Persona Infinite

8/4 Sat 08:00:00 pm- 08:00:01

The wail of a thousand voices echoed throughout the giant metallic chamber. Almost the entire inhabitants of Goto were incased in silvery pods covered in wires. Each person wore a mask with a crescent moon that concealed the pain and agony they were experiencing as their very souls, their essence, their per-so-na were being stripped away.

Six friends stood strong in the center of the room pressing their way towards the silvery pods. Their objective stood before them: a huge creature made of swirling hues of black and white. As it consumed each persona the creature became whole then became taller and larger. Its name was legion for it is many.

"Are we too late," one of the female friends cried out over the wailing.

One of the boys stepped forward. He pushed the bridge of his glasses tighter to his nose. "By my calculations, given his skyrocketing PE, our odds of success are…"

The leader turned towards the boy with the glasses and pointed a finger at him. "I don't want a number."

"… not good," the boy concluded fixing his glasses again.

As they spoke another wave of shadows coursed around them. The young girl wearing a Gi kicked back a shadow that had gotten too close then threw a hand full of darts expelling the rest. "I do not care who or what it is I will defeat them all and be back in time for dinner."

"More ramen noodles hmm?" One of the boys snickered.

The girl replied by with a "Grrr" and kicked the boy in the shin causing him to drop one of his guns and jump on one leg. "With shrimp!"

"Hmph such child-like behavior and during a crisis like this," said one of the girls. She was tall and beautiful. Her school uniform was untucked and purposely missing its first two buttons near the collar. She wiped her hair over her shoulder and notched another arrow from her quiver. A trained hand strained the bow then released the arrow taking out three shadows who had foolishly lined up.

"Enough of this," the leader cried out, "Icarus come forth." A phantom shot from his head and spread its wings. Its eyes were bright and its beard on fire and in its hand it carried a spear. "Use Holy," the boy commanded. Icarus obeyed and spun his spear of his head. He speared the ground causing a light to come forth and bathe the room in its radiance. When the light faded all the shadows besides the monstrous creature were gone but the leader almost fell to his knees if not for using his sword to prop himself.

Before he could collapse the first girl grabbed his shoulder. When he turned to look at her she blushed and looked away. "Y-you should be more careful dummy," she exclaimed. "Igneel, come to me, use Diarahan." A giant opaque salamander shot out of her head and immediately turned white to match the floor. He opened his mouth and made a burping noise causing a rejuvenating light to revolve around the boy.

"Sorry to make you worry… and thanks," he replied.

The girl silently nodded and back up unclasping his shoulder.

The leader tightened his hand around the grip of his sword and raised it toward their objective. With his mind sharp with determination he turned toward his companions. "Are you guys ready?"

All heads nodded as if in unison.

"I don't know if we can defeat it but we were given the ability to try so… let's do it!"

In agreement they charged after Legion and would have continued so if not for a hoarse voice that called after them. "Wait, please wait," she cried out again.

The leader faltered in his step as the pained voice beseeched him. For the second time that day that voice seemed to single him out and pull directly on his heart strings but he still did not know why.

A blonde girl wearing a ruined pink yukata was crawling towards them. Blood was dripping from her mouth and she had cuts and bruises all over her body. Just moments ago she had confronted the group trying to dissuade them from killing Legion. When they did not listen to her she tried to force them and failed again. As she crawled luminescent wings could be seen forming a barrier that encircled her. Helel, her persona, maintained his defensive position around her while he attended her wounds. "Please stop. You are not ready. Y-you don't have the ability to defeat it yet. Please…"

The leader bit his lip and stoned his heart to her pleas. "You'll be safe where you are," he whispered. "Common guys we need to finish this!" With that he raised his sword and charged Legion. His friends followed him into the fray as they were strengthened by his determination.

The boy with the glasses splayed his arms out in from of him. "Nexus, reveal yourself," he exclaimed. Waves of static formed a screen that semi-reflected his image. From that screen the boy could see himself wearing a green power suit and around his arms digital keyboards emerged. "I cannot tell how much health he has but he currently has no affinity for fire. I am going to hack into him and retrieve more data."

"Ooh, ooh me," said the little girl in the Gi. "My persona has Agilao."

"I know so use it already," he replied ignoring the face she was making.

The blonde girl despaired at what was to come next for she had seen it before. She tried to say something but coughed up blood. She thought about giving up but her love for him persisted. She struggled to her feet and hugged her bruised body. "Helel, use Dia, quickly." As soon as the light faded she felt most of her cuts and bruises fading away. She thought she still had time but she was very wrong.

"Good he's stunned. Initiate an all-out attack," shouted the boy with the glasses.

"No! No wait," the blonde girl cried out in despair. While everyone else was attacking Legion, the leader turned around just in time to see the blonde girl closing in on him. In her hand she held a feather she had obtained from her persona. He tried to react but his body felt sluggish while she was almost… flying towards him. The feather in her grasp rushed at his forehead and caused ripples on its surface before plunging inside. Suddenly a series of emotions and memories, part of them belonging to him, flashed through his head. Lucrecia, that was her name and they were lovers. She had been trying to warm them that if they destroyed the…

"Guys you need to stop…," the leader exclaimed but it was too late.

"Anyone feel like that was too easy," said one of the boys.

The shy girl sighed aloud, "I'm just glad everybody is alright but what is that noise."

The low sound everybody heard became louder and sounded like the same wails the people trapped in the pods were making but it wasn't coming from them. The sound grew louder and louder until they realized that it was coming from the disintegrating body of Legion.

The boy with the glasses tore them off and stared at the screen. "No, no! Everybody run. Get out of here now before it manifest!"

The little girl wearing the Gi readied three more darts. "Pss, if it's not dead we'll just kill it again."

"You idiot!" The boy with the glasses ran towards the little girl just as a murky liquid began pouring out of Legion's chest. He grabbed her around the waist and ran towards the entrance of the room.

The leader stared at the black goop and saw not personas but mangled, enraged, and unfettered memories and feelings. With nothing to contain them they ripped each other apart and spread outward becoming and wraithlike hurricane. The girl with the bow tried to fight it but her persona was torn asunder.

"Everyone run, go now!" the leader hollered over the din of wails. "We cannot fight this thing. Get out while you can!"

The leader grabbed Lucrecia's arm and turned to run but she stopped him. He knew immediately that it was not because she had given up but rather that it was pointless at this time. He clasped her hand and watched sorrowfully as his friends were consumed when the black torrent suddenly exploded while he and Lucrecia remained safe inside her persona's wings. He turned to her with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry we failed again. I thought that-."

Lucrecia stopped him midsentence by kissing him. Tears were falling from her as well. "No you did what you always felt was right. It was I who was too late."

The boy dried her eyes then chuckled. "Man this is messed up. I'll just have to try harder next time. Well, I guess this is goodbye again." The boy felt one last tear fall from his face. The boy was about to step out of the barrier when the girl hugged him tightly. "No it's not. It is another chance to say hello. Okay?"

"yea, okay" he replied with a smile. "Catch you on the flip side." With that he fell backward into the black abyss. Before his body could hit the ground he was already gone.

The blonde girl cried aloud and sobbed. She walked over to the boy's lifeless body and cradled his head. He knew what he had to do, she knew that but I did not make the pain any less painful. Now it was her turn to do what only she could do: change the past again. Every time it would almost kill her but she did it for love.

Lucrecia wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. She clasped her hands together and bowed her head. "Helel," she whispered to the other half of herself. "Undo."