Chapter 25: Nihilist of Twin Faces
|Outside Farawell Cathedral|20:10 pm|
Amara remembered the day she learned the other world was New Motus City. Among the other landmarks, she saw the cathedral in the distance, and Serena told her the windows were different than the ones in their world. Yet, she forgot about it after a while. She didn't have any real attachment to the Cathedral in her own city, after all.
"This is like what that Stella chick said. The other versions of me, Amara, Serena and Nathan are here! What's this 'path of chaos' thing she was talking about, though?" Blaine said.
"I don't know." Nathan said. "But it seems like there's a lot we still haven't figured out yet."
"Yeah..." Serena said. "This is scary."
"Focus on what we've got to do now. And...crap. The front door's locked. Let's look for a back door." Nathan said.
After walking around the back of the cathedral, the team were increasingly anxious. No sounds were coming from the cathedral, but the one door at the back was boarded up. Nathan examined the area closely, trying to plan a way in.
"Hmm. This doesn't bode well. We'll need to try another way to get in -"
"Oh, you boring bastard. Let me take care of this." Dan took out his rifle. Tezcatlipoca appeared behind him, and roared. The ferocious Persona surged massive amounts of electric power throughout Dan's weapon, but despite the sheer amount of power, Dan did not let go.
"Wait...what is he about to do next?" Nathan asked.
"Uh, you couldn't tell?" Kyle said. "Just watch the magic happen."
Dan pushed the trigger on the rifle, and the shot that fired was deafening. It's blast felt like an earthquake, and the door immediately crumbled to tiny, smouldering pieces of wood. Serena blinked, clearly not expecting such power.
"That was...fucking epic, dude!" Blaine cheered. He and Dan high fived, whilst Nathan just stared at the remains of the door in disbelief.
"See, Nathan? That was awesome!" Kyle said, grinning. Nathan didn't respond, still astonished.
"Yup. That's Dan for you." Aimee said. This behaviour didn't seem surprising to her. Did Dan do this regularly?
"I can't believe that actually worked. Looks like Dan's the man! C'mon, no time to lose!" Amara said, stepping into the corridor.
|Cathedral Corridor|20:15 pm|
Whilst the Cathedral was often heralded as a testament to the expertise of the artisans of the time, the corridors here did little to justify that reputation. They did, however, feature some religious paintings and sconces here and there. This was not part of the guided tour, that was sure. This particular corridor was a long and narrow stretch, with a high number of doors to the left.
"It's like we're in some weird cult place..." Serena said, looking at the sheer size of the corridor. "I've never really been inside here. Any idea where to go?"
"Looks like we'll just have to search the entire place. I hope we get them soon, before that asshole does something stupid." Dan said. "Hey Kyle, what's up?"
"Nothing. I'm worried about the others. Let's go." And so, the team started exploring the cathedral, looking inside various rooms.
|Outside the Cathedral|20:15 pm|
"This is the last district we have to check, right?" Bianca said, tired.
"Yup. We've been doing this all day... Can't we have a break soon?" Richard said. "I hate being an errand boy."
"We'll just check the cathedral, then go. I'm getting a little worn out, too." Kazuya said.
"Okay, then just a second..." Alastair said, and he opened the main doors with the golden key.
The Cathedral's architecture was widely known to be of the highest caliber, and Alastair could finally confirm this. The gigantic stone pillars that towered above them, the mahogany pews for the masses, and the magnificent church organ all made up for a spectactular view. To add to this sight were the colossal stained glass windows, depicting numerous saints and angels.
"This is...beautiful." Alastair said. However, they hadn't come here for a cathedral tour. No one was here at all.
"Hey guys. Do you feel Shadows here?" Richard asked. "Like, a lot of them?"
"Something does feel off here. Let's take a look around." Alastair said. He thought he heard voices, but hoped it was just his imagination. After examining the main room, the four of them sat down on the pews, Richard trying to lie on one.
"Sleeping on a hard wooden pew isn't as comfy as I'd thought it'd be." Richard said. "Damn, why did the Commander have to run off like that? Making us look all over for him. We could have been killing Shadows all day instead!"
"I have no idea why he'd desert us. But now I'm really starting to wonder if what those guys said is true. If it is, we need to find them soon." Alastair said.
"We'll rest up here, then we'll get going. If only we had cushions or something." Bianca said, trying to get comfortable. Kazuya and Alastair tried as well, but only Richard got to sleep easily.
"Commander..." Alastair said to himself. "What are you planning? Why did you lie to us?"
|Cathedral - Bedroom|20:25 pm|
The group entered a room on the ground floor - one of the few that wasn't locked or empty. It was a somewhat small bedroom, which made it a tight squeeze for everyone to get inside. Unlike the rest of the cathedral, the walls were painted bright green, and the lightbulb was left bare. From what it looked like, no one had used this bedroom for a little while. Various objects were scattered here and there, such as broken toys and trading cards.
"What the hell is this?" Dan asked. "We get invited to a slumber party?" he said, picking up a hairbrush.
"No one's lived in the cathedral for a long time. So it looks like someone's been crashing here...a girl." Serena said, walking towards the dressing table. "Hey, a diary. Should we read it?" she said, looking at the diary's leather cover.
"Well, it's probably yours..." Amara said. "We're hunting down your other self, remember?"
"Mine?!" Serena said. "Well...maybe we can learn some more about me. I mean, her. I don't even know..." Hesitantly, she turned to a random page.
June 25th 2002
I'm all on my own now. Mom and Dad got killed by Shadows in the morning. I locked the door so strangers can't come in, because Dad told me not to trust strangers unless I know them. I just have to wait for Nina to come and help. I know she's really busy, but she has to come and save her little sister, right? I know she's going to come!
"Jeez, that's a bit depressing. I thought reading through a diary would be more fun than this." Blaine said. "Keep reading!"
March 29th 2004
Nina still won't get in touch. I wanna go to the headquarters, but it's too hard to get in. I wish she'd help. I had to steal food to keep me from getting hungry. And I found some really hard maths books so I could keep learning! I miss going to school. I miss Mom and Dad. And I miss Nina. I hope I see her soon.
"Are you alright, Serena?" Priscilla asked.
"I'm...fine." Serena muttered. "Moving on..."
July 19th 2006
Shadows tried to kill me today, and I couldn't get away from them. But then my Persona appeared! Her name is Artemis, and she's really pretty! I think she's part of me, somehow. Personas are cool! Also, I heard a boy at a school got a Persona and Aeternus want to find him. I don't trust them, so I'm going after him before they get to him. I hope he's cute!
"How old was she when she wrote that?" Kyle asked. "I mean, I'm not cute..."
"It says 2006." Serena said. "So I - she would have been about eleven years old. Wow, I can't believe I wrote something like that. Anyway, moving on..."
July 20th 2006
I found that boy today and healed a cut on his hand. He looked so scared. I heard his teachers talking to him when I snuck into the school. Poor guy must have been terrified. I got him away from his burning house, but I couldn't protect his mother. That Pierre guy burned her alive. I had to get Kyle away, but I can't stay with him. Please let him be okay. They might go after me next. If they do, I'll kill them for this!
"Seems like both Serenas like Kyle...a lot!" Blaine said, with a wide grin on his face. "You sure you two are just 'friends'?"
"Of course we are!" Serena said, blushing. "Hold on, there's more!"
July 24th 2006
I tried to kill my sister today, after they took me to this weird place. So she said the Commander is going to kill me, and I should be sorry I didn't get to see the 'Road'. I guess this is the last thing I write in here, so if anyone finds this, please look after Kyle McHale. I don't know him very well, but I want him to know that I really liked him.
"Ha! I knew it!" Amara said, as Serena blushed even harder. Kyle was pretty embarrassed himself.
"Serena, I..."
"Guys, stop it! There's still more!" Serena kept reading, flicking through the yellowed pages.
August 20th 2007
It's been a year since Blaine saved me. He's kinda scary, and doesn't talk much, but he told me a lot of things. He was framed for killing Mr Furaha and Mr Albion. He told me that Josephine 'skank' (what does that word mean, anyway?) killed Albion, but he doesn't know who killed Furaha. I want to believe him. After all, he's going to save the city from Shadows somehow. I need to help him as much as possible!
"That's it!" Kyle shouted. "That's what he told me, when he captured me! He said he was trying to fight against Aeternus ever since the Kanaloa tragedy!"
"What? Seriously?" Dan asked.
"And he said something like he used to enjoy having a Persona...until it happened. I can't say for sure, but I think he was telling the truth." Kyle said.
"We have to find them now!" Priscilla said. "Nathan's probably worried sick! Seraphina, do you know where they're being held?"
"Yes. Some other force is communicating with me instead of Hecate, though. They're all upstairs, at the highest level. Yet others are there as well." Seraphina said.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's run!" Aimee said, and the nine of them ran outside. Serena quickly pocketed the diary, and went with them. She took one last look around the room, and smiled.
"We really are the same."
|Cathedral - Storage Room|20:30 pm|
"Argh?!" Other Amara said, finally waking up.
"You finally woke up." Other Nathan said.
"Oh, thank Osiris! You're here to save me, right?" Other Amara said, relieved.
"Actually, I got kidnapped too. So we're stuck here. The door's locked, and Serena and Blaine have wandered off somewhere." Other Nathan said.
"Damn! I'm not thanking Osiris after all!" Amara said, punching the floor.
Just then, the door opened. Other Blaine and Serena came in, holding various snacks and drinks in their hands.
"What the - I'm not hungry!" Other Amara said. "Are you trying to win the Best Kidnapper 2012 prize?!"
"No." Other Blaine said. "I took away your weapons. Look at my face, and you'll know why." Other Amara shrugged, angry. The scars she left on his face were still visible to this day.
"C'mon, at least eat something." Other Nathan said, taking a bag of potato chips. Other Amara reluctantly grabbed a soda, and sulked. "So what are you going to do with us? The others are probably trying to find us as we speak. Remember, we have Seraphina!"
"I'm aware of that. I wanted to get away from them, so the four of us could be alone. I want you to watch something, Nathan. Then you can stop accusing me." Other Blaine pointed to an old television set, with a VCR beneath it.
"What is this?" Other Nathan asked. Other Blaine didn't say a word, and pushed a remote. A video clip started playing. It was his former school, and although it was fuzzy, it was his father, in the same spot he would die. Yet, someone came up to him, and they started arguing. It wasn't Blaine, though. It was Josephine, who eventually fired at him with both of her handguns. Other Blaine ran up to them, and Josephine somehow vanished right before Other Nathan came.
"What the - so it was Josephine who killed your father? Not him?!" Other Amara said. "I don't believe this!"
"You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get my hands on this tape. Josephine really didn't want you to know it was her. That slut really is obsessed with you, for some reason." Other Blaine said.
"Oh my god...I should have known!" Other Nathan said, shaken. "If...if things had gone completely differently, I'd have killed an innocent man..."
"Me? Innocent? Even with this, I'm not a saint. Yet I hide in a holy place. How ironic." Other Blaine said, turning off the TV.
"So what are you trying to do?! Is this another trap of yours?" Other Amara asked.
"Not this time." Other Blaine said. "As for you, remember what happened when we first met?"
"Are you trying to say one of the Ater Vox killed my dad?" Other Amara said, in shock.
"I don't know, but I found that Tomas guy. Mr Weiken. He took charge of your dad's company after that day - in secret, of course. Using the oil company to make huge bucks overseas, they're able to afford the resources the city needs, like food, medicine, water, etc. Me and him got talking, and he says he had something to tell you." Other Blaine said.
"Tomas?!" Other Amara said. "I just assumed one of you got him! Will you take me to him? It's been so long! I need to see him!"
"Alright, I will. C'mon, let's all get out of here. Your friends are worried about you, I'm sure." Other Blaine said, opening the door - and their weapons were right outside.
"How did it take this long to get them on our side?" Other Serena asked, as Nathan and Amara ran out.
"It's like I said. The Ater Vox kept getting in the way. Not tonight, though. Tonight, I finally win!" Other Blaine smiled, for the first time in a long time. "Soon, I'll get to see Nihane bleed."
"So you're definitely not on their side?" Other Nathan asked.
"As from today, not anymore. Now I'm the same as you. Let's raise some hell." Other Blaine said.
|Cathedral|20:35 pm|
"Whoa!" Alastair was woken up by some loud rumbling. "Is it just me, or did the ground just shake?"
"That's impossible, the city's not on any fault lines." Bianca said. "I should know, I did geography."
"Why are they called 'fault' lines, anyway? Makes it sound like some kind of customer support thing..." Richard said, standing up.
"It's about time we got out of here. Cathedrals bore me to tears." Kazuya said. "I mean, why would people come here instead of our shrines?"
"Because, Kazuya, not everyone likes storm gods with girly names." Alastair said, smirking. Kazuya looked like he was resisting the temptation to cut him up with his knives. Just as the four of them were about to exit, one of the doors at the rear end opened. Out came their Commander, with Serena, Amara and Nathan.
"Commander! There you are. We have something we'd like to ask you." Alastair said, as the four of them angrily marched over. "Long story short, we've heard that Aeternus are the ones creating the Shadows we're charged with killing. Is that true?"
The other Amara, Nathan and Serena looked at each other awkwardly, but Other Blaine simply stared into Alastair's eyes - not with anger as usual, but with sorrow.
"Yes. Yes it is."
|Cathedral - Corridor|20:45 pm|
"I don't believe this! They weren't there!" Amara said, running downstairs. "Seraphina, what's going on?"
"Something enormous is tampering with my powers. It addles my mind. The only thing I can feel now is something saying 'Armaiti'. Wait, something else is saying 'Taraemaiti!" Seraphina said, trying to follow. Her dress made it hard to run quickly, however. "Please, don't rush!" Armaiti? Taraemaiti? The hell are those?
"We have to! We must find Nathan, and your powers aren't working at all!" Priscilla shouted. "You're useless! You couldn't find him before now because you didn't know him! Now you can't find him even after you know him! It's up to me now!"
"Priscilla, that's enough! I won't have you talk to Seraphina that way. She's been working her hardest ever since she joined us! We'll save Nathan, okay? But we're not going to do that if you throw a tantrum like a child!" Aimee shouted. Amara had never seen her so angry before.
"Let's go." Kyle said, after a rather uncomfortable silence. They opened the door leading to the main cathedral, and what they saw completely defied their expectations. The Holy Cross were in a fierce battle the Other Nathan, Amara, Blaine and Serena.
"Air Brake!" Richard shouted, hitting Other Amara with blades of wind. She took the hit, and rushed at him, slashing him with her blade. Sekhmet appeared, and used her Silver Strike attack, sending him to the ground.
"No!" Bianca shouted. "Take this! Snowdrop!" Gabriel raised her white rose, and giant flower-shaped ice crystals struck the Other Blaine, Amara, Nathan and Serena. Amara watched as her other self fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
"This is for betraying us! Megido!" Alastair shouted, striking their enemies with his Almighty move. Other Amara struggled to stand up.
"Hold on! Diarama!" Other Serena healed Other Amara, and started dodging Kazuya's furious swings.
"Foolish Whisper!" Kazuya soon silenced Other Serena. "Ha! Just like before! Richard, heal!"
"Got it!" Richard said, and soon cast Media on his own team. "That wasn't very good, was it?"
"No, Richard, it wasn't. Let me show you how a real man does it. Mazionga!" The sheer strength of Other Blaine's spell knocked Bianca unconscious, and before Kazuya could go to help her, he was blasted away by an Aques.
"This isn't good..." Alastair said. "Suffer! Sacred Feathers!" Many golden feather-shaped blades flew around the area, but it was too little, too late. One Garula was enough to defeat him, and the Holy Cross laid there, beaten.
"So this is how it ends, huh? We trust you, but you were just using us!" Kazuya said, coughing up blood. "It's too late for us, but your other selves..." Kazuya passed out before he could finish.
"Wait! Hold on a second!" Amara said, running ahead. Alastair gasped, but looked relieved to see her. "The Commander is on our side! We know!"
"What do you mean?" Other Serena asked.
"I read your-my diary." Serena said, taking it out of her pocket. "Josephine killed Nathan's dad, not him."
"Yes! He showed me the surveillance video." Other Nathan said. "Our Commander wanted us to help him, but the Ater Vox just kept getting in his way..."
Other Blaine stood there, in silence. "I'm still a murderer, though. Kanaloa and Matthew are gone thanks to me. I thought I was some superhero who could save everyone, but I'm not. So the only thing I can do is stop Nihane."
"Then come with us!" Aimee said. "If we work together, we can defeat the Shadows and save the city. We can't do it alone, and neither can you! So please..."
"I didn't think you guys would trust me after all that's happened." Other Blaine said, stunned. "Dan, what about you?"
"Well...I can't forgive you for Matthew. Ever. But as long as we're both Persona users, we should fight together." Dan said, holding out his hand. "Besides, that way I can make sure you don't do any more crazy shit."
"...Fine." Other Blaine shook Dan's hand, and Amara smiled at Blaine. Now they wouldn't be at each other's throats anymore.
"Count us in, too. We can't just work for Aeternus after all that's happened! Please, Commander! Let us help, too. We're the Holy Cross! It's our duty to protect the people of the city, and this time we're going to do it right!" Alastair said, standing up.
"Alright. I guess I can't get rid of you losers that easily. Besides, you guys have gotten better. You might be useful now!" Other Blaine said.
"Great! Then let's get out of this cathedral!" Priscilla said. "Oh, Nathan, I'm so glad you're safe!"
"Sorry I worried you. I'm not going away again!" Other Nathan said.
"Thank you so much!" Kyle suddenly said, and Other Serena looked at him in surprise. "My mother would be happy you tried to protect me. I got to meet Aimee and the others thanks to you. This time, we can fight together!"
"Yeah! I'm looking forward to it. And the other me's going to help you, too!" Other Serena said.
"I'm going to see Thomas again!" Other Amara said, very excited. "I always wondered about him, and now he's alive! Blaine's going to take me to him!"
"That sounds great!" Amara said. Everyone was excited now, except Seraphina, who looked worried. "Seraphina, are you okay?"
"Something's not right." Seraphina said. "All I can hear with my gift are the names Armaiti and Taraemaiti. And they mention something about the land of Spandarmad."
"Hold on. That sounds familiar. I found files with names like that once, but they were corrupted." Kyle said, curious. "What do they even mean?"
"Everyone, we should leave. Now!" Seraphina said, anxious.
Just as Seraphina finished speaking, everyone heard clapping. A sudden red mist appeared in front of the door, and out of it came...a young man with eerie orange eyes and spiky black hair. Wearing a rather elaborate black shirt, a cape, red trousers and boots, he had a rather distinguished look to him. Despite his youthful face, he had an utterly evil smile.
"Nihane!" Alastair shouted, backing away. "Oh god, no!"
"Bravo, everyone. You've reached the same conclusion every half-wit in the world has. 'Let's all fight together! Friendship is the best!' That's hilarious! Even if you all had name badges and a motto, it wouldn't do you any good. Armaiti and Taraemaiti arise in the land of Spandarmad tonight. A decade after dear traitor Blaine awakened Ameretat and Sud in the glorious kingdom of Amurdad!" Nihane said.
"The hell is he talking about?!" Blaine shouted.
"Wait. You mean Kanaloa? What the hell does that mean?" Other Blaine said, aiming his gun at Nihane's smug face.
"You're such a gentleman. See, to truly wield the might of the Shadows, we need to open the Eternal Road. Here's something you might like to know. Shadows aren't our creation. We simply tap into the dark power of humanity, as we did eleven long years ago. There, the Shadows seep out. Don't you realise? After you destroyed Kanaloa, Shadows became abundant there. That is how we use them to build our dominion!" Nihane said.
"You mean to say Kanaloa's destruction was part of that 'Road'?" Serena asked. "Then this place is going to -"
"Exactly. It took ten years for the Shadow's power to build up, of course. The town of Kanaloa had a long history of death, even before it's modern days. The land that was there before was torched to the ground! The hatred, the anger of those people doesn't go away, no matter how many centuries pass. That is why Kanaloa was destroyed once more! Every person, every building, became one with the Shadows. Even precious little Matthew." Nihane said, grinning.
"You bastard!" Dan, unable to take any more, charged at Nihane, but suddenly, a blast of rocks struck him, knocking him to the floor. At that instant, in front of Nihane was a strange white female form, with shining pink eyes. Wearing blue white robes and a blue cloak, she had bright white angel wings, a halo and an angelic staff.
"Dan!" Kyle screamed. Aimee ran over, and glared at Nihane.
"Hahaha! Those kinds of feelings fuel each of the six lands! Beautiful, isn't it? One must cultivate the sadness, rage, and fear of the human heart to summon the monsters born of those emotions. It is inevitable. Someday soon, the other four Divine Sparks will commence. Look and see!" Nihane said. On the floor, a giant emblem appeared - of a circle, divided into six sections. The one at the top was completely covered in purple, the other five were blank with small white dots. Yet, one of them was blinking at an incredible rate.
"No!" Seraphina yelled. "If you were to place a map of the city on there, the purple area would be Kanaloa! And the blinking dot is Farawell!"
"Wonderful, Miss 'Seraphina'. You see, I knew what Blaine, my 'loyal' Commander, was attempting to do. Thus, all it took was a few lies, and soon Blaine loses his chance for more rebels to join his hopeless cause! Then there's the Holy Cross. Their goal was to take you to us, so I could unleash the full potential of the power of Persona. Yet, they're worthless. Perhaps if I gave them a push?" Nihane said, and soon, another being appeared in front of him.
Alongside the angel, a grim reaper of sorts emerged, holding a scythe. His face was the exact same as the angels, and his clothes were ripped and worn. "Behold, the power of Janus!"
"You've got to be kidding me! Two Personas at once?!" Nathan yelled.
"Oh, don't get too scared. I'm not letting you all die today. Let me fuel the fires of agony, and usher in the land of Spandarmad!" Just then, a blood-red aurora from both 'Janus' Personas flew into the Holy Cross's bodies.
"What's happening?!" Bianca said. "No, don't...argh!"
It was too late. Their eyes had turned completely white, and their Personas suddenly emerged - yet, their auras were red and their colours were inverted.
"What the hell did you just do?!" Amara shouted. "What's going to happen to this place?!"
"Don't you listen? This cathedral is going to be a smaller scaled version of the Kanaloa disaster. The second part of the Eternal Road! I might as well give you a fighting chance. See if you can find the other four. That depends on how many of you can escape." With this, Nihane disappeared, and the Holy Cross turned on the others.
"Oh god, the floor!" Amara gasped, as cracks started to appear in the marble floor. The entire cathedral was shaking, and several of the pillars started to break apart. "We have to get out of here - argh!" Freezing cold ice struck Amara, before she could reach the door. Gabriel had appeared from Bianca's body, with the same hue as the aurora from Janus. "Bianca, stop!"
"We have to get out of here!" Aimee said.
"Really? I never would have thought of that!" Blaine said, avoiding the cracks in the ground.
"But those Holy Cross guys are going to keep attacking! We won't be able to get out in time!" Nathan said, looking around.
"Damn. You leave this to me, got that?" Other Blaine said, summoning Tlaloc one again. "I'll hold them off! The rest of you, get out now!"
"But if you don't get out soon, you'll die!" Serena shouted.
"I know that...but I deserve it. I'm never going to get the past back, am I?" Other Blaine said, staring at the corrupted Holy Cross in front of him. The ground was shaking harder and harder, but everyone just stared at him. "It's only fair I get to feel what everyone else in Kanaloa did."
"You dumbass! I still hate your guts, but you really were trying to fight back. You can't do that if you're dead! If you don't get out of here alive, I'll never forgive you!" Dan yelled. "So stop the suicidal rambling! That's not the Blaine I know!"
"First you want me dead, now you're telling me to get out? You're so weird. Fine, I'll try and come back." Other Blaine said, managing a small smile. "Everyone, out! Now!" He shouted, as a huge rush of Shadowy energy burst out of the ground near the organ. It was shattered within seconds, pieces of it scattering everywhere. The windows were fit to shatter any moment
"...I'm so sorry!" Amara said, and everyone fled through the main door.
|Outside The Cathedral|20:53 pm|
"What exactly is gonna happen?!" Aimee asked. "I still don't get what Nihane was talking about."
"He mentioned a bunch of weird names, the same ones Seraphina was talking about. He was telling the truth, but this whole cathedral is trouble!" Serena said. "What if he can't get out in time?"
"I'll help him!" Other Amara said, stepping forward. "I've spent too long hating him, but I think I understand now. He wants to save humanity, not destroy it!"
"Please hurry! We don't have much time!" Amara said, looking at the slowly crumbling walls of the Cathedral.
"I'm going too!" Other Serena said, joining Other Amara. "Blaine protected me, when he could have done as my sister asked and murdered me. I have to protect him this time, too!"
"Serena...good luck." Kyle said. "I'll be waiting!"
"Thanks, Kyle. This time, it won't be like your mother. I'll succeed!" Other Serena said. "C'mon, let's go!"
"Actually, I want to go too. It's the right thing to do. That, and I need to show I'm sorry. I accused him of something he didn't do. Even if Kanaloa was his fault, I want to believe he can get beyond that and fight with us." Other Nathan said.
"Wait! Don't go! It's dangerous!" Priscilla screamed. "I can't let you go! Not again!"
"You can't stop him, Priscilla. The idiot's made his mind up. Go on ahead, you guys. You'd better come back. If you don't, a lot of people are gonna cry. And you won't be there to wipe away their tears." Dan said, staring intently at Other Nathan.
"I gotcha. We'd better go, now!" Other Nathan, along with Other Serena and Other Amara, ran into the cathedral again.
"Once they return, I'll use Traesto to get us out of here. We probably shouldn't stick around when it comes." Aimee said, gazing at the cathedral. Priscilla was hysterical, and it took all of Dan's strength to stop her from going in.
|Cathedral|20:56 pm|
"Damn!"
Other Blaine was hit in the knee by an icicle, which was oddly more powerful than normal. Bianca had lost all her soul. The girl who had cried and cried by the side of her dying uncle was gone now. That same uncle begged him to look after her, and he made her one of the Holy Cross that day. Now he was having to fight her.
"Damn you, Nihane, how many more people do I have to kill before it ends?!"
"Hey!"
Other Blaine looked up, and saw the other versions of Serena, Nathan and Amara run in. "Thought you could use some help!" Other Amara said, summoning Sekhmet, who blasted Bianca with Agilao.
"You guys! Get out of here! I'm doing this alone!" Other Blaine said, dodging a spear attack from Richard.
"No way! Here!" Other Serena said, healing Other Blaine with Diarama. "We're not letting you kill yourself! The four of us will beat the Holy Cross and go join the others!"
"That's right. If you're a man of honour, you'll try to make up for your mistakes. Even if you spend your entire life doing so." Other Nathan said, holding his staff aloft.
"How am I supposed to say no to that? Fine then, let's do this!" Other Blaine said, now invigorated.
Both teams started fighting, like they were a moment ago. All eight Persona users were fighting with all their power, yet the Holy Cross showed no signs of returning to normal.
"We're running out of time!" Other Amara yelled, as Kazuya's Mazionga struck the entire area. One of the columns collapsed entirely, and almost the entire floor was layered with cracks. "We need to finish this, now!"
"So we're gonna make like our other selves and use a combo attack? Okay, let's go!" Other Serena shouted, healing her friends once more.
Sekhmet, Tlaloc, Artemis and Setanta flew around the Holy Cross, who didn't even react, and started charging spheres of elemental energy. Simultaneously, they threw their spheres of incredible energy onto the still-shaking floor, and pillars of searing flame, raging wind, grand lightning and rushing water emerged, hitting all of the Holy Cross with sheer force. This was the Temple of Might.
"Did we win?" Other Nathan asked. The Holy Cross fell to the ground, their Personas vanishing.
"Great! Now, let's get out of here - argh!" Other Amara screamed as the ground beneath them completely broke apart.
"Damn! No!" Other Blaine felt himself falling, and he was blinded by a bright light. He couldn't see the others anymore, but he thought he saw something in the distance. It was Tezcatlipoca, looking at him.
"I'm still gonna come back. Wait for me, will ya?" Other Blaine said, feeling weaker and weaker.
Tezcatlipoca nodded, and vanished. The last image Other Blaine would see was another red figure in front of him.
"...What's that?"
|Outside The Cathedral|21:05 pm|
It all happened so fast. The cathedral stopped shaking, and Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone else seemed relived, too - this Divine Spark thing had stopped. Then, something burst out of the cathedral - a horrifying black and purple aurora, covering the building entirely. Amara could only watch as she heard the terrifying roar of energy drown out Priscilla's screams of anguish.
Then, the energy disappeared. The Cathedral was completely gone, and in it's place was simply darkness. A dark crater of energy, shining ominously, was in place of the once beautiful Cathedral. Those gorgeous stained glass windows, the organ that played enchanting music, the countless statues...all gone, in an instant. Eight people had vanished, possibly forever.
"...Shadows." Seraphina said, as huge swarms of Shadows started appearing around the crater. "Aimee, we must go!"
"Oh. Alright. Traesto!" Irene warped everyone away, whilst the cries of civilians could be heard from afar.
|Secret Base|21:07 pm|
The table still had cake on it, as if nothing had ever happened. The box of chocolates were lying on the ground, and Kyle's computer was still playing a catchy tune. Kyle quickly turned it off, and no one said a word. Amara couldn't tell what the others were thinking. Dan couldn't look at anyone, and Priscilla…she just sat on her chair, looking at Seraphina.
"Um..." Amara said, after many minutes of silence.
"Seraphina, this is all your fault!" Priscilla screamed. "You're supposed to be this psychic queen, right?! You should know what's going to happen! You should have known what would have happened to the Cathedral! We should have never gone there!"
"Priscilla, stop it -" Aimee said, but Seraphina quickly stood up, and slapped Priscilla hard across the cheek.
"That's all I am to you, Priscilla!? The missing persons office? All you care about is your precious Nathan! Well, the others here have all lost loved ones! But they're still fighting with everything they've got! I thought you'd be like that too, but you're just...just..." Seraphina couldn't even finish her sentence, and ran into her room. Amara thought she saw tears pouring from her eyes.
"Amara, maybe you four should go home. I can't think straight right now." Kyle said, looking glum.
"Yeah, you heard him. Take some time off." Dan said, as he looked at Kyle.
"Amara, let's get going." Nathan said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You look exhausted."
"Alright." Amara said, and the four of them returned to their world.
|Farawell|21:09 pm|
The sight of the Cathedral intact was not what the team wanted to see. Everyone was quiet. Did they want to cry? Scream? Punch something? Amara couldn't tell. She didn't even know what to think. Her other self disappeared, and could be dead. It didn't look like she could have survived…
"That moron! If he hadn't tried to be a hero, none of this would have happened!" Other Blaine said, as he punched a brick wall in anger. Well, I didn't expect him to cry, but...
"The Holy Cross...they're gone. They really did want to protect our city. Why, Nihane?! Why?" Serena then ran away, and Amara could hear her sobbing as she ran into the distance.
"Nathan, how are you feeling?" Amara asked.
"How do you think?! I just saw my girlfriend cry! My other self is gone, and I'm not the Nathan she wants!" Nathan screamed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't take it out on you."
"Don't worry. I just don't know how I feel anymore. I need to go home..." Amara said, turning away from the others.
"Same here. Talk to you later." Blaine said, walking away whilst trying to stop his knuckles from bleeding. Amara walked away too, but suddenly, Nathan called her name.
"What is it?" Amara asked.
"This isn't going to break us. No matter what, we're going back, and we're not going to let any more of those Divine Sparks happen. The four of us can't stop, even after this." Nathan said. "So take care, alright?"
"I will. You as well." Amara said, with a weak smile. Waving Nathan goodbye, she returned home. Despite the calamity that today wrought, she knew she had to keep on going. After all, she was still alive. She'd find Thomas herself, in her other self's place.