"So, what now?" Luigi asked as the two walked out of the store. "Wanna head home-"

"Nope," Dimentio interrupted, sitting down in the back of the go-cart and waiting for Luigi. "Definitely not. Let's go somewhere else!"

"Somewhere else?" Luigi asked, lightly smiling. "Well, where?"

"Somewhere new," Dimentio answered. "I don't know. I don't know all the places in this dimension. Surprise me."

Luigi lightly chuckled, slightly taken aback by Dimentio's personality change. He then sat down in front of Dimentio and turned the engine on. "Okay... I think I have an idea."

He then drove through town, taking the long way around so he wouldn't drive by Peach's castle. He headed down to the far south end. Now that Dimentio had been in a car before, he was less tense and more able to enjoy the experience. The air in the Mushroom Kingdom was notably still, but when Luigi drove, he could finally feel a breeze as the air pushed against him.

"You're avoiding the castle," Dimentio noted.

"I don't want Peach seeing and recognizing you," Luigi answered. "She's usually really forgiving, so I'm sure if I explained the situation she'd be fine with you being here, but that would lead to a lot of questions and I don't feel like dealing with that today."

Dimentio nodded, silently grateful for that. He didn't want to have to waste time explaining to the princess that he wasn't here to take control over an ancient artifact and tear the very fabric of reality apart.

"So, where are we going now?" Dimentio asked next, curious as Luigi drove off the paved road and onto one made of dirt. A wave of dust would flow up behind the go-cart, almost looking like the tail of a shooting star.

"We don't always have to be going somewhere specific, you know?" Luigi said, smiling. "Sometimes it's nice to just take a drive."

"I suppose..." Dimentio trailed off, looking around at the trees which seemed to act like a tunnel. The leaves were all turning a greenish-yellow color. They looked almost golden as the sun streamed through them, creating spots of light over the slightly bumpy dirt road.

The road wasn't straightforward and clearly mapped out to be smooth and easy to drive, like the one in toad town. This one went up and down, it twisted and turned with the land around it instead of cutting through in a straight path. Dimentio rather liked the idea of it. Instead of carving its way through and destroying the world below it, this road decided to move with the land. Yes, it was more difficult to drive on, and getting places would likely take longer, but the time on it felt well spent.

About an hour and a half later, Luigi headed back down the road so he was heading closer towards home. Once he was about a mile away, he stopped in a small turnout by a small beach. There was sand that wasn't quite yellow, but not quite white either. It looked to be more of a cream color. The man in green smiled, turned the engine off, and hopped out of the car, immediately turning to Dimentio and grabbing both his hands to help him out.

Dimentio frowned slightly, looking out at the water instead of down at Luigi's hands. It was a deep blue color. Unlike the creek water, he couldn't see the bottom when he looked out. There were small waves breaking on the shore and the sound of seagulls singing in the distance.

However, the first thought he got when he looked at the deep blue water was not tranquility, but instead a small itch of fear. He knew very well how dangerous oceans could be, with their rip currents, their sneaker waves, and their waters filled with all kinds of monsters.

"What are we doing here?" Dimentio asked, his voice quieter than before.

"I don't know," Luigi admitted, lightly chuckling, letting go of Dimentio, and kicking off his shoes so he could leave them in the go-cart.

"You're not going in the water, are you?!" Dimentio asked, his eyes widening slightly. He wasn't a strong swimmer and he was terrified, so he knew that if Luigi were to go in and get sucked out to sea there would be no way to save him. Plus, he didn't want to die by drowning, even if he was about to die anyway. He didn't want to feel that sense of panic from being stuck underwater with no way to breathe.

"Nah. This isn't the best beach to swim at. I would have gone to that one, but it's too crowded this time of year," Luigi admitted, allowing Dimentio to let out a sigh of relief. Luigi then smiled, walking on the sand. "You should take your shoes off. The sand feels really nice. It's like... a warm blanket beneath your feet."

Dimentio hesitated for a moment, knowing very well that sand would likely make a big mess and be hard to get off. But... well, he didn't have time to care about making messes anymore, so he did as he was told, sitting down and carefully taking his shoes off so he could place them next to Luigi's. He then slowly followed the man in green, trying to keep his breathing steady and ignore how much walking hurt now, especially without his shoes. He was worried that his ankles would snap under his own weight.

However, as soon as he stepped on the warm sand he felt a brief sense of relief. Luigi was right in a way, the sand was warm, but he wouldn't give it the same description as a soft blanket. It moved too much and sank slightly beneath his feet. It was grippy and tickled the soles of his feet, wedging itself between his toes. He wasn't sure what metaphor he'd use to describe the strange feeling.

"It's quiet here," Dimentio noted, slowly picking up a handful of sand and watching each and every grain slip through his fingertips, falling away from him.

"Yeah, that's why I like it so much," Luigi replied, turning and looking back at Dimentio.

Dimentio nodded at the silence. He too liked the tranquil feeling of peace and quiet but too much made the world seem almost lonely. This place was huge, but Luigi was the only other person he could see for miles and miles. It was weird, having a piece of the world to himself like this for a moment.

"Do you know why Polterpup became a ghost?" Dimentio asked randomly while Luigi was picking up shells and setting them down in a pile. The man in green furrowed his eyebrows slightly but didn't look up to answer.

"I have theories," He said. "I... think Polter was just waiting for someone to love. Someone to be its friend. I don't know about the past, but I don't think the Polterpup had anyone like that during life. So... I like to think that it became a ghost for a second chance to get that. A chance to live the life it wanted."

Dimentio nodded, seeing how that could make sense. He really did envy Polterpup, but it wasn't like he was mad. The pup deserved a life like this. In a way, they weren't so different. Dimentio got a second chance too, he just had a time limit.

Luigi then stood up, picking up all the shells he had collected and walking over to the water, standing with his ankles submerged and setting them down as if he was sending them back to where they came from. "What are you doing?" Dimentio asked, slightly concerned due to the fact that Luigi was standing in the mighty ocean. "I thought you said you weren't going to swim here."

"I'm not swimming," Luigi chuckled, turning and looking back at Dimentio once all the shells were released. "I'm just putting them back. Hey, come here."

"Huh?"

"Come here," Luigi smiled, holding his hand out. "Don't worry. I'll protect you from the scary water."

"What makes you think I'm afraid of the water?" Dimentio asked.

"Well, aren't you?" Luigi replied.

"Yes. But how did you know? I don't recall ever telling you."

"I can just tell. It's a new thing I figured out after I walked in that creek when I first took you to see that waterfall," Luigi explained. "You looked uneasy, but it was a different kind of uneasy. Not your usual uneasy expression, you know?"

Dimentio stayed silent, simply staring at him. How on earth could Luigi differentiate between different forms of unease?? Did he really pay that much attention to the small details?

"Just come here," Luigi smiled. "It's shallow, and it's not nearly as cold as the river."

"But there's sand instead of stone beneath," Dimentio pointed out.

Luigi lightly laughed, cocking his head to the side. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"Stone is strong and stable," Dimentio explained. "Sand isn't. Sand moves with the tide. It sinks and flows. It's not as consistent."

Luigi waited a moment as he tried thinking about a way to respond. "Well..." he eventually said. "Stone isn't as strong as you think, and sand isn't as inconsistent as you think. Sure, stone is strong, but the water wears it down and carves it. Sand is nothing more than worn-down stone. And sure, it flows and sinks a little, but it supports the weight of the ocean, so can you blame it for sinking?"

Dimentio raised his eyebrows, silently wishing that Luigi wasn't so good at countering his points and arguments. It was a good point, though.

"Just come out here. It'll be okay. I promise," Luigi assured, keeping his arm outstretched.

Dimentio waited a moment, then slowly walked out to Luigi, shivering as soon as he stepped into the water even though it was warmer than he expected. It was still cool, but not ice cold. It was like a pool that hadn't been heated but was sitting out in the sun. He reached out for Luigi's hand, grasping it tightly just in case a wave decided to sneak up on him and grab his ankles, dragging him out into the deep, dark ocean.

Luigi smiled, then pointed down. Dimentio looked to see a few small fish swimming in the shallow water, seeming to circle a dark purple shell.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" Dimentio asked, slightly confused. Luigi smiled and shook his head, lightly chuckling and walking behind Dimentio so he could grab his shoulders. "Nah, I just thought that was cool. This is what I wanted to show you!" He exclaimed, nodding out to the horizon line. The sun was already getting lower in the sky, turning the clouds purple. The sun turned a brighter orange than it usually was, even though the light it was emitting was less piercing and bright. There were strokes of orange and pink painted across the sky.

"The sunset?" Dimentio asked.

"Yes," Luigi smiled. "The sunset. You've seen it before, but not like this. Just watch."

Dimentio silently wondered why on earth he had to be standing in the water to watch this when the sun continued to lower until the bottom of the circle was touching the ocean. As if on cue, the water lit up, the orange reflecting in it. The deep water way out on the horizon still looked the mysterious deep blue color, but the shallow water they were standing in almost looked like pure gold, reflecting the color of the sand and the sun. "You're standing on the sun," Luigi smiled.

Dimentio looked down, lightly smiling and scrunching his toes so he could feel the sand beneath him. He then looked back up at the horizon line that the ball of light and life was beginning to sink behind.

Luigi really was right. Dimentio had never seen a sunset like this. He actually never really paid that much mind to the sun setting. He always preferred the sunrise because it meant the start of another day. But the sunset was equally as important since it meant the start of a new night. People always categorized the rising of the sun with new beginnings and the setting of the sun with new endings, but they actually both led to new beginnings. There was nothing bad about the dark taking over the sky as the night came. The night was beautiful and wonderful, in fact. Why did people view darkness as bad and light as good again?

Traditionally, the light was always the good guy while the dark was known as the villain, but when looking at day and night, they weren't the opposite. They were just slightly different. The night was the time that the world showed it could still come alive, even with the sun gone. The night was when the stars and moon could finally reveal themselves, no longer being forced to hide behind the great sun.

Dimentio yawned to himself, trying to stay alive and alert for when the night came, knowing that this would be the last full night he'd ever have. He would have to try to leave before the next night fell so Luigi wouldn't have to know. It was scary to think about, but instead of dreading the inevitable, he decided to try to focus on staying awake.

"I don't want you to leave," Luigi suddenly said.

Dimentio frowned slightly, turning his head and looking back at Luigi. The man in green's eyes immediately looked down to the ocean floor as he let go of Dimentio's shoulder and stepped back.

"What?" Dimentio asked, even though he have very clearly heard what Luigi said.

"Don't leave," Luigi repeated. "I... you don't have to go. There's a lot more I can show you if you just stay."

Dimentio let out a small sigh, then looked down as well.

"I have to leave," he breathed.

"But you don't," Luigi exclaimed. "We- I can keep you safe! I want you to stay."

"Luigi, it's not that I want to leave. I just... I have to," Dimentio clarified, looking up at Luigi. "It's not my choice."

Luigi's eyes softened. He then looked up, opening his mouth to talk, but pausing. Was there even a point in asking Dimentio why when he knew that he wouldn't answer? If Dimentio planned on sharing, he would have done it already.

"Well... can you come back?" Luigi asked, voice smaller than usual.

No, Dimentio was about to say. No, I can't come back. No matter how much I want to stay, no matter how much I want to come back, I can't. But he didn't say that. Instead, he looked back up and over at the sunset, seeing the tip of the sun just sink beneath the horizon. The stars were starting to come out once again. He really did find them beautiful now.

He hoped that when he died, he would be outside or by a window someplace. That way his spirit could see the world one last time before moving on.

He then noted the deathly still air once again. It was odd, but he always imagined oceans to have breezes. He wished he could feel one now.

"Don't worry," Dimentio breathed, looking back at Luigi and smiling a smile, trying to hide how sad he was behind it. "I'll come back as a little breeze. You'll feel me on your face and know that I'm still listening, even if I'm worlds away, so you can still talk to me. I promise I'll hear."

Luigi frowned slightly, confused by the weird analogy. He supposed it was sweet, but didn't really know what Diemntio meant by that. "We never get breezes here," He pointed out.

"I know," Dimentio replied. "So if you feel one, you'll know it's from me."