Time for more Shadowed Ground, rejoice! Man, I never expected that I'd be writing this often. It brings me great comfort. I thank each and every one of you who reads this. Now let us begin. –ArcanaHermit

School Hallway, Lunchtime, April 14th

"One school lunch, please."

As the lady handed me my lunch, I was pondering on where to eat. Usually I would just eat at my class with Elise or try to find Jon and Jane, but Elise was sick and Jon and Jane were busy, so my choices were limited. I honestly don't like eating in a noisy environment, unless it's with a friend. That was one of the only advantages of my old school.

As I turned around, I noticed that Lazard was posting things on the bulletin board. Approaching him and giving him a light tap on the shoulder, we exchanged greetings.

"So, you up for some lunch?"

"No, I had my lunch early since I have stuff to do during lunchtime. Sorry."

"Oh, it's alright…Hey, weird question, but do you know of a place where I can eat in peace? I don't really like eating with all the noise around me."

"Oh, just go to the rooftop. Nobody usually goes there, so it's quiet, and has quite a view as well."

Thanking him, I quickly ran off to the roof, my lunch in hand.


School Rooftop

As I just entered the rooftop, I saw that someone was already there, looking out into the distance. Though I can only see him from the back, I knew who that was.

"James, what are you doing here?"

James turned around, giving me the same stoic expression that he usually gives. He then turned back around again, looking into the distance once more.

"I just come here when I have nothing better to do. Why are you here?"

"Oh, I just came here to eat in peace and quiet."

"I can…understand the sentiment. Eating in the presence of others is an annoyance."

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that but…"

Taking a seat on the floor, I began to eat my lunch. As I was eating, I felt more and more unnerved. He and I are the only ones here, and he's being silent throughout. I felt as though I needed to speak up, to start a conversation. Every time I saw him it was at the dorm, not at school, and every time we talked it was always a discussion about our missions in Astryia.

"So um…how was your day?"

After some silence, he responded, his head still looking onto the blue sky in front of him.

"It was a normal day, nothing special. We're heading to Astryia tonight, just to remind you."

…This wasn't a great start to the conversation. Regardless, I continued to try and engage in meaningful talks with him.

"Um, so…what are you staring at?"

"…Nothing in particular, just looking at the sky."

"I see, that's nice I suppose. So uh…how did you get caught into this? You've known all this longer than Lazard, right?"

After I said that, there was a long silence. It seems he didn't want to talk about it. Oh man, did I make him mad? I scrambled in an attempt to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to prod into your bus-"

"I am part of the same organization as Dr Valeria. They saw I had the power to wield Personas, and so they assigned me to EST as its first member, other than Valeria."

"Oh, I see"

As I was just about to ask another question, the school bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. James immediately walked towards the door, but not before looking at me one last time.

"You should already know this, but you better give it your all in Astryia. This case will all be depending on our actions for the nights to come.."

And with that, he walked back downstairs. As I was about to walk there myself, the shattering sound in my head stopped me.

I art thou, and thou art I

Thou hath formed a powerful bond

It shall be the power that drives you forward, the key needed to open the door

Thou shall receive our blessings when using Personas of the Hermit Arcana

Another Social Link was made, though I get the feeling that this one will be more…difficult than most. I brushed all those thoughts aside and made my way back to my classroom.


Silverpoint Dormitories, James's Room

"There have been 5 new cases of Shadow Possession over the last week. While cases have dropped overall this month, it's not exactly a ludicrous claim to say that the situation is changing, if only slightly"

I was sharpening my weapons with a simple whetstone, pondering at how to respond to Valeria's statement. It's true; the number of cases has dropped after our ventures into Astryia. Still, 5 in a week is quite a severe number of victims over such a short period.

"I suppose it's a logical assumption. Still, 5 is a very small number, so it's clear the Shadows aren't attack en masse. Have you been able to get any readings lately on this side, Shadow or otherwise?"

Valeria sighed, and shook her head in frustration.

"No. Even when I was able to summon Saraswati during the 3 hour time limit, my analytical powers are still considerably weaker here. I can't get a reading unless it's something strong like the two Shadows we faced before."

That's to be expected. During the hours of 12 to 3, it's technically possible for Personas to exist, however an arbitrary rule that may be. Still, compared to summoning one in a place like Astryia, their power is far more limited and takes a great deal of concentration for it to even materialize.

"Then all we can do is to venture forth through Astryia, no need to tell the other members news that would alarm them."

She adjusted her glasses, I knew what she was about to say almost instantly.

"Speaking of the other members, Kurea in particular fascinates me. She has the ability to wield multiple Personas with ease, and in a much less limited way to boot."

I got ticked at that statement slightly. Though I had to agree that her powers has much more variety than my own, it still irks me that someone like her just happened to stumble here the day those two Shadows attacked. I couldn't find a correlation with my research, but it's hard to pass it as mere coincidence.

"Speaking of our new members, shouldn't you at least try to bond with them, James? I know that your past has made you…weary of any sort of attachment, but-"

I cut her off before she spoke another word, I knew what she was going to say. I didn't need a lecture on bonds or friendship; I know where that path will take me, despite her attempts to tell me otherwise.

"All that matters is that we work well when we fight Shadows, and that's all that should ever matter. Now is there anything you'd like to update me on before I return to my weapon maintenance? We have a mission tonight."

Valeria sighed once more, as she often does when she engages in conversation with me.

"We are almost completing our scanning of the school students, and we should know if any of the students have the potential. That's all I have to tell you."

With that she left the door, shutting it behind me. Once I resume and eventually finished sharpening my blades, I sat down on my bed, counting down the minutes till my calling has been renewed.

I am nothing but a weapon. I only exist for battle. I need no other purpose…

Those were the promises I made to myself, that I would remind myself every so often. As the clock continued to tick towards our mission into Astryia, I repeated these phrases in my head again and again, always remembering why I exist.

I am nothing but a weapon…


Astryia, Zorn Block, Floor 19th

As we entered into the large circular room that indicated that a guardian Shadow was present, the door behind us slammed shut, and the Shadow descended from above.

It was only one this time, but it was bigger than any other Shadow we faced beforehand. It looked almost human-like in its features and appearance, were it not for the fact that its body looks like it was made out of steel, as well the ominous yellow mask that it wore.

/I managed to gather some data, though not much. It has no particular resistances, but I couldn't pinpoint its weakness. The rest is up to you/

As we got into position, the Shadows raised its hand. Darkness from the nearby shadows seemed to form around it, until it took a form of an ominous black sword. It swung the sword down, and though it was fast, we managed to dodge it in time.

"Come, Nemesis"

"Charge through, Ramses."

Through our efforts in Astryia, we managed to get a simple but effective routine going, with James and Lazard starting off with their Personas charging at the Shadow, trying to test its strength. As both Personas struck the Shadow, there was a loud booming sound. It got pushed back and staggered, but it didn't sustain any notable damage.

"Come, Omoikane"

A figure that looked like a brain with tentacle appeared before me, it was the first time I was using this Persona, it didn't even belong to any of the Social Links I had. Still, it should be enough.

"Zio!"

Lightning surged forth from its tentacles and raced towards the Shadow, shocking it. Growling in pain, the Shadow knelt to one knee, weakened by the electricity rushing through and paralyzing its metallic body.

/It's weak, finish it off with an all-out attack/

We all summoned our Personas at once, attacking it simultaneously with all our might. There was just giant dust cloud, and when it settled, all that remained were black smile. We beat the guardian.

Yet the door leading to the next floor did not open, as it usually does when we beat the guardian. I looked at the others in confusion, and they returned the look right back at me. We reported the situation to Valeria.

/Hmm, there seems to be a secondary seal keeping the door from opening. Since we can't go any further, let's head back and discuss this at a later date/

We complied with the order, and returned back to the first floor. Once everything was over and accounted for, we headed back to the real world and went to bed. My mind was still wondering about that door. What was that secondary seal that prevented the door from entering? What else do we need to do to explore further? I decided to not think about it too much as I drifted off to sleep.

And done, whew. I thought I would give myself some reprieve by just spamming Social Link Scrambles, but that would be boring so…yeah. Next episode won't be a Scramble either, we're actually gonna move the plot. Until then -ArcanaHermit