Chapter 2: Ancient Texts

The next morning, Luigi was awakened by several things. One, his cell phone was going off, two, a bright ray of sunshine was directly in his eyes and three; the smell of burning food was filling the house. Luigi picked up his phone and flipped it open to see who it was. It was Mario.

He rubbed his face as he answered it. "Hello?"

"Mornin' Champ!"

Luigi paused for a moment. "Morning Bro…" He yawned.

"… You can't tell me you're just waking up Weege…"

"Yeah? Why?"

"You haven't read the paper yet? It's got you plastered all over the front page! Well, that and Gadd's been calling me to complain about you not waking up at the crack of Dawn like you normally do… he keeps grumbling about you sleeping in longer than I…" Mario said. "Still… do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Uhh… no," Luigi lied, looking to the grandfather clack that stood in the corner of the room, which in plain view said 10:30. My God… I really did oversleep…

"Well it's 10:30. But the real reason I called is because Peach wanted to invite us over to the castle for a few rounds of tennis."

Luigi inwardly groaned, feeling the sharp pangs in his sore muscles. "Gee Bro, I really would love to… but Gadd's got something we've got to go over, though. He says it's interesting, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be something else on the history of ghosts. Plus, I'm just really not feeling up to par right now."

"Eesh… Yeah I told her you probably wouldn't be feeling good." Mario said. "Well, I got to go. See you later Weege."

"Later."

Luigi closed his phone and rubbed his face again, stopping when his hand brushed against something above his eyebrow. He noted that his eye felt slightly swollen and it wouldn't open all the way. Thankfully it was only slightly puffy. "Ow…" He said as he brushed his hand over his eye again. He got up and walked over to the mirror. Over his gash, it seems, someone had come in during the night and fixed it up. There was a small patch over the cut itself and Luigi felt sure that there were a couple stitches underneath it. The smell of burning food brought him back to his senses. He rushed to the door, grabbed his emerald-green robe and dashed down the hallway to the staircase, pulling it on as he ran. He reached the kitchen slightly out of breath to overhear Shivers scolding someone.

"No, No, don't do that! Oh dear the master isn't going to like this at all!"

"What am I not going to like Shive- Oh my god?" Luigi said as a grin began to spread across his face. The scene before him was rather hilarious. Breaker and Hammer, both caked in flour were dashing about the kitchen trying to make what appeared to be breakfast while dodging Shivers' attempt to capture them. "What on Earth are you guys doing?"

"We're Making Breakfast!" They both chirped happily. Shivers grumbled, "Making a mess is more like it."

Luigi laughed quietly as another ghost appeared beside him. She had beautiful blonde hair and pale almond-shaped eyes, a stark contrast to her milky-white skin. "What is going on in here?" She asked. Her voice was calm, somewhat dreamy. It matched her flowing red dress.

Luigi jumped a bit at her initial appearance, "Oh, good morning Melody." She turned her eyes to the young man. "Good morning Luigi." Her eyes lingered on him momentarily before turning back to the scene before them. She had hardly seen him without his hat and he looked rather handsome without it. "Oh, Luigi… I stitched your cut up last night… you were bleeding a bit so I just fixed it up… was that okay?"

Luigi smiled. That was one mystery solved. "Of course Mel, thanks. I've been needing to have it looked at anyways. Thanks." He turned back to the hammer bros. "Listen you guys… why don't you go into town and just pick us up something to eat from a takeout?"

Hammer and Breaker looked at each other before nodding. "Alrighty!" They dashed off towards the garage. Shivers looked towards the door through which they left and Luigi, back and forth until he sighed, grabbed the car keys off of the counter which amazingly managed to not get misplaced, and flew through the wall into the garage. Luigi and Melody listened as the car motor started then drove away before they moved further into the kitchen to start the cleanup.

"I'll never understand those two," Marius said as he wandered through the doorway. He made his way over to the sink and picked up a sponge to help clean. In about ten minutes, Luigi, Melody and Marius had the kitchen back to its spotless state. A few pans had to be thrown away, but that was because whatever the twins were cooking had fused itself to the metal. It didn't even come off when Luigi fireballed it.

"Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it," Luigi said. Melody and Marius smiled at him.

"Luigi! Finally I find you!" Gadd appeared in the doorway with his arms crossed. "If I recall correctly, you promised-"

"Yes Elvin, I remember." After a quick adieu to his friends, he followed the small old man into the study, where he closed the large mahogany door with a snick and locked it securely.

"Now m'boy," Gadd said as he climbed into one of the green-velvet chairs. Luigi followed and took the empty one next to him. The table in front of him was piled with dusty yellowed parchment and at the bottom, a huge, moth-eaten, black leather-bound book. Gadd fished through the stack until he found what he was looking for. "Luigi… have you ever heard of the Priory of Eidolon?"

Luigi scanned the parchment before looking up. Being Multi-lingual was coming in handy, for the papers were written in what appeared to be a form of Latin. "No… looks like some kind of knighthood," he said, examining the brittle wax seal on the back. Curious though, the seal has a Boo on it, he thought, so this does have to do with ghosts… Great…

"Exactly right! They were the royal family's secret keepers. Y'see, boy, there was only one actual 'knight' at a time, but that one person was a powerful mage and warrior, and extremely loyal to the crown. These documents also said…ah, right here…somewhere," He said pointing to a place on the parchment before continuing "That all ghost and incorporeal beings owed their allegiance to whomever held the title of 'Knight of Eidolon.' They were the royal family's uh, secret service if you will." Luigi looked a little uneasy as he carefully removed the book from the bottom of the stack, "That one I was just looking at said that they just… disappeared. What happened?"

"Well… no one knows for sure what happened. But the last time anyone saw one of the knights was almost…hmmm, fifteen hundred years ago," Gadd said pulling his laptop out from behind a chair. He started it up and began looking into a couple files he had.

Luigi thought for a moment, "That in perspective was not very long ago." He wiped some dust away from the large gold title: "Esse quam videri."

"Good luck getting that thing open. No lock, no chain, nothin'! And I still can't get it open," Gadd grumbled into the monitor's screen.

Luigi placed his hand on the edge of the cover and gently lifted. He breathed a sigh of relief when the cover flopped open and displayed a blank page. Luigi's sigh turned into a surprised gasp as words appeared, seeming to seep up from the page itself. They read:

Um Vitam Habeant

Give them life

The Priory has returned…

Long live the royal family!

"Good Lord!" Gadd exclaimed running over. "Luigi ya did it! But what did you do, boy?"

"Nothing… I just opened it… what does it mean 'The Priory has Returned'?"

Gadd shrugged, "I dunno. Flip through it and see if you find anything!"

Luigi turned several pages at once. They were all blank. "Hmmm… this isn't some kind of joke is it?"

Gadd looked utterly speechless as he looked back and forth from Luigi to the book and back to Luigi. "I…I don't know…But, it obviously has to have something. You and I both saw the words appear at the beginning, right?"

Luigi nodded slowly before rubbing his chin and closing the book. The pair sat in silence momentarily. "I'll talk to Madame Clairvoya next time I'm down in that part of the house." He said standing and tucking the book underneath his arm. After Gadd had built Luigi's new mansion, he revived a few certain ghosts that Luigi had personally asked for. Shivers, Melody, Biff Atlas, and Madame Clairvoya were the ones he chose. The others were still in their paintings, locked away down in Gadd's lab.

Gadd sighed. "Yeah, I guess so… I just find it strange that there isn't anything in there."

"No there's something here… it just probably needs a little jumpstart," Luigi said as he left the room. Once outside, Luigi walked up the stairs carrying the book. For a book that size, it was surprisingly light. What does this have to do with me though? He thought. I still have a bit of trouble dealing with Shivers being around, but all ghosts and incorporeal beings? Man… I know I can't ever do that job…Still, I am curious as to what it's all about.

Luigi went to his room and changed into a faded pair of jeans and a blue and green t shirt before heading back towards the first floor. On his way back down, he ran into Marius, but Kreacher was nowhere in sight. "Marius," He questioned, "Where's Kreacher?"

"He had to go back to Croc Isle," He replied. Marius gave him a quick smile before slipping out the kitchen door to the backyard. The brothers and Shivers would be back any moment now, so Luigi knew he had to find Clairvoya before they got back or else he would never get the chance to find out what this mess was all about. He headed towards the back of the house and through a heavy wooden door which led into a very large and very dark room.

"I really wish I'd brought my flashlight," He said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together until a bright green ball of flame appeared in his hand. Cupping the light in his hand, he walked over and lit candelabra. Once lit, he extinguished the flame and picked the candle up and made his way over to a large oaken table. A large glass ball sat on a small diadem before him. "Guess I'll have to improvise." He extended his palm which had begun to glow slightly with static electricity. He gently placed his palm on the surface of the ball. He gripped the candelabra's base as the ball got brighter and brighter until a large flash occurred. An angry voice filled the room, causing Luigi to tremble, "Who Dares disturb my slumber! I, the all knowing seer, Madame Clairvoya!"

Luigi took a shaky breath and stared into the glowing crystal, "M-Madame… i-it's me…"

"Ah!" The voice changed instantly into one of surprise. "Luigi! My word I am truly sorry, dear. Please have a seat." The light flew out of the ball and materialized into an ethereal being who seated herself into a large decorative chair that sat on the opposite side of the table. Her golden, Almond-shaped eyes watched him as he seated himself into a chair across from her. She wore a cloth mask over her nose and mouth, a design on it unlike anything Luigi had ever seen before and gypsy-like clothing that seemed to scream out the fact that she was a fortune-teller. The room itself was stuffy and it reeked of incense. Luigi took several deep breaths to calm his nerves.

"I'm sorry, dear, what is it that you wish to know?" Clairvoya asked as Luigi placed the Black book next to her crystal ball.

"I have a feeling that you might know what this is…" Luigi said pushing it to her and opening it to the first blank page where the words from before appeared. Madame Clairvoya was silent for several minutes before Luigi cleared his throat. She sighed before speaking, "Yes… I do know. I suppose Gadd discovered it before you did, correct?" Luigi nodded. "He has no idea how powerful this secret is. I asked Shivers to deliver that directly to you." Luigi looked at her a moment. She knew something.

"What is going on, Clairvoya? I want to know…"

"Luigi… what I tell you in this room, stays in this room…This is the record book of the Priory of Eidolon. It houses all of their secrets of sorcery, maps and their history, however, it will only show it to the reader if you show the book who's boss," She winked at him. "I'm going to show you something now…" She tapped the surface of the crystal ball and instantly all light in the room was snuffed out. Luigi watched as she raised a bejeweled hand to her forehead and touched the spot between her eyes. Instantly, a strange mark burned to life. The mark itself resembled a very basic Triquetra, a somewhat triangular Celtic knot. Her fingers dwindled on the mark for a moment before touching the ball.

She waved her hands over it a few times before images began to appear. "Please…" She droned, "Gaze with me."

Luigi shrugged and stared at the images folding out before him.

A lone Paragoomba fluttered desperately over the landscape of Grassland towards part of a large army that sat nestled between the hills. Panting restlessly, it landed at the feet of a rather large Dark Blue Yoshi, upon which sat a well-armored man in a cobalt-blue surcoat. The coat was emblazoned with gold decorative trim; on the back it formed the image of a rather angry boo. A large sword sat in a large black sheath strapped to his side. He gripped the reins of his Yoshi with one hand as he bent down and scooped up the goomba with his other hand. The goomba lay panting for a few moments before looking up at the man.

"Sir… The Koopaharian army has almost reached the… the Imperial defenses," it wheezed.

"That'll do, Thank you," The man said before handing the exhausted goomba off to a small group of boo soldiers. The man closed his sapphire-blue eyes for a moment as a gust of warm air buffeted the congregation. The savanna winds were heavy with the smell of rain and well-oiled steel.

"My lord, what are your orders?" Questioned a large boo with a triquetra mark on his forehead.

"Alert the troops. We're moving out," He answered, turning his gaze back to the hazy prairie as the boo floated back towards the congregation of Toads, Boo's, and various other spirits. The man closed his eyes again. He had a rather handsome face with wavy dark brown hair that was graying at the temples a bit, clear blue eyes, and a rather prominent nose.

"Something vexes thee, my lord?" Asked an aging toad in a sorcerer's robe. He too bore the triquetra mark signifying that he was a mage and also a disciple of the priory. The knight looked at him and gave him a tired smile before touching the mark on his forehead. The toad mage copied him. The knight's mark differed slightly in that the triquetra had a circle around the center. "It's just the prophecy." He said uneasily.

"I'm sure the star spirits will see to it that everything goes according to plan," The toad reassured him. Still, the knight closed his eyes, "So shall it be written, so shall it be done… If I must give my life to see to it that the kingdom remains intact… so be it…Ancestors, preserve us!"

"My lord, we're ready!" Came the chorus of the army lieutenants. The knight drew his sword and raised it. "Move out!" He commanded. They took off at a hard gallop; those who could fly were doing so while others who couldn't sat astride Yoshis. Weapons were drawn as they came nearer and nearer to the enemy forces.

"Go!" Shouted the knight. All boos and spirits rushed forwards suddenly into the mass of koopas, hammer bros., and lakitus, teeth bared and eyes glowing. The mages fired their magic left and right as the knight and his Yoshi leapt into the fray, sword swinging wildly. The battle raged. Hundreds of soldiers both from the invaders and the combined imperial forces of the Eidolon and royal army were slain. A sudden bolt of lightning out of nowhere sent the knight leaping off of his steed and onto the ground in a desperate dodge.

He gritted his teeth as he picked himself up and retrieved his sword. He breathed one word as his assailant came into view. "Kamek…" A magikoopa wearing a black battle robe, armored breastplate and helm floated up to him on a broomstick. Seemingly oblivious to the sounds of battle around them, the two stared each other down.

Kamek took out a horn and blasted a loud call on it. Seemingly all at once, the goomba troops that had appeared so loyal to the king just moments before began turning on the very armies that they served.

"What?" Exclaimed the knight. Kamek laughed, "They are deviants now… and you're outnumbered…" he snarled.

Several goombas jumped on him at that moment. "Numbers be damned!" He hissed throwing them off of him. He roared angrily as he charged Kamek while Goombas tried to pile on him…

Suddenly, the ball dimmed, then went black…

"Wha? Hey!" Luigi exclaimed as he rubbed his eyes. "What happens next?"

"I apologize… my powers are not what they used to be," Madame Clairvoya said as she rubbed her eyes. "The man you saw in the blue surcoat was Kalliel, The last true Knight of Eidolon."

"What about Kamek? Why was he there?" Luigi stammered.

"One and a half thousand years ago, there was a great war between the denizens of dark world and the mushroom kingdom. It was long before Bowser, mind you, but sadly it was also the war in which the goombas deviated away from our forces. He was… killed that day."

Luigi looked at her strangely before standing and taking hold of the book. "I don't understand… What's all this got to do with me?" Madame Clairvoya gave him a flat look. Luigi picked up immediately what she meant, "No…No you can't possibly say that I'm going to pick up where this guy left off, do you?"

"The book responded to you didn't it?"

"Well, yeah… but it didn't say anything other than 'Um Vitam Habeant,Give them life, The Priory has returned…Long live the royal family…'"

"Didn't I tell you earlier that you have to make the book reveal its information? It won't show it to anyone else but you." She sat silent there for a moment. Luigi shook his head, "I don't know…" He said, making his way over to the door. "I don't even know what the Hell is going on!" He closed the door and went back up to his room. "This is all too much…" He mumbled rubbing his head. He needed something to clear his mind of this whole mess. He decided to give Daisy a call to see if she was doing anything that night. "Luigi, what are you getting yourself into?"

Madame Clairvoya leaned back in her chair before raising one hand to her mark and placing the other on the crystal ball… "Oh, Kalliel… He is confused, but we've found him at long last! I fear the worse… I fear that Kamek will discover this."

A man's voice came quietly from the ball… "So it would seem..."

A/N: This story will move rather quickly I'm afraid. I won't rush, don't worry, but it goes much deeper than you think. Just a quick note here, Eidolon is another word for Spirit or Ghost. It just sounds cool  There will be some love in the next chapter, so the romance thing is true.

Chapter 3: There's always a Silver Lining

Luigi discovers the significance of the information Madame Clairvoya revealed. But why is she concerned about Kamek? Luigi is feeling a deep sense of confusion as to why Clairvoya would think of him to be the new line of the Knights of Eidolon.