Downfall of the Mushroom Kingdom

Prologue: The Past and the Present

A/N: A big massive note here. This book is going to be very different to the first book "Fighting in the Streets", such that everything will at best be in chronological order and also be much more relaxed in pace. The only exception to this rule will be Flashbacks. We might see them often here, and you will know when one is occurring. This means there will be no rushing of any chapters. Additionally, the chapters here will have very similar writing to that of the Prologue Extracts and the Epilogue of the previous book. It will cover more description, lore, and a lot of narration will be used.

One of the aims of this book is to bring a lot of vectored character arcs back in to focus and start putting things together as the events proceed forward. From what we saw before, things are not necessarily getting better for everyone. Also, race filler will almost no longer exist. We will be seeing a lot more content.

With that all said, time to move forward back in to the FITS world. The year is 2015, and most likely will be for a lot of the book. I will no longer be putting the year every time.

ALSO NOTE: Spoilers for the Prequels are ahead.

...

(In the Narrator's Perspective):

We can all agree that a lot has happened in the past two months. Bowser being finally seized on Wuhu Island had completely changed life in these lands more than any other major event. This caused him to have a final trial which had set course of what was to happen in these recent months. But we cannot just start from there. We now have a set of timeframes, four specifically in this world. The beginning time stage was the normal days as I would like to call it. This was the time when the lands were ruled in separate districts by a princess. Daughters of old Kings that had fought in the old wars were the only ones left with power over the lands and they ruled over people in their local area. This, tying along with Bowser's rise to reign built the relationship between Mario and Princess Peach Toadstool. This stage concluded with the summons of Tom, Enrique, and Jack, being recruited by, Zane, Rosalina, and Marrec to serve as apprentices to Daisy, Peach, and at the time, Princess Rebecca, all respectively, to settle down a relatively minimal uprising in the northern lands known as Résethal. Unfortunately, in a separate coup led by Boom Boom and Pom Pom independently led to the demise of most of the princesses, including Princess Rebecca. This caused Jack to resume his training under the instructions of Princess Éclair. Going back to the dreaded catastrophe there, it was previously unclear on the casualties. Boom Boom and Pom Pom had murdered nine of the sixteen princesses. The ones that survived were Peach, Daisy, and Éclair. Pauline and Mona, who had given up their royalties for various reasons and pursued life as normal citizens of the lands, Madison, who had passed within the next five years from unspecified causes, and Rose, who had been off-grid ever since, also giving up her royalties. It is unknown on her whereabouts to this day, but there are rumours about her moving to Earth soon after the events transpired.

The second stage occurred immediately after this, and this was known as the Years of Peace, spanning from the rest of 2010, all the way until the end of 2014. The lands of the north were of minimal threat and heavily monitored by the Red Martyrs, and the only concern for the southerners were Bowser's frequent raids on the Mushroom Kingdom. Thankfully for most people, Mario and his friends kept it all out of their way so they could live their harmonious peaceful lives. During this era, most background things happened, Tom and Enrique spent most of the time here, their friends were brought to the land, many events and grand prix series occurred, striker football tournaments were introduced, socials, sporting, you name it, everything fun and interactive happened. Also in this time, the definition of a Hostile Koopa was undermined and most people who turned out to be one would never cause harm in the south. Some of them migrated over, others came to watch the events, and some even converted and became law-abiding citizens. However, during this time, a lot of things that went unnoticed also happened. The twins schemed a lot, Zane and Marrec roamed the lands a lot, and several rich families in the Delfino Kingdom began to have a lot of indifferences with the government at the time. Unaccounted black market business between families led to a specific Lakitu Koopa being caught in the loop right during the time Jack and his friend Ronald began growing in the market. Jagem Lakitu's foolish antics got him into a big mess, getting himself in the way of one of Jack's biggest deals, causing him to be kidnapped and dumped off on the shores of Wuhu Island by Jack and a former colleague of his, Jaapayo. The only problem about this was that it happened to be on New Years' Eve, during a Wuhu Island festival that had too many important people at the same time. Even Tom himself was spending some time on the beach, enjoying the festivities.

These events transpired and one thing led to another and the next day Bowser had finally been caught, surrounded by the governments on all sides. It was almost like he was led in to a trap by Zane (going under an alias of Rhonaward) who had intended it for someone else. Bowser being caught allowed things to change for the better once again in the lands. The Mushroom Accords were created and the third stage of time had begun. The time of the Trial. This spanned from New Years' Day to... well today. You probably know what happened in this time frame. This means that the fourth time stage is this period, with an unknown endpoint. It is official, and the races are over. We don't have to endure another day of our lives wasted to committed famous people driving around eachother to determine whether somebody lives or not. It's been a night and I have already forgotten who won!

...

We do have to remind ourselves that the ultimate Grand Prix was not the only thing that happened during the past three months. An awful lot happened between the relationships of a lot of famous people, as well as the continuing and ever-growing unrest of the north, and the increase in problems caused by the Asquia family. It's like this period of time appeared to be so peaceful and restful, that this reason alone had incited a need for more chaos, unrest and violence. Perhaps after knowing that Bowser's reign was being put to an end did a lot of Hostiles think: 'Now it's our time to be a threat to the world'... and damn were they right. Aypyidaw has fallen, and all of those Hostile captives have been released. Nikola, Koopreme, Malcolm, Tyro, Marley, Basher, Bursk, the list goes on... Here is a very important question, who exactly are they? Or better yet, who exactly is everybody?

I, for one, know everybody. So it's easy for me to keep track of people and who's where and what happens, but I don't think everybody knows everybody. Well, we all know the famous people. I'm pretty sure everyone in the lands knows of all of the racers that participated in the ultimate Grand Prix, that is for sure, but in the past few months there have been over 150 important people being involved around the races somewhat, including some that have passed away from one way or another. Everybody knows who Tom Tûnis is when they see him walking down a street in Mushroom City, but who are the other guys he might be walking with? Let me give you a quick reminder on several people who have recently come to fame over the past few months due to the changes in the land and the trial of Bowser Koopa.

George Martin, one of Tom's best friends and the first of them to be showed the existence of the Mushroom Kingdom: George is quite tall, standing at 6'2, and is considered to be the sportiest of his friendship circle. First being introduced to the other lands in 2012, he wasn't initially hooked in. At the time it was considered illegal as well, since an Earthling was not allowed to introduce another Earthling in to the Kingdom by law. It was only allowed by human natives like Mario and Peach for example. As he was shown it more, he was engaged in seeing a new world. He had gotten himself rather known in several local communities and at one point played for a Mushroom Kingdom strikers' team based in District 65. There he developed and mastered the power strike of the light-kick. After charging a kick for long enough he would be able to strike the ball at the goalkeeper with a bright flare, blinding the goalkeeper temporarily on impact. Sadly, he had to recently depart from the team over other priorities and the fact he was an illegal immigrant to the lands caught up to him. The Mushroom Accords got in a way of a lot of his freedoms as the Time of the Trial began. Now, he resides in Mushroom City, specifically at the penthouse purchased by one of his friends that he lives with. After the events of Fighting in the Streets, we learn that the location and residence of this person is unknown.

Toby Jones, the second of Tom's best friends to be shown the Mushroom Kingdom: Toby is actually the shortest of the group, being only 5'8. He, like George, was born and raised in Brooklyn, being somewhat aware of Mario and Luigi prior to him being shown the Mushroom Kingdom at first. Toby is the shiest of his friends, but eventually got comfortable with acknowledging the existence of the other lands. Although he was the last to permanently move in to the other world, he is more than happy to stay and only goes back to Earth if he really needs to. Toby has learned to do a lot of things alone in the land and has a few important friends from all over the lands. He also loves to keep updated on some things and learn about interesting history documented in the libraries of the Mushroom Kingdom, noticing how some events were accounted for differently from different sources. Toby knows how to drive, and also how to kart. Given the opportunity to play in a tournament, he would definitely try his best to do better than the average player. He would certainly play to win. Other notable features to him are that he is also white, and the only one of the group with black hair. Also applied to Toby, after the events of Fighting in the Streets, we learn that the location and residence of this person is unknown.

Luke Loggins: This tall, blonde figure has a similar stature to that of Enrique. Although someone who is often seen as very patient and quiet, Luke is the kindest and an all-round socialite. When he arrived in late 2012 to the Mushroom Kingdom, he too was hooked right in. He had an obsession with exploring all of the lands and getting very recognised among the common people. It was he who purchased the penthouse in Mushroom City, and he who is usually the one who provides for everyone else. Luke has a passion for reading and cooking, being part of several communities made him very well-known as a reputable professional cook. Having seen a lot of the lands on his own, he has made connections with notable citizens such as Manes Cerces and others not yet mentioned. Throughout the past few months he has developed a little bit of a crush on Princess Peach, but is very good at keeping that his secret. He is somewhat aware that she may know of this, and is still waiting for what she thinks of him, given everything else she has been through. As of now though, he still has this thought in his mind, but it seems to him that Peach is only treating him as part of a bigger group of humans that have caused nothing but stress and havoc for her, and that she was not hesitant to have him executed along with the rest of his friends. Similar to George and Toby, the location of Luke is unknown.

William 'Will' Rodneyras: This is the only friend of Tom's to have undergone a completely different approach to moving in to the Mushroom Kingdom. At first, this tall, dark-skinned, fierce-looking human did not know much about the world. He had not heard about anything on the matter of it either. However, having seen the existence of a new world had him wanting to stay. Although very quiet and inclusive, Will secretly aspired to explore the land on his own, trying to be as independent as possible. Having spent some of his young adulthood mastering martial arts and evasive manoeuvring, he would definitely be able to put up a fight with anyone who opposed him. Sadly, being the unfortunate victim of a terrible illness, Will had spent most of the time in the past few months in captivity or isolation, trapping him and deteriorating his mental health. Having only recently been freed, he still has a lot to recover and much still to do as times change. The main thing that separates Will from the rest of his friends is that he wouldn't hesitate to do what he wanted, regardless of the laws prohibiting it. Following the events of Fighting in the Streets, Will's location is currently unknown.

Jack Akbal: There is a lot to say about this friend of Tom's. Although he was there since the start of Tom's journey in to the Mushroom Kingdom. He was also recruited as said before. However, there have been rumours about him potentially being there on the inside. His trials with Princess Rebecca and Marrec went unnoticed, and the two had never come across him in the first days in Muhu Delfethal despite seeing Marrec at least once. Tom and Enrique later began to know that Jack was also brought in alongside them, and told about what he did at the time when they were trying to calm down the rising problems occurring in the North. Shortly after, Jack became heartbroken. Knowing that Princess Rebecca met her end to Boom Boom reminded him of a possible failure of being an apprentice to someone from a land he had always dreamt of being a reality. Within the Years of Peace, Jack had occasionally spoken to Tom and Enrique, but he had never really seen them in person. He would instead be doing a lot of things with Princess Éclair on the other side of the Island in Wuhu and sometimes Delfino. It was only until the issuing of the Mushroom Accords did Jack eventually show up to the public again, having to submit himself to Princess Peach at the time got him caught in the loop with others. What he does halfway across the lands is unknown to many, though some believe he has been working in the Black Market business for most of his time spent living here. In more recent days though, he has moved to Zeltarc West with Ronald and set up a new business there. With the influence of the races, he has spent more time in the east, assisting Tom and covering for Enrique whenever it was possible. As of March 11, Jack's location is currently unknown.

Ronald Rodriguez: Although not a direct friend of Tom and Enrique's and instead a friend of a friend through Jack. Ronald was also a native of Earth, originally from India. He was recruited somewhat illegally in to the Wuhu Kingdom through a co-operation between Jack and Princess Éclair, keeping him out of Earth and used to serve as an assistant to Jack and another apprentice to Éclair. In the years he has spent here so far, Ronald had never met Tom and Enrique, though he had heard about them through public connections. His work and activity in the two years he has been here for mostly fell under the categories of what Jack does. The two would become colleagues and later partners in their business. As soon as the Mushroom Accords were implemented, Ronald was in Castelia at the time, handling a trade deal whilst Jack had to clean up an error in the previous one involving Jagem Lakitu. The New Years' Festival in Castelia caused Ronald to meet up with George, Toby and Luke, who were also there on the event. When Jack was to meet up with him to finish the deal, Ronald had found himself heading back down in to the Mushroom Kingdom (illegally at the time of the new rules) via boat with the other humans, getting to know them first. After the first race in Mushroom City, Ronald would go to spend the Era of the Trial back with Jack in Delfino, mostly off-grid and away from the governments. It was only the day of the final race did he join Jack in visiting Mushroom City. Sadly, it was not for the intention of viewing the race, as they had other, more important matters to attend to that night. With that having gone underway, his location is currently unknown.

Jaapayo 'The Fisherman' Bligh-Hassan: Very little is known about this tall maroon-head. Only that he was first identified by Bowser in these recent times with the assistance of Morton Koopa in the mountain range in the early days of January. Being accompanied by Tom and Enrique on the journey to the Mushroom Kingdom capital for the opening ceremony of the races, this man joined their friends and got to know them slowly over the course of the event. Despite disappearing for much of it on his own and for his own purposes, he found himself back to seeing them by the time the races came around. Very out of the loop, he had no idea what the situation between the friends of Tom and Enrique and the royalties of the Mushroom Kingdom. (For future reference, the 'Royalties' are referred to as Peach, Daisy and the Mario Brothers.) Due to this lack of knowledge, he wasn't aware of what was going on, and in Jack's attempt to meet with Tom and Enrique after the race and to save everyone else captured in the castle prisons, he got himself into an unprecedented battle between members of the Toad Brigade, resulting in his wound to the neck. Finally meeting up with all eight of the others again, his last hope of escape with them was thanks to Marrec and Zane, who are also missing. At this point in time, Jaapayo's location is currently unknown.

Now there are quite a lot of other people in these lands, especially ones who have no other famous affiliations like the Red Martyrs, but as we can tell for now a lot of them are heavily occupied in current events. The entirety of the north has now been blocked off due to the risk of violence for southerner that treads foot up there. It's like the hostiles own the place now. With this being said, train services to the north have been discontinued, boats up there have been restricted, and the tunnel borders have officially closed down. The roads leading up to the mountains are heavily guarded as well as the tunnels, so anybody who does show up at the border will have to be assessed before entering. Princess Daisy made it so that the guards cannot risk a potential hostile sneaking in to the south yet again. It was her that made this order as Peach is currently asleep during the day of March 11.

Also, now that there are no races, most people can be properly free again. Most people can now do things that span the course of more than two days as a race is no longer there to prohibit it from happening. Unfortunately, this also applies to hostile Koopas in the north. With the local threat of the Red Martyrs being finally at an end, the Koopas can freely roam the lands without any chance of being scouted upon by them. The only fear they all have now is any more potential fights with eachother. Since the planned assault on Aypyidaw however, the chance of domestic Hostile conflict is now far less likely. The hostiles are not yet fully united, but each of the tribes there have become more significant to the south, especially those in charge of them.

Firstly, we have the Hostile Tribe that is most commonly talked about by the Mushroom Kingdom and the government, and that is the Takharim. Originally based in Takhar, the Takharim are now led by the Koopa with the name Ata Endymion, of Vilrus. This tribe was one of the most unsettled tribes within the past few months, spending a lot of the time fighting eachother on who would be able to approach the south the best and who was the strongest of them all. Although Ata did not physically appear the strongest, his power through allies and weapons won him the battles against his main rival Mywithe Unudhu, and a former rival Illias Fonavan, who later turned towards him to become one of his highest ranking followers. Aiding Ata in his stance to unite the rest of the hostiles were Koopo, Koopiz, Johan, Zuba and Tyro. The land owned by the Takharim is very large, spanning most of northeast Résethal. Some of the notable towns that are part of the Takharim besides the ones already mentioned are Zurlon, Unhalvalor, Tigell, Amarian, and Conkav.

Now we go to the other Hostile Tribes, some of which we saw fighting with the Takharim together in the assault on Aypyidaw. The first one included in these is the Karbûti: a much smaller and less populous tribe based in the hostile-controlled town of Karbût. Led by Tall Toki, the Tribe consists of notable towns including Gonn Cwith, Anypsia, Roadhouse, Erbec Fields, and Quorogo. Tall Toki has many allies within the tribe, but none have been named thus far by any southerner.

Another Tribe that participated in the assault on Aypyidaw was the Amuruni, based in Amurun and led by the fat Koopa Amur, nicknamed 'King Amur'. Though he never really poses a threat on any of the other tribes, he unofficially declared himself the King of Résethal ever since the lands remaining independent in 2010. He has ruled the tribe since and has several unnamed allies. The Amuruni control the surrounding towns of Volic, Stromji, Lamyría, Diyamoi, and Amusi, as well as small settlements such as Taniskri, Anabla, and Fort Unudhu: home to the rest of the Unudhu Koopa family.

One of the tribes involved in the assault of Aypyidaw was a tribe that's unofficial self-declared boundaries resided closest to Aypyidaw. In the centre of Résethal lies a small tribe called the Westfellers, based in the Westfells. Led by Moroq Kruboe, known to be very sneaky, the Westfellers consist of the Westfells, Uchast, and Bluchest. Due to the Westfellers being one of few tribes to share no borders with other tribes, the hostiles there almost never get in to conflict with other tribes. They usually get on well with all the other tribes, and it was actually Moroq himself who devised the plan of temporarily uniting as many hostiles as possible to assault on Aypyidaw and the Red Martyrs together, giving them even more of the freedom they had always wanted and the guarantee that the land of the north would be owned by them.

Next on the list of tribes that united with the Westfellers to assault Aypyidaw were the Zarkans. Named after the town of Zarkan and residing in central Résethal, this small tribe led by Rugai Koopiv is known amongst the northerners for being one of the most heavily armed tribes, resisting several Red Martyr assaults in the past and taking out a few of their ranks in the process. Although Rugai is a rather kind Koopa leader, he is still feared among many, including some of the several unnamed allies that support him. Towns within this tribe include the Northfells, Redhythe, and Rath Navoda, as well as other smaller settlements.

The Karzonians are next, based in South Karzon in west-central Résethal. Led by Sasha Shellex, the Karzonians are another fierce and also large tribe, partially responsible for most of the conflicts between tribes in west Résethal. It took a lot of convincing by Moroq to get Sasha to resolve their conflicts with the Zarkans and the Marukhians and join them in fighting their common enemy. Notable towns within the boundaries of the Karzonians are North Karzon, Mirin, and Zeruth.

The last tribe that joined together to assault Aypyidaw was the Marukhians, residing in Marukh and led by Josibi the Pale. This Pale Koopa took hold of the tribe by surprise, winning the leadership of the tribe through an unexpected voting system. They are the only tribe to have elected their leaders through a voting system instead of the usual proof of power to see who's worthy. Being united to assault Aypyidaw started to make life easier for them, as they were able to become friends with Sasha and the Karzonians, as well as healing their ties with other neighbouring tribe the Zarkans. Notable towns in this tribe include only Zerkhen, as everywhere else of significance is yet to be fully discovered by the Red Martyrs or other southerners. Unfortunately to their loss, they will not be able to identify towns further north any time soon as they have lost access to the north entirely.

Although many tribes united together to get rid of the Red Martyrs and free their captive brethren, there were still several other tribes that did not take part. The Tammans of southeast Résethal did not take part as they had disagreements with the Westfellers at the time. The Marshi tribe did not take part as it would involve a lot of travelling across the northern marshes they were situated in beyond the Takharim and the Amuruni. The far northern tribes of the Lermens, the Gulagis, and the Polens (there are more, but unknown to the south or the Red Martyrs) did not want to venture too far or had no reason to go. The only other tribe that didn't participate was the Dargovi. There is not a lot of public knowledge about the Dargovi other than the fact that they have been independent for decades and are strong enough to be feared by all other tribes. Residing on the west coast, the tribe's land is heavily guarded and capable of defending against any assault on them so far.

The current state of affairs with the north is now very set in stone, and Queen Peach has at least managed to have all of her other concerns already resolved or put aside for now. As Bowser is being dealt with by the Toad Patrol and sent back to hiss castle, she can use the rest of her armies and government to make sure that the hostiles do not lay any footsteps on her Kingdoms' soil. Unfortunately, she is yet to know about this, since she has not been informed on the matters being asleep. Daisy has been the one to take matters into her hands on this, and we will see this escalate very soon.

From the start of the implementation of the Mushroom Accords to the sunrise of March 11th, 2015, the third stage in the timeline occurs. This is known as the Era of the Trial of Bowser, or simply shortened to the Trial of Bowser. What comes next will be the fourth stage, and what it will be known as is yet to be decided, as speaking from the view of this point in time, nobody really knows what's to come and what will come to pass. One of the most defining things about this stage in the timeline as it marks the beginning of a treaty between Peach and Bowser. The two are not allies, but they are no longer seen as enemies, and everything involved between them in the past has been acknowledged and accounted for in a sort of debt-freeze way. We know that they were once enemies, but knowing that the two will do no harm to each other left them as neutrals and that they would never interfere with each other's business again. While Peach maintained superiority over him, he was still given the partial freedom to live his life with his family in his castle complex, gaining massive support from Koopa City and other surrounding towns. What he wasn't allowed to do was invade, or try to obtain more power against the current Mushroom Kingdom government. Before this point in time, the two had been enemies for years. Anything one can think of involving your typical Bowser ship invasion to capturing the princess happened between the two over the years, almost like the two were raised to be enemies since it was the same with their ancestors before them.

...

All of this that happened between them was merely just side-effects of the event that changed the future of the lands and set its course for everyone in it to endure: The Great Mushroom War. Starting in 1993 and lingering along until the early months of 1996, the generation before the people we witness today underwent a bloody war in the northern lands, creating all sorts of things we have witnessed today: the formation of the Red Martyrs and the conquest of Aypyidaw and the other northern cities, the power in the south going to the princesses, Bowser's rise to power, the rise to fame of the Asquia bloodline, and the everlasting riots and coinage of the term 'Hostile Koopas'. Back then, the lands still had a sustainable population of Sprixies. It was only until 2011 did they become extinct following Madison's untimely death, with her being the last that remained for years.

More on this can be found within the ancient library underneath an abandoned mansion, but what was more interesting about that place was what was beneath that. Sometime in the early days of February, in a series of cave systems far underground, we saw Zane take up Rosalina's body and perform a ritual beside a pool of sacred waters to heal her wounds and bring her back to life with the aid of a spectral figure. Today, someone else was here on their own to visit the pools. The purpose here was also to heal a bloody wound, but this one was on himself. Having spent hours upon hours in his own paused time loop learning and educating himself on everything he could find in the ancient library concerning magic, wellbeing and knowledge, this person was able to perform the healing ritual on himself while he was still awake. There was no struggle at all for him doing this procedure, what worried him now was whether or not he had to pay the spectral figure for the use of these waters. What Zane did when he was here was set up a pact between himself and the shadows, offering to pay back in blood within five weeks after the healing took full effect. If you wondered why such a spectral figure showed up in Toad Town in the night after the final race, this is why.

March 11, 2015

CURRENT TIME: 6:23AM

The healing was complete, and when the boy noticed everything being fully recovered, he observed that the knife used to create the wound was not in his body. There were still stains of blood on his torn clothes, but the bleeding had stopped. Unlike Rosalina's ritual used on Jaapayo, this one occurred much smoothly due to the use of the waters. The magical aspect of the healing without any additional ingredients could lead to bruises and injuries inside the body, like the ones developed by Jaapayo.

"What do I owe thee, spectre?" The boy looked into the darkness in the caves, hoping that it would answer back in the form of a voice. "I may not have been dead when I performed this on myself, but I was probably dying from the wounds."

"...I ask nothing from you, for I know the potential in you. I have other ways in mind for you to pay, and they are not through providing something for me." The figure replied to him in the most human-like voice he had ever heard from a spectre. All he was used to was the husky whispers from these spectres that spoke to him. This one sounded rather different, almost like there was more than just the one.

"There are more of you." The boy claimed. "You have one chasing after Zane right now, since he used these pools to bring his sister back to life, didn't he?" Just from the sound of the spectre's voice, the boy had no fear over it. He could see it against the walls of the cave, hovering around all over the place, almost scattered around the chamber. After some time, the darkness morphed into one figure, resembling the body of an adult human. It stood firm on the ground and looked back at the boy while he got his clothes back on. He gave one more look at the wound, seeing it all healed up.

"The Ancient One commands." The spectre figure replied in its human voice. "One is sent to bring back Zane's debt, while we get to be free to roam the lands as ghosts or people. The choice is ours." The figure started walking towards the kid, eventually coming out of the shadows to reveal its human form. There was no longer darkness present in front of this spectral figure, for it had taken the shape and appearance of an adult human male, no different to your average white man with good posture and body shape. "I'm impressed at how you know so much of what just happened hours ago despite not being there. It is almost like you see all in the present, am I wrong to believe this?"

"I have committed a lot of looped time in educating myself in the magical arts." The boy replied.

"Knowledge is power, and you did well." The adult figure smiled at the kid. "But handling the ability to manipulate time to slow down your body from ageing and creating your own world within the world through Quantum Arcanery is very dangerous. I was not wrong at all then." The kid felt a little embarrassed. The spectral figure was able to fathom how he became so educated in the magical arts. The amount he learned and the level of proficiency he achieved in it became so high over the past few months that what he learned would take several lifetimes for a mortal man, and the kid was still only fourteen years old.

"I wouldn't be able to become as powerful as I am if it wasn't for being able to master that manoeuvre." The boy replied anxiously. "I guess you could say that I see all that happens in the present."

"Yet you come to the caves once again to heal yourself from a mortal wound caused in real time. Why did you not see that coming? Why not learn every outcome of the culprit that caused your wound inside your very own time-state before seeing the culprit alive in the flesh?" The figure put him on the spot, demonstrating one of his flaws.

"I... underestimated her." The boy eventually replied. "She made me freeze on the spot... like I had lost all the strength to be able to do it. It was like she knew I couldn't do it."

"It only makes sense." The spectral figure flew around the cave, and behind the boy. "Her fate is not in your hands, and you are simply not the one who will bring her to her end."

"Are you implying that there is someone who will?"

"Not at all, child. Do not misinterpret my words. One outcome not happening does not mean another happens if there are more than two options." The figure remained dormant in the cave for a little while longer while the boy recovered from his wounds. The area was almost fully cleaned. With more work and practice, the use of this magic could allow him to recover from any potentially fatal wound if worked to perfection. It was always in his best interests to become unstoppable yet like any other man. "Now tell me, what is your true purpose in coming to the caves?"

The fourteen year-old sat cross-legged on the floor in the cave, surrounded by the dark spectral smoke and the figure floating around him. The figure knew that he came for something, but what wondered its mind was the extent of the kid's imagination. This boy had learned a lot more than most the spectral figure has ever encountered in its time.

"I have been informed of a horrible tragedy that occurred only last night." He began. "The great society protectorate in the north has crumbled by the hands of its enemies. The Koopas wanting freedom seems now like an illusion; all they want is the adrenaline rush of murder. The Red Martyrs is no more." The shadows remained idle around the human, waiting for him to speak an actual request. "I have learned about the many names of those that were involved in it over time, yet I found one thing in particular that amazed me. This figure you resemble when you walk the mortal plain was seen in a book buried within its mess, long before I was born." After a few moments, the shadows reassembled into a spectral figure. Over a few more seconds, the darkness in the figure faded away to reveal the resemblance of an adult man again. This time, all of his physical attributes were shown, and it was exactly the look that the boy had imagined.

"The Red Martyrs dealt not only with Koopas, you know. There was a bane to them dealt with in the early years of their supposed peace, before Peach came of age fit to rule properly." The boy smiled. "Duncan, have you studied of The Great Mushroom Wars and their events?"

"I have read every book in Aypyidaw about their history and their greatness."

"Then you have not heard about what really happened. You see, these 'people' that united together were not led to the charge by the one they call Archbarn, yet that is what everyone was told to believe. You claim to have seen me as this figure before, yet you have nothing to say on it?"

"I do." Duncan interrupted the figure briefly. "I have come because things don't add up, and I would like some answers."

"What do you want?"

"I want the truth." Duncan raised his voice slightly, trying to confront the figure and getting him to move back, but the figure was not intimidated at all.

"Be careful what you ask for. Consider this my grace, granted upon you." The figure grinned, beckoning Duncan to follow him through the caves.

The two descended even further down, losing more light along the way. What they travelled down to was a wide, open cavern filled with a pool of water, and in the very centre, an altar, emitting its own light and shining up to the top of the cavern. It glowed a dim blue, with some of it reflecting onto the waters in front of them. Duncan approached the water slowly, taking out his wand and creating a path of frozen ice to travel across with it.

"A boy does not feel ready to be detached from the wand."

"A boy is ready to be without a wand when he says he is ready." Duncan replied immediately while crossing the waters.

"What you see before you is an essence of reflection. A means of recalling the past whilst living there like it is the present. You will have the freedom to travel and move without passing real time, and everything around you will interact like you are not there, causing you to have no impact on the path of time." The figure followed Duncan up to the tiny island that the altar was on and saw a small magical device shaped like an octagonal tray of water.

"Its... like a Pensieve."

"I know what you're thinking, but it works a little differently to how you think it does. You've only seen it portrayed, but this... this... this is real. This... is a reflecting pool." The room suddenly darkened, and the figure moved from right next to Duncan, walking around the reflecting pool atop the altar to stand opposite him. All the light in the room came from the glowing blueness from the pool's waters. Duncan peered down onto it and saw tiny clouds hovering within the thickness of the waters. Parts of it glowed randomly, and the figure watched Duncan gaze at it until he was ready.

"I don't know what to expect from all this..." Duncan eventually spoke after a brief period of silence. "I remember my friend Tom telling me something about a sort of time machine, but then he realised it was only a sort of memory bank where one could take trips to the past."

"The essence that Madison the Sprixie princess used to create such a mechanism was taken from these very sacred waters, never for her to be allowed here again. Her unforgivable theft brought ill omens to her people. You are likely aware of her fate."

"I am aware." Duncan shrugged, feeling the cool winds of the cave brush past his shoulders. The waters of the pool moved about, showing magical activity within. In front of him, he saw the spectral figure, create a small light from the side of his mind and pull it out into his palm. A small amber glow appeared on his hand and flew slowly onto the top of the reflecting pool waters, going into the mixture of blue magical essence and water. The pool slowly turned from a rich blue to a golden yellow.

"With this memory poured into the pool, you will be taken to the past." The waters spiralled around, turning Duncan's vision hazy. He began to feel very light-headed, until the top of his head was forced into the waters. He felt nothing, but saw flashes of light and clouds move all around him. The vision was distorted, until a setting was shaped up. Duncan felt like he was no longer in the cave with the spectral figure deep underground, but instead inside a dark but large room filled with seats in a circle and a large circular stage in the middle with a round iron chamber in the centre atop the stage. Many of the seats in the room were occupied, but conveniently, Duncan and the spectral figured appeared to be sitting on their own, quite a few seats away from the nearest person. Duncan looked up at the walls and saw the people in the room. He knew immediately where he was based off of the emblems on the walls and the clothing of the people in the room. This was somewhere in Aypyidaw, a long time ago, and the room looked similar to that of a courtroom. Everyone in here looked a lot different. There were considerably more humans, but still a lot of Koopas and Toads too. Very few he could recognise. All the others in the room must have been members of the Red Martyrs in a period way before even he was born, and they were all arguing over each other so neither he nor the figure could hear anything they were saying. Duncan looked back at the figure and noticed that here he looked as human as he could possibly be.

"Why are we here?" Duncan whispered to the human figure that remained seated next to him.

"I don't want to talk about it." The figure had a look of embarrassment on his face and Duncan had no idea why. Still confused, he remained hesitant to ask about it. Instead, he remained on the seat and waited for the events to transpire. One of the thoughts in his head was whether or not real time was going by while he was here. He knew that this was some sort of memory vision like taking the time machine, but this worked the same way as his black hole time watches did, then he wouldn't have to worry about wasting any time in his life.

A few seconds later, seven figures walked into the room from the entrance at the bottom of the seats and near to the stage. They travelled around the caged area and sat themselves down in seven high seats on the other side of the room to where Duncan and the figure were seated. He recognised a lot of these people that arrived into the room, and most for all completely different reasons. He then began to believe that these were the appointed seven at the time, and he was extremely surprised. First, he saw three of the current members of the appointed seven. Archbarn Tanski-Aypyidaw, to which he believed, was the founder of the Red Martyrs. Muji Kuti sat next to him, taking the first seat on the left from the centre. He, like Archbarn, looked visibly younger; at least twenty years. Eoréc Jones sat next to Muji. He too looked slightly younger, but his appearance wasn't that different. If this was in the early days of the Mushroom Wars period, then Eoréc would be at least sixteen, which is really young for a member of the Red Martyrs.

"What year is this?" Duncan asked the figure next to him.

"1996." The figure replied quickly and bluntly.

Next to Eoréc was Ledro Simpson. This was a human that he recognised from while he was here. Due to his lack of knowledge in recent days, he was unsure whether Ledro was still part of the Red Martyrs at this point in present day time. The people occupying the three seats on the right were what amazed him more. He didn't recognise the first figure. This was another Toad, and he could only assume that this Toad wasn't on this council for a long time. The second and third people on the right were humans, one looking European, and the other Japanese. Duncan recognised the second human only through seeing him on television a few times back on Earth, and whenever he saw him, it would be to do with the British parliament. The human on the far right made the most sense to him being here, as him being here is likely to be the answer to a lot of Duncan's questions about the connection between this world and the games on Earth based off of certain people here. This human occupying the seat on the far right was none other than Shigeru Miyamoto, and the fact that he was here amazed Duncan and it only filled him with more thoughts and questions. While the others in the room started to quieten themselves down, there was a small alteration in the order of seating that the seven at the front of the room made. The Toad next to Archbarn moved to Muji's seat, and the other human shuffled one along, making Muji sit between him and Shigeru.

"Why have I read nothing on this in Aypyidaw?" Duncan asked the adult figure.

"The Red Martyrs removed all of their documents dating this period. The Mushroom Wars did not lead to an Era of peace immediately. There were still some deep dark threats for them to deal with." The figure still seemed a little embarrassed. Duncan looked back to the middle of the room and watched the audience settle down with the appointed seven.

"If this is 1996, I take it all the Kings have fallen." He asked the figure one last time before remaining silent, receiving a nod back from him. There was still background chatter going on between some of the Red Martyrs on their end of the room, but the appointed seven were ready to address them all.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, you all know why you are here tonight." Duncan watched Archbarn step forward. He even saw quiet bickering going on between some of the appointed seven members, including Shigeru whispering to Muji.

"He's a monster! A traitor!" He overheard some of the Red Martyr members shout across the room. "He betrayed both sides, he is to be executed for these crimes!"

"Murderer!"

"Demon!"

"Possessed!" Many of the Red Martyrs started shouting and calling out words in anger and frustration.

"ORDER!" One of the humans of the appointed seven silenced the rest of the Red Martyrs in the room. "This is not how the Red Martyrs of Aypyidaw begin trials. Let us allow the right honourable gentleman in the room to present the prisoner of war for everyone to see before we make our comments."

Duncan seemed very confused, until trembles started being heard from the bottom of the room at the centre. A small hatch inside the caged area opened up and appearing below was an adult Koopa being raised up into the cage. Duncan also recognised this Koopa; it was Koopak Asquia I. The modern-famous Koopak's father, known for conspiring against both the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's side in the Mushroom Wars, yet to be held accountable for the many deaths of important people. Other Red Martyrs were still making comments of the Koopa, covering their mouths when doing so. Duncan examined the look of the Koopa below to confirm that it was Koopak I. He seemed overly frightened, scared, and his skin was full of small cuts and bloody marks scattered everywhere. He looked to be a victim of torture used relatively recently.

"This... is interesting." Duncan briefly looked back to the adult figure sitting next to him.

"Thank you, John." Archbarn thanked the human that brought moderate silence to the room, allowing him to address the prisoner. "Koopak Asquia, you have been brought to trial to confess your crimes against the united groups of the Mushroom, Delfino, Résethal and Wuhu lands. You have been held accounted for the deaths twenty-five members of high-authority and the use of dark magic and poison for their deaths. I will ask you once again. Do you plead guilty for these crimes against the peoples of Muhu Delfethal?"

"NO!" Koopak immediately shouted, unleashing his fright and letting himself express his traumatic thoughts. His body was still shivering. Sweat was dripping down his skin, and his teeth were chattering away. "I deny any involvement or partaking in these murders! None of you were there. None of you saw it." He began to calm down slowly, but was still looking very scared and visibly full of fear. "Only I was there to see the events happen. Only I remained as all the members of the royalties of the south were slaughtered at the same time as the dominant Koopas. That is with the exception of one other person, and he's in this very room!" Koopak looked over to Archbarn after pleading his case to the other members of the council inside the room. Many of them gasped upon hearing his last few words, but Archbarn did not look convinced at all, and neither did any of the other seven.

"None of us here would do such a thing!" Ledro snapped back.

"Hold on a moment." Archbarn calmed him.

"You see, Archbarn. I may have committed these crimes, yes! I as in my hands spilled blood in that room, but it was not by my choice! You see... I was... possessed!" He shrieked again.

"More lies!" Eoréc called out, provoking more and more arguments and slander to be shouted by the others in the room.

"We're never going to get anywhere if we the people in this room don't stop behaving like animals." John groaned next to Muji, slouching in his seat.

"Hear me out!" Koopak tried to grab the attention of the room but it didn't work.

"SILENCE!" Archbarn raised his voice and in a matter of seconds, the entire room came to complete quietness. "You claim you were possessed?" He watched Koopak nod several times.

"I even know who was behind it!" He began to look insane, smiling and nodding repeatedly with his mouth wide open. "I can see him right now!" Koopak looked back to the crowds of members in the room surrounding him. Duncan began to look around the room to see how everyone was reacting to Koopak's staring. Many got up and complained, including one feeling like he had enough and thought to make his way out of the courtroom.

"Kare wa dareka ni tsumiwokiseru-gedearu!" Duncan watched Shigeru whisper aggressively into Muji's ear, completely clueless on what he said.

"He might be onto something." Muji nodded back at Shigeru before looking back to Koopak.

"There he is! Tony Barron!" Koopak pointed at one of the Red Martyrs on the other side of the room; one that was already standing up and trying to leave. "Come out, come out, old man!" Duncan looked over to the person Koopak was pointing to, and out of the crowd he finally noticed the human and immediately had him distinguish from the rest after finally paying attention. "He's full of dark magic. It's what he used to kill them all, yes? You saw blood on the floor but did you forget to check for any stab wounds?"

The room jumped with surprise and the people sitting next to the human accused of the crimes by Koopak quickly leapt up and moved away from him. The human had an identical resemblance to the one sitting right next to him. Duncan turned around and noticed that the spectral figure version of the adult human was hiding his face and looking away.

"It was you? The whole time?" Duncan seemed very confused.

"You came to learn, now pay attention." The spectral figure left its human form and hovered around Duncan, forcing his head to turn and face the direction to Koopak and the centre of the room. Every time that Duncan was a little distracted or looking away from what was important, the human figure slowed down time in the memory, delaying the speech of all those from the past until Duncan was ready to focus again. As he watched back this time, he saw the adult figure fuel himself with anger, power and aggression. He watched him leap up from his seat and climb down the rows of seats occupied by other Red Martyrs. Some tried to avoid him. Some tried to grab him on his way down. The figure's hands started to generate dark fires and energy with the intent of throwing some flames at Koopak in the cage.

"Stop the man! Grab his hands! Don't let him escape this room!" Archbarn called out, before being immediately shielded by Muji. John, Shigeru, and the other current members of the appointed seven got up and armed their weapons, facing the human figure under the name Tony Barron. The human tried to break the cage down by melting it with his dark, glowing hands, but his wrists were restrained by other members of the Red Martyrs now surrounding him. His arms and legs were quickly held onto, and his hands seemed out of use. Duncan got up from his seat and tried to move closer to observe what was going on from a better viewpoint.

"This is meant to be the night Koopak died. They say he was executed by the Red Martyrs..." Duncan whispered to himself, being heard only by the spectral figure's shadows at the back of the courtroom stands.

"I've never seen you around here, especially not in this city." Archbarn stood right up close to the figure as it was pinned down beside Koopak's cage. "Toadsworth used to say that dark magic was always behind evil."

"You see what he's doing with his hands?" Koopak shouted at Archbarn, seeing him finally realise that he was possibly falsely accused this entire time. Archbarn didn't even want to turn his head back to Koopak as he couldn't bear to stare at him in the face with all the guilt now arisen. "Everything that you thought I did was done because of him. It was all him." He could hear Koopak panting in the cage.

"We cannot have a demonic being in our ranks. If what Koopak is saying is true then you are to be executed immediately. We all saw the flames in your hands... you cannot deny it!" Archbarn glared down at the so-called Tony Barron, noticing him beginning to shiver and shake up quietly in response. The Red Martyrs grabbing on to him started to find difficulty in restraining him.

"You will never escape the darkness. The north will fall to despair and disarray!"

"Stop him... stop him!" Archbarn began to feel worried, slowly backing away from the crazed human. He watched his skin turn pale, and then quickly grey; the body slowly dissolving and fading into darkness. All those holding onto him slowly lost grip as the figure transitioned into a great, dark, spectral figure.

"Aypyidaw will fall, and The Ancient One will scorch these lands to cinder! Twenty years..." The voice of the figure became distorted. "The demon God demands a soul." With everyone losing their grasp on the shadows. The darkness flew into the cage containing Koopak, and taking the soul from his body with him... breaking a few of his bones as the body bashed the top of the cage. The shadows disappeared, flying through the dark ceiling of the courtroom, and all that was left in the cage was a lifeless body of a Koopa. All the Red Martyrs in the room gathered around the cage, trying to open it to bring out Koopak Asquia I. Duncan tried to climb down to have a close look at it, but as he descended the seats, the courtroom surroundings distorted and warped him back into the front of the reflecting pool atop the altar.

...

"I wasn't finished!" Duncan appeared angered and aggressive, turning back to the spectral shadows. "...Why did you kill him, and why did the Red Martyrs hide this... how am I supposed to believe this is what happened?" He felt uneasy and slightly hazy. He couldn't trust the figure in front of him anymore now that he has seen two different beliefs on what really happened in the events of 1996. Everything he had seen through the pool's waters was completely different to what he read up on when he used to sneak into Aypyidaw in his time pockets to read up on the past according to the Red Martyrs.

He became more and more agitated on the inside after waiting more time and getting no response back from the shadows. He wanted to look into the reflecting pool and learn more about this supposed outcome on what happened in 1996. The first appearance of the spectral shadows in Aypyidaw must have been then, and if he wouldn't be able to get anything off of the shadows, then he would have to find Archbarn and Muji, wherever they may be.

"Don't you go and hide on me now. You were once just like me! Just like any other person in this land, yet something else must have made you that way. I can tell!" Duncan shouted into the darkness of the caverns, hearing his echo travel along the walls. He didn't want to feel ignored and left there without an answer and refused to leave not knowing what really happened. All he found out tonight was a possible cause of death for Koopak I, and the possibility that the spectral figure that lingered in these caves was actually the person responsible for the unfortunate end of the Mushroom War.

"You are welcome to come back again, Duncan. You need time to rest. There is always tomorrow." The shadows spoke to him more sincerely, feeling less stressed than when he was inside the memory loop simulation. Duncan felt unanswered to, but as the shadows say, there is always tomorrow.

"I will have a lot more to ask, and a lot more to see. You've left me with a lot of thought for my imagination, and one day I will find about your purpose. Trust me." Duncan smiled back at the shadows.

"It is time for you to go now." The shadows slowly approached Duncan, surrounding him completely. "Your friends in these lands need you, and you will have a lot to catch up on due to your absence. The races are over."

"Wait, wait!" The shadows encircled Duncan, banishing him from the cave and warping him elsewhere. While Duncan still wanted to ask more from the shadows, he could no longer see them. His surroundings were distorted, and his vision began to brighten up immensely from the darkness of the deep caves to the brightness of the late summer morning sky.

...

March 11, 2015 – 8:30AM, real time.

...

"Where the hell am I?" He said to himself, waking up in a flat grass field atop a cliff with a view of the southern coastline down below. In the other direction was a large house looking like a compound, home to many. "Oh, I see..."

Duncan found himself on the edges of Zeltarc West, a sizeable seaside town with a luxurious composition of modern private housing and hilly, clean fields and grasslands. He later realised about the house he was nearest to, and knew from the spectral figure's intentions why he was sent there.

EOC: Admittedly, this chapter would be very lacking of canon-characters, but it is only the beginning! The first half of this Prologue was to give everyone a reminder of how everything is in these lands as of this point in time, and the second half is a small section of what many people will begin to learn about the past. I believe that a lot of people reading here are not very aware of how everything shaped up, including Peach's claim to royalty, Mario and Bowser's first appearances, and the way the land is governed. All will come soon along with the future of the land.

Thank you for reading the Prologue. See you in Chapter 1!