He never spoke. 

Dimentio followed us from behind, always keeping his distance but never allowing us to fade from sight. 

"So, who is this guy?" Bobby asked with a hushed tone as if he was afraid of being heard.

"Dimentio," I said quietly. 

Saying the name didn't give me the same chills it used to. It took a long time to get over it, but he didn't hold power over me anymore. I wasn't going to be afraid of him. Hopefully. 

"That doesn't give me much information," Bobby breathed. "How do you know each other? Why is he wearing a mask? What's with the unsettling outfit? He looks horrific. That's not blood, is it?"

"I hope it's not," I said. "He's always worn that mask. And... well, we were friends about fourteen years ago. At least I thought we were until he killed me and later used me to try and destroy the universe."

"Wait, so he's a bad guy?!" 

"Most people down here are," I muttered.

He seemed to look down slightly.

"Right..."

I instantly regretted what I said. Why would I say that? Bobby wasn't bad. How could I look at this entire dimension through such a negative lens?

"I didn't mean that," I said. "I just... yeah, he was a bad guy."

"He should walk in front then," Bobby quickly stated. "So he doesn't stab us in the back or something."

His voice had shrunk to be even softer than before. I hoped what I said about most people in the Underwhere being bad didn't hurt him. He knew that I didn't see him as a bad guy, right?

"Oh, um, good point," I breathed. I started to fidget slightly with my sleeves as I turned back to Dimentio. He was about twenty feet behind now. "Um, would you mind walking in front?" 

Dimentio immediately shook his head no. He was hugging himself as he walked. His body was tense, though I had no idea what his face looked like under the mask. 

"Seems like he doesn't want to," I muttered.

"That's suspicious, he's probably plotting something."

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so..." 

This was something else. Maybe he had the same fears we had. I have no idea why, though. It wasn't like I was the one who hurt him. He hurt himself.  

I wasn't going to leave him behind, though. He saved my life, and I had to find out why. I was just lucky that he agreed to stay with us. 

That was another mystery to me. He had to have motivations, there had to have been some kind of benefit to coming along. Maybe he wanted the light. 

He never looked at the lantern, though. Only at me. 

He never spoke, either. Not one word.

I couldn't tell if it was a choice or not. His silence made me think of the book I read--the one with the Tribe of Balance. This couldn't have been connected, though. I had heard Dimentio speak before, and that tribe died centuries ago. 

I always did fear silence. 

When my brother and I were young, we didn't exactly have a stable home. We grew up in Brooklyn for the majority of our lives, but there were about three months when we were ten years old spent in the country. There was a farm nearby. 

It was August when we left that place behind and returned to the city. 

August had to have been my least favorite month. I loved the summer sun, in fact, summer was probably my second favorite season right behind spring. But what happened that August... well, it ruined the month for me. 

Spring was gone now. The summer solstice had passed. What day even was it? We had to have been nearing the middle of July, right? I hoped Mario wasn't too worried. 

We were getting incredibly close to the city, so I'd hopefully be home soon. 

The city gates were large, as were the buildings. Oddly enough, I didn't remember such a big city being in the Underwhere. Although, it did make sense. After all, practically every game-overed soul was sent down here. 

"Have either of you been here?" I asked.

Dimentio shook his head as Bobby said "No." 

"Still not speaking?" I asked.

The jester shook his head again and kept his eyes forward. Oddly enough, he had yet to use any of his magic. 

I wasn't sure why I was trusting him. Maybe it was stupid of me to. Why wasn't he using his magic? Why was he walking instead of floating? The Underwhere prevented souls from teleporting out, but I thought everyone still had access to most of their powers. 

Maybe I was only assuming such things because I could still use my thunderhand. Maybe I was different because I wasn't dead. 

He still looked like himself, aside from his eyes. I guess I can't really say that, I never found out what Dimentio actually looked like. But this version of him still had the same mask and body type. His hair was filled with black and white strands, which felt odd and a little unnatural. Had he dyed his hair to look that way? It was slightly longer than I thought it would be, too. Not too incredibly long, but long enough for it to get tangled and occasionally fall over his eyes. He could probably pull it back if he had a hairband. 

"Right," I muttered as I stepped forward and used the back of my fist to knock on the large gate.

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of chains swishing. Suddenly, the large gates were pulled open, revealing a tall thin man in a pure white cloak. 

Unlike Dimentio's cloak, there wasn't red covering it. His eyes were an intense blue color, like the kind you'd see just after sunset from the window of a skyscraper in a big city. They didn't seem natural, they didn't look right. His skin was a similar rich blue color, as was his hair. 

I could hear Dimentio's breathing quicken slightly. 

"State your business," he stated. He held a large staff in one of his hands. The gem atop it was light blue. Aquamarine?

Aquamarine. That's my birthstone. March's birthstone. March 14th, that's my day. The day I share with Mario, actually. We were born on pi day. Ironic, especially since math has never been either of our specialties. We never hated it, we just always preferred other subject areas. 

Maybe this man was born in March, too.

"Um... I have the sun," I breathed as I held it up. I was about to step forward when Dimentio suddenly pushed me back. His eyes were narrowed.

"He's not one of us."

 "I-I meant no harm! We were just-"

"Get out. Now."

"Dad, we weren't doing anything wrong! I was just trying to make a friend!"

"Silence."

I pressed my eyes shut for a moment and tried to shake the voices away. One voice sounded older. Far harsher, too. It was very similar to the voice that belonged to the man in front of us. The other voices belonged to children. Two different young boys. Pre-teens, if I had to guess. Not that any of this mattered. 

"Your eyes..." the man trailed off. He tilted his head slightly. 

He wasn't looking at me, though. He was speaking to Dimentio. 

"I know you..."

Dimentio's fists clenched slightly. His hands were still shaking. Sometimes, it seemed like they'd never stop. 

The Dimentio I knew from fourteen years ago was always so steady. What changed?

"Um, sir," I breathed as I stepped up to Dimentio and placed a hand on his shoulder. I wanted to help calm him, steady him. 

Only instead I made him flinch. I immediately took my hand back as my face heated up with embarrassment and regret. Gah, I should have asked permission first before touching him. 

"Um, I have the sun," I said quickly. "We need to return it as soon as-"

"Ah, the museau. And... you have Merloo's brat with you?" the man asked.

Dimentio flinched again, then started to charge forward. I instantly grasped his arm to hold him back, afraid of what he might do.

Merloo's brat? What did that even mean? As far as I knew, Merloo didn't have any children.

"He died searching for you, you know?" the man continued. His deep blue eyes pierced into Dimentio. The jester continued to shake, continued to fight against my grip. 

Dimentio briefly looked at me, his eyes telling me everything he wouldn't. Rage, fear, regret, and sorrow were all mixed together, displayed in his small yellow irises. 

Why do you bother? his eyes seemed to ask me. The Underwhere is filled with people like this. People like me. Quit trying. People like him, people like us don't deserve mercy.

"He came to us. I knew that man must have been desperate if he was willing to turn to us for assistance," the man continued. "For someone insignificant enough to be forgotten by history, you sure meant the world to him. It's unfortunate that he never was able to find you. He died a failure, like you."

"I don't see what saying this will accomplish," Bobby huffed. "Other than ticking our new unstable bodyguard off. Can you just let us in?"

"Bodyguard? Him? Oh, no, no, you two are the bodyguards," the man teased. "Don't you know this one has a bounty on his head? A group is searching for him, aiming to finish the job. It's not you who needs him, it's him who needs you. Why else would he be here?"

"I don't know," I admitted. 

I still wasn't sure why I wanted to keep him so close. Maybe it was because he was familiar, but he wasn't even that. He didn't feel like the Dimentio I knew anymore. When I was Mr. L, he was one of the only people I completely trusted. I suppose that was a fatal mistake, but that didn't make my trust any less real. The Dimentio I knew hurt me, broke me, broke my ability to trust even myself.  

I had been trying not to think about the past. I didn't want to know why I wanted him around. I didn't want the answers to those questions, didn't want to even ask them.

I didn't completely trust him. Not anymore. Never again. Even now, I don't think I'm fully capable of completely trusting anyone but Mario. It's a shame, trusting people has always been one of the only things I was truly good at. 

But I wasn't going to throw Dimentio away. If he wanted to follow, I'd let him, even if he was only doing it to protect himself. 

I don't know who or what he's running from. Maybe it doesn't matter. What does matter is that he needs help, and I need help. So, we can help each other. 

"Well, I cannot prevent the museau from entering," the man stated. "But... I will warn you. That light you're carrying, it's a heavy burden. One none of us believe should be held by mere mortal hands."

"I can handle it," I stated. I lowered my tone slightly, aiming to match his energy. Though, I get the feeling that I probably sounded a little silly. I always did whenever I tried to act more serious.

"Can you?" the man questioned as he stepped aside. 

I gave the man a nod, certain. Mario and I were chosen by the sun itself, after all. This was prophesized. 

I kept my grip on Dimentio's arm and walked past him. 

"I know exactly what it is you're aiming to do," the man said as I passed him. "This journey of yours, this story, it's one my people have told for generations. One you don't want to be part of-"

"Shh, hear that?" Bobby asked.

The man paused for a moment, listening. 

The Bob-Omb smiled slightly. 

"It's the sound of silence," he said. 

. . .

Dimentio trembled less as we left the man's line of sight, though his hands still shook. A bit of tension seemed to release from his shoulders and his breaths became more steady.

"What was that all about?" I asked, stopping so he could continue to catch his breath.

He glanced at me, then looked away and shook his head no. 

I felt my eyebrows knit together slightly. 

He still wasn't talking to me? Even after that?

"Dimentio, please speak to me," I quietly begged. "Look, I don't care if you're using me to protect yourself. I don't care if you're planning on betraying me in the end. I just... I want to know what's going on. Why do you look different, who's hunting you, are you hurt?"

He kept avoiding my gaze.

I wanted to argue. Shout at him. Make him feel bad for giving me the cold shoulder. What right did he have to give me the silent treatment after everything he did to me?

But... at the end of the day, he didn't owe me his story. He didn't owe me anything, besides maybe an apology.

That was the mysterious thing about Dimentio. He didn't share his story. His motives, what inspired him to do everything he did, he kept everything close to himself. He didn't share what drove him. He used to talk a lot, but seldom about himself.

I let out a breath, then looked away as well. 

"I... think silence is the scariest thing of all," I breathed. 

I relaxed slightly as I quietly chuckled. Just minutes ago I thought that there was nothing scarier than not being able to trust myself, but silence was different. Silence would always be different.

"I say that about a lot of different things... but silence is on a whole other level," I explained. "I suppose there are several types of silence. I just... here, I'll explain the silence that scares me. Then, you can assure me that your silence isn't the same type and I can stop bugging you about it, deal?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then carefully nodded. 

I nodded back, then let out a breath. I held the lantern closer to myself, hoping the warmth of the sun would help me to feel braver. 

This too wasn't a story I liked remembering. I didn't even know how to go about beginning to word it. 

"It... was August," I breathed as the words started pouring out. "I was just about ten years old. My brother and I were living in the country. We were supposed to stay for six months so we could learn about life outside of the big city. This had been our third, so we were halfway there. Nearby... there was a farm dedicated to raising lambs. The lambs were born in March, like me. I wanted to give them all aquamarine birthstones, but that would have been spendy."

He looked back at me. I couldn't see much, but his eyes softened just slightly. 

Why?

I shook my head and continued. 

"So, the lambs were still young. Mario and I liked to sneak into their fields to pet them. There weren't any other children out there, so the lambs... they were our friends. Back then, Mario and I didn't have many friends other than each other. It didn't seem to matter to him, he was Mario, so he always found joy one way or another. I, on the other hand, was lonely a lot of the time. Sometimes... I think I still get lonely. Especially when it's quiet. I think it's selfish to feel this lonely because I have so much, but anyway, the lambs."

I took a deep breath. Bobby had come closer as well. He sat near my leg and looked up at me. 

Meanwhile, Dimentio had looked away once again. I couldn't tell if he was even listening. 

I hoped he was. 

"The lambs... they helped me feel less alone that summer. I loved them. All of them. We named them, played with them, they became like family. Then... August came around..." I brought my hands together and squeezed tightly. 

Why was I sharing this with him? Why did I think he'd understand? Why was I putting myself through this? Why couldn't I stop? 

I didn't owe him this story, just like he didn't owe me his.

August...

"We went back to see the lambs again... but the fields were empty. So... we checked the barn... where we heard the screaming..."

Screaming...

"I want my mama."

"Wait, I'm scared. I-I don't want to. My mama, I-I want my mama."

"They... were screaming. The lambs, they were screaming," I whispered. My hand shook. My voice broke. I wanted to stop, to push the memory away again. I couldn't stop talking, though. Couldn't be silent. "Mario, he ran away. I never saw him run like that before, he had always been so brave... but he ran that night. I... I didn't, though. I thought... I thought I could save them."

I felt something sting my eyes, but didn't dare wipe the tears. I had to keep my hands clasped together, had to keep myself steady. 

"I opened the door for them. I thought they'd run, but they stayed in place. They... didn't understand what was happening. I... so I... I told myself I'd save at least one. I took one, then ran as far and fast as I could. I ran to the forest. Mario was gone, I had no idea where he went. He probably ran to the nearby barn we were staying in, but not me. I knew that was the first place the people slaughtering the lambs would search."

I felt a set of hands wrap around mine. I blinked a few times. 

He was shaking his head no. Silently begging me to stop telling him this, to stop hurting myself. I couldn't, though. 

"I... told myself I could save at least one. I thought I could... but the lamb wouldn't stop screaming. My friend, my lamb, it was... it was afraid of me. As afraid of me as it was of the farmer. The farmer who would slaughter it if it kept yelling. I... I begged it to be silent, but it didn't listen. We hadn't lasted more than thirty minutes out there before the farmer caught us. He was so angry that Mario and I were sent back home to Brooklyn the next morning. We never went back to that place. But... before... before Mario and I were sent away... before the man returned me to my brother.... he... the lamb went silent..."

I lowered my head and pressed my eyes shut. 

Mario told me he would get nightmares at night. He'd hear the lambs screaming. I wasn't like him, though. I didn't fear their screams. 

It was the silence that stuck with me. 

I slowly opened my eyes again. Dimentio looked slightly blurred. My vision was obscured through thick tears.

"So please... just tell me this silence is different," I begged. "Is... is this different?"

He remained still as I waited for an answer. I wanted him to just say something. One word would have been enough. Heck, a nod would have sufficed. 

He looked away.