He was falling. He could see nothing, feel nothing, think nothing - all he knew was the empty space rushing past his mangled body.
A faint glow appeared in a place that seemed to be below him, his vision coming slightly into focus. He blinked his pale yellow eyes, eyes with only a weak glimmer of life behind them.
There. A blue platform, appearing as a strange tessellation of hexagons, floating in the darkness. Where was he, exactly?
After an eternity, Magolor landed on the platform. He looked around and saw a dark blue sky scattered with stars surrounding him.
"What happened?" he wondered aloud, pulling his white cloak around himself as he shivered in fear.
No answer. The stars flickered as if they were taunting the fallen wizard. Magolor tried to remember where he'd come from. He had taken the Master Crown from the four-headed dragon Landia. He had been attacked by a little boy with pink hair and his friends. Had he… had he lost?
He gasped. He must've… no, it couldn't be. If he'd just died, why was he here? Where even was here though? It was all so confusing!
He pinched himself to see if he was dreaming. The pain was distant, as if it was just a memory of being pinched, but at the same time, he knew it hurt.
Unsure what to think or what to do, Magolor laid down on the floating platform, covering himself with his cloak. As he drifted into a restless sleep, he heard a voice call to him.
THIS IS WHERE YOU SHALL SPEND ALL ETERNITY. It was a deep, booming voice, echoing as if it came from the end of a long tunnel, but it was unclear where the voice's owner really was.
"But why?!" Magolor cried out.
YOU HAVE COMMITTED A TERRIBLE SIN. YOU STOLE THE MASTER CROWN FROM LANDIA AND UNLEASHED ITS DARK POWER. AS SUCH, YOU WILL NOT BE GRANTED A PEACEFUL DEATH.
"I-I'm sorry!" He was, he realized. He had tricked the galaxy's greatest hero. Of course he deserved to be punished. But- but I don't want this!
...THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT. IT IS ABOUT WHAT YOU DESERVE.
"So I don't deserve to apologize?!" Magolor pleaded.
I CAN FEEL YOUR SINCERITY. Magolor's heart, or at least what was left of it, skipped a beat. BUT KNOW THIS. IF YOU RETURN TO LIFE, YOU WILL BE EXILED FROM YOUR HOMELAND. YOU CAN NEVER RETURN TO HALCANDRA NOR TOUCH ITS ARTIFACTS. DO YOU UNDERSTAND… MAGOLOR?
"Yes! Yes, I understand!" he cried without hesitation.
And then it really struck him. He could never return to Halcandra, ever again. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't mind. He wasn't accepted on Halcandra. Everyone just wanted him out of their lives. But on Popstar… he had experienced friendship for the first time. Kirby and his friends were so nice to him...
"Yeah," he decided. "I'll live on Popstar. It'll be better than Halcandra anyway." Through his tears, he managed to give a small smile.
REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE KILLED, MAGOLOR. YOUR EXISTENCE WILL NOT BE TRUE LIFE. BUT… I WILL ALLOW YOU SEVENTY YEARS TO EXPERIENCE UNDEATH ON POPSTAR. IF YOU HURT ANYONE AGAIN, YOUR SOUL WILL BE BANISHED TO THE DARKEST DIMENSION. I KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND THIS. GO NOW, AND DO NOT FORGET THE SIN YOU HAVE COMMITTED.
Magolor opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, waiting for his vision to focus. He felt the soft grass underneath him, the sun beating down on his back. He sat up and looked around. He was finally home.