The rain had quieted now, but it hadn't stopped. It drizzled like a soft curtain, misting through the pine trees around Mount Ebott. The man's voice fell to a hush, as if even the fire was listening.
"Before the throne… there is judgment."
The girl's head tilted slightly, and her fingers mimicked the shape of scales—one hand rising, one falling.
"Yes," the man replied. "A weighing of what was done. Of what might come."
* * * * *
Frisk's footsteps echoed softly through the wide marble corridor. They had passed the place where so many monsters had watched them with hope, with fear. The long path stretched onward toward the throne room.
But before they could reach it, they found themselves in a wide chamber filled with silence and golden light.
Judgment Hall.
And there, standing beneath a beam of light, his hands in his pockets, was Sans.
He didn't smile.
He didn't speak at first.
Frisk approached slowly.
Then, finally, Sans opened his eyes.
"so. you finally made it."
Frisk nodded.
Sans sighed. "the end of your journey is at hand. in a few moments, you'll meet the king. together… you will determine the future of this world."
He looked down, as if weighed down by something heavier than the air.
"that's then. now… you will be judged. you will be judged for your every action. you will be judged for every EXP you've earned. what's EXP? it's an acronym. it stands for 'execution points.' a way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others."
Frisk didn't flinch. Chara said nothing.
Sans continued. "when you kill someone, your EXP increases. when you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. it stands for 'level of violence.' a way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt."
He turned fully toward them now. "the more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. the more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. the more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."
Silence. Then:
"but you… you never gained any LOVE. of course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naïve. just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart."
He scratched the back of his skull. "no matter the struggles or hardships you faced… you strived to do the right thing. you refused to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you did it with a smile."
He was quiet for a long time after that.
"you made it through the end of the Underground without hurting a soul. you did the best you could. so i don't think you need to be judged for your actions."
He stepped aside. "i think you already know what you're doing."
Frisk looked at him—really looked. There was tiredness there. Depth. Something unspoken.
"maybe," Sans added softly, "maybe you'll meet someone who will really make you think about what comes next."
Frisk nodded again.
And walked past him.
* * * * *
The girl's brow furrowed slightly, and her fingers danced in small circles before resting against her palm.
"You wonder if he knew more," the man said gently. "He did. More than he let on. But Sans always did prefer to laugh… instead of cry."
She glanced toward the fire, its glow casting shapes against the mist. The rain continued its quiet song around them. And though the man remained still, hidden beneath the weight of his hood, something in his tone had softened.
"Frisk had passed the test. But one more door remained. One last soul to face."