Sweat beaded across Elodie's face as she lunged forth out of the dark palace—but not towards the Hallowed City as she'd intended, but to the world of the living itself.
Mario opened his mouth to speak, but Elodie held up a hand in pause and doubled over. The panic and shock from her memory had not yet worn off; coupled with the fact that she'd been completely unprepared for such a sudden re-entry to her champion, she certainly felt less than composed.
She floated down to the ground, coughing horribly. She just wanted the dizziness to stop…
And even though she knew that Tobias had been born, that there was no comforting presence alongside her, Elodie gently pressed a hand to her abdomen. That feeling, at least, had been heartening to remember.
"My apologies, Mario," she said at last, through a raspy voice. "I… there are many horrors in my past, some of which I must relive when I sleep. This last dream was one of the worst."
Mario frowned, both troubled and concerned, before replying, "You do not need to be sorry. Your journey with your friends and family was full of more darkness than the rest of us can even imagine."
Elodie sniffled once and straightened. "I fear that one day soon, you will not have to imagine it."
With this, she took a look at her surroundings—she was surprised to find herself in a treasure hoard complete with gold, jewels, and trophies of all kinds. Based on the small quarters and the slight rocking of a vessel, Elodie guessed that this was the Captain's Quarters of a pirate ship…
When she turned to her side, Elodie saw three unfamiliar faces accompanying her hero: one belonged to a wealthy man who looked positively terrified, one to an older man who stood proudly and resolutely by Mario's side… and the third explained the choice of setting.
"Ah," she said in the direction of the third man, pursing her lips tightly. "I can only assume you are the pirate Fernando Cortéz."
There was a spirit of a middle-aged man, sea-worn and tired, in front of her. His eyes were a piercing blue—not gentle, like Arthur's had been, but something more primal—and there was a pirate hat upon his head which bore the unmistakable coat-of-arms of the Cortéz family.
Even one thousand years ago, they had been powerful.
Fernando smirked, apparently flattered with the fact that he had been recognized. He swept his feathered hat off his head and bowed with the grace of a courtier. "The very same, milady."
When he straightened, he set his shoulders in a square and began peering curiously at Elodie. Just when she was about to ask him what he was searching for, a yellowed smile crept over his face.
"And you are the one Elodie Lancaster, yes? The very one that I was told to wait for after hundreds of years."
Elodie was unable to contain her surprise. "You were waiting for me?"
"Indeed. I was told by a young adventurer, milady. Tall, strong—blond-ish hair and green eyes."
She sighed, rubbed one of her arms, and murmured, "Matthias…"
The pirate's spirit nodded and regarded her carefully. Ghosts swam past his eyes as he added, "He was a good fighter, and seemed a good man. I was sorry to see what befell him, when I snatched that shiny star from his person."
With this last, he gestured to the sapphire-colored stone in Mario's hands.
Elodie stared at it blankly for a moment, suddenly coming to the realization that Cortéz had bested Matthias in combat… Matthias, the stalwart warrior, who prided himself on the art of battle… and Mario had just bested Cortéz.
"Mario, did you—" she began to say, but a gruff voice interrupted her.
"Win it off 'im? Yer damn right he did!"
The spirit blinked and looked to her left at the unfamiliar voice. Glaring somewhat at her was the second man, the older-seeming one. Even as she looked him over, however, Elodie noted that his spirit was young. He wore a black eyepatch over one yellowed eye. There was something gruff about this man that Elodie couldn't quite place—and yet, she figured that someone with a more impetuous nature could be a good addition to her hero's party.
Noting her surprise, the man said, "Admiral Bobbery at your service. Mario's already briefed me on your role in this treasure-hunt."
Elodie nodded her thanks towards Mario, who returned the gesture. Then, to Admiral Bobbery, she responded, "It is nice to meet you, Admiral."
Bobbery harrumphed somewhat, although Elodie could see he was pleased with her usage of his nautical title.
Before anyone could say anything more, an earth-shattering BOOM sounded from somewhere upon the surface. Chunks of stalactites fell from the ceiling of the cavern and landed in the water outside the ship, causing ripples and waves.
"Ah," sighed Goombella, seeming more annoying than alarmed. "That will be the X-Nauts. Which reminds us—Cortéz! We need your ship."
Elodie's attention snapped towards Mario, who shrugged and admitted, "There may be a group of X-Nauts waiting to ambush us and take the Sapphire Star for their own."
"Hmph," grumbled Elodie, although she would be lying if she said she wasn't excited to test her spells after so many Crystal Stars had been collected. "They don't seem to learn, do they?"
Mario laughed at this but returned his attention to the spirit of Cortéz in front of him.
As it was, Cortéz was leering at those assembled in front of him. "Even if I wanted to, amigo, I cannot! This ship does not move without the mystical Skull Gem. It is the key, and this ship the vessel."
"The… the Skull Gem?" said a squeaky voice behind them all.
Elodie turned to see the first man she'd noticed—the wealthy one with a handsome red coat and curled hair. He finally stepped forward, although his eyes were solely on Cortéz as he asked, "You don't mean this, do you?"
He took something out of his pocket: it was a red gemstone in the shape of a hollowed skull. It glimmered sinisterly in the soft light of the treasure-hold.
Cortéz's face transformed instantly.
"YOU!" he bellowed. His voice shook the pirate ship almost as badly as the explosion from the surface had. "You have the Skull Gem!"
"Ah, yes, I do, so… how about it, Cortéz, old friend?"
"Old friend? Your ancestors stole that gemstone from me, you fancy peacock!"
Elodie leaned towards Mario and muttered from the corner of her mouth, "Is this how your ventures typically end up, my champion?"
"Only on Tuesdays."
She threw a hand to her mouth to restrain her snicker.
The fancy man stepped forth, having gained a considerable amount of courage, and bellowed, "Now, not one more argument! Or I will throw this gemstone into the ocean while Mario trounces you again, and then it will be lost for good! Or… if you wish to avoid that… you could lend us your ship."
The spirit of Fernando Cortéz glowered at the fancy man. After a tense silence during which the pirate thought, he sighed in defeat and grumbled, "You rattle my bones, Señor Peacock. Very well. You have my ship in return for the Skull Gem."
"A-ha!" exclaimed Señor Peacock, happily clapping his hands. "Flavio did not make his fortune by failing in negotiations, no! Take us out, then, Cortéz!"
There was another great BOOM! from the surface.
This time, however, the threat did not go unanswered. With a maniacal cackle, Fernando Cortéz raised a hand, and the ship upon which everyone was settled began to drift towards a weak wall of rock.
Elodie looked towards Mario, who waved her towards the deck of the ship. She followed him, admittedly curious as to what she would find.
What she found were countless ghosts—spirits like herself—bound in service to Cortéz. They were all awaiting the oncoming battle; their eyes burned yellow, and a blueish glow emanated from each of their incorporeal bodies.
"I must admit I'm a bit excited," said Elodie mildly… though she did allow herself to smirk.
"Are you," Mario said, more as an observation than a question.
Elodie took a deep breath and clenched her fists. White fire blazed around her hands. "Oh yes, Mario. It is time to see what powers I have remaining… and I will need to exercise them appropriately before we meet the demon once again."
"You mean you're going to fight alongside us?" said Koops's voice, with no small amount of relief.
Elodie chuckled at the young lad's endearing nature. "Yes, Koops, I will. And I suspect that this will not be the only time that I do so…"
"The demon," murmured the young teenager from the floating city: the young man whose name Elodie was ashamed to still not know. But then she took a closer look at him—around his neck was a golden chain with the word Yoshi written upon it.
She figured this was a good indication of his name.
"You're talking about her, ain't ya?" said Yoshi, running a hand through his electric-green mohawk.
When the spirit glanced to Mario, she saw a flicker of hope cross his face.
"Exactly right," she answered—that spark of hope upon her champion's face grew into a flame. She eyed him quite seriously. "I will be there with you when you are forced to face her. I may not be as powerful as I once was, but I assure you, Mario… I am still a sorceress to be feared."
Her silver eyes flashed; and he saw it.
"You do think we will be fighting this demon, then, Elodie?" asked Goombella, her normally brash voice knocked down a notch.
Elodie's eyes turned towards the young woman. She nodded, as grave as the pirate-lord that sailed his ship into the oncoming storm. "Yes, Goombella. You will have to fight her. If you do not seek her out, she will find you: she will stop at nothing to regain the Crystal Stars, and succeed with what she did not during my time."
"Destroying the world," mused Vivian.
Elodie sighed, as she was still uncertain of the former Shadow Siren, but all she said was, "Yes."
There was no time for further questions. Fernando Cortéz had sailed his ship towards the weakened wall of the cavern and was bellowing, "You fire cannons here… without my permission? You have nerve, mortal!"
With that, the cannons of Cortéz's ship blew apart the rocks, causing them to splatter and fall into the ocean. A bright ray of sunlight assaulted everyone's eyes—while Mario and his company shielded themselves from the glare, Elodie only stood straighter.
The sky to the west was set in oranges, reds, and blues, as if the world itself was on fire. Blocking the sun was another ship: one made of metal, one with a dozen cannons, one that had countless soldiers waiting for a fight upon its decks.
Elodie noted that one of the men had a different color uniform; it seemed that the others were his subordinates.
"Is that the leader of the X-Nauts?" she asked loudly, over the roaring of the waves and of their enemies aboard the metal ship.
Mario nodded and clenched his fists. "We've beaten him before, and we'll do it again."
She was greatly pleased by the fortitude in his voice—smirking somewhat, she said, "Not to pressure you, Mario, but this is the first time that I will see you fight since I've met you…"
"Then I won't disappoint."
Before Elodie could say he could never do such a thing, the ships were next to each other, and spirits were leaping from Cortéz's ship to the X-Naut ship—and X-Nauts were boarding Cortéz's ship.
Mario and his company were no exception. They cut through the X-Naut troops like grass and began the fight with the enemy leader.
For a brief moment in time, Elodie simply watched Mario: he fought fiercely, mixing strategy with passion. He used the powers of the Crystal Stars where he needed, swung a war-hammer with incredible precision… and his partners took their cue from him. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshi, Vivian, Admiral Bobbery—each of them used unique abilities to support Mario and keep him alive. They even took hits for him when they needed to: such loyalty and teamwork was most impressive, and brought Elodie back to battles she'd had with Ingrid, Serene, Arthur, and Matthias.
And speaking of battles…
She noted that a number of X-Nauts were attempting to join and defend their leader; figuring that she'd give Mario some extra time, she raised her hands and summoned the heat of the stars, forming a large wall around him and his companions and blocking off any reinforcements from either side.
Mario jolted at the sudden ring of fire and found Elodie's eyes. She grinned lopsidedly at him before lowering herself and allowing her hands to carry the same white fire as before—she aimed these bolts of light with a battle-hardened precision, finding a new target with each shot.
Elodie could feel her champion watching her for a while, though what he was thinking, she had no idea. All she knew was that she felt empowered by all that she was still capable of; it was about time that the Five Heroes had representation in the war that they had been unable to finish.
She was determined to make sure their resurgence was duly noted.
The battle raged on—but it was the perfect opportunity for Elodie to test all of the spells she once considered herself a master. She attempted her glyphs: those were successful. Some of her spells could heal and support Mario and his friends, and those too yielded results. Only the most powerful of her magic did Elodie have any trouble with; and yet she hoped that even those would be returned to her once her champion held all seven Crystal Stars in his hands.
At last, there was a pained shout from behind her. Elodie looked over her shoulder to see that Mario had bested the leader of the X-Nauts—he was calling a retreat…
The remainder of the X-Nauts fled Cortéz's pirate ship; some leapt into the water to escape the wrath of the pirate spirits. Elodie herself summoned a blaze so bright it forced all enemy units to go nearly blind—the X-Nauts affected staggered towards the deck, tripping back into their own territory.
The metal ship turned away from the pirate ship; it turned on its tail and began sailing away, followed by the jeers of Cortéz and all of his minions.
Once it was clear that Mario had been victorious, Elodie exhaled slowly and sank back down to the ground. The rush of battle was disappearing, and now she felt extraordinarily tired…
Mario sat down next to her and slyly raised an eyebrow. "Did I pass the test?"
She giggled somewhat and placed a hand to the side of her head. "You were more than I could have ever hoped for," she sighed, a large smile on her face. "You and the rest of your friends. I really believe that together… we can do this."
He was quiet, which gave Elodie the excuse of simply looking over the sea. The water was glowing aquamarine, like the lights that had flooded the Thousand-Year Door when she had first sealed it shut. The jeers had faded from Cortéz and his spirits, leaving them awash in contemplative silence.
"My father used to go sailing," murmured Elodie, her eyes trained on the horizon far beyond. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she could see him approaching from the sunset, arms extended for a tight embrace. "He was a respected merchant and nobleman… he was well-liked. He'd promised me that for my eighteenth birthday, he would take me on a trip around the ports he visited…"
Mario chuckled somewhat. "I hope I'm not too much of a downgrade."
Elodie laughed and shook her head, saying, "No, not at all. I am far past the point of being bitter about what could have been. I'm simply glad that I get to see the ocean… just this once."
There was some shifting next to Elodie and Mario—Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshi, Vivian, and Admiral Bobbery had all taken seats next to them. The spirit was pleased to see that she continued to remember all of their names.
"You were close with your father?" asked Mario.
"Very. He had a gift; he could make anyone smile. It was one of the many reasons my mother fell in love with him. It's a shame I didn't inherit that ability."
"I wouldn't speak too soon," said Mario. He reached out as if to put a hand upon Elodie's shoulder before remembering that she was a spirit, not technically alive, and retracting it once again.
The sun finally sank over the horizon. Elodie felt herself grow drowsy; but unlike previous visits to the world of the living, this fatigue was not sudden or painful. It was soothing, almost like being rocked to sleep…
"Is there anything you wish to ask me?" she queried, looking at her champion.
Mario thought for a moment… and then simply shook his head. "I don't think so. But thank you for asking. You're a good friend, Elodie."
The word friend made a light spark in her heart. She looked back to Mario with shining silver eyes and replied, "We are friends, then? I am glad for it… I wish I could help you more, Mario, but—"
"You have already done more than enough. I will see you soon."
Elodie smiled once more at him, grateful for his words, and peacefully closed her eyes.