Chapter II: And yet Again, Another Adventure

Trigger warning: (mentions of suicide)

"How much longer must I waiteth?" Clarbi asked impatiently.

The Nimbi sage turned toward his student and shook his head disapprovingly. "Patience is of the utmost imp'rtance," he reminded the younger Nimbi for a third time in the past hour.

"I doeth not think i can waiteth any longer!"

The sage eyed his pupil warily. "Doeth not act foolishly," he warned.

The younger Nimbi remained silent but was already planning something secretly.

~Back in the Mushroom Kingdom~

Okay, this was a bad idea, Luigi thought as he nervously scanned his surroundings. Without a flashlight to guide him through the darkened path, his mind began to play tricks on him. Was that a tree or some sort of monster of unimaginable terror? Luigi didn't want to stick around and find out. A crunching snap from deep within the woods made his racing heart skip a beat. The building paranoia finally burst like a pipe, pumping his legs into hyperdrive. Luigi began to sprint blindly, limbs flailing in a frantic and uncoordinated fashion. His not-very-full-proof plan came to a sudden halt when his foot managed to snag an unearthed root, causing him to tumble harshly to the right.

"Ugh," Luigi groaned, slowly lifting his face off the ground, dazed after such a rough landing. Feeling something inside his mouth, he spat out a clump of dirt. Gross! He sputtered a few more times and moved to stand before yelping loudly. The dull pain in his ankle pulsed, becoming a sharp, stabbing sensation. Great, I think I sprained it. Luigi gently rose to his feet and leaned against a nearby tree. Squinting through the almost pitch blackness, he attempted to asses his aching joint. He could make out some swelling but wouldn't be able to properly examine it in this impractical environment.

Sighing defeatedly, Luigi got ready to begin walking -or limping- home again. As he shifted, a gleam of light caught his eye. Turning toward the light's direction, he let out a small gasp. The ledge Luigi stood on revealed a lake, moon casting a shiny hue onto it. Starry reflections were also speckled across the dark blue canvas. How had he never noticed it before? After all this time in the Mushroom Kingdom, he failed to stop and smell the roses, or in this case, stop and see this view. That made him sad.

"Help! Help!"

A panic-stricken voice cut above the eerie silence, making Luigi jolt in surprise. The unexpected movement worsened his throbbing ankle and brought him back to the current situation. He quickly searched for who was attached to the distressed shouting. That's when his gaze landed upon the lake again. Someone was splashing wildly around. "Are they drowning?" he asked himself anxiously. As if answering his rhetorical question, the figure then called out, "I'm drowning!"

Those words triggered something inside Luigi. It was a similar feeling that arose each time he fought beside Mario. Despite his pain, fear, and uncertainty...he was also filled with determination. The breath of exhilaration that temporarily rose above all his other doubts and emotions. He hesitantly stepped forward, injury hurting more with each step, before jumping off the ledge.

Icy liquid swarmed around Luigi, limbs pulling like weights as he sank farther down. His eyes shot open, pain engulfing him. Was the burning from his ankle or the paralyzing cold? He couldn't tell, but it was probably a bit both. Thrashing legs from above reminded Luigi of the task at hand. He forced his unwilling body to push upward, reach the surface, and gulp in strained bouts of air. He blinked water out of his eyes and spotted the panicking form. He swam closer only to be splattered with freezing water. The drowning individual continued making waves from their chaotic arms that flew every possible direction.

"I'm trying to rescue you!" Luigi shouted, panting tiredly. He didn't know what to do. The person that needed to be saved was making it a lot harder for Luigi to actually do the saving. He had no choice. Closing his eyes and hoping to not get an accidental punch to the face, he lunged forward and grabbed the individual. They squirmed for a few seconds and then went limp. Oh my gosh! Are they unconscious? Luigi worried, realizing how lifeless they became. He used up the last of his fleeting strength to do one final pull, dragging them onto shore.

Luigi coughed out some lingering water from his lungs and flopped onto his back. He wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. Oh, wait! Luigi sat up, anxiety taking over. That person. Are they okay? He glanced to where he had placed the body and screamed in shock. The supposedly unconscious figure was upright and moving closer. And not only that. They were glowing. "W-what are y-you?" Luigi shakily asked, scrambling backwards. He mentally kicked himself for sounding so scared. He had met many different types of species in his lifetime, but none of them had been quite like this. He tried to get a good look at the unknown creature, but the illumination it emitted was far too powerful.

"Oh! Sorry!" the ball of light apologized and dimmed significantly. Luigi carefully lowered his arm that had been shielding his eyes and peeked over it cautiously. The creature, who appeared to be male, seemed mostly human (aside from the faint yellowish glow that still radiated off his body). He was now in front of Luigi; his up close face revealed dark brownish-black eyes that observed Luigi intently. Luigi shrunk under the gaze, feeling as if he was a subject beneath a microscope.

"I hast forgotten that human eyes tend to art most sensitive! Are thou alright?" he questioned, voice carrying a thick and outdated accent.

Luigi stared back blankly in response. He had picked out a few English words from what the thing, whatever he was, had said. But, the rushing thoughts inside his brain muddled out any chance of piecing them together coherently.

The creature scratched his head of blond hair in confusion before snapping his fingers. "I can taketh this chance to practice mine human language. I am still learning, so I hope thou art patient withal me!" he declared excitedly. He pulled out a book, Modern English Dictionary, and flipped through a few marked pages. "Hello! I am Clarbi. I am a Nimbi from The Overthere." He closed the book and beamed an accomplished smile.

Luigi finally rose to his feet, noting that he was slightly taller than Clarbi. "You're from where?" Luigi asked, still attempting to wrap his mind around what was happening.

"The Overthere."

"Over there?" Luigi pointed toward the lake where he had saved Clarbi, wondering if that's what he meant.

Clarbi quickly shook his head. "The Overthere."

"Over here?

"Overthere"

"Over...there?"

"No! The Overthere. As in, Overthere. One word."

"Oh."

"Yes."

The silence lasted a moment until Luigi cleared his throat awkwardly. "Okay. So you're from, uh, The Overthere. Right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, and..." Luigi tried to find the right words. The truth was he had a lot of questions like: Why are you glowing? Where is The Overthere? Why were you drowning in the lake? Luigi paused. The lake. His eyes scanned Clarbi's yellowish white robe. "Your clothes. They're dry," he stated matter-of-factly.

Clarbi followed Luigi's gaze and laughed. "Ah, yes! How did you like my theatrical performance? I did a good job!" He crossed his arms proudly.

"Performance?" Luigi's bewilderment grew. "What do you mean? I saved you!" he cried. The memory of his courageous rescue also reminded him of his ankle's continuously worsening pain.

Clarbi laughed again. "No, no, no," he replied. "I saved you!"

Luigi didn't even know how to process what he just heard. "What? B-but, I pulled you out of the water," he stammered, perplexity increasing.

"No. I jumped in...so you would jump in and save me...so you would not do it. Therefore, I saved you!"

"So I wouldn't do it? Do what?"

"What is the term in your language?" Clarbi opened his dictionary again. "Aha! Here it is! Suicide! Yes, you were going commit self-murder, but I saved you!"

"What?" Luigi was dumbfounded. "What do you mean? I was not!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No, I was not!"

"You were!"

"Was not!"

"You were!"

"Was not!"

"You we-"

"Enough!" Luigi cut Clarbi off, ending their childish banter. Luigi's confusion had molded into irritation. It was rare for Luigi to not get along with someone. Sure, people liked to poke fun or mess with him, but he always put up with it. But this guy, this Nimbi, was rubbing Luigi the wrong way. It was like the cherry on top of an already terrible night. "Look," he continued, "even though it was shown in a strangely elaborate way, I appreciate your concern. But, I was not planning on doing something like that." It was true. Luigi's battle with inferiority and loneliness was difficult, and he even had those dangerous thoughts passively, but he would never act on them.

"You were standing on a ledge!"

"I was enjoying the view! Which I only discovered after hurting my ankle from tripping!" Luigi pointed to his swollen joint for emphasis.

"Oh."

"Uh-huh."

There was another uncomfortable silence until Clarbi broke it. "I am sorry, Luigi. I miscalculated your intentions. I just assumed that would be your next step after watching you for so long."

"Well, it's not," Luigi said. His mind was in overdrive, picking apart the situation. Wait a minute. Luigi glanced at Clarbi, on guard again. "How do you know my name? And what do you mean 'watching' me? Are you a stalker?" Luigi's eyes widened in horror as he shuffled backwards, setting a greater distance between them.

Clarbi tilted his head questioningly. He opened his dictionary and searched for the word. "They know who you are, but the other person knows nothing about them," he read aloud, face brightening. "Yes! I would say I am!"

Luigi stepped back even more. "Get away from me!"

Clarbi's joyful demeanor morphed into a puzzled one. "Is that a bad thing?"

Luigi laughed dryly at his question. "You've got to be kidding. Yes!"

Clarbi became distressed. "Oh no! I am most certainly not anything bad! But, I do know about you, your family, and your life. I am not from this realm, but the clouds! That is where I watched you. I have chosen to help you!"

I must have hit my head harder than I thought. "Help me? What, are you my guardian angel or something?"

Clarbi chuckled. "Not quite. A Nimbi does not perform that type of work." He suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. "However," Clarbi hastily moved on, "I do have the ability to grant one wish. That is why I am here."

Luigi was already skeptical enough, but the lack of details fueled his suspicion. "Why?" he asked. "What's in it for you?"

"I thought you would never ask! You see, I lack something many of my colleagues carry with pride." He gestured to his back area.

"Wings?"

"Precisely! And the only way a Nimbi can earn that pair of wings is by committing a worthy act. This is where you come in! I have always been fascinated with humans. I became interested in the heroic ones as I studied them more in depth. I soon discovered one of the greatest to live: Mario! I also noticed what I thought to be a green shadow, but it turned out to be his younger twin! You! I also observed how others have treated you all this time. You act like everything is fine, but you are clearly not. That is why I assumed you were going to jump off that ledge. That is why I have chosen you and your pathetic self as the perfect candidate for my one wish!"

Luigi was speechless. He didn't know if Clarbi meant to intentionally or not, but the words he spoke cut deeper than a knife. The feelings from the party he left gripped his heart once more. He was still wary of the angel-like creature, but it seemed like a better option than his current depressing state. "Okay," Luigi decided. "How do I go about this wishing thing?"

Clarbi enthusiastically clapped, startling Luigi. "I knew you would make the right choice! Tell me, what is your wish?"

What is my wish? Luigi pondered multiple possibilities. There was one that stood out in his mind. When he said he wasn't planning to end his life, he was telling the truth. He was too much of a coward to do anything like that; the idea terrified him. But, there was an alternative. An easier way out. A way he could still stop being a burden to those he cared for most. Everyone would be better off without me. "I," Luigi said, pushing his anxiety down, "I wish I had never been born."

The moment those words left his mouth, Clarbi made a tearing motion with his hands. Beside him a swirling circle of yellow light formed on the ground.

Luigi's fear retuned. "W-what is that?" he stuttered.

Rather than answering him verbally, Clarbi grabbed Luigi's hand and yanked him toward the portal. Luigi hollered as he was engulfed by the mysterious glowing pool. Clarbi jumped in after him. The portal remained open for a few moments before absorbing back into the ground. The woods returned to being perfectly normal. Crickets chirped symphonies, fireflies painted the sky, and stars continued to sparkle. No one noticed the portal, as it finally closed completely. And no one noticed the shadowy figure that hopped in at the last second after the two clueless adventurers.

Notes:

I admit, though this story is set after Superstar Saga, I just had to incorporate some Paper Mario lore as well. I tried to translate The Nimbi language as best I could (since it is based on Elizabethan English). Also, The Nimbi are kinda angels so it seemed like a great choice while following the "It's a Wonderful Life" theme.