The bones stood quivering in the ground surrounding them. Not a single one had touched the human. Quietly they faded away as Sans and the Human stood.

Slowly, Chara raised her head. Tears had traced paths through the dust on her cheeks. She stared down at herself, taking in the fact that she wasn’t dead. Then she looked at Sans and asked a single question;

“Why? Why did you spare me.”

Sans thought for a moment before answering. Why did he spare her? Before he even completed the thought he knew why.

“We’ve done this too many times. Killed each other too much. And no matter what, it all just happens all over again the next time you reset. I’ve seen you killed by me enough times. I had to break the loop. “

Chara stared at him. Something Alphys had once told him came into San’s head.

Alphys stood at a desk, sorting through the mountain of paperwork that came with her new job as royal scientist.

“Alphys?” sans asked, not wanting to startle her. She whirled around, looking ready to fight. When she saw it was sans, she relaxed.

“S-Sans! You scared me!”

Sans chuckled.

“You startle to easily Alphys. What did you want to talk to me about? You said it was important.’

Alphys took a breath. The chance to talk about her work always seemed to calm her down. It was one of the only things besides Undyne that could.

“I found one of Dr.Gaster’s papers. I thought you would want to know what It said.”

Sans chuckled.

“That old man still finding ways to tell us stuff, even now he’s gone, huh?”

Alphys either didn’t hear him or chose not to reply.

“The paper was on the theoretical qualities of a soul. He said that…”

“Woah woah woah! Your saying that Gaster, the same person who disappeared shortly after the first soul was taken, somehow managed to get enough data to form theories.”

Alphys glared at him.

“Hey, i’m just as confused at this as you are. But the paper theorized that if another human mind tried to control another's soul, it could drive them insane. He said that during the war, a human managed to get ahold of a soul after the owner was slain. After absorbing it, they went crazy, striking at both monsters and humans.

“There is no sign that would happen with monsters, but it shows the dangers of a human soul on the wrong hands. The other part of the theory is that if a soul could be replicated, then this effect might be neutralized. Though i have no clue why Dr. Gaster felt that would ever happen. Only monsters could have that kind of magic, and we aren't exactly trying to make the humans stronger.”

Sans looked at her, as much of an expression of shock as he could have on his face.

“Are you ok Sans?” Alphys asked, concerned.

“I-I’m fine. Good work Alphys. I gotta go think about this.”

“Wait Sans-” Alphys started, but he was already gone.

Looking at the human in front of him, he wondered if it was true. Did the act of entering this humans body, with their soul, drive them mad? He sighed to himself. As much as he didn’t want to startle the human any more, he had one thing he had to do.

“That’s not the only reason, is it?”

Sans jerked his head toward the human. They were standing a few feet away, a calm expression on their face,

“Kid, you know me too well. Yeah, there is one other thing.”

Sans leaned forward, eye blazing.

“Where is my brother?