For what seemed like an eternity, or maybe only a few seconds, there was no feeling or thought. No perception of time or space; just a sense of nothingness.
Then the blue butterfly came again, this time easier to see because of the black color of the void.
Suddenly Dave could feel control over his body again, causing him to gasp for air and frantically swipe at whatever was around him. To his surprise, he found himself lying on solid ground. He slowly got to his feet and got used to the feeling of having a body again, or at least being able to control it.
He saw nothing but the floating blue butterfly, fluttering in place in the endless abyss. Dave blinked, and upon opening his eyes was startled by the appearance of a man in a chair; literally in the blink of an eye.
The man wore a striking red suit with a red bowtie. His face was concealed almost entirely with a mask, the edges of which were decorated with butterfly motifs. The man's hair was blonde and slicked back, of similar length to Dave's.
"Welcome to the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness. My name is Philemon... Have you forgotten me?"
Dave blinked again, making sure he wasn't dreaming. "You sound like Igor. Oh man, am I dead?"
"Ah, Igor... so he is still tending to the room, after so many trials in the past few years. But what is time to him? It is good to hear of his unwavering dedication." Philemon observed.
Titling his head, Dave spoke. "Wait. Are you, like, Igor's boss or something?"
"You could say that." Philemon replied. "Do you know what your Persona is, Dave?"
"It's a reflection of our inner selves, right?" Dave asked. "Why does it matter?"
"Because true understanding shall be key to your victory." Philemon explained, placing a hand on his mask. He pulled it off, only to reveal another mask underneath. Dave had often had the same idea concerning his shades. "Your Persona is a mask. It is not exclusively some deity manifested from your hidden feelings to do battle. It is a mask you wear every day; when you speak to others, when you find yourself in difficult situations that demand a change in character. You often do this, do you not? Your 'cool' demeanor may not entirely be an act, but it functions as a barrier to cope with your life."
Dave saw no point in arguing with someone who obviously knew so much. He had no idea who Philemon was and what he was capable of, but bickering with him would serve him no purpose. "So, our Personas are just... different parts of our personalities, then."
"Precisely. Fighting against the shadows with your Persona is a trial that you face often, yes, but it is not the only hardship you face with your Persona. Your daily life calls it forth. I chose you, Dave, because your will was strong. Your Persona was strong."
"Chose me? Chose me for what?" Dave asked.
"You often wonder why no one else experiences the visits to the Velvet Room. You wonder why the social links occur only for you, and you wonder what makes you different from the others. They are Persona users, yes? You are different because I have observed and chosen you." Philemon answered.
"So, you're the one who gave me the... man, what was it called? The Wild Card? Why, though? You say I'm strong, but there had to be more suitable people to choose out there." Dave reasoned.
"I have already explained why I chose you, Dave." Philemon stated. "Suffice to say, I call them how I see them. I have done so several times, and I have yet to be disappointed."
"There were others before me and the others? Other Persona users?" Dave asked.
Philemon nodded with a smile. "Oh, yes. Plenty of them. Surely you heard of the incidents in Japan a few years ago? Bizarre murders, a short lived doomsday cult, a dictator thought to long be dead."
"The thing with Hitler? Dude, I thought that was just some kind of hoax some people put up. It happens all the time with Elvis." Dave said, confused.
Philemon shook his head. "No, all very real and all solved through the use of Personas. Remarkable human beings capable of great things, just like you and your friends. I could spend hours explaining the story of each of them; one I would even have to explain twice; but I don't think you have the time."
"So why did you call me here?" Dave asked.
"Because I think you deserve some truth." Philemon replied. "It has been some time since I have made myself known to those that have to deal with the results of the great experiment."
"The great experiment?" Dave inquired. He remembered Igor saying something about an experiment. "Are you saying humanity's just being toyed with here?"
Philemon leaned forward, placing his hands on his chin. "It began long ago. My counterpart, Nyarlathotep, came to me begging a rhetorical question; Can humanity sustain itself, or will it destroy itself? He believed that Humanity was on a crash course towards destruction, inevitably wiping itself out. He thought that humanity was weak, that it lacked the ability to achieve greater things."
"And what did you think?"
"I believed the opposite. I backed humanity, believing that even without interference they could attain a greater destiny. Time and time again they have proven themselves able to rise above the odds, even if they were odds set on itself by itself. Every human is unique, but as a whole, your species shares a collective consciousness that is both good and bad. This was our focus; I believe that your collective consciousness is good. Nyarlathotep believed that it was inevitably evil and self-destructive."
"Believed? Is he gone?" Dave asked.
Philemon shook his head. "Hardly. He is merely... sealed away for a time. However, many of his own creations, meant to tip the scale of the grand bet on humanity towards his favor, still remain as their master sleeps. Creations such as Nyx, Izanami, Hemera... all of them were born of humanity's darker emotions, yet their births were facilitated through Nyarlathotep's power. They are hardly aware of Nyarlathotep's role in their creation, but are quite well aware that they are born of humanity and humanity's desire to cease to exist."
"The hell? We don't want that!" Dave protested.
"Oh, I know you don't. And that's why I chose your side." Philemon clarified. "Call me an optimist. The darker, nihilistic side of the collective consciousness of humanity does exist, but I feel that the other side is stronger; strong enough to combat Nyarlathotep's machinations without any outside aid. I chose to play my side according to the rules, whereas my nemesis did not."
"So I guess we don't get any unstoppable being of destruction to fight our battles for us." Dave muttered, sighing.
"Not exactly. Not through my power, anyway; through your own. Igor hasn't been spouting nonsense this whole time; it's time to save your world, through your own power." Philemon declared, smiling.
"Wait. If the Velvet Room is your thing, isn't that the same as Bubba Ho-Tep or whatever his name is calling these massive creatures to fuck us all up?" Dave asked.
Philemon shook his head. "I like to see this way; I'm giving you the tools, but I'm not telling you how to use them. Everything you've accomplished thus far, you have done by your own virtue and strength of conviction. All of this, part of your Persona."
Philemon rose from his chair and held a blank tarot card in his hand, pressing it into Dave's hand. "Bring this to Igor. He'll know what to do. Farewell, Dave Strider. Good luck."
Dave blinked and examined the card. "Wait, how do I get out of here?" he asked. He blinked and was suddenly back in Asphodel, having been whisked there instantaneously.
Asphodel was quite different now; it was now intact as it was in the beginning and wasn't dilapidated or glitching like crazy. It was simply monochrome in color, and completely silent. Dave stood before his locked door, wondering what he was looking at.
The door began to glow a soft blue, and Dave understood. He reached out and touched the chains binding the door. They instantly fell to the ground, leaving the door open and free to be opened.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Called out the familiar voice of Igor. Dave took his seat and looked up at Igor, smiling.
"Hey, man. I met your boss today."
"If that is the case, then I assume that you have something for me." Igor stated with his trademark grin, holding his gloved hand out.
Dave placed the blank card handed to him by Philemon into Igor's hand. Igor raised the card high and let go, causing the card to float in place. From it emerged nineteen more cards, each with an illustration representing a social link that Dave had established over the last few months. The cards began spinning, and on the back of each card was an animated picture of the face of each friend that represented the individual social link.
"You see now where your power comes, from." Igor said, smiling.
"Oh, I always knew. It's just cool to see it play out." Dave responded, also smiling.
The cards representing Dave's social links began spiraling around the central blank card, gathering energy and glowing with a soft blue light just like Personas did. The spiraling cards closed in on the blank card and merged with it, creating a blinding flash that filled the room.
When the light cleared, an intensely glowing card floated before Dave. Portrayed was a human figure surrounded by figures of an angel, a bull, an eagle, and a lion. The figure held a rod in each hand, was surrounded by a spiral silhouette. The card, numbered 'XXI', was labeled as 'The World'.
"This is your World." Igor said, guiding the card into Dave's hands. "With the power of your social links, you can perform a miracle. This is your power, what you were meant for."
Dave held the card and nodded confidently. As he focused on it, the card dissipated into a cloud of blue energy that focused itself on Dave's right hand. "Right."
"You were truly a... unique guest. I look forward to seeing you once more once you have brought peace. Go forth, and best of luck." Igor finished, bringing his hands together. Dave nodded and shut his eyes, easily falling away from the Velvet Room and bringing himself right where he wanted to be.
Dave's vision cleared from the bright light. He looked around and found himself back on Karkat's platform where they had been defeated by Hemera. He spotted his friends, all collapsed. Jade was leaning against a splintered piece of the crystal castle, breathing painfully. Her dress was tattered and torn, and her face was bruised and scarred.
John was lying on the ground, awake and in a similar condition. His shirt was stained with blood on the right side.
Rose was also awake, on her knees. She was holding her needles, one of them being snapped in half. Blood trickled from her mouth as she gasped for air.
Jake, Roxy, and Jane were near the edge of the edge of the platform, all of them unconscious but alive. No Personas were present.
Dave pushed himself up from the ground with renewed vigor, grabbing his sword as he rose to his feet. His sword, like Rose's needle, was snapped in half, but the broken end of the blade was still sharp. Putting his word in his left hand, Dave stood tall with his glowing right hand.
"D-Dave?" Jade managed to coax out, clutching her side in agony.
"You're alive..." John coughed out.
"And I'm not going anywhere." Dave said, looking up at Hemera.
Hemera, with no visible face, showed no change in emotion. "What is this? You stand before my might and dare to defy me once more? Do you not realize that I represent the wishes of all humanity?"
"Not my wish." Dave answered as he was lifted off the ground, rising into the air of his own will. Those conscious look on in awe, not sure what was going on.
Dave lifted his right arm to the side. The blue energy traveled off of his hand's general area and gathered in his palm. The energy began to form into a solid blue shape, resembling that of a handgun.
"You know not what you toy with, human! I shall cleanse your taint and carry on with my duty, the duty your kind has given me!" Hemera protested, gathering energy in her floating arms.
Dave said nothing and raised the energy handgun, pointing it at his head.
"What is he doing?" Rose asked, looking on in curiousity.
Dave looked up at Hemera, taking deep breaths. His fear and anxiety were multiplied tenfold by the energy gun pointed at his head, but it made him more confident all the while. With a deep breath, Dave closed his eyes.
For a moment, a few images flashed in his head. One was of a blue butterfly, the next of the moon, and the third of a giant golden gate decorated with a humanlike sculpture that held the doors of the gate together. Dave didn't understand what the images meant in context, but he knew what was coming to mind when he said his next words.
"Per... So... Na..."
A click was heard and then a blast as the gun evoked a power in Dave, engulfing him and the area around him in a sphere of blue energy. Dave's eyes glowed a bright blue, shining through his shades. His grin showed his exhilaration at what was soon to come.
A Persona appeared behind Dave. It looked less threatening than Helel, but the power coming from it rivaled even Hemera's, showing just how powerful Dave had become.
The Persona was composed of an artificial body with a seemingly organic head. The body was made of several metals, composed of the colors black, gold, and red, with some touched of white. On the Persona's chest where holes similar to the speakers on electronic devices. The Persona's legs were long, stilt-like featureless beams that extended from mechanical joints below the torso. The Persona's face showed that it had black skin and featureless, red orbs for eyes. Its hair was a pure white that covered one eye. On the Persona's back was a beautiful, golden lyre.
"Thou art I... And I am thou... From the sea of thy soul I cometh... I am Orpheus, master of strings. Thy heart that beats for thy friends echoes mine holy melody. I shall guide thee in thy trials."
"What?" Hemera exclaimed, taken aback by the appearance of Orpheus. "It is mankind's wish that life be extinguished! Where do you draw this power?"
"Oddly enough, mostly from you!" Dave answered, floating alongside Orpheus. With a flick of his wrist, Orpheus drew his lyre and strummed, sending orbs of light downwards onto Dave's friends.
Jade, Rose, and John found themselves completely healed by the lights of Orpheus. Jake, Jane and Roxy were likewise healed, though their wounds were much greater and they were unable to bring themselves to their feet. Clouds of blue fog gathered underneath the feet of Jade, John and Rose, allowing them to float up to Dave's side as well.
"You just don't get it." Dave continued, switching his broken sword to his right hand. "You really underestimated what a human ego can do. You infused your split selves with emotions, trying to use them only as tools. But when you did that, you didn't realize that it would come back to bite you in the ass. The only reason I'm able to do this is because of the people I were friends with. The people, not the fragments of Hemera. There's more to them than just being heralds for your return. No, they're people of their own, even Gamzee. And you're about to bring them the fuck back."
Hemera shot forth one of her orbs of energy right at Dave, which Orpheus easily deflected with a strike of the hand. The orb flew back at Hemera and struck one of the spikes of her half-circle, the one representing Vriska, completely shattering it. From it flew forth a ghostly apparition that glided to Dave's side. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the apparition was Vriska.
"Vriska!" John shouted, happy to see her.
"Can't talk much, John. Right now we need to lend Dave all the help we can." Vriska's apparition replied.
Hemera tried to charge another ball of energy, but was interrupted by another spike exploding; this one being Terezi's. Terezi's apparition flew forth to join the group, waving excitedly. One by one Hemera's spikes exploded, each of them representing one of the shadow students rebelling against their true calling. The last spike to explode was Gamzee's, and the spirit flew forth to Dave.
"Hey, man..." Gamzee began in a sorrowful tone. "I know this is my fault. I gave in, I gave this motherfucker the power she needed... But I can give you what I've got left. It's all I can do to make up for the shit I did."
"What's with the change of heart? I thought you knew exactly what you were doing." Dave asked.
Gamzee sighed. "I did. But... sharing a mind with the others who weren't too motherfuckin' happy about their situation did have an effect on me. I felt their pain, their sorrow and their rage... It ain't motherfuckin' right, man. I fucked up, I caused this. The least I can do is help you fix it."
Dave smiled and nodded. "Get in line, man. Let's blast this bitch to hell."
Gamzee nodded and joined the shadow student spirits behind Dave and his three friends in the air. The apparitions summoned spheres of light while the three other Persona users summoned their own respective Personas.
Dave nodded to the others and lifted his hand. Orpheus did the same, lifting one of his hands and gathering energy in his palm. Hemera continually tried to blast Orpheus, but without her spikes giving her power, she could do nothing.
The spheres of light summoned by the twelve ghosts merged with Orpheus' gathering energy. Rose, John and Jade added their own power to the growing sphere as well, then turned to Hemera.
"Niflheim!" Jade shouted, launching a massive icicle at Hemera to obliterate one of her arms.
"Panta Rhei!" John yelled, calling forth a tornado that tore away the other floating arm.
"Thunder Reign!" Rose added, summoning a hail of lightning bolts that staggered Hemera, leaving her wide open.
"Divine Rhapsody!" Dave shouted, thrusting his hand down. Orpheus let go of the ball and played a powerful chord on its lyre, launching the gathered sphere of energy forth. The sphere collided with Hemera and produced a brilliant, multicolored explosion that blew away the rest of Hemera's body and her half-circle, leaving only her torso and head floating helplessly in the air.
Dave descended from his height and landed on Hemera's torso, ripping her helmet off and tossing it away. Hidden beneath was a blonde woman's face, her eyes covered by black strands of cloth.
"This is for Dirk, you son of a bitch." Dave said as he drove his broken blade right through Hemera's exposed throat.
The resulting strike caused a massive explosion on a similar scale to the one caused by Orpheus earlier. Dave flew back but steadied himself in the air, watching what little that was left of Hemera disintegrating into small hits.
"You may think yourselves the victors... But humanity... will... always wish for its destruction. If not by my hands... then by the hands of another." Hemera choked out, trying to rob her enemies of their last triumph.
"Well I hope they put up a better fight." Dave shot back. "Whenever and wherever they pop up, someone's gonna defeat whatever friends you've got. Humanity's gonna be around for a while."
With that being said, Hemera completely faded from view. Dave let the others float black down the ground, landing himself right next to Jake, Jane and Roxy.
"Dave, that was amazing!" Jane exclaimed.
"Yeah, well, I've had enough of this place to last a lifetime." Dave replied, looking around. The world was crumbling around them, likely no longer able to sustain itself without Hemera's presence.
The spirits of the shadow students touched the ground, facing the group.
"I guess this is goodbye..." John muttered, looking down.
"Hardly." Vriska replied, stepping forward. "I don't mean to spout off sappy bullshit, but... If we're shadows, then that just means we're another side of humanity. No different than Personas. What I'm trying to say is that we'll always be with you on the inside. Memories are real things, John. They'll keep you company when you're at your loneliest."
"This is where we belong after all." Karkat added, nodding. "Wish I could have stayed a little longer, but... this feels right. I'm glad I met you guys."
"Yeah!" Nepeta exclaimed, smiling. "It's been pawsitively wonderful knowing all of you!"
"Quite the adventure." Equius agreed. "I look forward to the next one, some day."
"I'm gonna miss you all." Feferi whimpered, wiping her ghostly eyes of her ghostly tears.
"Easy, Fef..." Eridan said, trying not to cry himself.
"I wish I could've seen everything going on!" Terezi said. "But from what I heard, you guys did a badass job. It's been fun."
"Fun? It's been exhilarating!" Aradia chirped, smiling with a huge grin. "I wouldn't trade the time I had with you guys for anything in the world."
"Ironic that we ended up being the problem with the world this whole time. I'm glad we got this solved... but I'm even gladder that I got to spend time with you all." Kanaya said, smiling at the group.
"You guys made being paralyzed not so bad." Tavros said. "I hope you all have wonderful lives from here on out."
"Keep in touch." Sollux said jokingly. "Nah, but I'm gonna miss the fun. Don't forget us."
"I'm sorry I made all this happen... But I think it all worked out for the best." Gamzee said, nodding at Dave. "Later, motherfuckers. Keep on making miracles."
With that said, the apparitions ascended into the air, gliding away from the group of living Persona users. Before they floated away from view, they left an exit door; having actually been Hemera, they had control over the world inside the computer.
Dave looked back at the others, motioning towards the door with a smile. "Come on, guys. We've got lives to enjoy."