As the blinding white flash faded, Infinite's body lay splayed across a vast green meadow just outside a small city. The sun had been shining down on him, casting long shadows, while a solitary mountain loomed ominously in the distance.
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A voice had broken the stillness. "Well, hello, fellow Monster! How are you doing today? Hello? Are you alright down there?" The figure leaned closer, concern growing. "Oh dear, you don't look so good. But don't worry! I'll take you to the brilliant Doctor Alphys—she'll know what to do. NYEH HEH HEH!" announced the GREAT Papyrus.
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"Hmmm, not this… maybe that? No, still not quite right. Maybe a little magenta, some pastel green… Oh! Can't forget lilac pink."
A flicker of movement had caught attention. "What was that? An anomaly? Sounds fun! Maybe I should go check it out."
The excitement had built, but then, "Ah, seems Glitchy's at it again. Oh well, guess that'll have to wait. But once I'm done here, I'll go find that anomaly. Oh boy, this is going to be so much fun!"
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Back to Infinite
"Here we were, my humble abode!" Papyrus had declared, throwing open the door. "Now, since I didn't have my phone on me—thanks to that meddling canine—I'll have to borrow my brother's telecommunication device. In the meantime, I'll just place you here on our couch, which, for some reason, also doubles as a bed."
Sans had appeared from the shadows, eyeing the newcomer. "Oh hey, bro. Who's that with ya? They ain't lookin' so hot."
Papyrus had replied, "Oh, hello Sans! As for who this is… I wasn't entirely sure. I found them during one of my jogs. They hadn't responded when I said hello, and when I got closer, I noticed they seemed to be in pain. So, naturally, I brought them here. Doctor Alphys should be able to help them."
Sans, ever the calm one, had shrugged slightly. "Huh. Is that so?"
"Indeed, dear brother! I was hoping to use your phone to inform Doctor Alphys. She'll know how to help this Monster with whatever ails them."
"Alright then, bro. I'll give Al a call. But first, mind if I check their soul real quick?"
"By all means, Sans! Do your thing. I'll be in the kitchen, making my world-famous spaghetti! NYEH HEH HEH!"
As Papyrus had headed to the kitchen, Sans had approached Infinite's prone figure. He had casually raised his hand toward the jackal's chest, his fingers glowing with a soft blue light. A faint, shimmering aura surrounded the area as something had begun to rise from the body.
"☟︎⚐︎☹︎✡︎ 💧︎☟︎✋︎❄︎"
The symbols and energy patterns had pulsed erratically, revealing something distressing. "Sans? Sans, what's wrong?" Alphys's voice had crackled through the phone, concern evident in her tone.
Sans's expression had darkened as he glanced at the strange readings. "Okay, scratch that. Al, You need to get here fast. Like, right now. And bring Tori with you. This… this thing doesn't look right."
"Alright, Sans, I'll be there as soon as possible," Alphys had responded urgently.
Sans had ended the call and looked back at the unconscious Monster with a worried frown. The blue glow had intensified, and the symbols had seemed to flicker and distort, suggesting a deeper issue. He had hoped Alphys and Toriel would arrive soon, fearing that time was running out for the injured Monster.
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A loud knock echoed from the front door, snapping Sans out of his thoughts. 'Well, that was fast,' he had mused, teleporting to the door and opening it. On the other side stood Undyne, Alphys, and Toriel, with Undyne looking ready to knock the door down.
"Hey Sans! I heard Alph talking to you about some Monster getting hurt, so I decided to come over with the two of them to see what's going on."
"That explains how you got here so fast. Well, anyway, they're over on the couch. Paps is cooking spaghetti right now; it should be done in a few minutes. And before you say anything, Paps' cooking has gotten a lot better since we got to the surface," Sans had said as he walked slowly toward the couch.
Undyne's eyes had narrowed as she examined the stranger. "Is that them? They don't look so good. I'll start conducting some scans to see what's wrong, though I won't be able to do anything too thorough without my lab equipment," Alphys had stated nervously.
"It's fine, Al. Just do your best and don't worry about anything else," Sans had reassured her.
"He's totally right, Al! You're amazing, so don't stress about messing up," Undyne grinned, encouraging Alphys, who smiled back.
"Hello, Sans. It's been a while, hasn't it? How have you and Papyrus been?" Toriel had asked warmly.
"Pretty well, Tori. Speaking of doing well, how's the kid?" Sans had inquired.
"Frisk was doing just fine. They'd had a little trouble mingling with the humans, but overall, they are doing quite well. But Sans, I couldn't help but notice you didn't greet us with one of your puns. You'd never pass up the opportunity. Is everything alright?" Toriel had asked, her concern growing.
Sans sighed, glancing at the Monster on the couch as Alphys pulled out a futuristic-looking tablet from her backpack. "Sorry, Tori, but I think it's best if you see for yourself. After seeing the state of their soul, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now."
Alphys had set up her soul scanner, attaching a few pads to the Monster's body. As she began the scan, strange readings had appeared on the device, glitching heavily. Alphys had frowned, recognizing the interference as dense or exotic energy—possibly both. She had adjusted the scanner accordingly, using various objects to assess the state of their body. 'Well, their body seemed largely fine, though that gem in their chest is unusual. I've never seen a Monster quite like this before,' she had thought to herself.
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Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Undyne had chatted with Papyrus as he prepared his WORLD-FAMOUS spaghetti. "So, Papyrus, how's it going with you and Sans? Got anything interesting to talk about?"
"Oh, hello, Undyne! I see things have been going well between you and Doctor Alphys. As for me and Sans, there had been that new job Sans took at that club of his. I've been helping around the city, doing my duties as a good Samaritan. Besides that, the only interesting thing was the Monster I had found collapsed during my morning jog. Speaking of which, how are they doing so far?" Papyrus had inquired.
"Sounds pretty interesting," Undyne said, glancing over. "Guess Sans got that comedian job he was looking for after all. As for that Monster, Alphys is currently running a scan to determine their exact condition. Once she's finished, she and Toriel will figure out what type of healing, if any, is needed. Though, I'm curious about who they are—I don't remember any Monster like that from the Underground. Then again, I didn't know every Monster there was. Anyway, how's that spaghetti of yours coming along?"
"Yes, he did," Papyrus replied with a hint of pride. "Now, don't get me wrong—I'm thrilled Sans has a real job now. But of all the choices he had, did it have to be that? I hope that Monster isn't in too bad a shape. I'd hate to think something terrible happened to them. As for my spaghetti, it's coming along splendidly, as always. After all, I am The GREAT Papyrus! NYEH HEH HEH!"
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Alphys was intently focused on her scanner, her brow furrowing with concern. "Hmm, these readings are a bit strange, but now that I've adjusted the scanner, they make more sense. I'll need to study that peculiar gem later; it seemed to cause all those glitches. But first, we need to focus on them. I don't want to be rude. Let's see, the scan is almost complete. I should get an idea of the soul's condition. It doesn't seem too severe, given their body hasn't been affected much," she muttered to herself, while Sans and Toriel watched in silence.
As the scanner finished its readings, a flurry of symbols appeared, reflecting the state of the Monster's soul. Alphys's eyes widened in horror as she saw the results.
"T-That's i-impossible! How could their soul still be intact after damage like this? Even a Human soul wouldn't survive such trauma—I doubt even a DETERMINATION soul could. How did this happen? No, that's not important. We need to heal them as fast as possible," Alphys said in a panicked tone after seeing the soul's condition.
"Toriel, I need you to use low-level healing magic on them while I fetch the soul stabilizers from the lab—"
"Don't worry, I'll get those, Al. You just focus on them, 'kay?" Sans interjected, stepping forward.
"Thanks, Sans. Okay, I've got this. I've got this," Alphys affirmed nervously. Sans teleported away while Toriel placed her hands above the Monster, a faint green glow emanating from them.
"While I understand the need for healing, I don't see why it has to be low-level. I'm more than capable of performing high-level healing magic for a significant period of time, Doctor Alphys," Toriel said, slightly confused.
"That's because their soul is in such an unstable state that even a small amount of magic—regardless of whether it's healing or not—could cause it to shatter completely. That's why I need the soul stabilizers. They stabilize souls, allowing us to use more powerful magic safely. Using high-level healing magic now would almost certainly cause the soul to shatter," Alphys explained, struggling to maintain her composure.
"I see. But is their soul truly in such a precarious state to warrant such measures?"
"Definitely. Honestly, it would be easier to list what isn't wrong with their soul. Small chunks are missing, large tears, and fractures all over it—I've never seen a soul so damaged."
"I-I see. That is most concerning. I wonder what could have caused such extensive damage."
"Hey, Al, I've got the stabilizers," Sans reappeared, carrying the requested items.
"Sans, you're back. That's good. Put the stabilizers right there, and I'll set them up," Alphys said, visibly relieved.
Alphys arranged the four poles with rings around the Monster, forming a square. After positioning them, she pressed a button on each pole, causing a large, glowing white ring to appear around the area. Once that was done, Toriel's healing magic intensified, shifting from a soft green glow to a nearly blinding emerald light. Sans used his blue magic to help expose the soul to the healing magic's effects. The tears in the soul began to slowly close, and most of the fractures faded.
Both Papyrus and Undyne arrived from the kitchen, carrying multiple plates of freshly cooked spaghetti, which they set on the table while observing the ongoing healing process.
"Bon appétit! The spaghetti is served. Also, how are things going with them?" Papyrus announced cheerfully.
"For now, their soul is stable, but the extent of the damage isn't something we can fix in just one session, even with high-level healing magic," Alphys replied with concern.
"O-Oh, I see. They must be in quite a lot of pain then," Papyrus remarked sympathetically.
"Immensely so. Honestly, I have no idea how they're still alive. For now, I'll need to prepare some concentrated healing solution while Toriel continues to keep them stable," Alphys said, her anxiety evident.
Undyne watched Alphys, noting her return of nervous ticks, which frustrated her given the effort she had put into boosting Alphys's confidence. Alphys left the house, while the others—Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne—went to eat, seeking both nourishment and a way to calm their nerves.
About an hour later, Toriel began to sweat, her effort to maintain such powerful healing magic proving exhausting even for a Boss Monster. While the fractures had disappeared, the tears had only been significantly reduced, and the missing pieces remained unhealed. Soon, Alphys returned, carrying several plastic bags filled with bright green liquid and a metal stand for them.
"Hey, Al, if you'd just asked, I would have gotten these for you," Undyne said with a light-hearted tone.
"I know, Undyne, but I wanted to help, and I'm pretty sure you don't know where I keep these," Alphys replied with a smile.
Undyne smiled back and helped Alphys set up the healing solution, which provided Toriel with much-needed relief.
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Not long after, Infinite had a needle embedded in his wrist, connected to a tube delivering the healing solution. The others had chosen to leave while Alphys asked Sans to keep her updated on the situation. Sans took up the duty of watching over Infinite.
A few days passed with Sans observing, noting that the tears had completely disappeared and the missing chunks began to slowly fill in. After a week of healing and observation, Infinite's soul had nearly fully recovered. He groaned slightly as he sat up on the couch, taking in his surroundings. He noticed the various pieces of equipment around him and, more importantly, the skeleton sitting to his right who was… sleeping?
"Where am I, and who exactly are you? I suggest you better not attempt to lie to me," Infinite demanded, his voice authoritative.