Chapter 10: Black Faded Memories
There was nothing said after Luigi's comment. He made it clear as day that he wasn't familiar with me, which I considered impossible when I took another look at my memories. I wasn't mistaken, the man in green was one of the people I traveled with. So why did he claim to not recognize me? I suddenly felt a rush of pain in my head, the images of my memories growing fuzzy as my body becomes limp and I fall to my knees. Sweat emerges from many pores on my skin as I dispel my sword and plant my palms into the pond. The nervous breathing that passes between my lips causes Luigi to unfold his arms away from their puzzled position and he runs over to me in an instant.
With my head leaned forward I can't see his expression, but he voices his concern in a nervous tone, "H-Hey! What is going on with you?" I didn't know how to answer that. There was no way that Luigi's comment could've done this to me. I felt like I was going to throw up, even though nothing was rising up my esophagus. I tried to lift my head up to look the man in green in the eyes, and after a few seconds of silent staring I suddenly feel better. Everything subsided, my recovery unnatural no matter how anyone would look at it. Even so, Luigi stares at me weirdly as I get back on my feet and shake my head to remove the slight pain residing in the back of it.
"That…That was weird…" Those were the only words I could bring myself to say after all that, my response amounting to one of nonchalance as I blinked my eyelids a few times in the face of Luigi's concerned gaze. The man in green slanted his eyebrows, and I could tell that he was thinking about my condition. "Honestly, I don't know what has been going on around here since that alien knocked me unconscious, and I really think it would be for the best if we got to a safer spot before we start asking each other questions."
Though Luigi was kindly trying to avoid the subject of my well-being, he made a very good point. The walls of water outside the Aqua Palace could come crashing down at any time, and the return of the sea would end in the submergence and subsequent drowning of both of our bodies. After the man in green denied my offer to carry him back to Toad Town, we started to tread through the beautiful corridors and platforms of the restored temple, jumping our way to the top and making it out the entrance where we are greeted by the all too familiar shine of the moon radiating across the barren sea floor.
The reflection of the moonlight casts off the walls of water, guiding us back to the docks after a short yet tranquil stroll. When we have reached our destination, we jump out of the chasm and hear the water come crashing down behind us. The collision of both sides of the sea causes a cascade of salty liquid to push towards the docks and erupt upon contact with the stony edge. A few drops hit both of our backs, but we take the chilling sensation as it seeps through our clothes in stride and continue on our way to an unknown destination.
I hadn't told Luigi yet that the pipe to his house was corrupted by the Midnight Channel's influence. In fact, we haven't exchanged a single word since we left the inner sanctuary of the Aqua Palace. Part of the reason as to why we hadn't was because the man in green was wrapped in thought, that much I could tell from the way he had his arms folded and his head lowered. It was obvious he was trying to put the pieces together about the mystery that was our different recollection of past events.
Admittedly, I was a little insulted by Luigi's inability to believe my claim, but this wasn't the first time so far where someone had doubted my identity. Mr. Reality did something similar, claiming that I "Wasn't the Elemental Overlord I am looking for" or something like that. I hadn't thought much about it at the time, especially with the brutal onslaught of events that occurred soon after, but with the man in green doubts I couldn't help but question to myself, "Maybe there are two Elemental Overlords?" I repeated that in my head four times, but it all sounded absurd to me no matter which way I looked at it.
After all, I KNOW for a fact that my memories of the events that transpired in our journey are real. I could recall each expression, every word and emotion expressed by both my allies and my enemies. But at the same time, Luigi claimed that he didn't travel with someone who went by my name, which raises many issues no matter which way you were to look at it. There were really only two ways the next conversation is between the two of us is going to go down. Either I'm able to work out an answer from what Luigi knows, or I will end up having to ask the Chronicler what he knows about these dilemma.
With all the time spent thinking to myself, I very nearly forget about someone important as we entered the vacant center of town. "Hold up Luigi." I stopped in place and called out to him so he would stop as well, and after he turned around he murmured a response in confusion and moved his arms out to the side of his body. I flung my right hand over my shoulder, pointing to the Toad House behind me and saying, "I'm going to go pick Driad up and take him back with us if that's alright with you." Since I hadn't brought up the events of my trip to the Nature Castle, the mere mention of our floral companion caused the man in green to widen his eyes in shock and blurt out, "Huh?! Driad is in a Toad House? What happened to the little guy?"
Luigi voiced his concerns, as expected from a friend who cared deeply for the condition of others, and leaned forward as if he expected my to immediately respond to his question. Now was not the right time though, because honestly, I really didn't know how to word everything in a way that would make sense to one unfamiliar with the realm that was influencing five-sevenths of the world at this very moment. "I'll fill you in on the details after we've gotten somewhere more relaxing." Was the best sentence I could muster in response, but it was thankfully enough to cause the man in green to pull himself back and nod his head in acceptance of my request.
I ran to the Toad House and knocked on the door to make sure that the owner was still up. Sure enough, he was, as he opened the door up wide and looked at me with his eyelids sagging slightly. Ok, so he was a bit tired, but as long as he had some consciousness…"I'm here to pick up Driad, if that's alright with you." I asked politely, but it didn't really made to the Toad, who just blinked his eyelids a few times and let out a light yawn. He said to me, "Go ahead, I was just about to close down for the night, so you came at the right time…"
I went into the building and pulled the covers out from on top of Driad, who was still in the same relaxing position I left him in a few hours ago. I picked him up in the grasp of my arms and walked to the door, giving the Toad House owner a thankful nod before he shut the door behind me. I headed towards Luigi, who bent his head down to look at his comrade as soon as I got close enough. "Man, he looks so peaceful…" He says, gently brushing the back of his right glove against Driad's right cheek before he lifts his head back up to look at me.
"Whatever happened, I really want to thank you for bringing Driad back here to heal." It was an honest compliment, one that overlooked my identity to show how genuine it truly was. Even though I expected there to be one, there wasn't any follow-up to Luigi's sentence, and he turned around and started moving towards the west side of town. I followed close behind, and we made it to the pipe to Mario's house in a matter of seconds. It was strange though, the fog pouring out had completely vanished and the pipe had returned to its natural green coloring.
Luigi considered its appearance to be natural, which was fine seeing as between the two of us only I knew what it looked before. I guess now I wouldn't have to bother mentioning that little detail amongst everything else. Anyways, we leapt into the pipe one after the other, and immediately our bodies were pushed through an interdimensional warp of unimaginable description that lead to our bodies being flipped around until we started dropping towards a blank white hole. As the light flashes and blinds us both, we emerge on the other side of this warp unharmed.
Luigi is the first to jump out of the opposite pipe, and I followed soon after with Driad still in my arms. I wasn't used to the sensation felt by traveling through a warp pipe, and in the midst of my stumbling I almost let go of Driad, which would certainly have awoken him had Luigi not ran behind me and suspended me in place with both of his arms pressed against my back. I gave him an embarrassed chuckle before I thanked him for his swift response, and after an approving nod of the head the man in green made his way to the humble abode. The sight of the simple wooden house with a sign that said "Mario" above the door brought a rush of nostalgia through my mind, but it was a feeling that didn't last for long as I remembered just what was missing from this scene.
The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom was still missing, and knowing what I did now I could already tell that he was a pawn of Mr. Reality, more than likely forced to be the inner guardian of the Ignitor Cave. Luigi knew that his brother was gone for now, but I couldn't even begin to comprehend the sadness he felt in regards to said disappearance. Even with the thoughts that his "Shadow" let loose, the two plumbers were brothers through thick and thin, and Luigi would never let jealousy or hatred drive him to turn against Mario. As much as I wanted to go save Mario, I had no chance but to consign to the fact that I had to do the temples in order once again.
As Luigi turned his head towards my motionless body while he stood on the porch and had his right hand on the doorknob, I was able to peer into his eyes and realize that he understood exactly what I was just thinking about. I didn't have to reassure him or nothing, he would be able to stay patient and strong until the day I brought his brother back to his front door and peace returned to the planet. I walked to the door as Luigi opened it for the both of us, and after making my way inside I immediately went towards the bedroom to lay Driad down on Mario's red sheet so he could continue sleeping undisturbed.
After I hear a couple mumbles coming from him upon seeing him snuggle the comfy fabric beneath his body, I turned around and made my way back to the living room, where Luigi had already sat himself down on the couch and laid his legs on the glass table in front of him. He leaned his outstretched arms behind him and let out an exhausted breath. Though he appeared tired, the man in green quickly sat up straight and looked at me as I walked to the front of the table and turned to look at him with my arms folded in front of my chest. "Alright…Now that we are safe and sound, I think its time you started filling me in on what has been going on…"
So I spent plenty of minutes after that telling Luigi all I knew from the beginning of my arrival to this specific point in time. I left out a couple details, specifically about the Chronicler and the true name of the realm that drew out his "Shadow", but those weren't important in the grand scheme of things, considering the man in green was able to nod his head at the end of my long-winded explanation with a great deal of understanding. Honestly, he may not look like it from a first glance, but Luigi was a very smart individual. Of course, even with my remarks about his intelligence, there was still a couple of things the man in green decided to ask me.
"…Huh, a reality warper." Luigi first expressed his troubled thoughts on the planet's opponent, folding his arms so the back of his hands supported his chin while the elbows rested on his kneecaps. He then looks back up at me, giving me a series of questions without pause, "Why can't Driad and I join you on your journey? Have you determined which of the remaining heroes might be at the other temples? Also, do you have any plan to deal with Mr. Reality when you finally get to him?" Luigi moved his arms away and leaned himself back against the couch after he was done, his face showing anticipation for my answers as I began to think about them.
The first one was easy to respond to, and I said to the man in green with my arms hung beside my body, "More than likely, you guys would return under Mr. Reality's control if you stepped even one foot into the monochrome realm. So its better for me to ride solo, since I'm unaffected." Luigi was fine with that response, so I moved on to the next question. "And the way I see it, Mallow is going to be at the next temple, Gemini at the Lightning Palace, and Mario at the Ignitor Cave. As for Geno and Alpha, I'm uncertain, since they don't really fit with either Earth or Ice…"
"Call it a gut feeling, but I think Geno will be at the Terra Cave and Alpha at the Frozen Palace." Luigi adds on to my answer, but since it was a guess I didn't nod in agreement of it. I'll find out the facts when the time arrives to fight those two, but for now my brain was wracked trying to come up with an answer on how to deal with a being who manipulated reality. The only thing I had was from the Chronicler, who stated plain as day that spirits weren't affected by the manipulation of reality. Now honestly, I was not about to kill myself and have my spirit be the end-all factor in beating Mr. Reality, so I really had nothing to combat the alien with at this very moment.
"And no, I got nothing right now to deal with Mr. Reality. I'm only two temples in, I really wasn't expecting an answer right now to be honest." That was what I chose to say to Luigi, who understood what I was getting at with a nod as he lifted his body off the couch and stood up. He turned his body to the left and gave me a somewhat uneasy stare. "I still want to get this issue sorted out with your identity before we go to bed, but I'll have you know that whether you are who you say you are or not you have earned my trust." With everything else we had talked about, I had almost forgotten about that, and though I was thankful to Luigi for saying that to me I knew I'd feel even better if we can successfully work this problem out.
"First thing I want to ask you is this. What exactly do you remember from our journey to get you the powers of the Elemental Overlord?" I answered the question in full, explaining every last detail I remembered to Luigi with only a few moments being spared to catch my breath. The story takes all of forty-five minutes, and the man in green is left with widened eyes that shows just how impressed he was that I could recall all of that. However, he returns his expression back to normal, glaring at me as if I left out a certain detail that would clench things in my favor.
But honest to god I told him everything, so if he doubted me then there was a problem that wouldn't be resolved by us alone. In the end, Luigi never expressed his thoughts and brought up another question. "Tell me, do you remember fighting a being called Tabuu? Or do you recall a time when Cackletta trapped you in something called the 'Anti-Genesis Sphere'?" For both questions I didn't have an answer. Those events were completely foreign to me, but from the way Luigi spoke it was as if a positive answer would prove crucial to further solving this problem. But I was not going to lie to a friend just to save my own identity.
"…No, I don't recall either of those things happening to me." I said hesitantly, as my heart started racing in fear of what the man in green was going to say next. He was deep in thought, and with his eyelids sealed tight I had no way of analyzing him to determine what he was feeling. I could tell he did that on purpose, perhaps to avert an increase of stress in my already panicking mind. The silence was foreboding for reasons I didn't wish to accept, but the time finally came where Luigi opened his eyelids and looked back my way. "You know, all things considered, I think you might be suffering from amnesia."
It was an unexpected thing for him to say, but for whatever reason I felt a slight feeling of relief. I folded my arms in front of my chest and said to Luigi, "Amnesia? Thank heavens, at least this means I'm not an impostor or something like that…" The man in green nods his head to show that he shares my thoughts on the matter. "You remembered most of the things that the guy I thought I traveled with knew, but your memories cut off before a particular point in your life. I'm really not going to go into details, but it is possible that said incident wiped away certain parts of your memories. After that, it is more than likely that you wandered back to Toad Town in the middle of the night when no one was around and subconsciously turned on E. Gadd's Stargadd to return to Earth. Once you made it back to your home and made your way to your bed, a simple rest allowed you to wake up feeling as if you just came back after finishing the journey that gave you your powers, only you had a new name that you had no reason to start questioning because you couldn't recall your real name in the first place."
It was a detailed explanation, but the facts did add up somewhat. Of course, I didn't wake up in my bed, but on the lawn of my home. Then again, it was not like Luigi would've known that detail. I was feeling a lot better now, but I was now a tad bit curious about the details I had forgotten. I mean, I fought the lord of Subspace and clearly came out alive, that sounds really awesome and I would be glad to recall that. So as Luigi took a pause to think about something else, I asked him kindly, "Hey, any chance you could tell me what you remember about my own past?"
Luigi's eyes flinched as he turned his head to look at me. He was nervous, I could clearly tell from the fact that his eyes stayed the way they were as he replied to me with, "Mew, take it from someone who once had amnesia about something he'd rather not remember, you are better off with me not telling you anything. Clearly, what happened to you a year ago was rather traumatizing, and you seem happy the way you are right now." It was a hastily put together reason, but I did see the point the man in green was trying to convey. However, that didn't curb my curiosity. In fact, it increased it, but now I knew that the only way to learn about my forgotten memories was to see the Chronicler again and get the information out of him.
So I decided to drop the subject, just once fibbing to Luigi by saying, "Alright, I can respect that decision." With an innocent smile that hid my inner emotions. "Well I'm glad you can. I was a bit worried that you'd be begging for answers. I was like that when Mario was reluctantly wishing to tell me about my time as Mr. L, and though I eventually got over who I once was before then that I felt guilty for a rather long while." I chuckled a bit at Luigi's comment about me beginning, but after he had finish talking out conversation finally came to an end.
Since it was now late at night, the two of us were immensely tired, and it was any wonder that we could be consistent after all that happened today. I offered to lay down on the couch without sheets, since Luigi mentioned that they didn't rather any of those nor a sleeping bag. After saying good night to each as old friends, the man in green retreated to his green-sheeted bed in the back of the house while I laid down with my head rested against the squared pillows on the right arm of the couch. I wanted to stay awake just a bit longer to think about the many events that transpired today, but my eyelids started to creak shut all on their own. I decided not to resist, and as my smile slipped into a straight expression so too did I slip into a comfy slumber. When I woke up, I would be ready to tackle the next temple…
Next Time: To Calm the Tide