. . .

After gathering the artifacts and items from the chest, Frisk took a deep breath and stepped forward, crossing the old bridge to the next part of the area. Each step made the wooden planks creak softly under her weight, the sound echoing in the still air. Flowey trailed behind, his presence both unnerving and oddly comforting despite his snarky nature.

The hallway ahead mirrored the previous parts of the ruins—long, dimly lit, with stone pillars standing tall on either side like silent sentinels. The faint glow of magical torches flickered, casting shadows that danced along the crumbling walls. Frisk's footsteps were the only sound in the corridor, aside from the occasional rustle of Flowey's vines. Despite the eerie silence, the warmth of the surroundings made her feel oddly safe, as though the ruins themselves were watching over her.

She continued walking, feeling more familiar with the space now. The ancient, worn stones beneath her feet, the intricate vines clinging to the pillars, even the soft scent of the flowers growing through cracks in the walls—all of it wrapped her in a sense of quiet comfort.

A faint shimmer caught her eye from the distance, drawing her gaze to the end of the hallway. It was a soft, glowing light, unmistakably in the shape of a star.

"Looks like we've found another Save Star," Flowey chuckled, floating up beside her with a sly grin.

Frisk walked closer, her curiosity piqued as she reached out and gently touched the glowing star. The warmth from it was immediate—not just physical, but something deeper, like it was rekindling her strength.

{Do you want to save? [Yes] [Cancel]}

She pressed Yes, and instantly, the Save Star's light flared briefly, casting an almost magical glow across the entire room. For a moment, it was as if she could see the whole layout of the Underground in her mind—paths she had yet to explore, places she had already been. A quiet sense of control washed over her.

Flowey, watching with amusement, smirked. "You can use that to travel between Save Stars, you know. Handy, isn't it? Even though i already told you, but it would be better if you tried it now."

Without hesitation, Frisk touched the star again, and in a blink, she was transported back to the first Save Star she'd activated near the beginning of her journey. The sudden shift left her momentarily disoriented.

"Impressive, right?" Flowey chimed in, his voice dripping with mock admiration. "Now, I wonder how much chaos you could cause with this." He chuckled darkly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Frisk turned to glare at him, unamused by his comment.

"Ugh, you humans really don't get jokes, do you?" Flowey groaned, rolling his eyes before looking away.

She ignored him, more focused on the task at hand, and quickly used the Save Star again to return to the second location she had unlocked. The magical energy swirled around her, pulling her back through space until she reappeared, standing once more before the glowing star.

Pressing forward into the ruins, Frisk noticed a fork in the path up ahead. One way led further into somewhere, but the other... was a dead end. Curiosity pulled her toward the dead-end path, and as she approached, she saw something glinting in the dim light. A small bowl sat on a medium-sized pillar, filled with brightly colored candies.

Flowey perked up immediately. "What are you waiting for? Go on, take some!"

Frisk stepped closer to the bowl, hesitating for a moment. A small prompt appeared before her.

{Do you want to take a candy? [Yes] [No]}

Reluctantly, she chose Yes, and carefully took a single piece of candy from the bowl. It felt a little wrong—this was someone else's offering, after all.

"Just one?" Flowey scoffed, incredulous. "Oh, come on! Take all of it!"

Frisk glanced at him, her brow furrowed in hesitation. It felt selfish, too greedy. She shook her head, but Flowey wasn't having any of it.

"It's just a few pieces! Who's gonna notice?" His voice was full of sly encouragement, pushing her to take more.

Against her better judgment, Frisk reached out and took one more piece. She could almost feel the weight of Flowey's judgment, but before she could make another move, he acted on his own.

"Ugh, let me just take care of this," Flowey grumbled, extending his vines toward the bowl.

CLANG!

The bowl clattered to the ground, shattering into several pieces. The candies spilled across the floor in a chaotic mess, and Frisk stood there, frozen in shock, staring at the wreckage.

Flowey only shrugged, unfazed by the destruction. "Well, uh, no one's gonna notice anyway," he said dismissively before disappearing back into the ground, leaving Frisk standing there, an angry expression on her face.

With a heavy sigh, Frisk shook her head and turned away from the mess. There was no point in arguing with Flowey, not now. She had more important things to focus on.

Continuing along the main path, Frisk's footsteps echoed through the empty corridor. The warm glow of the torches illuminated her way as she pressed forward, her thoughts still lingering on Flowey's careless behavior. Eventually, the path opened up into a larger area, the air slightly cooler here as it flowed in from some unseen opening deeper in the ruins.

Up ahead, she could see another door, its familiar ancient design covered in vines and surrounded by blooming flowers. She walk to the doors and got transported to next areas of the ruins.

End of chapter 3. 

Leak chapter 4: Puzzles.