It ended too quickly. He hadn't even felt it. One moment, he was there, and the next he wasn't.

He had always wondered what death would feel like, but he didn't expect it to feel like nothing at all. It happened too fast. It was almost hard to comprehend. A part of him didn't believe it.

He couldn't have been dead. Not yet. Not when there was so much left to do! So much he hadn't experienced yet. He had so many plans he had yet to bring to reality. He had a whole life planned, none of which he ever got to experience. He had everything ahead of him, yet in less than a second, it was suddenly ripped away.

It was unfair.

He didn't feel hot, he didn't feel cold. He didn't feel anything. Why couldn't he feel anything?? The fact that he couldn't feel anything terrified him. Shouldn't it have been burning hot or freezing cold down in the Underwhere??

Dimentio opened his eyes, looking around himself at his surroundings. He immediately gasped, grabbing his head and trembling. "No... no, no, no, please no," he whimpered. He already knew where he was, but somehow opening his eyes and seeing it all made it tens of thousands of times worse.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back. He couldn't be down there. Not when he didn't even get the chance to actually live yet. He had a whole life planned for after he created that perfect world. He was going to get to be the person he always wanted to be! He was finally going to be able to live without the impending fear of death looming over him. He was finally going to be able to experience life. He had been so excited.

"Ah, are you Dimentio?" Someone asked from behind him, making him jump and whirl around to see a simple D-Man, holding up a clipboard and smiling. Dimentio felt like his heart should have been racing, but couldn't feel his heartbeat. He didn't even have a heartbeat! How horrifying was that? "Whoa, no need to panic. It's okay..." The D-Man assured. "Most new souls freak out when they realize-"

"I'm dead... no, no, no, no, I'm dead," Dimentio whined, covering his face and breathing heavily, even though he technically didn't have to breathe anymore. "No, no, no, no, please no. Th-this can't be happening! There must be some mistake!"

The D-Man paused, then sighed, putting the clipboard down. "I'm sorry. I know it's shocking. But I'm here to help you get-"

"NO! I don't belong here!" Dimentio exclaimed, stepping back away from the D-Man and looking around himself in horror. He wasn't wearing the same clothes he was wearing before he died. His mask and hat were absent, but that wasn't the biggest concern. He would have cared if he were still alive, but at that moment it didn't even matter. He instead was wearing the same thing almost all the souls in the Underwhere wore. A black tank-top and black leggings. Without his mask, his pale grey complexion was visible and his black hair fell over his mismatched yellow and black eyes.

"I know it seems that way, but trust me. You are right where you're meant to be," The D-Man assured, holding up the clipboard again. "Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions. I'm here to-"

"HOW DO I GET OUT OF HERE??" Dimentio immediately asked, grabbing the D-Man's shoulders and looking at him with wide eyes, panic lining his tone. Nothing else mattered anymore. He didn't even care what would happen IF he got back. He just needed to get out of there!

"Uhh... well, you can't..." The D-Man trailed off. "But here! Each new soul gets a ticket to meet with the Queen herself. It's part of Underwhere courtesy so you feel more at home and heard down here!" The D-Man smiled, reaching behind himself, then holding up a small ticket. "You can also ask her questions and stuff. She's much nicer than she seems, trust me."

Dimentio frowned, looking at the ticket. He then let the D-Man go, immediately taking the ticket in his hands and looking it over as if it was a key to the dimensional door. "Which way is the palace," he demanded.

"Straight ahead, past the river of Twygz. You can either swim across or pay the-"

"I don't swim. I'll just teleport, thank you very much," Dimentio interrupted with an empty voice, snapping his fingers as if the act would magically bring him where he desired to be.

Nothing happened. The D-Man raised his eyebrows and Dimentio immediately felt like an idiot. Of course, he couldn't use magic down there. Magic was directly connected to one's lifeforce. Since Dimentio was dead, so was his magic.

The very thought of that alone made him want to break down and cry, and he was NOT even a crier.

"... Here are a few coins for the ferryman," The D-Man breathed after a short pause, handing Dimentio some coins and turning away. "Welcome to the Underwhere."

Dimentio watched as the man walked away from him, onward to the next soul who was entering. He then looked down at the small gold coins in his hands. He already hated it down there. He didn't understand how anyone could be okay with living in that place for all eternity.

All eternity...

The idea of being dead for all eternity, stuck to rot down there forever, was so terrifying. He could hardly stand to think about it!

He began to walk, but his breathing didn't slow. He continued breathing heavily, trying to get the oxygen he felt like he needed, even though his body wasn't taking oxygen anymore. He couldn't even feel the satisfaction of taking a deep breath anymore. It simply didn't feel the same.

He walked up to the ferryman, silently holding out the coins as he tried to at least appear somewhat composed and not on the verge of a breakdown. Charon, knowing that this was a fairly normal occurrence with new souls, simply took his coins and granted him passage across the river. Dimentio sat in the back of the gondola, looking down at the murky purple waters.

For some reason, he had a looming fear of being pushed in, dragged to the bottom by skeletal hands, and never let go.

He never really liked water. He was always afraid of drowning. The idea of being stuck and unable to breathe scared him badly ever since he was a youth. Especially since water often obscured magic, making teleporting out of it difficult. Though he never admitted that to anyone. Fears were weaknesses, so it was important that no one knew about them.

Dimentio carefully hopped out once the boat made it to the opposite side, marching for the palace to talk to the queen. He wasn't sure what he would say. He didn't really have a plan, but he felt like he needed to do this and at least try to get his life back. After all, there was nothing left for him to do. His plans had all failed.

He wasn't sure how he would phrase his words in a way to make her royal majesty at least consider letting him return. He could probably threaten her, but seeing as she was the more powerful of the two at the moment, that would basically be setting him up for failure. He could maybe just beg her, but that seemed pathetic.

He knew that this was probably a waste of time, but he wasn't planning on leaving that room until he got Jaydes to agree somehow and give him his life back. If she wanted a sob story, he could give her a sob story. If she wanted reasons, he could give her reasons. He didn't care what he had to do. He couldn't be dead. Not yet.

He went to knock on the palace doors, only for them to open before his fist met the marble. It was almost like the doors had predicted his arrival. He found that odd and looked up to see if there was some sort of automatic sensor. After a moment of searching to no avail, he stepped inside, seeing the queen herself, sitting up on her throne.

She didn't look upset. She didn't look like she was dealing with the criminal who just nearly ended all worlds. She kept her composure, which was more than Dimentio could say for himself. He was terrified. He almost couldn't form the words he wanted to.

"I knew it wouldn't take you long to come," Jaydes breathed with an almost bored tone as the new soul meekly walked forward, feeling smaller than ever now. He usually floated to make himself appear taller and more powerful, but in reality, he was rather short. About an inch or two shorter than Mario himself.

Dimentio opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. How would one respond to that??

"I also know why you're here," Jaydes stated, still sounding bored. "Dimentio, you know the rules. I cannot just bring souls back to life. Especially souls like you."

Dimentio's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Could she read his mind? He wasn't even given a chance to say a single word, let alone state his case!

Jaydes was a professional woman, so he wasn't sure how to argue in a way to make himself win. However, not arguing at all wasn't an option. He had to say at least something.

How to get through to the queen of the Underwhere? He knew that the odds were stacked heavily against him, seeing as he nearly destroyed all worlds and noting that Jaydes was known as quite the stickler for rules. There was no way he could win this by appealing to logic since logically, he shouldn't get another chance.

However... she was also a mother. Perhaps if he appealed to her emotions and got through her icy exterior he could just hit her hard enough to let him go. Or perhaps they could come to an agreement. It was a long shot, but the thought of going back to the living world and escaping that horrid place was worth it.

But how to get through to her? He knew he couldn't lie to the queen, as she would be sure to spot it.

However, would the truth of his life be enough?

Probably not... but he'd have to try.

"Your majesty... if I may..." He started, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "You have a daughter, correct?"

The queen nodded, though she was unsure why this was being brought up at the moment. It seemed irrelevant.

"What kind of life would you like for her to lead?" Dimentio asked.

The queen paused, debating whether this was an okay question to answer. She eventually deemed it fine and said, "I want her to live happily. I want her to be safe, warm, and loved."

"Ah, yes.... don't all children deserve that? To live life feeling safe... happy... and loved?" Dimentio asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. "My queen, I know I do not deserve a second chance. I'm not going to try to convince you that I do, because I know I don't. But... do you know why I was striving so hard to create a perfect world?"

The queen remained silent, her facial expression remaining stern as if it hardly mattered. She knew her mind wasn't going to be changed, but hearing him out would at least be interesting.

Dimentio waited for a response but continued as soon as he realized he wasn't going to get one. "I... never got to live in a world where I got to feel safe and loved. All I wanted... was a place where everyone could feel that way. All the time. I never did get to live the life my parents must have wanted me to live. I wanted to feel free, to feel happy. But I never did. Not even a little bit. Your majesty, I want to feel that way. I want to really live. For just a little bit. I can't die without truly living yet..."

None of these words were lies. They were all composed of Dimentio's true feelings. The reasons why he believed he needed a chance. Everyone deserved to be happy, at least once, right? Isn't that what all the heroes were always going on and on about?

Sure, his words were a little sappier than he would have liked and he hated putting on such a performance, but these were the performances people wanted to see.

The queen raised an eyebrow, then lightly smiled. "Did you come up with that just now, or did you have that speech prepared?"

Dimentio felt his shoulders sag slightly, then took a step forward. "Please, your majesty. I'll do anything. Surely there must be something! I just need a little more time. I want to live. Please!" He begged, making tears well up in his eyes.

The tears and the pleas were all part of the sappy act, but he fought hard to make them convincing. He was quite an actor after all. In fact, he was such a good actor that he hardly knew who the real him was! All he knew were the characters he was constantly portraying.

If he got his chance at life back, he would have to make it a mission to figure out who he really was, because he honestly didn't even know anymore.

"I'm sorry, but letting someone as unhinged as you back into the living world is not on my list of things to do," Jaydes simply shrugged, interrupting his thoughts.

Dimentio blinked a few times, processing her words. For a second, he thought that this was the end of the argument. Jaydes surely thought so. But he couldn't lose just yet.

"Then I won't be unhinged! I'll be good, I promise!" He cried, bringing his hands together in front of himself. "Please! I'm begging you!"

Jaydes was about to say a firm no once again, when she paused, slowly smiling as if an idea was forming.

Dimentio was a criminal. He was the one who nearly ended all worlds. The Underwhere needed a way to punish the worst of the worst.

And what better way than to make them suffer through their worst fears?

Dimentio's worst fear was clear and obvious. He feared dying. He feared being erased and forgotten. What would be worse than the impending fear that death was coming for him, having a short little countdown?

If she were to just leave Dimentio down in the Underwhere, he would realize it wasn't all that bad and get over it. But... if she were to send him back to the living world without magic, without power, and with a time limit, he would have to spend that entire time frame terrified of the fact that death was coming for him and that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Because there was no worse kind of suffering than someone's fears eating away at them from the inside.

"Hmm.... alright, let's make an agreement then," The queen smiled.

Dimentio's eyes lit up. Had that really worked? She wanted to make an agreement with him?!

"Yes! Anything!" Dimentio exclaimed.

Jaydes slowly smiled, noting how Dimentio almost looked pathetic. He had never seemed smaller and more desperate than he had at that moment. It was funny almost.

"I'll let you go back... but you'll have no magic and no power. You won't be allowed to harm a single soul. If you do, you'll find yourself right back down here."

Dimentio nodded. He didn't even care about those simple requirements. She could take his very voice for all he cared. What mattered was that he had actually somehow won. "Oh, your majesty! That's wonderful-"

"But you'll be sick." Jaydes interrupted, making Dimentio's joyous smile falter ever so slightly.

Sick? What did she mean by that? Was she giving him a common cold? The flu? Why?

"I... beg your pardon?" He asked.

"You'll be sick," Jaydes repeated, a smile twitching up slightly. "I will send you back with an illness that will bring you right back here."

Dimentio blinked a few times, slightly confused. What was the point of that, then? What was her strategy? He struggled to see what her angle on the situation was.

"I'll give you three months to live, then you come back here. Forever."

Three MONTHS?

Only three months?! That wasn't enough time! There was so much he needed to do.

But... it was all the time he could get. Just the idea of going back was so enticing. So of course, he accepted. He accepted, and just like that, was sent back. He wasn't sure what made the queen change her mind about him, but that hardly mattered. What mattered was that he was going back.

What mattered was that this wasn't the end.

Yet.