Chapter 3 Lumaliar

Bowser squinted at the map. He lifted his head, looking at the ruins that rested right before him. He looked at the map again, then the ruins. Map, ruins, map, ruins. He was sure that this was the right place, or at the very least hoped it was. The map that Kamek had given him right before leaving seemed to be accurate, and it even seemed to be pointing to these being the ruins Bowser needed to travel to. So… really, there was no reason to doubt, right?

Well, that's what it felt like, anyway. So, after stashing the map away in his hammerspace, Bowser took a deep breath and stepped into the ruins. Bowser took note of every last detail regarding this place. The decaying buildings looked to be made out of some kind of gray stone. These stones had various carvings on them, ranging from just some decorative images like squiggly lines and shapes to more significant images like various types of power-ups and hieroglyphics. Bowser probably would've found these images fascinating… if it weren't for the fact that he was on an important mission, so he pressed forward. The ruins shook and trembled every time his feet made contact with the floor, as if the already fragile remnants of this society were going to crumble if he stepped the wrong way. However, Bowser wasn't about to slow down. Again, he had a very important mission.

Within no time at all, he got to the center of the city. He stopped, blinking at the sight of it. There was a pavilion right in front of him, a pavilion that had an altar resting right in the center. Unlike everywhere else in this area, the pavilion looked to be in incredible shape. Too good a shape; it looked as if modern hands had taken the time to construct it. But that was stupid; why would anybody in the modern day go out of their way to compromise the look of someplace like this? It didn't make sense so that probably wasn't the case.

Maybe… maybe this pavilion had been preserved by some sort of supernatural force. Oh, man. Considering who Bowser was coming to this location to find, he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. And if that was what was actually happening… it was still stupid! What supernatural force would be dumb enough to keep up a dump like this? Man, there were many things about these ruins, as well as the world at large, that didn't make a lick of sense to the almighty Koopa King.

However, now wasn't the time to focus on that. Using careful steps this time, he approached the pavilion. Briefly, he took out the book Kamek had read about this legend from, turning to the exact segment. His eyes scanned over what exactly he had to do next, and once he finished, he let out a groan. Reaching back into his hammerspace, he pulled out a painting his son, Bowser Jr, had made for him years ago. Bowser loved the painting to death; it was simply just a barrage of different, un-complementary colors, but to him, it symbolized the love his little baby boy had for him. Which, unfortunately, made it the perfect offering.

So, despite his hesitance, he placed the painting down on the altar. He took a deep breath and spit some fire at it, causing the beautiful piece of child-like artistry to burn. As it did, he took another deep breath and looked up into the sparkling night sky.

"Hear me, oh hear me, beautiful star. Come down from your home from afar. Fulfill my request, help out this man. Bring your star power down to Earth if you can."

For a few seconds after saying the chant, nothing happened. Bowser folded his hands as if to pray, closing his eyes to see if that would help. Unfortunately for him, there was no response for a good long minute. He peaked at the offering, which at this point was almost completely burned out. He waited a few more seconds before groaning and shaking his head.

"I knew it," he grumbled. "I knew it, knew it, knew it! There's no truth to that stupid legend!" He shook his head before standing up. "I'm gonna kill Kamek when I get…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a light shone from above. His jaw-dropping, Bowser lifted his head to look at this light. It was kind of like a spotlight, a spotlight shining down from the Heavens themselves. It illuminated the pavilion, even making the burnt offering's flames turn white. The Koopa King's heart rate sped up; oh Mama Mia, what was going to happen next? Hopefully, it was what the legend said was going to happen, because if it wasn't…

"I hear your cry, mere mortal!"

A dark silhouette appeared in the spotlight. It lowered itself downward, allowing Bowser to see it was one of those lumas that Rosalina loved to hang around (for some reason; honestly, those little aliens were pretty annoying to Bowser). Once it was a few inches above the altar, it stopped. Time seemed to stand still, and Bowser's heart rate increased even more. The luma had glistening black skin, skin that looked to be made of the same obsidian that could be found in Bowser's own kingdom. Bowser stepped closer, all while a hopeful feeling rose up within him. The luma opened their blood-red eyes, and when they saw the Koopa King, they gasped.

"EEK! Monster!" The luma zipped away, flying through the ruins. This caused Bowser's heart to skip a beat.

"What? I'm not a monster; get back here!"

He ran after the luma. To Bowser's surprise, the star-shaped creature seemed to be flying laps around the ruins, essentially going in circles. This confused Bowser more than anything else; why would they be doing this if it could easily fly forward, away from the ruins and away from the place where they had first seen him? These questions were left unanswered until Bowser's body started to ache. His breathing became shallow and less manageable. It was then that Bowser understood the luma's plan; he wanted to tire him out.

"Come… come back here…" he could barely speak now. He dropped to the floor, feeling like he was minutes away from passing out. Thankfully, the luma stopped flying and turned toward Bowser. They let out a triumphant laugh.

"Ha ha! Looks like I've outsmarted you!" They giggled, the sound borderline creepy. "It seems that Lumaliar isn't going to get eaten after all!"

Bowser sniffed. "First off… what kind of name is Lumaliar? And second…" he put his hand to his chest, feeling both his heart and his lungs. "I never had any plans to eat you."

Bowser honestly didn't expect these words to do much, especially considering how afraid the luma had been of him. So, he was pleasantly surprised when the luma floated back up to him.

"You're… you're not gonna eat me?"

"No! I don't eat people! Beat them into oblivion and gleefully try to dunk them in lava, but never eat!" Bowser shuddered as he rose to his feet. "Eating people is a step too far even for me."

The luma did a double take. "Oh. Okay then, so uh…" the hesitated for a little bit. "Why are you here?"

Bowser smirked. "Why else would somebody offer you a burnt offering? I wanted to summon you so that I could request your aid."

The luma blinked before snorting. "You need my aid?" they asked, looking Bowser up and down.

"Yeah, yeah yeah, I'm not thrilled about asking a pipsqueak like you for help either." He took a step forward. "However, Lumaliar…" he almost gagged when saying that name, it was that weird. "I think this time it is necessary."

Lumaliar blinked again. "Um… okay. I never would've expected this, but okay…" he flew in closer to Bowser. "So… uh, what do you need my help with."

Bowser chuckled. "Oh, it's a long story." He walked over to a stone and sat on it, gesturing for Lumaliar to do the same. Once they did, Bowser got right into explaining everything. Him fighting the Mario brothers, the fact that he had gotten so close to claiming Peach for himself, the grudge he now held against Rosalina for thwarting the perfect plan; nothing got left out. He went into as much detail as possibly, especially when expressing his disdain for the Lady of the Shooting Stars. When he finished, not only did Lumaliar look amused, but they also looked very understanding.

"Oh yeah. Rosalina." He shook his head, battling a bunch of negative emotions based on his facial expression. "She…" he shook his head (or, to be more accurate, his entire body). "I have a real bone to pick with her."

Bowser perked up. Yes yes! This was exactly why he had come to find Lumaliar! The book of legends that Kamek had read from spoke of a luma who despised Rosalina, and thus, wanted her to fall! Oh man, this was great; it looked like things were starting to fall into place!

"I know, right?" Bowser said in response to Lumaliar's comment. "She is… well, she is a piece of work."

"Yeah, she really is!" Lumaliar rose into the air. "She's always encouraging us lumas to 'embrace our destiny' or 'get ready to serve the universe in a way that only we can.'" Lumaliar scoffed. "It's a load of piranha pucky. What she's trying to do is get us ready to become stars and planets when we get older, which is… um, what kind of loving mother would do that? We lose our conscious minds when we transform; we essentially die!" Lumaliar shook their head again. "It's not right! What she's teaching us is not right!" Their brow scrunched. "That's why I left her and the Comet Observatory. And honestly, it's the best decision I've ever made. I've been able to keep my conscious mind and travel the universe! That's a much better life than… well, not having a life."

Bowser hesitated. "Uh… yeah, I think you're right." He cleared his throat. "So, seeing how we see eye to eye about her, I think it would be best if you helped me get rid of her."

Lumaliar nodded. "Oh, I am more than happy to help you." They studied Bowser up and down once again before smiling (at least, smiling as well as he could without a visible mouth). "And I think I know how. You're a dragon koopa, right?"

Bowser laughed and puffed out his chest. "I am the ultimate dragon koopa! Other koopas quake in my presence and go running to their mommies!"

Lumaliar laughed as well. "Oh, I don't doubt that for a second!" His smile grew bigger, more sparkly. "And it's really convenient that you are." Bowser blinked and scooted in closer, already feeling interested. "You see, us lumas know of a weakness that Rosalina has. We haven't told her, as it's against our rules to tell her and make her worry about it. Blegh!" The luma did a mock gag at that. "However, it's a very unique weakness." They looked at Bowser, their red eyes glimmering. "One that would change everything."

Bowser felt as though his heart was dancing. "What is is? Tell me!"

Lumaliar still smiled. He stayed silent for a minute, clearly trying to build suspense. Just as Bowser was growing unbelievably impatient was when he finally revealed to him the weakness.

"If Rosalina were to be kissed on the lips by a dragon koopa, she would lose her powers."

Bowser blinked, his jaw-dropping. "Wait, really? How does that work?"

"Because… well, I don't know exactly how it works. My guess is that it's because dragon koopas are beings of pure evil?"

"Yeah, that checks out," Bowser said with a nod. He thought about this weakness some more, and the more he did, the more excited he became. "Oh, baby!" He rose to his feet, almost jumping and causing a hole to form in the ground. "Oh man, this is perfect! So all I have to do is kiss Rosalina, and her powers will be gone for good!"

"I believe so," said Lumaliar. "Although, it won't be that easy. Again, the other lumas know about this weakness too."

"Pfft!" Bowser exclaimed with a wave of the hand. "That's nothing! They're just a bunch of star-shaped babies; they can't do anything to stop me." He paused. "Uh… no offense."

"None taken." Lumaliar rose up into the air, so he was about level with Bowser's face. "So, you're gonna try to take Rosalina down with this knowledge?"

"Uh, of course! And I know just how to do it; I am the Master Lady's Man, after all!" He gleefully rubbed his hands together. "Thank you, Lumaliar. The information you've given me is invaluable!"

"You're welcome… uh, whatever your name is. Just… just tell me when you've disempowered Rosalina, okay? It would make me really satisfied."

"Of course, my little friend; of course." With one last smile, Lumaliar thanked Bowser and disappeared. Once he was completely gone, Bowser giggled like a gremlin. "Oh, this is perfect…" He chortled. "So very much perfect…"