Hours were spent waiting, and that was just to get to the front of the line. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who wanted to see Queen Jaydes today.

The people who surrounded me were all new souls. Some were scared, but most had this odd, vacant, empty expression. Many looked older. They probably knew this day was coming for a long time. A few people almost looked relieved. 

There was a little girl. She seemed lost. She kept turning around herself as her eyes scanned the room. She was looking for someone. Someone who wasn't there, I was sure. I should have pushed myself to the front and comforted her, but I didn't. I should have, but doing so would mean pushing past other people, and I didn't want any of them to hate me, so instead I stayed still.  

I wasn't like everyone else. I wasn't dead. So that made me out of place. I haven't spent much time in the Underwhere, but I remembered the rules well enough to get by. Some people would look different after dying, others would resemble their mortal form. There were some souls that would be turned into Shades,  others would become D-men and work for the queen, but most seemed to continue to look like themselves. Well, I say they looked like themselves, but I'm just assuming. I had no way of knowing what everyone looked like before they died. 

I had light in my eyes. That was the difference between me and them. Our eyes. Everyone else's seemed darker. Still colored, but far dimmer. I couldn't tell if this was because they were dead or if it was just a reflection of their defeated moods. It took a lot of willpower not to let the gazes get to me. 

Slowly, the crowded room became less and less packed until I was the last person remaining. I never saw what became of the little girl, she was already gone by the time the crowds dispersed enough for me to get to her. I hoped she found who she was looking for. 

I knew better than that, though. 

I should have helped her. Or at least offered. Sometimes being acknowledged and seen is enough to get someone through hard times. Why didn't I offer her that? People in the living world would always call me a coward, but for all the wrong reasons. This right here was what made me a true coward. I was too afraid to disturb others to help someone who might have needed me. 

A few souls arrived after me. I allowed them to go first. I was trying to be selfless, but the more I thought about it the more selfish it seemed. Wouldn't a truly selfless person push their way to the front of the line if they were in my position? I had the life light. The longer I waited, the longer everyone else in the Underwhere had to suffer without the sun. 

I couldn't bring myself to force my way through, though. I should have, but I couldn't. I couldn't be assertive and march my way to the front for the same reason I couldn't push past everyone and help the little girl. I didn't want these strangers to hate me. 

So, I waited, pondering whether or not waiting made me good or bad. 

There were two D-men guarding the main doors that kept me separated from the queen. I stood in front of them once I was the last man remaining. They both seemed tired. Had they been working in their position this entire time, or did D-men work in shifts? Did they get paid, and how much? Were they gifted breaks? Would being paid or having breaks even matter in the Underwhere? Why did they work? Was working preferable to just wasting away and being forgotten? How much time had passed? I could guess, but my internal clock was often off, and there was no sun in the sky to tell me if a day had passed. Not yet, at least. 

Asking myself all these questions would never get me anywhere, but I couldn't help myself. I was always a person of many questions. Sometimes it was just hard to find the courage to speak them. I never wanted to appear stupid or annoying. It was easier to just keep my mouth shut and wonder forever. 

"Alright, you may proceed," the D-men eventually said in unison. Their voices were gravelly. I could detect a weight behind their words. They looked tired. There was no light in their eyes. No life. I suppose that made sense. We were in the Underwhere, after all. 

I gave them a smile. Most times, a smile from a stranger won't mean much, but I hoped mine meant something to them. I hadn't seen anyone else around me smile. 

I wonder when the last time these two D-men even saw a smile. I hoped it wasn't long.

"Thank you," I said as I bowed my head slightly before proceeding through. 

From the way their eyes briefly softened, I could assume they didn't get many of those either. 

The queen was standing at the end of the hall. Her eyes were just as dark as I remembered. Her makeup was sharp as well. She seemed taller. Or maybe I just felt smaller because I was alone this time. 

I missed Mario. 

"The son," she said as soon as she saw me.

I frowned and glanced behind myself. Was she talking to me?

"Huh?"

"The sun," she repeated.

"Oh, sun! I thought you said son," I chuckled awkwardly. Why would I think she meant son? My nerves must have been getting to me. I wasn't always this big of an idiot. I think.

"I did," she trailed off. Her brows furrowed slightly, and I felt even more uncomfortable. Leave it to me to look stupid in front of the Queen.

"Um, never mind," I muttered as I glanced down at the lantern. My reflection in the glass containing was slightly distorted from the angle. "I don't suppose you remember me." 

"I know who you are, man in green," she said.

I quickly looked up at her. A bright feeling washed over me.

The queen of the Underwhere remembered me?!

"Really?" I gasped. "Well, I'm honored! I, of course, remember you. I mean, how could I forget? You helped us so much by restoring that pure heart. Thank you for that, by the way. It really meant a lot to, well, everyone. I know many people fear you, but you're a hero! And-"

"You don't have to flatter me," she breathed. Her gaze didn't stray from the life light as she let out a soft sight. "I hoped it wouldn't be you." 

"How come?" I frowned, confused. 

Did she think I wasn't qualified enough to do something so important?

I quickly shook my head, then cleared my throat and held the life light up. "I mean... Queen Jaydes, I have been chosen by the sun to restore its light to the Underwhere. If you would please show me the way-"

"You can't miss it. Just look," she said. 

She tilted her head slightly and nodded to the closest window.

I slowly drew closer as my eyes fell upon a large tower. I couldn't see the top, it looked like it went up forever. It was far away, too. So distant that it almost faded into the horizon. Below it was a dark city filled with tall, dark towers, though none even a fourth as tall as it. 

I brought my gaze back down to the light. My heart swelled slightly. With warmth, I think. Yes, warmth. 

I smiled to myself. That was my destination. My goal.

"Don't put it back," she suddenly said. Her voice came out like a slightly broken whisper. 

"Hmm?" I turned to face her.

"Luigi... this place... it isn't worth saving," she said.

The longer I looked at her, the more I saw. Her skin seemed paler now than it was fourteen years ago. All the colors she wore were less vibrant. She always dressed in dark, elegant clothes, but this looked different. All the colors in the room were less vibrant, actually. Even the gray stones that covered the ground seemed faded and dull compared to the way they looked in my memory. Her makeup was slightly faded too. Still sharp, but faded. 

"Everyone is worth saving," I said. 

She let out a long sigh and bowed her head slightly. 

"I cannot stop you. I can only... I can only ask you to think this through," she whispered.

"I have."

"Not enough."

"Well," I shrugged. "My mind won't change. Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll be on my way, now."

I gave her a brief smile, then turned and walked back toward the door. She remained silent until my fingertips graced the silver doorknob. 

"A world built upon one's suffering... it's not one we want to keep living in," she said.

I felt myself still for a moment. 

A world built upon one's suffering? What was that supposed to mean? 

I quietly laughed to myself, then looked back at her.

"Then change the world," I smiled. 

Her expression seemed to shift slightly. Her eyebrows dropped and her shoulders sagged. I couldn't tell if this was a good or bad sign. It didn't matter, though. I knew where I needed to go.

"Thank you," I said. Then I pulled the door open and left. 

The River of Twygz was just outside the queen's palace, just as I remembered. Only now, instead of murky purple, the water was jet black. It wasn't thick like the polluted water we have in some cities. It was simply black. The sky was the same color as before, but the green clouds I remembered were gone. Charold, the boatman, was also not present. 

I wondered where he went.

I took a deep breath as I glanced around myself. All I had to do was figure out which way to go so I could get to the large tower. I could see it in the distance, so that was helpful. From where I was standing, it didn't look like I had to cross the river, which was a relief. I never enjoyed swimming in dark water. Not while knowing there were skeletal hands waiting for me down there. 

"I can help you," a voice whispered. 

I quickly looked around myself. 

I recognized it. This was the same voice I heard when I first arrived. 

Was she talking to me this time? 

"Hello?" I asked. "Where are you?"

"Here..." she trailed off.

I turned to the water. 

A dark, ethereal-looking figure stood above the water. I drew back in disbelief as chills suddenly raced down my neck.

I didn't know spirits could walk atop the water. Was that possible?

She was a spirit. I think. She didn't look like a normal person at all. Didn't sound like one, either.

She was wearing a long purple cloak. Her face was darkened by her hooded cloak so I couldn't see much, but there were a few shadow-like strands of hair blowing from her. Her hair and cloak fluttered with the breeze, but I could feel no wind. 

No, the air was still. Still and cold. 

There was a ringing that started in my ears. It was high-pitched, so much so that it almost was silent, but it wasn't. The chills started to spread down my back as something trickled down my spine. 

"Get in the water," she calmly suggested.

I could hear the trickling of the large stream. The current wasn't fast, but I wasn't nearly as strong of a swimmer as my brother, and drowning had always been a fear of mine. 

I had many fears, actually. What I feared most varied from moment to moment. 

I took a step back. 

"Get in the water," she repeated. 

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Shh... get in the water."

I clenched my fists slightly. Did she just shush me?

There were footsteps beside me. I quickly turned toward them, but there was no one there--no footprints on the riverbank. Just the sound of someone stepping into the water, drawing closer and closer to the strange woman. Ripples followed, one forming after the other as if someone was walking in.

I took another step back. 

The woman's gaze seemed to follow this invisible being. She slowly reached forward. Her arm seemed thin, but not frail. 

"My sweet museau..." she trailed off, her voice warm and buttery, yet there was a cold tension in the air I just couldn't seem to shake. 

She slowly turned her gaze to mine. The chills doubled. 

"My sweet... museau..." she repeated.

I felt something cold press to my throat. Something sharp. 

I quickly stumbled back and placed my hand over my neck, just to make sure nothing was there. Cold fingers brushed over my forehead and pushed my hair aside. Hands grasped my shoulders to hold me still. 

No, to hold me back. I was being held down, but no one was there. 

"Get off!" I exclaimed.

"L," a child cried. 

The voices were distant. They didn't sound real. It was like they were coming from the same place as the high-pitched ringing.

"L!"

"L!" 

"Let me go!"

"L!"

"I dare."

"Wait, no! L!"

I covered my ears, still grasping the life light. The warm glass rested against my face as I tried to silence the voices. 

Two voices. Both seemed to belong to children.

They slowly faded until my mind was silent again. 

I slowly lowered my hands and looked back up at the river. 

The woman was gone. All was quiet again. 

L...

Like Mr. L?

No... no one had called me that in over ten years. L wasn't even a nickname I went by. Sometimes Mario would call me "Lu," or "Weegie," but never L. He never even spoke about Mr. L. Sometimes, it seemed like he was afraid. Afraid that mentioning Mr. L would upset me. 

Maybe it would have had he mentioned him fourteen years ago. Maybe it still would today. I'm not sure. Mr. L was just something we all collectively decided to try and forget. Something we all pretended never happened. 

He did happen, though. 

Mr. L... 

L...

"Big M?"

I quickly turned around myself. This voice sounded louder. Less transparent, if that even makes sense. 

I slowly looked down, allowing my eyes to land on a small Bob-Omb. 

I recognized it immediately. These were common enemies. Machines Bowser would manufacture to try and hurt us. 

It was missing its fuse. 

I suppose that made sense. It was in the Underwhere, so it was dead. And, in order for a Bob-Omb to die, a fuse must be lit. 

"Oh..." he trailed off. His gaze lowered to his own feet. "Sorry, sir. You're... not who I thought you were."

"Oh, no, don't be sorry! I'm sorry," I quickly said as I kneeled down to be closer to his level, though I was still significantly taller. "Um, I'm Luigi."

"Bob-Omb," he said. "But... well, my friends... they called me Bobby."

"Bobby?" I asked. "Bob-Ombs get names?"

"I did," he said. 

He let out a quiet chuckle, but it wasn't filled with the same joy most laughs held. This sounded more defeated.

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"Nothing. Nothing. I just... thought one of my friends finally made it down here," he admitted. "Although... I suppose I haven't been here for too long. Just a year. But it feels real long... nah, I'm kidding myself anyway. Neither of them would wind up down here. They're too good."

"And you're not?"

"I tried to be," he shrugged. "But... you know what I am. Bob-Ombs... we're born to destroy. We end up here."

I felt a slight sinking feeling in my chest. "Oh..."

He nodded slowly. 

He looked very similar to most living Bb-Ombs. His black coloring was slightly faded, probably from time. Aside from the missing fuse and the slight change in coloring, I wouldn't have been able to tell that he was deceased. I would have expected a dead Bob-Omb to have fractures all over its body from exploding. 

Although, I suppose that would be rather gruesome to look at. Did people carry their scars from death with them into the afterlife?

"The light," he said as he nodded at my lantern. "Is... is that the sun?"

"This?" I asked, shaking my head from being so quickly snapped out of my thoughts. "Oh, yes, yes." 

"So you're the museau?"

"I don't know what that is, but I suppose!" I shrugged.

He nodded and turned his gaze to the large tower. He rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment, breathing slowly yet loudly. 

"I've heard of you. You were supposed to come long ago..."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I trailed off. 

He shook his head.

"Don't be..." he breathed. "Most of us... most people down here were hoping you wouldn't come at all."

"Why?" I asked. "Don't you want light?"

"More than anything," he said. "But... we're all tired. And... we know we're not worth saving. If we were, we wouldn't be down here."

I felt my shoulders sag as I followed his gaze back to the tower and held my lantern up, placing it next to the tower in my own eyes. 

"Well... I disagree," I said.

"Legend said you would," Bobby said. 

"Well, legend sounds smart," I chuckled. "You seem smart. Would you like to come with me? I may need someone to show me around. And, even if you don't know me, you're at least somewhat of a familiar face!"

"I am?" he asked. "I... can't even remember anyone from my life. Well... I remember three people. But... that's all."

"Well, now you can remember four," I smiled while standing and looking in the direction I was bound for. "If you want. Of course, you don't have to do anything. I can handle this on my own. But-"

"No! No, sir, please, let me help," he quickly said.

I turned to face him. His eyes were slightly wide. He quickly looked away as he tried to cover the sudden outburst. 

"I mean... I won't be of much use... but you're alive. And... if I help, maybe I can remember more. Maybe I can... maybe it'll almost be like I'm alive again."

I quietly laughed and patted his head. 

"Sounds like a deal," I smiled. "Bobby, right?"

"Yeah. And you're L?"

I frowned for a moment, unsure whether or not I should correct him. Because I wasn't L. I was Luigi. 

But... well, I suppose there was no harm in being called that. 

"Yeah," I chimed. "I'm L."