(no subject)
In Chapter One, the Mushroom Kingdom gets a shake-up when a missing royal falls from the sky... literally.
In this chapter, her "savior" learns the story behind her... and an interesting story behind himself.
The two humans walked through the streets of Toad Town while people in the streets pointed and murmured their compliments and excitement to one another.
"What have I fallen into, Luigi?" Brandon questioned, hands still deep in his pockets.
"The Mushroom Kingdom and all of its drama," Luigi replied. "See... twenty years ago, the Princess gave birth to her only child."
"Dani, right?"
"That's the one. But three months after Dani came along, Bowser kidnapped her... the Princess, that is. So Mario, of course, went after her. That sort of cemented my bond to Danielle. I raised that girl myself for the five years she was here. She was like my daughter, Brandon. I loved that child."
Brandon hung his head a bit, a little depressed by the tale.
"But one night, I got this oracle..."
"What's that?"
"An oracle is a vision from the Stars. Anyway, I got one in my sleep. 'They're coming for her, Luigi. Send her away.' Something like that. I took Dani and ran from my house as Bowser and his crooked army approached, and I ran to Shooting Star Summit... and I..."
The younger human shuddered softly and almost didn't want to hear the rest. He heard Luigi's voice breaking.
"I wished her away, Brandon. I had to. They were coming to kill her."
"I'm sorry."
"For fifteen years, I've waited for the day I'd see my niece again. The Stars... they said I would. Now I do."
"Why did they want her dead?"
"Not 'did,' son. They want her dead because she's a Star child."
"A what?"
"A Star child. She's a human born of Star energy. There are only five people who will ever be Star children. My brother and I are two of them. His daughter, Dani, is the third. It's predicted that she'll marry the fourth one and they will bear the fifth."
So I'm going to lose her before this is over? Brandon winced softly.
"When she was born... the sky flickered with power. It's said that she was bestowed the Crystal Star from birth. We never could teach her how to harness the energy, though, because we sent her away so young..." Luigi suddenly looked at his new friend. "You."
"Me?"
"You must be..."
"What?"
Luigi grabbed Brandon's wrist. "Come with me! We have to clear something up."
***
The two arrived at a building that looked about ready to fall to the ground. It was made of stone and had eroded over eons of time. Stars were carved into the pillars and roof of the bulding. Brandon shivered and didn't want to go any closer, though he wasn't quite sure why he felt this way.
"Come with me," Luigi said after a moment's silence. "We have to fix this."
"Fix what, damnit?" He pulled his wrist back. "I don't want to go in there. I don't know why, but I don't like how it feels to be near this place."
Luigi pulled him forward. "This is important, Brandon. I hate this place, too, but this is important."
They walked into the building, which seemed much larger on the inside. It was bitterly cold and full of ancient hieroglyphics and images. There were star-shaped carvings everywhere. Massive chunks of icy stones, shaped like large needles, plummeted from the roof and plunged into the ground. Brandon pulled back again, the strange feeling in his chest creeping into his mind and plaguing him with odd images.
A small voice began haunting his mind. Go away. Turn back. Go away. Turn back.
They arrived at what looked like an altar. The altar had six star-shaped stones that looked like, at one point, they could be removed from the altar. However, time has seemed to seal them permanently within them. One of the star-shaped holes was empty.
Luigi walked Brandon to the altar and forced his hand onto it. "Hold still," Luigi instructed. "No matter what you do, don't move."
"Damnit, Luigi, I don't want to do this..."
The altar seemed to stir to life. Brandon looked up and the room was spiraling. Or was he spiraling? Lightning thrust through the roof and struck a carving in the ceiling above him. Luigi suddenly had seemed to disappear. The air was heavy and felt like it was trying to take the air out of his lungs. His feet felt like they weren't touching the ground. Air rushed by his ears in a deafening whirlwind.
"Luigi?" He yelled. "Luigi! Where are you!" He shut his eyes and bit his lower lip. Voices began to seep into his mind.
The fourth is born, they kept whispering. The fourth is born... fourth... into the world...
He opened his eyes again and everything was a whirlwind of blues and greys. Thunder screamed all around, and lightning exploded in every direction. He dug his nails into the stone altar, trying to keep himself from letting go. Would he fly away if he did?
Suddenly something seemed to begin to trace itself into the air before him. A sapphire line began to cut out the shape of a star in front of him. He shuddered uncontrollably as what felt like hundreds of hands grabbed his body and began pushing him towards it. He squirmed but was paralyzed. He opened his mouth to call for Luigi but had no voice. When he blinked next, he was blind except for the color blue.
This is going to kill me! He thought in a panic. Suddenly, his right hand lifted from the altar. He felt something touch the top of his hand. He wanted to pull away when it felt like a needle plunging into his hand. He winced and bit his lower lip painfully hard, feeling this awful thing cutting a trail along his hand. Finally, the horrid thing seemed to let go, and he saw his blood, sapphire, seeping from the wound, which was shaped like a star.
You are the fourth Star child... bestowed to you is the Sapphire Star...
When he blinked again, the world was as it should be. He wasn't moving, nor was the altar. The sky was blue and calm. Luigi was standing nearby, watching him. He blinked a few times, then, overwhelmed, rolled his eyes back in his head and fainted.
***
Hey... are you okay?
He was in some sort of vacuum, it felt like. There was no colors, no wind, no sound. Just an empty void. He looked down and saw what looked like himself, unconscious, on a stony floor. Luigi was beside him, shaking him.
"I'm outside of my body?"
Come on... don't do this to me...
"How did this happen?" He asked himself. "This is something like Dani would experience. Why am I outside of myself?"
He looked down at himself and shuddered, but couldn't figure out why he was experiencing this. He instructed himself to wake up.
Come back. I know you're in here somewhere.
"Luigi knows what this is..." He pushed himself downward. "Damnit. I have to wake up."
***
"Geez!" Luigi exclaimed. "You scared me half to death."
"How do you think I feel?" Brandon snapped when his head was clear enough for him to respond. "What did you make me do?"
"It was written in a book a long time ago that the fourth Star child would be brought to us, rather than born to us. You're the first human ever to know this place is real without being born here. So I knew it had to be you."
Brandon looked down at his right hand and saw he had a blue Star imprinted on the top of his hand. "What does this mean?" He held out his hand.
Luigi studied it. "Ah. You've got the Sapphire Star. That's the Star of imagination's force."
"What's that mean?"
"It means that if you can think it, you can make it real. I know that sounds a bit silly, but that's the best way to put it. The power of creativity sits in your hands now."
He was quiet a moment. "After all that, I was outside of my body. What was that?"
Luigi smiled a bit. "As you seem to be connected to Dani through the heart... and I was holding you steady when the altar began to feel the energy around you... You're now semi-psychic."
"What?!"
"Well, you can sense Boo even when they're invisible... that sorta semi-psychic. And you'll get oracles. See, Dani can't sense Boo... she can sense spirits, but not Boo. It's complicated. But you can. And the two of you should be able to, in essence, talk through an invisible bond of telepathy. You'll be able to sense each other."
"How do I do that?"
"As soon as Dani comes back around, we'll put the two of you into training so that you guys can harness the powers. If you can't control them, they'll drain your energy and you'll be dead before you know it."
"So what's her ability?"
"She's the Crystal Star... the Crystal Star stood for the purity of Star energy... as such, she bears the responsibility of controlling galactic energy. She can harness the energy of the Stars themselves."
"Sounds dangerous."
Luigi nodded. "It is."
"She used them without even thinking about it when we fell outta the sky."
"I guess it takes a crisis to make people realize who they are."
Brandon nodded sadly. "Yeah. I think it does."
In this chapter, her "savior" learns the story behind her... and an interesting story behind himself.
The two humans walked through the streets of Toad Town while people in the streets pointed and murmured their compliments and excitement to one another.
"What have I fallen into, Luigi?" Brandon questioned, hands still deep in his pockets.
"The Mushroom Kingdom and all of its drama," Luigi replied. "See... twenty years ago, the Princess gave birth to her only child."
"Dani, right?"
"That's the one. But three months after Dani came along, Bowser kidnapped her... the Princess, that is. So Mario, of course, went after her. That sort of cemented my bond to Danielle. I raised that girl myself for the five years she was here. She was like my daughter, Brandon. I loved that child."
Brandon hung his head a bit, a little depressed by the tale.
"But one night, I got this oracle..."
"What's that?"
"An oracle is a vision from the Stars. Anyway, I got one in my sleep. 'They're coming for her, Luigi. Send her away.' Something like that. I took Dani and ran from my house as Bowser and his crooked army approached, and I ran to Shooting Star Summit... and I..."
The younger human shuddered softly and almost didn't want to hear the rest. He heard Luigi's voice breaking.
"I wished her away, Brandon. I had to. They were coming to kill her."
"I'm sorry."
"For fifteen years, I've waited for the day I'd see my niece again. The Stars... they said I would. Now I do."
"Why did they want her dead?"
"Not 'did,' son. They want her dead because she's a Star child."
"A what?"
"A Star child. She's a human born of Star energy. There are only five people who will ever be Star children. My brother and I are two of them. His daughter, Dani, is the third. It's predicted that she'll marry the fourth one and they will bear the fifth."
So I'm going to lose her before this is over? Brandon winced softly.
"When she was born... the sky flickered with power. It's said that she was bestowed the Crystal Star from birth. We never could teach her how to harness the energy, though, because we sent her away so young..." Luigi suddenly looked at his new friend. "You."
"Me?"
"You must be..."
"What?"
Luigi grabbed Brandon's wrist. "Come with me! We have to clear something up."
***
The two arrived at a building that looked about ready to fall to the ground. It was made of stone and had eroded over eons of time. Stars were carved into the pillars and roof of the bulding. Brandon shivered and didn't want to go any closer, though he wasn't quite sure why he felt this way.
"Come with me," Luigi said after a moment's silence. "We have to fix this."
"Fix what, damnit?" He pulled his wrist back. "I don't want to go in there. I don't know why, but I don't like how it feels to be near this place."
Luigi pulled him forward. "This is important, Brandon. I hate this place, too, but this is important."
They walked into the building, which seemed much larger on the inside. It was bitterly cold and full of ancient hieroglyphics and images. There were star-shaped carvings everywhere. Massive chunks of icy stones, shaped like large needles, plummeted from the roof and plunged into the ground. Brandon pulled back again, the strange feeling in his chest creeping into his mind and plaguing him with odd images.
A small voice began haunting his mind. Go away. Turn back. Go away. Turn back.
They arrived at what looked like an altar. The altar had six star-shaped stones that looked like, at one point, they could be removed from the altar. However, time has seemed to seal them permanently within them. One of the star-shaped holes was empty.
Luigi walked Brandon to the altar and forced his hand onto it. "Hold still," Luigi instructed. "No matter what you do, don't move."
"Damnit, Luigi, I don't want to do this..."
The altar seemed to stir to life. Brandon looked up and the room was spiraling. Or was he spiraling? Lightning thrust through the roof and struck a carving in the ceiling above him. Luigi suddenly had seemed to disappear. The air was heavy and felt like it was trying to take the air out of his lungs. His feet felt like they weren't touching the ground. Air rushed by his ears in a deafening whirlwind.
"Luigi?" He yelled. "Luigi! Where are you!" He shut his eyes and bit his lower lip. Voices began to seep into his mind.
The fourth is born, they kept whispering. The fourth is born... fourth... into the world...
He opened his eyes again and everything was a whirlwind of blues and greys. Thunder screamed all around, and lightning exploded in every direction. He dug his nails into the stone altar, trying to keep himself from letting go. Would he fly away if he did?
Suddenly something seemed to begin to trace itself into the air before him. A sapphire line began to cut out the shape of a star in front of him. He shuddered uncontrollably as what felt like hundreds of hands grabbed his body and began pushing him towards it. He squirmed but was paralyzed. He opened his mouth to call for Luigi but had no voice. When he blinked next, he was blind except for the color blue.
This is going to kill me! He thought in a panic. Suddenly, his right hand lifted from the altar. He felt something touch the top of his hand. He wanted to pull away when it felt like a needle plunging into his hand. He winced and bit his lower lip painfully hard, feeling this awful thing cutting a trail along his hand. Finally, the horrid thing seemed to let go, and he saw his blood, sapphire, seeping from the wound, which was shaped like a star.
You are the fourth Star child... bestowed to you is the Sapphire Star...
When he blinked again, the world was as it should be. He wasn't moving, nor was the altar. The sky was blue and calm. Luigi was standing nearby, watching him. He blinked a few times, then, overwhelmed, rolled his eyes back in his head and fainted.
***
Hey... are you okay?
He was in some sort of vacuum, it felt like. There was no colors, no wind, no sound. Just an empty void. He looked down and saw what looked like himself, unconscious, on a stony floor. Luigi was beside him, shaking him.
"I'm outside of my body?"
Come on... don't do this to me...
"How did this happen?" He asked himself. "This is something like Dani would experience. Why am I outside of myself?"
He looked down at himself and shuddered, but couldn't figure out why he was experiencing this. He instructed himself to wake up.
Come back. I know you're in here somewhere.
"Luigi knows what this is..." He pushed himself downward. "Damnit. I have to wake up."
***
"Geez!" Luigi exclaimed. "You scared me half to death."
"How do you think I feel?" Brandon snapped when his head was clear enough for him to respond. "What did you make me do?"
"It was written in a book a long time ago that the fourth Star child would be brought to us, rather than born to us. You're the first human ever to know this place is real without being born here. So I knew it had to be you."
Brandon looked down at his right hand and saw he had a blue Star imprinted on the top of his hand. "What does this mean?" He held out his hand.
Luigi studied it. "Ah. You've got the Sapphire Star. That's the Star of imagination's force."
"What's that mean?"
"It means that if you can think it, you can make it real. I know that sounds a bit silly, but that's the best way to put it. The power of creativity sits in your hands now."
He was quiet a moment. "After all that, I was outside of my body. What was that?"
Luigi smiled a bit. "As you seem to be connected to Dani through the heart... and I was holding you steady when the altar began to feel the energy around you... You're now semi-psychic."
"What?!"
"Well, you can sense Boo even when they're invisible... that sorta semi-psychic. And you'll get oracles. See, Dani can't sense Boo... she can sense spirits, but not Boo. It's complicated. But you can. And the two of you should be able to, in essence, talk through an invisible bond of telepathy. You'll be able to sense each other."
"How do I do that?"
"As soon as Dani comes back around, we'll put the two of you into training so that you guys can harness the powers. If you can't control them, they'll drain your energy and you'll be dead before you know it."
"So what's her ability?"
"She's the Crystal Star... the Crystal Star stood for the purity of Star energy... as such, she bears the responsibility of controlling galactic energy. She can harness the energy of the Stars themselves."
"Sounds dangerous."
Luigi nodded. "It is."
"She used them without even thinking about it when we fell outta the sky."
"I guess it takes a crisis to make people realize who they are."
Brandon nodded sadly. "Yeah. I think it does."