Elodie was dreaming. Or at least, she had been.

But now she was conscious for the first time in… She did not even know how many years had passed. She just knew that she was awake. Not alive, but awake.

She glanced around. She knew she was invisible to the eyes of those who surrounded her… People meandered about their daily lives, oblivious to the danger that slept directly underneath them. Elodie desperately scrutinized each one to determine if perhaps her hero was among them—the world would need this hero to fight the darkness that would soon emerge.

After a moment of tireless searching, Elodie was forced to realize that none of the people stood out… none of them looked like a true hero.

That meant the seal was breaking.

And if the seal was breaking, the world would soon fall to shadow.

With a despairing exhale, Elodie took in her surroundings. She was floating next to the rooftops of some of the low buildings. Her spirit form allowed her to hover in midair as she took in the scene…

This was the place she used to live, the place she grew up in: and yet, it was entirely different.

Where her family's castle once proudly stood sat a dingy little town filled with dirty, desperate people. The streets were of poor cobble; the cloth the citizens wore was even poorer than that of the destitute a thousand years ago. The sounds of the city were the same, at least… but the people were incredibly different.

Her town, her city, had always prioritized helping the less fortunate. But now, even as Elodie watched, one of the better-dressed men pickpocketed a poor woman's coins. It was obvious the loss would be devastating to her and her family.

Elodie's heart broke to see what squalor had replaced her once beautiful home. This was not what she had anticipated to find upon her awakening when she bound her soul to the Map.

Then again, her heart had broken when her home was destroyed by evil in the first place.

As Elodie was scanning the crowd, a startling blotch of pink caught her eye. The bright color drew her attention; she smiled upon seeing a young woman opening what was once Elodie's jewelry box. The woman's dress was the pale pink color, and her hair the color of marigolds. What really struck Elodie, however, was the woman's eyes.

They were almost the exact color of Arthur's.

Elodie floated closer to the woman, hoping against hope that this was the soul spoken of: the one pure of heart, that would be able to access the Map.

And true to her silent prayers, this woman was the one. She opened the tiny box and pulled out the folded Map from within—the very Map that Elodie had crafted, had painted, had enchanted… had bound her soul to.

"My heroine," murmured Elodie, her silver eyes regaining spirit. She felt relieved knowing that there was a hero—or heroine—after all, especially if as much time had passed as she feared.

But then, after a few moments of inspecting the yellowed parchment, the woman did something Elodie did not expect.

She gasped and rushed off towards a building close by. Elodie followed her, confused as to the woman's intent.

That intent became painfully obvious when the woman rushed to the post service, wrote a swift letter, stuffed the Map in an envelope, and sent it off, without so much as a word.

"No!" cried Elodie, extending a translucent hand toward the envelope. Her eyes narrowed, and she glared with betrayal at the woman. "You fool!" she exclaimed. "How could you send it off like that?"

The woman seemed to hear her, because she whirled around and gasped, "Who is there?"

Elodie exhaled slowly, knowing that she would not be able to reclaim the Map herself. All she could do now was determine where this woman had sent it off to.

And so, calming herself, she answered, " My name is Elodie Lancaster. I was to be your guide on your quest to reclaim the lost treasures of that Map."

"So it was treasure!" whispered the woman, astounded. As soon as her surprise emerged, however, it vanished. "Wait a minute! Are you lying to me?"

"I am not," replied Elodie. She had been expecting this; this skepticism. "If you wish to hear more, then let us go somewhere else where no one can overhear…"

The woman looked less than eager to comply, but she reluctantly shuffled forward into a deserted, dilapidated building. The windows provided enough daylight for sight; when the woman closed the door behind her, Elodie exhaled and said, "Thank you. Now I can reveal myself to you."

With these words, Elodie willed herself to become translucent to the human eye. She felt a shake throughout her being; the room momentarily turned white. Elodie knew her revelation had worked when she heard a gasp.

"So you are a spirit…" mused the woman, her blue eyes wide with wonder. Those eyes brought Elodie both joy and pain. The longer she looked at the woman's eyes, the more memories flooded back to Elodie's mind.

All at once, she was remembering Arthur, Matthias, Ingrid, Serene, Rosalina, Tobias… and others of a less than savory nature.

The memories almost overwhelmed Elodie… she missed Arthur.

She missed Arthur terribly.

"Are… are you well?" the woman cautiously asked. It was clear she had seen the storm of emotions consume Elodie's face.

"Yes, I am. Thank you. I have been dormant for many long years, waiting for a hero," replied Elodie. "By winning the Map from its resting place, you have begun the quest that cannot now be undone. This journey you have wrought is not for the faint of heart… it will be quite dangerous."

"Dangerous?" squeaked the woman. "Oh! Am I glad I sent it off to Mario!"

This was what Elodie needed to know. "Who is Mario?"

The woman's cheeks turned pink—seeing it, Elodie was certain that history would repeat itself… at least to some degree. She recognized that look: she wore it herself, a thousand years ago.

Slowly, the woman replied, "Someone very dear to me."

Elodie could not help but smile at the faintness of her voice. "I see," she said, trying not to feel nervous. With luck, this time the quest would end quite differently. "I can understand why you sent it, then. I can only pray that it reaches him safely… But while I know of your special one, I have not been told your name."

"Oh, how terribly rude of me. My name is Princess Peach."

"Peach," mused Elodie. She thought it a strange name, but lovely nonetheless. "What ages have passed? What year is it?"

The princess appeared confused by this question, but she answered what year it was as Elodie requested. Upon hearing the answer, Elodie's eyes widened.

"I cannot deny it now. The seal is breaking," she whispered to herself. She knew that there was only so much time before the shadow emerged… and her true hero was yet unknown to her. Turning away from Peach, Elodie exclaimed, "Where is this man you spoke of? I must locate him immediately. He will need my help."

"Oh! Well, he is—"

But as the woman was answering, Elodie noticed something dark sneaking up behind Peach. She gasped sharply and extended a translucent hand towards the creeping shadowy figure, knowing exactly what it was even before it showed its face. She would recognize that slinking silhouette anywhere.

Elodie had hoped never to see the shadow again.

"Beldam!" snarled Elodie.

There was a horridly shrill cackle, and from the ground emerged a dark silhouette with a long, pointed nose and a sinister smirk. There was a glimmer in her black eyes—Elodie could not restrain her fury at seeing the silhouette again. After all these years, she had hoped that Beldam had died… but alas, here she stood, as wicked as the day Elodie had laid herself to rest.

"You wretch!" she screamed, pointing a finger at Beldam. "How dare you show your face to me!"

Beldam merely snickered. "Oh, I missed you, too. What a warm reception after all these years, Lady Lancaster… I must admit I am shocked that you have survived."

The following silence was short-lived as Beldam gasped in mock surprise.

"Ah! But you have not! You are just a spirit… I am afraid then, my lovely, that you will not be able to gain your revenge on me."

Elodie snarled, her silver eyes spitting a very real fire. "We shall see. Although I may not be able to lay a hand on you myself, my champion may yet destroy you for me."

Beldam cackled again, inching that much closer to Peach. Elodie knew that she had to get the woman out of the situation before a dark spiral of capture or torture could begin.

"Peach," snapped Elodie, her voice strained. "Come with me. We do not need to waste our time here."

With a smirk that nearly stretched off her face, Beldam taunted, "Is this your heroine, Lady Lancaster? This helpless little thing? I must pity you. She wouldn't be able to hurt a fly."

"No, she is not," replied Elodie, holding her head high. A smirk formed upon her face. "You are too late, Beldam. My Map has been sent off to be received by my true champion. Good luck finding it now… it is far beyond your reach."

For the first time since her arrival, Beldam's grin faltered. The gleam in her eye diminished; suddenly, she looked horrified. Elodie relished in the temporary triumph it brought her, just as Beldam's utter silence did. She glared at the specter, her eyes narrowed, wishing beyond anything that she could curse Beldam into oblivion.

Peach looked between the two spirits, obviously curious about the exchange. It was clear she knew that there was history between the two.

The silence was again shattered by Beldam. "Very well, then! I shall simply have to squeeze the information out of this Peach! And you, Lancaster… I think it's time that you go back to sleep."

"Peach, run!" shrieked Elodie, using whatever she could of her power to propel Peach forward. The princess, however, was startled beyond all comprehension and only ran to the back of the dilapidated building, where there was no exit.

"Elodie!" exclaimed Peach, her blue eyes wide with panic.

"Go!" Elodie cried, forcing her spirit form in front of Peach. "Beldam will not spare you! Quickly!"

As she commanded her heroine, Elodie reached out a hand to intercept a ball of shadow that Beldam flung towards her. It took much of Elodie's power to deflect it into the wall—where it hit, a vortex of dark energy materialized.

"I cannot hold her off any longer!" shouted Elodie. She looked behind her to face Peach, who looked terrified. "Go, I beg you!"

Just as Peach nodded and sprinted forward to the exit, Beldam launched another ball of shadow at Elodie. It hit Elodie in the chest, making her gasp—some sort of Beldam's magic kept her locked in place. Then, although Peach had reached the door and was nearly free, Beldam seized her hand, opened a shadowy portal in the ground, and disappeared, Peach's shriek echoing in Elodie's ears.

"No…" whispered Elodie. But the magic in Beldam's attack was forcing her deep into a void of sleep; a void that she would only be able to break through when her true hero arrived.