SWNOVELXO Chapter 1: Chapter 1
The light that twirled down from the artificial sky above radiated with the magic that was contained in the underground. Spells and incantations of frost weaved around stalactites of the Underground turning them to frost. The wind whispered traveling above to down below. A cold wind rushed through all of Snowdin. The human child had found a book on evocation.
It was a spellbook that once belonged to the ghost of a mage. The spellbook having belonged to one of the seven mages who helped erect the barrier. It was there the spellbook sat forgotten, for eons undiscovered. The book protruded upwards from a bank of snow. The book had been sealed underground, with the monsters. The spell book was a thick, hardcover book, with endless pages. Strange insignias were drawn on the deep vermilion cover. The pages were imbued with magic that lingered and pulsated whenever the child held the book. A compendium of spells, twinkled in the snow that dusted the pages. Chara swept their hand over the pages, brushing away the snow.
The spells themselves were not of evil origin, the spell book belonging to magic user from the dark age of the war between monsters and humans. The spell did not resurrect the dead from their graves; rather it caused their ghost to enter the physical world where they would follow whoever summoned them. Or they would simply choose to go or do wherever they pleased. It was a spell to revive dead ancestors from the grave. The human grew curious. They'd remembered how Sans and Papyrus recalled that they were the only Skeletons in the Underground. The human grew curious of who their family once were, if they had any family that was.
If all went to hell, Chara would surely reset. The human wasn't exactly sure what the spell did. They rested their palm on one of the pages. The insignia began to glow, swirling with a brilliant light. The book began levitating before them. A text surged, blinking into existence before Chara. Two options appeared 'Who would you like to resurrect? Who's ancestor do you wish to summon.' Frisk grinned excitedly. Chara choose the second option. Frisk's smile sunk, they voiced their complaints vivid with anger.
More text appeared, names belonging to the fallen, and living appeared swirling in a ethereal cloud of dark mist. Chara chose the names Sans and Papyrus. More text began to materialize with visions of mist. One name stood out in particular 'W.D Gaster.' Yet Chara did not choose that one. More name floated beside the name, yet the names themselves were codes of binary, jumbled with letters. These names belonged to the souls of the forgotten. letters and numbers changed every second, glitching and materializing in and out of existence in an erratum of code.
Each name carried with it the essence of each monster who once lived. Each name radiated with, the aura of the fallen, some radiated with warmth and compassion, others felt cold and analytical. Chara felt overwhelmed, yet they found themselves unable to turn back. Chara went to touch one of the names, yet they were identical. In their confusion they clicked the option of a skeleton unknown.
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Meanwhile...
The stars brought light to the skyline of the dead. The stars were the embers of life, the vestiges of souls. The stars were the remnants of the souls of those who managed to die the final death in the afterlife. They were stars of his ancestors, twinkling silently amongst themselves speaking in a language the skeleton did not understand. The light of the stars cast visions of color that entwined with fragments of dusk. Curtains of twilight befell the sky. It was here in Spirit Town that all souls were bound here either of volition, or by unfinished business. Others merely feared the judgement that awaited. Others simply died before fate was willing to take them.
The seas of green shone before him. Ribbons of light bounced across the surface of the water. The waves; opalescent, gently lapped at the shore, before receding into the vortex of the abyss. Jagged rocks protruded out the far side of the beach, creating a large platform that decorated the beach. Blankets of white sand were besmirched with traces of pink granite, and pebbles that twinkled in the light.
Traces of salt water and magic lingered in the air. The ocean was vacant save for Mage. The beach had long been abandoned. Swirls of black mist rushed past the sky, tugging at the water in alliance with the wind. Shells of conch, mixed with seashells lined the ground. The sand felt cold against the bones of his bare feet. The air was tranquil, he was calm. Watching the spirits of gulls drift through the wind.
The waves lazily raced against the columns of seafoam that licked the shore. He stood where land met ocean, mounds of sand building around his feet as he stood, void of motion. His name, forever lost with time. (Although most of his friends called him 'Bones') He'd been dead for centuries, with his bones as opaque as the sky. The sky during his time on Earth bore witness to his death; it was the only one who knew of his fate. The monster's true name was lost with his sense of identity, he called himself Mage now.
His ghostly body was weaved from the same twilight that dreams and the stars of the afterlife were made of. He remembered how he used to dream when he was alive, how different his dreams were now. His dreams were now the very culmination of his being. Without dreams he would one day fade. Although he had no need for sleep, he needed either to dream, or consume the dreams of others to maintain his life force and body.
His own hopes and dreams were what kept his soul healthy just as they had when he was alive. If Mage were to consume a nightmare he'd become corrupt with the madness, negativity, and emotion that was wrought from such dreams. He needed to eat dreams to feel emotion, or absorb the essence of dreams, all spirits did. Ghost monsters were the exception, however he was a phantom. A ghost of the dead. This was what fate befell all monsters, and apparitions who had died and lived in Spirit Town.
It wasn't long before he would fade, becoming one with the abyss, absorbed by the seafoam he so adored, he would become a star amongst stars. Lost in his reverie Mage felt no fear. He was serene, his eye sockets closed. He held his hands against his ribcage. The frills of his sleeves and shirt billowing with the call of the wind. After his death he didn't feel much. He had no soul, he became fused with his conscience after his death and thought no thoughts.
He listened to the ocean; few ocean bound gulls bounced across the waves of the ocean like buoys lost at sea drifting amongst the vast endless maze of blues and green. Rocks guarded the far side of the beach, next to an abandoned maritime dock, the boards eroded with time. Sands speckled with traces of pink granite dotted the sands of the beach. Trails of conch and seashells were scattered across the seafloor, hidden within troves of sand. The sand felt cold against his bare feet. Granules of sand clung to the bones of his legs stuck with water. The sea whirred, churning around Mage's ankles.
He'd been dead for centuries, with only the sirens of ocean and his brother for company. The air was silent except for the whisper of the sea. The smell of sea water grew stronger as it swept through the air. In Mage's hand he carried a lantern that swung cowering against the slow encroaching maelstrom of wind, that breezed forth. The lantern burned dimly, with a white wisp of flame.
Mage left his shoes and socks by the shore hidden by clumps of seaweed. Minnows swam around his feet as he walked, deeper, deeper into the maw of the ocean. He wore no swimwear, clothed with the clothes he'd died in. He walked deeper into the ocean, who's depths swam closer, dark darker, yet darker the water stared forth. Mage wandered closer to the horizon, water ensconced itself around his waist as the bones of his toes curled over the drop off. He was a trespasser to these waters, yet the ocean was no stranger to him. The waves fought against Mage tugging him back to the shore. He stepped off the drop off, his lantern in hand.
He was absorbed by the ocean, sinking below to the depths like a lead balloon. Opalescent dream-like colors faded to a deep black speckled with blue. As a black mist sailed above the water. Mage sank to the depths of the ocean, no longer was he bound by gravity. He began walking through the dark of the ocean as if he were still land bound. The ocean was deceiving, two faced, beautiful on the surface. It's beauty blinding you from the horrors and secrets it held within. However the deeper you go, the more frightening and dark it becomes.
Mage however thought the ocean as intriguing, no matter what lurked in the depths. His lantern illuminated the dark, the flame still burned cutting through the darkness like a serrated blade. He'd reached the twilight zone. All the spirits of the ocean who had died on Earth now roamed the ocean graveyard. The souls of the forgotten wandered through the fish graveyard. Apparitions of marine spirits slunk past carrying with them the gloom of death.
Bioluminescent algae, and plankton were festooned around him, emanating with the radiance of light fairy lights. Thin tendrils of light floated down from above. Beds of coral, anemones, and sea moss lay splayed across the ocean floor. All assortments of sea vegetation decorated the sea floor. Sea stars in all shapes and assortments lounged lazily across the sea floor. Crustaceans, and mollusks waddled busily paying Mage no regard. Sea cucumbers, sea bunnies, Squidward- I mean a squid, all marine life was gathered together here in the Bikini bottom- Sorry I meant the ocean, all lived here together in their eternal grave.
A crab waddled past Mage using a discarded bottle cap as a hat. The monster vaguely hoped there wasn't any sea lice nearby or any more pollutants in the water. It was hard enough to explain to his brother how he got sea lice in the first place, and it was even harder for him to convince the sea lice to leave him alone. Then he had to explain to his brother who exactly it was he was talking to. (His brother had him quarantine in the bath tub for nearly two days. And assumed he was talking to a friend on the phone.) Mage hoped he wouldn't have to venture down to the midnight zone to find what he was searching for.
He noticed the absence of the mermonsters and mermaids that usually greeted him. He would have to visit them later. Although that wasn't what he was here for. Mage vaguely remembered his visit to the midnight zone, how he befriended a giant Squid, and accidentally discorporated in the Hadal zone more than a few thousand feet below the surface. His body regenerated eventually. Mage however recalled how angry his brother was. He would have shuddered if he were still alive.
Mage eye lights scrutinized the rows of marine life. He hoped he wouldn't have to venture down to the midnight zone to find what he was searching for. He reminded himself and made sure to never go where the angler fish roam, as he wasn't in the mood for dealing with a particular angler fishes attitude today ahem Deborah. Mage wasn't scared of anything, yet the one thing he feared was Deborah's attitude. The nerve of that anglerfish. If Mage could still feel anger, the thought of Deborah the anglerfish made him vexed.
Alien-like creatures swam past him. Mage's eye sockets scanned the ocean depths. A few shrimp struggled past him swimming on their backs, nope not it. A lonely sea urchin waved its spines at him, not it either. A mantis shrimp tore past the skeleton surfing on a current of water, nada. The skeleton made sure to steer clear of the mantis shrimp.
"Hey Mr. Sea urchin." The skeleton merely raises his arm and lifted two fingers in greeting. The sea urchin began to speak, yet it was gobbled up by a fish. The monster seemingly didn't notice. There was another drop off close beyond. This wasn't the deepest Mage had ever ventured. Although he hadn't planned on venturing further.
He watched as a tribe of Clown fish reunited with their loved ones who had recently died, heartwarming but that's not what he was here for! Plumes of blue swam past him. It was a small school of fish. The skeleton vaguely wondered what schools of fish learned when they were in a school. The spirit great white shark swam by. Bingo.
The Shark swam with it's powerful jaws agape, the tail of a fish scraped against the shark's tooth. As the shark trailed behind the school of fish. The skeleton scooped the shark up in his arms, the shark struggled against his grip, it's tail lashing at his bones. The skeleton merely walked away with the shark in his arms. This was normal for him. Another great white shark sat perched over a rock, its tail curled inwards, the wise old shark sat on its tail as if it were human.
A cup of tea was held between the shark's flippers. This shark was called Grandpa Shark by all the youth of the ocean. The shark's eyes were closed with a calm yet wistful look. It was hard for anyone to tell that he was an actual monster since he looked exactly like any regular shark. (That and he couldn't leave the ocean due to not having legs.) "My dear boy. What are you up to today? What are your intentions- Where dear boy may I ask, do you intend to bring my kin?" Grandpa shark questioned.
"My apologizes Grandpa Shark! We'll talk later!" The skeleton exclaimed, rushing past the shark, with another larger shark weighed in his arms. Grandpa shark merely shook his head with disappointment, watching Mage with his unseeing eyes.(Well with as much disappointment as a shark could.) When the skeleton finally made it to the surface, he rushed to the college he attended in accordance, with the shark flopping in his arms as he ran. He hoped he wasn't truant. He was lucky enough that fish in the afterlife didn't need water to breathe.
The shark laid limply in his arms accepting defeat, the shark felt motion sickness at the sheer velocity of which the skeleton ran with. The background flashed by with blurs of color, each image coalesced together, in an avalanche of color. The shark felt dizzy stars swirling in its eyes. By the time they reached the classroom, the shark felt disoriented. Mage slammed the door to his class open with his foot.
He shifted the shark in his arms carrying it bridal style. The entire class of monsters spun their heads to look at him, blinking, only one human was mixed in with the crowd. The class fixated their attention back to the large powerpoint presentation projected on the wall. When It was Mage's turn to present. The skeleton merely dropped the shark to the ground, watching as it rolled in front of another student's desk.
Mage to the teacher's computer to pull up his presentation. The class maintained the illusion normalcy, everyone seemed unphased at the absurdity of the situation. The shark writhed on the floor, quite literally a fish out of water. The shark slammed its tail against the floor, its jaws flared, and snapped violently it's gills flared with rage. The skeleton calmly walked behind the writhing shark and scooped it up in his arms. He began reading his presentation. The shark was comically larger than his entire body, shrouding his face from view. He got an A+.
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His brother Grimoire received a phone call from his teacher about how Mage had presumably brought a shark to school. A pet shark assumedly. His brother Mage, neither denied nor confirmed this allegation. Grimoire believed his brother nary of such a thing, and found the notion amusing. He merely nodded and humored the teacher, over the phone. With a kind smile stretched across the bones of his face. Grimoire assured his brother's college professor that he would make sure to lecture his brother on forgetting to teach his 'pet shark' manners. Or to sit, shake, roll over, or whatever etiquette it was pet sea sharks should have when in public.
Grimoire thought of his brother as responsible, and regarded him as such. However whenever he wasn't looking Mage always did the most reckless and irresponsible things. Grimoire watched, with an amused glint swarming in his eye sockets as his brother raced outside to play. Grimoire continued to humor his brother's college professor over the phone. Grimoire was proud of his brother for making it into college, although his brother died much younger than he. His intellect made up for it.
Grimoire merely smiled with mirth. Before his brother left he scraped a barnacle off his brother's skull. The barnacle flipped and spun between Grimoire finger bones, Grimoire flicked the barnacle launching it with his thumb to a far off waste bin as one would flip a coin. Mage raced outside. A large deluge of water rushed inside the small house he and his brother shared. The water and unwanted visitor, flooded the house drenching what little furniture Mage and his brother owned.
The furniture floated like inner tubes, bobbing in the torrents of water. Grimoire's arm chair sailed above the rising water. Grimoire shouted in protest. Mage closed the door stopping any further flood. He hadn't noticed the water that slunk inside. There had been a large flood in Spirit Town overnight, Mage waded through the flood his that pooled around his knees, his knees sloshed across the sludge.
A dog collar was fastened around the shark from yesterday's neck, Mage was sure to twist the collar below the gills. Somehow Mage managed to hide a live shark in the bathtub, and under his bed from his brother. Mage had the shark swap places every few minutes racing between rooms. Mage had almost completely forgotten the shark in the bathtub before his walk. Mage held the leash firmly as the shark, whom he'd now named Sharkaphale swam obediently down the flooded sidewalk. Mage walked the shark as one would a dog down the deluge of water.
He'd nearly domesticated the shark already. The shark sniffed at the side walk as a dog would, before raising it's head, and opening its jaws as if to bark. Mage was surprised Sharkaphale wasn't a dogfish instead of a shark. The road ahead was quite flooded with the water swirling high above his knees. It was best Sharkaphale get exercise before Mage returned him to the ocean, where he belonged.
Although deep inside he'd grown rather fond of the shark. A part of him didn't want his departure to be so sudden. A ginger haired boy strode beside Mage. A string of twine was wrapped around his knuckles, the string looping between fingers. They attended the same college together. A pet fly, and moth was attached to the end of the Ginger headed boys string. Mage merely looked at him.
"So is this a good place to walk my pet goldfish? He's been needing some exercise lately." Mage merely stared dumbfounded. Unsure of what to say when faced with one as eccentric as he. The sunset was a curtain, a veil of light that caused a rift between reality and the supernatural. This rift caused a portal to pool at his feet and he was sucked into the vortex of the flood. The only things left behind from Mage was a photograph, and a packet of Circletine. The photo and packet floated to the surface of the flood, the bent corner of the photo disintegrating in the water. The human scooped the photo delicately in his hand. He raised the photo above the flood. A single tear slipped down the shark's eye.
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A dark light shrouded around the book. The book pages began rapidly turning without the child's volition. Spires of magic shot erupting out the book as it twitched violently writhing in the air. A veil of light emanated out the book that that caused a rift between reality and the supernatural.
And…! Nothing happened. At least it seemed that way... The ghost of Frisk's eyes slid over to meet Frisk's eyes. They opened their mouth to speak yet nothing came.
A portal emerged. From the cavern above. A skeleton fell to the snow. A large indent was made in the snow where he fell. Chara was shocked. Mage blinked.
His translucent body flickered, his body rippled with magic. The book flickered back.