As it Once Was[Kuragari]

[Firehead]

Name: Kayin S. T. Dreemurr
Age: 31
Gender: Genderfluid (can shift between male and female at will)
Appearance: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/30389805/ male, https://www.furaffinity.net/view/34095938/ female
Bio: In a timeline where Chara and Asriel didn't go to the surface, Chara with Gasters help found a way to become a boss monster like Asriel, and the seven fallen children including Frisk broke the barrier with them both, Kayin was born into a world that has seen peace between Human and Monster for 60 years. One day however, while visiting a friend working for the Royal Scientists, a malfunction in their invention made it go haywire, and sucked Kayin into a portal traversing time and space itself, with no idea when or where he'll land, and what might await him there.
Additional info: Dreemurr last name here comes from him being born via a sharing of SOULs between King Asriel, Queen Chara, and Royal Consort Frisk (demiboy/quenderfluid). This is the origin in the reboot Im doing for my Undertale timeline/universe. Is not considered a Prince in said timeline.

As you fell through the portal, the swirl of bright color momentarily blinded you as you slammed into something and fell to the ground. When your vision cleared, you looked about finding yourself in strangely familiar surroundings. It took a moment of wracking your brain before you realize you'd seen it in an old photograph. Gazing around confirmed that it certainly looked like old pictures of the Royal Scientist's lab from before the monster race left the underground, but that facility has been abandoned for over 50 years, but this still looks recently occupied. You notice a few blank space in the room where it looks like things have been moved out of, and a few scratch marks in the floor where heavy things must have been moved about.

[Kuragari]

Kayin groaned as he hit something and fell to the floor. The world was still spinning for a bit, but as he recovered from the fall and patted himself to make sure everything was alright, he stood up and looked around.

And blinked in slow familiarity. He knew this place. The old Royal Lab in the Underground. He'd seen this in some pics his parents had from the days before and shortly after the barrier fell. But instead of being covered in dust, cobwebs, and having stale air, the place felt like it was still used and lived in.

"H-Hello?" Kayin called out, frowning as he started to walk around. He pulled out his smartphone, glad to find it still worked, but it wasn't picking the signals it should have been. Just what was going on? Where was he?

[Firehead]

Your voice echoed back to you as you called out. While the place hadn't been entirely abandoned, there were almost no lights, so you had to move about carefully, and the signs of stuff being moved about made it look like the occupant was in the process of moving out. The amount of stuff still here suggested that they would be back eventually, but you didn't have any idea when they would be back.

Suddenly, you heard a voice. "I thought I heard something, but Dr. Alphys shouldn't be back to move more stuff for another couple days." It sounds as if they're muttering to themselves rather than talking to you or anyone else, but as you turn in their direction, there're a few things strange. You don't see a light coming from their direction, so they're choosing to move about in the same gloom you're stuck in, and you don't hear any footsteps coming from them either. They're speaking loudly enough that they obviously don't fear being heard, so you doubt their some kind of intruder, but why don't they have a light then?

[Kuragari]

Things were getting curiouser and curiouser, more so as Kayin heard a voice in the gloom. His first thought was they were someone here helping with the moving, but then it didn't make sense they wouldn't have a light. Unless they were a Monster who could see rather well in the dark? The mention of Dr. Alphys made him tilt his head a bit. He knew that name... she was still around working alongside Dr. Gaster. But she hadn't worked here in this lab in decades...

Confusion and a need to learn more spurred him on to conjure an orb of light to float a bit above and head of him, and Kayin called out, "Heeeeyyy! Is someone else down here? Hello?"

[Firehead]

As the light flares up, the figure doesn't give the kind of reaction you'd expect from someone who just had a bright light turned on in front of them. Even at this distance, they should have at least shielded themselves with a hand. Thankfully, you could now see the figure. He was clearly another Boss Monster like you though maybe slightly younger. It takes a moment to recognize King Asriel though much younger than you remember and looking like a ghost. "Huh, he's a Boss Monster? I thought mom and dad were the only two left. He's certainly being a bit jumpy. I'm the only other one here, and he's yelling like that." He begins looking around curiously. "What is he yelling at anyway?" He still seems to be talking only to himself even though you're right there. It was then that you noticed you could slightly see through his form like frosted glass.

[Kuragari]

Kayin blinked as he saw what could only be a younger version of his father, Asriel, King of the Monsters. He almost called out, "Dad? What're you doing here?" and more, but paused as he listened to Asriel's words... and then eventually, noticed the transparent nature of the Asriel before him.

"Uhm, I'm yelling at you? I can, uh, see you. Should I not be able to see you?" He asked, not having much luck in masking the familiarity and concern he felt at seeing Asriel in this state, his worry about where he'd wound up and what was going on only growing.

[Firehead]

He jumped back as you spoke directly at him taking one last look to confirm no one was standing behind him. "Wait, are you saying you can actually see me?" He looks extremely confused. "I've been a spirit of sorts for a few days now, and no one's been able to see me. Not even the ghosts notice me." He takes a few tentative steps towards you with his hand stretched forward. As his hand touches your shoulder, you feel him, and he gasps moving it about. "Your fur's even pressed down where I touch. How is this happening?" While still touching you, he swings his other arm towards a machine, but it passes straight through it.

[Kuragari]

"Yes, I can indeed see you. And feel you, it seems." Kayin replied, his own eyes quirked in interest as he heard Asriel say such. Though the second thing he'd said had most of his attention. "Though you being a spirit, rather than magic and matter as you should be, is only adding to the pile of questions I've got right now." Kayin glanced around again, frowning as his mind raced. Shaking his head, for now he asked, "This is probably going to make you have just as many questions as I do, but can you confirm that this is Dr. Alphys's lab in the Underground?"

[Firehead]

"Yes, well, it makes sense I wouldn't be made up of magic and matter since I used up all my magic opening the seal, but that doesn't explain how I still exist. Even as a Boss Monster myself, my soul should only be able to persist for an instant once my body faded away, and yet here I am." He nods when you ask about the lab. "Yes, Dr. Alphys is moving her equipment to a new lab above ground little by little." He suddenly pulled his hand which had continued to lay on your shoulder. "Sorry, phasing through things makes it impossible to feel something, so that's the first physical contact I've felt for a while."

[Kuragari]

"Well, you answered a few other questions I had, given me a few new ones, and made me realize I'm exceptionally lost, in more ways than one." Kayin replied, frowning as Asriel's response informed him he was in the past, but well, Asriel being... a spirit or phantom, maybe an echo? Whatever he was right now, it wasn't what he should be.

"This is probably going to sound odd, and leave you with a dozen or more questions to ask, but uh, does Chara or the any of the Fallen Children know you're like this? Or ya know, Toriel or Asgore? Because uhm, you really should still be, well, you after the barrier's gone. At least, from my perspective, you should be."

[Firehead]

He seems a little puzzled at your assertion. "Really, I'd think after absorbing all those souls and breaking the barrier single-handedly, it's a surprise anything was left of me. The only ones that have been back to the Underground since the barrier fell are Alphys and some royal guards that have been helping her move the equipment. From the sounds of it, Chara, the other fallen children, and Mom and Dad have been busy trying to get everyone settled above ground. I haven't really been able to exit the Underground myself to go visit them. Maybe it's because I lack a body, but looking at how vast and open it all is has been terrifying to behold."

[Kuragari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

We going with the idea that Chara's come back as well? And I assume in this case Asriel is meaning Frisk rather than Frisk and the other human children.

"Absorbing the SOULs? But you, Mom and Frisk always told me the eight of you had worked together to break the barrier... why would you have needed to absorb them, and why would it leave you like this?" Kayin inquired aloud, having meant to keep most of that to himself but the strangeness of the situation made him speak a little louder than he had intended to.

[Firehead]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Yeah, we can go with Chara being back, and yeah I meant just Frisk.

He takes a step back confused. "What do you mean 'I told you.' I've never met you before. Just who are you?" He takes a moment to compose himself though he looks rather regretful as he continued. "I absorbed the SOULs to try and take my revenge after years alone. If Frisk hadn't reached me, who knows what damage I could have done. Once I came to my senses, I knew I couldn't keep imprisoning all those human and monster SOULs, but I destroyed the barrier with the last of that power as a repentance of sorts."

[Kuragari]

Kayin frowned in thought, taking note of Asriel's response. It didn't jive up with anything he knew to have happened. After all, why would Asriel need revenge, and- "Wait, Monster SOULs as well? I..." He rubbed at his forehead, groaning as he pondered how or what to say. Finally, he said,

"Alright, I'll start from where things are on my end. Earlier, I was visiting a friend outside Monster City who was working for Dr. Gaster and Alphys. They were working on some kind of machine, it malfunctioned, then I wind up back here in the Underground. But rather than the lab looking abandoned and dusty after 60 years of Monsters living on the Surface, it looks like folks are just now moving out."

Pointing to Asriel, he continued, "This would imply I've traveled back in time, except, well, if that's the case, you shouldn't be a spirit or phantom, but living and breathing magic and matter given form. You should be up there with Frisk, Chara, and the six other humans enjoying freedom at last with Granma and Grandad. So, why not try telling me things from your side so we can make some sense of this?"

[Firehead]

His ears go flat as you mention monster SOULs, "Yes, I needed the power of seven human SOULs, but only six were available. Due to my form at the time though, I was able of combining those six SOULs with every monster SOUL to manage the same power. He looks a little surprised when you mention Gaster. "Dr. Gaster disappeared under mysterious circumstances a long time ago. I can't wonder how much trouble we could have avoided if we'd had access to his genius."

"It seems like certain fundamental events in your past are different from events that happened in this time. Like things got reset and changed in the past." He seems uncomfortable with that thought. "I had such power for a time though there were limits to how far back I could go, and I started finding hard limits on what exact changes I could actually enact. No one could ever remember the events I reset, but one did seem to recognize I was messing with time."

[Kuragari]

Kayin listens and frowns. He doesn't know the whole situation yet, but it seems this Asriel had gone through a lot more than his father had. This Asriel... he shivered a bit, not sure what to make of the implication he was not only in the past, but a different past then the one he knew...

"Well, this puts us both in a unique situation then." Kayin said after a moment as his expression softened as he stepped closer, giving Asriel's shoulder a pat. "I've been accidentally dropped into a past similar yet different, which still means I'm lost at the end of the day. And you're dealing with all you've had to face and thought yourself alone, but now you can be seen, and can touch and speak with another." It felt a bit weird to be ruffling the head of a younger (and ghostly) version of his father, but he pushed that aside.

"So let's see if we can help one another out." He offered his hand as he added, "I already know your name, but you don't know mine. I'm Kayin S.T. Dreemurr, and from the time I came from, your son."

[Firehead]

He gets a far off look when you place your hand on him shivering at the reassurance you're trying to provide. He doesn't resist your touch, but there is a strange reaction likely due to the fact that he never imagined he would feel the touch of another again. He's slow to take your hand but immediately breaks out of whatever funk he's in when you introduce yourself. "S-s-son?!? Sounds like your version of me got all the luck. Who did he...No don't tell me, I don't even want to know?"

He takes in a deep breath calming himself after the shock of learning there was another set of circumstances that could have led to him being a father. "We should probably stop hanging around here though. Unlike me, you're going to need food eventually, so we can't just wait for Alphys's next visit. I can guide you up to the exit, but, I'm afraid that's as much of the way as I know."

[Kuragari]

He makes note of the strange reaction, keeping an eye on Asriel with a look of concern even as he gives the spirit's hand a firm squeeze. He smirks a bit at his response, quickly saying, "Chara and Frisk. I can tell ya more later though." Kayin nods at his comment for that, frowning as he notes, "I'm not really familiar with the Underground itself, so by all means lead the way. Once out, I should be able to get us to Ebott City. Its not far away, and in my time was already incorporated into Monster City."

[Firehead]

He nods as you offer to show the way once you get out of the underground. "Alright, thankfully Alphys has kept the up to the Metaton Resort Hotel operational. The path up there from here can be a bit long and winding when it isn't available. Especially if you've got a killer robot chasing you the whole way." He chuckles at a thought before leading you up to the elevator. "Just punch the R3, and we'll be at the hotel in no time."

[Kuragari]

Kayin couldn't help but quirk an eye up at the mention of a killer robot, but nodded and followed Asriel's directions as they wound their way out of the lab. Kayin groaned a bit at the heat of Hotland, but hurried over to the lift, glad to find it air conditioned. Pressing the button, he glanced towards Asriel, giving him a sympathetic smile as he said, "This'll probably be a bit of a walk, so if you want, you can ask me any questions you might have. I'm happy to answer to the best of my ability."