They fell out of the red and black vortex, landing on the floor with a disgusting splat before throwing themselves back up into the air again. Teddie whimpered and was in the verge of screaming again while the two teenagers were frozen in fear. The shadows, in the forms of giant ball mouths, flew forward, sending Yosuke stumbling backwards and landing on his butt. They didn't seem as attracted to the brunette as they did to the two standing slightly behind him, turning their attention towards them before freezing. "... Huh...? They stopped...?" Yosuke managed to wonder aloud before turning to the others to see if they were alright. Narukami was stumbling around, a blue aurora surrounding him as he gripped his face in what appeared to be pain. He could catch glimpses of white through his fingers as he tried to pry whatever it was that had latched onto his face off. He stumbled around for a bit longer before falling to his knees, limp. His hands fell and he noticed that it was a mask, black lines that looked like thunderbolts etched across the front, but no way for him to breathe through it. "Narukami? Are... You okay?" His head lifted and turned to him swiftly. He stared in shock at his eyes, which had went from a silver color to a shining orange with a black line around the pupil. "What the hell...?" He gasped. Suddenly, something resembling a shockwave went over him, changing his clothes as it moved down before stopping at his feet. He lifted his hands to eye level, dropping his new knife ... Sword ... Thing In the process. He was wearing what looked like gloves, metal layering the top and covering his fingers, ending in a sharp looking point. His school uniform had been replaced with a long overcoat, the popped collar coming up to about where the tops of his ears would have been, if he could see them. His hair had been covered with some odd black fabric and he was wearing a metal headband that was attached to the top of the mask. Two metal plates stuck out from that, and two white belt looking objects hovered inches from that, trailing a long way down until the backs of his knees. His jacket was buckled up in the front until it reached his new belt, then it spread out backwards. He wore black pants and buckle boots that came up to his knees, which had blades on the bottoms. They had to be at least a foot long. Everyone in the surrounding area was stunned, even the shadows. He picked up his knife-sword, standing up without much difficulty, which was surprising considering he was basically walking on built-in stilts. ... And now he was even taller. Goddammit. Everything after that sort of happened in one swift moment. Narukami owned the shadows in his new outfit (he swore he saw lightning coming out of his hands) before dropping to the ground on his knees. He lifted a hand up to his face, holding the mask gently before removing it with ease. He gasped for breath as the clothes disappeared, leaving him in his normal school attire. The mask glowed a light blue before disappearing itself, leaving nothing but a shimmer in the air. He sat there for a moment or two longer, rocking slightly before falling forwards, unconscious.
"Hello again." He glanced up. "I must say, this power you've gotten is quite extraordinary. You see, most people who've come here are only able to summon this side of themselves as another entity entirely. You, on the other hand, have mastered this ability before you even knew you had it. This power is called the persona. Although I would adore to tell you more, it appears that our time together has run out. Your new friends seem to need you more than you need me at the moment. Until we meet again." He chuckled before his vision grew dark and his eyes opened. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, staring up at Teddie, who was shaking him harshly. "Sensei, Sensei, please, get up!" He cried, shaking him harder. He pushed himself up, taking in his surroundings. Yosuke was hiding behind a pile of rubble while a giant frog ninja... thing... (?) rampaged around, having crushed the liquor store they were just standing outside of. What the hell had gone on while he was asleep? "You're all so boring! I'll just kill you now!" Oh. That didn't sound good. He stood up unsteadily, nearly knocking the poor bear next to him over. He threw his arm out in front of him. "Persona!" The card floated down, but he didn't waste time. He crushed it immediately, feeling the mask grow over his face like a second layer of impenetrable skin. He still couldn't breathe, but once it was over, he never felt like he had to. Anyway, back to whatever the hell was going on. He cast a lightning spell, hitting the monster in the face and attracting it's attention to him. Ah crap. He really hadn't thought this through. It hit him with it's gangling arms, sending him flying backwards and into another building. Damn, that hurt. He pushed himself out of the rubble, but barely had time to recover as the beast was upon him once more. He slashed out with the sword he held, hitting it square in the jaw and dazing it for a few precious seconds. He threw another lightning spell a it, causing it to drop to the floor and let him get out of there. "Sensei, you hit it's weak spot!" Oh. Good to know. It got up a few moments later and charged at him again. He jumped into the air instinctively, avoiding the attack entirely. When had he been able to pull this off?! Gravity took it's hold on him again and he was pulled downward. He landed on the top of the creature with a sickening crunch, blades on his shoes impaling themselves through it's skull. Ugh. He eventually got himself out of that predicament (somehow) and made his way back to Teddie and Yosuke, taking off the mask without passing out this time. "Yosuke..." Teddie said, seemingly genuinely concerned. "If you don't accept it, it'll just keep going crazy until it kills you." He turned to see that there was another Yosuke standing there, enveloped in a black and red aura. No, seriously. What the hell went on while he was passed out? The Yosuke next to him sighed heavily. "I guess... I guess you're right. You ARE me." Yosuke #2 smiled softly before disappearing in a blue light. A card hovered over Yosuke. He opened his hand and caught it. Time seemed to slow down for him and words overlapped his vision. 'Yosuke has found the strength of one's heart to face one's self. He has obtained the facade used to overcome life's hardships; the persona Jariya.'