Hey there, reader!

This particular chapter seemed a bit dry for me. There's no social links, no real combat, and not much happening. I guess every story has to go through this phase (i.e. the "development" parts in AoT) before the going gets good. I"m getting the climax written out as we speak. If you want, I could post the "bad" end before I put up the true ending. Which brings up something else.

Question: Would you all prefer to see the bad ending before I put up the good ending?

I could go about writing the ending in many ways (i.e. 20 reviews gets good ending, 40 reviews gets true ending, etc.). How that'll go, I'm not sure. We still have to explain why all this is happening and how it'll be resolved. Personally, I'm crossing my fingers if I'll hit over fifty reviews by the time this story is over. If you have any ideas where P3:RL should go, shoot a review or PM to me. I'm very receptive to reader feedback, and your reviews are always appreciated.

Enjoy!

A brief thank you to RubyMoonz, DdotChou, MoldyJellyBean, ShadowDragoon32, Shiro No Kishidan, Pokepia's Haunt,kyoto knight, CodyGotKilld, Azure Blade of Chaos, KHforager, Megashade15, and DarkLord98.

Chapter 50

Mice and Men

CM Academy West side, Command room: 11:07 PM

Slade and Leon were in the middle of their conference. All participating speakers were linked through internet access. For the homeroom teacher and her student, they hooked up the screen for their surveillance feed to the internet. A camera was recently installed so the other board members could see them. Almost as soon as they tuned in, the members in session were in heated discussion.

The focus was centered on the direct attack on their base last night. No one took the news well. The Second Warsaw Pact, the United States of Southern America, the Chinese Federation, the Second Czech Republic, United Korea, the New Iranian State, and the Mexican Confederacy were in the conference. Needless to say, the computer screen overlooking each board member was overly crowded. After seven minutes of heated debate, no one was close to finding a resolution.

A light buzzing noise ran throughout the whole system. Slade and Leon somewhat welcomed the interruption. A new video feed emerged from the center of their screen and showed the leader of A.X.E.L. sitting in his chair.

"All board members, settle down," he said. "We came to discuss the unusual Shadow attack, and that's where we'll focus."

"We already heard about that!" said the speaker for the Chinese Federation. "I'm more concerned about our lack of action!"

Grunts of agreement came around the area and all eyes were focused on the leader of A.X.E.L. Their chattering digressed. A common theme was that every country witnessed their Shadows run off, completely ignoring the possible prey on the streets. They were running toward one location: Tatsumi Port Island. Why so many demons were going there, no one knew.

But the Colossian branch still needed to speak. Slade took the initiative to do so. "We have something new to report," she said. "It's a discovery we made."

"What kind of discovery?" asked Grigori Varkov, the speaker from the Second Warsaw Pact.

"Yes, what is it?" asked other branch members.

Slade uploaded the footage taken from Conan's visit and showed the other board members. A few minutes passed as they watched the footage. Slade and Leon briefly reiterated the coming of Nyx, the Appraiser, and what would happen before the year was out.

"Outrageous," said the speaker from the New Iranian State. "To think a fellow Persona-user would be this 'Appraiser' foretold."

"Then what shall we do?" asked the speaker for the United States of South America. "This isn't a semi-autonomous joint operation anymore. We're not fighting normal Shadows!"

"He is right," said the speaker for the Mexican Confederacy. "This is the time we should work together. I suggest we send Persona-users to train as militarized units before the Fall and—"

"With all due respect, I doubt the cohesiveness of our collective," said the speaker for the Second Czech Republic.

The speaker for the United States of Southern America scowled. "I have less than fifty Persona-users at my disposal here!" he said. "What if those monsters return? If I spare even a few, my country would be underhanded!"

"We are a union dedicated to fighting paranormal threats on a global scale!" said the leader of A.X.E.L. "We are obliged to unite against a common enemy!"

"But they have a point," said the speaker for United Korea. "I will not trust my country's Persona-users to men I cannot meet!"

Grunts of agreement came from other board members. True, they weren't entirely connected to the other S.E.E.S. branches around the world, even if they knew they existed.

Leon sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "This is not going well," he muttered.

Slade rose and stepped closer to the camera. "Could I have everyone's attention?" she said.

Some more banter was exchanged. Leon's voice was drowned out by that of the collective. The leader of A.X.E.L. sent another loud buzzing noise to silence the other board members. They all turned their heads to Slade. She gulped and proceeded.

"My name is Olivia R. Slade," she said. "And I must say that the Second Czech Republic has a point. We haven't been a cohesive group to begin with. But we're here, and we all have the same problem. It doesn't matter how you look at it. We are the last line of defense against Shadows. The Fall is coming, and we need as much manpower as we can to fight Nyx. What matters is that we find a solution, and that's what we're gonna do."

The speaker for the New Iranian State became intrigued. "Continue, Miss Slade," he said. "If you are so enlightened about yourself, what do you propose we do?"

Slade paced about. "The speaker for the Mexican Confederacy had a point," she said. "We're need to share Persona-users for this. Since the Tower of Nyx is in our territory, it's our operation. We have less than thirty days to train for this crisis, which doesn't give our team much time to prepare. That means we'll need reinforcements in militarized units. I know you haven't known each other long, but trust me on this. My team is facing the strongest Shadow out there, and we'll need all the help we can get."

"And how do you propose we train these units in less than a month?" asked the speaker for the New Iranian State. "Can we really forge something useful at such short notice?"

"Perhaps we can," said the speaker for the Mexican Confederacy. "A.X.E.L. HQ made a unique program designed for training Persona-users in a short amount of time. Could you clarify on that, Mr. Leader?"

The leader of A.X.E.L. glanced at the other members. "Yes, we have such a program," he said. "In fact, I believe we've proven successful in training an elite unit in the given time we had."

"Those children were given into your custody for two weeks!" said the speaker for United Korea. "Your program is impossible!"

The leader of A.X.E.L. sent a digital report to every member online. The report was one that disclosed the performance data of four unnamed Persona-users who went through this supposed elite program. One simple statement was written at the bottom. "Subjects are cleared for active duty."

"I believe it was just proven possible," said the leader of A.X.E.L. "The program will be rigorous, and only the most dedicated Persona-users will complete it."

Murmurs of discontent came from around the board. The other leaders had doubts about this program. "Those were only four subjects," said the speaker for United Korea. "And this isn't a miracle deal for our units. You're asking too much."

The senior rose and stood next to his teacher. "My team's up for it, your honor," said Leon. "We'll show you exactly how far we'll go to stop the Fall."

The other board members grew silent. "Impressive fortitude," said Grigori, "But I doubt these other men will spare their precious Persona-users to one cause. They are not easily persuaded."

Slade knotted her eyebrows. "Grigori!" she said.

Grigori's icon flashed green. "I second the Colossian branch's proposal," he said. "I am willing to send units for this training program. If any of you are willing to serve a higher purpose, you will do so too."

The other board members muttered behind their cameras about how to approach this dilemma. After some deliberation, an overwhelming majority of S.E.E.S. representatives voted no on Leon's proposal. The leader of A.X.E.L. gave glances of disapproval, but said nothing. Only three board members were green by the end of the voting.

"You are fools," said the speaker for United Korea. "We barely have enough manpower to repel a possible Shadow attack!"

"I believe this event takes higher priority," said Grigori. "But we thank you for your concern."

"The Mexican Confederacy, the Second Warsaw Pact, the Chinese Federation, and the Colossus State," said the leader of A.X.E.L. "It's time we made plans to begin training in your respective territories. The program will be utilized within the week. You are all dismissed."

The screen in the CM Academy Command Room dimmed. Slade and Leon sat back in their seats. They sunk into the cushions and let their recent conversation settle into their minds. "I hate politics," said Slade. "Too heavy for my tastes."

Perhaps this proposed program would work, perhaps it wouldn't. It was their best shot at getting enough training in before December 31st, and Slade intended to make the most of that time. Leon was the official field leader for S.E.E.S., but the homeroom teacher took it upon herself to see her students succeed. She just needed to tell the others.


The Sea of Conan's Soul: Shortly after

Conan stood in a realm between dream and reality. No, this wasn't the Velvet Room. Nyx allotted a space for him to reside before the Fall would arrive. She was lenient enough to allow him one visit outside to say goodbye to his friends. That graciousness was not guaranteed next time. This was his new home, his new prison. He would have to get used to it.

This space was exactly like his room back in CM Academy. A bed to the side, a metal wardrobe opposite of it, and a matching set of a wooden desk and a revolving chair at the center of the room. Nyx took the trouble of adding a bathroom mirror and sink next to the desk. One improvement was a window installed next to the wardrobe. Unfortunately, the window showed nothing but white fog. Conan found his room bland, yet somehow familiar. At least it wasn't a prison cell.

"Are you adjusting well?" asked a familiar voice.

Conan sighed loudly and flopped onto his bed. "Go away, Ryoji," he said.

Ryoji appeared in a corner of the room. He folded his arms and leaned against the wardrobe. "Can I get a warmer welcome than that?"

"I can't tell if you're a figment of my imagination or not," said Conan. "Maybe Nyx sent you to con me into her plans. I'd rather not think about it."

"You should thank me," said Ryoji calmly. "I helped you persuade mom to let you go for a few minutes. Aren't we brothers?"

Conan grunted. "We're not bros," he said.

"Hold on, I have something to give you." Ryoji reached behind him and produced a book. It had a worn cover and raggedy pages inside. Silver lining was drawn about the exterior and around an unnatural gem with a blue hue embedded in the leather cover. He tossed it to Conan.

"What is it?" asked Conan.

"The Book of Nyx," said Ryoji. "A cult of Nyx worshippers made this in honor of their patron goddess. They enchanted it with Persona-summoning abilities. Mom wanted you to have it."

Conan folded his arms. "How about no?"

"Just saying," said Ryoji. "You're not going anywhere until you pick this thing up." He set it down on Conan's desk.

"You and Nyx can suck it," said Conan.

The other boy shook his head. "Don't be like that," said Ryoji. "After all we've been through, you still want to brush me off?"

Conan glared at him. "You're not my friend."

Ryoji paused. He hinted that he was hurt, but didn't seem sad at all. In fact, he displayed some shame for himself. Perhaps that was his way of displaying penance in this situation. "No, but I was once," he said. "But that's behind us now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," said Conan. "Don't go on some BS about how you're trying to redeem yourself, because I know Nyx has you wrapped around her finger. You're a tool now, and you won't change my mind."

Ryoji glanced down and sighed. "Alright, I'll get out of your hair," he said. "But mom's gonna want a talk with you later."

"She can do her worst," said Conan. "Not that I care."

That was a lie. Conan cared a lot about what would happen in the next month. The most he could do was warn his friends. It was all up to them to fix this mess fifty years in the making. They would have to fight him, an omnipotent possessed by a goddess. S.E.E.S. barely stood a chance. Conan secretly hoped that they were up to the impossible task.


CM Academy West side, Command Room: 3:00 PM

After the rest of the team was notified, Slade told her students that they would be formally excused from their classes for the program. They would be expected to keep up with their studies in their downtime. Nearly two days later, a special trainer arrived straight from A.X.E.L. HQ to begin their so-called program. Until then, S.E.E.S. continued their false routine of daily school lives.

Two days after the conference, they rendezvoused in the lobby. "Exams are coming next Monday," said Keira to the group.

Groans came all around. "I don't think anyone cares at this point," said Victor. "Hell if Slade makes us study for those."

Leon pondered those tests and gripped the handle of his cane. "There's no way she'll be that mean," he assured.

Lucy checked her cell phone for new messages. "I wonder if Slade will tell us more about our new trainer," she said. "If this program's so cool, then whoever we're getting must be really mean."

"Come on," said Keira. "Who could be meaner than Slade?"

Ellie scoffed. "You'd be surprised," she said.

Victor made a gun with his fingers and held it up to his head. He made the sound of a gunshot and sighed. "As if saving the world wasn't enough trouble," he said.

Charlotte sat idly with the others. "I wonder what this program will be like exactly?" she wondered openly. "A representative from A.X.E.L. HQ is to instruct our training. It is implied that he carries this time device with him."

"Right, a 'time device,'" said Lucy. She put away her phone. "This thing better work. We have a one in a million chance of beating Conan at the end of the month. Going military was Leon's gig. No offense."

"None taken," said Leon. "And what's with all the downer talk? Come on, where's the fire we had when we last saw Conan?"

A brief moment of silence passed over the group. "It seemed fine then," said Ellie. "Now that I think about it, maybe we're not cut out for this."

Keira sighed. "She's right," she said. "I sensed tremendous power from Conan that night. Could we really fight someone like him?"

"I wanna say yes," said Victor. "But that would be a lie."

Leon sighed. As much as he wanted to give a motivational pep talk to his friends, he knew this wasn't the time. Besides, the trainer would knock some athlete's sense into them. Slade never dropped a name, but she had suspicious about who their guest from A.X.E.L. might be. He better be good at what he did. However this program was going to go down, S.E.E.S. needed to be damn sure it was ready.

Slade descended to the lobby and glanced at her team. "We're good to go," she said. "Follow me."

The members of S.E.E.S. followed their teacher to the command room. As they entered, they were astonished by what they saw. All the furniture was moved out for a large machine installed in the center of the room. A complex pair of control panels was linked to a glass sphere between them. Within the sphere was a flat rock suspended in the air.

Standing at one console was a burly man of twenty plus years. He was tall, had bristled black hair, and an intimidating demeanor. Slashes and scars decorated his left temple. A blocky jaw added extra muscle to his face. There was something about his mood that puzzled the team, but no one had the heart to ask. This was their A.X.E.L. trainer, and he looked mean. Everyone gulped silently.

"Everyone," said Slade. "Meet Barrath Varkov. He's our trainer for the program."

The trainer turned to the group and gave a slight wave. "It's just Barry," he said. His voice was unusually high for a man of his appearance, but no one had the nerve to say that.

"Uh, hey?" said Victor. "What's up?"

"I'll be running you all through the ropes," said Barry with a stern glance. He had some teeth coated in silver. "Mrs. Slade tells me you all recently awakened to your Personas?"

"Kind of," said Ellie.

Barry nodded. "Then the work's half done." He pointed to the glass sphere. "We'll be using this device to accelerate time in an enclosed space." Barry then pointed to the rock within the glass sphere. "You cannot leave until we finish our session."

"Excuse me, sir," said Keira. She pointed to the glass sphere. "We're going in that?"

"Yes. We'll all be shrunken down to fit within here."

"How small are we talking here?" asked Victor.

Barry pinched his fingers close enough to fit a small penny. "You'll be as tall as this. Don't worry, the effects are temporary. But you'll feel the effects of accelerated time as soon as we start. Report any discomforts immediately. Are we all ready?"

The members of S.E.E.S. did a quick glance around, and then they nodded. "Can't stop us now," said Leon.

Barry tapped a few buttons on the console, and the glass sphere began to glow. He commanded the team to cluster together and prepare to enter the accelerated space. Victor, Lucy, Keira, Leon, Ellie, Slade, and Barry all stood together and were engulfed entirely in light. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.


The Sea of Conan's Soul: Meanwhile

Ryoji returned to Conan, who remained sprawled out on his bed. The former sighed and rapped his knuckles on the open door. Conan stared up at the ceiling in silence.

"You haven't touched the book yet," said Ryoji.

"Go to hell," said Conan.

Ryoji waved his arms and pointed to the confines of the room they were in. "We're already here," he said. "Don't think you can leave without a hitch."

"Sod off."

Conan waited for his guest to leave. Ryoji didn't budge. Conan sighed and eyed the Book of Nyx on his desk. There was something evil about that object. Whatever power was inside it, Conan didn't want it. In fact, he didn't consider what he could possibly do with an old book like that. Conan looked away and stared at the ceiling. Ryoji continued to stare at the Book of Nyx.

"Mom will have her way one way or another," he said. "She's eventually coming here."

"Let her come then," said Conan.

Ryoji glanced to the side, outside the room, and entered Conan's space. He closed the door behind him. "Mom noticed you weren't feeling too good about the whole Fall thing. So she wanted me to help you out with that."

"Can I kill your ass?" said Conan. "I'd be happy to do that."

A bitter laugh came from both boys. "Good one," said Ryoji. "But I'm already dead. Anyways, there's something else I was supposed to do. First, did you want to settle some issues with others?"

"I said my goodbyes already."

"How about to your friends in the Velvet Room?"

Conan sat up. "How did you know about them?" he asked.

"I know everything you know," said Ryoji. "After all, I am you."

The junior rose and walked up to the other boy's face. A scowl stretched across face. "Give it a rest already," said Conan. "You aren't my Shadow, and you aren't getting into my head. And if you even think about breaching that place—"

"I won't," Ryoji interrupted. "Because it's up to you to resolve your qualms. Admit it. You have reservations. They left you for dead when you needed them most. Did you really let bygones be bygones?"

Conan was tempted to retort. Something kept him from doing so. What Ryoji said was brash and stung. Elizabeth and Igor did leave him in the dark all this time. The other boy was right about one thing. Conan needed to settle some issues with Igor, who should have told him what he needed to know. If there was anyone to blame for current circumstances, it was the old man in the Velvet Room.

The junior bit his bottom lip. "Guess I can't," he said.

Ryoji snapped his fingers. The door to Conan's prison morphed into something different. It turned into a peculiar shade of blue and shimmered like a mirage in the desert. Before the boys was a portal to the Velvet Room waiting to be opened. Conan gawked at it in surprise.

"Your mind is forever linked to the space between dream and reality," said Ryoji. "The blue girl's been trying to reach you through these walls. Mom made sure she'd never speak to you until you did what you were supposed to."

The junior knotted his eyebrows. "Why are you doing this?" asked Conan.

Ryoji leaned in closer to him. "Just between us, I don't like the Fall either. Take my advice. Get some business done before we all go up in smoke. You get me?"

Conan sidestepped to get a better view of the portal. "I got it," he said. "But don't think this makes us cool."

Ryoji scoffed. "Mom's bound to notice the portal, so you have until tonight to settle your business. Bring the Book of Nyx with you. You'll need it. See you around."

He disappeared. Conan was left alone with a portal, an evil artifact, and his growing uncertainty about the end of days. The junior finally picked up the Book of Nyx and examined its contents.


The Glass Sphere: 12:00 APM (Artificial Post Meridiem)

The world within the sphere was ridiculously vast considering its actual size. The slate of rock was now a vast field of earth and dust. A bleached sky hung above with aurora lights instead of a sun, moon, or stars. Plateaus and canyons dotted the distant borders of their space. This place might have been beautiful if it weren't meant for training Persona-users for battle. S.E.E.S. absorbed every detail of their new training ground as Barry gave a brief lecture about this space.

"Time flows differently depending on where you are in space," he said. "Our scientists discovered a method to utilize this principle. When we're significantly smaller than we actually are, the time in our space is accelerated so that one real-time hour is one day in here."

"Has anyone worked here before?" asked Keira. "I mean, is training in this environment hazardous?"

"No dangers of that sort here, Miss Kingsley," said Barry. "We took four Persona users for two weeks and subjected them to five months' worth of training. All of them have clean bills of health."

"I trust we won't be in any environmental hazard, Keira," said Charlotte. "The air appears breathable, and I detected sufficient moisture from outside this space."

"Who did you train, exactly?" asked Victor.

"Some youths given to our custody," said Barry. "You'll meet one pretty soon."

"I didn't know there'd be more Persona-users with us," said Lucy. "Who is it?"

Barry cupped his hands over his eyes to look into the distance. "A former colleague of yours," he said. "Oh, and brace yourselves."

Before anyone had the chance to ask what he meant, a colossal light pierced the horizon. It emerged in the shape of a spear and left an expanding bubble of fire behind it. All eyes turned to the light. Two seconds later, a wave of wind and dust flew out in all directions and hit the members of S.E.E.S. with full force. A tremor rattled the ground with frightening force. The dust cloud clogged the air and flew past the team to the edge of the sphere. Everyone but Barry coughed.

"The hell was that?" said Victor. "Someone fire a nuke?"

"You could say that," said Leon. "God, I haven't seen anyone pull that off. Ellie, didn't Trevor try something like that?"

Ellie coughed the dust out of her system. "Yeah, and he had an epic fail," she said. "Moron couldn't pull that off in his life."

"What kind of power was that?" muttered Keira. "That wasn't Agi, Zio, Bufu, or Garu."

"An Almighty skill," said Barry. "A magic that has no elemental attribute. It's simply pure magic." He pressed one finger to his ear. "Zero Two, what have I told you about firing off Megidolaon?"

Yeah, whatever, said a voice in everyone's heads. You gotta admit that was pretty neat, right?

Victor widened his eyes. "No way," he said.

"No one fires off Megidolaon without my say-so," said Barry. "Understood?"

Fine, I'll fire off when you give the word.

Victor pressed his finger to his ear. "Alice?" he asked.

There was laughter on the other end of the telepathic connection.
The one and only, said Alice.

The rest of S.E.E.S. was surprised. "So she wasn't sent to prison?" asked.

"A rehabilitation program, actually," said Barry. "Eleven months of it with her former peers. She's been re-educated to control her Persona without the use of medication."

"No kidding," said Leon. "Can we meet her now?"

Be there in a sec, soldier boy, said Alice.

The team patiently waited where they stood. Keira pressed a few questions to Barry. A.X.E.L.'s trainer was able to answer soundly with concrete science. The rest of the team waited patiently for him to finish his explanations. Shortly after, Alice rode in on a bicycle. Alice sported a dark tank top with cargo pants and combat boots. Her hair had lost some of its volume, so most of it was straight and tied in two straight pigtails. She was very happy to see her old friends.

"Wow," said Keira. "It's been a long time," she said.

"So have you really been here for five months?" asked Slade. "That's quite a long time to be in an enclosed space."

"Yeah," said Alice. "Those A.X.E.L. guys put me through the ropes to get better at killing Shadows. Given what's coming up soon, I guess you need all the help you can get, right?"

Ellie folded her arms. Of all her teammates, she was the most reluctant to believe Alice turned a whole new leaf. "No hatchet death matches anymore, 'kay?" she said.

"I assure you," said Barry, "that won't happen again."

"So you'll be coaching us with Barry?" asked Leon.

"Yes," said Barry. "Today, I thought we'd focus on how you all summon your Personas. Could we have a volunteer?"

Victor stepped forward. "What do I do?" he asked.

"Summon your Persona before we hit you."

Before Victor had the chance to ask, Barry pulled a handgun from his side and stuck it in Victor's face. Victor froze and simply stared down the barrel. No one moved. Alice laughed finally.

"Moron," she said. "He does that with everyone."

Barry unloaded the magazine. There were no bullets in the weapon. Victor stared at the thing with wide-eyed surprise. "That could've killed me!" he said.

"And a Persona might've saved you," said Alice. She cracked her knuckles. "Let's try again."

Everyone was put through a grueling hour of summoning and dismissing their Personas in rapid succession to block punches. Barry and Alice were remarkably fast and jabbed punches and fake-outs. Everyone, even Leon, was having trouble keeping up. The team was too tired summoning and dismissing their Personas to effectively block any attacks. By the end of the hour, Barry became disappointed.

"Is this the best you can do?" he asked. "The Appraiser won't leave you room to blink, let alone catch your breath."

Lucy panted shallow breaths. "I can do better," she said.

Alice began to drop kick her. Lucy swiftly called Ishtar, who materialized before her master. The attack was parried and Lucy's Persona disappeared into nothing immediately. Too tired to stay up, Lucy fell over. Alice glanced at her with discrimination, and then to the rest of the team.

"Miss Prince-Ass has more nerve than the rest of you losers," said Alice. "Try harder!"

The remainder of their training session transgressed into long minutes of grueling drills. Simply summoning one's true Persona drained more energy than summoning an initial one, so the members of S.E.E.S. were horribly spent. Barry commanded everyone to undergo a number of physical drills, like running in synchronization and unanimous push-ups and curl-ups. Leon wasn't given any pardon for his handicap, but his athletic ability somewhat compensated for his lagging behind. Keira and Ellie attempted to protest the cruelty of that, but Barry insisted that it would work for the better.

The equivalent of a day passed within the enclosed space. Barry called a break. His command was for S.E.E.S. to simply go to sleep. There weren't any complaints as the juniors, seniors, and their homeroom teacher lied down and slept. Alice and Barry looked at them and pondered how the training was going.

"How long's it been in real time?" asked Alice.

"An hour," said Barry. "They've all got seven real time hours to clock in for the Fall. And then there's tomorrow night."

Alice scoffed. "They better make it. I didn't haul ass to see them flop now."