For those who wanted to save the one monster in Undertale who needed it the most, and wished the game gave them the option to do so, this webcomic will fill one's heart with DETERMINATION.
The Choice:
- How it all began.
Combined with Tear Jerker, because it involves Frisk making a Heroic Sacrifice for Asriel's sake. - Asriel trying to talk Frisk out of giving up his soul, even though it would mean leaving himself in an absolutely miserable predicament.
- But Frisk — probably mirroring lots of True Pacifist players — won't be having any of it, and gives Asriel a big hug before going through with it.
- The last shot of the strip? A heart with a red outline and a white core, implying that Frisk's personality isn't being erased — rather, he and Asriel are becoming a merged being, just as the latter once did with Chara.
The Return:
- After waking up and seeing what he thinks is Frisk's lifeless body, Asriel has a mild Freak Out and produces his new soul, begging Frisk to say something. Cue Frisk waking up, with the happiest grin ever. Except it's not Frisk, but Chara.
- After The Reveal, Asriel and Frisk (actually Chara) share a joyous hug. It's easy to tell that Asriel's overjoyed to see his first friend and adopted brother again. The problem is, Chara's got more in common with a Genocide player than a Pacifist one.
- While the ensuing boss fight starts out sinister, several key moments stop it from becoming full Nightmare Fuel:
- Asriel calling out to someone, anyone, for help. It's Frisk, implied to still exist in Asriel's newfound soul, that answers.
- A flashback to when Chara was first being walked home by Asgore and Asriel. Both of them reassure Chara that he doesn't have to worry about them being monsters, or him being a human.
- One of the Fallen Child's deadliest attacks promptly being interrupted by another flashback — Chara and Asriel happily working on their homework together while a content Toriel watches.
- The whole motivation for Chara's attack? They wants to be together with Asriel again, and genuinely worries that the Frisk who gave their soul to Asriel will prove no different than the ones he killed every Genocide Run. In addition, the reason they even wanted to try wiping out their home village in the past is because they firmly believed that Humans Are Bastards, and wanted to repay the monsters for their kindness by making sure that they'd be safe.
- The climax of the fight. Like Frisk before him, Asriel refuses to fight back, even though he's probably got the power to do so. Instead, he gives the Fallen Child a gentle smile, promises that they're still friends, and gives Chara a hug. Pity that Chara struggles free to unleash one final barrage of attacks… that is, until they try to deal the final blow, but ultimately drops the knife and breaks down in tears, unable to kill Asriel even if it means their own death.
- There's even a moment where Chara says that despite giving everything they could, they couldn't push themselves to kill Asriel/Frisk by just seeing their expression. That's how much Chara loves Asriel.
- At the very end, there's a heartwarming Call-Back to one of the biggest choices in Undertale's True Pacifist ending.
Chara: Ha… I don't want to let go… - The last strip has Asriel and Frisk talking at the grave of the Fallen Child. After concluding that Chara, and the souls of those Frisks who were lost to Genocide runs, are still trapped, Asriel vows to find a way to save them too, someday.
- The ending flashback: After showing her the "stars" of the Underground, Chara laments to Asriel that they wish they weren't human, feeling that Toriel and Asgore wouldn't "look" at them in a different way. Asriel however gently but firmly tells them that they are good just the way they are, monster or not. The flashback ends with Asriel giving Chara the "Best Friends Forever" locket.
Chara: I'll treasure it always.
The Mistake:
- Sans coming to greet Asriel when the latter is walking towards the royal palace to meet his parents. It becomes a Tear Jerker when Sans assumes that Asriel is still a sociopath, and took Frisk's soul by force.
- Even then, the whole reason that Sans engages Asriel in a fight is because he wants to be sure that Frisk gave up his soul willingly — and even then, Sans isn't looking forward to it any more than Asriel or Frisk.
- During the Battle in the Center of the Mind against Flowey, Asriel asks Frisk why they gave him their soul. Cue the heartwarming speech that was quoted on the main page of this article.Frisk: And after all we've been through. After all we've done together. I won't let go. I refuse to.
- Cue Flowey having a Villainous Breakdown, ranting about how he/Asriel can never redeem themselves after all the timelines where they made everyone else suffer. But even as he shifts from his base form to Photoshop Flowey, and from there to Asriel's boss form, Flowey starts to cry with self-loathing...and then Asriel gently reassures him that they can let go of their pain and finally go home. The last shot of that strip is Flowey fading away peacefully.Flowey: NO. This is not who we really are, Asriel. You think that's all it takes, huh? Just some tears and a hug?! When we've shattered countless lives, and toyed with the ones we once loved?! These feelings are mere echoes in our hollowed corpse! They mean nothing! Their lives mean nothing! We don't need that...that worthless pity! We...we don't...WE DON'T DESERVE THAT HAPPINESS! DON'T YOU GET THAT, YOU ID-Asriel: (Gently pats the muzzle of his One-Winged Angel form) Shh...it's okay. We don't need to fight anymore.Flowey reverts back to normal, and fades away with quiet tears of remorse.Asriel: We can go home.
- The climax of the fight with Sans. After Asriel and Frisk reveal Sans' secret password, the latter is convinced of the truth, and lets up. As the dust settles, he admits that he's proud of Frisk and Asriel for taking this path, and their resolve to move forward.
