Chapter 23: Alex Whiter, the Truth of his Death

The air high up in the sky carried the chill of the icy mountains my way with a simple draft, so I knew that I was getting closer to my destination as I continued to skim the top of the clouds with my body. The sky was completely purified of the 'Midnight Channel's" influence, so even when I would arrive above my destination I would not be shifted into my next form until I descend. "Time for the next temple…" I swing my right arm and draw my sword, using my fingers to pull the brown trigger to cause a layer of mud to wrap itself around my body as I release my flight and let gravity drag me through the clouds. I can feel the mud hardening from dehydration, crumbling off as I reach the bottom of the cloud in a matter of seconds and leaving me in my next form.

My shirt has been taken off and wrapped around my waist, while my jeans have become somewhat tattered with dirt resting against my kneecaps. There are streaks of mud scattered across my body, and in the grasp of my right hand is a bulky hammer, rather plain in its appearance. The updraft presses against my hair and face as I rapidly descend through a layer or two of fog and see a staircase leading up to a large, icy palace whose entrance is surrounded entirely by creatures frozen in blocks of ice and a veil of fog that covers the rest of the building's appearance from my view.

Considering the fact that the Chronicler will likely be waiting for me, I decided to head to the bottom of the stairs first, swerving my body to the left to follow up on that notion. As I neared the end of the crystal tiled staircase that rested off to the left of the large staircase that led to the Crystal Palace, my ears began popping from the sudden shift in elevation. It was annoying, but not enough to give it anymore attention than an arching of my eyebrows and a roll of my eyes. I swing my body around, hanging my hammer over my right shoulder thanks to momentum and landed on the third step up with relative ease. Though the tiles below my feet were frozen solid and could likely give me frostbite, I decided to avoid that by using my willpower to summon a layer of mud onto the bottom of my bare feet to protect them.

"Hope I don't have to keep these on for very long…" I mumbled to myself as I held my arms together to let out a light shiver while breathing fog through my mouth. "God, I haven't been exposed to such cold in a long time…" And it was easy to see why. Who would really forces themselves to stick around in an environment that inhibits your motor functions while at the same time making it easy for you to succumb to death? Thank heavens there wasn't a blizzard being stirred up, or I'd have to deal with blindness on top of the threat of death if you failed to escape its chilling embrace. Needless to say, while I do like the ice element and know a lot about its strengths and weaknesses, I can't really deny that out of all the elements, only areas based around fire are more of a bitch to deal with than it.

It didn't take long though for another, more unholy chill to appear in the air. It struck the hairs on my neck like a harp, raising them up and down with each passing, deathly breeze. I heard a whisper in the wind, telling me "I shall claim you…Next time…" before the chill suddenly vanishes the moment I turn my body around and swing my hammer at the ready beside me. With a paranoid shift of the eyes I tried to find the source of the ghoulish noise, only to instead be welcomed by a familiar voice from behind. "You don't need to worry, its gone now…" I glanced over my shoulder to see the Chronicler standing a few steps above me, gazing down as the bits of frost are blown against his robe to give it a whitish hue.

"What are you even fighting?" I am quick to ask, believing that he'll now shed some light on the creature even though he had been secretive up until now. "I'm sorry, I still cannot tell you." He calmly states as he folds his arms in front of his chest and looks down at me with a firm glare. "Bah, fine." I turn around, holding no hostility in my voice as I grin and shrug my shoulders. "Anyways, I have another question to ask you, and you left before I was able to ask you it earlier. You see, after the Master died, I figure-" "The Master is dead?" The Chronicler interrupts with a rather surprising yet saddened inquiry. I stopped and looked at him with a suspicious glare, seeing as he really should be up to date on these sorts of things. "Wait, you didn't know about his death?"

The Chronicler paused for a moment, and then flinched and caused his robe to move slightly as he realizes the obvious error in his question. "Umm…Well, there is actually a good explanation for that. You see, its easy to chronicle the achievements and lives of the simple folk, but the higher up you go on the chain of importance to the universe as a whole the harder it is to watch over those type of people. The Master was considered to be rather important because of his duty to help the Elemental Overlord, so it took a lot of effort to keep a tab on him, not to mention the fact that Mr. Reality's interference has made it hard for me to get from place to place without being attacked. Still, thank you for letting me know about that, and I'll make sure to record it in the books once this all blows over…"

After the Chronicler finished his acceptable if rather long-winded explanation, he took a moment to catch his breath before realizing that he had interrupted me just a moment ago, and with a flinch that showed his knowledge of this fact he said to me in an apologetic tone "I'm sorry, you were saying?" After lowering my battle stance and swinging my hammer over my shoulder once more, I pulled myself up after the weight pushed me down and stared up at the Chronicler, asking him in a tone of genuine curiosity "When the Master died, he told me that Alex Whiter is dead. I'm just curious…What happened to him?"

"…So it has finally come to this, has it not?" The Chronicler let out a reluctant sigh, lamenting the fact that I brought this question to his attention as he gazes off to the side and speaks to himself quietly. "To be fair though, this question was going to be answered by the last part of his tale anyways, but only if you accepted your identity as his clone. You have done well to deserve this story, so stand still and open your ears wide, for this shall end the tragedy that is the life of Alex Whiter…"

"Upon his return to Plit, Alex sunk into a life of stagnating relaxation. He believed that he did not need to train seeing as he already bested the Dark King, the strongest threat to the Elemental Overlord's existence. He mainly stayed around Mario's house, going out only when boredom sank in or if one of his friends asked him to join them on a walk. The original Overlord's spirit was a bit displeased with his inaction, but instead of directly suggesting that his successor go train he chose to be subtle, realizing not how clueless the child was to his plight thanks to his growing arrogance."

"Nobody else said anything to him. They just kept to their usual routines while involving the child in them every now and then to try and ease his boredom. But it wasn't lasting, and his lapses of happiness shortened every time. He was making no progress in his life, especially when it came to his goal of stopping the Chief of the F.B.I. once and for all. That motive decayed over time, replaced instead with a desire to find something to alleviate his everlasting boredom. But the world wasn't so apt as to please just one mortal…"

"The time eventually came though for a new threat to plague the planet Plit, this time around though it carried a familiar being in its paranormal grasp. The lord of Subspace, Tabuu, had been revived and returned his a vengeful desire to trap parts of different worlds in Subspace to increase his own strength. He also sought to capture the heroes and villains who had defied him before, leaving them trapped in the white void where his Great Maze once existed…The heroes fought against his forces while the child charged into Subspace to combat Tabuu."

"But there was an ulterior motive in the boy's actions besides saving the world. He finally found someone who would bring some excitement into his otherwise dull stay on Plit. And provide that, Tabuu eventually did, as the young Alex found himself hard-pressed in battle, especially once Tabuu unleashed his Off-Waves and left him close to death. You think such an error in judgment would've led to the boy realizing how foolish he was by not training, right? No, it did not, but the consequences of that foolish decision shall soon be told…"

"It was after incapacitating the young Overlord that Tabuu revealed the truth behind his vendetta, that in a scenario similar to what happened to Joe Dark, Tabuu lost all of his people to the power-crazed Master Hand, the same events turning him into the being he was now and trapping him forever out of view from the mortal plane. The story reminded Alex about what he wanted to do, but also made him sympathize somewhat with the lord of Subspace. However, Tabuu still showed a desire to kill him since that would be the only way to silence the original Overlord's spirit after he failed to save his people so very long ago."

"Alex had to mix words together quickly, not only to convince Tabuu to let him carry the burden of defeating the Master Hand, but to also save his own life. Of course, the first reason was just something he decided to lie about simply to save his own pathetic hide. Whatever the case may be, Tabuu decided to agree to it, especially after finding out that someone had manipulated him in order to destroy Plit for good. It took one final battle, but Alex killed the lord of Subspace. However, he felt guilty for using him to ensure his own survival, and made a grave hidden deep within a forest to sincerely honor his memory when he knew no one else would."

"It didn't take long after that though for the boredom to sink in again, though now the arrogance increased tenfold after besting two incredibly powerful beings. It is ridiculous looking back on this child's behavior…His mindset simply amounting to 'Who cares about promises and burdens? When I'm as strong as I am, I can take care of them all any time I want to!' Such cockamamie thinking…Then the day came when the Master met the boy and tried to do what no one else was willing to do and tell the child off for his arrogance in a rational manner, only for the boy to storm off, denying the truth he so desperately kept hidden."

"The swirling of emotions, from rage to haughty arrogance, blinded him to such a degree that he refused to admit his own shortcomings. The original Overlord's spirit tried to talk to Mario about the problem Alex was having, but was too late as the Axem Rangers X arrived from Smithy's Dimension. They engaged the young Overlord in combat, and though he was completely overwhelming them in his base form he fool heartedly allowed them to fire their most powerful weapon at him, which caused him to get trapped in a sphere made from the 'Anti-Genesis Theorem', a viral strain that renders people like the Elemental Overlord incapable of using all of their powers."

"After Gemini dealt with the Axem Rangers, the Red one was brought to Alpha's massive, aerial battleship along with most of the heroes and Alex. Geno was absent, but to this day no one, not even I, know why. The events that transpired after that were all but a blur to the boy, as Gemini and Mallow confronted Smithy, Luigi and Driad confronted Dimentio, and finally Alpha and Mario confronted Cackletta and Fawful, the boy stayed in his sphere, ridden with guilt over the foolish actions he had taken over the last three months. He knew full well that his arrogance had gotten the best of him, he knew he should've taken his training seriously, he knew everything all too well, and now because of his lapse of judgment he was trapped in this sphere while everyone else risked their life to stop the bad guys…"

"But the return to his previous mindset of being a hero instead of a brash, arrogant, thrill-seeking warrior was never going to be allowed a chance to be seen by the others. For you see, not long after Alpha and Mario vanished through a portal of darkness, a being of great power emerged from it, bearing a similar appearance to the young Overlord only with a more black and white color scheme. With the sphere's time limit having expired, Alex rushed out and confronted his clone in combat after Bowser took care of the Dark Star that was controlling it. The clone expressed the inane desire to kill everyone in the world both good and bad, declaring that all were impure even when they performed just one sin in their life."

"Alex saw reflections of himself in the clone's unholy existence, made even worse by the clone having within him copies of the Genesis Samurais souls who were made to be the embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins. However, one by one the souls fell, though Cackletta refused to let her puppet die and assumed control long enough to imbue it with the right amount of darkness to rejuvenate his shattered subconscious and transform him into his own, darkness empowered version of the Phoenix Form. However, remembering the strength of his own determination and heart, along with the lessons of kindness that his parents once taught him, Alex triumphed over his clone with a stronger variation of his 'Blazing Overlord Fist'…"

"However, while things ended physically, the connection of the two bodies caused the spirits to meet in an area of unison, where the evil clone had been given sentience away from the strings of the vile witch he called his 'mother'. He used his last and only moments of freedom to tear into Alex's flaws, deconstructing the reasons as to why he defeated each and every foe along with his definition of justice. It wasn't until the clone brought up a scenario that the child couldn't solve that his resolve was completely destroyed, all of his values turned against him as he began to believe that perhaps he was wrong about wanting to become the Elemental Overlord. He regretted everything, he knew how foolish he had been, how clueless he was, and how he was a much bigger threat to the planet than anyone else simply by existing…So with fear gripping his tender, innocent mind…Alex Whiter used his own energy to not only slay his counterpart, but to commit suicide as well…"

"So, how does it feel knowing the tale of Alex Whiter from innocent beginnings to his tragic, self-brought end?" The Chronicler asked, ending the story on that grim note without much care found in his voice. "Honestly…I don't really have much to say about it." I said with an honest, chipper tone in my voice, which caused the being to flinch in surprise. "I beg your pardon?" "Sure, its sad to know that the guy who created me committed suicide, but going by your story, he brought it all upon himself in the first place. He was the one who got arrogant, he was the one who couldn't handle the responsibility HE chose to place upon his shoulders, and he was the one who let himself be influenced by an evil copy whose sole purpose was to mess with his vulnerable traits and use them against him. Its like you said before, I'm me, and he was himself. We are both two entirely different people, and I'm NOT going to make the same mistakes Alex Whiter did during his short lifetime."

I ended my blunt response by glaring at the Chronicler and jabbing my left pointer finger at him briefly the moment I said "NOT" in the last sentence. As the being stood there glaring at me in utter disbelief, I closed my eyelids lightly and let out a hollow sigh "Look…I'm not saying that I'm angry that you told me that story, but from the sounds of things it was like you were expecting me to take pity on Alex Whiter…However, knowing now that all of his problems including his death were self-inflicted doesn't really help his case, even if he was starting to change his ways near the end of his life." "…I see. Though my actions may have had you believing that I was expecting you to respond in pity of the foolish child, in truth I was testing you to see if you would react in a manner more befitting of someone of his nature."

"I guess that's fine, I don't really see the point in you doing that mind you, but you higher beings are always confusing anyways so its not like I'm not used to it." I pointed out. But as the Chronicler laughs I noticed that something was up with his presence once more. It was really starting to feel familiar, as if it was near identical to my own. "Hey…Chronicler…Why do I sense a similar presence to my own around you?" The being immediately stopped laughing and flinched in surprise, as if the question was not one he was expecting. "That's rather sudden…Why do you ask?" He inquired while trying to keep himself composed. "Why do you think? I'm starting to have suspicions that you aren't who you say you are, and this growing presence of yours REALLY isn't helping matters in the slightest."

"Well, if an explanation will dull your suspicions, then I shall provide one…" The being takes his left hand and points it at my hammer. "You know how you've been restoring each of your powers one by one? You see, the object I use to write each and every book is fueled entirely by the elements that reside in the universe. Mr. Reality's actions have currently deprived all worlds of their elements by disabling the Elemental Temples here. By you going into each temple and piercing the energy reserves the Overlord hid within here, not only do you restore a bit of my writing utensil's power, but you also establish a universal link for the elements that will never again be broken by any means. That's why my presence is similar to yours, because we are drawing on the same source for a particular purpose."

"I…Huh, I guess that makes sense." I couldn't really argue the point the Chronicler mentioned. After all, I hadn't even bothered to sit down and think about just what those energy reserves were doing in the temples up until now anyways. "So wait, going by what you are telling me…Say if Mr. Reality hadn't done what he did…If someone somehow destroyed one of the seven elements entirely, then I would just have to have opened the energy reserve and everything would be fine? But because he did what he did, the act of me restoring the specific element also restores parts of this world as well?" "That's a correct assumption. And because you are the Elemental Overlord, by opening the elemental reserves you will never again be stripped of your powers, even if the strongest of beings were to try. However, if you were to make a clone, they would not share that same invulnerability."

"Alright, that makes sense then, thanks." I nodded my head, showing a full understanding of the topic as the Chronicler looks at me with a smile behind his shroud. "So what are you going to do now?" I asked the being, seeing as he had finished his tale. "I shall simply wait for you to restore the final two temples, and then be on my way to perform business as I have done for an eternity beforehand…" "So…This is goodbye then?" I asked, a bit sad to hear that this may be our final meeting. "Don't look glum…We shall meet again, if the winds of destiny are so willing…" As the Chronicler spoke, he raised his glowing left hand into the air, freezing time around him so he could vanish into the air without a semblance of a trace.

Once again I was left alone, with only the chill of the icy mountains keeping me company as I began to trudge up the staircase without much hesitance in my steps. The environment was grey as usual, but at least this time I knew that ice could sometimes appear to be that color so it wasn't TOO off-putting. The climb didn't take too long, even with the girth of the hammer hung over my shoulder weighing me down. At the top of the staircase the wall of frozen creatures still awaited me, but that was not the thing that caused me to go on guard. I heard something rapidly descending from above, its heavy body casting a rounded shadow on the ground as it pressed against the air to create a draft around its form.

Landing on the ground so hard that the ice below its feet splits in a radius of ten feet is a creature shaped like a ball of ice that was twice as tall as my body with feet of green and a pointed mustache made out of permafrost. His eyebrows was composed of a similar material, frozen in the same, angered glare no matter how much time passes. In the center of the six small ice crystal on top of his head is a smooth, round yellow spike. This creature was Chief Chilly, a foe from one of Mario's older ventures that has the honor of being one of the few people to legitimately beat Wario in a one-on-one match.

The Proud Mustache Wearing Ice Ball: Blizzard Chief Chilly

Of course, there really is nothing to be worried about if this guy is the outer guardian. He may have high defenses, but he has a big glaring weakness that is quite easy to exploit not just in this environment, but also because of my powers as well. Seeing me as a threat, Chief Chilly charges straight at me. With my eyelids closed, I keep my expression stagnate as I slam my left foot into the ground to break apart the plates underneath the ice, creating a perfectly rectangular platform between my toes and the creature's body that I manage to push into the ground and cause Chief Chilly to be launched through the air above me.

I can only imagine that he spins around and lands on the staircase face first, as I hear the crashing of his body every few seconds as he quickly descends the steps, the sound dying down with each impact until it eventually stops. Yeah, I know that was a bit quick and rather anti-climatic, but I had the means for an early victory and I want to conserve my energy for the real threat lying deep within the temple so my methods have some semblance of sense. Opening my eyelids, I move my foot away from the platform and wait for it to sink back into the ground until I walk across it and head towards the Frozen Palace, whistling a merry tune as I was ready to combat Alpha as he waited for me inside…

Next Time: Alpha and His Opposit