Vance's footsteps echoed faintly as he made his way through the dimly lit corridor. The air was damp and cold, clinging to his skin like a wet blanket. Shadows danced across the stone walls, and every creak and groan of the ancient cave made his heart race. He hugged his arms close to his chest, his breath shaky.
"This place feels... weird," he muttered to himself. His voice sounded tiny in the emptiness. He tried to ignore how the walls seemed to close in around him the farther he walked.
After what felt like forever, the tunnel opened up into a larger room, its walls covered in moss and vines. A small patch of dirt sat in the center, and in the middle of it grew a single yellow flower. It stood out starkly against the gloom, its petals vibrant and golden, almost glowing in the dim light.
Vance blinked, tilting his head. "A flower?"
As he stepped closer, the flower's head turned toward him.
"Howdy!"
Vance froze. His heart skipped a beat as his wide eyes locked onto the talking flower.
"Uh... hi?" he squeaked, taking a cautious step back.
The flower smiled, its round face cheerful and innocent. "Don't be scared, kiddo! I won't hurt you."
Vance hesitated, his legs trembling. "You... you can talk?"
"Of course I can!" the flower said brightly, bobbing a little. "Name's Flowey. Flowey the Flower! And you must be new around here."
Vance swallowed hard, his mind racing. A talking flower? That wasn't normal. Not even a little. But something about the way it spoke its cheerful tone, its playful grin felt strangely familiar.
"Flowey..." Vance repeated slowly, his brows furrowing.
And then it hit him.
"No way..." His eyes widened as he stumbled back a step, his hands covering his mouth. "No way. This can't be real."
Flowey tilted his head. "What can't be real? You okay, kid?"
Vance stared at the flower, his chest tightening. The shape of its face, the way it smiled it was unmistakable. He had seen it before, not in a dream, but in a game.
"This is... Undertale?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. His knees felt weak as he sank to the ground, his hands trembling. "I'm in Undertale. I'm actually in Undertale."
Flowey's expression didn't falter, but his eyes seemed to glimmer with curiosity. "Undertale? What's that?"
Vance ignored the question, his thoughts spiraling. It all made sense now the fall, the flowers, the cave. He wasn't just in some random world. He was in the world of one of his favorite games.
"This can't be happening," he muttered, tugging at his hair. "This isn't real. It's impossible. I'm just dreaming, right? Yeah, that's it. I hit my head, and now I'm dreaming all of this."
Flowey chuckled softly. "Well, if it is a dream, it's a pretty detailed one, huh?"
Vance glanced back at the flower, his breathing uneven. "But... how? Why?" He shook his head, clutching his knees. "I don't understand..."
Flowey's smile softened. "Hey, take it easy, kid. You're safe here, I promise."
For a moment, Vance stared at Flowey, his breathing slowly evening out. The flower didn't seem threatening if anything, it looked kind and friendly. But he remembered the game. He remembered what Flowey was really like.
Or... was this different?
"Flowey," he said cautiously, his voice still shaky. "What is this place?"
"This?" Flowey said, waving one of his leaves dramatically. "This is the Underground! A magical place beneath the surface where all us monsters live."
"Monsters?" Vance whispered, his heart racing again.
"Yup!" Flowey said cheerfully. "But don't worry they're not all bad. Most of 'em are really nice, actually."
Vance narrowed his eyes slightly. Was Flowey lying? He couldn't tell. The flower seemed... different. Kinder. Maybe this world wasn't exactly like the game. Maybe things were... better.
"You said I was new here," Vance said slowly. "How did you know that?"
Flowey laughed. "Oh, it's obvious! You fell down here, didn't you? No monster would be wandering around this close to the entrance. It's just us flowers here."
Vance glanced back at the path he came from, his stomach twisting. "I... I did fall," he admitted.
"Well then, welcome to the Underground!" Flowey said brightly, his smile widening. "I bet you're hungry, huh? You look like you haven't eaten in days."
Vance's stomach growled loudly, making his face heat up. "I... yeah," he said quietly.
Flowey chuckled. "Tell you what, kid. If you keep heading down that way" he pointed a leaf toward another hallway"you'll find someone who can help you out. A real nice monster, I promise."
Vance hesitated, his eyes flicking toward the hallway. The idea of meeting a monster made his heart pound, but the thought of food was too tempting to ignore.
"Okay," he said softly.
Flowey's smile grew even brighter. "Good luck, kiddo! And don't worry I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Vance gave a small nod, then turned toward the hallway. As he walked, his mind raced with questions. Why was Flowey so nice? What had happened to this world? And most importantly, what was he supposed to do now?
He didn't notice the faint flicker of light behind him, where Flowey's smile had twisted into something sharper, something colder.
--------------------------------------------------------
Flowey's Point of View
As Vance's footsteps faded into the distance, Flowey's cheerful grin melted into something sharper, his round face twisting into a sly smirk. His petal-covered head drooped slightly, casting a shadow over his expression. The moment of forced sweetness had passed, and now the reality of the situation was sinking in.
"Well, well," he murmured, his voice low and dripping with sarcasm. "Another one. Just when I thought this place couldn't get more boring."
Flowey turned his gaze toward the hallway Vance had disappeared into, his eyes narrowing as his thoughts churned. This new kid was different Flowey had felt it the moment the boy approached. Something about him was... unusual. The way his soul flickered, shifting between warm gold and a strange silver hue, was unlike anything Flowey had seen in all the years he'd spent stuck in this wretched Underground.
"The seventh one," he muttered to himself, his tone bitter. "Seven little brats falling down here, one after another. Like moths to a flame."
He remembered the others. Every single one of them had been a disappointment in the end. Some were too stubborn, others too scared, and a few too clever for their own good. And then there was the last one the so-called "Integrity" soul. Flowey snorted at the memory.
"That kid," he spat, his voice laced with frustration. "So stupidly determined to 'do the right thing.' Never listened, never played along. I tried everything tricks, lies, even just watching for once and nothing worked. No matter how many times I reset, no matter what I did, they never made it past Hotland."
Flowey recalled the frustration of trying to manipulate that child, their unwavering morals and steadfastness making them resistant to his usual tactics. No matter how many times he reset, the child barely made it past Snowdin, often meeting their end at the hands of the robot or the scientist.
"Stupid morals," Flowey muttered, a hint of bitterness in his tone. The Integrity soul's determination had been a thorn in his side, their actions leading to unforeseen consequences in the Underground. The incident in Snowdin, where they attacked a monster playing with a child, had caused a significant stir among the monsters. Flowey had watched as the Royal Guard's prototype, Axis, was dispatched to deal with the human, resulting in their untimely demise.
"Always dying to that robot," Flowey muttered, his petals curling inward slightly. "Or sometimes the scientist, depending on how far they got. Ugh, what a waste of time."
He remembered trying different approaches. Acting like a savior, pretending to be their friend, or even just cutting straight to the chase and killing them outright. Nothing filled the emptiness inside him, no matter what he did. He even reset to try living like his old self again, back when he had parents who cared for him, but even that felt hollow.
"It's always the same," Flowey murmured, his voice almost a whisper. "No matter how much I play with them, twist the rules, or reset everything... I still feel nothing."
But this new kid was different. Flowey could feel it. That flickering, shifting soul wasn't normal. It wasn't like the others. There was something unstable about it, something... intriguing.
"That kid…" Flowey murmured to himself, his voice low and thoughtful. He shifted slightly in his position, blending into the darkness more fully. "He's different. I can feel it."
There was a distinct pulse to the kid's soul, a complex mixture of gold and silver. Flowey could feel the gold the warmth, the compassion it radiated. It was strong, undeniable, and it made the flower's twisted heart stir with a feeling he hadn't experienced in so long. It felt… odd. A faint, unfamiliar warmth seemed to creep into his being, like a shadow of a feeling he had once known but lost long ago.
But it wasn't just the gold. No, there was something else. Something cold. The silver.
The silver soul, the one that Vance carried within him, emanated a subtle, icy emptiness a detached, apathetic feeling that was eerily similar to Flowey's own state. It reminded him of his past of the time when he had been nothing but a flower with no hope, no attachment, only a hunger for power. It was familiar, too familiar.
"Silver…" Flowey muttered, tilting his head in thought. "Apathy. I know that feeling well. It's the kind of emptiness that..."
He paused, almost as if disturbed by the memory of his own existence, or perhaps the bitter memories of what he had become. A soul so cold, devoid of compassion, devoid of everything. But Vance's silver soul wasn't the same. No, it wasn't cold in the way Flowey's own soul had once been. There was something different something that hinted at a potential for change. Something new.
Flowey's mind spun, trying to make sense of it. That silver soul, while it carried the mark of apathy, also seemed to contain something else a flicker of emotion that wasn't supposed to be there. And then, the gold. Compassion. A warmth that was undeniably real. Vance's soul was a strange blend, unlike any human soul Flowey had encountered before.
He shuddered, not in fear, but in something else a twinge of confusion. For a brief moment, it felt like something was stirring within him, a long-dormant part of his own existence that he had long since buried. A part that made him want to feel, to understand, to... care? No. He couldn't let it go that far. The last thing he needed was to let emotions cloud his judgment.
But that compassion... it was something he hadn't felt in so long. It was... it was new to him.
"I'm not going to let this mess up my plans," Flowey growled under his breath, forcing himself to focus. He didn't have time to get caught up in feelings. Vance was just another player in his game, another pawn that he could manipulate for his own gain. The kindness he saw in the boy was a weakness, and Flowey had no intention of letting it interfere with his goals.
He blinked, pushing aside the stray thoughts that clouded his mind.
"You think you're special, don't you, kid?" he mused, his voice dripping with a quiet malice. "You've got that gold soul, full of warmth and kindness. But what happens when it's tested? What happens when you're faced with the truth of this world? A world where kindness gets you nowhere."
He smirked, watching as Vance continued down the hallway, still blissfully unaware of the flower's watchful eye.
"I'll be waiting, Vance," Flowey whispered to himself, a dark grin spreading across his face. "I'll be watching how long that compassion of yours lasts. I'll test it. I'll push you to the limits of what you believe. And when you break, I'll be right there to pick up the pieces."
He let out a soft, mocking chuckle.
"But who knows? Maybe... just maybe... you'll surprise me."
As the last of Vance's footsteps faded into the distance, Flowey's expression turned colder. He would follow, but not too closely not yet. Let the boy wander. Let him discover the Underground. Let him experience this world and all it had to offer. Flowey was patient. He would let Vance get comfortable, lulled into a false sense of security.
But in the end, no one was safe in the Underground not even someone as unique as Vance.
And that silver soul? Flowey would figure it out, eventually. He would learn how to use it, how to manipulate it just like he had with every other human soul that had ever fallen. But for now, he would wait. Just a little longer.
"I'll see you soon, kid," Flowey muttered, his smile twisting into something darker. "We've got a lot of fun ahead of us."
But before he could dwell on it too much, something else caught his attention. It was a sensation a slight, almost imperceptible shift in the air. Flowey's eyes narrowed, his petals stiffening.
A shiver ran down his stem.
"Wha…?" Flowey's expression darkened. "What was that?"
A faint presence lingered in the air, barely noticeable at first. It felt like someone was close by someone familiar. Flowey's mind raced as he tried to place it, but the feeling was so weak, so far off. It was unlike any soul he'd encountered. But there was something deeply unsettling about it, something familiar in the way it flickered, like a half-formed memory.
He immediately ruled out Toriel her presence always felt strong and distinct, and this felt nothing like her. The soft, lingering presence was too distant.
Flowey's thoughts twisted, trying to grasp what was happening. Could it be...?
His petals quivered, and for a moment, he thought he sensed the faintest trace of recognition.
"No," Flowey muttered, shaking the thought away. "It's just my imagination. Probably just the wind... or maybe one of those little creatures scurrying around."
But deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling. It wasn't Toriel. It wasn't anyone familiar. It was... something else.
In the deepest part of his mind, he knew what it was. A broken spirit, still lingering, trying to reach out.
Chara.
The feeling was weak, so weak it was barely noticeable lingering presence, barely conscious. The remnants of Chara's spirit, are still tethered to the Underground despite her soul being gone. The flickering energy wasn't as strong as it once was, just a faint echo of her original self.
But to Flowey, the sensation was all too familiar. He had known Chara truly known her— n ways no one else had. She had been his sister. They had shared so many secrets, memories, and laughter. They had fought together, dreamed together, and even suffered together. She was never afraid of him. It had always been the opposite. Chara had never been scared of him, not even when he had transformed. There had been a bond there, something Flowey had never quite been able to explain.
Even when they had fallen into darkness together, there was an understanding between them. She was the only one who had ever treated him as an equal. She was the only one who saw him for who he truly was no masks, no pretense. He had loved her like a sister, fiercely and unconditionally. And even now, after everything that had happened, he still cherished those memories.
He didn't fear Chara not like the others did. No, he had never feared her. Even when things had gotten complicated, even when she had been lost to her own anger, there had always been a part of him that wished he could have saved her. That he could have fixed things. But deep down, he knew it was too late for that.
And now, there was just a lingering trace of her presence, weak and broken, fluttering like the final breath of a long-dead memory.
Flowey's smile wavered for a split second before returning to its usual predatory smirk.
"Chara…" he whispered under his breath. The name felt foreign on his tongue now. A shadow of a time long past. "You always knew how to make things interesting."
He could almost hear her voice, faint and distant, like a whisper caught on the wind. Chara had always been a force of nature, unstoppable, unafraid. But now, she was just a memory, a flicker in the dark.
Flowey's grin twisted as he shook off the lingering sadness. He had no time for sentimentality not when there were new things to play with. New souls to harvest.
"Well, whatever that was," Flowey muttered with a laugh, "it's not going to stop me. Not this time."
He took one last look at the hallway where Vance had gone, his expression turning cold. Whatever had just brushed against him, whatever had reminded him of Chara, was nothing more than a distraction. It wouldn't stop him from doing what he wanted.
A new player had entered the game. And Flowey had plans for him.
He wasn't going to let this kid slip away like the others. No, Vance would be just another piece in Flowey's twisted game.
But for a moment, just a moment, the memory of Chara—his sister—lingered in his mind.
"I wonder…" he whispered, his voice soft and filled with a strange sadness, "if you'd have liked him, too…"
With that, Flowey's grin returned, darker and more devious than before.
"Well, I guess we'll find out."