Play Undertale OST: Home
Izuku awoke gently to the soft, comforting melody playing in the background—music that seemed to echo the warmth of a true home. Stretching in bed and inhaling deeply, he caught the mouthwatering scent of something delicious in the air.
Sitting up, he glanced around the cozy room and spotted a slice of pie on the dresser, accompanied by a handwritten note:
This is butterscotch-cinnamon pie. If you have any allergies, please bring it back to me so I can make you something you'll enjoy. ♥ Toriel.
Izuku smiled at the thoughtfulness. His stomach growled in response. Picking up the pie, he took a bite and immediately swooned, cheeks puffed with sweet, heavenly goodness. It felt like time stood still as he savored the moment.
Finally swallowing, Izuku let out a satisfied sigh, stretched once more, and yawned. Noticing his bag nearby, he saw his clothes neatly folded beside it. After changing, he stepped into the hallway, eventually finding himself in a warm living area. There, Toriel sat in a large rocking chair, gently swaying as she read a book.
"Good morning, Ms. Toriel," Izuku greeted politely.
Toriel looked up, her face lighting with a wide smile. "Good morning, my child!" she said, setting the book down. "Did you sleep well?"
Izuku nodded. "Thank you for the pie—it really hit the spot," he said, rubbing his full stomach.
Toriel tilted her head thoughtfully. "So do you want anything else to eat?"
Izuku shook his head and gave a respectful bow. "No, thank you. I still need to get home, and I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."
Her expression faltered. "Go home? C-can't you stay just a little longer? The Ruins still hold many secrets—things you could learn, explore..."
Izuku's face tightened with discomfort. "I'm sorry. I really do need to go home." He took a step back. "Could you please tell me where the exit is?"
Toriel's face went blank. Without another word, she stood up and quickly walked past him. "I need to take care of something. Please wait here," she said, her voice unusually firm.
"Hey! Wait!" Izuku called, reaching out—too late. His fingers missed the edge of her robe.
Steadying himself, he chased after her, reaching the entrance just in time to see her head disappearing down a staircase. He followed, catching up in a dim hallway.
"You wish to return home, do you not?" she asked without turning. "Farther down this hallway lies the exit to the Ruins. The only path to the rest of the Underground."
She paused.
"I'm going to destroy it. No one will be able to leave again."
Izuku's heart skipped a beat at the certainty in her voice.
"Please," she added, still walking, "be a good child and go upstairs."
But Izuku kept following.
"There were six humans before you," she continued. "All of them children. Confused. Scared. Alone. But they shared one thing... they all wanted to leave."
She stopped briefly.
"All of them died."
Izuku's eyes widened, fear and disbelief washing over him.
"Do you understand now, child?" Toriel said softly. "If you leave, the monsters beyond won't show you the same kindness you've known here. The ones under him... under Asgore... will kill you without hesitation."
Izuku stood frozen in place, cold dread seeping into his chest.
But then—something inside him surged. A warmth that pushed back against the fear, burning brightly. His eyes glowed with emerald green and a fierce red ring of fire around the pupils. He ran to catch up with her.
Turning the corner, he heard her voice again—calmer, but firm.
"Do not try to stop me, child. This is your final warning."
Still, he pressed on.
"Why won't you listen to me?" she asked, disappointment lacing her words. "You're just like the others."
She sighed. "If you truly want to leave this place... there's only one way to convince me."
Toriel turned to face him. Her eyes were cold.
"Prove yourself. Prove to me you can survive him."
Play Undertale OST: Heartache
A heavy pressure filled the hallway—far greater than anything Flowey had conjured. The colors around them faded to stark black and white. The familiar battle interface appeared, hovering over Izuku's left eye, adapting to him.
He didn't even consider choosing FIGHT.
"Toriel! I need to get past you. I promise—I won't die!" he pleaded.
But her expression remained unchanged. Raising her hands, she summoned black and white flames and hurled them in elegant arcs toward him. Relying on his combat training, Izuku dodged gracefully.
"I know I could never fully understand what you've been through," he said, leaping away from a fireball that singed the air beside him. "But keeping me here won't make me happy!"
Toriel's calm began to crack.
"What are you doing?! Fight back!" she shouted, summoning two massive fireballs that slammed together, sandwiching him between bursts of fast, difficult-to-dodge pellets.
The flames singed his exposed limbs—more of a sting than real harm. But the ones that struck his soul... those hurt.
Still, Izuku refused to retaliate. His eyes burned brighter, his movements sharper, his resolve unwavering.
He would reach her—not through force, but through his determination.
Toriel cried, her voice cracking. "Don't you want to survive? Don't you want to leave?! If you don't fight, you'll eventually die. Not all monsters can be swayed with words!"
She barely finished her sentence before gathering flame between her hands. With a sweep, she sprayed a jet of fire across half the room, forcing Izuku to leap aside. No sooner had he landed than she prepared the same attack on the opposite side.
"I'm not going to sacrifice my morals just to leave!" Izuku shouted, fire in his voice now too. "How could I ever look my mother in the eyes knowing I hurt someone who helped me when I needed it most—someone who's still trying to protect me?"
Toriel faltered. The flame between her palms sputtered out.
Caught off guard, she launched a volley of smaller fireballs, but her heart wasn't in it anymore. The precision and force behind her magic began to waver.
"You showed me kindness when you didn't have to," Izuku continued, dodging with ease now. "You gave me a warm bed, food… you watched over me like a mother would."
Toriel's arms began to tremble. Her fire flickered, weakening with every step Izuku took toward her.
"Even now," he said gently, reaching out and taking her hands, "you want what's best for me."
Toriel's shoulders shook. Then, unexpectedly, she began to laugh—tears spilling down her furry cheeks.
[Play Undertale OST: Fallen Down]
"I'm so pathetic, aren't I?" she whispered, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I couldn't even stop a single child."
Izuku hugged her. It wasn't something he planned—it just felt right. The gesture silenced the negative thoughts churning inside her. After a beat, she returned the hug, wrapping him in a soft, warm embrace.
When they parted, Toriel healed him with a gentle wave of green fire. Surprised, Izuku stumbled backward and fell on his rear, before letting out an embarrassed laugh. Toriel chuckled too, covering her mouth before her face turned solemn again.
"Izuku," she said softly, "I can see in your eyes—you've grown stronger. You've made up your mind to keep going."
She turned toward the hallway but paused.
"If that's the case… I have one last request." Her voice wavered, heavy with sorrow. "Please… don't come back. I won't have the strength to let you go a second time."
She hesitated.
"Even with your Determination, I can't believe you'll survive Asgore. I'm sorry."
Izuku stood taller, placing a hand over his heart. A tear slid down his cheek, her words echoing in his chest like a memory long buried. He remembered something his mother once said… and for the first time, he fully understood it—even if it still hurt.
He wiped his tears away and nodded, eyes glowing with Determination.
"I'll prove you wrong," he whispered.
Then, turning his back, he pushed open the heavy door. As it creaked shut behind him, he cast one last glance at Toriel.
She smiled faintly. "I hope so too."
[Scene Change]
The hallway beyond was dark, but a small patch of grass basked in soft light ahead. Izuku wondered—was this the last sunlight he'd see before leaving the underground?
Before he could think further, Flowey popped out of the grass, grinning.
"Wellll, lookie what we have here!" he drawled, mockery in his voice. "You must feel so clever—getting through all that without killing anyone. Hehehe!"
He chuckled coldly.
"I can't wait to see that hope drain from your eyes when your soul is taken! No matter how strong you think you are, you'll meet someone who will try to kill you. Then what?"
Flowey's face morphed grotesquely, forming a twisted image of Toriel.
"Will you try to reason with them? Someone who won't bend to your words?"
His face split down the middle, aligning into something sinister.
"Or will you die begging—thinking the world owed you mercy? HAHAHA!"
Flowey's voice cracked into a shrill, maniacal laugh.
"But don't worry, little one," he grinned, sinking into the ground. "When you finally give up, I'll be right here. One little hiccup in a plan years in the making doesn't scare me."
Then he was gone.
Izuku stood in silence, face twisted in a storm of emotion too tangled to name. He stepped around the grass patch and approached the towering stone doors.
With a breath, he pushed them open.