Author's Note

Before we begin I'd like to say something that's been bugging me for a while

The lack of reviews or comments on these chapters. Not just for this story, but for Part 2 as well. I KNOW people are reading this, especially now that has given authors the ability to see how many views their stories are getting per day. I'm not asking for well-written criticisms unless you really want to go through the trouble of saying them to me, but rather I'd like maybe for some of you guys to say "Nice story" or "I liked this chapter" Simple things like that will not only better motivate me to continue this story, but will also reveal to others that maybe this story is worth checking out, and eventually a big enough fanbase could form and allow a multitude of people to talk to each other about this story or other things as well.

So you see, I'm not thinking primarily about myself here, but of you the readers as well. So yeah, you don't have to take note of my simple request, but I just wanted to toss it out there for the time being. Go ahead and enjoy this chapter now.

Chapter 7: Relaxation Before Stage Two

I made my way outside of the Nature Castle with Driad still in my arms. The giant vine on the second floor had vanished, so I was able to take the passage with no other difficulties. I looked at the ground as I walked under the slits of sunlight seeping through the trees. King Boo was gone, obviously having taken off after being freed from Mr. Reality's control. I didn't need to concern myself with him though, since he didn't stick around to bother me. All I needed to do was slip between the pristine, restored trees in the forest before me and make my way back to the entrance of the Osagi Woods so I'm at a more safe location to let my friend rest and heal.

He was snoring, the murmurs having ended a minute or two ago much to his and my relief. The drawing of his "Shadow" from his subconscious clearly drained a lot out of him, but it is not like his fight against me did him any favors either. Even with his current condition, I thought to myself as I went through the forest, "What am I going to tell him when he wakes up?" He clearly had a problem with me, his inner thoughts were revealed to me against his will, and not a single one of them were pleasant. I still feel some concern as I hear his words repeating in the confines of my mind.

Then again, there was still one thing I was thinking about. Did I really fight Driad's "Shadow", or was everything a setup by Mr. Reality to try and make me reluctant to fight my friend? There was just something about the way Driad's "Shadow" spoke that was convincing me to look away from my theory, but at the same time there was no way to confirm that either scenario was true save for the way Driad's eyes looked as I thought him. Whatever the answer, there were some frightening implications in regards to this "game" on both sides.

First, if Mr. Reality is only controlling their minds, then that says a lot about how callous and empathy-less he truly is, while it also explains the lengths of which he will go to keep this game going. The problem is that if this is true, it begs the question as to why he is allowing me so much free will when he could have me thinking and walking whatever and wherever he wanted me to with just a thought. Then again, who is to say that he didn't do before the game started? As a shiver went down my spine, I rationalized that my concerns couldn't be true, simply because of the Chronicler's very existence, which was someone the reality warper couldn't have foreseen appearing.

Anyways, the second theory was a little less concerning, but still one of great importance. If Mr. Reality is drawing out people's "Shadows", that means that the temple's have merged with the Midnight Channel, a realm of unknown origin and purpose. I recall the events of the "game" where the realm originated from, and worry about what will happen to Plit if the place is allowed to exist for a prolonged period of time. Things are fine enough right now, and it seems the Midnight Channel will vanish in certain parts of the world if I plunge my sword inside of the temples. However, if things are allowed to continue for too long, who is to say that the more demonic "Shadows" won't start to appear and wreak havoc across the planet?

If it was possible for me to do so, I needed to ask Mr. Reality some questions about the nature of his game. For now though, I needed to keep going forward while the sun was still up. After my long period of thinking I finally exit the thicket of trees, discarding the pressing conundrum from my mind as I notice something relieving off in the distance. Beyond the lively grassy plains was Toad Town, restored to its former glory without a single trace of grey or white present where it shouldn't be. "Oh thank heavens…" I say with an exasperated sigh.

Now I can return there and get Driad back to Mario's house where he will be nice and cozy until he wakes up. As I cross the plains I lift my head up high. Though the skies above the areas I restored were as blue as a sunlit sea, everything else was still wiped clean of its colors. "I guess they will stay that way until I restore the Sky Temple…Ugh, that might end up being more difficult than I realize." I was referring to my lack of flight when I thought about the difficulties of that particular temple. After all, it was located just around Nimbus Land, and since I couldn't fly and the place was like turned into a zombie land by Mr. Reality, I won't be able to just hitch a ride on the Nimbus Bus to get there.

"Bah, why am I worrying about that?" I say, shaking my head to dispel my early concerns. "That's two temples away, a solution should present itself before then." After that, it only takes me a minute to make it back to Toad Town, where I passed by Peach's Castle and noticed that the front doors were swarming with guard Toads, their spears raised in steady defiance of anything that would try and enter the castle. They turned their eyes over to me, cocking their weapons ready to attack me if I were to ever get too close. "So much for going and checking on Peach's condition…" I said, seeing that such a kind gesture was the least I could do since Mario didn't appear to be around.

I quickly left the area, the guards failing to notice the Crayzee Dayzee resting in my arms. I made certain to avoid going too fast, lest I trip over a rock and fall onto the ground with Driad pressed under the weight of my body. The center of town was bustling with activity, so much in fact that it was hard to tell that this place was a reality warped wasteland where all of the citizens were turned into mindless flesh devouring zombies. Either way, at least now I would no longer have to worry about feeling alone on my journey. Not only did I rescue one of my allies from the grasp of Mr. Reality, but now I had a lively city to return to every time I finished up a temple.

I could sense the cloud of concern vanishing from my mind, lifting my head up and sniffing in the chill air that flowed in from the brisk creek to the east before pausing just as I was about ready to enter the west part of town. Driad was wiggling about slightly in my arms, mumbling to himself, "I…Don't want to be let..doooo-" The last word trailed off as he curled his vines to the side of his head and positioned himself on my arms to go back to sleep. From the way he spoke, he was in the middle of experiencing a pleasant dream, and it would be rude of anyone to interrupt it.

The reason I stopped was so my movement didn't upset Driad's balance, but since he has now calmed down I continued on towards the pipe that would lead me to Mario's house. This was the most active part of town, and I saw a circle of Toads bunched together near where the pipe was. Curious, I tilted my head to the right and proceeded to walk over after muttering "Huh?" and returning my head back to normal. As I was taller than the shroom citizens, I was able to look over their rounded caps and see what they are gathered to look at.

The pipe was monochrome instead of green, but unlike the environment I saw before there was a black haze leaking out of the hole with an ominously white glow surrounding it. "What is going on here?" I asked in hopes that one Toad would be willing to answer my question. After a few seconds, a green-capped Toad in the back row turns around and looks up at me. Their eyes widen momentarily, obviously noting the presence of Driad in my arms before saying, "I'm as clueless as you are buddy. First that limbless alien shows up out of nowhere and causes a bit of damage, and the next thing you know I wake up standing entirely still with my arms stretched out in front of me."

The Toad copies the pose he was in as described in his sentence, and after a shrug of the shoulders he looks at me and says, "Say, haven't I seen you somewhere before? And just why do you have Driad resting on your arms?" Even though it would be easy to just say that I was the Elemental Overlord, I really couldn't call myself that. If anything, I was currently the Plant Overlord, and that isn't exactly a title that sparks a feeling of remembrance now is it? "I've been getting the 'Your look familiar' comments a lot since I arrived, but I'm not anyone you know, I assure you that. As for why I have Driad, I found him unconscious in the Osagi Woods and was going to take him to Mario's house to recuperate."

It was clear that no one in town had any recollection of being a zombie, so telling them about what happened since I arrive would do nothing but raise suspicion, especially since Mr. Reality was targeting me and all. At the very least, this confirmed that Driad wouldn't remember his "Shadow" or the things he said to me when he awoke, so I was safe in that department. For now, my little lie would have to do. The Toad doesn't raise a brow in suspicion, instead saying, "Well, I don't know what type of relation you have to Mr. Mario to be allowed entrance into his house, but I would advise avoiding the pipe for now, since there is no telling what may happen if you enter."

With his cautionary words given, I chose to heed them as he turned back around to look at the pipe. I heard some murmurs from the rest of the citizens, most of them wondering where Mario and Luigi were during all of this, which was something I pondered as well as I spun my body around and walked away from the scene of confusion. If anything, the pipe was probably corrupted due to the area where Mario's house is being taken over by Mr. Reality. I was wanting to give Driad a nice place to rest, but I guess for now the Toad House would have to do.

Of course, considering how serene Driad was at the moment, I don't think he would really care as to where he wakes up at. I headed back to the center of town, moving towards the house that lies near the east exit to Koopa Road carefully. I don't know what was more amazing at this point. The fact that Driad has stayed in my arms for all this time, or that my muscles haven't been worn out from keeping them in this position for so long. "Oh well, I should just stay diligent instead of complaining about such a minor issue." I said after sighing and lifting my head up slightly.

"It would at least be nice to know when Driad is going to wake up…He is strong, I know that, but is his subconscious capable of recovering from such a penetration?" That was the question pressing me at that moment, but one that could wait until later to be solved. I approached the door after lifting my feet up onto a higher plateau, lifting my knee to knock on the wood since my arms were preoccupied still. I could tell the sounds echoed on the inside for the owner to hear, and I received an answer when the door was pulled back into the house to reveal a red-capped Toad grabbing onto the side of it.

It didn't take long for the Toad to recognize the being in my hands, and an even shorter amount of time for me to explain why he was as he was. I used the same lie I did with the guy near the pipe, and once he bought it the Toad let me in and said that I could put Driad down at no cost to him. I did offer to give him some money for his troubles, especially since this kind act of mine is going to prevent other tourists from resting, but he just waved his hand at me and told me to forget about it. As I folded my arms in front of my chest and watched the Toad tuck Driad under one of his finely knit sheets, I realize just how much I had forgotten about the generosity expressed by the citizens of this lovely town.

I wanted to stay behind and see Driad wake up, but I was on a schedule. I turned around and looked beyond the open door into the sky, where I saw that the sun was beginning to set. I needed to make it to the Aqua Palace and restore it before it became nighttime. Luckily, my trip would be short, since the temple in question was right in the area. I turned my head and quietly said goodbye to Driad, giving a more vocal, thankful farewell to the Toad as I exited the house and closed the door behind me.

"Alright, so all I need to do is go South and hopefully…" I stopped in the center of town near the statue of my likeness, leaning my arms horizontally against my chest without bringing them together while turning my head to look at the horizon set ahead of me. The skies looked monochrome above the docks, meaning that at least one part of town was not fully restored by my efforts in the Nature Castle. "Yeah that figures…" I sigh, hoping at the very least that that part of Toad Town didn't have any citizens in it before it was taken over, or if so that no one was foolish enough to walk into the space.

Last thing I wanted to do was run into more zombies. After all, even if I could now defend myself I simply wouldn't on the basis that I would be attacking innocent civilians. As I pondered my concerns with all my concentration, I heard some footsteps approaching me from the right side of my body. I turned my head, and who else would show up but the Master, his arms folded into the sleeves of his robe as he raises his head slightly and looks at me with his eyes looking as though they have underwent a lot of stress in the few hours since I last saw him.

"Hey, what happened to you? You look as though you've seen a ghost." I said with concern put towards his appearance. The Master shakes off my question for a moment, folding his arms behind him as he walks across the ground until he is front of me. He doesn't look at me as he then says, "I saw and heard worse things than that Overlord Mewmaster…The grumbles of my fellow species as they wandered like the undead they had become, the screams of everyone else as they tried to run from that alien's unholy powers to no avail, and the desperate pleas of the Star Spirits as they…Well, I have no idea what happened to them, but I can only imagine the suffering they are enduring as they are trapped in their own sanctuary."

I was surprised by his response. From the sounds of things, the Master had been able to keep a hold on his mind while the town was paved in monochrome, and the things he witnessed were horrifying beyond all belief, hence why he looked tired now. It all strained his mind, but for him to approach me after all that just goes to prove how strong-willed he was. There was one thing about what he said that had me drawing a bead of sweat from my forehead. "Wait…What did you just say about the Star Spirits?"

"I'm connected to them, having formed a pact long ago to gain immortality, knowledge and power in exchange for offering to train certain chosen people in the way of wisdom and strength. But that is a long story that would keep you away from your goal, so I shall keep this simple. Thanks to that alien's reality warping powers, I've lost my connection to the Star Spirit's power, and I can no longer sense their presence. I wouldn't say they have departed from the world of the living, but rather the alien" "Mr. Reality" I interrupted so the Master could know his name, to which he quickly corrects himself and continues by saying, "Mr. Reality set up an interference field or did some other method of incapacitation to keep them from interfering in the world's affairs."

I could tell that the Master was questioning in his mind as to why he had to say such a ridiculous name, but nonetheless he turned around and looked up at my worried expression, grinning and saying to me, "So how have things been going for you?" in such a calm tone that I was wondering as to just how concerned he was about the Star Spirit's current condition. Then again, knowing him he probably was looking deep inside me and found hope in this situation, which gave him no reason to focus on such concerns.

I widened my eyes briefly in surprise, stammering out the word, "F-F-Fine, I guess." Before spending the next few minutes explaining to him the truth, seeing as he is the closest person I got that knows about what is going on. When I was done, the Master raised one hand to his chin and leaned his head forward. "Interesting, so this 'Midnight Channel' you speak of originated from another world that exists in a video game format on your world?" I nodded my head, surprised by how well the Master was taking my news as he folds his arms into his robe and once again looks up at me.

"It is not like some people in our world haven't dabbled in the affairs of other worlds before, and this is also not the first time our planet has been invaded by a supernatural phenomena. However, I do wish to express some genuine concern over your theory about what could happen if the 'Midnight Channel' continues to exist on Plit. I'll take that all into consideration and keep it a secret until you are able to save more of the heroes from their fates, for that you have my word." The Master perfectly combined understanding, trust and tranquility into his words, weaving together sentences that left me satisfied for having conferred to him what I knew.

"Now then, remember earlier today when I said to you that I would be willing to teach you a few things about your elemental powers?" The elderly Toad changes the subject quickly, but it was done in such a refined manner that I couldn't help but be impressed. "Yeah. Since I got my Nature powers back, will you be willing to-" "Actually, you need not worry about training that power. You already proved yourself well-knowing of the element." I couldn't help but express confusion over this response with a "Huh?" after a momentary pause.

"I saw you carry the quiescent Driad over to the Toad House, how you did nothing to disturb him despite there being many opportunities for you to save time by running. 'Let Nature Take Its Course' is a phrase that you should be familiar with, and there are so many truths hidden in just those five words. In this case, allowing him to sleep and recover in peace was what proved that you know many of the truths buried in that phrase. You are worthy to go into battle with your respect over the delicate balance of nature, Mewmaster. As for me, I am going to retreat to my dojo and meditate for a bit with a guest of mine over a cup of Koopa Tea. For now, I bid you adieu."

The Master turned around, treading the ground lightly as he retreated from sight. It was nice to know I had someone to confer to about what I knew, especially when the person in question was as wise as he is. After taking a sniff of the brisk afternoon air, I pushed my hands into my pockets and made my way towards the docks, smiling at every Toad I met to lower their suspicions. Needless to say, the uneventful trip took only a minute to finish, and I found myself only a few feet away from the line that splits the real world away from the monochrome landscape plagued by an emotionless atmosphere.

"I'm going to have to dive in once more…" I said, sighing and taking my right hand to the back of my head to lament my next move. "I know this is for the good of the people and all, but once I head in I'll once again be without any company…" As I voiced my concerns to no one but myself, I opened my eyelids and heard the slow rattling of chains inside of the docks in front of me. I looked at the grey expanse, and who else would be there but the Eternity Chronicler, his left hand withdrawing into his humble cloak before he says to me, "We meet again, Overlord Mewmaster…Come on inside, I have something I wish to say to you…"

Next Time: The Underwater Battle Against the Beast with Three Head