He didn't look quite like himself. He lacked the energy he usually held. He seemed tired. I could tell he was still human, but he was covered in ink. He was still wearing Mr. L's clothes, but his hat and bandana had been stained black. He looked like he had been trapped in this place for years, which didn't make sense because I was assuming that this world had only existed for about twenty hours. A day or two, at most.

I wasn't sure why I felt so afraid all of the sudden. I mean... he was my brother. I could NEVER be afraid of him. Even if he was Mr. L, he was still my little brother.

I wasn't afraid of him. I could never be afraid of him.

What scared me were the memories of that recording. The recording of him begging for me to remember him. The recording where HE sounded afraid. That's what scared me.

I would have just continued to stand there completely paralyzed if Peach didn't gently grasp my hand and magically transfer the courage I needed to speak up again. How did she always do that?!

"Luigi?" I asked again.

He turned to the wall, then traced his finger across it. He said not a word. 

It was like he was trying to write on the wall, but he didn't have any ink.

"Um... Luigi?" I questioned, slowly reaching for him. "Hey... it's me. I recognize you now..."

He didn't respond. It was as if he couldn't see or hear me.

"Luigi... or Mr. L, I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. I just... I have no excuse. I'm an awful brother. Please just talk to me. I need you. I remember now. I remember when you saved me from that haunted house. It was the moment I realized that you didn't need me around to be a hero. It was the moment you proved to the world that you were more than just my little brother. But I already knew that. I've always known that. So please, just talk to me. You don't have to accept my apology. You don't even have to like me. You can fight me again if you want. Your robot was really cool. I'm sorry for wrecking it. Twice..." I trailed off.

He still gave me nothing. 

I grabbed his shoulder and lightly shook him. Still, nothing.

"Luigi," I said, slightly louder.

Still, nothing.

"Mr. L!" I exclaimed, worried now.

Either something was wrong, or he was REALLY good at ignoring me.

"Come on, please say something-"

"AHA!! THERE YOU ARE!!" Dimentio's voice cried out. I flinched and turned over my shoulder to see him standing there with ink dripping from his fingertips like sweat.

Great.

I clenched my fists, then quickly moved so I was blocking Luigi from him.

"Listen here, you psychotic clown. I'm not letting you lay a finger on him," I hissed, doing my very best to sound intimidating. 

Dimentio was literally vibrating. I remember him being kinda crazy, but not like this. The Dimentio I remembered was a different kind of scary. He was more of a mysterious crazy. This guy before us looked like he had completely lost it.

Or he did until Luigi started to quietly hum.

I could recognize the melody, but I didn't know where it was from.

Dimentio immediately calmed down. It was as if all the tension within him had been released. He tilted his head to the side and he fell silent. 

Honestly, to me, the humming sounded somewhat creepy. I didn't like the idea of my brother humming and seeming to put Dimentio in some sort of trance. It made him seem possessed.

"Music..." Dimentio muttered. His voice was significantly warmer than it was before. 

Okay, what was going on?! I was mildly uncomfortable. I think I preferred when Dimentio was being all crazy and shaky. This just didn't seem right.

Dimentio continued to just stand there, acting completely dazed. Meanwhile, Luigi kept humming the slightly eerie melody. 

"...Whoa," Peach muttered. She wore a slightly impressed expression on her face. "How'd you do that?"

For a split second, I was wishing she'd look at me that way instead of Luigi.

She didn't like him, did she?!

Gah, it doesn't matter who she likes, because I don't like her!! She's just a friend!!

... But seriously, she better not like Luigi. I'm not saying that because I'm jealous or anything. It just... it just would be too weird for me. 

Luigi continued humming and staring at the wall, tracing his finger across it. I could tell he heard her though because he used his right hand to pull out a small tape recorder and toss it to her. She just barely caught it, then looked down in curiosity.

I nervously exchanged glances between her, Luigi, and Dimentio. It was clear now that Luigi could at least hear us, but it was unclear why he was refusing to speak. Or how he could completely tame Dimentio just by humming. 

I hesitantly walked back to Peach's side, then looked over her shoulder while she pressed play.

"Music... I remember music. It's my everything. My life, my purpose, my soul. But... I can't- ... It's all I know. Music... but I can't- I can't make music anymore. The ink- it won't let me play a single instrument I touch. It won't let me write a single song. It's dead. The darkness killed the music. IT'S DEAD, IT'S DEAD, IT'S DEAD!!"

- Dimentio

In the tape, he sounded even more hysterical than he did when he was yelling at us just now. He sounded broken. Lost. Afraid.

Luigi briefly looked back at Dimentio, who was still locked in a dazed trance. For the first time since we've found him, there was a hint of expression in his eyes. There was the man I knew as my brother. For just a moment, I was looking at Luigi. 

He looked melancholic. He looked at Dimentio with a look of sorrow and guilt, as if he was the one responsible for this.

But that's crazy, because I know my brother, and I know he wouldn't be responsible for something like this. I don't care if people call him "the creator." He's Luigi, and this isn't his fault.

"Luigi," I breathed.

He quickly looked back at the wall.

"Luigi, please talk to me. I can see you. You're not that wolf guy, alright? So just speak! Speak while you still can! Please! People are getting hurt in here, and I need your help!" I begged.

He stayed silent.

"Luigi!" I repeated, slightly louder. "Please! I've missed you, okay? I've missed your voice! I've missed your presence. I've just missed YOU! I don't know what's going on with you right now, but whatever it is, we can handle it together. There's nothing you and I can't do! Please just talk to me! Just tell me you're okay! That's all I want to hear!!"

He continued to silently trace his finger across the wall with his left hand.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Please?" I asked, softer this time.

He paused for a moment, then reached into his pocket once again and tossed us another tape recording. This time I was the one who caught it.

Where did these even come from? I wish he'd just tell me what he knew. 

I looked down at it. Before even pressing play, I could see who it belonged to.

The tape was labeled Mr. L.

I wasn't sure why some tapes were labeled Luigi while others were labeled Mr. L. I mean, I knew now that they were the same person, so why the confusing labels?

Taking a deep breath, I pressed play. Luigi's humming continued in the background while his voice came from the small speaker.

"Ever since Nastasia brainwashed me, I had been thinking of myself as Mr. L and thinking of Luigi as someone else. However, at that moment, the line between them didn't seem so distinct anymore. I felt like Mario's brother, AND I felt like Mr. L. I had been trying to ignore the fact that I was still Luigi deep down since I saw Luigi as a coward. But the truth was, Luigi always saw himself as a coward too. I was still Luigi. I had all his memories, I had all his emotions, I had everything he had. The only difference beforehand were our priorities, but at the moment, I believe we would have the same goal. Save ourselves, save Mario."

- Mr. L

...Save me?

From what?!

"Luigi, what were you trying to save me from?" I asked, lowering the small radio and looking up at him.

He continued to silently write on the wall. I couldn't even see his face to read his expressions.

"Mr. L," I asked. "Please, just tell me. You can talk to me. We're brothers. We help each other, right?"

He stopped humming.

He didn't speak. He didn't move.

I paused, then stepped towards him until I was standing next to him so I could see his face.

There were tears forming in his eyes. He looked tired and lost. He looked defeated.

My heart nearly shattered to see my once upbeat and positive brother looking so broken.

"Luigi-"

"Go." He whispered, his voice breaking. His lip quivered as he spoke. He spoke so softly that I barely even heard him.

"What?" I asked.

"Go..." he repeated, sniffling quietly. "I can't... I couldn't save... and I didn't recognize... I don't deserve your help."

I frowned and drew back slightly and looked down at my hands. My gloves were completely black now. They felt sticky and gross.

Was he referring to me? Was he upset with me because I didn't recognize him? Was he telling me to go away and that I didn't deserve his help?

I didn't even know what to say. I didn't blame him for feeling that way. Not in the slightest. It just hurt so bad to see him look so broken because of me.

I wanted things to go back to the way they were. I wanted to go back home and sit with him at our little table in our little house where everything was safe and happy. I wanted to go back to sitting with him while he pointed out what a calm, peaceful day it was.

But, I had a feeling things would never be the same. Not after this. I mean, I didn't even recognize him. 

I was angry and hurt. Angry at Nastasia for brainwashing him in the first place. Angry at EVERYONE who didn't recognize him. The world should know him. He deserves so much. He's more of a hero than I'd ever be, and still, the world turns to me. It's not fair.

Most of all, I was angry at myself. 

Angry, and so disappointed.

"Luigi, I'm so sorry," I breathed, looking up.

But he was gone.

As was Dimentio.

"Wh... what happened?!" I asked, looking around myself. 

I turned back to Peach, who was staring at me.

"...He left," she answered. "Remember? It was like, an hour ago. We've been just standing here... I asked you if you were okay and you said that you needed a moment with your thoughts."

I didn't remember that.

"What do you mean he left?" I asked.

"What do you mean what do I mean?!" She asked. "He tossed you the tape, then left without a word. I was going to go after him, but you told me to leave him be!"

I don't remember that either.

"Without a word?! Didn't you hear what he said?!" I asked. "What about Dimentio?!"

She looked confused now.

"Mario, he didn't say anything," Peach said. "Dimentio followed behind him because he was humming."

Wait, wait, wait, Dimentio FOLLOWED him?!

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "And we just LET this happen?! Dimentio wants to SACRIFICE HIM, REMEMBER?! Dimentio thinks Luigi is the CREATOR!" I exclaimed.

"Luigi IS the creator," Peach argued back. "Didn't you hear the tape he gave you?!"

Okay, I was growing more and more confused by the minute. I didn't hear a single thing about Luigi being a creator, I didn't remember Luigi leaving, I didn't remember just standing in place for an hour, and I DEFINITELY remember Luigi speaking to me.

"Peach... something's wrong."