Hey there, reader!
Do we have any musicians out there? I'm currently studying for a level 10 piano theory before heading out for college. I get this weird feeling that there's more musicians out there than I'm aware of, and I was wondering which readers played an instrument of choice. Let me know!
In terms of the fanfic, the climax of S.E.E.S.'s objective is coming. The final Arcana Shadow is making its debut in the near future. The question remains about how this generation of S.E.E.S. will handle their next crisis. Is there anything you wanted to see near the endgame of this fanfic? Perhaps a completely new arc for late winter and early spring? Let me know ASAP!
A brief thank you to RubyMoonz, DdotChou, MoldyJellyBean, ShadowDragoon32, Shiro No Kishidan, Pokepia's Haunt,kyoto knight, and CodyGotKilld.
Chapter 36
Penultimate Peril
Gaza District: 12:24 PM
Alice wandered off to her preferred spot in the Gaza District when everyone else had left the dorms. The routine became sort of a habit since she defected from her old team. Alice usually loitered around the area doing whatever she felt like doing. Today, she spent the entire morning sketching what came to her mind. The first few drawings were as abstract as her previous works, and had it been any other time, she would have been satisfied. Today, however, there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She needed to draw something today, but she couldn't figure out what. The artist's block set in, and Alice was stumped for drawing ideas. She sat on the planter with pencil tapping the surface of her book. She even resorted to twirling a lock of her brown hair around her fingers to try to trigger some thought in her mind. She continued to sit like so until there was a tap on her shoulder.
"Go away," she said.
Buck sat down next to his sister. He stashed his mask into his back pocket and left his face exposed to the public. Ghost might have said something about that, but Buck didn't care. He was desperate to talk sense to his sister.
"I said go away," said Alice.
"Why'd you do it?" asked Buck. "Why not stick around?"
"I hate Ghost, that's why."
"Well, so do I, and I still put up with him."
Alice tapped harder with her pencil. "I'm not you."
Buck rolled his eyes. "Don't go acting like I'm your Shadow. Hell, if I were one, I'd be going nuts and shooting fire at you."
The artist continued to tap her pencil loudly. "You don't use Agi skills, remember? Just barrier spells."
Buck caught Alice's pencil and held it in place. "Would it kill you to stop tapping this and look me in the eye?"
Alice averted her gaze. "Were you planning on dragging me back?"
"Maybe."
"What's stopping you?"
Buck paused. "Maybe I hate doing this too. Maybe you're my sister and I think you deserve some clarity before I do something stupid. Maybe we're family and we're supposed to stick to each other." The young man with the thick arms sighed. "Having a Persona's nice and all, but it gets old. Hell, we don't even need the pills at this point, and I still feel like Ghost will eff me over if I'm not careful. Can't handle the stress alone, right?"
The artist caught the words "don't even need the pills," which seized her attention. She remained callous and kept going with the conversation. "Just roll over and die then," said Alice. "Might be better than living in pain."
Buck scoffed. "Like that's gonna happen. I'm supposed to be the joker here, not you."
Alice began packing up her belongings. "Then we have nothing to talk about." She began to walk away.
"Are you happy over there?" asked Buck. "With those no-name Persona-users?"
"I'm way better off than you jerks," said Alice. By then, she was already halfway past the border of the plaza. "See you in hell."
As Alice walked away, she saw Buck walk solemnly in the other direction. An unusual slump in his posture betrayed his sense of disappointment. Perhaps some sense of familial loyalty kept him from forcing Alice to come with him. The bottom line was the Buck was a thug working for a madman. He had no legitimate reason to persuade his sister to join him. Alice might have felt sorry for him. Buck wasn't the villain here, Ghost was.
"Maybe Ghost should get some old-fashioned revenge," she muttered.
CM Academy Main Campus, outside: 2:55 PM
Patrols for S.E.E.S. resumed as usual for the next two weeks. Leon's absence was most apparent whenever the team needed the extra muscle. That absence was compensated for with the awakening of Ellie, Keira, and Conan's true Personas. The former two were used more often for dispatching stronger Shadows now. Conan was used sparingly because the team was unsure about his control over the Black Ace. For the most part, the team was making steady progress.
Slade forecasted that the next full moon would be on November 3rd. There would only be one full moon Shadow left. An unusual air of enthusiasm hung in the air as the team pitched in more effort to keep the Shadows at bay. Through their efforts, the team noticed a significant decrease in Shadow victims arising during their training. At the rate they were going, it was only a matter of time before all the Shadow victims were no longer a problem. The report initially came off as good news, but Pierce reported a disturbing finding.
"There wasn't a boon of Shadow victim recoveries this month," said the captain. "We're still overstocked on them. There's been so many, the nut house is willing to house some of them. Even then, there's still not enough room to keep them all in check."
Pierce was right. The jailhouse at the police station became overstocked on Shadow victims and the insane asylum was even more so. An overflow of the people was becoming apparent on the streets. During the day, everyone could see the Shadow victims all around. They were so abundant in number that the common citizen would always pass by one while walking down the street. Most were listless and without souls, but their presence was unnerving to say the least. Many Colossian citizens were unsure of what would happen in the next few weeks, and their government could offer little information to address the growing problem.
"Maybe they'll all recover when we beat the next full moon Shadow?" Keira suggested.
"Let's hope for the best," said Lucy. "I think that's all we can do for the moment."
On the morning of November 2nd, Conan was entering CM Academy. By then, the public unrest had spread on campus, and the students were becoming more paranoid about the rising number of Shadow victims. A few were loitering just outside of campus, but a number of policemen arrived to cart them away to the asylum or the police station, whichever had more holding space.
As she walked in, Keira saw Conan and called his attention. "Well, tomorrow's the day," she said. "How do you feel?"
"Fine," said Conan. "How about you?"
Keira nodded. "Me too. After the last incident, I'm positive that Strega will interfere. This is their last chance to stop us. I wonder what they'll try next?"
Conan shrugged. "I doubt it would matter much when we get rid of the Dark Hour. At least we won't need our Personas anymore, right?"
"Oh, I suppose." Keira became entranced in thought. "It's back to our old lives again. I wonder if we'll adjust?"
Keira's question was a thought-provoking one. Conan always wondered what if he was relieved of his Persona, but he never considered about how mundane his life would become without S.E.E.S. Maybe being rid of the Dark Hour meant more than eradicating all Shadows. An end to the Dark Hour could eliminate any reason for the team to stick together. The junior decided to change the subject.
"Anyways," he said, "any word about Leon?"
"Slade said he's starting to walk again," said Keira. "Leon's spine is still recovering, so he's not running anytime soon. I didn't hear much after that. Oh, one more thing. Slade called the hospital today and found a good slot for visiting hours. Do you have something after school? Because we're going to see Leon this afternoon."
"I can come," said Conan. "Should we get him anything?"
Keira mulled the thought around her head. "I could whip something up."
The two walked through the gates of their school. "He'll be there for the celebration party, right?" asked Conan.
"I hope so," said Keira. "It wouldn't be the same without him."
Colossus General Hospital, Physical Therapy Room: 3:40 PM
Due to the hospital's restrictions about visiting hours, not everyone could attend the meeting today. Keira, Conan, Ellie, and Slade stood anxiously in the hospital. They were left waiting just outside of their friend's room as a nurse inside was preparing her patient. Keira had a small bag on her lap. She was very cautious to not show anyone what was inside.
A nurse stepped out from the physical therapy room. "He's ready," she said. The nurse then ushered in the visitors into the room.
Leon was with another nurse in the center of an open room. Exercise equipment ranging from treadmills to weight benches lined the borders of the area. The senior was dressed in a patient's tunic. His brown hair, which was brushed behind his ears, had grown long enough nearly obscure his eyes. His face was rounder and the color in his face was significantly paler. He moved slowly while placing much of his weight on a metal cane. The senior made his way to a vacant chair and took a seat. The visitors came closer as Leon's nurse took a nearby seat.
"Um, hi," said Keira with a smile. "How've you been?"
Leon gave a courteous smile back. A pained expression was hidden behind his tired face. "Doing well, thanks," he said. "How about you?"
"Pretty well." Keira drummed her fingers on the bag in her hands anxiously. The sight of her longest friend in such a weakened state left her speechless.
"Everyone's been worrying about you," said Slade. "They're more than happy to know you're recovering well."
Leon shrugged. "They probably shouldn't get too hyped up," he said. "Doctors say I won't be able to walk the same way before. Not for another few months."
"I'm real glad you're okay," said Ellie. Her face flared red across the cheeks. "I mean, uh, at least it's not forever."
Keira became downcast. "That must be harsh."
Leon chuckled bitterly. "Fun times. But I ain't complaining. Slade filled me in about the last Full Moon. Guess everybody made it out okay, right? Well, except me, but you know what I mean."
Ellie nodded. "It's good to see you," she said.
"There's nothing new," said Slade. "We did pitch a fundraiser for your operation while you were unconscious."
Leon smiled. "Thanks. That means a lot."
"We've been looking forward to seeing you again," said Conan. "It'd help everybody to see you on your feet."
"So is the cane permanent?" asked Ellie. "Or can you make a full recovery eventually?"
"Can't really make any promises at this point," said Leon. "Nurse said I need to finish some physical therapy before I can even think about leaving the cane."
"Will you be able to leave this hospital anytime soon?" asked Slade.
"Mr. Marksmith won't be going anywhere until he's completed his physical therapy," said the nurse. "When he leaves, he will need a monthly subscription of painkillers and antibiotics. He will also need to refrain from pushing himself too far in his activities."
"Oh," said Keira. As much as she wanted to discuss their business during the Dark Hour, she needed a more subtle way to bring up a pressing question. "What about your Young Legionary club?"
Leon shook his head. "That's not important right now. If anything comes up, they'll let me know. Then again, I don't suppose the club sent anybody to greet me?"
Everyone remained silent. The answer to his question became painfully obvious.
"Well, it is a club," said Keira. "It's not like they were a real Legionary company, right? Besides, it wasn't really a life commitment."
The senior tentatively nodded. "Yeah, it's just a club."
"To be honest, the club fell apart without you," said Ellie. "Tim Thacker tried filling your place and decided to be a jerk to get everybody in line. That didn't work out so well, so lots of people started ditching just to avoid him."
Leon scoffed. "He'll never learn."
Slade became tense. She turned to the nurse. "Is there anything you can do to accelerate his recovery?" asked the homeroom teacher. "Something you can prescribe to allow him to walk sooner?"
"No, ma'am," said the nurse. "Mr. Marksmith's current prescription is the only one we may provide. Any other form of drug we use will be detrimental to his health."
"I see." Slade folded her arms. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's fine, Slade," said Leon. "The therapy they're putting me through is helping a lot. I could be out in a week."
"Don't be stupid," said Ellie. "You should rest up first."
"Not to mention you will still need the cane after the therapy sessions, Mr. Markmith," said the nurse.
Leon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
"Think you can manage?" Conan asked.
The senior smirked. A cocky spirit rekindled behind the tired face. "I'll live," he said.
Smiles went around the vising party. Even Ellie broke her stoic expression and joined in sharing the mirth. "We'll be sure to throw you a big party when you leave the hospital," said Slade. "I'm catering the best food we can buy. Don't keep us waiting."
"Oh, I almost forgot!" said Keira. She opened her bag and produced a sandwich wrapped entirely in plexi polymer wrapping. "I brought some lunch for you. I hope you like it."
Leon accepted the sandwich with a smile. "I appreciate it," he said.
The senior opened the wrapping. A putrid smell dispersed through the air and flared everyone's nostrils. The odor was not necessarily toxic, but it was nauseating to say the least. Everyone but Keira cringed at the stench in the air. Leon eyed the contents of his meal.
Ellie pinched her nose. "Geez," she said. "What is that smell?"
"Um, do you like it?" asked Keira. "I tried harder to make it more edible."
The redheaded girl widened her eyes. "More edible?"
A sudden realization occurred to Conan. This was the same type of sandwich Keira tried to feed him a few months back, the one that made him upchuck his dinner. "Uh, Leon?" he said warily. "Maybe you shouldn't…"
Leon took a walloping bite out of the sandwich. Everyone stared in shock. The senior chewed the sandwich around in his mouth and swallowed it without flinching. A moment of caution passed as everyone stared at Leon expectantly. The senior glanced at his sandwich.
"You made this?" he asked.
Keira became glum. "Well, it's okay if you don't like it," she said. "I probably should have asked Victor's opinion before serving it, but—"
"It's pretty good," said Leon. There wasn't an ounce of doubt in his expression. "Is there pickles and horseradish in here?"
Keira's eyes bulged out of her skull. "Yes!" she said with excitement. "I can't believe you could taste that!"
"I can't believe he didn't puke," said Conan with a grimace.
Leon took another bite. Everyone but Keira cringed. "I think I taste ketchup, garlic, and onions too," said Leon. "No offense, but this is way better than the hospital food."
Slade closed her eyes and clenched the bridge of her nose. "You have strange tastes, Leon," she muttered.
The nurse took the sandwich from her patient's hands. "I should have this checked before you eat it," she said. "Ma'am, please refrain from feeding Mr. Marksmith any food from outside."
"Well, I did make the sandwich myself," said Keira. "Not to mention all the ingredients were freshly picked."
"From where?" asked Ellie. "The dumpster?"
Conan suddenly felt a sharp headache nagging at his brain. "Really?" he said. "Garlic and onions?"
"Garlic and onions are popular ingredients in herbal medicines," said Keira. "I thought they would help."
"So why ketchup?" said Ellie.
"I appreciate it, Keira," said Leon. "Thanks."
The rest of their time was spent in small talk. Keira and Leon were more than happy to speak now that they had similar tastes in food. As the time for visiting hours drew to a close, the nurse ushered Conan, Keira, Ellie, and Slade out of the room. Leon rose with vigor and resumed his physical therapy. Everyone left the hospital and returned to the dorm with full faith that their friend would return.
CM Academy West side, Command Room: 6:04 PM
Every member of S.E.E.S. arrived and sat around the table. Aside from Leon, the whole team was ready for potentially their last meeting. Slade briefly assessed the meeting with Leon. She remembered to omit the information about Keira's sandwich.
"Good to know he's doing well," said Victor.
"Yeah," said Lucy. "So he really ate that sandwich?"
"Damn straight," said Ellie. "Seriously, that guy's gonna get himself killed if he doesn't eat real food."
"I'm sorry," said Keira. "I did the best I could."
"That must have been one hell of a sandwich, Miss Kingsley," said Pierce.
"I think food is the last thing we should be concerned about now," said Conan.
"Well, tomorrow will be our last operation," said Keira.
"Yeah," said Lucy. "We've been through a lot these past few months."
"Where does the time go?" Conan mused.
"At least get got important stuff done," said Victor. "Hell, made a few new friends on the way."
"I been out half the year, but I gotta say the trip's been worth the while," said Ellie. "Must've been ten years since I first found out about this gig. You don't see me complaining."
"Ten years?" asked Keira. "If you think about it, the last fifty years boiled down to this moment. I can only imagine how Charlotte feels about working for so long."
"I was asleep for many decades," said Charlotte. "Therefore my hibernation constituted much of that time."
"How about you, Mrs. Slade?" asked Victor. "You and Pierce have been in this longer than the rest of us."
"Well, it was just the two of us," said Pierce. "The official Colossian team was established with both of us as the initial members."
"That's as much as we were allowed to know," said Slade. "Chances are that there were dozens of members of S.E.E.S. before us that we never knew about. When we came around, our base of operations was the police station after dark. Our official base moved here five years ago."
"Who recruited you?" asked Conan.
"Pierce," said Slade. "To be precise, he invited me to be a founding member. I happened to almost become a Shadow victim when my Shadow appeared. Pierce came by and helped me tame it."
"Would Pierce be dubbed as 'a knight in shining armor?'" asked Charlotte.
"You could say that," said Pierce.
"He still had hair and sported a leather biker's jacket," said Slade with a smile.
Ellie laughed. "So that's who I kept seeing in those pictures at the station."
The captain laughed. "I actually became aware of the Dark Hour during an interview with the police," said Pierce. "Scary as hell at first, but I got used to it. I'm not sure how, but the government immediately found me and urged me to be part of a 'paranormal xenospecies extermination group.' Mr. Ikutsuki personally commended me for joining the team. Who'd have thought I would be the first member initially without a Persona?"
"Then again," said Lucy, "who'd have thought we'd get high school kids on the team?"
"It is quite a phenomenon how such events led to us all being here," said Charlotte. "The odds of our union are minimal at best."
Slade became downcast. "Perhaps if we never had the potential to have Personas, you all wouldn't have to bear our burden," she said.
"All this Shadow bull crap would've happened one way or another," said Ellie. "Besides, S.E.E.S. has been putting this off for more than fifty years, right? Shadows don't kill themselves."
"Yeah," said Lucy. "I have a few bones to pick with those monsters."
Slade smiled out of modesty. "I suppose that's true. Tomorrow is the big day. Everyone sleeps earlier tonight. That means you too, Pierce. Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" said the team in unison.
Colossus Downtown, Police Station: The Dark Hour
Ghost made himself as comfortable as he could in a jailhouse full of Shadow victims.
As per legal protocol, the Colossian police department required the scarred man and his friend to give up all their belongings. They were relieved of their weapons and street clothes and given orange jumpsuits during their stay. Because Ghost and Cero were relatively younger than most inmates, Pierce personally suggested that they be held in the police station jailhouse rather than real prison. He even suggested that being imprisoned with Shadow victims, inmates without souls or criminal intent, might teach them some manners. Pierce made sure that none of them had any access to gray pills. While the idea was a reasonable one, that was exactly what Ghost wanted.
The last two weeks' conditions were maddening. The hordes of lost souls populating the building would reanimate and clamor in nonsense during the Dark Hour. Given that there were no recoveries of Shadow victims in the last month, the jailhouse was chock-full of the fools screaming every night. Any man would have been driven mad by listening to their clamor. On the other hand, Ghost enjoyed the chaotic noise. The feeling made him feel right at home.
According to his memory, tonight was November 2nd, and during the Dark Hour, it was nearly November 3rd. the full moon would return tomorrow. The loss of Alice was a significant one, but within the margin of error. They had enough people to finalize the plan. He and the remaining members of Strega were prepared for this.
Ghost conjured his Persona card. "Azrael," he said.
The scarred man crushed the card. A mechanical angel with the two-faced mask materialized behind its master. As soon as the supernatural entity emerged, the clamor of Shadow victims ceased immediately. All eyes turned in the general direction of the Persona. Ghost commanded Azrael to break open the cell, which the Persona did with a slice of its wings.
"Cero," said Ghost in a singsong voice. "Where are you?"
Cero summoned his Persona and broke open the doors of his cell. His four-armed skeletal partner hovered behind him with the bottom of his oil lamp barely grazing the floor. The dreadlock man was less than pleased to not be given his gas mask.
"How are you holding up?" Ghost mused.
Cero stuck a thumb lazily behind him. "Merlin barely fits inside here," he said. "Damn jailhouse needs to be bigger. And where's Buck? It's not like he's running away too, right?"
"He'll be back," said Ghost. "I can feel him nearby."
A low chant echoed through the halls of the jailhouse. Every Shadow victim behind bars did what they could to get a better view of Ghost and Cero. The chant was a simple one: "Persona." A single word haunted the house, adding further eeriness to the area as a whole.
"You sure this'll work?" asked Cero.
"I suppose we needed to compensate with the loss of Alice," said Ghost. "The darkness among these lost souls will serve us well."
A light succession of metallic noises came from the exit of the jailhouse. The sound of keys complimented the mood of the area. Buck strolled into the jailhouse with a cracked mask, a ring of keys in his hand, and a cardboard box in the other. The box was labeled "Confiscated" across the front.
"Sup?" he said. Buck opened the box and produced his teammates' belongings. The others accepted their possessions as they spoke. Ghost and Cero swiftly changed into their usual attire.
"I assume Alice refused our offer?" asked Ghost. He sheathed his revolver into the belt of his jeans.
"Yeah," said Buck. "Alice basically told me to sod off. I swear, girls have minds of their own."
"What'd you expect?" asked Cero. He zipped up his hoodie and put on his gas mask. "You're not the persuasive type."
"Look who's talking."
Cero made a rude gesture with his hands.
"Enough talk," said Ghost. "Let's get started. Foolish Whisper!"
The mechanical angel behind him crossed its arms around its chest. A whoosh of air blasted in every direction from the Persona. As the wind blew through the building, the Shadow victims grew silent. All rose in unison and stood at the front of their cells.
The leader of Strega pointed to the cells. "Let's get them out first," said Ghost. "We have twenty-four hours to vent our anger. You two can kill each other after then. Understood?"
Buck and Cero exchanged malicious glances. They gave tense nods to Ghost and proceeded to cut the prisoners loose. Buck used the prison keys to unlock most of the cells while Cero simply had Merlin bend the bars open. Ghost stood patiently and ushered the soulless prisoners to huddle at the front of the jail house. In a few minutes, every Shadow victim was released and hoarded in a mob outside of the jailhouse. Ghost stood on top of a dumpster with Buck and Cero standing at his sides. All the Shadow victims stared at the scarred man.
"People of the Dark Hour!" said Ghost. "I am Ghost! Your descent into darkness is nearing an end! You all dreaded losing your humanity as you lost your souls, but do not fear! The human soul is corrupted by evil, a plague that has tainted our species for too long. Everyone here is beyond the temptations of that evil! You exist as workers for a divine purpose. This world is riddled with sin that spawns from human souls! We are the harbingers of a better world! Join me, and we will burn the mountains of man to ash! I will pass on the enlightenment set upon you all and give it to the city! A new age will begin as we bring the new world order! Death calls, and we will answer! Who will stand with me?"
Even with a dead look in their eyes, the Shadow Victims became more animated. They saluted to Ghost by raising their right hands rigidly. In an unsettling unison, they chanted one word. "Appraiser!" they said. "Appraiser!"
Buck and Cero watched as their leader rallied his new mob. The former secretly wondered how drastic the next twenty four hours were going to be.