BCC Mythology Contest

No, I don't have a proper title. But I do have a contest entry for this.

Basically I have to find a character that matches a deity from mythology--I was given Hecate. And I decided to write a little story of sorts featuring our favourite goat mom in the turning point of the original Undertale game. Hope you guys enjoy.

(Most of the inspiration came from the original song by Adrisaurus on YouTube, written to the "Home" track on the OST.)

Total word count: 1131 words

#BCCMythCon

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She told them she would destroy the one-way exit from the ruins.

But Toriel was no fool.

It had been many years since she departed from her ex-husband, the king who now ruled the Underground with a selfish motive and a cowardly demeanour. The deaths of their son and the adopted first human had taken a toll on the entire kingdom, but more so on them who had raised them both with hopes for their future together. Like the dust that settled over the tiles of the throne room, fear scattered through the souls of every monster trapped below--desperate to see the surface once more after the war, yet afraid of the humans who would attack them and kill them. It was easy to erase the memories, obliterate her past as the Queen, but she would never forget the reason she remained here in the Ruins.

She would never forget his declaration of war against humanity, the disgust she felt when he uttered those words through an open window overlooking the rest of the kingdom. Not once had she looked back.

The broken crown was never hers to keep.

“Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come, they leave, they die. If you leave the ruins, they...ASGORE...will kill you.”

Was this not a place of protection? The pillars of the ruins raised high into the sky, the stone walls impenetrable by even the sheerest of forces...she had stayed here for long, and even she felt safe from the dangers imposed by the king. She had seen many other monsters as wel who dwelled here like it was their home instead of their prison. The barrier may have stopped them from going above ground, but they still stayed here--and they kept her good company, too.

“Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning.”

She finally reached the door bearing the Delta Rune--a symbol she wore on her dress, a symbol that depicted a harsh reality, accompanied by a largely ridiculed prophecy. What angel from above would come to save them? Could this child really be up to fulfilling it? Either way, beyond this door, she was well aware of the dangers that could kill them. It had become the same, over and over--a cycle for every child that descended here with no end in sight.

She could hear the human child behind her, trotting up to her with an innocent unknowing expression on their face. No other child had dared to press her to the point of battling her, solely because she would never have thought of the consequences that eventually befell upon them. Seven, he once said. Seven human souls, and he would break the barrier cast by seven skilled sorcerers over the mountain where they dwelled and wage war against the humans. Six humans had already fallen victim to this wicked scheme--but she would not back down on her values and beliefs, though flawed as they were.

“You really want to leave so badly? Hmph--you’re just like the others.”

She turned back to face the child, the once warm glint in her eyes now gone with a hardened glare.

“There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself. Prove to me you’re strong enough to survive.”

Toriel could see the child trying to come up with something to tell her, but she held no patience anymore. She summoned her fire, the flames dancing brightly in her palms, and launched the inferno towards them mercilessly. She could see the child’s red soul glow through their blue and purple striped shirt, the sudden fear in the child’s eyes as they ducked away from the fire that once guided them through this strange new world. Yet, she saw, despite the damage they took from her attacks, they still got back up on their feet, teeth set in a determined grit.

This was what the child should expect, Toriel tried to reassure herself. This was what would happen if they did not turn back and return to the home she tried to offer protection in. No other monster, to her immediate knowledge, would offer them the same warm hospitality she once did. They were all bent to King Asgore’s rule now--they would stop at nothing to help Asgore fulfill the promise.

And even if this child did get to Asgore without being killed...well, no one could leave the barrier without both a human soul and a monster soul in their possession. They had shown nothing but mercy throughout their time in the ruins, and it was all thanks to her guidance. Would they still remain a pacifist through the end? Or would they take the bait and forget their promise to her?

If you ever have a choice to make, I hope you’ll think of me.

Everywhere they would go, they would see the crossroads--to take one path is to wander down it forever regardless of the consequences.

She could see the child shaking their head now, offering her mercy and sparing her despite their soul’s dimmed light pulsating weakly.

“Stop looking at me like this. Why are you making this so difficult? Fight me or leave!”

But the child would not budge. They continued shaking their head--the stick they had carried as their weapon had dropped to the ground.

“No. I understand. You would be unhappy trapped down here. The ruins will feel small once you get used to them--it would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this.”

She tried so hard. She tried so hard to protect each one of them, and yet she knew she had failed once again, perhaps for the last time. She could see now, turning away from the paths that the child would follow if she died at their hand, the possible routes that could only spell their doom.

They were once so willing to follow her, have her guide them. The flames once held a welcome sight. But now? The darkness around them...she understood they wanted to leave so badly.

She understood how badly they wanted to return to the surface, where they still felt they truly belonged.

“My expectations, my loneliness, my fear...for you, my child, I will put them aside. I will not stop you if you truly wish to leave--but when you do, please do not come back.”

With one final parting hug, the love and regret poured into that embrace, she left them at the door. And from afar, she continued to watch out for them as they forged on, just as every monster out there did.

Little did she know that the child would forge a new path--a path that even she did not foresee.

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Proof:

Hope you guys enjoyed it!