When Elodie awoke yet again, it was with an amalgamation of wistful joy and grief swirling in the cavity of her chest. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes and finding herself in the same place that she had once deposited the Garnet Star: the single charge that she had been given.
The mansion around her was haunting, ethereal; a blue-green glow cascaded over their surroundings, and the illusory ghosts that Elodie had once summoned were defeated. Their purple robes lay upon the ground, proving that Mario and his friends had bested them in combat.
"What are you smiling about, Elodie?" asked Koops's voice. None of Mario's companions seemed surprised by her presence anymore.
She took another moment before replying, admiring her handiwork. "I'm simply looking around, Koops. I was the one who created this little dimension… I was the one who hid the Crystal Star here for my hero to one day find."
Mario's companions all began taking inventory of the room just as their guide was doing. It was Goombella who ended up gasping and saying, "You mean all of this… the puzzle outside, the ghosts… that was your doing? From all of the magic you once wielded?"
"Yes," Elodie said, as simply as she might have if she had just agreed to a cup of tea. "I was very powerful once. I maintain some of it still, but… not in the spades and legions I used to command."
Her voice was soft; while Mario seemed to pick up on it, he could not pinpoint the reason. The answer for her disquiet was only in Elodie's own mind: she remembered what Poshley Heights had looked like when she'd visited. It was the only other kingdom aside from Petal Meadows or the Hallowed City during her life—Twilight Town did not count in most persons' eyes, as it was home to sorcerers and sorceresses—and it had been beautiful. She was not sure what she would do if she discovered that it too had fallen.
Elodie glanced upwards towards the ceiling of her illusion: one-thousand years ago, she had placed a secondary treasure for her hero to find. It was a golden piece of a fallen star: one that she and Rosalina had once discovered in their gardens.
"Are you all right, Elodie?"
Madam Flurrie's voice was far away, but still kindly as ever. Elodie gave her a warm look and replied, "I am. It seems as though the fog is taking longer than usual to lift from my mind this time. It is… strange. But there is something else for you."
With that, she pointed towards the golden treasure. "That was also for you, Mario. It may fetch you some coin during your journey; allow me to get it for you."
She attempted to float upwards to grab the star's piece, but… for some reason, she could not lift herself too far from the ground. Elodie frowned and focused all of her willpower towards this simple task—and nothing. With a disheartened sigh, she sank back towards the ground, realizing for the first time that she could feel her feet upon the cool marble floor.
"What's wrong, lass?" asked Admiral Bobbery.
"I…" She turned towards Mario, silver eyes wide. "I cannot…"
"Wait! Let me try something!" exclaimed Goombella. Before anyone could ask what she was doing, she was rummaging through her knapsack; she grabbed the Ruby Star from her belongings and thrust it in Elodie's direction. "Try holding it!"
Elodie bit the inside of her lip, but reached out to touch it. It was cold and smooth, glimmering in the faint turquoise light of her alternate dimension. The Ruby Star was utterly unblemished: it did not look like a gemstone that had been created over a thousand years prior.
Upon seeing that Elodie was able to hold the star, Goombella grinned. "I knew it! The more Crystal Stars that we collect, the more powerful this portion of yourself becomes! It seems as though that directly correlates to whether you more closely resemble a human or a spirit…"
The idea of being alive again—even if it was hardly life—was astonishing. Elodie took one step backward, clutching the Ruby Star to her chest.
This had been the gemstone that had condemned Serene to one thousand years of imprisonment; one thousand years of rejection from the Hall of Echoes that was once said to house all spirits of the deceased. And yet, that same gemstone… made her more lifelike.
Elodie remembered splitting her soul from her body, entrapping it within the worn parchment of the Magical Map. She had expected it to be painful, but it was not: it had almost been like falling asleep. Hopefully that meant her friends' and husband's deaths were just as peaceful as hers had been…
"Well," she said at last, after having cleared her throat. "I suppose that makes sense. Thank you, Goombella."
She proffered the jewel to the young woman again; Goombella took it with a nod and stowed it away in her pack.
With this strange conundrum solved, Elodie glanced upon all of her champions and said, "You only have one Crystal Star left remaining, my friends. It is time that I tell you what it is you'll be up against, when at last you reveal all seven jewels to the Thousand-Year Door."
"That would be helpful. It'll give us time to prepare," said Mario. He nodded and waved an arm towards the six that followed him—
Elodie stopped upon realizing they had not yet obtained the star piece that she had left for him. She was about to declare that perhaps Yoshi or Madam Flurrie could reach it when there was a clear, bell-like voice suddenly saying, "Don't forget this, dearie!" from the rafters.
Down hopped a woman around Elodie's own age—that was to say, the age she had been when she had died—with peppered hair and a red mask around her eyes to hide her identity. She seized Mario's hand from his side and deposited the golden star piece into his palm with a dazzling smile.
Mario nodded towards the woman. "Thank you." Then he turned to Elodie. "This is our newest travel companion: Miss Mowz. She joined us just before we could catch the train to Poshley Heights."
While Elodie had no idea what a train was, she thought it polite to smile all the same. "Hello. It's good to meet you."
The woman grinned up at her; it was a mischievous little smirk, one that promised as much trouble as it did assistance. "Good evening, Lady Lancaster. Forgive my not introducing myself; I'm not in contact with people much, and prefer to work in the shadows more often than not."
"That's quite all right. Mario needs companions with a wide variety of skills; you may be the first in his ranks to operate in stealth. I can already see that your abilities will be helpful."
Miss Mowz's eyes twinkled from underneath the mask: they were dark, so dark they were almost black. "True. And you'll also find that I'm quite good at sniffing out things of value."
With this quick introduction out of the way, the eight adventurers and the one spirit began walking forth, towards the exit of the illusory dimension. Elodie was startled by the feel of smooth marble upon the floor, of the tangible feeling upon the bottoms of her feet. It had been so long since she had felt anything at all, even if she had spent most of those years dormant…
"I think it's safe to say that the biggest thing of value we can find will be information," said Vivian, whose voice had once been hesitant, but was now filled with a recently instilled self-confidence. "Elodie, you know even better than I about the demon that sleeps behind the door…"
While Vivian had not said this to be cruel, Elodie's jaw tightened in irritation. She still had not warmed up to the idea of a prior enemy defecting to Mario's side… but to say her assistance would be meaningless would be an outright lie.
"She has dealt in dark magic for a long time now," replied Elodie. "And she likely will not be alone. The two remaining Shadow Sirens, Marilyn and Beldam, will be guarding her as well. Their magic is powerful; Beldam utilizes elemental magic to weaken and debilitate her foes. She has taken a preference to ice and wind elements, if my knowledge remains accurate. Marilyn supports herself and her allies by imbuing them with strength and resistance—when she does attack, however, it is often devastating. It is wise to take her out of the equation first."
They had reached the end of the hallway; Mario opened the door for Elodie and the others. The spirit smiled at him and passed through the barrier she had created, separating the real world from the false.
Waiting for them on the opposite side of the barrier was the real Poshley Sanctum, the one that Elodie had used for inspiration when creating the place where she would put the Garnet Star. She was pleased to see that the majestic building had not changed much at all: it was like a relic of a bygone time, one that comforted her beyond simple words.
"The Shadow Sirens have an additional ally now," said Mario, who remained by Elodie's side as she inspected the sanctum. There was the hint of a smile underneath his mustache; it reminded her of both Arthur and her father, each of whom only rarely smiled fully. But that smile disappeared as he sighed and continued walking. "It's that Doopliss character. We had to fight him in order to obtain the Ruby Star. He nearly stole my name and identity and left me a shadow. It would be good to know how to debilitate him in the future."
At the mention of Mario's journey during his time in Twilight Town, it seemed that a few of his companions harbored guilty looks upon their faces. Elodie did not need to ask to know that they had been fooled by this Doopliss's tricks back then.
"That… is very old magic," she murmured. Her thoughts were dedicated towards her champion and his questions, but her eyes were fixed upon the grand doors ahead, gilded with gold. They would lead to the outside world; and then she would see whether Poshley Heights remained as proud and strong as it once had. "It is a magic that had been dying in popularity even when I was alive. You have already deflected the worst of what he can do by discovering his true name, although he will likely still use illusion spells in order to deceive and divide you."
"How will we know which one is our friend, and which is our enemy?" asked Koops, who was wringing his hands.
Elodie smiled. "You must come up with a code: something to ask one another, something that only you shall know, should this Doopliss take on another one of your bodies. It should separate the true from the false with ease."
The adventurers all nodded, appeased by this answer. They proceeded outside, into the warm mid-summer air: but Elodie stopped just before the doorway.
"Something wrong?" asked Yoshi. He ran a hand through his electric-green mohawk with one raised eyebrow.
She took a deep breath, but instead of answering the question, made one more step forward into the outdoors.
Poshley Heights was no ruin: it was a city well-run by people who looked remarkably like the nobles that Elodie had once met. There were plenty of buildings and houses, people were meandering around the flush gardens outside; a beautiful fountain of white clay caught Elodie's eye. A few bluebirds were splashing within it.
"Oh…"
The sigh escaped her without it really meaning to, and likewise, there was no hiding the relieved smile that crossed her lips. She knew that the others had picked up on such mannerisms, but the only one who deigned to ask her about it was Mario, who said, "You expected this place to be a ruin?"
"Yes. As my hometown and my castle were before, so I expected this to be as well," she replied. Elodie closed her eyes, allowing the sun to warm the pale skin of her face. "I am glad to see that it still stands, even if it is not exactly as I remembered it."
She stood for a little while, remembering what it was like to have golden light illuminate her face and how to take warmth from it. When Elodie opened her eyes again, she saw that the others were close by, pensive looks upon their faces: as if they too had taken such simple pleasures for granted, having never thought about the world through a spirit's eyes.
Knowing, however, that her time was limited, Elodie spoke again. "There may be more waiting for you in the Palace of Shadow than these three servants of the demon. It was once said that the demon had three pets. You've met one of them before: Hooktail."
Koops choked and whirled to face her. "You mean there are other dragons somewhere out there?"
"Yes," she said again, and there was utmost seriousness in her face upon its utterance. "Two others: Gloomtail and Bonetail. They were dragons of great ferocity and repute. Although I do not know where Bonetail lies, I caught a glimpse of Gloomtail as my friends and I fled the Palace of Shadow one thousand years ago. Somewhere in that great labyrinth of a city it lies… and if I know my mother at all, it is likely you will have to defeat it in order to access her."
"Do you know anything about it?" asked Mario. He had once again set off towards what Elodie could only assume was the direction of the Thousand-Year Door; she followed him, traipsing over the grass, astonished to remember how soft it was between her toes.
Elodie hummed to herself, trying not to be distracted by the simple pleasures of being corporeal again. "It's an aggressive creature; venomous as well. I believe its claws are coated with poison, so do be careful should you get close to its feet. Beyond that, I cannot say."
Madam Flurrie spoke next, confusion apparent in her face as she said, "Great labyrinth? You mean to say that there will be additional dangers and puzzles beyond the Thousand-Year Door even before we fight that demon?"
"There will. In an effort to protect herself long ago, my mother sank all of our property deep underground. It took hours for my friends and I to navigate its depths. If we are lucky, I may yet be able to help you through some of its puzzles."
The people around Poshley Heights were paying little to no attention to the adventurers in their midst. It was a comforting thought: that people were still living their lives, the way they always had. They were unaware of such dangers somewhere deep underground, of the imminent doom that may yet resurface…
"Mario," she said, her voice soft but tight. "You know that we must succeed in gathering this last Crystal Star, do you not? Only with all of their powers combined will there be a chance at breaking the shield of invulnerability surrounding her person."
"I'm aware. We'll obtain it, no matter what," he replied, just as intense, but not angry or concerned. He was… confident.
Elodie smiled with this last realization. "Good. And once you do… I daresay I will be able to meet you in full, having brought them all to the Door."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Goombella, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Thanks to your discovery, I hold out the hope that I shall return to solid form once all the jewels are together," Elodie said. She summoned a tiny ball of light in her hands and began tossing it from finger to finger, watching its glow in fascination. "If that is the case… then I may yet be able to assist you more than I dared hope, when I bound myself to the Map…"
By this time, they had finished their sojourn through Poshley Heights. Elodie had been happy to see it thriving, very much alive: but now she stopped short. Sitting directly in front of her was some sort of machine made of black metal. It was much bigger than she was.
"That's a train," said Mario, realizing that Elodie was new to its concept. "It's the machine that brought us here. Come on; I have a ticket."
Seeing as her champion was stepping forward without offering any further explanation, Elodie figured that it would probably be safest to follow in his lead. She watched curiously as he handed a slip of paper towards a young man in a fine suit: Mario and his companions stepped through a sliding door and onto the train, with a few of them looking back and waving Elodie onward.
Even though she was skeptical about this new way of travel, she did not wish to be left behind.
There were warm rugs underneath her feet and pink wallpapers awaiting her; the inside of this train did not look or feel anything like the outside. It was clear this was supposed to be a luxurious manner of travel, based on the fine paintings upon the walls and the silver rails. She followed Mario as he traversed through its narrow hallways; they ultimately ended up in a room only just big enough to fit nine people.
"This is how you arrived, then?" asked Elodie. She glanced around the room: there was a set of bunk beds, complete with fluffy pillows, a couch and chair, a desk and a drawer to put spare belongings in. The room was small, but proper. It wouldn't have been a bad way to travel, for certain.
Mario nodded. "It's the only way to get to Poshley Heights quickly nowadays."
This made Elodie feel a little less guilty; despite the dangerous journey she had set him on, she was glad to know this method of transport might've been relaxing. "Well, that's good. I hope you had plenty of time to rest after such a daring journey to obtain the Sapphire Star."
The smile that appeared on Mario's face was cryptic; whatever he was thinking, he did not say.
Just then, there was a lurch—Elodie yelped and lunged forward, seizing the nearest person to steady herself, forgetting that she was a spirit—
But her hand did not pass through Koops's shoulder. It remained; cold, based on the way that he yelped, but tangible.
Elodie stared at her hand, as did everyone else. She removed it before placing it again upon his shoulder… there was no denying it now, that she was more alive than dead.
"How…?" she began to whisper, but then there was a sharp stab of ice in between her ribs: a familiar feeling, one that she recognized. This time, however, it was more painful than usual—a sharp gasp escaped her as she clutched the area it had originated from.
Her cry of pain was not unnoticed by the others. Mario stepped forward, a knowing look upon his face.
"Any more… questions… Mario?" she gasped, still grasping at her chest.
"None for now," he answered. "We can talk more about the Palace of Shadow when we have the last Crystal Star in our hands. And… perhaps you can tell me about the battle that you and your friends conducted against the demon the first time."
Elodie nodded. While she was in no hurry to relive that moment, she knew that her champion would need all the knowledge and help that he could get. Knowing that it was time to return to dreams and dormancy, she closed her eyes and, in the comfort of the lulling of the train and the company she kept, allowed herself to drift away.