Fallen Heroes:

The other Kruna and the members of the Rainbow City Guard all turned around and walked over to see what Daisy saw; a photograph of what appeared to be a female fire wielder with a surprising resemblance to Mario. Judging by the modern background, the lovely and delightful woman looked like she had only just recently been in service.

"Woah," Koops murmured. "That really does look like Mario!"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence?" asked Toadette.

"Rosalina?" Bowser said, turning to the cosmic being.

"Marietta," Rosalina said. "Kruna Chitan of Fire. Deputy – and eventually leader – of the Kruna Chitan, the last team of Kruna before you all."

"If they're so recent, how come we never heard of them?" asked Daisy.

"It's been over thirty years – well, in this time anyways – since the Kruna Chitan's final mission," said Rosalina. "You all were either in infancy or early childhood when they finished their service. In that time since, Kruna started to fall out of favor, as people began to believe that they would never see or hear of another team again. Before you eight and the Kruna Chitan, Kruna teams have never had a gap of longer than a couple years, and this made people worry. Under the impression we'd never have an equal representation of the eight elements again, society moved on to more mass, widespread forms of order management and defense against malevolent entities; and special forces units went to the wayside. It didn't help that the Chitan all had a very tragic end of service."

"What happened to them?" asked Daisy.

"It was a horrible mission that should've never been taken," said Rosalina. "An army of rebels had raided and gained hold of this one city, Crescent Moon Village. They had taken the city and its residents as hostage and planted chemical bombs all throughout, over, and underneath the town. We sent the Kruna Chitan in to try and defuse the bombs and free the hostages, but upon entering the city, the timers on the bombs went off and started counting down. In probably one of the most rash and impulsive decisions I've known, the Chitan tried to track down the rebels in hopes of getting a hold of their equipment to deactivate the bombs altogether. They tried to do that rather than rescue everyone and get them out of the city before the bombs exploded. The Chitan chased the rebels around the city, but they failed to stop them and got caught in a trap in the process. Sadly, the rebels got away, and the bombs went off. The toxic fumes killed all the residents and all the Chitan. Marietta left behind two children – Mario and Luigi. The father, Luciano, had died shortly before Marietta's death through heart illness."

Daisy gazed once more at the photo of Marietta, who had only been about thirty years old at the time of her death. Mario and Luigi never talked about their parents, the earth wielder thought. No one ever did. Mario and Luigi must've been too young to actually know either them...

"Is Crescent Moon Village still around?" asked Warra.

"The buildings stood for years – and probably still stand – aging and corroding into decay," said Rosalina. "Some rumors say that ghosts and zombies of the inhabitants still listlessly roam the streets, stalking and attacking anyone – particularly anyone who even resembles a Kruna in appearance and power."

"It's said that they'll attack anyone who they believe will try to steal from their city," Wario added. "I went exploring through there once and managed to avoid trouble, but it always felt like there was somebody watching me and tugging at my collar."

"Woah, that sounds really creepy," Ramona mumbled with a shudder. "But then again, I guess that's just the M.O. of the surface world now."

"I bet Kruna came under a lot of scrutiny and criticism for what happened, huh?" said Toadette.

Rosalina made an anxious swivel with her head and exhaled with enough force to momentarily push up her bangs. "The first few years after the incident, dubbed 'Operation: Waning Crescent,' were nothing but that! We were in no position to try and put a new team together, and by the time everything settled down, we had no wielders good enough. The advent of all the advances in technology have made people more reliant on science to bend the world around them rather than sticking to the true roots of elemental wielding. And unfortunately, such a move has only increased the amount of aggression and conflict in the world in the years following Operation: Waning Crescent."

"I think this is why I find Toad and Alden's work has been so exceptional," said Warra. "Though their creations embrace the advances in technology, their end products are traditional and customary in their use and stay true to their roots as modernized classics."

"Yeah," said Ramona. "Their elemental tools are at one end of the spectrum as opposed to elemental weapons like the ones King Sarasa used. True elemental wielding is a wholesome art that requires power and focus from the user rather than a sufficient energy source and a push of a button or trigger."

"Precisely," said Rosalina. "You don't know how important it is that you eight understand that. And this adds on to why you eight are of special significance. The Kruna are the guardians of the elements and represent them in their truest, most natural forms; and in effect, Kruna represent what manipulation of the elements is supposed to be – an aid to the world rather than a hindrance or detriment. Daisy, Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, Marut, Neva, Ramona, Andrew; through your actions, our hope is that you can revive the Kruna name and, proverbially speaking, bring it back from the graveyard."

"But how are we supposed to do that?" asked Marut. "It's not like we've had an audience or anything to witness us when we've done our work."

"You all have not acted much in the public eye, and that is actually a good thing," said Rosalina. "People have lost faith in the Kruna name, so much so that the term stopped being mentioned. This started well before you eight even got sent through Marissa's time portal. People were hesitant to believe that a team of Kruna would even so much as be helpful anymore, and that has gotten worse in this time given what has happened. We all have done our best to keep hope alive up here in Rainbow City, but those trapped down below underneath the Nirvana Barrier believe that that is their ultimate fate. They don't believe anyone or anything can save them from the everlasting purgatory that Earth has become."

"Because we didn't stop it from happening in the first place," Daisy said. "And with Mario and Luigi most likely dead, and with Geno missing, I'm not surprised that they feel that way."

"Treat it as more incentive," said Rosalina. "You need not make any changes to the way you work. It's a very admirable and noble thing that you all have not tried to draw attention. No doubt that when this is all over, should you succeed, your actions will have spoken for themselves."

"Man, it's like there's just more and more piling up on our plate the longer we're here!" exclaimed Athelstan.

"This is just so much," said Ramona, easing into a nervous ramble. "I mean, with Elkon, and then Marissa and King Boo, and now this Nirvana Barrier and all this that you're asking of us – gosh this is so, so much! I don't even know how to describe it! It's like Athelstan just said; our mission gets more difficult the more we find out! Is there a ceiling for any of this, or is it just going to keep getting harder?"

"It could; we don't know," Rosalina replied. "But we're banking on your ability to handle the pressure and pull through. It helps knowing your ascension to Kruna was no doubt unorthodox."

"What do you mean?" asked Bowser.

"Truth be told, the Kruna of the past were, for the most part, hand-selected by us at the Comet Observatory," said Rosalina. "Your roles as Kruna were entirely up to destiny and fate, nothing more, and with no other influence. We read through the stars to figure out who to round up and recruit; and while there was some dissension about whether or not we should go along with you, here you are. Though while you are Kruna, we never had the opportunity to give you your team designation. In case you're wondering, that's the thing that separates you from other Kruna. It acts as a secondary identifier."

"It was essentially the 'Chitan' in 'Kruna Chitan,' right?" asked Toadette.

"Correct," the Elder of the Cosmos said. "So I leave that choice with you, Kruna."

"Ooh, let's make it something really cool!" Marut hollered. "Like the Kruna Crush! Or the Kruna Slicers?"

"What about calling yourselves the Kruna Strikers?" said Waluigi.

"The Kruna Raiders!" Wario bellowed.

"No! What's noble about being a raider?" asked Toadette. "I say they should be the Kruna Pride!"

"What about Kruna West?" said Warra. "We all came from the western part of the world, right?"

"Not Neva," said Andrew. "And I don't think Nimbus Land is necessarily in the West either."

"Nimbus Land's like right in the center, or maybe a little bit more west," Marut added.

"And technically, if I count Sarasaland instead of the Mushroom Kingdom, I'm from the East too," said Daisy.

"Kruna Thunder sounds awesome," noted DK. "Or Kruna Wham! With the exclamation point, too!"

"I like the Kruna Archivists," said Athelstan.

"No, bro!" Marut snapped. "Who's gonna take us seriously being called that? That's boring! We'll put people to sleep if they heard nerd stuff like that!"

"We're gonna be here all night trying to decide this, huh?" Neva whispered to Andrew.

"Why don't we use something that's not so...generic?" Bowser suggested, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, we started off as the Moirai," said Daisy. "So why not have our team be the Kruna Moirai? That's a good middle ground that keeps it simple enough, I think, because everyone's pretty much just all over the place right now."

"Fated Guardians of the Elements," Warra added. "That would be what it would mean, right?"

"That would work," said Rosalina. "Although, I would suggest one tweak; 'Kruna Yura,' Cosmic Dialect meaning, 'Destined Heroes of the Elements.' You are not solely taking on the roles of guardians anymore. Let's just say, for the sake of records, that you were Kruna Moirai at first, but now, you're Kruna Yura. You've ascended to take on a new meaning."

"Is that even allowed?" asked Waluigi.

"Sure," Rosalina replied. "Plenty of past teams have started out as one unit, but have ascended through one reason or another to a sort of, 'higher ranking' name. They go in the Cosmic Archives and Kruna Hall as being both names, with the tenure split between when they were under the first designation as opposed to the second one."

"But...if we fail, then we will have failed our Yura name," murmured Ramona.

"Then don't fail," Rosalina said.

"Kruna Yura it is, then," asserted Daisy.

"Yes, that's sounds professional," said Bowser.

"Yeah, it sounds real nice and clean," said Warra.

"And it rolls off the tongue easily," added Athelstan.

"Excellent," said Rosalina, smiling. "Your team designation will help to differentiate you from the other Kruna throughout history and, hopefully, from those of the future. Just as there has only been one Kruna Genesis team, you all will be the only Kruna Yura team. Between here in the Kruna Hall and the regions of the Cosmic Archives that are not quite as deep, we have on record each and every team of Kruna. There's only a few individuals whose records we have lost for otherwise extraneous reasons."

"Wait, so does that mean we're going to find Marissa in here?" asked Marut.

Rosalina showed a blank expression as a quick moment of silence ensued. "Follow me," she then said, her voice low as she turned to walk. The others in the group all noticed the abrupt change in the tone of the atmosphere.

Rosalina led the group down the hallway and turned to come to the center of the back corridor that curved to act as the intersection that the other hallways fanned out to. There, they came to a painting of whom they all had come to know as Marissa Arkana, the demon witch of the Malocchio Eye. Interestingly enough, she did not look nearly as menacing and dark as her most recent self. She stood in the photo wearing a red and black blouse, red pants, and orange boots and wristbands. Her left arm rested on her perched up knee and her right arm loosely held a sword with a blade in the shape of a thick, raging flame. Her long, low pigtails and charming smile were a far cry from her messy waves of hair and tormented, unstable expression as of late. She had no Mark of the Witch anywhere on her being or garb, and she had no pointy witch hat either. The sun shone in the volcanic background behind her, a common home environment for fire wielders.

Neva gasped with agitation. "It is her! It's Marissa! Without a doubt!"

"Are you sure that's Marissa?" asked Athelstan. "She doesn't look any bit as freaky as she does now!"

"Yes, that's her," Rosalina affirmed, gesturing to the painting. "Former Kruna Genesis of Fire, Marissa. This was her before 'Arkana' became a part of her name and history. As the former leader of the Kruna Genesis, the first team of Kruna, she led them on a campaign against the Demon God, Osiris, and sealed him away inside the Master Pendant; therein preventing him from both carrying on the Shadow Queen's work and from potentially freeing her from the seal inside the old Palace of Shadows that the legendary Four Heroes had placed on her. As you can see, not just Marissa, but all of the Kruna Genesis are here."

To either side of Marissa's painting were the Kruna Genesis of each other element; water, earth, stone, air, ice, light, and shadow. As expected, Geno, the former Kruna Genesis of Light, was among the group, pictured in an archaic version of the uniform Daisy and the others had grown accustomed to seeing him in. His elemental tools of that age, a golden recurve bow and a golden scepter, appeared cutting edge and legendary. Daisy walked over to look at Geno's painting and the display case with his equipment and iconic garments, her eyes wide but her face blank.

"Was there ever a replacement for Marissa?" asked Ramona. "You know, after she abandoned the Genesis and before she turned hostile to kill them..."

"Actually, no," Rosalina replied. "At the time, we did not mandate replacement members to be assigned to a team, for we did not fully understand the importance of the unity of the elements."

Waluigi looked at Rosalina with a face stranger than normal. "Just how old are you, again?"

"Old enough," answered Rosalina. She offered a small smile, but added nothing to her response, making Waluigi stare at her as if he were hallucinating.

"But in any case, that rule could've prevented a lot of trouble if we had it from the start," said Rosalina. "The replacement Kruna Genesis of Fire could've teamed up with the other seven of the team and sealed away Marissa, preventing any of this from transpiring."

"So why couldn't any fire wielder have had created an Elemental Seal with the seven Kruna Genesis?" asked Athelstan.

"Elemental Seals are tough enough for Kruna to attempt," said Rosalina. "Their proper execution necessitates that the members of the team all be powerful and proficient enough in their wielding to stabilize and meld their elements in such a manner. Otherwise, if a seal does form, it will be imbalanced and will give way; so all wielders performing the seal must have Kruna-level power, and there's not a lot of leeway in that regard."

"Look, that's all good to note; but what I don't understand is why Marissa is still in here!" Bowser snapped. "She has removed herself from grace with her actions against the world! You all up here have got a villain in the Kruna Hall!"

"To keep someone as nefarious as her in the Kruna Hall is absurd!" Warra added with passion. "We all know what harm she has caused even before she took control of the Earth!"

"We have pondered it multiple times, but it was always a difficult decision to make," Rosalina answered. "Despite all that she has done so far, she was such an inspirational role model back then. And if not for her and the other Genesis, then the world would've succumbed to Osiris and potentially the Shadow Queen too."

"So what?" Warra sputtered out in disbelief. "What has she done for the world lately? Not anything good, I'm certain!"

"Did she not kill six of her old Genesis teammates?" added Athelstan. "I thought there was a fairly strict no-kill policy among Kruna."

"I thought she was the reason there was a no-kill policy in the first place," said Andrew.

"This should not be a difficult decision!" exclaimed Bowser. "You guys up here don't get that what she has done after her corruption outweighs whatever good she did before it? If we judged everyone for what they did in the past, then why haven't you locked me up?"

"Bowser, what do you mean..." Rosalina started to say.

"All the trouble I caused before I came together with my fellow wielders here," Bowser said. "And now, I'm standing in the Kruna Hall on the Comet Observatory of all places? All is well because I had a relatively good two month or so stretch? What if something happened then or later, where I become a menace, whether under my own will or under the influence of something other? Then what?"

"You were never inherently evil," said Rosalina. "You only had a vendetta against Peach and Mario-"

"Then how is Marissa not?" asked Bowser, face strained and stressed.

"I never said she wasn't..." Rosalina replied. "No one did. But then again, no one said she was. We don't really understand what led to such an extreme turn. There's a difference between pure wickedness and purposeful vices or evils necessary to one's goals. That's why Elkon was in a different league from someone like the Shadow Queen. That's why you, Bowser, are an entirely different case from someone like Kokoro. That's also why Marissa and King Sarasa may be one in the same. But we don't know enough as of now. We may be a bit too forgiving, but it's not like we're just forfeiting the fight against her – no, far from it. She's a part of history. Namely, she's a part of Kruna history. We can't just erase her from history. That's not how reality works."

"Rosalina..." Daisy murmured. "...Why does this plaque say Geno lived until 2010...?"

All eyes turned to Rosalina, who stared at Daisy with no expression whatsoever. The Elder of the Cosmos gave no immediate response, but Daisy looked determined to wait in silence until she got one. The increasingly tense atmosphere loomed heavy on the group of fourteen as Rosalina and Daisy stared each other down.

"I believe we deserve an answer, Grand Elder," said Bowser.

"Is that plaque a typo? Is it a mistake that no one caught?" asked Ramona.

"...It's no typo..." Rosalina responded. "He only lived until 2010."

"So you all knew he was dead when I clearly asked what had happened to him?" asked Daisy, a cross between a growl and a hiss creeping into her voice. She looked at DK, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, and Koops with rising anger. "All of you just decided to lie?"

"No, they didn't decide to," said Rosalina. "I told them to... So don't vent in their direction..."

"Why did you feel the need to lie?" Daisy yelled. "What makes you think that dishonesty was okay for something like this?"

"I don't know," Rosalina mumbled. "There was so much going on, and so much that had happened... I just didn't think you all should've been bombarded with even more than what we already informed you of."

"Poor excuse," Daisy said.

"If it's any consolation, we honestly don't know what happened to Peach," said DK. "But Geno is definitely gone. He's been gone for eight years."

Daisy didn't calm down, but she didn't shout when she spoke. "Just...at least tell us what happened..."

"Did he just die of old age?" asked Warra. "I mean, he had lived for a very long time..."

DK sighed, then flipped up his eye patch. His right eye had gone blind; the pupil and iris scarred over as a cloudy, silky gray through which no light could enter. A thick, scarred gash ran in a diagonal from underneath his eyelid to up over his brow line.

"I was there," DK said. "It was shortly after you eight had disappeared. I ran over to find you all but found Geno instead, so I went with him to chase down King Boo. I wasn't prepared to see both a powered up Marissa andUmbraKing Boo flying down from Bellbridge."

"I spoke through telepathy to Geno to get him and DK out of there," said Rosalina. "My associates here and I started rounding up some of the Comet Observatory's best reserves to pull together masses from the cosmos and suspend them in the mid-atmosphere down below, forming the base and foundation of Rainbow City. I had no time to argue with Geno when he decided not to retreat or flee."

"He told me to getaway instead, but he wanted to stay behind and fight Marissa and King Boo both," DK said. "He insisted, to the point where he was gonna blast me away, so I had to turn and go. But Umbra King Boo got a swipe at me with his shadow claws. Geno fended them off and gave me the chance to get away before they took more from me than the vision in my right eye."

"Eventually, I couldn't contact Geno at all," Rosalina said.

"I remember constantly looking back at the scene behind me," DK said under his breath. "I kept glancing back and kept seeing explosions and light shows; but soon... I stopped seeing the lights... Soon, it was all just explosions. I'm lucky I got away. I got away thanks to Geno. I wish I could've stayed behind, but I was outmatched, and he knew I was outmatched...but I also wonder if he knew that he himself was outmatched..."

"Rosalina..." Daisy murmured. "Why didn't you send him any help?"

"I panicked a bit," Rosalina said. "He insisted on facing those two alone. I just...I knew we had to get Rainbow City to evacuate people to before the Nirvana Barrier finished. That was the number one need-"

"But you should know him better than any one of us!" Daisy yelled. "And you let him fight those two alone and get killed?!"

"Back off, Daisy," Waluigi said. "Just cool your gasket and get over yourself! You getting riled up isn't going to help anything. We don't need drama this late at night."

Daisy opened her mouth to bark at Waluigi, but she stopped herself from saying anything. Enraged, but deflated, she looked around at everyone in the room before whipping around to storm down the hall. She said nothing further as she went in the direction of the Kruna Hall exit.

"Excuse me," Warra said, turning to go after Daisy. Toadette, Neva, and DK turned to follow Warra.

"Don't expect me to go after her too," said Waluigi. "She's a tough girl. She doesn't need no apology from nobody."

"Actually, in this instance, she does," said Bowser, tone sharp. "Geno was a big help to us all and to her especially. Maybe they didn't always get along well, but he was still a teacher to her, and the second elemental master of hers to get killed."

"So what?" Waluigi asked.

"She hasn't had any decent father figures in her life except for those two," Bowser snarled. "Her old master, Terran, and Geno; both of them dead. I get what it's like to experience such loss, but if you don't want to be considerate, too bad! You better go and correct yourself before you have to answer to me."

Waluigi grimaced for a quick moment, but then sighed and looked away. He tromped down the corridors to leave the Kruna Hall. He could be heard mumbling as he stalked out through the halls, "No need to get so defensive..."

"I apologize for the deceitfulness in covering up Geno's passing," said Rosalina.

"It's alright," said Ramona. "You meant no harm. Better to find out now than much later on when we really can't afford to handle such unsettling news. I feel like now would be a good time to head back down to Rainbow City, you guys."

"I agree," said Athelstan. "It has probably gotten pretty late. Maybe tomorrow night when everyone's feeling better, we'll be able to have some fun!"

Marut perked up and raised his arms. "Yeeeaaaaah! Alrighhhht!"

"I don't know – a Monday night sounds kinda mundane if ya ask me," said Koops. "Thursday night's jumping though, 'cause we've got Thursday Night Strikers at Astral Stadium."

"Well we know who'll be there then," Andrew said. "I mean, if she'll be up for checking it out."

"Daisy'll be fine, I'm sure," said Athelstan. "Right now, I'm more concerned about Bowser! You've been pretty flustered for a little while there, buddy!"

"I guess I am," Bowser replied. "But don't pay me any second mind. I'm ready to go when you all are."

"Alright then, Kruna Yura," Rosalina said. "I thank you all for accompanying me here, as well as you who are part of the Rainbow City Guard. Kruna, remember what you represent and why you have the titles you do now. You carry a strong, deep legacy that you must restore vigor to." She gestured to the paintings of the Kruna Genesis as she recited a familiar sequence. "Let stone be the world's mold. Let earth be the harbinger of life. Let fire bring heat to the land. Let water nourish the surroundings. Let air inspire motivation and freedom. Let ice instill cold and preservation. Let light be the energy and guidance for all. Let shadow bring relaxation and rest. All eight shape the world. All eight are reality... That is the Elemental Psalm; a psalm that has stood the test of time and that will now test you eight, Kruna Yura. Goodnight, and you are dismissed."

Wario, Koops, and the remaining Kruna Yura said their goodbyes and started to head in the direction of the Kruna Hall entrance. None of them expected the Elder of the Cosmos to suddenly call out at them again just seconds later.

"Oh...but Bowser, you wait," said Rosalina. "I would like to have a word with you, if you're not in a rush."

Bowser stopped and turned, giving Rosalina an odd look that mixed with his somewhat anguished expression. "No...I'm in no rush..."

The others of the group stopped as well, but Bowser waved them off. Without any meandering around, they left; leaving Bowser and Rosalina by themselves.

"Let's go out to the garden," said Rosalina. "Something's clearly bothering you. That much, I can tell."

"Yes," Bowser replied. "But if you want me to say anything about it, just don't mention it to the others."

"Well, it depends on what it is," Rosalina replied. "I can't make any guarantees. What's so disconcerting that you can't let your teammates know what's going on?"

Bowser scowled but made a slight smile. "I don't know – you just admitted to trying to hide Geno's death, so you tell me."

"Fair enough," Rosalina said, walking towards the entryway. "Follow me."