The chamber that housed her mother's sarcophagus was exactly as Elodie had remembered it: dimly lit, dark, desolate. It was the very heart of the Palace of Shadow, of the labyrinth that she and her dear friends had created and expanded to keep the demon locked in place… the room that sparked the most fear in her heart in all the world.

Her fear would not stop her. She waited for Mario to approach her side before stepping towards the coffin. It was swirling with an energy so potent, Elodie felt herself weakened just by being near it.

Mario, seeing that Elodie had paused, glanced at her. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she breathed, and much of her tension was gone with the final admission. "Open it."

He pushed aside the stone lid—a vortex of black light emerged from the sarcophagus, and was followed soon after by a purple, translucent hand.

Elodie's breath grew short; she had prepared for years for this, and had known that the day would come. But no amount of preparation could truly compare to the actual event. All she could do was stare and try to remember herself and her loved ones and what they had stood for as the demon rose from its resting place, exactly the way that she remembered it: black curled hair, ivory skin, and a golden crown resting atop her head.

The demon's eyes opened. They were still crimson; they darted across the room, taking in everything that stood in front of it.

Then it frowned. "Ah. I should've known my resourceful daughter would've found a way to transport herself to the moment of my awakening. Tell me, Elodie. Who are these pawns you have dragged here before me?"

"A hero of his own making, and of what guidance I could give him," said Elodie, and she surprised herself at how strong her voice was. Encouraged by her own daring, she took one step forward, closer to Mario's side. "And the best adventurers the world could provide to assist him."

A wry smile crossed the demon's face. "Did you bring them here to destroy me, perchance? Have you told them what they really face?"

"I have shown them. They know full well what you really are."

"I see." The demon's eyes flickered across Mario's face, before darting to the seven companions that were assembled beside and behind him. "They are not as weak as I first surmised, that is true. But I can still sense fear in them. No one is immune to that, after all… not even you, Elodie, try as you might to hide it away."

Elodie took a deep breath, one that filled the entirety of her lungs, and clenched her fists at her sides. She had suffered enough under her mother's mental games during life: no more. "I do not fear you now. I loathe you, with every ounce of my being. I have resolved to destroy you for a millennium; today, I fulfill that promise."

Laughter shook the walls of the cavern; dark lights danced upon darker-still stone. The shadows seemed more alive now than they had before the demon had awoken, but Elodie was light incarnate here: she burned shadow.

"These poor things," mused the demon. Her voice had turned into a low crow; perhaps a pitiful attempt at sympathy. "Should they choose to follow into battle, they will die, without so much as a farewell to the ones they love. But… it does not have to be this way."

She extended her hands. The shadows behind her enlarged, almost enveloping the champions that Elodie had placed all of her hope and her trust into. Then the Shadow Queen said, "Elodie's speeches are all a farce: all she will do is lead you to meaningless death. She and her band of supposed heroes could not vanquish me. Neither could you. But… unlike my daughter and her dear ones… you may live. Join me instead—become my faithful servants, and I will give you the world."

These words echoed across the hall, lingered within Elodie's ears. This was perhaps one of the few things she had not accounted for, in all of her planning and premonition… this demon had always worked alone. It had never asked for help, never extended an offer of servitude. Even the Shadow Sirens had only served her because they wished to, not because they had been asked.

She glanced across the faces of her new friends. Many of them were still poised for battle, preparing their weapons or their spells, but… most were looking towards Mario. As though they would follow him into servitude should he choose it.

But when Elodie turned her gaze towards Mario, she exhaled in relief. She did not know why she had feared, why she had allowed that momentary doubt to cloud her resolve. For Mario was staring at the demon in such utter disdain, the likes of which not even she, with all her wells of courage, would've been able to summon.

"I will never join you," spat Mario. His grip upon his weapon tightened. "You would see everything in the world torn asunder. The few who would survive your destruction would be bound in chains for the rest of their lives. If I must die, then I shall die. But if I can take you with me, I will."

The demon's lip quirked, as though it were only amused by his comment. Her voice was low as she said, "Very well, then. It's a shame to let such powerful tools go to waste."

Before Elodie could issue a warning, a bolt of darkened lightning blazed from the demon's fingertips, directly towards Mario. He, however, seemed to have been expecting a trick of that kind—he raised one of the Crystal Stars and blocked the blow by using it as a shield. The lightning reflected from the gemstone and crackled against the brick wall on the other side of the room.

"My lady!" cried a nasally voice. It was Beldam, who along with Marilyn and another wizard that Elodie did not recognize, had finally appeared. There was someone tied up behind them… someone with hair the color of a goldenrod. "We have found a vessel for you!"

Beldam pushed the captive forward: Princess Peach. The woman was bound and gagged, her sky-blue eyes focused directly on Mario's face.

Mario's mouth dropped open. "Peach," he murmured, and he began to move towards her—

The demon took advantage of his distraction and lunged forward.

"No!" Elodie cried. She tackled Mario around the waist and sent them both sprawling towards the ground, just out of reach of the demon's clutches. A sharp gasp escaped them both as their ribs collided with cold, hard stone. They scrambled back to their feet just as another peal of darkened lightning chased after them, hitting the spot where they had lain.

There was a furious look in Mario's eyes as he whirled back to Elodie. Before he could speak, she seized his shoulder and hissed, "I will protect her, Mario."

He shook his head. "I cannot entrust that task to anyone. How am I to know that she won't be taken away from me a second time?"

Elodie's eyes flashed. A bolt of white starlight shot from the palms of her hands, knocking directly into Marilyn, who gurgled and staggered where she stood. Silver knives could've been in her gaze, it was so sharp; her voice went dark as she declared, "The last time I met with Princess Peach, I was at the weakest point of my existence. Now, thanks to your efforts, I am strong. I will protect her. It is your job to finish the real fight."

Mario glanced between his spirit guide and the woman he loved… and then he sighed and began to turn around with the words, "So be it. I will trust you, Elodie."

"Bring the vessel to me!" bellowed the demon. An eager, manic look had infested her crimson eyes—one that told Elodie that her greatest fears would come to life, should her mother be in range to possess Peach's body. "And then I shall be reborn, and this world will be mine to remold!"

"No," said Elodie. Her hands flared white with barely restrained energy. "You failed once, mother, and so you shall fail again."

She released one of her spells towards Beldam, though the other sorceress was able to nimbly leap out of the way. In a way, Elodie was glad that she was fighting against this shadow of a tool—for this was the same woman who had stolen her son, who had dealt Elodie one of the greatest blows she had sustained during her lifetime. And that meant that there was no way that she would be defeated: not in this place.

Beldam was just as adept at elemental magic as Elodie had remembered. Shards and daggers of ice were directed her way, but Elodie blocked them one after the other. She had spent too much time vacillating on Beldam's tricks during the last year of her life, in preparation for this very moment.

The issue that she was having throughout the fight stemmed from the man whom she did not recognize—he was a sorcerer who covered his face with a white sheet. He seemed to replicate the bodies and abilities of whichever soldier most suited his fancy, which made reading his movements difficult indeed. Elodie had not acquainted herself too deeply with the fighting style of Mario's companions, and seeing this, her opponent would dig underneath her defenses to score a blow here or a minor wound there.

Upon hearing one of Elodie's cries of pain, Mario whirled around. His eyes frantically scanned the seven soldiers by his side—upon noticing the Shadow Queen's minions closing in, he shouted, "Koops, Bobbery! Keep beside Elodie and defend her! The rest of us will handle this demon."

Elodie rose her chin in defiance, though she kept her eyes steady upon her three opponents. Her hands began to glow. "Your friends will stay with you, Mario. I can handle this myself."

Her champion shot her a look. "Elodie—"

"You will need all of your strength together to fight her!" she roared, just as she blocked a curtain of fire from Marilyn. The heat was scorching; she looked over her shoulder. "I will handle this!"

Just as she said this, Goombella grunted in shock and pain. The demon had managed to land a severe blow that knocked the young woman into the many pointed candelabras that decorated the chamber—it looked like Goombella was struggling just to remain awake. Bobbery was already there to defend her, and Vivian was attempting to heal the woman, to get her back on her feet.

Mario seemed to notice the precariousness of the situation just as Elodie did. His eyes traveled from Elodie to his friends, then to Princess Peach… and back to Elodie again. He clenched his fists. "All right. It's up to you."

He tightened his grip around his war-hammer and dove forward.

Elodie's jaw went tight as she faced the three sorcerers ahead of her. Beldam sported a wicked grin, as though her victory was already assured.

It would not be so easy. Elodie had plenty of strength left—with a screech of utmost hatred, she summoned a great well of her mana and directed a blazing white fireball straight towards them—

Marilyn sank into the shadows. Beldam conjured a shield of ice.

The third sorcerer, the one whose name Elodie did not even know, was not so lucky. Her fireball hit him directly in the face, and then he, like Goombella, was knocked into the candelabras.

The difference was that this sorcerer did not have anyone with healing upon his side of the fight. He laid upon the floor, his extremities twitching, and did not get up.

A most unbecoming snarl filled Elodie's face. She had never outright killed before, but that… that was a good kill. And seeing as there were still two more minions, two more dark witches of the greatest evil the world had ever seen standing in front of her… it was time for two more.

Blood pumped through Elodie's head as spell after spell was released from her being. She remembered how fearsome she had been, one thousand years ago. Even Arthur, her own husband, had feared her ability.

Elodie began gaining ground. She was nearing the place where Princess Peach lay, still tied up and unable to move a muscle. The demon was still ahead of her sarcophagus—there were too many of Mario's people keeping her pinned in place, preventing her from reaching the vessel she so desperately wanted.

After another blinding aura, Elodie sprinted forth, her fists ablaze, and punched Marilyn directly across the maw. The woman's skin began to froth and bubble; then she fell to the ground. A nasty marking now adorned the right side of Marilyn's face—one that would not heal in a hurry, if ever it did at all.

Now it was Elodie who stood in front of Princess Peach, and Beldam was the one alone. Instead of untying the princess, however, Elodie stormed forward. Her hand wrapped around Beldam's throat.

"I will destroy you, for what you did to myself and to my son," she hissed. The hand squeezing Beldam's esophagus began to flare and burn. "You will rue the day you ever decided to join forces with that bitch. She will not—she cannot—save you now."

Elodie's fist burst into flame, searing into Beldam's skin. Horrific screams and gasps echoed around the chamber, accompanying the sound of spells and shouting and metal thwacks.

And then she was dead. Elodie opened her fist—her nemesis tumbled to the ground upon her back. Glassy eyes stared up at the ceiling.

For a moment, all she could do was stare. Elodie's breathing was ragged; much of her energy had been spent in taking out the Shadow Queen's tools. She spared a glance towards Mario to see how his end of the fight was faring: while he was still standing tall, ordering his companions around with great leadership and poise, a few of them were temporarily out of the fight. Goombella was one, and Yoshi was the other—they crouched behind one of the coffins lining the chamber, regathering their stamina and their breath.

Knowing that Mario still had matters in hand, Elodie rushed over to Princess Peach and began to untie her binds. Red marks had formed around the woman's wrists from how tightly she had been bound, but the moment that the gag was free from her mouth, the princess's first words were, "We must do something to help!"

A wry smile took over Elodie's face at the spitfire raging within Peach's eyes. "I would agree, although I would caution you to stay behind me."

It seemed as though Peach was about to argue, but Elodie held up a hand for silence. "You are the one the demon wants. If she grabs you, she will possess your body, and you will cease to exist. She will come back into the world, and her spirit will once again remain invulnerable. I will go support Mario. Take this instead."

Elodie took a deep breath and, from her mind's eye, summoned a perfect replica of her husband Arthur's sword. As she held out her hands, a weight grew within them, heavier and heavier until she could've been staring at the same sword that Arthur's empty grave was holding, save for the addition of a ruby gemstone at the center of its hilt.

Princess Peach took the sword with awe and wonder, her eyes trailing up and down its blade like a child witnessing its first snowfall. As soon as such naïveté arrived, however, it was gone: replaced by determination.

There was nothing further to say, and so Elodie did not speak again. She turned her back on the princess and summoned herself to Mario's side, so she might help him finish what had been started.

Her healing spells proved integral in the following moments. Goombella and Yoshi were soon back in the fight, although at Mario's direction, they remained close to the back lines. Mario himself was spearheading the attacks that he coordinated, with Bobbery and Madam Flurrie at his side. He utilized all of his companions' abilities: he threw Bobbery's grenades with pinpoint precision at the demon's summoned minions, protected himself with Koops's shield, morphed into the shadows with Vivian when he needed to regroup.

"You will not best me!" the demon roared. A maelstrom was whirling behind her crimson eyes, as well as something else… fear. "I am all-encompassing! I am the new world incarnate!"

Elodie stood tall and took one more step forward, placing herself again by her champion's side. "You are nothing anymore."

Hearing her words, Mario rushed forth—he swung his war-hammer one last time, the end of its mallet cracking against the demon's face.

A bone-chilling shriek filled the cavern as the demon, the world's greatest enemy, began to fall to its knees. Lines, cracks, had begun appearing across its face like a broken piece of porcelain—the whole chamber was rumbling—

And then the demon burst into shards, as though it was made of glass. The pieces turned to dust as they sprinkled onto the rugs in front of the sarcophagus. If Elodie hadn't seen the demon break into splinters with her own eyes, she might've mistaken the sparkles for fallen stardust.

The cavern was quiet once again. Everyone was standing still, breathing raggedly. Other than hunching over in relief or exhaustion, no one moved a muscle.

Elodie swallowed hard, tears sparking her eyes. "Mario…"

Before she could say another word, the stardust upon the carpet began to swirl. A well of horror washed over Elodie's being—but as soon as the horror arrived, it was gone, having transformed into love and relief.

"Arthur," she gasped.

Floating ahead of her in a spirit form, was her husband. Poised behind him were Matthias, Ingrid, and Serene: all four of them were grinning, reaching out to Elodie with one hand.

"My love," Arthur sighed. He was there, just ahead of her, his eyes the same beautiful sky-blue she had perfectly memorized. "It's done."

Elodie immediately seized his hand. Much to her surprise, he was warm… as though he were alive. She turned back to Mario and his friends, all of whom were watching her with relieved smiles. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It's done, then. At long last, it's… over. The eight of you have saved this world. It owes you a debt that it can never repay. We owe you a debt."

Mario, however, simply shook his head. "Without you, there's no telling whether we would've made it this far. You helped us finish this, Elodie. Thank you… for everything." He wrapped an arm around Princess Peach's shoulder, for the woman had come to stand by his side. There was a bit of a melancholy smile upon his face; he seemed to know what came next for Elodie.

"It's time, I think," Elodie murmured. She gestured loosely to the Crystal Stars still in Mario's possession. "The jewels will have lost their power now. The Map will simply be a piece of parchment. Keep them, if you wish. To remember me by."

The smile that crossed Mario's face was a bittersweet one. He took Elodie's other hand, squeezed it, and said, "You will never be forgotten, my friend."

Elodie sighed, unable to stop a single tear trailing from the corner of her eye. She turned back to Arthur and murmured, "I am ready to see our children again."

Three warm hands were placed upon Elodie's shoulder: Matthias, Ingrid, Serene. But it was Arthur who said, "Tobias will be glad to see you… but Rosalina still lives. Far away in the galaxy, upon a starship that sails forever through the stars… she has become a very powerful sorceress: just like her mother."

She blinked. "Rosalina… lives?"

"Aye," replied Arthur, a small smile quirking upon the corner of his lips. "She is happy and well, and visits this world—our home—once every one hundred years."

This knowledge caused a well of relief, of satisfaction, to swell within Elodie's heart. At last, after years of not knowing, she knew what became of her daughter, suddenly lost when she was merely ten years old.

Elodie stood taller, her eyes raking over the faces of her champions. She knew that this would be the last she would ever speak: and so she smiled and chose her final words. "Thank you… Mario."

He smiled too; both he and Princess Peach waved soft farewells.

So it was that content, complete, and with one hand grasping onto Arthur's, Elodie finally drifted away.

Thank you for reading my story. I always wanted to expand upon the world-building of the Thousand-Year Door, to give an origin story for the Five Heroes of Legend and the Demon that nearly swallowed the world in darkness. The magic upon the Magical Map was fascinating; there was nothing I wanted more than to create a weaving storyline between the past and the present, and create a guide to help Mario in what is arguably one of his most dangerous journeys throughout all of the Nintendo games. This was not a story I ever expected to be hugely popular, but it is one that I am incredibly proud of nonetheless; it took three years in total for me to write and finish this, and now that it is done, I can revisit the Paper Mario series with a new sense of nostalgia.

In case you're still reading this long note, thank you so much for being part of this journey. I very much appreciate it, and I hope you enjoyed. Take care of yourselves, and have a wonderful day.