A dull, red-tinted light lit up a large room, resonating from countless candles laid throughout the study. The stone walls were covered with notes and scribbles, many of which were scratched out or torn as to hide something the writer had hastily noted. Several large chairs sat in front of a large fireplace, the pit dry with a few embers in its surface.
A large piano sat in the corner of the room, its surface covered in scratches and clear signs of rage. Beneath it, a large carpet stretched across the room, embroidered with a symbol that was hidden beneath a scattered mess of papers.
Bowser stood in the center of the study, papers and scrolls stacked throughout the room. Due to his constant, nervous pacing, his tail had knocked over several stacks that had covered sections of the large room.
Each scroll that was scattered across the room had a large red stamp on it with a wax seal, some with mushroom symbols, and some with other signs of rivaling kingdoms. Some had unraveled, revealing urgent letters that had been locked away from the public.
He was well aware of the mess he had made, and of the sorting he would have to do to fix the mess, but his mind was set on more important issues, regarding his little talk with the brat. Bowser groaned as their conversation played through his head for the tenth time.
Kammy's spells had never failed him until now. Even if he had been cut off by some outside force, Bowser had always had enough time to get his message across to whomever he tormented for the night. Whether it be Kamek's dreams he slipped into, and him demanding a higher cut of money for himself, or a dancer who wouldn't stop distracting the male actors that needed to be set straight, Bowser was never failed to have his demands met with the use of fear.
The infamous phantom was always able to bring fear into workers to keep them in line, while making demands, without actually exposing himself and endangering his identity; he was easily able to manipulate his pawns from a safe distance.
Yet, he had failed on both parts; he was unable to frighten the girl, let alone get his warning across.
Hell, he could have sworn she had...recognized him. If anything, she was more likely to do exactly what he had told her not to do, out of pure curiosity. The idea of her knowing who he was made his heart jump, which only made his temper scorch even higher.
"Damn that girl. Damn her!" Bowser hissed through clenched teeth, a puff of smoke escaping his nose. He pushed back his mane with his claw, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. "I could recognize that damn voice anywhere."
Even with her being just a shadowy figure of which he couldn't see, he knew it was her. The second he had entered her dreams, he could feel her. When she had spoken to him, his suspicions were confirmed, and his blood had ran cold.
Having new humans, besides the few actors in the Opera house, stick their noses where they didn't belong made the Koopa anxious beyond all belief. And the fact that it had to be her, out of everyone on the damn planet, made his blood run cold. How was his life so...ironic?
He sighed. Out of everyone, he knew Peach was a smart, cunning girl, aside from her stubbornness. She was not ignorant enough as to go where she was not welcome for the sake of answering her questions. But, he frowned once again, knowing very well that she would find other means of gaining information.
Information that she had no right to know of.
Bowser paused his pacing as his thoughts were interrupted by a slight, barely-audible scuttering at the entrance of his study. The light footsteps had abruptly stopped, resulting in a groan of frustration from the larger koopa.
"Ludwig," he hissed in annoyance, knowing only his eldest would be so god awful at sneaking around. "I never took you for the eavesdropping type. What exactly do you need?"
His eldest son awkwardly poked his head through the doorway, flashing a forced smile followed by a small wave.
His grin faded as he noticed the scattered letters, no longer in their orderly piles and stacks. Ludwig cringed as the lack of order made his eye twitch in clear horror, but he shook himself out of it. He returned his gaze to his father, but his eyes would occasionally shift towards the papers.
"...I apologize, father," he shyly muttered from the doorway, "but my brothers have abandoned their posts. I assumed it would be best if you knew." Ludwig gulped as he realized this wasn't a good time for such a comment as Bowser frowned.
Peach was unattended? Bowser's heart pounded as his anxiousness doubled. He feared for her and her curiosity. Yet, his composure remained solid as ever, as he covered it in anger.
"Well, you're on wench-watching duty now, then," Bowser stated coldly with a nonchalant wave of his claw, almost trying to brush away his son and his worries. His father was clearly dealing with a more important matter, but Ludwig simply sighed as he had somehow avoided a loud scolding. "I'll handle the brats later. Just make sure our...our two guests stay in line."
Ludwig gave a toothy grin, satisfied with his siblings getting their punishments.
"You can count on me, father!" He paused for a small salut. "The two humans wouldn't dare disobey you. If so, I guarantee you'll have fun scorching them to ash!" Ludwig turned on his heel, heading out through the doorway with a confident smile on his face. If his siblings were so incompetent as to not monitor the humans, he would do everything in his power to show them up.
His son had attempted to reassure his father, even going so far as to bring up violence, yet had done exactly the opposite as he left his father in a pool of boiling frustration. Bowser winced at the suggestion of harming Peach, and perhaps even her father, even in the slightest. Would he truly be able to do such a thing if they happened to disobey his orders?
How could he control someone with fear when he couldn't even find himself able to harm them?
Peach's hair laid on the large bed, spreading out and covering the sheets around her. A heavy, velvety pillow rested in her hands as her legs curled into her chest, gently securing the pillow against herself. She slept without the large bed's blankets, but thankfully the Dark Lands' constant, lava-fueled heating system left her comfortable as she slept.
Yet, her face was contorted into an uncomfortable frown as her hands roughly grasped the pillow's fabric. She would occasionally mutter something unintelligible under her breath, as if having a conversation with someone, but continued to remain fully asleep.
Even the loud knocking and annoyed calls from the hallway didn't disturb the young woman as she was locked away in her dream. She was...quite occupied with someone else who wasn't allowing her to wake up just yet.
However, she didn't rest alone for long. Soon after the knocks had subsided, a gentle poof broke the silence as Kamek floated in the middle of the room, angrily tapping his wand with his free hand in annoyance.
He sighed as he noticed the girl sleeping. At least she hadn't been purposely ignoring him.
"I hope you do realize that locking out your boss isn't exactly professional!" He huffed to himself. However, he was only met with a slight grunt as Peach casually flipped sides and faced away from the Magikoopa.
Kamek frowned as he hopped to the direction she was facing, inches away from her face as he squinted his eyes. He frowned even further in frustration as her eyes remained shut, unknowing of his presence.
Upon closer inspection, he could see her mouthing words and breathing rather heavily. Her forehead was damp with a thin layer of sweat and her body seemed tense. Kamek hummed slightly, somewhat concerned, before realization hit him.
The phantom.
Kamek nearly yelped as he took half a step backwards, knowing exactly what she was holding within her mind. He almost tripped over his feet as he stumbled backwards, terrified of the monster she was hosting within her dream.
However, his fear was quickly replaced with bitterness as he grinded his teeth together. Rolling up his sleeve, Kamek lifted up his wand and gently bumped Peach on the head, a little harder than he had needed to. His questionable method had instantly done the trick, as Peach's eyes finally opened in shock.
Kamek sighed in anxious victory.
"You're needed at rehearsal! I'm assuming you looked over your script?" He spoke bitterly but remained as professional as possible. His voice was lined in a slight amount of panic, but it was easily brushed under the rug as Peach was barely awake.
Peach rubbed her eyes as she sat up, her head slightly pounding from a random pain on her head that she couldn't identify. She understood Kamek's words, but was too groggy to respond.
However, after a long yawn, Peach felt fully awake as her memories rapidly rushed back to her. Everything that had happened while she slept crashed over her as any sign of being tired was replaced with an intrigued frown. She fumbled her hands in her lap as she tried to understand what she had dreamt of, and who that figure was.
Why did she recognize him?
Peach shook her head as she realized she had ignored not only her company, but the koopa that had hired her. She flashed an awkward, apologetic smile as she stood up, dusting off her dress.
"Yes, I made sure to read as much of it as i could." She paused for a confused sigh. "I just...fell asleep out of nowhere. I guess I didn't realize how exhausted I was."
A twinge of panic ran through Kamek's expression as his eye twitched, but he continued trying to hold his composure. Peach tilted her head in confusion, easily seeing through his weak attempt at hiding his reaction.
"I suppose that's understandable. The trip to the Dark Lands must have been...draining." He forced a smile. "You were bound to fall asleep eventually."
Peach hesitated before nodding. Was that truly the only reason she had dreamt of that figure? She rubbed her arm as she felt rather...cold and distant about such an underwhelming explanation.
Kamek cleared his throat. "Now!" He stated a bit loudly, clasping his hands together. "As I said, you're needed for rehearsal." He extended his arm, eager for her to take it and teleport the two to where the others were impatiently waiting. Noticing her hesitation, the elder furrowed his brow. "Shall we?"
Peach reached out to grab the magikoopa's hand, but lingered just above his grasp before pulling her hand away, frowning. She stared at her hand for a few moments before it fell to her side. She returned her gaze to her company, who was clearly nervous about her hesitation.
"Kamek, I need you to answer some questions before we go," she whispered with a frown. Kamek gulped as she paused. She sighed before continuing. "I had a dream that...worried me about the opera house. I know, it was just a dream! But, I still feel worrisome as to what it meant."
Peach cringed as she realized how ridiculous she had sounded.
Kamek groaned as he sat on the edge of the bed, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. He swung his wand between his two hands, doing his best to avoid the girl's deducing eyes.
"It was just a dream, Toadstool," he stated in the most casual tone he could muster.
Peach stood still as she frowned at his underwhelming answer. She fixed her footing, not realizing she had been leaning forwards in anticipation.
Had it truly been a dream? The figure who had made her heart stop in a familiar fear, yet enticing intriguement, was a figure of her imagination? He had never existed in the first place?
Her eyes wandered away from Kamek fiddling with his wand as she examined herself in the mirror. She looked at her right arm's wrist, seeing no sign of her ghost's violent grip. Yet, there was unlikely to be any sign, as he had held her so delicately, as if she would have shattered if he had even used any pressure.
That was on the off chance that he had even existed.
Peach knew that her experience, whatever it was with that creature, was not pleasant. If anything, her body's initial reaction to his touch was to pull away. Yet, even so, she felt compelled to stay, going so far as to stay in his grip when she could have pulled away whenever she wanted. Whether or not he was real, the familiar fear she felt with him was not a fabrication.
All she knew was that she had heard his voice before. The low, heavy tone that was closer to a growl at some points was at the back of her head, locked away. Perhaps she had met him on the street, or said hi to him once or twice. She was digging for anything to connect the dots, but was left blank.
She shivered as she remembered her ghost's demand and how low his voice had been, and how his demand had seemed as if it held a threat. Though, it wasn't out of fear, but an emotion she couldn't quite place her finger on.
He spoke darkly of his warning, telling her to not venture below the opera house.
She furrowed her brow. The Dark Lands opera house was a global hit, yet any mention of the underground area had never even come up! Hell, she didn't even know there was another level to the massive building.
"Tell me," she whispered with a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes. "What's beneath the opera house?"
Kamek paused as he choked on his words, nearly falling off the bed. His wand fell on the stone floor with a loud crash, but the two didn't dare break eye contact as they tried to read each other's intentions.
"No one is beneath the opera house! Don't ask such a ridiculous question!" He cried out in shock before clearing his throat and composing himself.
Peach crossed her arms.
"I never said anyone was," she hummed with a satisfied, barely-noticeable smirk. Kamek's annoyed horror only made her silent curiosity grow. "That's all I needed to know."
Internally, Peach was buzzing with countless questions about her mysterious ghost and of his identity. Kamek clearly held onto far more information than the tiny, insignificant thing he had indirectly revealed.
At least, for the time being, she knew he was here; where he told her to never go.
Peach parted her lips, eager to ask another question or two, before Kamek raised his hand to silence the girl.
"Please, Peach, just stay in line." Kamek sighed, a shocking amount of genuine care and concern in his tone. "I understand that our people aren't…" He winced. "...on the best of terms, but I want the best for you and our production. And the best for you is up here, not down there. Do you understand?"
Peach froze the second Kamek had called her by her first name for the first time. Was the controlling, greedy Kamek...caring enough as to worry about a random human? Or perhaps he simply wanted his show to be successful?
Or, was he afraid of the ghost himself?
Either way, Peach felt an odd amount of compassion well up inside of her as she realized the elder had at least one redeeming quality. She decided that she, oddly enough, liked the koopa.
Peach bent down and grabbed Kamek's hands, issuing a silent thank you before slightly tilting her head.
"I shouldn't have brought it up," she whispered with a twinge of regret. "I understand that...the Dark Lands are different. Even your secrets are different. I'll respect that and keep my nose out of it. Promise."
Kamek smiled, thankful that he had hired such a wise young woman. But, he was still a bit wary if she would even keep her word. Peach, herself, was silently cursing herself for making a promise she desperately didn't want to keep.
"Curiosity makes you want to bend the rules," the elder chuckled as he held her hands. "But it's best you forget about anything you dreamt. For your sake."
Peach nodded with a thin smile, but knew she would not forget the conversation she had with her ghost, or the feeling of fearful familiarity she held with him. If anything, she would hold on to such feelings until she was reunited with the one who had haunted her dream.
She didn't know when or how, but she knew she would see him again.
She had to.
A/N: We're so close to the plot taking off! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :D Let me know in the review section!