When you woke up this morning, you knew it wasn't right. Your soul was a small pinpoint of light now. And even Chara, who was usually the optimistic one out of you two, seemed to treat you more... gently. Like you would a frail child or even a baby. And that worried you more than anything else. after all, Chara very rarely let out what they were thinking. Hell, you didn't even know what AU they came from.

"Chara... what's going to happen to me?" you asked one day, staring out your small 'window' down at Error, who was talking to Ink. It had been years since you last talked to him. How many? You weren't quite sure. Time was fuzzy in the void. Distorted. Than again, so was everything else.

Chara shuddered lightly. Their mask of giddy happiness and sociopathic tendencies was gone now. Over time, they had warmed up to you, and they had dropped the facade.

"I honestly don't know. Error attempted something so risky, so experimental, that neither of us was sure what would happen. Even Gaster, who usually knows everything, didn't give us any vague hints. All I know is that your soul could maybe, possibly, disappear." They said in a soft voice. You went ridged. Disappear? Did that mean you would...

Die?

For who-knows-how-long, you had been in a loop between life and death. And you had told yourself that you were willing to die for Error, come be it. But know that death was around the corner, brushing against your fingertips, you felt your throat close up. Like when you had jumped down the mountain, on that very first day, all your instincts told you that you wanted to live.

But what could you do now? It was over. Unless...

"Chara."

The long pause between their words and your own made them jump. they turned to look at you. "Yes...?" they answered hesitantly. Your eyes were sparked with fire, and as their's met your own they noticed it.

"You said it was super experimental, what we did, right? Well, what if there was a way for us to... leave the void? Go back to Error, and Ink, and Blueberry! Be alive again!" The excitement and hope in your heart made your minuscule soul shine brighter. And though their expression remained dim, you could see Chara's eyes start to catch alight.

"I dunno, Y/N. It's risky. That's why we never tried to before, remember? Plus your soul is attached to mine now, so if you didn't make it..." The fire started to die in their eyes, but you held Chara fast by the shoulders and made them look up at you again, As the dim light faded.

"Chara, look at me! Look at yourself! If we don't this, we die. If we do this, there's a chance we could go back! Back to before! Don't you want that? What do we have to lose!"

And with those seven sentences, Chara finally received the full blaze of your hope. The rosy color that had long since been gone from their cheeks returned, and they smiled a wide, classic smile at you.

"Alright. Let's try to go home."