and either helping those around them or ruling over them as a tyrant.
It took a while for Asriel to notice, but as the Everstar's events grew, so did the presence of the dark energy. There was no question about it; those who held the Everstar with darkness around them brought about pain and misery while those with an innate light brought about peace.
"And we know what's inside you, don't we, Asriel?" Whispered a voice that wasn't even remotely comforting.
Asriel bit his lip, but said nothing. He didn't want Golemite thinking he was crazy.
"Oh, what's wrong? Can't talk to your best pal? C'mon. Say hello."
Asriel didn't speak. He tried to focus his thoughts on something, anything else.
"That won't work." The insidious voice whispered through his mind. "Just you and me in here, and you're seeing how this is gonna end. After all, once you have all that power, why shouldn't we just go back? Our determination would be greater than even Frisk … the timeline would be ours again, and with the whole of the Deep to play with, we'll have so much fun!"
"Shut up!" Asriel muttered, hands twitching.
Golemite glanced at him curiously. "You say somethin'?"
Asriel shook his head.
"Who shall we start with? Golemite? Shye? Jenna? Who will be our first plaything? It was always fun to see their minds break when-"
"Shut up!" Asriel said, clasping his hands to his ears as Flowey's laughter rang through them.
"Azzie?" Golemite asked.
"Why deny it, Asriel? I am you, and it's only a matter of time before you finally give in and welcome me back. Golly, we'll have so much fun!"
"SHUT UP!" Asriel screamed. "I hate you! All you've done is hurt the people I've cared about!"
"Azzie! Snap out of it!"
Golemite's shaking was enough to drive all thoughts from Asriel's mind. He blinked a few times, his eyes wide as he stared at his friend. Shame immediately filled him.
"I … I'm sorry, Golemite." Asriel said.
"Don't worry about bein' sorry." Golemite said, ruffling Asriel's hair. "Just tell me what's up. You know I've got yer back, right? So let me help."
Asriel stared at Golemite for a long moment before slowly swallowing. "It … it's Flowey."
"Flowey? Ya mean dat flower you used to be."
"Yes! I can still hear him and … and I've been seeing him too. Golemite, what if he's right? What if I'm more him than me? I don't want to hurt anyone!"
"Easy dere." Golemite said, patting. "You ain't gonna hurt anyone … well, unless dey have it comin', and even den, you gotta beat me to it. All right? We all got da little voice in our heads, always whisperin' to do bad things. Golemite, why not sleep in? Golemite, why not goof off instead a workin'? Golemite, why not take a taste of dem jewels on King Dreemurr's crown?"
Asriel's eyes widened. "You didn't."
"No, I didn't." Golemite paused a moment before adding, "Well, maybe one little sapphire. Ting is, I regretted it immediately. It was wrong, and didn't even taste dat good. What I'm tryin' to say is, we've all gotta deal with our own Floweys. Maybe yer seein' yours 'cause ya spent so much time stuck as a flower, I dunno, but tha ting to remember is yer in charge, not him."
"Y-you think so?" Asriel sniffed, wiping his eyes.
"Of course. We're friends, and friends gotta be honest, right?"
Asriel smiled at him for a moment before his smile faltered. "Um … Golemite … there's something I've been meaning to tell you. Back in Archie and Beget's tower, when they repaired you, Beget…"
Something shone in the darkness, making Asriel lose his focus. Asriel turned to look and let out a gasp; there, at the end of a hallway that had only just appeared, was the Everstar. The shard hovered over a marble dias, encircled by a large mural.
"There it is!" Asriel said. "The shard!"
"The … great googley moogley, Asriel! Let's get it before dis crazy place changes again!"
Golemite and Asriel rushed down the corridor. Asriel heard the sound of stone sliding behind them, but didn't dare look back. When he started to fall behind, he felt Golemite's strong hand grab him by the straps of his overalls and hoist him into the air.
With a final leap, Golemite cleared the last few meters and landed heavily in the chamber containing the Everstar, moments before the walls of the corridor slid shut behind them. Setting Asriel down, Golemite steadied herself against the wall to catch her breath.
Asriel slowly approached the dias and slowly raised his hand. The shard floated toward Asriel, as though drawn to him. The moment his fingers closed around the shard, he felt its energy flow through him like the warmth of a thousand summer days.
He gasped as the feeling left him as quickly as it came, leaving him as breathless as Golemite. The two adventurers stood in silence, Golemite leaning against the wall and Asriel leaning against the now empty dias. Asriel glanced down at his whitefurred chest. Beneath his shirt, he could just make out the outline of the Everstar, the center and two points now illuminated as well.
"Well?" Golemite asked, her stone frame straightening. "We done?"
"Almost." Asriel said, drawing one of his crystal swords. "Something must be given. It's either one of these or my skyway badge."
After giving it a final look, he set it on the dias.
The ground rumbled as a new passage opened.
"Just in time." Golemite said, a grin on her stone face. "C'mon, Asriel; let's get out of here."
"Sure thing." Asriel said, gesturing for Golemite to go first. His gaze went back to the dias, where to his surprise he saw … himself. The mural was active, showing Asriel standing with a small group of others. The human woman in the green-and-gray shirt was unfamiliar, as were the blue flame woman, and the metal dog, but Asriel was fairly certain he recognized Frisk, Golemite, Shye and Mina, and much to his surprise, Sans. The group stood around Asriel, fighting as dark energy slowly spread over the mural, gradually closing in on them.
He watched the images in silence, the blood draining from his furry face as the story unfolded. Nausea slowly spread as he realized the implication of what he was seeing.
"Azzie!" Golemite called out, still walking away from the chamber. "You comin' or not?"
"Y-yeah." Asriel said. He stared at the mural for a few moments before shaking his head and hurrying after his friend. Even as he moved away, however, he could feel the eyes watching him … the eyes of the smiling flower with yellow pedals standing among the remains of the others, laughing as darkness consumed the rest of the mural.
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