Anyway, here's a teaser from the first chapter... it starts somewhere in the middle of the chapter, hence why the beginning may leave most a little lost.
The transition from their own dimension into the Mushroom Kingdom was an easy trip, made easier by the fact that they were prepared for it. They easily landed on their feet in the middle of the Forest of Illusion, standing upright to look up at the sky through the canopy of leaves above.
"Luca, is it meant to be this dark?" Phil asked in an anxious voice, pointing up through the trees. "What time is it here?"
"I don't know," she replied. "I haven't gotten my stuff back. But I can tell you this..."
"...Something's definitely not right," he finished for her. "I feel it, too."
The sky above them was a strange purplish black, the clouds pulsing and rolling with a quiet violence. The air around them felt extremely heavy with some kind of spiritual force, and the woods around them were very still. The travelers looked up at the sky again, and then at each other.
"Phil... We have to get to Jared, and quickly," Luca finally said, taking command of the situation.
Phil nodded his head, more than willing to take orders at that particular moment in time. The only time he'd felt a force that chilled him to his soul was... He shuddered to think about it. No, I refuse to accept that it might be that again, he thought to himself.
The travelers held a close formation as they ventured towards their destination... the little house in Star Town.
Jared stood out on the porch, unconsciously gripping one of the columns as if it were the only thing he had left in his life to hold onto. Deep within his blue eyes, panic and despair danced about. His face bore no expression of which to determine a mood, but he didn't have to have any emotion written on his form -- it was etched into his aura.
He'd never had such a nightmare in his life. It had come to him just two nights before... a scene of complete bedlam. Two worlds colliding with such violence that the two worlds became "tangled" within one another, areas only accessible by hidden warp spots... Six family members taken captive, their essences locked within pendants and strewn about the new terrain. A seventh person not yet known, but soon targeted. Two great forces of evil combining into one terrifying overlord. Countless executions brought about for no reason whatsoever. The world slowly absorbed in the depths of malevolence.
It was a horrid, horrid nightmare that had him bolt upright in the dead of night nearly suffering a heart attack. Not only because it was such a dark dream -- but because his dreams always came true. Always.
His eyes looked up at the dark, rumbling sky. A thunderstorm was brewing in the heavens above. Could it be the Stars knew of the impending danger? Surely they did... the Stars knew all. Suddenly two old but surprisingly familiar voices penetrated his shield of thoughts:
"Jared!" Luca yelled out as she emerged from the woods.
"What's going on?" Phil asked as he walked up to his girlfriend's side.
For a minute, Jared couldn't speak. He didn't think he'd ever see his otherworldly friends again. He stared at them as if they were the dead reborn, his mouth slightly agape with the pleasantly shocked expression of surprise. He ran forward and embraced both of his friends.
"Luca! Phil! You two are back!" He cried. "How? And not to be rude, but why?"
"We had a dream back in our world," Luca explained.
Phil was busy scanning the area silently with his eyes, a very uncomfortable expression of concern and fear on his face.
"That if we didn't come back here to help, both this world and our own world would completely crumble. In the dream, the ground was turning to dust and falling into an empty void... we were trying to outrun it, but the faster we ran, the faster the world chased us." Luca stiffened her spine a bit, refusing to show her dread of the dream's recalling. "We were told where we could find a hidden pathway with which we could get ourselves here... and here we are."
Jared listened intently, nodding his head every now and again. So, they'd both had a vision of it, too. That made him feel extremely nauseous. "I dreamt, too, of our worlds. But in my dream, they seemed to have merged to form an entirely new landscape. Some kind of extreme evil is about to fall over our worlds, and I think it's going to take all of us working together to bring peace back."
"Luca," Phil finally spoke up, "I think our abilities from our world transferred over to here."
"Why do you think that?" She asked of her boyfriend, noting a rather odd tone in his voice.
He pointed towards the back of the house. "I know I don't have the abilities from here yet, but I swear on my life I just saw something -- somebody -- sneaking towards the house. And they didn't like the fact that I saw them." He was still relatively unacquainted with the ability to sense and see beyond the living realm. It still disturbed him quite a bit, but he was learning to cope. If Luca could handle it and stand strong, so could he. He had to be tough... he had to be able to protect her. There was no other choice.
Luca snatched her sword from her side, causing Jared to jump back slightly. He'd never seen anyone using a sword... a "benefit" of living in a more futuristic dimension, if a person would call it that. She took half a stone from her pocket and placed it in the handle of her sword, clenching it tight as it transformed into a blade of dark purple fire.
"Check it, you were right!" She praised her boyfriend as their set of abilities activated.
"What are you doing?" He asked quickly.
"Stopping whatever you just saw before somebody gets hurt."
The two young men watched as the lone female leapt forward with amazing speed. They both stood in a strange silence for a moment, simply watching her.
"She's still the same old Luca," Jared murmured softly.
"Indeed," Phil replied. "Now let's catch up before she gets in over her head."
"Just like normal?"
"Just like normal."
They ran to catch up to Luca, hoping that she'd not gotten too deep into trouble before they got there. Up ahead they heard the metallic clanging of her sword against something, the entire back side of the house a blazing amethyst hue. They turned the corner and both stopped dead in their tracks... but for different reasons.
Jared had never seen anything like it.
Phil had seen it way too many times, and was immensely disturbed.
Luca yelped with effort and thrust her flaming blade forward, spinning in a graceful motion that successfully slashed the creature in half. She flicked the blade again, launching the defeated creature's head into the air. A few seconds later it fell back down, and she easily caught it in her hand.
It was a skeleton's skull.
"Wh... what was that?" Jared asked, his voice quivering in distress.
Phil didn't answer, but instead stared at the skull as if it could pop back to life at any moment.
Luca walked over. "I know I don't have to say this to Phil, but Jared, you're not informed."
"What?" Jared asked. "What do you not need to say to Phil?"
Phil answered softly, somberly, "That there's more where this came from."
"What do you guys mean?"
"They attack in packs," Phil explained. "Normally no less than five or ten."
"What are those?"
"Our enemies from back home." Luca responded, dropping the skull on the ground and crushing it beneath her foot. She and Phil both stared down at the bone fragments with a strange expression upon their face. Jared had never seen it before... such a look of hidden fears and forced strengths. A grave expression symbolizing just how serious the threat was. Even Phil, who was easily more anxious and timid than his girlfriend, was braver than anybody he'd ever seen. For the both of them to show such despair and distress... Jared wanted so badly for it to be a nightmare. He wanted nothing more than to wake up in his bed and laugh at himself for having such a dream.
"We've been followed," Phil finally declared slowly.
Luca nodded, and then narrowed her eyes as they refilled with their typical fiery courage. Only the flame burned stronger now. "Then we'll teach them for butting in where they don't belong."
A new voice entered the conversation. Young, masculine, gentle yet full of bravery. "If they come in packs of five or better, you're going to need help."
The three turned around to find themselves looking at what looked to be a very young boy. He was very short and very frail in stature, and his clothes seemed to easily be two sizes too big. His dirty blonde hair seemed like it never was trimmed nor ever saw a brush. But beneath his bushy bangs, his light green eyes shown with the strength of a full grown man.
"Who are you?" Luca questioned, seeming a bit amused by the boy.
The boy walked over and grinned easily. "Show some respect for one of the greatest heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, will you?"
Phil blinked. "You are...?" He couldn't make himself finish the question.
Jared smiled somewhat. "Luca? Phil? I'd like you to meet my cousin... the third Star Child of legend... my cousin, Daniel."
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