It was quiet and the air was still. Numbness swam over his body as he felt himself drifting aimlessly through the colorless, nothingness that surrounded him. Feeling a welcomed flow of eerie peace and calm Mario surrendered to the unknown serenity that was enveloping his every sense of being. As Mario prepared to let go of everything, as he prepared to let himself wander freely without pain in this eternal bliss, a voice called out to him piercing the silence.

"Mario!" The voice was faint but distinct and familiar. "Help me!"

"P-Princess?" Mario slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the nothingness above him. "I... Where... are you?"

"Mario!" She called out again, her voice now closer and more pleading. "Please! Save me! I need you!"

"N-need me..." Mario's vision began to clear as a bright light shined down from the nothingness. "I... Princess?"

"Please!" Her voice echoed one last time as a new voice, just as familiar called forth.

"Wake up!"


Sitting upright in a bolt of shock and adrenaline Mario felt a strong, warm arm wrap around him and hold him still in a firm hug. The nothingness faded away as reality swam into his vision. Peach's voice was silent once more.

"L-Luigi?" Mario asked confused as his voice shook with uncertainty.

"Thank-" Luigi swallowed his grief before continuing. "I thought I lost you."

"Lost?"

"Lay back down." Luigi instructed as he helped Mario lay flat on his back on a soft brown blanket. A second blanket was already draped over him. "You need to rest."

Looking around Mario realized that he and Luigi were inside of a large cave with a crashing waterfall curtaining off the entrance. Rich green moss crawled over the damp stones as fresh water dripped down steadily from the stalactites overhead. A large bonfire burned in the center of the cave warming it with an enchanted glow. It was then he spotted his clothing laid out and drying on a large rock near a smaller bonfire a few yards away.

"What happened?" Mario asked softly as fatigue suddenly washed over him. "Where are we?"

"Rest." Luigi repeated as he pulled the blanket up over Mario's bare chest. "I'll explain everything later."

Unable to stay awake Mario let slumber overtake his mind and his body relaxed.

For what seemed like days Mario slept, only coming to his senses when a small hand pressed against the side of his face. Opening his eyes his vision slowly came into focus revealing a hooded figure kneeling over him.

"You're awake." The kind, feminine voice whispered to him. "I'm glad. Your brother will be relieved, as well."

"Luigi?" Mario blinked slowly as he turned his head and spotted Luigi asleep, his back leaning against the cave's wall as he dozed. He too had a brown blanket draped over himself.

"Your brother is quite well. Tired, but well." The Toad lowered her hood and revealed her face. She had indigo colored spots on her mushroom cap and a gentle smile on her face. "My name is Brook."

"Brook?"

"Sage of the Water."

"The Sage?" Mario laughed a little to himself. "Luigi found the Sage?"

Brook patted Mario's arm lightly. "Actually, I found him."

"What happened to me? The last thing I remember was... falling into the river."

Taking a small stone bowl with a mixing stone in her hands Brook sat beside Mario as she prepared to tell him about everything that she had witnessed. "It was a very close call for you, my stubborn friend." She remarked as she placed a red mushroom inside the bowl and began crushing it into a fine powder. "But you are both here and that's all that matters."

"Tell me," Mario insisted as he failed to sit upright. "what happened?"


"Mario!" Luigi raced the river as fast he could run, unable to outrun the raging current that pulled his brother downstream. "MARIO?!"

Helplessly Luigi watched as Mario's body was pulled over the waterfall and plummeted into the deep lake that was sat precariously far below the towering fall.

"No..." Luigi came to sudden halt at the edge of the falls and looked down at the churning foam of the river as it crashed into Cobalt Lake.

As a horrible vice tightened around his heart Luigi stood atop the falls and stared down with absolute horror on his face. With his mind racing and his heart aching Luigi tightened the strap of the satchel around his shoulder and took a deep breath. As he shut his eyes he took a head first dive from the falls and into the lake below.

Reaching the cold water with a painful splash Luigi forced his opened as he gazed through the dark water in an attempt to locate his missing brother. His keen eyes focused on a swatch of red drifting downward deeper and deeper into the heart of the lake.

Swimming quickly Luigi dove into the depths and reached his hand out for his brother. Managing to grab a hold of Mario's arm Luigi pulled his brother to the surface in a near-blind panic!

Breaking through the surface of the water Luigi coughed loudly and pulled Mario up until the back of his head was resting against his own shoulder.

"M-Mario?" Luigi sputtered as he struggled to catch his breath while keeping himself and Mario afloat. "Mario?!"

Mario never was unconscious and very pale.

Luigi listened intently as he placed his ear beside Mario's face, hoping to either hear or feeling his brother's breath against his skin, but there was nothing!

"Hold on..." Luigi urged swimming as gracefully as he was fast to the edge of the lake with Mario in tow. "almost there."

Pulling himself by one arm out of the lake Luigi dragged Mario out of the water and onto the lakeside bank, onto his back. Pressing an ear to Mario's chest Luigi listened again for any sign of breathing but heard nothing.

"No, not like this!" Luigi almost barked as he pressed his hands against Mario's chest and began compressing rhythmically. "Come on..."

Keeping a precise rhythm and controlled strength Luigi compressed Mario's chest in attempt to force the water out of Mario's lungs.

"Don't do this, bro..." Luigi begged with tears in his eyes. "I still need you! The Princess still needs you! Think of the Princess! I know you can hear me!"

A sudden spasm followed by a choking fit startled Luigi as Mario began coughing up the lake water. Turning Mario onto his side Luigi support Mario's back as his brother finally showed signs of life.

"That's it!" Luigi encouraged as he felt his brother take in slow shallow breaths. "Breathe!"

On edge after the intense events Luigi was kneeling protectively at his brother's side. The feeling of being watched was powerful and almost feral. The hairs on the back of Luigi's neck went up as his eyes were drawn instinctively back to the waterfall.

Mario stopped coughing and his body relaxed beneath Luigi's touch. Placing a hand beneath Mario's head Luigi lifted his brother up from the bank and let him rest against his long arm.

"Who's there?" Luigi asked angrily as he stared intently at the waterfall. "I know you're there! Show yourself!"


"You found us," Mario whispered as all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "and brought us here."

"That's right." Brook confirmed as he took a small flash from her brown tunic. "This is my home: the Ancient Cave. We are safely hidden away behind the Lost Waterfall, which as you many have guess, connects to the Lost River."

"Thank you for helping us."

Brook finished grinding the mushroom into a powder and added some pure spring water from the flask to the compound. Mixing the powder into a pink broth she gently lifted Mario's head and pressed the bowl to his lips. "Drink this. It'll keep you from getting sick."

Mario obeyed and drank the sweet medicinal mixture and readily laid back down. "Luigi saved me..." He quietly said to himself.

"Yes." Brook acknowledged Mario's admission much to his dismay. "You are very lucky to have such a loyal brother."

"Yeah... I am." Mario sighed as he turned his head and smiled at Luigi, then grimaced at his own behavior. "I just wish I hadn't been such a bullheaded jerk to him!"

Brook laughed at Mario before turning her focus to the bonfire and stoked the flames with a big stick. "You are brothers. Bickering is normal."

Mario closed his eyes still feeling guilty for his earlier actions toward Luigi. "But if I had listened to him when he told me to back away from the river-"

"You wouldn't have fallen in?" Brook finished Mario's thought before had the chance.

"Well... Yeah."

"You know this for sure?" She pressed on curiously.

"Huh?"

Brook just smiled again as he turned back to Mario. "As I stated earlier, I found Luigi and he was with you. Do you believe I found you two out of pure luck?"

Mario didn't know how to answer he instead just kept his silence.

"No, my friend. I have been waiting for the hero, or in this case; heroes, who would venture the Lost River in search of the glass shard that arrived the morning before. I watched you as you traveled the river and I watched at the earth gave way beneath your brother's feet even as he walked at a safer distance from the river." She brushed a lock of brown hair from Mario's face as she rested her hand on his forehead. "There is no to prove that you wouldn't have fallen into the river, regardless of where you tread."

Still feeling like a horrible person Mario shut his eyes and sighed wearily. "I should've listened to him."

"Perhaps. But try not to fret." Brook retraced her hand. "You're running a mild fever. Do not strain yourself. By dawn you should be well enough to continue on, if you so dare."

Remembering his dream... (Or was it a hallucination?) Hearing Princess Peach calling out to him, pleading with him to find a way to rescue her ate away at his every thought.

"I..." Mario paused and took in a deep breath. "We," he corrected himself before continuing. "we have to keep going. The Princess needs us."

"A worthy answer, heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom." Brook smiled warmly before strolling to the back of the waterfall and into the mossy cave within. "Rest well, for tomorrow your journey resumes."

...to be continued...