《Three Months》Beginnings
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He found himself back where this all started, no longer feeling any of the pain he felt just a short moment ago. Dimentio opened his eyes, looking around himself at his surroundings. He didn't feel hot, he didn't feel cold, but unlike the last time he died, he felt something.
He felt peace.
"Ah, you're back," A familiar voice chimed. Dimentio quickly turned around to see the same D-Man who greeted him the last time he died. Only instead of panicking and yelling, Dimentio smiled at him.
"I'm back," Dimentio said.
"Welp, you know the drill," The D-Man smiled back, holding up his clipboard and going over his list of things to go over. "Each new soul gets one meeting with her majesty, Queen Jaydes. I'm here if you have any questions and need a hand-"
"I actually do have a question for you," Dimentio interrupted.
"Oh?" The D-man asked.
Dimentio nodded, folding his hands behind his back. "Are you alive?" He asked.
This caught the D-man slightly off guard. Most new souls asked about where they'd go or how long they'd have to wait for their friends and family to get down there.
"Yes. I am," The D-Man admitted.
"Are you happy?" Dimentio asked next.
"Yep! I mean, not all the time, but for the most part, yes." The D-man smiled.
Dimentio smiled in return. "Good." He said, turning away and heading for Jaydes' castle, waving as he left. "Thank you!" he called.
The D-Man lightly chuckled to himself, looking down at the clipboard and shaking his head. "Well he's different," He murmured with a smile.
Dimentio still didn't step foot in the river, but it was less terrifying now than it was before. Still scary, but far less horrifying now. Once he got off, he bowed his head and thanked the ferryman, asking him the same questions. "Are you alive," and "Are you happy?"
Charon didn't quite know how to answer the first question, but after a moment of consideration, he was able to say yes to the second.
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It was comforting to see these people in the Underwhere admit to having happiness. Dimentio was sure that if Luigi was down there, he too would find a way to be happy.
And if all of them could do it, maybe Dimentio could too.
Once he got to Jaydes' Palace, he stepped inside, no longer terrified. She turned to him, raising her chin in a manner that showcased that she was proud and powerful. "Back already?" She asked. "Let me guess, you're here to ask for another three months."
"No," Dimentio corrected, softly smiling. "I... I'm here to thank you for the opportunity."
"Oh?" Jaydes asked, raising her eyebrows and checking his tone for sarcasm or trickery.
"I'm not lying or trying to steal another chance," Dimentio assured her. "I just wanted to thank you. I... I found exactly what I was looking for."
"Did you now? And what was that, may I ask?" Jaydes mused, not sure how to feel about this. After all, her goal of sending him back was to punish him. Had it not worked?
"My happiness," Dimentio replied with a smile. He then turned away, retreating without even bothering to beg or try to make a deal so he could go back. He didn't want or need to go back anymore. "I found it there. All that's left for me is to look for it here. I hope you've found it as well," He breathed. "Ciao, your majesty."
Jaydes stood, slightly appalled as he left, not quite sure what she should say or do.
As Dimentio walked out of the palace, he looked at the darkened sky. The Underwhere was in a permanent state of night, but the night wasn't a bad thing. It was actually rather beautiful. The air was still, just like the air in the land above him. There were also smiling faces down there, just like in the land above.
Even though the land of the dead and the land of the living were opposites... they actually weren't so different. Just like how the day and night weren't so different.
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The biggest difference was the fact that Luigi wasn't there. He missed him more than he missed the sun and the moon. He found himself missing Mario too. He even missed all the smiling toads.
And he couldn't forget Polterpup-
As if on cue, he heard a short high pitched yip.
Dimentio turned around himself, his eyes widening at the sight. Right in front of him was his favorite ghost dog, sitting and wagging its tail while smiling up at him. It wore the same red collar and the same smile it almost always wore.
"Polterpup?" Dimentio asked, smiling, then lightly chuckling and kneeling down to pet the little guy. "I- it's you! How'd you get down here?!"
He supposed it made sense. Ghosts were able to travel between the living world and the dead world. That must have been nice. Polterpup had the power to see whoever it wanted to, living or dead.
He smiled at the little guy, so happy to have a friend.
"... Can you give your owner a message for me?" He asked.
The dog barked in response as if saying yes. Dimentio looked around himself, searching for something to write with. He scanned the area, when he saw a group of D-Men walking by, each eating their own sandwich. It looked as if they were on a lunch break. He smiled and quickly rushed over, asking if any of them had a pencil or paper. One of them handed him their pen (which had purple ink that flowed fairly smoothly and didn't smear, which was a plus,) and a sticky note. Dimentio took what he could get, then wrote a simple note, sticking it to the front of Polter's collar.
"You tell him to take his time and enjoy all the little things, okay?" Dimentio told the dog, patting its head.
The dog barked in response, then rubbed its head on Dimentio's leg, which made him lightly chuckle.
"And please, make sure he doesn't grieve me for too long. He can be sad, but don't let him let it take over his life."
The dog seemed to nod, then ran off. Dimentio watched as it left, then sat back, looking at the darkened sky of the Underwhere. He wondered if there were any books down there. Any trees or trails. Any marts or stores to shop at.
Looking up, he knew it would be hard for him to find what could make him happy. But he knew he would.
He couldn't wait for Luigi to come and join him, but at the same time, he hoped he wouldn't see Luigi for a long, long time.
The thought of seeing him once again someday filled him with warmth.
He was happy, knowing that their story wasn't over. Death wasn't the end of their tale. They were just a little far apart right now.
Someday, their paths would cross again. Until then, all they could both do was make the best of their own stories.
Luigi,
I miss you dearly. I know you didn't really answer when I told you, but I'd like to tell you again.
I love you. This time, I'm sure of it. I love you, and I hope you find everything you're looking for in life, just like I did.
I know you don't return my feelings, and even if you did, it would be cruel to make you wait until death to see me once again. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that you should make the most of your time, like you always do. When we finally meet again, I want to hear about all your adventures.
Until then, stay you. Continue to be that person who finds happiness wherever he goes.
With Love, Tristan.
P.S. Keep your window open, just in case a small breeze blows by.
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Shade and Flow
In the Wastelands, if you were cursed by Shade, you were destined to be shunned, driven away, even killed on sight; you were a creature of darkness, of shadow, cold-blooded and unwanted. But, if you were blessed by Flow, you were the best humankind could offer, a role-model for any sapients. Loke and Nova were born by the same parents, yet even though they embodied the two faces of the medal, they lived in the same dreadful circumstances, but what would happen if one day the greatest beings of the world decided that the siblings would become their Champions? A Warning: There is an Anti-hero lead for a reason, and there should also be a Y.A. tag, but RR doesn't have it; therefore here it is. So, there's going to be blood, there might be carnage, but there will also be wholesomeness, romance, and affection. But most importantly, there will be Action. About the LitRPG: This novel is a slow-burn, with a lot of character development, yet the LitRPG element starts in Chapter 3 and becomes more prominent as the protagonist evolves his Skill. Further elements appear in Chapter 38. I'm not a native speaker: If you see any typos, please point them out, and I shall fix them as soon as possible. Thank you! Release Days: Twice a weak Release Time: ~ 09:00 PM UTC Words per chapter: ~3000
8 163Repent In Purgatory
"We all die eventually, that's when we have to see what lays beyond that door at the end of our life; and how our actions in the living may affect our afterlife." After an early death, a young man finds himself in purgatory. Being greeted by an angel, he was surprised to find that they were impressed by his work during his life and wanted to hire him as a case/social worker for the souls in purgatory. While it's better than hell, many are still chained by their sins during life and can fall victim to being completely corrupted by them. From fighting demon monsters to helping people who regret stealing a candy bar, someone has to help these lingering souls as they repent. Seems like some work is never done, even after death.
8 87The Copper Queen's Bride
Katya is in love with Azovka, the Mistress of Copper Mountain. Katya's fiancee Danilo dares carve Azovka an impossible flower of stone. They witness the ruthlessness of the Romanovs and clutches of corrupt Bailiffs in the Ural Mountains, where Azovka's Copper Men have ruled since they were first mined out of Mount Azov. But when Azovka begins to turns to stone, Katya fears the worst - and that Danilo will follow Azovka to a Hell of malachite shadow. With Baba Yaga's guidance, and the magick in her veins, Katya must save them all!retelling of pavel bazhov's "the stone flower"
8 187Xenos The Abysmal
After what seemed like vengeance, he was given a chance in a new world, Titan. Reborn as a half vampire and half human, 'Dhampir'. Will he be scrutinized for his mixed blood, or rule the world in darkness.
8 200Something Smells Flowery
Co-owners and co-developers of the virtual game world, Darkentide, Justine and Alfie are on the verge of introducing new shadow monsters to challenge their few dozen dedicated players. Justine's part is to program a solar eclipse in Darkentide. Alfie's part is to design and release the shadow monsters during the eclipse. Justine succeeds with her programming, and then the sun goes out in Darkentide. But when Alfie enters the shadow monster difficulty level with an extra zero at the end, he unleashes an evil greater than even he could imagine. A hooded figure appears in their office, turning Alfie to ash where he sits. The stranger spares Justine, but imprisons her inside the Darkentide game, to prevent her from interfering with his plans to destroy the real world. He also sends Greta, a dancing nurse he summoned and has high hopes for, to watch over Justine and make doubly sure the female developer won't do something stupid. Can Justine figure out a way to escape back to the real world and put a stop to the hooded man's evil schemes? Can Greta be the female Pinocchio her summoner wants, and become a real girl? And what about poor Alfie? Can he ever amount to anything more than a pile of ashes? And where is that flowery smell coming from?
8 66The Rosy Betrayal
He had another family; more people to adore and cherish. He was my hero, but I wasn't his only damsel in distress. ___Mahira was the sweetest and most supportive wife. She was patient and protective...and knew how to forgive. Until she witnessed her husband with his second family. He was smiling, showing his white pearls and looking so relaxed without his first wife. That was the day, Mahira decided to finally give up. Iyaz was a dark and brooding man who deeply obsessed over the sole woman that had fully captured his sanity. The day, she, Mahira, left was the day he decided to listen to the cracks craved in her heart.(Disclaimer: the images belong to their rightful owners.)copyright @strangeoutcast
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