The Magic Carpet dipped slightly, inviting Mario to step aboard.
He looked at it for a moment before placing one foot on the woven fabric.
Nothing happened.
The Carpet remained perfectly steady beneath him.
“…Comfortable.”
The Carpet puffed up proudly, almost as if it had just been complimented.
Mario smiled faintly.
“I can see that.”
With both feet planted, he shifted his weight experimentally.
The Carpet adjusted itself almost instantly, keeping him balanced without the slightest wobble.
Interesting.
It wasn’t simply flying.
It was actively responding to its rider.
The Carpet gave an impatient little bounce.
Mario chuckled.
“I suppose you’re eager to leave.”
The Carpet nodded so vigorously that one tassel nearly slapped Mario in the face.
“…Point taken.”
Without another word, it shot forward.
Whoosh!
The Cave of Wonders blurred behind them as the Carpet effortlessly weaved between towering piles of treasure and ancient stone pillars.
It banked sharply through the massive jaws of the tiger-shaped entrance before bursting into the cool desert night.
Fresh air rushed against Mario’s face.
The endless dunes stretched beneath them like waves frozen in time, glowing silver beneath the moonlight.
Despite the speed…
There was no turbulence.
No violent shaking.
It felt surprisingly smooth.
Mario glanced downward.
“How fast can you fly?”
The Carpet shrugged—or at least performed the closest thing a carpet could manage.
“I’ll take that as ‘very fast.'”
The Carpet happily twirled once before continuing toward the distant horizon.
Mario simply let the wind brush across his face.
This wasn’t a magical artifact.
Not in the way his ring or necklace were.
It was alive.
No words.
No voice.
Yet somehow…
Its personality came through every movement.
He found himself smiling more often than he expected.
Several minutes later, the Carpet slowed.
It hovered above the same rocky outcrop where Mario had waited for the Cave to awaken.
He stepped off.
The Carpet floated beside him, patiently waiting.
Mario turned toward the desert one last time.
The gigantic tiger’s head had already begun sinking beneath the sea of sand.
Its glowing eyes gradually dimmed before disappearing completely.
Within minutes…
Nothing remained.
Only untouched desert.
As though the Cave had never existed.
Mario quietly watched the last traces vanish beneath the shifting dunes.
Three wishes.
Completed.
No complications.
No battles.
Exactly the outcome he had planned.
He extended one hand toward the Carpet.
“You’ve decided to come with me.”
The Carpet floated closer before gently bumping against his palm.
Mario ran his fingers across the enchanted fabric.
The weave felt warm.
Almost alive.
“I don’t know if you’ll like where I’m from.”
The Carpet made a dismissive wave with one corner.
Apparently…
It wasn’t concerned.
Mario laughed.
“Fair enough.”
He closed his eyes.
“World Travel.”
The desert dissolved into countless fragments of light.
The familiar sensation of dimensional travel lasted only an instant.
When Mario opened his eyes again…
The balcony of his new home overlooked the peaceful waters of Taal Lake.
Morning sunlight still spilled across the lake.
Even the gentle breeze felt unchanged.
Earth’s time had remained frozen.
Exactly as the Random Omnipotent Being had promised.
The Carpet drifted curiously around the balcony, peeking over the railing before looking back at Mario.
“This is home.”
The Carpet slowly turned in a circle, taking in the view.
Then it floated higher into the air, apparently deciding the scenery was acceptable.
A low yawn interrupted the quiet.
Mario turned toward the living room.
Luna was still sprawled across the sofa.
One eye lazily opened.
She glanced at Mario.
Then at the floating carpet.
Then back at Mario.
Silence.
“…Explain.”
Mario removed his backpack and set it beside the dining table.
“I made a friend.”
Luna looked at the Carpet again.
The Carpet cheerfully waved one tassel.
Luna’s ears twitched.
“…It’s a carpet.”
“It is.”
“…It’s flying.”
“It is.”
“…It’s waving at me.”
“It is.”
Luna stared for several long seconds.
Then slowly closed her eye again.
“I’ve decided not to question your life anymore.”
Mario couldn’t help laughing.
“That’s probably for the best.”
The Carpet floated over to Luna.
Curious.
It gently poked one of her ears.
Luna’s eye snapped open.
The Carpet immediately retreated several feet.
“…”
“…”
They stared at each other.
Then, without warning—
Luna lifted a paw and lightly batted one of the Carpet’s tassels.
The Carpet wiggled playfully.
Another bat.
Another wiggle.
Mario watched the bizarre scene unfold.
“…I think they’ll get along.”
After preparing a late breakfast, Mario carried his notebook out to the balcony.
The Carpet floated lazily overhead while Luna claimed her usual spot beneath the morning sun.
Mario uncapped his pen.
At the top of a fresh page, he wrote:
Wish Verification
He always verified new abilities before relying on them.
Assumptions got people killed.
Facts kept them alive.
He began with the simplest one.
Age.
Closing his eyes, Mario focused on the image of himself at twenty-five.
The change happened instantly.
His muscles tightened.
His skin became smoother.
The faint lines around his eyes disappeared.
He opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the glass door.
A younger man looked back.
No discomfort.
No instability.
Perfect.
He wrote:
Age Control — Functional.
Next…
He shifted to sixty.
Gray appeared in his hair.
His face matured.
His posture remained straight, but experience now showed itself in every line.
No pain.
Back to thirty-eight.
Instant.
Another note.
Transformation appears flawless.
He leaned back in his chair.
So far…
Exactly as intended.
His first wish, however, was more difficult to verify.
Soul protection wasn’t something he could simply test by looking in a mirror.
He absentmindedly rubbed the pendant hanging around his neck.
The Sage’s necklace had protected him before.
Now…
Its purpose might have become completely redundant.
Still.
There was one thing he could verify.
His status.
He mentally focused inward.
Nothing looked different.
No notifications.
No strange sensations.
Just…
An unmistakable feeling of permanence.
Whatever the Genie had done…
It wasn’t temporary.
Mario nodded to himself.
Satisfied.
Only one wish remained.
The most important one.
Not because it made him stronger today.
Because it would shape every world he visited from now on.
There was no immediate way to test it.
Not until his next journey.
His thoughts naturally drifted toward the notebook resting on the table.
Technology.
That remained his next priority.
He slowly flipped to a blank page.
At the top, he wrote a single heading.
Technology Worlds
His pen hovered over the paper.
Cyberpunk.
He stopped.
“No…”
Too early.
Too dangerous.
The same happened with Terminator.
Skynet alone was enough reason to postpone the visit.
Then another memory surfaced.
Not a movie.
Not an anime.
Not even a game.
A web novel.
Mario slowly lowered the pen.
“…Getting a Technology System in Modern Day.”
He frowned.
He had never finished reading it.
Life had gotten in the way.
But one scene…
One very specific scene…
Remained crystal clear in his memory.
A young man.
Walking home after another disappointing day.
A mysterious light falling from the sky.
A system.
Not born with him.
Not awakened.
Not inherited.
It simply…
Fell.
Mario leaned back, his analytical mind already racing.
“If that system wasn’t destined for him…”
His fingers lightly tapped the notebook.
“…then it had a trajectory.”
Silence settled over the balcony.
The possibility grew more tempting with every passing second.
“If I stand where it lands first…”
He looked toward the peaceful lake stretching beyond the railing.
“…would it choose me instead?”