Brother's Loyalty

Dirge of Dread

He knelt there on the cold earth before that gravestone, his whole body shuddering and heaving with sobs as screams tore from his lungs. He prayed to someone, anyone, that this wasn't true. He couldn't have been too late. They couldn't have—

"D—mit, Mario, I'm sorry!" he cried, his face awash in tears and slimy snot as he reached out with a trembling hand to touch the headstone. It was smooth and ridged beneath his fingertips, and it sent a frigid feeling traveling up his nerves.

He froze. More writing was appearing on the headstone.

Would you like to hear how he died?

"No...Don't torment me with that. Please..."

He begged for his life, Luigi. He begged for his life, for your life—and for the life of his lovely Peach.

"No—she's off limits, do you hear me?!"

You could've saved him. Why didn't you do more?

"Do more?! I was doing all that I could!"

Guess it wasn't enough. 😉

"Why—what have we ever done to you?"

Why not? :D

And the award for the World's Worst Brother goes to—you. 😊

There's only one thing you can do now. It's quite simple, really... 😉

Could they be actually suggesting...?

"Wait...wait," muttered Luigi, taking deep breaths. Maybe—this wasn't real after all.

Boos were infamous for casting illusions to disorient their victims. That's what made them so powerful and dangerous. They were capable of physically attacking people, but they enjoyed mental and psychological attacks more than anything, making no effort to hide their sadistic glee in doing so.

Presently, they were dangling the bait in front of Luigi, trying to push him into—no. He wouldn't. He wouldn't be so quick to despair, and he wouldn't commit a mortal sin on their account. He had to break out of this web before they fully ensnared him.

"I don't believe you," he said.

?

"I don't believe you," he repeated, more firmly. "Mario's still alive. I can feel it. This isn't real. None of this is real."

Luigi wiped his tears and stood. "Mario would never beg for his life. Especially from you," he said. "He's stronger than that. He's braver than that. He's—he's the bravest man I know, and you'll never break him."

Oh, we'll see.

"I don't know what you want. I don't care how powerful you are. Because I've recently acquired a very particular set of skills—skills that will make me a Boo's worst nightmare. If you let Mario go now, then that'll be the end of it. I won't look for you, and I won't pursue you. But if you don't—then I will look for you. I will find you. And I will send you into my Poltergust with the others."

Good luck.

Slowly, the headstone faded away, confirming Luigi's suspicions. They wanted to break him down and make him succumb to his fears, but he wouldn't. He couldn't. Not now.