What? You thought I was dead? Well, obviously not. Okay, I just want to say I am sincerely sorry for the late update. It's been what? Two months? Yeesh, even I am starting to get frustrated with myself. What's the matter brain?! Writer's Block? Too busy to write? Can't think of stuff in the toilet?
Rockster: Thanks! I don't know if I'll include those power-ups really... Maybe I would, maybe I won't. Worst case scenario is that I won't include it, and best case scenario is that it's painfully and obviously there. I think it'll be the in-between where I'm just going to put some cameos of it. Yeah, maybe that... I'm not sure. I write as I go, so the story isn't set in stone.
And you think Mario and Luigi are too weak? "Wat wus dat? I kil u! Yul get rekt!" Nah, it's okay. I intended to do that, because I kept in mind that Mario and Luigi must be back to level 1 or something. I mean, you always start a game with both of them at level 1 like they just ignored all the sh#t you went through the last games, right? Well, there you have it. But I promise, they'll grow real strong. Not so that they're mary-sues, but yeah. Real high-jumping fat Italian plumber strong.
RoyalADK: Heh. Thanks! Your review has the making of Raptorful's day like the macaroni salad of happiness! Please be the reviewing again... I am the wanting of your reviews. They have the making of me happy! Please?
Madz the Penguin: Sorry, yes... I DID die. But I lived... It doesn't make sense, but so does a fire-breathing mutant turtle fighting Italian plumbers inside a castle with lava in it guarded by fungi things with feet. Though I did thank you for the crystal ball (I think), well to make sure I did, I'll just thank you again. So... Thanks a lot!
Anyway, here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoy it... I've rapped my brain for this..
"The Shadows Call My Name"
It was early morning if the warm yellow sky was anything to go by. The sun had just risen, peeking over the horizon and casting its warming light onto the land. A forest composed of tall and imposing conifers made up the surroundings. It was humid, the remnants of last night's cold weather lingering about. The chilly winds coming from the northern mountains ahead blew by, the suspected cause of the thin layer of frigid mist on the forest floor. It wasn't uncomfortable. It was serene, really. And if it was too cold, the rising sun's growing warmth helped the less tolerating forest-dwellers.
Early birds chirped gleefully, and the last of the crickets were silenced. The occasional screech from a random monster echoed throughout the land, but it wasn't filled with the usual wildness and fieriness. It sounded happy, actually.
Meanwhile, dull and fast-paced thudding could also be heard. It sounded like something big was running...
RIIAAUURRGGHH!
A delighted roar boomed throughout the land. The trees parted to reveal a humongous lizard, around 4 meters tall and 20 meters long, forest-green in color. She had striking electric-blue eyes that glinted with joy. Lady Lisa was running past the lines of trees at a speed that could rival that of a Go-kart, despite her size.
"Waaahhooooo!"
"Slow down! SLOW DOWN!"
"Yeesh! Quit being such a baby, Weegee!"
"MARIO! MAKE HER SLOW DOWN! We're gonna die, Grambidammit!"
Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Scuro were riding on the Alphazard. Lady Lisa had allowed them the honor of riding her, and they were certainly thankful for that. She ran faster than any of them could. It would get them out of the forest faster, guaranteed.
Mario was enjoying himself, the thrill of the speed and the wind blowing at his face giving him a reason to whoop to the skies. Luigi was scared shitless, and when Lady Lisa nearly hit a tree, he swore he felt something warm in his pants. Starlow was sitting behind the group, right before the lizard's hip. She enjoyed the ride too, a jovial smile grazing her face. Scuro was in Lady Lisa's jaws. The Alphazard was careful not to bite down too hard, or to salivate too much to wet him. He was still unconscious, and his hull was still significantly damaged, but otherwise, he was holding up well.
"I said STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Luigi screamed in a shrill voice.
"Keep it down, Luigi!" Starlow rebuked, although she was grinning in amusement. "You're going to attract Macabres!"
Luigi looked back and stared at Starlow incredulously. "Attract Macabres?! We're going to die in a speeding accident before we could get killed by zombie trees!"
From Lady Lisa's shoulders, Mario shrugged, careful to not move his broken arm too much. "It's seems pretty safe to me."
"Safe?!" Luigi screeched. "We're riding on a giant lizard running at insane speeds in a forest full of spiny trees and rocks. We'll die from crashing!"
Mario gave Luigi a pointed look. "We've faced monsters far more dangerous than over-speeding, Weeg." The older brother's eyes softened. "But seriously, calm down. I'm sure Lady Lisa wouldn't want to kill us, right? Besides, she wouldn't want to crash into trees herself," he said in a soothing tone. It calmed Luigi a little bit, but it wasn't enough to reassure him of the "safety". Luigi buried his face into Alphazard's scales and began to whimper silently.
...(On the cliffs of Plack Beach)...
"He has returned," a tall figure unintentionally mused aloud. His eyes were still closed, his meditation and connection to his adopted domains still requiring a few more minutes to disconnect. The Space and Earth had a knack for being vague in their answers, but they proved to be extremely helpful once the hints have evolved into complete answers. They foresee the future, and they could very well reveal the fate of all that roam their realms. For this tall figure, in his thousands-year long time posing to establish a bridge for the two realms, those two became his most trusted allies and leaders.
"That spells bad news... Bad news..." Another voice spoke. It sounded like it belonged to someone old: wise and rusty. The elderly turned to the tall figure, watching his old friend read the fate of their world. He heard him blurt something out, and just by the sound of phrase, he knew it was no light-hearted news. He shook his head slowly and sighed.
"Yeeesss," a third voice drawled out. It sounded high-pitched. Feminine. "Bad news indeeed... What of us nooow? His return was too out of the bluuue. We are unprepaaared."
The elder nodded. "And we don't have our Star Cures with us... What to do?"
"The Earth and Space has already given us an answer... But it is not clear," the tall figure answered, his eyes finally opening to see his two friends and fellow Star Sages.
The female cocked her head to the side. "What did it say, Chakron?"
The tall figure, now know as Chakron, answered. "I cannot translate it very well, but I shall try my best to explain." He turned towards the female, taking note of her butterfly-like appearance. "Wisdurm," he called. Then, he faced towards the elder, "Kuzzle." The old, light-blue Koopa perked up upon the call of his name. "Sit," Chakron recommended. "There shall be a lot of explaining."
Wisdurm stopped flying and sat a few feet in front of Chakron. Kuzzle gingerly set himself down right beside Wisdurm with his cane, muttering a few curses as his joints popped and muscles strained. Chakron, noting that everyone was now only waiting for him to begin, spoke.
"We have sensed a considerable amount of dark power leaking into this world," Chakron summarized before turning to Kuzzle. "You have sensed multiple and heavy pockets of dark power in Dimble Wood, yes?"
The old Koopa nodded, his thick and white brows furrowing in concentration. "Dimble Woods isn't in good shape... Parts of the forest have already begun to die out, oh the terror. And the lot of 'em dead trees come to life! Lumbering, rotting, terrible, evil trees, I say."
Wisdurm's eyebrows quirked up in mild surprise. "Undead treeeees? Moviiiing?"
Kuzzle only nodded. "Yep. Them trees have been terrorizing them people from the outside... Many o' travelers haven't returned once they step into the forest! And them Wigglers, Treevils, Chests, and Sockops have all but disappeared in hiding, afraid those vile beasts would get them... Dimble Woods has become a terrible place, I tell you. Terrible."
Wisdurm looked down on the stone floor in sadness. "That's awfuuuul..."
Chakron nodded in agreement. "Indeed. By far, five Toads from Toad Town have gone missing, and their families are looking for them. I fear that they may begin searching in Dimble Woods. Those trees would hunt them down, too. By extension, the rest of Toad Town would try to help, and I doubt they could get out alive."
Kuzzle and Wisdurm nodded in understanding.
Clearing his throat, Chakron continued. "We shall keep Dimble Woods isolated from the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom until the problem is solved. Those trees are going to have to be exterminated, and until they are all gone, the forest remains as a no-entry zone." Chakron sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, Dimble Woods isn't the only one... Blubble Lake and Cavi Cape are also starting to be infected with dark power. They too, are fated to end up like Dimble Woods is now..."
Wisdurm frowned. "And we assume the Dark Star is causing thiiiisss?"
Chakron faced Wisdurm. "That is the question that makes it vague. The answer the Earth and Space gave me... is both yes and no."
Kuzzle scratched his head with his cane. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Chakron would've shrugged if he wasn't in his millennial-long pose. "Even I do not know, old friend... But I suppose the answer would clear when the time comes. The Earth and Space cannot tell us complete truths, otherwise the future is ruined and the laws of secrecy and ancient fate deny its credibility. All in all, we won't be receiving any clear answers, and with the help of time and our own minds, we would be able to decode and decipher our future..."
At that, Wisdurm nodded and Kuzzle grunted understandingly. Chakron wasn't finished, though. "There are more concerning threats that arise."
Wisdurm and Kuzzle looked grim upon hearing this. "What could be worse than the vile thing's return?" Kuzzle asked. "The Dark Star is all but evil, and that thing's return is a bad omen in itself!"
Chakron faced his old companion. "A lot, actually... The Shade Crystal, despite the rumor that it has long since been destroyed, has become more active. Its aura has grown so strong, the island it is beheld in has begun to shift. Within just this week, the whole island has risen a few feet above sea level, and the sea separating the island from the Mushroom Kingdom has risen as well. Within a few weeks, the island would connect to Plack Beach..."
Wisdurm hummed in thought. "What of the Shade Crystal's effeeeects to Mushroom Kingdom once it conneeeects?"
"That, we are unsure of... Currently, the Shade Crystal's notable effects on the island are what I just said earlier, and oddly enough, keeping the time of day in balance. Lately, a third force has been trying to-"
"A third force?" Kizzle cut off. "This is madness!"
Chakron sighed. "You are unenlightened... Calm down, old friend. This situation is as much of a problem to all of us as it is to you. The whole world will be affected, after all." Sighing, Chakron resumed. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Lately, a third force has been trying to concentrate the nights into the island. Without the Shade Crystal in action, the third force would've blanketed the whole island in darkness... So, in a nutshell, the Shade Crystal is a neutral. We suspect that it is causing the dark power leakage along with the Dark Star, but it is keeping the third force from completing its task."
Wisdurm fiddled with her hands nervously. "Chakron? If I may aaaask... What is this third threeeaaat?"
Chakron's face darkened. "We're going against something we dare not speak the name of... It is quite a surprise he has reawakened in just a span of a few millennia when he takes at least several million years to wake."
Wisdurm's face paled, and she suddenly felt cold. "You don't mean— No, it can't beeee!"
Chakron could only nod grimly. "The whole reason of our existence is returning to take back what he gave us..."
"But what of the Dark Star? What does he have to do with all this?" Kuzzle asked.
"It appears our corrupted former companion has quite the role in this. The answer the Earth and Space gave us is a yes and no... because it's all up to the Dark Star to make a choice. The fate of the whole world rests on his being, and his decision will either erase us from existence, or save us all."
...(Conifrost Forest, New Land)...
The ride went on for a few more hours. The sun was already high up, but the forest undergrowth was darkened by the towering trees and conifers. One time during the ride, the group encountered a small pack of Macabre Trees. They were easily dealt with, especially with a whole ten-ton lizard queen at their disposal.
So far, so good...
Meanwhile, the group was getting pretty bored. Lady Lisa had since slowed into a slow jog, the humidity and chilliness of the forest making her cold-blooded body less active. Riding on something fast was thrilling, but at the pace the Alphazard was compared to her insane sprint, it was pretty dull. The forest scene wasn't as appealing as it used to. Forest, forest, forest. Trees, trees, trees. And look, a random boulder!
Mario groaned, clearly hating the familiar feeling of boredom. "Can't anything more interesting happen? We've been in this forest for hours, and nothing's happened."
"We just encountered some Macabres a while ago," Starlow reminded.
"Yeah. And the encounter lasted for just a minute. Those rotting trees had nothing on a stampeding Alphazard," Mario retorted as he slumped down and buried his face on Lady Lisa's feathery neck frills.
"At least we didn't have to risk too much from finishing those things off," Luigi remarked as he absently drummed Lady Lisa's scales.
"And lose all the fun? I don't think it's much of a win-win to me," Mario answered.
"Well, at least we're moving forward right?" Luigi said.
Mario shrugged in response. "Yeah... At least we are." He looked up to see more of the forest. From the height he was sitting on Lady Lisa's back, he could only see more trees. But looking up further, he could see the snow-capped mountains looming over them from the distance.
Noticing Mario's gaze on the mountains ahead, Starlow piped up. "We're getting close to the mountains. We've passed the creepy forests and entered the conifer forests a day ago... I'd say we'd reach the base of the mountain in another day. But there is also the possibility that there'd be a lake nearby. Snow would melt from the mountains and we'd be able to get some fresh-from-the-mountaintop water there... If there is."
Mario and Luigi nodded at their companion's update. "Well, there better be a lake nearby," Mario said as he pulled out a water jug out of nowhere with his good hand. He shook the jug to confirm that it was nearly empty. "I'm almost out."
"Me too..." Luigi chimed.
This is going to be a long day...
...(Scuro's POV)...
'Back again so soon?...'
'Wake up, Dark Star... Wake up...'
'Darkness will consume all in the end... It is the origin of all things known and unknown... It is only right for the darkness to take back what rightfully belongs to it...'
'Weak... So pathetically weak... This is insufficient...'
'Why struggle any further?... All the sacrifices... All the efforts... Unnecessary... You will fade in the end... Unremembered...'
Voices. I hear voices... Multitudes of them. They sounds sad... angry... desperate... desolate...
They are suffering.
I hear women screaming... terrified. I hear defiant men shouting... only for them to fall silent and dead... I hear children crying... looking for family that they will never see again... I hear all of them begging for second chances... Begging to turn back time and correct their wrongs... Begging to escape this... This hell... Begging for me to set them free...
But I cannot...
I am the Dark Star... A relic whose origins are unknown... A being given an identity only a few days back... A monster that was given a second chance for change... A chance that was still waiting to be taken.
I cannot set them free... They are dead... All of them are gone... They are a figment of my mind... They are not real... Yet they seem so... So much more.
Their pleas are too loud and agonizingly painful to hear... I cannot bear to listen to every word they say... Yet somehow, they get to me... Though they are incomprehensible, they still manage to get to me... They sound so desperate... When I hear them cry, I feel like joining them... I try to ignore them... But they are too loud... They beg my attention...
Like I'm the only one that can save them.
I hear the stories... Spoken through whispers and rumors... Shallow breaths and final moments... I hear them... I feel the familiarity... It all happened to me... They are speaking of my story... My whole miserable life... They speak of my creation... Of my purpose... Of my supposed destiny... Of my curse...
But I cannot understand the words...
Each word uttered was all but a mere breath of cold air... They speak too softly... They are drowned out by the screams of pain and terror from the demented souls that seem to occupy this realm... This nightmare... The screams are growing louder... I can't hear my story anymore... My fate...
MAKE THEM STOP! THIS IS TOO MUCH TO BEAR! I TAKE BACK MY MISTAKES! STOP SCREAMING! IT'S TOO LOUD! TOO DARK! too... Evil.
...
...
...
Wait...
The screaming... It stopped...
Is it over?
A cold whisper... It brushes past me...
I call out to whatever approaches me... Who's there? What's there?
The whisper grows into a soft voice... No... Not soft...
Sinister...
It is getting colder... The screams... They are silent... But I hear the cries of terror from the demons that lurk here... They are afraid... Of whatever wishes my audience...
I hear it better now... It's calling my name... It's beckoning me forward... Telling me to come home... Where I belong...
No! This no home of mine... This place is not fit to be my home... There is too much... Too much torture to bear... This is not my home...
But what is?
Is it underground? Where bitter beings such as I deserve to be sealed in slumber? To suffer in silence, where no one shall bother me for a very long time?... Is it inside the dark place? The void, where I am free yet can reach nothing? Live in an eternal stalemate?
Or is it in the present? With the plumbers, the star sprite, the princess, the captain... With everyone? Living without a weight on my metaphoric shoulders? Living the life of a normal person... A living being...
No. I can't. Many will get hurt if I return.
The voice speaks again... I feel cold... Inside and out...
It's fear...
The voice tells me to come forward... To trust it...
I don't trust it...
The voice... It begins to shout... It is irritated... It scares me... I cannot deny it... Each word it jabs at me is like a sharp shard of ice inserted slowly into me...
Painful... Cold... Terrifying...
Enough of this... Stop. Now.
"WHAT IS THE MATTER, DARK STAR?... YOU WERE DEFIANT THE LAST TIME WE MET... YOU ARE REDUCED... HAVE THE TWO HUMANS AND STAR SPRITE SOFTENED YOU?..."
That voice... I recognize it...
"You," I growled in defiance,,remembering who I am... I am the Dark Star. The shadows bow down to me... It is I that should be feared... And I am powerful... I cannot be scared.
"YES..." The nothingness seemed to shift... I hear deep humming... The signature vibrations of sheer power... The long and sharp bristles grazed me by a mere length, and I felt each whip of wind it caused brushing me... Soon enough, I faced the single orange orb that was the beast's eye. The gaze seemed sharper than ever, piercing through my very being... Reading each and every molecule that comprises my very existence like an open book.
"I WISH AN AUDIENCE WITH YOU..." It spoke. "DO YOU LIKE IT HERE, DARK STAR? IS THIS A PLACE YOU WANT TO CALL HOME?"
"No... This place is too-"
"SCARY? SAD? DESOLATE? I THOUGHT SO... DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS PLACE IS?"
"N-no.."
"THIS IS WHERE I LIVE, DARK STAR... THIS IS WHERE I HAVE SPENT MANY MILLENNIA IN TORTURE... LISTENING TO EVERY WORD THESE DEMENTED SOULS SQUALL AT ME..." The beast moved its face closer, and I found myself just a few meters away from the humongous burning eye. "TELL ME," the beast rumbled, causing my hull to vibrate and rattle. "DO YOU THINK YOU SUFFERED ENOUGH, DARK STAR? DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR OWN MISERY IS THE WORST TORTURE ANYONE COULD EVER DARE TO EXPERIENCE?"
I didn't answer, not knowing what to say... And my own pain... I do not know what I have been through, other than being buried underground to be forgotten... Left to be unearthed by the cold hands of evil... I do not remember... But I feel something... It's painful and heavy... It's inside me... Where living beings say where their heart belongs... It feels like a wound that even time cannot heal... The beast kept talking, noticing my silence and lack of words.
"YOU HAVEN'T SUFFERED ENOUGH... TO MY OWN PAINS, YOUR SUFFERINGS ARE A PALE COMPARISON... I HAVE LIVED THROUGH MANY EONS... AND IN THOSE EONS, I LIVED IN AGONY... MANY FEARED ME... I WANTED RESPECT, AND I DID SO BY USING THEIR FEAR TO MY ADVANTAGE... I MADE A WRONG DECISION... THEY DEFIED ME... THOSE INSOLENT, PITIFUL SCUM DARED TO QUESTION MY REIGN... THEY CALLED ME A TYRANT, WHICH I ADMIT, I ACTED SIMILARLY... THEY ATTEMPTED TO KILL ME, WHICH OF COURSE FAILED... THEY ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE ME AWAY, BUT NO ONE CAN... THEY TRIED TO SEAL ME AWAY... BUT IS THAT HOW TO TREAT A GOD?"
A god?
"GRAMBI SAID I WAS TOO POWERFUL TO EXIST... JAYDES SAID I WAS TOO DARK TO RULE JUSTLY... THEY ARE FOOLS..." The whole realm shook. "THEY DO NOT DESERVE THE AUTHORITY I HAD GRACIOUSLY GRANTED THEM... GRAMBI, THE OLD FOOL, IS LUCKY HIS DOMAINS ARE TOO BRIGHT FOR ME TO ENTER... THE OVERTHERE WILL FALL ONE DAY... SO NEAR... JAYDES IS IN A PRECARIOUS POSITION IN THE UNDERWHERE... SHE IS SURROUNDED BY THE SHADOWS, AND IT SHALL ONLY BE A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME UNTIL THE UNDERWHERE BECOMES A LITERAL HELL..."
Without knowing, I blurted out. "You talk too much."
The orange eye focused on me. I felt the sudden drop in temperature freeze my entire being... The orange eye grew harsher, turning into a burning red orb.
A chuckle...
Then a laugh... The beast was laughing.
"YOU HAVE THE BRAVERY OF A HUNDRED WARRIORS, DARK STAR... FEEL HONORED TO BE GIVEN THE COMPLIMENT FROM ME... BUT," it paused. "THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF BRAVERY, AND I SUPPOSE THERE IS ONE TYPE THAT MOST PERFECTLY DESCRIBES YOU..." It spat. "STUPIDITY."
My eyes grew from a timid red to an infernal flame. Stupid? This prehistoric troll dares to call me stupid? It may have size, but I doubt I could say the same for its brain! "Stupid?" I growled. "You're wasting your own saliva ranting at me like this! Are you really that desperate for someone to hear your unnecessary speech?"
"WHAT... DID YOU SAY, LITTLE STAR?" the beast hissed.
Feeling a new sense of strength and defiance surge within me, I continued on. This beast was no better than a pile of million-year-old bones meant to be buried. I was no different, but that just proves how much of an equal it is to me. God or not, we are the same; I was also a god in my own right. "And here I thought you were oh-so superior," I drawled. "It seems millions of years of being screamed at by tortured souls has rendered you half-deaf."
The beast growled dangerously, and I felt my own prideful support begin to crumble. But no, I held strong. I am powerful, too. "What is it now? Another rant that would render me half-deaf like you? Don't make me laugh, primitive oaf."
Another growl came from the beast, this time dangerously lower. "I SPEAK TRUTHS, LITTLE STAR... ALL THAT I SAY IS THE LAW OF EXISTENCE... I HAVE THE POWER TO ERASE THIS PATHETIC WORLD OF YOURS WITH MY WORD... I ADVISE YOU... DON'T. TEST. ME."
"And what will you do?" I asked. "I know that this is all but a dream. Dreams can do nothing on me. They are only a fraction of the mind's conscience. They do not exist in the material world, and therefor, they can do no harm."
The beast's rage-filled red eyes grew even harsher. "AND YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN ONE THING, LITTLE STAR... THE INDIVIDUAL'S MIND IS WHAT CONTROLS THEIR VERY ACTIONS... THE KING OF A KINGDOM... PRESSURE THE KING, AND THE KINGDOM FALLS..." The beast breathed, and the whole world froze. The walls I had just built crumbled into nothing, and I again found myself in the cold grasp of fear itself. "NOW... DO YOU WANT TO TEST THIS THEORY OUT PERSONALLY, LITTLE STAR?"