Chapter 27: "But Nobody Came"
The silence in Cal's room was different today.
Not the usual hum of electronics or the light tapping of keystrokes. It was heavier. Anticipatory.
He sat cross-legged before his dual-screen setup, the room dimmed, curtains drawn to keep the early afternoon sun from disrupting the tone. This wasn't going to be a flashy stream. Not like the PUBG chaos or the Friday Night Funkin' rhythm waves.
No, this one needed atmosphere. Heart. Space to feel.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Stream Type Selected: Legacy Drop – "Undertale"]
[Estimated Viewer Interest: Very High]
[Warning: Emotional Impact May Cause Ripple Effects in Cultural Development Timeline]
[System Recommends Emotional Buffer – Y/N?]
Cal hovered over the "N" with a brief smirk. If they cried, they cried. That's what Undertale was for.
He clicked it.
STREAM TITLE: "Legacy Drop: The Tale Beneath"
Game: Undertale (2015)
Tags: #RPG #IndieGame #PacifistRun #NoSpoilers
Stream Countdown: 00:10… 00:09…
He breathed in deep.
00:00
[LIVE]
The title screen appeared, black and white, eerie and quiet, with "UNDERTALE" blinking in pixel font across the center. No fanfare. No marketing splash art. Just a soft, haunting melody and an invitation to press "Z" to begin.
"Welcome," Cal said softly. "Tonight, I'll be playing a game made by one man… in a world where every choice matters."
He let the screen sit for a moment.
Then: Click.
Scene: The Flowerbed
As Frisk landed softly in a patch of golden flowers at the bottom of Mt. Ebott, the viewers held their collective breath.
"Wait, what is this aesthetic?"
"This is… very old-school."
"Why does this already feel emotional?"
Cal moved slowly, giving time to the silence, letting the narrative unfurl like petals.
When Flowey appeared—smiling and twisted—and delivered his iconic line:
"In this world… it's kill or be killed."
Cal didn't comment. He let the viewers digest it on their own.
And when Toriel appeared, saving the player, her maternal warmth blanketing the darkness, the comments exploded:
"Is she the mom?"
"Wait, that goat thing is protecting me??"
Cal played it straight. He didn't attack anything. He spared.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[View Count: 245,000 LIVE]
[Viewer Sentiment: Increasing Attachment Detected]
[Branching Ripple: "Empathy in Mechanics" Inspired Among Early Devs]
[Donation Surge: +12,000 Points from Viewer Gifts]
He reached the first save point. The screen read:
"The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination."
Viewers snapped screenshots. Someone posted the quote on Twitter. Within minutes, it trended in three countries:
#FilledWithDetermination
Scene: Sans and Papyrus
When Sans made his pun-laden debut, half the chat groaned in delight.
"He's so chill—what a contrast to the rest of the world."
"Is this guy the comic relief?"
But Papyrus—oh, Papyrus.
When his noble, bumbling ambition to join the Royal Guard kicked in, the audience fell in love. Cal gave him a slightly exaggerated voice as he read the lines aloud:
"NYEH HEH HEH!"
"I want to protect him."
"Papyrus supremacy begins now."
And when Cal spared him after the battle, Papyrus invited him to hang out.
The chat exploded again.
"You can date skeletons??"
Behind the Scenes:
In a Tokyo animation studio, a young assistant named Rui played the stream quietly on her phone while inking backgrounds.
She didn't usually watch game streams, but this one? It felt like watching a story unfold. An interactive anime. She paused mid-frame and took a screenshot of the scene where Frisk and Papyrus shared spaghetti together in the frozen woods.
That night, she drew her first fanart of the game.
And she wasn't the only one.
Back to the Stream
Cal played carefully, choosing every peaceful route, every mercy path. He narrated when necessary, joked sparingly, but gave weight to the silence. The real power of Undertale wasn't in what he said—but what he let happen.
When he reached Waterfall and heard the echo flowers repeat lost voices from the past, he said:
"Games can carry sadness without saying much. This is one of those moments."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[New Emotional Anchor Registered: "Memory Echo – Waterfall"]
[System Observes: Viewer Age Range Lowering – High Teen and Young Adult Interest]
[High Emotional Engagement Score: 91%]
Scene: Napstablook's House
Cal didn't skip the music scene. He lay next to the ghost. Quietly.
He didn't even narrate this part. The camera just sat there, with the lowbeat music and slow blinking as the ghost said:
"I'm just… not feeling up to it right now. Sorry."
The chat filled with:
"Same."
"Me too."
"Why is this game reading my soul?"
Scene: Undyne's Chase
Tension ramped. Spears. Waterfalls. Hiding in bushes.
Viewers screamed.
"Run!!"
"THIS MUSIC IS INSANE!"
And when the monster finally showed a softer side, Cal spared her too.
Parallel Reactions
United States – East Coast College Dorm
A group of computer science students watched together, drinking coffee and debating how game mechanics like "mercy" could change violence-centric gameplay loops.
One of them emailed their game design professor with a link.
Philippines – Davao City
A young girl, newly inspired, opened a notebook labeled "My Game Ideas." The first entry read:
"An RPG where you don't have to fight. Just listen."
Back to the Stream
Finally, Cal reached the scene with Monster Kid and Undyne, and his pacifist actions culminated in the village watching him pass—no fights, only handshakes and gratitude.
"What a story," one viewer wrote.
"This is… the opposite of everything we've played before."
Near Stream's End – The Core
As Cal moved toward the endgame, tension built. He had hinted at multiple endings, but hadn't spoiled anything.
And then came the final battle.
Scene: Asgore
"I have to fight now," Cal whispered.
But even then, he searched for a way to spare. Refusing to attack.
And when the system allowed the true ending path to unlock… Flowey returned.
The screen twisted.
"YOU IDIOT."
The viewers screamed.
Cal didn't flinch. He knew what was coming.
The battle began.
The music: Final Power pulsed through headphones across the world. Viewers sat frozen. He died once. Then twice. But he kept coming back.
Until…
"You called for help."
The souls responded.
Ending: True Pacifist
As the credits rolled, the field of flowers swayed, and the friends Cal made through the journey stood beside him, the chat was a flood:
"I've never cried in a game stream before."
"This is the best stream of the year."
"I need this game. I NEED it."
Cal looked into the camera.
"Every action matters. Even mercy."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Legacy Drop: "Undertale" – Complete]
[Viewer Peak: 387,000]
[International Tags Trending in 9 Countries]
[Emotion Score Record Broken – 96% Emotional Retention]
[New Path Unlocked: "Narrative Vanguard" – You Can Now Showcase Story-Driven Media with Emotional Impact]
[Reward: +24,000 Points | Special Tag Earned: "Heartstring Weaver"]
Cal ended the stream, sat back, and exhaled.
His throat was tight.
In silence, he whispered:
"Thank you, Toby."
He didn't need fanfare. The game spoke for itself.
End of Chapter 27