Monster Age: A Fantasy Epic

by GR Griffin

  "You could choose to end suffering." With one command, disease, hunger, thirst, poverty, pain and suffering ceased to exist, creating a universe where nobody went to bed hungry, where nobody spent their last minutes in agony from an incurable illness, where nobody froze in the winter or collapsed from heat exhaustion in the Sahara. Where nobody required clean water to drink and where quality of life was not determined by wealth.

  "You could choose to end death itself." Five words. That is all it would take to make dying non-existent. No longer would children need to mourn the loss of their parents, or would parents need to cry over those taken too soon. Nobody would need to fear growing old and dying. Where everyone could be with those they loved for all eternity.

  All these choices. Only one could be made.

  Kanika's spectre closed the recollection of her eyes and searched within Zeus's soul for his deepest desires. "Although you have conquered your hate," she explained, "the pain still lingers, along with a small desire for revenge…" The star shone brighter. "A better future is what you make of it. For good or bad…"

  The opposite of peace flashed within the floating frames: a world where the monsters ruled, and the humans became their slaves, bowing to their every whim and need. Every monster would be their own master, and every human would have their dreams erased and replaced with only one desire: to serve monsterkind. No monster would ever need to work for a living, or fight for their existence, their slaves would do it for them.

  Another flash: a world where the humans became the prisoners in a world of cages. Those animals forfeited their rights to freedom from the moment they took arms against another race. The monsters would roam the world as free people while all the others were locked where they belonged, forced to rot like how they forced the monsters to rot underground.

  Flash: a world made fair by the exclusion of one race. Humanity, who looked down upon those different, now understood what it felt to be a monster… because they were. Mankind became no more as every man, woman, and child had their silky skin transformed, their limbs multiplied or divided, and their very DNA manipulated from a being of flesh, blood and bone to another of magic. Once upon a time, there existed two races. Now, only one.

  A world where the very deed of being human was, in itself, a sin. The worst, most inconceivable forms of pain and misery flashed before them. With a few words, Emperor Zeus could repay the pain given to him a million times over, which he could be inflict upon humanity for every second of every day for the rest of their meaningless existence. No mercy. No forgiveness.

  And in the centre of every vision, Zeus reigned as Emperor of the World, of the Universe, of everything; upon his golden throne, wearing his crown of diamonds. His cape around his body and a sceptre held toward the red sky as he roared toward the bronzed masses, all on their knees, bowing, and chanting his name over and over…

  "Hail, Lord Zeus: master of all." Those emaciated humans swung their outstretched arms up, revealing ribcages through paper-thin skin, before swinging them back down to the floor. Rows of vertebrae along every sunburnt back. "Hail, Lord Zeus: master of all."

  Barb pressed her weight against his. "Zeus, don't you dare!"

  Juhi glimpsed at every possible tyrannical future in which his son stood the victor and found his own, in the present, stiff and open-mouthed, lulled by those swirling colours. "You're not… you're not actually considering it, aren't you?" he asked, unsure.

  Emperor Zeus refused to budge, as if he didn't hear his father or feel the touch of his half-sister. Each vision of a better world, for himself, waved full of promise before him. So many possibilities of varying brutality, cruelty, and he was allowed only one.

  "Hail, Lord Zeus: master of all."

  "I can actually have that?" His tone was spellbound, hypnotised. "I can still have my revenge? Impose my will upon the world?"

  Kanika nodded and lifted the azure star to him. Juhi and Barb, meanwhile, pulled away. Had they misjudged him? Was he still the same Zeus from earlier? Had every scrap of dark, gooey evil truly left his heart?

  Flowey felt a strong impulse to ready his friendliness petals, as did Undyne want to charge her spears, and as Sans's eye began to twitch.

  Toriel knelt down and wrapped one arm around her child. If Zeus was allowed to make any one of those wishes, then…

  "You will not take my child away!" she screamed. "After everything we have been through… I would rather die than see anything happen to Fleck!"

  Drawn to those images, Zeus remained still.

  "Hail, Lord Zeus: master of all."

  The possible futures tempted him, beckoned the scars in his soul. He had spent his life bowing to the will of others, men and monsters following their duty, believing their actions to be just, free of any guilt. It was his turn now. His turn to impose what he believed to be right and wrong in the world, and nobody had a chance to say otherwise. Whatever he desired, it was right. It would be granted by the immense power in the spirit's hands, thus making it so. Whatever anyone else said would not matter one bit for they would be powerless to change anything. In fact, they were powerless to change it now. That's just the way it is, they say; that's how the cookie crumbles, they muse; you can either wish for a better world or work to make this world a better one, they droned, unknown to the sudden reality that someone could actually wish for a world of his choosing.

  "I wish…" Zeus began. The weightiness on his diamond encrusted crown pressed down.

  "Hail, Lord Zeus: master of all."

  "I wish…" A thick fur cape warmed his body.

  "Hail, Lord Zeus: master of all."

  "I wish…" His arm raised instinctively, baring his sceptre.

  "Hail…"

  "I wish…" He held his tongue a moment, then tossed down his sceptre, brushed off his cape and threw of his crown. "…I was worthy to make this wish."

  The ghost got ahead of herself, raising the star above her head before stopping.

  "You think you're not worthy?" Kanika repeated, sounding incredulous as she brought the star level with her sparkling navel. "This is your chance, Zeus, to correct what you believe to be wrong. You are the chosen one; this is your right. No one deserves this more than you."

  "You're wrong. There is someone who deserves this more than me."

  Everyone waited for him to continue.

  "You're right about one thing: I had the strength inside me all along, but I didn't reach it on my own, because…" He turned around and, suddenly, Fleck felt Toriel's hands tighten as his silver eyes found them. "It was Fleck who helped me find it. It – no, they – returned here because they believed there was still good in me. When the entire world believed me irredeemable, when pure evil coursed through my veins, they were the only one who found that one candlelight within a sea of blackness."

  He faced Kanika. This time, he would make his choice.

  "Which is why for my wish…" He took a deep breath. "I want Fleck to have it."

  Fleck, stunned by this, heard whispering remarks from their buddies: "…Get outta town…" "…No way, dude…" "…You gotta be kiddin'…" and "…Un-freaking-believable…"

  Kanika looked puzzled. Odd. This was the crucial decision she had waited eons for and all she could be was puzzled. "Are you sure? Think about this. Once your decision's been made, there's no taking it back."

  Zeus thought about it. He really put everything in consideration. A decision of a lifetime, and he was throwing it away to the very thing he hated his entire life. The ultimate power he had hunted and finally caught, he was letting go.

  His voice grew solid with conviction. "Yes," he concluded. "I don't know what's best for the world. But Fleck does. They're the real chosen one here."

  Kanika bowed her head once.

  "Then let your wish be granted," she heeded before gesturing toward the human child wedged between their monster buddies. "Fleck, the wish now falls to you. Please come closer."

  Now, all eyes were on Fleck as the blue aura was thrust upon
them. All Fleck wanted to do from the very beginning was go home, not wish for it to change. Now they had a choice to make.

  As they went to step forward, Toriel refused to loosen her hold.

  "I do not," she muttered in a sour tone, "want you going anywhere near that man."

  Fleck gave her a brave smile and kindly relaxed their fingers upon hers. Trust them, Fleck asked of their mom.

  Toriel breathed hard, in and out, afraid of what would happen the second she released her child. Facing her fear, she let go. Fleck then thanked her and gave one quick hug. Fleck took a few steps from their friends; all them watching as their human was about to change their world a second time. Fleck had introduced them to the surface, now they were going to alter it permanently.

  Before they went any further, Fleck asked their compadres for any suggestions floating around in their noggins. If anything, it served as a delay while they scoured their mind for the best possible wish idea.

  "Choose something you'd love, Fleck," Asgore suggested, smiling in an encouraging way. "Even if it's as small as a pet, you've more than earned it."

  Toriel, kneeling there, bowed to their child, self-assured in their choice. "Nothing bigger than a shoebox, though..."

  "I-If I had o-one wish…" Alphys mused, jittering. Embarrassment held her back. "I'd totally love to… speak Japanese. Then I could watch Mew Mew Kissy Cutie without subtitles!"

  Undyne pumped a fist. "Demand your own private gym, so you can make yourself ripped!"

  "W-why not just use the wish to be muscly r-right off the bat?" Alphys asked.

  "Oh, please," countered Undyne. "Where's the reward in that if it's not earned through rivers of sweat?" Such a tasteful image that created.

  Papyrus stroked his generous jawbone. "You could try to be as cool as yours truly, but alas, some wishes just aren't meant to be." Afterward, he found his trademark cackle.

  Sans looked eager to get his suggestion across. "Wish for everyone to get an unlimited ketchup bottle. Yours truly would truly appreciate it." He winked. "Thanks."

  Papyrus shook his skull in disapproval. "It's not always about you, Sans."

  "Hey, look who's talking."

  Regardless, their friends had the utmost faith in their human. That was all they needed… they hoped.

  Watching the child step up, a hint of what could be described as jealousy crept up Flowey's stem. He had been the Empire's special guest for weeks, their voice from the shadows second. Zeus knew him, trusted him, more than he did of Fleck; if there was anyone more instilled with knowledge, more likely to make the best, most logically, morally correct choice to benefit the planet for generations, surely it would be him.

  Near the foot of the Obelisk, five now stood. A galaxy-sized spotlight shone down upon the child.

  "Fleck, you have now been granted this wish," said Kanika. "Anything you want, I can fulfil. I feel it in your soul: you are a merciful being, your hands clean of impurity. Perhaps you also wish for world peace? Just because Zeus didn't wish for it doesn't mean you can't. You can cease all war. All hatred. All acts of violence. Won't that be a grand gesture to your friends, to make them fully welcome back on Earth?"

  She foreknew that Fleck understood the value of life. They could erase death itself and make all creatures eternal. Eradicate all known disease and illness. How about world hunger? No one need go without a meal. Maybe Zeus had the right idea all along and Fleck was the one to accomplish it.

  "But you're still human," Kanika explained, digging deeper into Fleck's psyche. "And with it comes attached a certain stigma. Being human, it's called. Meaning to be imperfect, flawed, and prone to making mistakes. Perhaps you wish for something more material?"

  The visions which tempted Zeus now did the same to Fleck.

  Fame? Within the projections, Fleck saw themself a superstar. Whichever they sought after most. The most powerful singer, roses thrown at their feet. The most artful actor, every movie a five star wonder. The greatest soccer, football, basketball player to ever live, holding above their head a trophy bigger than they were. Not a single life in the world would be complete without an autograph from their idol.

  Fortune? All the money in the world, enough to flood the tallest building. Unlimited bank accounts. Gold. Silver. Diamonds. Emeralds. Rubies. Sapphires. Their own luxury mansions, one in every county of every country, able to house a castle in the garage alone. A hot tub, eighty inch flat screen and minibar in every room. The most expensive, exquisite meals three times – hold on, four – no, wait, five times a day! The fanciest clothes of silk, velvet, and cashmere. Speedboats and mega-yachts and parties in the Caribbean Sea. Asgore would have his own garden the size of Switzerland. Papyrus could drive a flashy, brand new sports car every day. Alphys could fund her own research indefinitely, buy all the components she needs and hire the greatest minds in the world. No longer would she need to scour shady sites. And Sans… well, he would no longer need to work, but other than that, he wouldn't change much.

  Fun? A planet of entertainment, where nobody needed to waste their life on a boring job they hated, or dull accomplishments such as chores or homework. Where everything tiresome was done away with and where people lived for fun, joy, excitement, laughter, and everything in-between. Discos and cinemas and arcades all across the world. Where a guy could tell the lamest skeleton joke to his brother and receive a rousing response.

  Fantasy? Fleck could become a superhero. Stronger than titanium. Faster than light. Smarter than Einstein. Able to fly, bend steel with their bare hands, shoot lasers out of their eyes, freeze crooks with their breath, and see through walls with x-ray vision. Crime would fear the days and the nights, and all wrongs in the world would be made right.

  Adventure? This one wish could easily advance technology by ten-thousand years: televisions you could walk into; cars which required no wheels, inside or out; teleporters (with precise accuracy this time) would make a trip to the other side of the world an afternoon outing; rocket ships equipped to travel faster than the speed of light. Fleck would be on the first shuttle to go higher than the Outerworld and embark to the stars, exploring new worlds, colonising Saturn's moons, and meeting the weird and intriguing life to be found out there.

  Fleck: Galaxy Defender sounded pretty awesome.

  "Or perhaps it is immortality you desire. For you personally." Kanika mentioned the royal couple. "Your guardians are of eternal life, are they not? As time goes on, you will grow up, grow old and eventually die, leaving them without a child once more. Do you want to leave them in misery? The three of you can live together for all eternity."

  As the years progressed, generations came and went, civilisations rose and fell, technology advances and expands, the family – Asgore, Toriel, and Fleck – remained its single constant. An exception from time. Immune to disease. Free from pain. A permanent solution for those who had witnessed too much agony in their lives. Eternal love.

  "Or perhaps you wish for a family more… personal?"

  She plucked two more stars from out the sky and span them in gracious circler before her. The light projected and two individuals materialised between the rays.

  On the left, a man: his height, frame, his physique and his lack of slouch made him naturally adept to fit any suit and tie. He had hands which could seize control of any situation; point at any mouthy gob and watch them shut up and sink in their chair. His strong jaw and prominent cheekbones complimented his clear eyes, and his smile tugged on the corners of Fleck's lips. His pompadour, straight out of Fashion Weekly, held the same shade of brown as the hair on Fleck's head. A guy such as him looked out of place in this battlefield. His ideal environment on weekdays would be in the CEO's chair, pointing at a red outline zigzagging up a graph. Weekends, residing in his own luxury lodge, swimming in pools of dollar bills, a phone in one hand and champagne in the other.

  To the right, a woman: her long, flowing, shimmering locks, the same colour as sunlight, made her appear ten years younger. Her thin lips, stu
b nose, eyes and brow were all beyond aging, she could be fifty and not look it. Fleck glanced at her arms and developed an urge to run into them, purely to experience how tender they would feel around their body. The man beside her suited the oval office, she, in her jeans and knitted cardigan, would be content in a countryside cottage, surrounded by homemade baked goods and a hint of fairy dust.

  Fleck forced their dry mouth to swallow, gulping cool air down past their racing heart and into their searing belly. They switched back and forth between the two, feeling the brims of their memories fill upon seeing their faces. They had never met, yet already Fleck knew…

  Mommy… Daddy…

  Kanika paced herself. "They will love you, cherish you, and look after you like real parents should. You can be with those who are truly your own. You can finally have a real family." She held the star out, reaching the ultimatum. "What do you say, Fleck?"

  In their mind, in all the missing pieces, Fleck saw them both: the father who supplied for them, the mother who devoted all her love to them, the couple who tore themselves up when Fleck went missing. Trips to the park on warm, summer days, a cold ice-cream with a flake and sprinkles in one hand and their mother's hand in the other. Something was lost which had now been found. It made them lose focus on their breathing, hairs stand on end, and their nerves tingle.

  Wish Mom and Wish Dad beckoned Fleck with smiles full of warmth. His blue eyes and hers green reached to that deep yearning in their soul.

  Choose us, those eyes appeared to say. Make us real. Our hugs are waiting for you.

  How badly Fleck wanted to run into their arms.

  Then they heard Toriel's voice. "No… No…!"

  Far behind them, Toriel reached out, her other hand clutched at the torso of her robe. Tears swelled up in begging eyes after thinking she could shed no more. Her mouth quivered and tiny peeps fought to escape through tight lips.