Chapter 37: Unending Misery
Jowee was in a hallway.
The walls were covered in large, realist paintings.
Each one had an image of one of Mari's mistakes.
A picture of the death of Mari's dad, that one time an outbreak killed most of the Banya crops and Mari panicked, that other time when...
The message Mari was making with these was apparent.
She truly believed failure was more powerful than triumph.
"We're all locked in an endless cycle of pain." Mari said. "We try, we fail, we try again, and we fail again. Even our successes are short lived."
Jowee continued to walk down the hallway. All of Mari's regrets were in front of him.
The portraits showed more of Mari's sins.
One showed Mari walking away with Wilfre, showing how she joined him when he stole the Color.
Another showed how she was unprepared for Circi's attack against the village.
Finally, the last one showed Jowee consumed by Darkness, and Mari trapped, all but helpless, in a prison cell.
"As you can see," Mari said, "I have failed in my role as Mayor. And what of you? Have you failed in your roll as Hero?"
Jowee was then racked with visions of the people he hurt in rage.
The destruction he reaped in the Galactic Jungle.
He was completely insane at the time. So many lives were lost, and it was all on his hands.
But he refused to let it break him.
"Mari, our mistakes don't define us." Jowee said. "We are more than that."
"Maybe." Mari said. "But what is the point? Every time evil is cast down, it only rises up again. I offer the only true salvation, and end to all the suffering of life. Only the sterility of death can end this."
Jowee was shocked by Mari's words. He looked behind him.
Mari was there, walking towards him with a tide of darkness behind her.
Jowee began to run.
"Cease your foolish crusade to stop the Darkness." Mari said. "Give in. Let me free you. Embrace the peace of night."
Mari was consumed by a grief that dominated her personality. All point and purpose of Life was gone for her.
Jowee continued to run, seeing a door at the far end.
The Darkness closed in. Mari reached for him.
"You can't escape me!" Mari roared.
Jowee burst through the door, and everything changed.
He was lying in his bed back at the village.
He stood up and looked himself in the mirror.
He looked about a year younger.
Walking outside, he saw Mari's dad, the Mayor, alive and well.
It was all a dream.
The Darkness had never descended on the Village in the first place. Perhaps the Darkness never even existed.
Everything, every hero, every dark monster, was all his childish dream.
He saw Mari run towards him.
"Hey!" She said. "It's a beautiful day today. Let's have a picnic."
Jowee nodded, and smiled. He tried to keep himself from tearing up.
All the pain and darkness that he had gone through was all just a dream. The world was right and good.
It may have meant that Heather never existed, but at this point, he didn't care. Mourning the death of a person only in your dreams was foolish.
He sat down with Mari under a large tree.
They ate sandwiches together.
The wind was cool on his face, the sky was bright blue.
Everything was perfect.
Then things started going wrong.
All the flowers wilted, withered, and died. The Banya crop died. Houses randomly caught fire.
He looked down at the food, and it was wriggling with Maggots and foul things.
Everything was in a state of misery and decay.
Everything except Mari.
She slowly floated off the ground, and was engulfed in black fire.
When the fires faded, only Darkness remained of her.
The Shadow Raposa, Mari, looked down at him.
"This is our battleground." She said. "This is where one of us shall die. In a grim reflection of our childhood."
Jowee drew his sword and prepared for combat.
Mari flew in circles around the Tree, throwing bolts of Shadow at Jowee.
Jowee tried to slice one in half, but in exploded in his face.
He decided to try avoiding them.
Shadow Walkers rose out of the ground, but he easily cut them down. The main battle was between him and Mari.
Mari danced in the air, moving far to quickly to be hit.
"I am as fast as the dashing of hope!" Mari said in a cry of rage and misery. "My victory is as inevitable as death!"
Jowee jumped unto the Tree, then bounced off of it to gain extra height, spun, and slashed into Mari's left arm.
Mari roared in pain, and fell to the ground, landing on her feet.
A blade of Shadow Goo grew out of her arm, disconnected, and then she took it and attacked.
The Two crossed blades and, again, Mari moved very fast.
They crossed blows 4 times every second, moving at lightning speeds to avoid being brought low by the other.
Eventually, they moved away from one another, each sweating and exhausted.
"Mari, this has to stop." Jowee said.
"It will stop, when one of us is dead." She replied.
"You can't just let the Darkness rule you!" Jowee said. "You were a great Mayor."
"You know that's a lie!" Mari said. "If I was such a great Mayor, why has everything gone so wro-"
She was cut off by Jowee pulling out the item he got from Mari's room.
The flower he gave her so long ago.
"Mari," Jowee said. "no one is perfect. Even the most beautiful thing on earth isn't perfect. You're not perfect. I'm not perfect. We don't need to be."
He walked towards he slowly. "I gave you this flower because I thought you were perfect, Mari. Not perfect as in you'd never make any mistakes, but perfect as my friend. You are still growing up, and I know you'll become the greatest Mayor to ever live! You'll be a hero for generations to come. Mari, I love you. Heather and Samuel and Zsasha and Dr. Cure... we all care about you, Mari."
Mari was speechless for a moment.
"Look inside, Mari." Jowee said. "If you're doing this out of grief, how will any of this make you feel better?"
Mari then grabbed herself by the hair.
After a few moments, she began to rip the Shadows off of her.
It was difficult, and probably painful, but Jowee came to help with his sword.
Eventually, the Darkness was thrown off.
Mari hugged him.
"Thanks, you big goofball." Mari said, blinking away tears.
Jowee held Mari close. "You're not a failure. Don't ever think that way again."