Infinite saw two visions, one clearer than the other. The further something was in the past the less clear it was. But that wasn't important, these two past events were. One was a battle between two individuals while the other was one individual fighting three others at once.
"What....happened....?" Horror asked while the other two teleported out of the hall.
"I'm seeing two at once, I need to focus on one or the other to get anything clear out of either. It's not as painful to view them though, weird." Infinite responded while crimson energy swirled around him, mainly his head.
Infinite huffed as the former vision came into clearer focus. "The same kid, or maybe not. Possession maybe? They're fighting Sans. The other took over and the fight started to become one-sided. The other kid gets hit by the final blow meant for Sans. Sans absorbs the kid's soul and instantly kills the other kid. He uses RESET immediately after."
Horror's singular eye-light widened at that. Chara possessing Frisk during a genocide route wasn't unusual, in fact it happened quite a lot. But Frisk taking a blow meant for Sans after Chara had already fully taken over. That shouldn't have been possible, they share the same body after all.
Then Sans absorbing the DETERMINATION soul was just, damn. That definitely was unique but something like that wasn't enough to turn a timeline into a universe. So maybe the other vision instead.
"The...other....please." Horror said while Infinite nodded. The other vision wasn't very clear, it seems it didn't take place here but somewhere nearby. Infinite walked through the hall into a small garden centered around a golden throne.
Then they arrived at a large gray area, it was massive really. There were seven canisters, 6 of which were destroyed. He could feel the energy in the air here, a massive battle took place here a while ago.
"Sans, with the golden flower and another taller skeleton with two cracks in his skull appeared in the area. There are six souls in the canisters which were ripped out and given to the flower. Who just became some sort of massive unholy abomination? Damn, that is by far the most disturbing thing I've ever seen and that is seriously saying something." Infinite explains.
Horror hums at that. "The....flower...Flowey. Skeleton....dad...Gaster...weird. Shouldn't...be...around...erased."
Infinite found that particular piece of knowledge interesting. Though this fight was more so. "The kid is with them, the other just arrived and they look.... severely corrupted. They absorb what looks like soul fragments of the six souls Flowey absorbed? No, DT of the souls."
"Chara...with...HATE....other...soul..essence...too? Not...good." Horror states.
"They fight afterwards, it's getting pretty intense. Comparable to the fights I have with you and the others, maybe a bit higher. Flowey and Gaster are critically injured, while Sans unleashes a massive barrage of thousands of gaster blasters at once. Oh, is that why they're called that? What... Chara just put their soul back together after it was shattered? How is that possible?" Infinite stated as he began to struggle a bit to keep this up.
"DETERMINATION...strong...HATE...stronger. Frisk....not....doing...anything?" Horror responds and asks at the same time. Infinite shook his head. The other kid, Frisk, wasn't doing anything but being protected by the others.
"Sans is knocked out and Flowey drains all six human souls to counter a massive attack. The two blasts are very extreme, comparable to my strongest attacks; stronger even. A large barrier between this area and the rest of the underground prevents any collateral; it nearly breaks. Flowey is greatly weakened and drops out of that form of his. The human souls have turned gray, losing their color and power. Frisk somehow gained back their souls' power and protects Flowey, giving both their soul and the other restored souls to the flower." Infinite says to Horror's surprise.
The kid gave their soul to the weed, and restored the other souls. This fight sounded pretty insane, not to mention impossible. There were so many laws this fight broke that it's a miracle this universe even existed, guess that's why it's called Glitchtale.
"Flowey turned into a large goat creature, Asriel, with-hurk." Infinite immediately was sent into the ground in intense pain and shock. Such power even through a mere memory. It was almost akin to that overwhelming feeling he faced against Nightmare or Error. This Asriel Dreemur was almost as strong as Super Sonic.
Horror went towards Infinite trying to help him. "I'm fine, I can handle this. I was just surprised is all. Asriel and Chara have an extremely high scale battle between each other in a different dimension separate from normal reality. Chara's corruption had partially subsided after using that massive black-sphere attack from earlier. Asriel and Frisk use the essences of the souls to weaken the HATE controlling Chara. Finally they finish the fight using a button called SAVE which totally purifies all of the corruption afflicting the child while also giving both Chara and Asriel a soul to call their own." Infinite finishes while pushing Horror's hand away. He didn't need pity, he had suffered worse than this.
"Which means after doing that, Frisk got their soul and body back somehow, and the barrier was destroyed. So this AU is one with a True Perfect Ending huh? Lucky bastards, just how many fucking rules did Ink break just to make this universe?"
Infinite turned towards Dust who had a rather pissed looking expression on his face. Killer was tagging along, also looking rather annoyed. " So you two are finally done wallowing in whatever traumas you have. Anyway, that's the general gist of what led to this timeline becoming its own universe. By the way, what do you mean by rules?"
Dust sighed at that, right he didn't know. "To make an extremely long story short. There are various laws and rules set forth by The King that ensure the multiverse and everything in it work as they're supposed to. It binds everyone but the gods more so than anyone else. Messing with an AU or AT to this extent is considered to be pretty fucking taboo."
Infinite hummed in thought at that. "I see, well that's nice to know. Anyway, we know what led to this universe existing. But we don't know what happened afterwards, so I suggest we go to the city next to figure that out."
"Maybe, but we've been here for a while now and the sun has both risen and set during this whole investigation." Dust says as they walk out of the underground. The setting sun greets them as they slowly move down the mountain.
Were we really in there for that long? It certainly didn't feel like it. Infinite thought to himself. They would have to find somewhere to rest but the city wasn't exactly an option unless they wanted to be discovered. Perhaps he could try to make something like that metal wall?
No that wouldn't work, those constructs had been temporary. Besides it was too draining on him to maintain that for even a short period of time. Perhaps in the future he might be able to truly make something from nothing permanently, but not now.
Nothing said he couldn't just make use of what was around however. A simple application of telekinesis was all that was needed to do so. And he had already known how to use the ability for a while now, he simply had no reason to ever use it. It required too much focus and concentration which could easily be disrupted during a fight. He couldn't understand how Silver was able to use it so effectively despite such a glaring weakness.
Before long a small wooden cabin is created in the woods, much to the surprise of those watching. "Man Infinite, creating something like this so quickly is pretty impressive. Why don't you ever use this during your training or just for convenience?"
"That's because it's too easy to lose focus when using it. Also, I'm not so lazy or so pathetic that I need to be able to move things with my mind in order to perform the basic requirements of living. But then again, I understand babies and children are generally incapable of doing such things on their own without having their hand held, no?" Infinite retorts.
Killer gapes in pure shock at that while Horror and Dust laugh profusely. Infinite walks into the cabin, uncaring of the skeleton's reactions. They had things to do tomorrow, though honestly he wasn't sure if he even needed sleep anymore.
(The Next Day)
Infinite woke up early alongside Dust, who couldn't get much sleep. " For now, me and Dust will be conducting the investigation into what happened after the barrier was destroyed. At least in regards to doing so in broad daylight. Killer and Horror will be doing so while remaining hidden, since you've claimed and proven your ability to be stealthy when the situation calls for it."
Dust hums in agreement with that while Horror just nods. Killer salutes Infinite in a way clearly meant to be mocking. The jackal just ignores it while observing the city from afar, the sun having risen just a few minutes ago. Normally he wouldn't care to do this, for more than one reason.
But when he had awoken an hour ago, he had sent a pulse to feel the energies of all living things within several dozen miles. From that pulse he felt multiple very powerful sources of energy coming from that city. Several of which could be very dangerous for him and the others, so caution was warranted.
Killer and Horror quickly went off on their own to fulfill their part of the mission while Infinite and Dust casually approached the city. This decision had been made mainly due to appearance and personality.
Dust and Infinite, beyond a quirk or two, really didn't look all that different from other monsters. Not only that but, bar extreme circumstances, they were more than capable of keeping the more negative aspects of their personalities in check. Suffice it to say that neither Killer nor Horror were able to fulfill either requirement.
At least this way allowed them to cover all their bases while ensuring several avenues of various options remained available to them. There was a concern about the LV but Dust explained that LV can only be detected via a CHECK. Which was very unlikely considering all monsters, regardless of AU, considered it highly invasive and offensive to use a CHECK on someone without their consent.
"Why are we even bothering with this? It's a True Pacifist Timeline, they usually lose most of their power after they reach the surface. And it's been over 2 months since they did." Dust asks Infinite as they walk.
Infinite just sighs at that, they had already gone over this. "It's because despite what you claim, there are actual threats in that city. Several of which could kill one of us depending on the circumstances. Now there isn't anything I could sense that was beyond our abilities, but there are at least 4 individuals roughly around our level of power. If we're doing this, and we are doing this, then we're doing it right."
Dust says nothing as they walk into the city's outskirts together. It was filled mostly with humans, but there were a few monsters here and there. Dust frowned as he could feel the souls around him.
The monsters' souls were much stronger than they were supposed to be, about twice as strong on average compared to most AU's. As for the human souls most of them had soul traits, which was unheard of.
Usually modern humans had gray souls of HOLLOWNESS, which vastly weakened their souls to the point that they were actually weaker than most monsters. But the humans here actually had soul traits, albeit very weak ones, that were dormant.
The fact that their souls were dormant was a relief at least. It meant they had no awareness or ability to use magic or soul-related abilities, which rendered them a non-threat. However it also meant that humanity had retained its ability to use magic in this AU, so there was a good chance there was a wizard in this city based on what Infinite told him.
And wasn't that a terrifying prospect? Humans with magic were already dangerous as it is, human magic generally being much more powerful than monster magic. But wizards were a whole other level of danger, after all a wizard was to a human as a boss monster is to a monster.
From what he could sense there were at least a few humans who could use magic in this city, but no wizards. Thank God, we are NOT ready to fight a wizard in any capacity. Dust thought to himself. Even a child wizard with only the bare minimum in regards to magical and spiritual ability was stronger than most monsters could ever be, bar boss monsters that is.
Both Dust and Infinite noticed multiple cameras around the area, which seemed to be active. "Security's pretty high huh, wonder why? Shouldn't be a problem for the two of us, but Horror and Killer will have a bit of a harder time because of it."
Infinite said nothing in response to Dust's statement. He was currently heading towards the closest major energy signature he had detected. Soon they arrived at a park where two skeletons were present, the Papyrus and Sans of this AU.
Dust tensed up a little bit upon seeing Papyrus, but he quickly collected himself. Infinite had no interest in introducing himself or bothering with social interaction, especially since he didn't need to in order to gain the information required.
Infinite decided to perform his own unique take on a CHECK, that would make things go faster than they otherwise would. Infinite narrowed his eyes as he raised his hand slightly towards the two skeletons, a slight glow emanating from his hand. He chose to do this while using his powers to distort the perceptions of those around them to prevent detection.
Papyrus didn't react at all to the jackal's actions, however Sans had an expression of confusion on his face as he briefly looked around before shrugging to himself. The lazy skeleton went back to napping on the park bench as Papyrus continued his morning jog.
Infinite hummed as he walked to a secluded area with Dust following close behind. "Well? What did you get out of CHECK-ing them?"
Glitch!Papyrus
LV - 1
HP - 12,800
MP - 56,800
ATK - 30
DEF - 50
Race - Monster(Boss)
Papyrus is a young, yet powerful boss monster who cares deeply about others. Ever since he came to the surface, he has been ecstatic about all the new people and sensations he's been experiencing. Most of all he's glad his brother is more motivated to do things and that his father is being recognized for his efforts, even if he didn't know he had a dad until two months ago. Currently he is performing his morning jog while his brother chose to accompany him for some reason, at least Sans was trying to be more active.
Infinite didn't really know what to make of the information provided, but considering Dust's eye-lights widening slightly apparently this was unusual. Now for the other one.
Glitch!Sans
LV - 3
HP - 500
MP - 189,500
ATK - 20
DEF - 20
Race - Monster(Boss)
Soul Trait - DETERMINATION(Very Weak)
A lazy, yet extremely powerful boss monster who is far more perceptive than he appears to be. Sans was once the assistant royal scientist to his father, Gaster, but when their latest experiment ended with his father being erased from existence he fell into a deep depression. This greatly weakened his soul and resulted in much of his apathetic views and actions later on. With the return of his father, an ending better than he could ever have hoped for, and the destruction of the RESET button he has regained much of his former strength. Recently he has been undergoing several tests conducted by both Gaster and Alphys after it was revealed that absorbing Frisk's soul one too many times had fundamentally altered his own. Currently he is watching his brother's morning jog, though another strange feeling happened again which confused him briefly.
Infinite was slightly surprised at the information presented, monsters weren't supposed to have soul traits. The Bad Sanses were an exception due to their unique circumstances but generally monster souls didn't have traits. This could be a bit problematic if there were any other monsters who possessed a soul trait.
"Great, fucking wonderful. Like this AU wasn't a big enough problem as it is, now we have to worry about monsters having soul traits. It could just be an isolated incident, but we'll need to CHECK all the relevant monsters to be sure." Dust stated in clear irritation.
Hmm, yes they would. Still though, this universe may prove to be an actual challenge. For some reason Infinite couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of excitement at that prospect, he always loved a good challenge after all. Or well he did before everything with Eggman happened.
Speaking of the mad doctor, he wondered what had happened to him. Likely being hunted down by the resistance for his crimes, but he wasn't worried. Robotnik was notorious for being hard to catch and even harder to kill.
Regardless they would need to-. Infinite stumbled slightly as the Phantom Ruby on his chest began to glow fiercely releasing a rather large amount of energy. Dust immediately grabbed Infinite and teleported both of them away.
"What...is this? It feels like something just tried to access the ruby or connected to it somehow." Infinite questioned in confusion and slight pain. Whatever this was, it was getting in the way of their mission. Fortunately the energy quickly subsided and whatever that had been faded.
"What the hell was that? You're lucky your powers aren't exactly easy to sense otherwise every person in the entire damn city would have noticed that." Dust questioned in annoyance as Infinite got back on his feet.
That could have jeopardized everything. They still needed more info before the slaughter could even be considered, much less start. Dust was actually looking forward to it for once, this AU had a pretty good chance to give him another LV or two. It's been too long since he's been able to get stronger.
"I'm fine, just something weird happened. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Anyway, let's continue." Infinite said while ignoring Dust's irritation much to his annoyance. Bastard's lucky his power is needed for this to go as smoothly as possible. Maybe he should have an all-out fight with that jackal just to make it clear where they stand.
Infinite frowned as he rubbed the gem in his chest. He'd have to inspect that later in privacy. The last thing he needed was his own powers going out of control, especially since he needed them to even stay alive.
(Hours Later)
It was currently late afternoon; the sun having just started to go down an hour ago. By this point Infinite and Dust had been able to find all the relevant individuals, at least those they knew of, in this AU. They were both going over the various information they had gleaned.
Glitch!Undyne
LV - 5
HP - 18,800/56,400
MP - 76,900/230,700
ATK - 60/180
DEF - 30/90
Race - Monster(Boss)
Soul Trait - DETERMINATION(Weak)(Dormant)
A powerful boss monster and former captain of the royal guard. Undyne has possessed an abnormally high amount of physical matter for a monster even at a young age. As captain she had been forced to commit a few actions she's not particularly proud of, especially now that monsters have reached the surface. Ever since the barrier was destroyed she has been trying her best to enact justice when necessary. Currently she is performing her duties as a police officer, having recently gotten the job a few weeks ago.
Glitch!W.D. Gaster
LV - 8
HP - 66,666/ERROR
MP - 280,500/ERROR
ATK - 120/ERROR
DEF - 100/ERROR
Race - Monster(Boss)
Soul Trait - ✞︎⚐︎✋︎👎︎(Weak)(Dormant)
An extremely powerful and old boss monster. W.D. Gaster is the royal scientist and a veteran of the Monster-Human war that occurred nearly a thousand years ago. His incredible genius led to the discovery and invention of multiple new scientific fields and theories. Dimensional travel, time travel, artificial soul creation, are among many of the things he has created over his long life. But his greatest creation by far is the Core, a gargantuan magic reactor situated at the bottom of the underground. His attempt to use the Core in order to manipulate space-time ended in disaster. Creating a large rift which led to THE VOID, subsequently being erased from existence. After being rescued from that torment by his son, Sans, he has continued his work as the royal scientist while also trying to be a father to his children. Currently he is running himself ragged trying to finish an expansion to the Core while also trying to get it approved by the human government.
Glitch!Asriel Dreemurr
LV - 1?
HP - 9,800/980,000
MP - 120,900/1,290,000
ATK - 20/999
DEF - 40/999
Race- Monster(Boss)/Monster(Demi-God)
Soul Trait - DIVINITY(Average)(Partially Dormant)
A very young boss monster who possesses almost god-like powers. Asriel is the prince of all monsters and a very kind person. Early in his life he met Chara, a human who had fallen into the underground and had very quickly become best friends with them. During their stay Chara came up with a plan to free all monsters in exchange for their death. This plan went horribly wrong resulting in both Chara and Asriel's deaths. Decades later Asriel was partially revived as a demented golden flower who lacked a soul called Flowey. As Flowey, Asriel committed many atrocities that have caused him no end of guilt. After saving Chara from the HATE and breaking the barrier he has gone back to living with his parents and two adopted siblings. Unknown to him and everyone else however, he still possesses the six human souls and the nigh-godly power he had during his fight against Chara. Currently he is helping Frisk with their attempts to make the A.M.D. see reason.
Glitch!Frisk Dreemurr
LV - 1
HP - 200
MP - 20,000
ATK - 10
DEF - 10
Race - Human
Soul Trait - DETERMINATION(Very Strong/MAX)(Partially Dormant)
A young human with truly incredible willpower, alongside great magical talent. Frisk fell into the underground and went through several RESET's before ending up where they are now. During the final fight against Chara they, alongside Asriel, used SAVE in order to help both Chara and all the monsters in the underground. Even after everything that happened they still possess the SAVE button and all its miraculous power. With it the impossible becomes possible, a true miracle in every sense of the word. They are unaware that they still possess that power. Currently they are trying to convince the A.M.D to help the monsters rather than be antagonistic towards them.
Glitch!Chara Dreemurr
LV - 1/20
HP 999/9,999
MP - 99,999/999,999
ATK - 99/999
DEF - 99/999
Race - Human(Wizard)
Soul Trait - DETERMINATION(Strong)/HATE(Very Strong)(Sealed)
A powerful young wizard who is unaware of their nature. Chara fell into the underground a bit over a century ago, befriending the young prince of monsters and being adopted into the royal family. After the initial failure of their plan with Asriel, their DETERMINATION allowed them to still persist despite no longer possessing a soul or body of their own. Soon they would become attached to Frisk, sharing the same body with Frisk primarily in control. After an aborted genocide route, Chara returned via a combination of DETERMINATON and HATE, attempting to finish what Frisk started along with ending the timeline due to its corruption. They were defeated by Asriel and Frisk while the timeline turned universe was purified of its corruption. Due to the SAVE, they have regained both their own body and soul much to their surprise. Currently they are begrudgingly aiding Frisk in their goal to convince the A.M.D. to support monsters, they consider this goal foolish and naive.
Infinite and Dust had expressions of pure shock at what they had seen. "WHAT THE FU-"