}?The World that Shattered?{ ~An Undertale OC Story~

Footsteps echoed off the walls of the darkened corridoors. It had been dark here for a long time; the only light that every shown through when nitroglycerin mixed with other chemicals kept inside tall canisters or lights from burning candles hung from the ceiling or from the carriers the two people that roamed these prison-like halls held. Tonight, no firelight illuminated the halls.

A walking shadow turned around the corner, his hand tracing the doorframe. He had done this many of times before, and each time he had counted it as a silent pray or a wish for good luck. The man stopped and peered over his shoulder at the frame. The exact spot he had touched to be exact. He wondered if he should go back and brush across it, juts to make certain his prayers would be answered or his luck would be granted. His fingers traced his palm as he bit his inner lip and tore his gaze from there. It'd eat him up inside for the rest of the day.

As the man traversed further down the hall, the faint boiling and hissing sounds started to become clearer. His heart raced a bit, skipping multiple beats per step. His labcoat brushed across his legs as his pace slowly began to quicken into a light sprint. His mind was jumbled, his thoughts all astray. He could only imagine what would, or could, happen if he didn't get to the testing room on time.

When the man finally entered the room, a darkened sillouette hovered above the desk. Their slouched posture proved the exhaustion, or possibly just maddness over-taking the mind. He bit his tongue, hesitating before stepping closer.

"Ether?" called the shadow man.

The hovering figure jolted back to reality, snapping his attention to the other. For a brief moment, something lingered in his eyelights, something that he had seen only once: when he held the power of the human's souls. A second later, it disappeared as the monster named Ether let out a sigh and adjusted his crooked glasses.

"Uki," he sighed as he brushed off his labcoat, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," said Uki, "How goes...the experiment?"

"Experiments," Ether corrected as he turned back to the desk.

Uki's eyes shifted up the to two neighboring canisters that were standing on the other side of the desk. Both of them held two small monsters, skeletons to be exact. The shadowed man took a breath before taking a step forward. He had only know about the one holder. But now there's two...

Sprawled out on the desk were papers. Each piece of paper held its own pieces of information, notes scribbled in scattered yet somehow very neat and beautiful handwriting. In the corner of seven picked out pieces of paper were sketched out shapes of hearts; souls to be exact. On top of these sheets of notes were assorted napkins, tools, broken pencils and pens, and so much junk.

Beside the desk was a decent sized shelf. On each layer of the shelf was a wooden crate, each crate with its own illustration on it. These illustrations, each color-coded, matched the seven sheets of notes and the soul in the corner that labeled them. The crates had not collected dust; they weere actually perfectly clean, as if they were never left alone to sit for long periods of time. Uki's breath hitched as he stared at them.

"You don't actually..." His eyes trailed to the monster before him.

Ether clenched his fists. "Have the human's souls? No, unfortunately. Just fragments."

"That's just as bad!" cried the shadow man.

"It's for the sake of our experiments," Ether replied in an much calmer demeanor.

Uki grit his teeth. He had never seen Ether act this recklessly, especially for something so selfish and stupid as an experiment. Let alone an experiment on beings that can contain the power of a human's soul.

The taller monster did not seem fazed by the eyes boring into the back of his skull. His eyes were glued to the canisters before him, the light from the chemical fluids reflecting into his eyelights. Glints of seriousness and anarchy flashed through the lights of his eyes. This had to work. He needed it to work. He was so close to his dream; this would not be how it ended.

"So...this is it?" Uki finally spoke, barely above a whisper.

Ether turned a gaze over his shoulder, cocking a nonexistant brow at the man of shadows.

"You're just going to throw your sanity away. For what? Some embodiments of containments for what you hope will get you to where you want to be?"

The taller skeleton narrowed his eyes at the man. How could he say that? After everything the two have been through? After everything he had sacrificed for Uki? After the life I threw away for you.

"You have quite the nerve telling me what's right and what's wrong," scoffed Ether as he turned his back to the man, reaching for a stack of papers, "I was not the one who--"

"Don't you dare bring them into this," Uki hissed, a new found venom in his tone, "You know it was an accident."

Ether hummed. "Perhaps. Only thee whom is guilty shall suffer further on into the future."

Uki scoffed, but he knew the man was right. He hated to admit that this, working with Ether, knowing all the possible future consiquences, this was his punishment. There was no avoiding it. He had to live up to it, in their name.

Finally, after a few cold moments of silence, Uki let out a long sigh. He folded his arms behind his back and casted one last longing look towards Ether and the canisters. He watched as the monster took a liquid, to which he assumed held the main power sources to each of the souls, and slowly inserted it into the needle-like tube that was connected to the two larger tubes. The hazardous fluids slowly began to turn a sort of peachy-beige color and then a bright toxic green.

Uki exhaled softly as he turned away.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Ether."