Chapter 50: Joe Dark VII: One Last Chance

"...It's over. Looks like we will not need to go through with the witch's plan after all." The figure that speaks from behind the shadows gets ready to turn around and leave, when his other overlooking friend shuts off the escape route with a snap of the fingers. "I wouldn't be so quick to depart my friend. A story is not over until every page has been written, and the author of this tale still has ink left in his pen." "I'd watch your tongue, jester, because from the way you speak it sounds like you want the Overlord to succeed." "Until those words directly slip through my lips, my intentions are still the same as they always have been. I am merely pointing out that the Overlord has not been destroyed...After all, there is still one force capable of changing this everflowing tide of battle." The second figure uses his magic to change the portal's view from the Origin Temple to that of Star Haven's Sanctuary, where the Star Spirits are currently residing. "Now, come back over, and let us watch them decide the end of this story..."

We change our point of view to that of the Sanctuary. The Star Spirits all have their eyes closed, their minds focused completely on the desperate situation happening on the surface of the planet. It has been hard for them to continue looking, as every time they felt relieved by the sight of the Dark King being struck down, they ended up frightened a moment later as the malicious king's power continued to increase exponentially. Upon Alex being struck down once more, all seven of the wise Spirits opened their eyes and looked at one another with a disheartened look in their oval shaped pupils. "..." Eldstar is silent, not only because the planet he was sworn to protect is now doomed, but also because he hid the truth about the Dark King and the Elemental Overlord from the planet for so long, it cost Geno his life.

"What are we going to do, Eldstar?" Mamar is the first to speak up. "...I do not know." The elder Star responds. "We must come up with a plan quickly!" Skolar says. "The one called Joe Dark underestimates the power he wields!" "Skolar is right." Kalmar says. "He thinks this next attack of his will only blow up the temple and everything surrounding it, but in reality it will erase the entire planet and kill everyone on it, including himself!" The Star Spirits begin to bicker among one another, all of them save for Eldstar discussing different ideas on how to stop this, but when the elder Star can no longer handle all of the noise around him, he opens his eyes up wide and screams out "ENOUGH!", which is more than enough to silence the rest of his companions and turn their attention towards the fury in his eyes.

Eldstar regains his composure and closes his eyes. The rest of the Stars give him a moment of silence in order to let him gather his thoughts and speak. "We shall evacuate the planet..." Is what he offers as his solution. The other Star Spirits are taken aback by his answer, even though deep down they knew that he would end up saying this. "How can we do that? Where will we go?" Are the questions the Spirits ask simultaneously. "We will use the Star Rod to put everyone on the planet into a state of eternal slumber, and then sacrifice both the Rod and Star Road to teleport everyone, including ourselves and Mario's group on top of the temple, to a planet that I know of that will be suitable enough to support the lives of us all..." "So...these are our last hours on this planet? ...I must ask Eldstar, what about the young Overlord?" Misstar asks. "There is nothing we can do for him..." Eldstar hesitates in his response

"What do you mean by that?" The voice comes from out of nowhere, but the Star Spirits are quick to recognize it. Turning themselves around to look at the entrance, they see a light orb of glimmering light standing in the center of the doorway. "Geno?" Eldstar says in utter shock. "How are you still alive?" The little star floats up to the center pedestal before he speaks again. "Only my body was destroyed, thank heavens for that..." "Whew..." Eldstar lets out a sigh of relief. "It is nice to know that you will be there with us when we go to that new world..." "I overheard your conversation, Elder Star...Why can't you use the Star Rod's powers to heal Alex?" "Because Geno...By inheriting the Elemental Overlord's powers, the boy called Whiter has now ascended to a level of power that surpasses even the Star Rod's own...We had considered that option the first time he was damaged, but as things are now, it is impossible...I'm sorry."

"Oh..." If Geno still had his body, this would be the part where he lowers his head and begins to accept the harsh truth that lies before him. But then he remembers something, an incident that happened in the past involving both the Star Spirits and the Star Rod. "Wait! Remember when Bowser stole the Star Rod that one time? And then both Peach and Twink managed to use the hopes and wishes of the people on the planet to power you guys up so Mario could negate the power of the buffed Star Rod? Maybe we could use that method again! Only this time around-" "The Star Rod ITSELF would get powered up instead!" A glimmer of hope flares up within Eldstar's eyes, only for it to die down in a matter of seconds. "..."

"What is it Eldstar?" Kalmar asks. "Geno, your idea is sound, but there is a major problem..." Eldstar raises his arms up high and an orb appears in the center of the room. The orb plays a video showing the aforementioned battle between Mario and Bowser on one side, with another video of people all-around the Mushroom Kingdom sharing their hopes and dreams to help Mario win playing on the other side. "Mario had earned respect from hundreds of people around the Mushroom Kingdom, which is part of the reason as to why they followed an unknown voice's plea to speak of their hopes and dreams. Alex is a different story. Though he carries the soul of a man once known as a god in his body, he himself is an unknown person. No one has any reason to trust him with their lives, and as such it will be impossible to gather any hopes and dreams from anywhere besides Toad Town..."

"Eldstar..." Geno floats over to the mustache'd star's face. "Please, just set up a telepathic communication link to the rest of the planet. I have an idea on how to make everything work out..." Eldstar is hesitant in responding. But he lets out a heavy sigh and realizes that it's completely unlike him to be giving up hope so easily. "Very well Geno, I trust you with your plan..."

Back in Toad Town, Peach can be seen limping out to the highest balcony in her castle. She can be seen holding her bleeding left arm tightly, with Toadsworth panicking beside her. "Princess, you shouldn't be moving! Please, get back in the castle where it's safe!" Peach reaches the end of the balcony and turns her head to give her elderly retainer a rather fake smile. "I wouldn't be much of a Princess if I neglected to be there for my people in their time of need..." Peach turns her face back around and gets a serious look in her eyes. "Besides, nowhere is safe anymore..." She whispers to herself. As she overlooks the town, she sees the devastation brought upon the populace by the rampaging lightning bolts. Houses are burning down, Toads can be seen dragging their friends and family members out of the rubble, and there is a group of young ones huddled together beneath a giant wooden board. Luckily, despite the hefty damages to the properties, no one has died.

"People of Toad Town!" Despite the pain in her damaged arm, Peach raises both of them high into the air to address the town folk with a comforting yet loud tone of voice. The townsfolk stop running amok and turn their attention towards the castle. Anyone who is out of range of the Princess' voice is called over to the town center to listen by the rest of the populace. "I know things look tough, I know you are all scared...It's not wrong to be scared, and if I must be honest I am just as frightened as the rest of you! But please, you must stay headstrong, for-" "You know what? I can't believe you are trying to tell us to calm down, when the world is ending right before our very eyes!" A random Toad with green spots on his head yells out to Peach. "In fact, since these are my last days on this Earth, I got a few choice words for you! You were a horrible Princess! Always getting kidnapped, always letting other people do stuff for you while you sat back in that throne room of yours! Meanwhile, the rest of us had to always deal with the brunt of whatever darn plans Bowser or some other evil force had up their sleeves! And also, I must-" A few other Toads jump onto that single Toad to silence him, but as he struggles to break free from his restrainers, his words incite words of treason against Peach from various members of the crowd as well.

Eventually the crowd erupts into a full-scale riot, their deafening cries of violence prevent Peach's voice from getting through to them. "Please..." Peach begs to herself for the Toads to stop, but nothing happens. "Please." She tries speaking out to the crowd, but at first she only does so quietly. Almost on the verge of tears, Peach lowers her head and slams both of her fists onto the bar of the balcony. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" The sound of her tearful scream is not the only sound heard that stops the Toads from fighting. From the back of the crowd Professor E. Gadd can be seen blowing an air horn into a Megaphone to get the townsfolk's' attention. As everyone turns their attention towards the elderly professor, he tosses the air horn off to the side and the megaphone near his mouth. "Princess Peach...I know you are trying to do the right thing, but we cannot withhold the truth from these frightened people any longer!"

Peach raises her head up as the elderly professor speaks, and nods in agreement after he is done. Taking her nod as a sign of acceptance, E. Gadd nods back to her then aims his megaphone at the crowd of anticipating Toads. "I'm sorry to say, but that one Toad is right...This is, in fact, the end of our world." The group lets out a collective gasp, and then all of them begin to quietly murmur to one another. "You may be wondering how I know...And I can provide that answer to you. You see, just this morning Mario, Luigi, and a few other brave souls set out through my portal device to a place called the Origin Temple. They went there to bring about the revival of the Elemental Overlord, a being of near-infinite power who lived over two-thousand years ago. And as much as it pains me to say so...They succeeded. Shortly after they left, I found some text on the back of the tablet I had found that spoke of the Overlord's fall at the hands of despair, and how the skies would crash down to signal the end of all life on the planet..."

"Wait..." A little, yellow-capped Toad walks out from the center of the crowd and twiddles his fingers around in front of his chest, a sign of his nervousness towards speaking to the Professor. "You said...That Mr. Mario and Mr. Luigi went to this temple...So...What has happened to them?" E. Gadd lowers his megaphone and tilts his head off to side. "I don't know..." He says in response to the little one's question. "Let me take over from here Professor." A voice speaks in the Professor's mind. Upon recognizing it, the professor lifts his head up and tries to look around for the person addressing him. "Geno? Where are you?" He asks. "I'm up in Star Haven, the Star Spirits are using their strength to allow me to talk to everyone on the planet. Now please listen careful, we don't have much time!"

"It's time that all of you on this planet knew the truth. Two-thousand years ago there was a war between two deities on a far off planet. The Elemental Overlord and the Dark King fought a battle that ended with the later losing their life, and the former being brought close to death. For whatever reason, the Overlord sealed the Dark King's power away in a cavern deep within the desert, then traveled around the world with his seven loyal guardians, the Genesis Samurais, to find seven places in order to seal parts of his powers away within seven stones. There was a guardian placed both within and outside each temple, each and every one of them eternally loyal to the man who created them...It was this same Overlord who created me, Heartnote? or as some of you better know me as, Geno."

In a small town just due south of Toad Town, a young Toad with a purple-striped cap and a blue vest can be seen tightly holding on to a Mario doll for comfort, when he hears the truth about "Geno"'s origin. "Well I'll be darned..." He says to himself. "After all preparations were made, the Overlord created one final temple to seal away his very soul along with the remainder of his powers into an orb on the top floor. His loyal guardians stayed behind in the temple to guard it and his legacy forever, and the lone maiden who followed him to very end exited the temple and took me to Star Haven, where I became the herald of the Star Spirits. Years passed by, and the guardians protected the seven temples from many threats...But there was one guardian who failed." Geno quickly goes over the tragic tale of the one called Driad, then continues on speaking of the issue at hand.

"And then, just a week ago...Driad met someone. The great hero of this planet, Mario, and his companion, a young boy who has now inherited the Overlord's powers, Alex Whiter." Geno then explains how Mario went on this journey, and a few things about how Alex is connected to all of that. "So Driad joined them, and on the way they overcame many trials, being joined by many allies both new and old and overcoming the guardians of each and every temple with all of their might, eventually culminating in all of us entering the Origin Temple and defeating the guardians that rested inside. But there was one obstacle that we were never able to overcome, no matter how hard we tried. Please, I must ask everyone who is still listening to close their eyes in order to see this..." At first the people of the world are reluctant to follow this unknown voice's wishes, but they determine that it would be better for them to know the truth in their final hour, and proceed to close their eyes.

Upon doing so, they see the image of Joe Dark continuing to charge up his world-destroying attack. "His name was Joe Dark...A violent young boy who allied himself with the witch Cackletta in order to kill Alex." In a faraway town in a faraway land, a massive, rotund green creature with an orange dress and a crown stands outside of a ruined castle with her retainer, a short, elderly figure with a robe around her body. "Cackletta? But didn't the Mario Bros.-" "Hush my Queen, let us keep hearing this 'Geno' person out." The retainer says. "Alex was about ready to take the Overlord's powers for himself, but then Joe Dark had appeared, having now absorbed the Dark King's spirit into his own body and becoming more demonic as a result of that..."

The image projected into everyone's heads is changed to an overhead view of the fallen Alex. "Alex was able to get the Overlord's powers due to us distracting Joe Dark...But it was not enough. Overwhelming the boy with ease, Joe Dark was about ready to finish him off for good, when the ones who pledged their lives to their master...Those seven brave warriors...Sacrificed their lives for his own sake." The images flash through a few quick overhead shots of the seven fallen Genesis Samurais. "Having seen enough, the Star Spirits imbued a fraction of their powers onto Mario and his friends...But even that proved ineffectual in stopping him...And..." Showing hints of reluctance in his voice, Geno almost chooses not to show the world the fates of their heroes, but after a few seconds his relents and proceeds to let the overhead images of Mario, Luigi, Mallow, Driad, Alpha, Gemini, and Rosalina's fallen bodies pass through the minds of the planet's populace.

Upon seeing the sight of their child in an unconscious state on the ground, the Queen of Nimbus Land lets out a horrified gasp and faints face first onto the floor of her throne room. The King kneels down and tries to comfort her, but to no avail. The sight of Luigi on the ground causes the citizens all-around the Waffle Kingdom to raise their hands into the air, every last one of them cheering out to the sky "Get up Luigi! You can do it Luigi!" and various other motivational words, not a single on of them wishing to accept that their hero could be dead. The one who really takes this devastating imagery to heart is one Princess Daisy of Sarassaland. Her eyelids are closed so tightly so that a single tear can not slip through them, and she has now kneeled onto the ground and tightly grasped the lower part of her dress with both hands. The citizens around her hear a single sniffle emerge from her nose, and proceed to walk over to give her a comforting hug. But it's the sight of Mario's fallen body that causes all of the world to lose any hope they had left within them. All the places that Mario had saved, from Rogueport to the Beanbean Kingdom, Dinosaur Island to even the far-off dimension of Flipside, there was not a single person who was able to feel even a hint of happiness...

Even the brute of a King, Bowser, who is currently sitting in the throne room of his castle all bandaged up with all eight of his children and both of his most trusted advisors Kamek and Kammy at his side, can't help but cry at the sight of his long-time rival flat on the ground. "Darn it...DARN IT!" Bowser's sudden outburst shakes the castle walls, and causes his children to jump to their feet. "Mario...I WAS YOUR RIVAL, I WAS THE ONE WHO HAD THE RIGHT TO BRING YOU DOWN! YOU GET BACK UP ON YOUR FEET RIGHT NOW...OR SO HELP ME, I...I..." Bowser stops yelling, and places both of his massive claws against his face. As he starts to cry, his children huddle together and begin to do the same as well.

"I know everything looks hopeless, I know we are on the brink of annihilation...But please hear me out! There is still a way for us to be saved! The Elemental Overlord...No, Alex Whiter can still defeat the Dark King before it's too late! Look deep within you...You all have hopes and dreams worth living for! Parents, you want your kids to live a bright future, in a world without conflict. Kids, you want to be astronauts, scientists, or simple ol' family men or women! Just clear your mind, think of your aspirations, and we will be able to use that power to heal the Overlord and save our world from destruction so those dreams can come true!" After Geno finishes his long-winded speech, there is a period of silence. A random Toad in Toad Town is about ready to fold their hands in front of their chest, when the same defiant Toad from earlier bats him one on the arm.

"Ow!" The praying Toad says. "What was that for?" The grumpy Toad refuses to respond and raises his fist high into the air. "Hey! I know you can hear me up there, so answer me this! How can you trust this boy to be our savior?" "Are you insane?" The praying Toad responds. "No, I'm being rational! Something you are neglecting to do just because you are scared!" The grumpy Toad yells out to his neighbor. "No, really Star Spirits, if you are listening then answer me! It seems to me like this boy is the reason we are in this situation in the first place! Maybe this boy really does deserve to die. You claim this Dark King is the evil one for threatening to destroy this planet...Well perhaps his ends justify the means, DID YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THAT?" Geno refuses to respond, so the grumpy Toad decides to keep verbally assaulting him. "And even if the Dark King really is evil, how do you not know that saving this Alex person won't come back to bite us later on? It's like you said, he has the power of a deity flowing within his body. At such an immature age, all it will take is a few wrong actions and he could snap and become an even worse threat than this Dark King that you are so worried about! ...Let me tell you, I have a family, I love them very much, and I don't want them to die...But I'm not going to toss my fate or their own into the hands of someone I don't even know, let alone trust!"

"...Do you feel any better after saying what was on your mind?" Geno says after a brief pause. "I...I do..." The grumpy Toad responds. "Good. You do bring some valid points to the table, I will not deny that to you. It's true, none of know the reason as to why Joe Dark has pursued Alex to the point that he invited such a devastating force into his very soul...In the end we could be throwing our lives away just to defend the wrong person...That's what I thought at first anyways. But Alex has proven himself capable of putting other people's own needs ahead of his own. Take for instance when all of us were falling to our death at the Terra Cave. After Mario gave Alex all of the Element Stones he could've flown off and left us be...But no, he stayed headstrong in his determination and refused to leave us to the hands of death...That single act of kindness right there is enough reason for me to believe that he is good. You do not have to accept that as fact if you so wish it, but I just wanted to share my own views on the boy's allegiance..."

"...Oh yeah? Well what about my other point?" The Toad asks. "I understand what you are getting at, but if you ask me, I believe in giving others a chance...Maybe Alex won't end up being a good Overlord, maybe he will bring about the end of all life...Or he could end up being the savior of all worlds for all we know. It's up to the wheels of fate to decide that, and the gears of this world will fade to dust if we don't do something to stop the Dark King here and now! ...I will not resort to begging to convince any of you to help, so go ahead and decide what you want to do...and thank you, all of you who have listened to my continuous ramblings..." Geno's voice fades out at the end, and the grumpy Toad shows a frown of disgust, not towards the Star Herald, but towards himself. "...My dream." The Toad holds his hands together and bows his head forward. "Is for my family to live a happy life..." Seeing this once grumpy man deliver a cheerful prayer to the Stars, the rest of the Toads hold their hands together and begin praying, as does Professor E. Gadd and Princess Peach. In fact, all-around the world people have begun to speak of their hopes and dreams, each person yelling out with a varying degree of enthusiasm in their voice.

"I want to become a great Golfer!" "I want to help my mom realize her dream of becoming a nurse!" "I want my students to get a great education!" "I want to travel the world!" "I want to explore the Moon!" "I want to be a great Archeologist like my Professor!" "I want to one day be as great as Mario, even if I am a Goomba!" "I want to help Kolorado find the greatest ruins in the world!" "I want me and Koopie Koo to live happily in Poshley Heights!" "I want to one day visit the great Bob-omb Battlefield to see my distant cousin!" "I want everyone in the world to see my "Paper Mario" play and enjoy it to their hearts content!" "I want to always provide the people of the world with up-to-date mail with a smile on my face!" "I want to strive to be the strongest, just like the Great Gonzales!" "I want to instill terror into the hearts of those who visit my mansion, Bwahehehehehe!" "I want me and my sisters to live together without anymore bickering...And I want Mario to..." "I want to one day find my mom and dad!" "I want the world to be safe, so Scarlette can look down and see the smile on my face everyday..." "I want to always be there for the younguns, to be able to soar out of the water and save them from any tree!" "I want to find the greatest badge known to man, and to see that hunks fancy mustache once more~" "I want to be able to ride my cloud so high into the sky with Lakilulu that we will be able to touch the sun!" "I want to one day see Koopis again..." "Yo! Great Gonzales, you better be listening, because I want you to come back here one day and feel the RAWWWWK once more!" "I want to one day find a great treasure...Without running into a giant skeleton..." "I want to be there for the people of Beanbean Kingdom, arriving just as quickly as the flash from my hair!" "I want to one day see Lord Grodus' body restored!" "Yeah, what Crump said." "I want me and Valentina to one day raise a child as beautiful as herself!" "Oh darling, I do agree~" "Mario...You've grown so much...I want you to still be alive to be there for generations to come...I was not foolish in choosing to save you that day." "I want my son Mallow to return home safely, because when he does...I will retire..." "Yo! Commander Alpha! We all believe in you, and we want you to come back and show us move of your skills!" "Donkey Kong wants island to be safe, for both family and bananas!" "I want lots of a-money! My corporation isn't getting enough, confound it!" "Waluigi wants to beat that annoying green pest at something someday!" "I want Rosalina to return alive...Please, you've done so much for us Lumas..." "Peach...I hope you are doing well...And even though we are worlds apart...I want to see you again someday..." "Mario, you were a worthy opponent who fought with honor. I want to one day spar with you again, on the land, as equals once more..." "I want to find a good Rookie, see, so we can rob Peach's Castle see?" "I want Lord Bowser to finally conquer the Kingdom someday..." "I *achoo* want someone to thaw me out of this ice block...Seriously, I got a horrible cold... *sniffle*" "I want to one day shed this body of mine and join the Star Spirits above!" "I want my brother to one day regain his former strength and become Glitz Pit champion once more..." "I want all of my fellow Punis to be safe...And for the Elder to quit nagging." "OH, YOU THINK I'M NAGGY HUH? WELL JUST WAIT UNTIL MY DESIRE TO BE EVEN NAGGIER COMES THROUGH!" "I hope the Elder and Punio can one day get along..." "Dude! I just...Want to one day go back to our Fortress..." "Agreed." "I wish I wasn't afraid of ghosts...AH!" "I wish to one day find Mario and beat him for good. He'll never be able to handle my newest form!" "I want Mario to come back to Delfino Plaza for another vacation...Mainly because I never apologized for blaming him for our isle's pollution." "I want to one day rally the Boos together and make our own mansion that I can change at will!" "I want to one day race carts with a giant ghost!" "Mario, Tippi is doing well...Please stay alive so she doesn't have to witness your demise..." "I would like...Totally want the limited edition ActionCube720 with Super 4D Graphics and dual wielding motion controllers, nerr..." "I just...Hope that the Count is happy now." "I wish to one day redeem myself for the day I caused all of those men to be lost..." "Someday, I hope people will recognize the name of Punchinello!" "Someday, I hope I can find a cure for my ear drum damage thanks to this purple guy with long arms YELLING RIGHT NEXT TO ME!" "I wish that one day...I CAN GET THIS FREAKING CHOMP OF MY BACK!" "I want King Dad to let us work together once again to beat that Mario for good!" "I wish for our Lands to be safe from harm..." "I want Luigi to come back to me...Please, let this wish come true..." "I hope that the planet will never lose the light of the true Millenium Star..." "I wish to bring smiles and joy to everyone with my Carnival!" "I hope to one day find the Yoshi that will love me for who I am..." "I wish to one day go revisit Yoshi's Island, and maybe there I can make amends..." "I wish to continue ruling the Beanbean Kingdom, yet never once go mad with power." "I want to protect my men from anymore harm, tenhut!" "I want to make the best recipes in the world, even better than that of my sister!" "I will one day host the greatest quiz show the world has ever seen!" "Luigi...No, sorry, Mario. I enjoyed my time with you on that train. Let us solve another mystery together someday, eh?" "I want the Princess...Well, I feel this old Toad's wish has already been granted." "Please grant those heroes a safe return...It is all my fault for sending Mario on this quest in the first place..."

In the Koopa King's castle, Bowser gets up off his throne and lifts one hand high into the air. Even though he pulls about ten muscles in the process, he doesn't regret doing what he is about to do. "Mario! My desire is for that brat Alex to kick the Dark King's butt straight back to the depths of hell he emerged from...But when he does, you and I are going to settle things, and I will accomplish my dream of conquering the Mushroom Kingdom! Bwahahahahahaha!" The last person to share their hopes and dreams is Princess Peach, who steps onto the rail of the balcony and holds her hands tightly in front of her chest. "Mario...You've always been there for me, you've never given up, even when the situation looked hopeless...So even now, when the world may end up drawing it's last breath...I hope you will not sink into despair...And please, come back so I can see that smiling face of yours once again..."

In Star Haven, the pure energy from all the hopes and dreams of the millions of people around the world flows in through the roof of the Sanctuary and is absorbed into the Star Rod placed at the very center. As more energy is gathered, the starlight aura surrounding the star of the mystical object grows bigger and brighter, until it eventually glows with the intensity of a white giant. "You did it Geno!" Eldstar blurts out in an excited tone. "Thank you Elder Star...It was because you believed in me." "And that, my little one, was my desire all along...For you to one day make me proud..." A teardrop drips from the bottom of the elder Star's right tear duct, which comes as a great surprise to Geno. "E-E-E-Eldstar..." The rest of the Star Spirits say. "Enough! We have no time to waste! Get ready to transfer the energy to the Elemental Overlord on my mark!"

While all of these events unfold around him, Alex is lying down within the shattered recesses of his mind. The area surrounded his body is cold, black, desolate, and an uncomfortable feeling looms around in the air. The shards of his sub-consciousness are slowly being put back together by the spirits of the Genesis Samurais and the Elemental Overlord, and as it nears completion a small grumble can be heard from underneath his breath. "He is waking up!" Acia's spirit yells out. "Keep going, we almost got all the pieces put together!" Ezekiel responds. After this point each piece they stick together causes Alex's subconscious to become more and more awake, until he is eventually able to push himself up off the ground and rise onto his own two feet, though his eyes look a bit drowsy for some reason. "Yawn...Hmm?" After patting the bottom of his lips with the tips of his right fingers, the seven soul orbs of the Genesis Samurais float over to Alex and return to their more human forms.

"It's nice to know that you are awake...The situation has become worse than I could've ever imagined it would become." The Elemental Overlord says. "Huh?" Alex blinks a few times, at first not understanding what the Overlord is getting at, until he suddenly remembers the last thing that happened to him before he was knocked unconscious. "Oh yeah...He got that new form...I couldn't do anything to harm him, and then he utterly wrecked my mind with some kind of...Magic, I think it was?" Alex rubs the lower part of his chin with his right hand and begins to mumble to himself about something. "Hey, Overlord, I got to ask you a quick question. You seemed certain that by gaining the Genesis Samurai's powers I would be able to defeat Joe Dark. Did you not think he would have this new form or something?" "If I must be honest, I did not. It must've been due to the Dark King's meddling and subsequent possession of the boy's body that caused this disaster to arise...The way things are now, you have no chance of stopping him."

The Genesis Samurais look over their shoulders at their former master, and upon realizing that after all of their efforts to protect both him and the new Overlord from danger, even after they sacrificed their very bodies to get their job done, they turn and lower their heads with a disappointed look in their eyes and a frown on their faces. Surprisingly, Alex seems to be only one who isn't ready to give up yet out of all of them. "So what?" He says. The seven warriors raise their heads up slightly to look at the boy as he begins to speak to them. "Fifty percent, twenty-five percent, even zero percent. You can tell me the odds, you can even provide the facts and details necessary to back up your claims, but you think I'm going to simply back down? If my body is still able to move, then I am going to fight!" Alex turns around so his back is facing the warriors. He then looks over his shoulder with a smile on his face. "Besides, I can't let all of your sacrifices go to waste now can I?"

Before Alex can begin to walk off, the Elemental Overlord stops him with an invisible wall. "It is one thing to never give up, but it is also another thing to rush into battle headfirst without a plan." Alex turns around and gives the Overlord's spirit orb a direct look in the eyes. The Overlord moves backwards a bit in amazement, for he sees the absolute determination resting deep within the boy's pupils, and with that he also is able to feel a rush of ideas rushing through the boy's mind. "But you have a plan...Don't you?" Is what he asks. "I do, actually." Alex responds. "Call me crazy, but wouldn't I be able to absorb the essences of the Element Stones and become much stronger as a result?" The Overlord turns his orb to the side and from beyond the light of his spirit Zeno can feel a disapproving glance piercing him from behind. "You forgot to check and confirm for certain that they had all of the stones?" The Overlord asks.

Zeno nervously rubs the back of his head with his right hand and lets out an embarrassed chuckle. "Well...Hehehe, after two-thousand years of guarding the temple, I guess that one detail just happened to slip my mind." "Well..." The Overlord turns his attention back towards Alex. "Luckily, this happens to work in our favor. The Elemental Stones are, after all, fragments of my lost powers. If you completely absorb them into your body, you will unlock a power strong enough to best the Dark King in his current state...Only, there is one small problem." "And what might that problem be?" Alex asks. "Even though we managed to repair your mind, your body is still damaged from the battle...And when I say damaged, I mean damaged to the point that you can't even move." Darnia's words almost causes Alex himself to lose all hope, which is quite a contrast from his determined attitude only a few minutes ago.

"Wait a second..." The Overlord's spirit rises to the top of this subconscious chamber and senses something heading right towards them from the outside world. "I wouldn't give up hope just yet, my boy. It seems as though help is on the way!" And indeed it is. Having fired the energy built up into the Star Rod up through the roof of the Sanctuary, the Star Spirits are busy using all of their might to direct the beam of holy energy towards the direction of the temple. Thanks to their efforts, a pillar of star energy shines down through the dark clouds in the sky and slams right down onto Alex's body, encompassing him completely within it's holy shell. The sudden appearance of this phenomenon causes Joe Dark's concentration to break for a brief second as he changes his focus towards Whiter's body. "WHAT?" He screams out in a fit of absolute anger. "What is going on here?"

As the scars and puncture wounds on Alex's body are sealed up by new layers of skin, inside of his mind the boy gets a smile on his face and begins to jump for joy. "Haha! Lady luck is on our side today!" It seems as though Alex's excitement may be happening too soon, for outside of his body the scars suddenly stop getting healed and being to slowly open back up again. "It...IT'S NOT ENOUGH ELDSTAR!" Skolar screams out while straining himself to keep the beam steady. "KEEP PUSHING, THIS IS OUR LAST HOPE, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO GIVE UP NOW!" The mustache'd Star yells out in pain. Back on the temple, Joe Dark notices that Alex's wounds are returning, and upon seeing this he begins to break into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHA! WHERE IS YOUR MIRACLE NOW WHITER? I'M ALMOST DONE, AND YOU WILL SOON BE LIBERATED FROM THIS WORLD FOREVER!"

"No he won't! Especially not at the hands of someone like you!" A familiar voice rings through Joe Dark's ear. The Dark King, surprised to hear this person speaking to him, lowers his head to look at Whiter's body. In his line of sight are the phantasmal projections of Mario and the other five heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom standing before the pillar of light. The person the Dark King had heard was Driad, who is unflinching in his resolve as he stares directly at the malicious king. "I-I-Impossible! How are you all still-" Then it dawns on the Dark King, the one thing he had neglected to do thanks to Rosalina's timely interruption. Before he can proclaim his foolish mistake, Gemini decides to say it for him. "You never killed us, instead you thought you could break us with your talks of fear and hatred? Well guess what, I think YOU are the one who is scared of us!" "Now your inability to finish us off will mark your end, for we will provide the last bit of hope necessary to get Alex back on his feet!" Alpha yells out. "No...NO!" Joe Dark frantically tries to finish charging his attack up, refusing to let all of his hard work be in vain. "Deny your error all you want Joe Dark, Dark King, or whatever you choose to call yourself! You can knock us down individually, but united we are a wall that will block you from carrying out your sadistic goals!" Mallow says. "Now then, you want to know what our dream is?" Luigi asks. Mario viciously points one finger out towards Joe Dark. "We want you out of our Kingdom, and away from this planet!" The energy projected from each of the heroes' bodies flows into the pillar of light, and in an instant Alex's wounds are fully healed up. The projections of the heroes vanish the moment the Star Pillar releases a flash of light from within.

"Gaaaah!" The flash of light not only blinds Joe Dark, but it also breaks his concentration enough that his attack is unable to be completed and the darkness retreats back into his body. Within seconds Alex is seen being pushed back onto his feet by an unknown force. As his eyes regain the life they once had before, he looks at both of his hands before clenching them tightly into the shape of a fist. When the Star Pillar vanishes, Joe Dark opens his eyelids to reveal his now bloodshot eyes. He tries to focus on Whiter between the tips of his fingers, but his vision is blurred, so all he can make out is that some round objects are rising out of his rival's pockets and then all seven of them are seen encircling his body. "Joe Dark!" Alex calls out to him. "This fight of ours has been nothing but a series of one of us having the upper hand on the other person. Now that I'm back in the game, I'm going to show you, A TRUE FIGHT!"

Alex folds his arms out by the sides of his body and begins to enter a state of absolute concentration as the Elemental Stones glow their respective colors and send their energy flowing into his body in the form of electricity. As the young Overlord can feel the power of the elements being drawn into his very being, he begins to experience visions of the very forces of nature themselves. He sees a tranquil jungle, a raging ocean sending tidal waves smashing into a massive cliff-side, a tornado tearing through a deserted wasteland, a bolt of lightning breaking apart an abandoned warehouse, an earthquake ripping apart the ground of a lone island and upsetting the tides surrounding it, a snowstorm blowing through the a mountaintop, and finally he sees a close-up of the sun as it sends solar flares hurtling across the galaxy. Then Alex manages to find his inner zen and begins to think about the good things that these destructive elements have brought to the world. He envisions a woman planting roses in her garden, some children splashing each other with water in a pool, a father and his son playing kite on a windy day in the park, a simple housewive turning on her electric powered lamp in her house and sitting down to a read a book to her sickly daughter, some builders using stones to put together a house, some kids and their parents having a snowball fight in the middle of an open field, and finally he remembers a moment from his past where his dad brought out the ol' Barbeque for the first time in his life and flame-broiled some burgers for his entire family.

Having thought about the good and bad of all of the elements, the stones slowly begin to disintegrate as their energy reserves reach empty. A ring of golden flames appears around Alex's feet, as his flaming sword reappears in his right hand without the triggers being on them anymore, and flames made out into the shape of a pair of wings appear on his back. The fire is brushed by a cold breeze, revealing that a pair of red-orange wings with dark yellow feathers have now attached themselves to Alex's back. As the wings flap back and forth, the ring of fire is blown to and fro, eventually spreading out to cover a wider area around the boy. Alex opens his eyelids to show that his eyes have now become a majestic fire red color. He then holds his sword up into the air and points it at Joe Dark as a mystical golden aura shines brightly around his body. "I will not yield to you anymore. If you can still gaze upon my image with those blinded eyes of yours Dark King, then know this well. I have been reborn, time and time again I will rise from the ashes of despair to stand in your way. I am the unwavering flame, I am this universe's guiding light. I am the Elemental Overlord, Alex Whiter!"

Next Time: Ten Seconds to Sin