"I know where we have to go," I explained to Blu and Timp. "But it's not exactly gonna be pleasant..."

Dimentio continued to play the piano, seeming almost completely immersed in the music. He did make a quiet whimpering noise every time one of the keys got stuck, then would occasionally complain under his breath, but for the most part, he was quiet and content.

Blu seemed to raise an eyebrow while Timp waved her hand, gesturing for me to continue.

I took a deep breath, keeping in mind that whoever wrote all these hints in invisible ink must have had the intention of escaping. Otherwise, why would they feel the need to hide these hints?

"The Ink Demon has something we need," I whispered, trying to keep my voice lower so I wouldn't set Dimentio off. I didn't like that I was being so cautious around him, but I really wasn't sure what could set him off and I just wanted to be careful. "I... think we have to go after him."

A flash of fear washed over Blu's face while Timp crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Um, are you crazy? We've been purposely avoiding that... that THING all this time!" Timp explained.

"I know, he's really scary. But-"

"Do you even know what the Ink Demon is?!" Timp asked.

"The Ink Demon is the single recreation of Inky," Dimentio added in, showcasing that he was indeed paying attention to everything we had been saying. "Unlike Angel and Brooks, there is only one of him. However, he was the living being to be created in this world. He holds great power. This entire world was created by him and can be destroyed by him. Not that we want destruction, oh no no. This is the best world we have. Anywhere else is pure war, according to him. He is our savior and every sacrifice he makes is for the greater good of this world. Can I get an amen?"

"Dimentio... he killed you..." I quietly pointed out.

Dimentio hit a sour note, then took his hands off the keys and clenched his fists. 

"I know..." he said with a strained tone. 

It was clear he still didn't quite know how to feel. He seemed to bounce bath and forth between feeling betrayed/abandoned to being the crazy man who worshipped that monster.

"Still," Timp awkwardly continued, moving the conversation along. "If you search him out, it's basically suicide..."

"Can confirm," Dimentio muttered, sounding slightly angry now.

"I know, I know," I explained. "That's just where the trail seems to lead. We can't run from him forever, right? I still have questions, and I'm betting he has answers, not just for me, but for all of us."

Timp and Blu exchanged glances while Dimentio looked up at me, carefully pushing himself away from the piano. He didn't say anything, but I could tell that he was just as desperate for answers as I was.

Once upon a time, someone told me that the two of us weren't so different. Of course, I didn't believe it back then. After all, Dimentio was so difficult to understand. It seemed wherever I was, I was always looking for answers.

"So.... do any of you know where I could find him?" I asked.

"Usually resides on the top ten floors," Dimentio replied. "Follow me."

He quickly got up and left the room without saying another word, heading straight down a hallway and past a variety of twists and turns. I had no idea how he memorized where he was going, but he seemed fairly confident leading the way. We eventually got to a set of stairs, then climbed for who knew how long. 

"There's my old sound booth..." he muttered once we finally finished climbing and he led us back to the music room I had seen before. "I wasted so much time in there... just waiting for something that never would come. Ah ha ha, isn't that life, though? Just waiting and waiting for something more. Something better."

Blu, Timp, and I all nervously exchanged glances, when Dimentio shook his head and waved us forward once again.

He led us around a few corners, then up another few floors of stairs, into a large, yet familiar room.

"The Inner Sanctum..." I muttered, my eyes widening slightly.

It was the place where this all started. The place where I used to meet with my fellow minions of Bleck to discuss tactics for stopping the heroes. 

It was funny how irrelevant that all was now. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world...

The floor was flooded with ink. As if on instinct, Timp, Blu, and Dimentio quickly jumped onto one of the many platforms to get away from it. The room was also much darker than before, and there was a large machine in the middle of it, pumping out gallons and gallons of the black substance.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, frowning and looking up at the three of them.

Timp smiled a slightly sad smile while she explained, "We can't stay in that. We're not like you, Mr. L. If the ink consumes us... well... a drop of water in the ocean is rarely seen again..."

I let out a small sigh and looked at my own arms. Yes, I was covered in ink, but I was still flesh and bone. I was still me.

"Well... then I guess it's all up to me, then," I muttered. "And I don't even know what I'm doing here. I don't even know why this is all happening to me..."

"You're here for a reason, Mr. L," Timp breathed, her voice slightly encouraging.

"There's always a reason..." Dimentio added. "Even when you can't understand it. So please... just set us free."

I looked at Blu, who was just staring at the large lake of ink, wearing the guilty expression he always wore. 

I looked at the large machine. It definitely wasn't there before, but it was here now. It looked like something I would have designed. 

Maybe I DID design it, and I just didn't remember. Maybe I was already forgetting. After all, I didn't know who I could trust down here. Could I even trust myself? 

I secretly didn't want to do this. I just wanted Mario to come back and take care of everything, just like he always did. I had always been a follower, even when I was working behind Count Bleck. It was just easier to follow in someone else's footsteps. And sure, I hated being overshadowed, but no one ever talks about how hard it is to have the spotlight shining on them. If I make a mistake, everyone will see. Everyone is counting on me to be the hero. Everyone believes in me, yet I don't even believe in myself.

I made a lot of promises. Not only did I have to do this to make good on the promise I made to Dimentio, but I have to do this for all the people Mario promised to save. 

I walked through the ink and towards the machine, which ended up having a door on it. It was almost like a large ship since there was a ton of room inside. Lining the walls were portraits of the characters I designed matched with photos of random people. Most people were matched with nothing more than inky blobs, however, quite a few were matched with a picture of Brooks, and very few matched with Angel. Some people were also labeled for having "Special Positions." These were people like Nastasia, (Projectionist,) O'Chunks, (Manual Labor,) and Dimentio, (Music Composer.)

Then, there was me. My name was written in big, black, bold letters over my portrait.

MR. L- CO-FOUNDER

Co-founder?! What the heck?

I felt a chill run down my spine. What did that even mean? This entire messed up place wasn't my fault, was it? It couldn't have been. I barely even remember what happened.

I quickly stepped away from the portraits and down the hallway, into another room. Once I stepped inside, a door slammed shut behind me, locking me inside. I jumped slightly, though the jump scares were really starting to get old at this point.

Looking around the room, I could see projections of Inky, Brooks, and Angel lining the walls. There were also a variety of tape recorders, sitting around.

I let out a small sigh, then pressed play on the first one.

"A small memo to everyone: Rumors have begun to fly that some of you are not trusting in my leadership. As a leader, I'm always calling the shots. Guiding our destiny. Looking at the big picture. No need for you to worry about such complicated things. Just do whatever it is you do and trust your leader... which is me, Count Bleck."

-Count Bleck

Interesting... 

I took about two steps to my left and pressed play on the next.

"Listen Nastasia, imagine it. We're going to restart the world, and it will be built up from innocent, happy creations. If you claim that any failures are because these creations will be soulless, then, dang it, we'll get them a soul! After all, I'll own thousands of them!"

- Count Bleck

I began to shiver. An unsettling chill filled the room.

"Count Bleck knows how much the idea of Angel means to you, Mimi. Angel means a lot to Count Bleck too. All of the characters do! In fact, he'll let you in on a little secret. He too really believes that these characters are more than just drawings. They're alive. Mimi, I'll be straight with you. Count Bleck never planned on creating a perfect world. But... he's putting together a small project. A little ceremony if you will. If it works, a lot of dreams will come true. And he wants you to be a part of it. ...I want you to bring Angel to life. You'll be preserved and beautiful forever. What do you say?"

-Count Bleck

I shook my head. I knew deep down that the count had something to do with this... but did he really say these things to his loyal followers? Did he really manipulate Mimi like that?!

"It's simply awe-inspiring, what one can accomplish with their own two hands" his voice chimed, seeming to echo all around me. I jumped slightly, then looked around, trying to establish where the voice was coming from. 

"A simple sketch can turn into something meaningful if you strangle it with enough enthusiasm!" He continued. "Look what we built? We re-created life itself, man in green! Not just on a paper page, but in the hearts of everyone we've saved."

I shook my head.

"You didn't save anyone... what's going on?!" I cried out. 

"We've saved everyone! Remember?"

Suddenly, the projections all around the room showed footage of me, back in Castle Bleck.

First, the images showed me initially designing the characters and sharing them with the count. I remembered that, though. 

What was weird were the images that followed.

Images of me sitting at my desk, making drawing after drawing, then assigning roles to each one. I could see myself drawing Brooks, then labeling him "Mario."

"What...?" I asked, watching video after video.

With each video I watched, I started to understand more and more.

The Count had won. He had beaten the heroes with the intention of destroying everything. 

But... energy can not be completely destroyed. So... once the Count realized that, he decided to replace what had previously been an infinite amount of unique worlds and life with the closest thing he could get to total destruction. He replaced it all with a simple set of drawings, in hopes that there would be no more pain, no more suffering, no more of anything. 

After he won, this new, distorted place had risen from the ashes, and we all were trapped within the castle walls, locking everyone away in this world of darkness. His mind created this place. 

The ink Demon was the first one here. He was a manifestation of Count Bleck's fears and anger.

And I was the one who helped him make this place. I helped him design the machines that would fill it with ink. I was the one who created the characters and the concept of the world. 

But... before the entire world was finished... I quit.

Yeah... I quit! I remember now!

I quit and ran away, just like Dimentio did! I ran away because I didn't like what I was creating. I didn't want to live in a world of darkness, so I just ran. 

But that didn't stop any of this from happening.

"How do I stop this...?" I asked, looking around myself when the projections suddenly flashed and showed me, holding up the dark light device and writing on all the walls with invisible ink.

Wait... I wrote that?! But I didn't remember leaving those messages.

All these answers were only leaving me with more questions.

START OVER, L, were the words I was writing. YOU'RE TOO LATE NOW. YOU HAVE TO START OVER.

Start over?!

I was so confused. How could I start over? Why would I even do that?! I've come so far!

Start over

Start over

Start over

I was writing that phrase, over and over and over again. I flinched, then turned on my dark light device, only to see that the walls had been covered in those same words.

"How do I-" I started, when I was suddenly tackled to the ground. I winced and looked up to see the Ink Demon leaning over me, growling viciously. 

It growled, then suddenly everything went black.