The New Monarch (Human! Bowser X Reader)

[49] The Undead Counterpart

It hurts.

Not just the flesh and blood melting off my skin but what I witnessed before my demise.

My brother reappeared out of nowhere.

He defeated me.

And above all, he hurt... her...

I deserve this pain.

"Sire!"

All of it...

"Sire!"

(F/n)...

Kamek's voice rings out urgently. "Bowser!" He finally resorts to using the Koopa King's name to snap him out of his degrading thoughts. 

In response, Bowser's eyes shot open, and he stands up abruptly, his expression reflecting confusion as he asks, "What happened?!"

Looking around at the Koopas surrounding him, he notices their faces widened with shock. Annoyed by the stares, he questions what's happening, moving around to get a better view. 

Finally, the man looks down at his hands and then the rest of his body, only to realize he transformed into a living big-boned skeleton, just like the rest of the Dry Bones subjects. 

A Dry Bowser.

The realization hits him like a ton of bricks, and he's stunned into silence.

He touches his face and feels nothing but the rough sensation of his bony figures. "What the hell am I?! Why am I like this?!"

"Sire, try to stay calm down. It's not..." Kamek pauses and licks his lips. "That bad?"

"Calm down?!" The man replies loudly. "How can I calm down when I practically died?!"

"In a matter of terms, you're not dead, more like undead..?" The magician tries to reassure Bowser.

The man paces back and forth in a state of agitation, his face twisted in frustration. "This can't be happening..." He mutters, the words tumbling out in a stream of disbelief. "I don't know how this day can get any worse!"

The Koopas stand around him in a circle, their faces tense with worry. They exchange glances, each one afraid to be the one to speak the words that everyone is thinking: that things can indeed get worse.

Bowser notices their apprehension, and his eyes narrow in suspicion. "What?" He demands, his voice heavy with authority.

Kamek steps forward, his wand clutched tightly in both hands. Clearing his throat nervously before speaking. "Knowing you, sire, I think what you are now is the least of your problems," He begins slowly, his voice measured and careful. "Aoi took (F/n) with him, and we don't know where we are..."

The group takes a step back in fear of what might come next. 

Everyone knows Bowser cannot take bad news lightly, and the thought of what he might do next is frightening.

"(F/n)'s kidnapped because of me, and worst of all, Aoi has taken her..." Bowser murmurs, despair setting in. His arms fall to the sides, and he collapses on his knees, and upon impact, his skeleton breaks apart into pieces.

"Sire!"

"No...." He says in a defeated tone. "How am I even still alive at this point?"

"When you fell into the lava, I wasn't able to pull you out enough to save your body completely, but I was able to intact your soul to whatever was left of it."

"Makes sense...." The man says, letting out a long sigh of defeat. "Even if I knew where she is, how can I save her? Look at me. I look like I belong in a horror attraction..."

"Please don't say that, sire. It's odd seeing you like this..."

"There's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

The magician knows something must be done. He comes up with an idea and presents Bowser with it.

"Sire, I know you feel defeated after everything that's happened, but if you want to save (F/n) and put an end to this feud between you and Aoi once and for all, you can't continue like this."

Bowser looks at Kamek with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "What do you suggest we do?"

"We need to take action," He suggests. "And we must do it now. I'll get you back into your original form, and then, well, you can kick his ass, so to speak."

The man is taken aback by the language Kamek used, which he's never heard in the time they grew up together. But it makes him grin nevertheless. "Do whatever you can, Kamek, for me to do so."

Kamek raises his wand and gathers Bowser's parts in a bundle, ready to carry him out of the area. "Be on the lookout guards!" He calls out. "Who knows what can happen from here on out."

The guards nod and start fixing the area, preparing for unforeseen circumstances.

Kamek rushes out, getting on his broom and flying to where he can fix up his master. 

TIL THE NEXT CHAPTER! ('｡• ᵕ •｡')