In the realm known to its inhabitants of the Deep, nestled in Central Nowhere, a lamia waitress named Jenny sat on her coils at the register of the Crossroads Diner, reading the final chapter of her book as the tip of her tail wagged ever so slightly. She was just about to finish the final page when the diner door swung open with a jingle of a bell. A few moments later, an extremely tall patron stood in front of her, nearly blocking out the light.
"Hey there." Jenny said, not looking up from her book. "Welcome to Crossroads. You dining in or need it to go?"
"Dining in, Jenny." Said the massive woman of stone who had led the group into the diner. "Gonna get another lodestone platter, if you ain't too busy readin'."
Jenny's eyes darted up to see three people; the first (and most obvious) was a woman made of stone whose head nearly hit the ceiling. Her size and yellow eyes hinted at her identity, but it was the presence of the second person that confirmed it; a young bossun boy wearing a yellow and green striped shirt and a pair of Skyway Repair Crew coveralls.
"Asriel! Golemite!" Her first reaction was to hug them, but was halted by her second reaction. "Uh, Golemite?"
"Yeah?"
Jenny looked over the golem's muscular yet still clearly feminine body. "You seem … different."
"S'my hair." Golemite said, running her thick fingers through the golden main adorning her head. "Some friends over in the Precious Meadows hooked me up."
"The Precious Meadows?"
"It's what's beyond the Brass Woods." Asriel said.
The third person of the group, a black-furred cat-girl in faded denim shorts and a baggy T-shirt tied off at her waist, let ut a cough as an ebony three-eyed cat-like creature poked its head around the side of her ankles.
Asriel nodded and said, "Oh, right; Jenny, this is Shye. She's, uh, helping us out."
"She's running away from home." Golemite said bluntly.
"Hey!" Shye said, bristling. "You said I could come with you."
"Yes, and I said you should tell your parents." Golemite said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning over to address the much smaller cat-girl.
Shye mimicked her pose as she looked up at Golemite without a trace of intimidation. "I did!"
"You left a note and snuck out in the middle of the night." Golemite pointed out. "That's not the same thing."
Shye stuck her tongue out at the golem woman and crossed her arms stubbornly. "Well, I'm here, so deal with it!"
Jenny couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the little cat girl staring down the lady Golemite. "All right, all right." She said, struggling to regain her composure, "Yall have a seat, I'll bring you out some food, and you can tell me everything you found out there."
The three adventures clambered into Asriel and Golemite's usual booth. After a few moments, Golemite started to fidget.
"Something wrong, Golemite?" Asriel asked as Shye played with her little flynx, Mina.
"Doesn't feel right." Golemite rumbled shuffling about in her seat. "Jenny, did you install new benches?"
"No." Came the reply. "I liked having the imprint to remind me of you and Azzie."
"Imprint? What imprint?" Golemite looked down for a moment before saying, "Oh."
Asriel peeked over the side of the table, and saw that Golemite was sitting in the middle of a large imprint in the booth bench that would have perfectly matched her old posterior. Her new shapelier backside simply didn't match the imprint anymore.
"Hang on." Asriel said, starting to rise from his seat. "I'll grab a phone book."
Golemite forced his young friend to sit back down. "You'll do no such damn thing. I'll be fine."
A giggle slipped out of Shye's mouth, prompting an annoyed glare from Golemite. Fortunately, the arrival of their drinks provided a convenienct distraction.
"Sulphur shake with cocoa for Golemite, vanilla-cream soda for Asriel, and a banana-peach smoothie for Shye." Jenny said, setting the drinks in front of each of them (Golemite's with a thick oven mitt). Once again resting on her coils, she said, "All right, now get to talking."
It took several rounds of drinks (as well as a saucer of cream for little Mina) before Asriel and Golemite finished. They told her of the Brass Woods and Shye's parents and large family. They told her about finding the Precious Meadows and meeting the ancient builders Beget and Archie.
"And den dey was both workin' jus' fine." Golemite said after polishing off her fourth tankard. "Both of of 'em were just as happy as could be, all thanks to Asriel here."
Asriel sputtered and quickly put his glass down. Wiping his mouth, he said, "What do you mean? I didn't do …"
"I ain't no dummy, Azzie. They had one shard between 'em, then suddenly they each had their own. You gave them one of yours, yeah?"
"Yeah." Asriel said, his hand going to his chest. That had been his intention, and he'd felt one of his shards pass to the brothers. So why did he now feel three shards of the Everstar within him?
"Hey!" Shye said, shaking Asriel's shoulder and jostling the bossun from his thoughts. "Stop spacing out, already!"
"S-sorry." Asriel said, rubbing his shoulder. "Anyway, we ended up staying a little while to help the people of Glencove settle into their new village. That reminds me, your sister asked us to say hello."
"Rommie?" Jenny said, her grin widening. "How's she doing?"
"Pretty good." Golemite said, nodding. "She's working with Shye's parents to set up new groves with some of the local produce."
"Awesome. I'll have to see if I can't brow-beat her into sending a few crates our way. We could use some new things on the menu. Speaking of which, let me see how your food's coming."
"Hot, I hope!" Golemite called out. Asriel and Shye giggled as Jenny glared at Golemite before sliding away. Once she was out of sight, Golemite leaned back in the recession in the back of the booth, another leftover reminder of her old body.
"So." She said, resting her arms along the back of the booth, "One down, three to go. Where we headin' next, Azzie? We got the Drifting Meadows to the west, the Glass Ocean to the east, and the Chorus Mountains to the south."
"I vote not Drifting Meadows." Shye said, raising her hand.
"That's not how voting works." Golemite said, glaring at her. "I'll bite; why not the Drifting Meadows."
"Well, we just came from the Precious Meadows. The name sounds too similar, and I wanna see somethin' different." Shye said.
Golemite chuckled. "They call it 'Drifting Meadows' because it's a buncha islands floating on clouds. It's literally driftin'."
Shye blew a raspberry at the stone woman. "I wanna see the Glass Ocean!"
Sighing, Golemite looked to Asriel. "Whaddya think?"
"Um, I think we need to be thinking about this practically." Asriel said. "We don't have an airship or a boat. Did we get enough of a bonus from the Skyway Repair Crew HQ for charting the Precious Meadows to buy one?"
"Er, not quite." Golemite said, rubbing the back of her head. "Most of it went to payin' off our debts."
"Debts? What debts?" Asriel asked.
"The repair bill for our apartment. I tried to tell our landlady it was the damn assassin, but she wouldn't have it. Still, we got a new kitchen out of it."
Asriel shivered at the mention of Saymor; the assassin had destroyed half of their kitchen to take out Golemite and turned its sights on Asriel. Saymor had part of the Everstar, an artifact of such power that merely a single shard was enough to replace Asriel's lost soul and restore his previous form. The shattered remnants of the assassin's crystal blades were as good as swords to the young Bossun, and were strapped across his back despite the fact he hadn't needed them thus far. He hoped he never would.
"Spacing out again!" Shye said, shaking Asriel's arm. "C'mon, Azzie! Stick with me here! The only other place left would be the Chorus Mountains, and screw that! It'll be all cold and climbing. C'mon! Glass Ocean. Choose Glass ocean. Glaaaaass Ocean! Please?"
Asriel stared at her for a moment. The way she grinned at him, her eyes closed and her tail wagging as she held his arm fast, suddenly struck him as strangely familiar.
Frisk … don't you have anything better to do?
"All right." He said, smiling at her. "We'll head for the beach."
"Heading for the Glass Beach next, huh?" Jenny said, setting a massive tray on the table. "My sister, Bella, runs a little shop in Starhaven. I could let her know to keep an eye out for you."
"Thanks, but I don't really need any over-priced seashells glued to a picture frame." Golemite said.
Jenny punched Golemite in the arm, despite the obvious pain it caused. "Not that kind of store, schist-for-brains. Seriously, stop by her place; she might be able to help you out. You heading out right away?"
"Eh, we'll wait until morning." Golemite said. "Might as well enjoy the apartment after how much we just had to pay for it. Sound good, Azzie?"
Asriel nodded, stifling a yawn. "Yeah, a good night's rest sounds pretty swell … after dinner, though."
Jenny bid the trio goodbye once their stomachs were full, reminding them as they departed to see her sister for assistance once they reached the town of Starhaven on the very edge of the Glass Ocean. A short walk through Central nowhere found them once again at the apartment they called home. The AC kicked on immediately; Golemite always liked it cold. She claimed it helped her think better. Asriel, being a bossun with a natural coat, never objected.
It felt strange being home, at least to Asriel. After the wonders of the Brass Woods, the Precious Meadow, and the wonderful flying tower of Beget and Archie, being back in the ordinary little apartment felt like stepping into a completely different reality. Still, it was home, and with it came that sense of peace and comfort that home brings, only slightly diminished by Saymor's attempted assassination.
"I can't believe I'm in Nowhere!" Shye said, jumping on the couch.
Golemite caught her in mid-jump. "All right there, little missy, ease off on the couch, would ya? You jus' calm down a sec while I find a blanket for ya."
Shye plopped down on the couch and watched Asriel as he set his swords on the overturned spool that was their coffee table.
"You're quiet." She said, hands under her knees as she leaned forward, a look of concern in her eyes. "Are you okay, Asriel?"
He nodded. "I'm okay; just sleepy."
"Sleepy Dreemurr." She said with a laugh. "I don't feel tired at all. I can't wait to see the Glass Ocean! Say, what do you think might be out there? Can you do that sensy-thing with the Everstar?"
Asriel concentrated on the shards within him. If he closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift, he could feel inward tugs in the directions of the remaining shard. Two were faint, likely those farther away, he reasoned, but one of the stronger pulls definitely seemed to be coming from the south of the city. The other was hard to pinpoint, as though it were moving around.
"I can feel one in that general direction, but I can't actually see anything about it."
"Meaning it could be at the bottom of the ocean." Shye sighed and lay back on the couch with her hands behind her heads. After a few moments of silence, she asked, "Say, Azzie, I've been meaning to ask … how did you end up with a piece of the Everstar?"
"That's a long story." Asriel let out a sigh. "I guess you could say it found me before I lost myself. This weird skeleton guy said it replaced the soul I lost."
"You lost your soul? How?"
"I died." Asriel said matter-of-factually.
Shye stared at him slack-jawed for a few moments before blowing a raspberry at him. "If you don't wanna tell me, it's fine. I was just curious."
Asriel opened his mouth to tell her he was serious when Golemite returned to the room with a heavy blanket.
"Here ya go." She said, draping the blanket over Shye and dropping a pillow on her head. "That should do ya for tha night. Now get some rest."
"Hey, Golemette." Shye said, stuffing the pillow behind her back.
"For the hundreth time, it's Golemite … Go-lem-ITE."
"Whatever. Where did Asriel get his Everstar Shard?"
"It was a prize in a cereal box." Golemite told her. "Look, it ain't important how he got it, right? It's there now, and we gotta deal with it."
Shye sat up, an annoyed look on her face. "But why? Asriel said he didn't really care about getting the wish anymore."
"Yeah," Golemite said, "But that ain't gonna stop others from finding him. The last guy's the reason we're gonna be walkin' to the Glass Ocean. Me and Azzie, we decided we're gonna find the others first and make sure there ain't gonna be no problems. So far, so good, thanks to Azzie bein' cool enough to give one of his shards to the robros."
"Yeah." Asriel said, his hand going to his chest. "I just wish I knew why it feels like I've got three now."
Golemite slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him out of the chair. "Hey, sometimes you just gotta go with it. Maybe they'll come in handy, huh? And if we happen to get 'em all, hey … free wish. Even if you stay here, getting' your soul back means you could visit your parents and your girlfriend, Frisk, again."
Blushing, Asriel said, "I told you, Frisk isn't my …"
A loud snore interrupted their conversation. Asriel and Golemite turned to find Shye fast asleep, nestled against her pillow.
Chuckling softly, Golemite carefully pulled the blanket over the cat-girl. "You'd better get some rest too, Asriel. Probably got an army of crab-people or a flock of vicious merfolk just waiting at the Glass Ocean for us to stumble over them."
"Yeah, that'd be about right." Asriel said with a smile. "Good night, Golemite."
"You too."
Golemite and Asriel headed to their respective rooms. Asriel's room was simple; a single bed, a dresser with one leg propped up by a thick book entitled "Bazooie, the Crimson Hero", and a makeshift desk covered with drawings, themselves covered with a thick layer of dust.
He spun the old office chair sitting in front of his desk before laying down in his bed. He knew he should probably take a shower and change into his bed clothes, but seeing Shye asleep reminded him just how long it had been since he rested in an actual bed. The last bed had been in Beget and Archie's tower.
After a few moments he turned over to get comfortable and found himself staring at the dark silhouette he knew as the Starkid. She lay beside him in his bed as though she'd been napping there before he even came into the room.
When she didn't say anything, he took a trembling breath and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I remember this." She said. Do you?"
The Starkid's arms wrapped around Asriel. His cheeks red, Asriel said, "I-I d-don't … I mean, I n-never …"
Giggling, the Starkid laid her head on Asriel's chest. "I saw what you did … to Beget and Archie. You're a hero to them … and to me."
Blushing deeper, Asriel said, "I don't know about that … I just couldn't steal their shard."
"And you gave them one of yours." Starkid's hand touched Asriel's chest, the pieces of the Everstar pulsing in response. "And while they have the shards, the power of all three is in you."
"Do you know why?" Asriel asked.
Starkid was silent for a long time before saying simply, "It's been a long time since 'kill and be killed.'"
An image of Flowey appeared in Asriel's mind, the insidious deceptive smile ever present in the darkness of his thoughts. "But it's still in me."
"But you're fighting it." Starkid said. "You did the right thing when it would've been easier to just take the shard. Now the Precious Meadows will continue to grow and prosper."
Asriel wasn't sure what to say. He was still trying to think of something when Starkid let out a small laugh and said, "Not such a crybaby anymore, are you, Asriel?"
Asriel's eyes widened, his arms moving to hold Starkid as he whispered, "Chara?"
His hands closed on nothing. He sat up and looked around, only to find himself alone.
