Our story starts just before the events of what we refer to as "Super Paper Mario." You know the tale well. However, there are a few distinct differences in this world. There are some things that make this story different from the tale we are familiar with.

The first one? Luvbi is not a pure heart. She is simply Jaydes and Grambi's daughter. A young Nimbi with a great role in the balance of the world. Yes, there is a pure heart located in the Overthere, but it is not her. 

Death is indeed aware that in other tales she is one, but in this story, she is not.

The second thing...

There never was and never will be a Mr. L. He simply never comes to be. 

So how... how would this change things? Or better yet, WOULD this change things? Would this tale be any different? 

Or would it end the same way?

The god of death yawned to himself, invisibly floating above the inner sanctum of Castle Bleck, crossing his legs and holding his arms up above his head as if he was lying in an invisible lawn chair, just waiting for the scene to unfurl. Waiting for this lovely tale to begin. 

Count Bleck and Nastasia had already left to summon the Chaos Heart, taking all the action with them and leaving the other three minions of the count alone at the castle. So why wasn't he following them to see the action?

Well, truth to be told, everyone already knew that story. Everyone knows what happens over there. There will be a wedding, a chaos heart will be summoned, blah blah blah. But what he was really interested in was what was going on back behind the scenes. He was more interested in the other characters of life.

You see, Death decided to not deem Count Bleck one of the main characters of this story, even though his tale was quite interesting and one most definitely worth looking into and getting invested in. Instead, he decided to put his focus on someone seeming to work behind the scenes.

Dimentio.

Something inside himself told him to watch over this person. It was like he knew where he needed to be. He knew what he needed to see in order to get the proper introduction to this story.

After all, how could you get invested in someone's story if you don't yet know them and their background? He knew Luigi well enough already. Everyone knew Luigi. But not many knew Dimentio.

What a strange fellow, that Dimentio. Yes, everyone was strange in their own way.... but Dimentio was perhaps the only minion of the Count who the Count didn't actually find. Each minion came to join the count in their own way, most of which involved him saving them and them pledging their loyalty to him as an act of gratefulness. 

But Dimentio? All that is known is that he just showed up one day, wishing to join the champion of destruction's mighty cause.

Death shrugged and thought to himself, why not look back on that. So, he did, teleporting backward in time, back before the jester was a part of this family. As a god, he always had the ability to peer through time and space. But, like all powers, there were limitations. He couldn't truly affect anything when he did this, so it was nothing more than a looking glass.

As soon as he got there, he could feel the change in weather. He could go outside and see the dark, grey sky above. 

The wind blew, pushing a lonely boy towards the Black Castle. He had dark hair, pale grey skin, and one glowing yellow eye.

And Death could hear the soft humming going on in this boy's mind. 

He could recognize the voices. 

Oftentimes, when someone was destined for a difficult life, the hags would hum in their minds, constantly singing, trying to drive the poor mortal mad. 

Death felt his eyes soften. A young man running from the wind, with not just the hags, but Death himself watching over him. That never meant anything good. Death should know. Everyone whose story he became invested in died eventually. 

But... every story ended that way, and that was no excuse not to get invested.

~ Music Start ~

Hags: Ooooh...
Ooooh...
Ooooh...
Ooooh...

Dimentio slowly looked down at his mask, which he held in his hands now, while the hags continued humming that eerie tune in his mind.

Death: Dimetio was a hungry young man
A runaway from everywhere he'd ever been
He was no stranger to the world
No stranger to the wind,

He nodded down at the jester as Dimentio hugged himself, walking alone in the cold.

Dimentio: The weather ain't the way it was before,
Ain't no spring or fall at all anymore.
It's either blazing hot or freezing cold,
Any way the wind blows...

He shook his head and continued forward as the voices in his head sang along.

Hags: And there ain't a thing that you can do
When the weather takes a turn on you
'Cept for hurry up and hit the road
Any way the wind blows...

Dimentio quickly whirled around to see where those voices were coming from, only to be met with the cold wind.

Hags: Wind comes up,
Oh...

Dimentio: Do you hear that sound?

Hags: Wind comes up
Move...

Dimentio: Move to another town
Ain't nobody gonna stick around,

Dimentio and Hags: When the dark clouds roll...
Any way the wind blows

Death: You met The Hags
Remember them?

Dimentio: Anybody got a match?

The jester looked around as Death tossed a set of matches to him, landing them right in front of the jester's feet.

Death: Always singing in the back of your mind.

Dimentio: Gimme that.

Death: Wherever it was this young man went,
The Hags were close behind...

Dimentio picked up the small set of matches that seemed to have appeared from nowhere and lit one, feeling the fire's warmth.

Dimentio:...People turn on you just like the wind
Everybody is a fair-weather friend
In the end, you're better off alone
Any way the wind blows

Hags: When your body aches to lay it down
When you're hungry and there ain't enough to go round
Ain't no length to which a boy won't go
Any way the wind blows...

Dimentio ignored the voices and reached for the castle door, freezing with his fist inches from knocking.

Hags: Wind comes up
Oh...

Dimentio: And sometimes you think,

Hags: Wind comes up
You...

Dimentio: You would do anything
Just to fill your belly full of food...
Find a bed that you could fall into,
Where the weather wouldn't follow you

Dimentio and Hags: Wherever you go
Any way the wind blows...

Death slowly sighed, then waved his hand and teleported elsewhere, still hearing The Hags humming in poor Dimentio's mind.

Death: Now Luigi was the son of a Star
And you know how those Stars are...

He shook his head and softly shrugged.

Death: Sometimes they abandon you...
And this poor boy, he wore his heart out on his sleeve
You might say he was naïve to the ways of the world
But he had a way with words
And the rhythm and the rhyme
And he sang just like a bird up on a line
And it ain't because I'm kind
But his Mama was a friend of mine
And I liked to hear him sing
And his way of seeing things...
So I took him underneath my wing

Death paused, having teleported just outside the Mario brother's house once again and looking through the window, seeing Luigi gently strumming the guitar strings inside, all alone.

Death: ...And that is where he stayed
Until one day...

~ Music Stop ~

~ Much Later ~

"Hey! Luigi, get in here, the food's going to get cold!" Mario exclaimed, suddenly swinging Luigi's bedroom door open, giving the man in green a bit of a fright. He flinched at the sudden intrusion and nearly dropped his guitar, but caught it once again last second, letting out a sigh of relief. 

He was worried he'd break it.

"C-Could you knock next time?" Luigi nervously asked. "You nearly made me drop my guitar..."

"Oh. Sorry, bro. Here, I'll try that again," Mario laughed, stepping back out, closing the door, then knocking as if he didn't just burst in a mere moment ago. To this, Luigi rolled his eyes and set his guitar down, opening the door for his brother and greeting him as if they hadn't spoken literally twenty seconds ago. Mario lightly laughed, then grabbed his brother's arm and brought him to the dining room table. The clouds outside were grey and it was slightly windy, but it was always like that. It was winter, after all. 

Many were bothered by the freezing cold, but Mario and Luigi didn't mind the wind and rain. There was something soothing about the sound of wind rustling through the dead leaves. 

Both the brothers sat and took in the total and complete tranquility of the moment. Luigi looked out the window at the trees which had no flowers blooming on them, but that was expected. It was winter, after all. 

The weather had been funny for a long time. There was no spring or fall. Ever. Just a long winter and a short summer. For some reason, the seasons had been off. But... usually, for the first week of summer, the flowers would bloom. He couldn't wait for that to happen.

"...Wow, sure is peaceful today, eh, Bro?"