The morning sun was rising, shining golden light inside the room once more. You decided to get out of bed, despite your critical lack of sleep. Sure, you could have simply tried to fall asleep again, seeing that you had no classes over the weekend but you were pretty sure that the dream from earlier would keep you awake.

Asriel was still fast asleep, exploring whatever dream he was having. Sometimes you could see his face twitch a little or hear him make weird noises in his sleep. But overall his sleep seemed peaceful, at least much more than yours.

With Asriel still asleep, there wasn't much to do that wouldn't wake him up. So for time being, you decided to stare out the window and watch nature.

Birds were soaring through the azure sky, singing their songs as they circled across the infinite blue. Occasionally they would land, hopping over the ground in search for something to eat. It was an almost serene sight, one you've rarely seen before. For once, you felt normal. For this one, single moment you felt as if your past never happened, as if you were nothing more than an ordinary student, living an ordinary life. You couldn't help but wonder, is this what it feels like to be 'human'? Or maybe it's just the predatory instinct that comes with being part cat.

You continued to watch the birds outside, hoping it would preserve the moment. They seemed so free in every way possible. They were free to go wherever they please, only having to worry about food, predators and mates. It was a simple but short life, much unlike yours.

You averted your eyes from the window again and let them wander across the room. There wasn't all that much to see apart from a sleeping Asriel. As your eyes passed by your desk, you remembered something. The article Lonnie handed you yesterday was lying in one of the drawers. Seeing that there wasn't much else to do, you decided to quietly rummage through the drawers until you'd find said article.

Roughly five minutes later and you finally found what you were looking for. A quick glance over the article made it look much longer that it should be. With what little information was out there, the article shouldn't be that long. You began reading through the article, wanting to find out just how much in it was actually relevant and not pointless fodder.

Reading through the first few paragraphs left you rather unimpressed. They served as nothing more than an introduction to the subject. The usual stuff.

The following paragraphs stated that everything written in the article is based of what surviving Nekos remembered and listed several names, some of which you recognized.

With all the formalities out of the way, the article started to crack down on what happened. Not a single atrocity remained unnamed, the abduction of innocent people, the genetic engineering on embryos, the abuse and murder that took place within the "personality alignment facilities'. Among all that info, something stood out to you. Numerous names of involved scientist were listed and along with them, pictures of their faces. How and where did Lonnie get those pictures and why would he add them to the article. Every single scientist is dead, you saw them swallowing the cyanide.

The article concluded on a more positive note, stating how integration makes steady progress. You could only scoff at those lines. Nekos were still not accepted and in some cases even attacked. How could anyone say integration was making progress. If things keep going the way they do it'd only a matter of time until there's nobody left to integrate.

You placed the article back in the drawer, where it would probably spend the rest of its lifetime. There wasn't anything you'd like to see added or removed since you frankly didn't really care enough. To you, that article was a waste of time. Everyone involved is dead and there was not a single sign of compensation. The state wasn't responsible for what happened and not a single scientists involved had relatives that weren't in on everything.

As you returned to your bed you noticed that Asriel was awake. He was staring at you, pretending to still be asleep.

"I know you're awake," you said as you sat down on your bed. Why was he always like that? He's either being overly flirtatious or simply weird.

"I know I've been asking this pretty much every second day but, are you alright? You look like something's bothering you," Asriel showed himself concerned once more. It was another thing that bothered you. Not the fact that he seemed to care about you but rather the fact that he always wanted answers but never wanted to answer himself.

"Yes, I'm fine," you answered in an almost apathetic tone.

"Did you read through Lonnie's article?" Asriel continued to ask questions he should already know the answer to.

"Yeah, I did. Feel free to check it out if you want to," you remained aloof as you pointed at your desk. "Just keep your hands of the letter."

The morning continued in the same way the previous mornings did. An uneventful breakfast paired with a bit of chit chat as well as the occasional stare from other student and the usual gossip. People were still talking about how things looked like between you and Asriel. Just why are people so obsessed with the private life of people that are far out of their league.

Breakfast was over and you were about to return to your dorm when Asriel spoke up again.

"Hey, how about we go to the arcade and try out their bowling alley?" he sounded as enthusiastic as always.

"Sure, why not. There isn't anything better to do anyway," you agreed, though you were nowhere near as enthusiastic as Asriel was.

"Great, let's get going then," Asriel seemed happy with your answer and went for the closest exit, with you following behind.

While you were on your way to the city, you continued to think about the dream you had earlier. With those other visions you had, you slowly began to stitch the various pieces together. Things still made hardly any sense though. It seemed as if Asriel found and nearly killed you. He then let you stay for the night. The following day, he introduced you to the others that were living in the mansion and they all agreed to let you stay. But what was that phone call about? Is it part of the reason he refuses to tell you about your shared past? And then there's the fact that Lonnie's scent lingered in the air when you woke up. It was time to formulate a plan. Someone will answer your question, being it Asriel, Lonnie or someone entirely else. One of them will answer, whether they want to or not.

"What are you thinking about?" Asriel picked up on your prolonged silence and decided to strike up a conversation, which caught you off-guard.

"Not much, just whether you were honest yesterday. You know, about looking up your name on the internet," you quickly blurted out the first thing that came to your mind.

"Well, not really. I did look up my name but noting of it was too weird. Bless the guy that invented the blacklist feature," Asriel confessed but quickly clasped his mouth shut once he realized that he said a little too much.

"What?" you're expression became confused as you asked for some sort of explanation.

"I, well... how do I explain this? I looked up my name a few times before and I saw things I never thought I didn't want to see. I know most guys are all about who's the biggest but there is a point where it just gets ridiculous. And then there are the various pairings, if you want to call them like that. Don't get me started on them, seriously," Asriel's vague explanation left you with more questions than answers, though you weren't sure whether you wanted them answered.

"Are you referring to muscle mass or...?" you were hesitant to finish your sentence.

"Both. I'm completely fine with the way I look, even if it's a little girly. You've seen me, right? Remember what you said back then?" he looked at you as if he was expecting something.

"Put some clothes on, you look like you're freezing," you recited from your memory, unsure if was correct or not.

"Yeah, something around that lines. If you look at some of the art people draw of me you'd wish I'd be freezing," Asriel chuckled slightly. Was this really the kind of humor he enjoyed?

"I'll be honest though, there are some really good drawings on the internet and they're not all lewds," he continued, sounding more happy than disturbed.

"And why exactly are you looking at pictures of yourself on the internet? Are you curious how strangers think you look like or rather how they're ideal version of you looks like? Or are you simply a bit narcissistic?" you pushed him a little further, trying to find something you could use to get under his skin should the need arise.

"The former. I'm actually quite curious to see how strangers think I look like in the bedroom or rather how they wish I'd look like. Just imagine their disappointment. Some people get really creative though. I actually saw a picture that got me thinking a little. It was basically me, wearing a costume that basically let the protagonist of the game cross-dress," he once again drifted off into a more suggestive tone, and you didn't like where this conversation was going.

"I have no idea what you're talking about and I'm not sure whether I want to know. Do you want to cosplay or what?" you were beginning to sound more and more hesitant. Wherever this conversation was going, you expected Asriel to make another, unnecessary suggestive comment.

"I guess you can say that. I just need some textiles and I'm good to go," and once again, he gave you a rather vague answer. It was really starting to get on your nerves. It was almost worse than not answering at all.

"Hey, look over there. A shop that actually focuses on textiles, let's check it out," Asriel rushed over to the shop. He was actually serious about this.

You simply followed him, even though this entire trip took a vastly different direction than originally expected.

"Just what's this costume about anyway?" you asked, becoming more and more impatient.

"You'll see. It might a bit revealing around the stomach though," and there it was AGAIN, that stupid smile he pulled whenever he was thinking something indecent.

"C'mon, let's go already. I need your help to find a color that suits me," he dragged you inside the shop without hesitation. If it weren't for the fact you were in public you probably would have hurt him.

Once inside Asriel instantly began browsing through the countless textiles the shop had to offer. They offered textiles in color, shape and form. Wool, satin, silk and all those other types you didn't know about.

"Hey, what do you think?" Asriel called out, holding a roll of royal purple silk next to him. "It's the same shade the robes I used to wear have."

"What robes?" you asked in curiosity, as you approached him. Textile shopping with a guy, that was another one of those things you never expected to do.

"These robes," he answered, as he pulled out his phone to show you a picture of younger him, wearing a purple 'robe' with some weird rune on it.

"That's a dress," you blatantly pointed out.

"No, it's a robe," Asriel denied, shaking his head, causing his ears to flop around again. Just as a safety precaution, you decided to take a step back.

"That's a dress," you insisted.

"I know," Asriel sighed as he looked off to the side.

"Asriel, be honest. Are we really here to buy supplies for some sort of costume or are we here for some other reason?" you gave Asriel a rather serious look as you question him.

"Mom said we're running out of cloth to make new robes or dresses or whatever you want to call them, so she asked me to buy some more," Asriel confessed, looking visibly ashamed.

"Why exactly did you lie?" you pressed him for answers.

"Because it's embarrassing. Saying I'm working on a costume sound way cooler than saying my mom needs more cloth because we're completely out of it," Asriel explained, sounding like he was a little upset over the rather trivial reason he had to visit the textile shop.

"Just stop it with all those stupid lies, even if they're white lies. They'll get you nowhere. If your lucky, you might make it out with no troubles but it's more likely that those lies will crash down on you and mess up pretty much everything in your life," you practically scolded him.

"I know, I'm sorry," Asriel sighed and he avoided eye contact, as a guilty expression began to spread on his face. "Well, I got what I needed so we might as well move to the checkout."

Asriel grabbed the rolls and moved to the checkout, where an elderly lady was sitting.

"Seems like someone enjoys tailoring," the lady spoke in a raspy voice as she adjusted her glasses. "It's lovely to see such a young lady enjoy the traditional ways."

Asriel was visibly confused by her statement. He might be young but he most certainly wasn't a lady.

"And who is this handsome young man, your boyfriend?" she looked over to you, with a heartwarming smile. She might be nearly blind, but she's still rather charming. "She's a little weak around the chest, don't you think so?"

"She's got a big heart to make up for it," you decided to play along with a small compliment, which draw a hearty chuckle out of the woman.

"A man that see's a lady for who she is. Make sure you keep him, a man like that is a rarity," the lady laughed as she patted Asriel on the shoulder.

"I have no intentions on letting him go," Asriel finally decided to join in on the rather humorous situation.

"That reminds me of the day I met my husband. He was such a charming young man and boy could he dance," she began to reminiscent of earlier days as a content expression began to spread across her face. "Ah, but you have to excuse little old me. I'm sure you have a wonderful day planned."

"Oh, could you please sent the rolls to this address," Asriel added as he handed a piece of paper with an address to the lady.

"Of course dearie. I'll tell my nephew when he comes to help me in the shop next Monday," She happily agreed and placed the textile rolls, along with the address, in the back.

Once everything was paid for, you were ready to go to the arcade and do what you originally came for.

"Have a great day, you two," The lady waved you goodbye, smiling from ear to ear.

"What a lovely old woman," you said as you left the shop behind you.

"Do you think so?" Asriel sounded like he was thinking otherwise.

"Cut her some slack. She clearly has very poor eyesight, despite wearing glasses," you were rather disapproving of Asriel's attitude.

"Yeah, whatever. We're here," Asriel was still rather grumpy about the encounter as he entered the arcade. You simply sighed and followed him inside, where the neon interior greeted you once again with all its charm.

You attention was drawn to the bowling alley, while Asriel was talking to whoever was sitting behind the counter. The alley was empty, not a single soul was out there going for a perfect game.

"Alright, everything's set up. We have the alley all for ourselves, for as long as we want. At least until someone else shows up," Asriel walked up from behind you with a big smile plastered across his face.

"Aren't we supposed to change our shoes or something like that?" you asked, feeling quite sure that it was mandatory.

"Nope, not here," Asriel chirped in response, as he walked over to the alley. "C'mon, what are you waiting for?"

You were pretty sure that, that posed a serious security hazard but you still followed Asriel who was already busy setting up the score board. Once everything was done, you began to look for a bowling ball that suited you.

This was your first time bowling and you had absolutely no idea what you were doing. You did know about the basics but that's pretty much it.

The game began and Asriel was up on the first frame. He picked up pace and gracefully lunched the ball straight into the gutter. Asriel groaned in frustration and picked up the ball again. This time the ball reached the end of the lane and knocked over a whooping two pins, a success in Asriel's eyes.

You were up, picked up your ball and took a running start. Just as you were about to step over the foul line, you stopped and launched the ball forward. Your first throw was looking pretty good, until the ball began to swerve to the right and ultimately land in the gutter. Once the ball returned, you tried again. The ball rushed down the lane and crashed into the pins, knocking over a total of three pins.

On the second frame, Asriel scored four points, the same amount as you. The third frame put you in the lead by two points. Fourth frame and you scored a strike, while Asriel knocked over nine pins allowing you to take the lead. Asriel managed to score a strike on the fifth frame, putting him in the lead. The game continued and you not only managed to take the lead again, but also keep it. Once the game was over you were crowned winner, the final score being 75 to 77.

"Rematch," Asriel demanded, confident that he'll win the next game.

"Fine by me," seeing that you had the entirety of the bowling alley for yourself, you decided to agree.

Another game later and you actually lost. With a final score of 86 to 85 you were only two points away from another victory. You took the defeat like a champ, while Asriel was throwing his own, small victory party. He was cheering, jumping left and right, as he cherished the moment he won against you for the very first time.

Asriel's celebration was cut short, when his stomach began growling. "How about we go grab some food?"

"Sure, sounds good," you agreed and moved on to the diner.

Once seated and with your orders placed, you starting chatting about nothing in particular. Music, games, anything that came up.

"You once told me about resets, remember?" you began to slowly stir the conversation to a topic Asriel tried to avoid most of the times.

"Yeah, I did," Asriel hesitantly answered, afraid of what you might ask next.

"How do they work? Does something special need to happen? Do you need to perform some sort of ritual? Maybe sacrifice human souls?" you asked a rather technical question, hoping the answers Asriel may or may not give will give you some insight on what happened in a previous timeline.

"Well, it's rather complex. The only person currently able to perform a reset is Frisk and they can only do it because they're the most determined individual that is currently alive. There is no real limitation to the resets. Frisk can do it whenever they feel like it, though it seems to trigger automatically whenever they die," Asriel explained, surprised that you didn't ask him what he though you were going to ask him.

"So Frisk is responsible for the resets," you spoke in a thoughtful voice.

"Yeah, and I'm sick of it. Sometimes I wish I could just suck the determination out of their soul and just live a normal life. But that doesn't work. Last time someone tried to suck the determination out of their soul terrible things happened and the timeline ended up being reset anyway," Asriel confirmed, revealing just a little more about how he felt about the entire reset thing.

"What is this determination you're talking about? I always though it's just some sort of state of mind," you tried to dig a little deeper, hoping that anything could help you uncover the truth.

"That's a pretty complex topic. Determination is one of the seven primal soul traits and what allows a soul to persist after death. It also allows beings without a soul, like flowers, to gain the will live should they acquire determination. It naturally occurs in humans. Monster have it too, though the amount is so small that it requires the entire monster population back when the barrier broke to match a humans determination. A monster body can't handle higher concentrations of it without melting. And no, a monster doesn't die if their body melts," Asriel further elaborated on the topic of determination, though none of it seemed useful at first.

"Primal soul traits?" you tried to get even more answers out of Asriel.

"The seven original traits that are present in every soul and also the basis for pretty much every other trait a soul can represent. Determination is the only official name. The other traits are bravery, justice, kindness, patience, integrity and perseverance. Each trait is represented by one of the seven colors that make up the visible part of light. It starts with red, for determination, and ends with purple for perseverance." he began to explain a rather lengthy topic, which still gave you no direct answers. "Every trait is represented in the soul to a certain degree, which in turn affect the color of the soul. A soul with a fuchsia color is heavy on determination and integrity. The brighter a souls shines in a certain color, the stronger the traits the color represents."

"So going by your explanation Frisk's soul would shine in a bright, vivid red," you stated as if you were asking whether you understood what Asriel was talking about.

"Exactly. There is a limit though. All traits balance each other out. A soul that shines in a deep shade of purple, for example, would be very strong on perseverance but rather weak on the other traits. There are a few exception however. A pure white soul, which is as rare as it's powerful, represents the perfect balance of all seven primal traits. A pitch black soul, like yours, is practically devoid of them," Asriel not only confirmed what you said but also gave you a rather interesting piece of information.

The food finally arrived and the conversation returned to something more simple. The remaining afternoon passed with good food, a pleasant conversation and the occasional joke. Once the sun began to dip below the horizon you returned to the college.

Today was quite insightful. You not only manged to gain information on the resets Asriel so much dreaded but also some interesting insights on the topic of SOULs. Maybe one day this information would come in handy, even if it's just for an exam.