Mario didn’t answer immediately.
Over the past…
however long he’d been in this strange white space, he’d noticed something.
Whenever the R.O.B.
smiled like that, common sense usually stopped applying.
He had no reason to believe this time would be any different.
“…I’m beginning to associate that smile with bad news.”
The young man looked genuinely offended.
“Bad news?”
“I was about to give you a gift.”
Mario shrugged.
“You also told me you accidentally killed me with almost the same smile.”
“…Fair point.”
The R.O.B.
rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“I should probably work on my expressions.”
“I don’t think that’s the problem.”
“No?”
“I think you enjoy keeping people guessing.”
The young man beamed.
“I really do.”
Mario couldn’t help shaking his head.
At least the being was honest about it.
“So,” Mario said, “what’s the gift?”
The R.O.B.
didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he slowly walked past Mario, his hands clasped behind his back.
His footsteps made no sound against the featureless white ground.
“I’ve lived for…” He paused, looking upward as though trying to remember.
“…Actually, I don’t know anymore.”
“You forgot?”
“When numbers get that large, yes.”
Mario wasn’t sure whether to laugh.
“So let’s just say…”
The R.O.B.
turned around with a grin.
“…a very, very long time.”
“I’ve seen civilizations rise and disappear.”
“I’ve watched stars ignite.”
“I’ve watched universes collapse because someone thought changing one tiny rule of physics would be funny.”
Mario raised an eyebrow.
“…Someone actually did that?”
“Oh, yes.”
The R.O.B.
sighed.
“He wasn’t invited to the next gathering.”
Mario decided not to ask what kind of gathering omnipotent beings attended.
He had a feeling the answer would only create more questions.
The R.O.B.
stopped a few steps away.
“After seeing so much…”
“I’ve realized something.”
Mario waited.
“Stories are fascinating.”
That wasn’t the answer he’d expected.
“Stories?”
“Mhm.”
The young man’s eyes brightened.
“Mortals imagine incredible worlds.”
“Worlds filled with heroes.”
“Villains.”
“Magic.”
“Advanced technology.”
“Impossible creatures.”
He spread his arms toward the endless white around them.
“Some of them are surprisingly creative.”
Mario frowned slightly.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“You will.”
The R.O.B.
lifted one hand.
A tiny point of light appeared above his palm.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, dozens of glowing spheres floated in the air between them.
Each was no larger than a marble.
Yet when Mario looked closely…
He could see landscapes inside them.
Mountains.
Cities.
Oceans.
Entire worlds.
His breathing slowed.
“…Those are…”
“Worlds.”
The answer came simply.
Mario took a step closer.
They weren’t illusions.
He couldn’t explain how he knew.
He just did.
Every sphere felt…
real.
“As I said,” the R.O.B.
continued, “mortals have wonderful imaginations.”
Mario’s eyes remained fixed on the floating lights.
“These are fictional worlds.”
The R.O.B.
smiled.
“They are.”
Mario slowly looked at him.
“You mean…”
“The stories people write.”
“The movies they make.”
“The games they play.”
“They actually exist.”
The R.O.B.
gave an exaggerated shrug.
“‘Fictional’ is a very mortal word.”
His smile became almost playful.
“Reality doesn’t care what humans believe.”
Mario considered that.
It sounded impossible.
Then again…
So had everything else today.
The R.O.B.
flicked one of the tiny spheres with his finger.
It drifted lazily through the air.
“I’ve decided to let you visit them.”
Mario blinked.
“…Visit.”
“Yes.”
He waited for the catch.
It came almost immediately.
“But.”
Mario sighed.
“There it is.”
“There it is.”
The R.O.B.
laughed.
“You may visit any fictional world you know.”
Mario’s heart skipped a beat.
Any?
Surely he hadn’t heard that correctly.
The R.O.B.
continued before he could speak.
“However…”
“You only get one visit.”
Mario’s expression grew serious.
“…Meaning?”
“Once you leave a world…”
“You can never return.”
The floating spheres slowly rotated around them, filling the empty space with soft light.
Mario looked from one sphere to another.
One chance.
No retries.
No do-overs.
If he wasted an opportunity…
It would be gone forever.
He folded his arms.
“What determines when I leave?”
“You.”
“I choose?”
“You do.”
“So I could stay for years.”
“If you wanted.”
“Or decades?”
The R.O.B.
nodded.
“Entire lifetimes.”
Mario immediately asked the next question.
“And time?”
“Ah.”
The young man smiled.
“Excellent question.”
Mario noticed he hadn’t answered yet.
The R.O.B.
chuckled.
“I’m still deciding.”
“…You’re deciding?”
“I haven’t finalized the settings.”
Mario stared at him.
“…Settings?”
“What?”
“I enjoy customizing gifts.”
Mario wasn’t sure whether he should be relieved or concerned.
Probably both.
The R.O.B.
snapped his fingers.
The floating worlds vanished.
“In any case…”
“The details aren’t particularly important right now.”
“They’re extremely important.”
“They will be.”
The young man corrected.
“But you’ll naturally learn them once you begin.”
Mario resisted the urge to sigh.
This being truly enjoyed withholding information.
Still…
He had learned enough.
One visit.
Any fictional world.
His mind immediately began running through possibilities.
Hundreds of them.
No.
Thousands.
Some worlds offered incredible technology.
Others possessed supernatural abilities.
Some contained knowledge worth more than entire civilizations.
Every choice would matter.
The R.O.B.
noticed the thoughtful look on Mario’s face.
“Already planning?”
Mario nodded honestly.
“I’d be an idiot not to.”
The young man laughed.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Mario looked up.
“One question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why give me something this valuable?”
For the first time since they’d met…
The R.O.B.
didn’t answer with a joke.
Instead, he looked quietly at the endless horizon.
Then back at Mario.
“Because I’m curious.”
Mario waited.
“I’ve given similar gifts before.”
“…Similar?”
“But never to someone like you.”
Mario frowned.
“What makes me different?”
The R.O.B.’s smile returned.
“You think before acting.”
“You question instead of assuming.”
“And…”
He paused.
“You’ve already learned the hardest lesson most people never do.”
Mario knew what he meant.
Trust.
The R.O.B.
nodded as though reading his thoughts.
“I wonder what someone like you will do…”
“…when every fictional world becomes a real opportunity.”
The white space suddenly trembled.
Very slightly.
Mario looked around.
“You felt that?”
The R.O.B.’s expression didn’t change.
“I did.”
Another tremor.
This one stronger.
The smile slowly disappeared from the young man’s face.
That alone made Mario tense.
It was the first time he’d seen the R.O.B.
stop smiling.
The endless white cracked.
Not everywhere.
Just a thin line stretching across the distant horizon.
The R.O.B.
frowned.
“…That’s…”
He stopped speaking.
Mario had a feeling…
Whatever had interrupted an omnipotent being…
Couldn’t possibly be good.
End of Chapter 4