She stopped in her tracks to come face to face with a rough stony wall. It was a dead-end.

"Not really," said Chara, "look above."

Sure enough, there was yet, another trapdoor. It was quite damp and dark blue moss and fern were dangling from its supposed mahogany surface. The girl was unsure whether it is the right choice to open it or not. She was tensed by the fact that the deeper they went through the caverns earlier, the lesser she could sense light. At this point, she was so sure she couldn't sense any brightness at all. She knew at once, above them, was the dark kingdom of Stygia.

"Ch-chara, I can't see..." She whimpered, too tempted in opening her hidden orbs and search for a sign of sight. As already mentioned, she wasn't allowed to, but it was too dark, it's getting rather difficult to make things out, unlike being in Snowdin.

"Not to worry, I'll guide you, but please refrain from opening them, or you'll attract the Stygians." The spectre warned, before suggesting, "I think it would be better if you put on a blindfold, that way, even if you do open your eyes, none of the light would emit out of them."

"Uh, yeah, sure, but where the heck am I going to get a blindfold??"

"Search around your pocket, dummy." Even if she couldn't see, she felt her ghost friend's chilly eye roll. It wasn't long before she pulled out a conveniently tucked handkerchief from her pocket. Who knows how that ended up there, or she probably forgot she had that this whole time. After setting down the ketchup bottle (which she almost forgot to have this whole time), she blindfolded herself, picked the bottle once more, and was ready to hop out to experience the unseen land that lies above.

With a heavy exhale, she pushed the door up, and blindly climbed out of the doorway. As expected, it was chilly, but it wasn't much, not like Snowdin's dropping temperatures. Here she stood, however, felt windy, and a little more terrain than she knew Stygia to be. Where was she?

If she was this confused, wait till she accidentally caresses a nearby... Flower.

Almost instantly, she felt as if a thousand fireflies erupted in luminance, blue light peeking into the surface of the blindfold, and an explosion of floral fragrance began seeping through her nostrils. The scent was very familiar, it made her feel like the man from her birthday ball was enveloping her in his arms once more. As much as she spited it, she found herself inhaling the aroma in a relaxed stance.

She was sent to reality upon remembering there were nonliving presences around her, "W-what's happening?" She was now a little shakened by the phenomenon, "Why am I suddenly seeing so much light?"

"Echo Flowers." Chara whispered, "They're all around you. They don't usually produce light, but since you are a Luxian, your touch made them kinda gave us quite a light show right now."

Glowing flowers?? Now I really wish I could see them. She whimpered at thought. No matter how much she disliked possessing features of a cliche fairytale princess, she at least had the love for flowers, nothing too 'princess-y' at that, I can assure you.

The echo flowers however, brought her back to the memory of the man and the suspiciously similar flower in his breastpocket, now that she mentioned it... Was it possible he was a Stygian? Is that why her mother threw a fit the moment she saw him with her? And if he is, will she run into him here in Stygia?

She proceeded to shake her head and pat her cheeks gently, 'No, I mustn't meet him here.'

"Let's go." She beamed.

"Let's go—" "Let's go—" "Let's go—", went the echo flowers, taking her by surprise. She quickly clamped her mouth shut and cocked her head up warily in every which way. "What the—"

"Be quiet." Chara muttered, "That's why they call them echo flowers... They repeat the words of the person they 'hear'. Let's not attract any attention."

"Creepy." Freya gulped as they continued down the glowing floral fields. Along the way, and the deeper they strolled further, the louder and more ominous the flowers started whispering to themselves, like children left astray in psychiatric wards mumbling sweet nothings under a night of stormy lucid haunts.

While some were full of joyous bliss, most probably dating back before the war occured, others were of tainted dark hope, a result of the painfully unforgettable and traumatic experience of conflict. Either way, Freya believed that she wasn't supposed to hear any of them nor did she complain at all, since it's not like she should cover up her ears as well the whole entire way.

{"Promise me you won't laugh?"

"I'm going to be the most famous star on tv in the entire Underground, you'll see~"

"Papa, when is mama coming home?"

"If I were you, I'd be beating those assignments atches from existence, punk!"

"Have you heard? King Asgore had been talking to himself lately..."

"All archers, fire!!—"

"Throw them off the river—!"}

The last one did not fail to send shudders down her soul, it was just that grim. And river? Was it that river? She gave a glance at the river distances away from them, which she recalled seeing as they step into Stygian land. It seemed to be filled to the brim with weird looking greenish black slush, and it made her shiver some more upon imagining what the echo flowers meant about throwing who or what off the river.

She was about to ask Chara about it, when she heard a very significant voice...

{"whatcha doin', kid?"}

S-sans...? Her head spun, to find which echo flower said that. To her confusion, the source was definitely an echo flower, but it seemed different amongst the others. She felt it glow a soft greenish golden hue, unlike the cyan light that surrounds the rest of the patches. She listened in some more, and was even more surprised... To hear herself being the next voice resonated by the same flower.

{"Ah! Sans, you scared me—and shush, I'm trying to hide from someone."}

{"from who?"}

{"From Undyne, now skidaddle."}

{"ya sure ya don't need help? i can teleport ya out of any fishy situation, right?"}

{"Oh gawd, Sans, not now—"}

{"whatever ya say, bucko."}

Wait, who's Undyne? Why am I hiding? And most importantly, this didn't happen at all before. What is going on? Ugh! First trial being in Stygia, and she's already feeling like she's about to lose it. There are just too much information rolling in at once that she couldn't possibly contain. Is this how being consumed by the darkness looks like?  If so,

'Frick consuming my damn sanity.'

In silent frustration, she kicked a nearby echo flower so hard, its petals flew... With the rest of its patch. Before she knew it, the whole Waterfall was lit up, the kick and rustle sounds echoed in every known direction the flowers were planted on.

"OhOHH, Freya!?" Chara shrieked.

"... Oops." She blew their stealth.

"Argh, dammit!" The spectre cursed under her breath, disappearing from sight in utter-less shock however, with her own surprise for suddenly unintentionally doing that. Unfortunately, that left Frisk all alone in the middle of the fields with a blindfold.

"Ch-chara?? Chara!!" She panicked, tilting her head left and right, but there ain't any sign of her ghost friend's presence. "Char—" she snapped her mouth shut as soon as she heard a loud growl coming from somewhere. It vibrated to a purr (though, even I don't think it was a cat of any sorts-), a wave of its seismic and reeking air softly reached her. It wasn't a good sign. She knew whoever they are, they're searching for her, specifically her—

"Light..." It breathed. "I am hungry, where are you little light?"

He wouldn't see me if my eyes stay hidden, right? She came to that conclusion. But even so, she heard the flowers rustle, their voices dying down—huh, is it possible they're actually living creatures that could understand fear? She wished they didn't stop whispering to ease the tension, but I guess they were just as afraid as her.

She promptly stepped slowly away in a contrasting direction, but kept flinching along for being splintered by the echo flowers' thorns which passed through the soles of her old withered boots. If she wants to get away, she really need to at least see the direction she's heading to, making sure she did not accidentally run towards the mysterious creature.

Hesitantly, she pulled up her blindfold a little and peek at where she was walking. Hmm, it's a safer path, the coast is actually clear. And she didn't actually need... To see...

With her blinds still up, she looked behind to see it starting to slide, or roll towards her; a humongous onion monster with dark purple eyes, overripe reddish skin, and a stenchy breath whenever it growled angrily at her. There were slushes stained all over the creature, and its rotting black roots seemed anchored to the river (wait, it's from the river?? That isn't supposed to be up here—), yet it didn't seem to has an end to its length, it just kept going as it rolled. Above all, it saw her.

Without any second thoughts, she yanked down her blindfold and ran as swiftly as she could, the light of every echo flower she touches served as her guide. Honestly, she may know which way she was going, but she really didn't know where she was about to head towards to. She just kept treading, the onion hot on her trail.

She remembered being chased down for her life back in Snowdin, and honestly, she teared up at how different it was then and her current situation. Sans was someone who had a mind that had other plans for her, unlike this guy, however, it didn't look like it had a consciousness at all, so talking her way through won't do any good. And again with this cycle of a fear mill she kept sprinting like a hamster on a wheel, with no adventure to finish no matter how far she ran.

She felt the heels of her feet aching and hissed at deep splinters every now and then. She knew she's just being cowardly, but what can she do? She's only a mere human, despite being a princess, she was near to no power, the only special thing about her was this stupid blessed light that's about to be the cause of her death.

Sprinting down the Waterfall meadow felt like an eternity, and before she knew it, she skidded to a stop in front of a ledge she just sensed. She peeked to see her by a cliff, or more specifically, the riverbed of an actual waterfall. She was unsure on what to do at first, almost fainting at the darkening end drop of a fall, but after looking back at the angry and hungry predatorial veggie on the loose, she had not a choice.

And so, she jumped.

As she fell, along with the obscurity of unconsciousness slowly seeping through her drowsy eyes, her mind wandered back to the time she fell down to the Underground. She wondered what or who would catch her this time, she's quite getting used to falling over and over again, there seemed to be no end to these traumatic nightmares. Yet through one fall and another, no matter how badly she wanted to give in at any moment now, her soul wouldn't let her. It's as if it had a mind of its own.

It's as if it wasn't hers. It's... not her who was Determined.

Just as she felt her entirety was about to hit ends, she heard the flowers above started singing out of joyous laughter. They do have souls, feelings, deceit, and are conscious somehow. Oh how she wished to tear their petals apart.