Shadow Over Trolberg
A Hilda/Persona 4 AU
By Daring D.D. Danger
20: Fog Of War
"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." Igor crossed his arms.
"I wonder what direction fate will take you, now that things have taken a turn for the worst?" Margaret mused.
"Do you believe in fortune telling?" Igor laid a series of Tarot cards out. Margaret grabbed one.
"This is the fate that awaits you. Be careful." The Velvet Room faded before Randall could see the card.
11/6
"This looks like Heaven, but from a kids' book," Hilda noted. The area was filled with trails on white clouds, large golden gates, rainbows, and vines connecting it all.
"Mom? Are you here?" Lil' Hilda's voice echoed. "Why'd you go, Mom? Why didn't you take me with you?"
"That explains it," David noted. Randall looked at the trinket his cousin had made him.
"There she is!" Trevor pointed. Lil' Hilda was being dragged up a set of stairs by Victoria. The group chased them to the very top, through all the clouds, and into a large garden.
"Why'd you follow me here!?" Victoria yelled.
"Hilda!" Randall yelled.
"Big bro," she said weakly.
"Wait! You're the ones I've already saved!" Victoria began laughing.
"Do you really think that?" Frida asked.
"Yes! And now I'll save this child."
"She doesn't need your help!" Randall yelled.
"No!" Victoria ran further into the fog of the garden.
"Wait!" Frida chased after Randall but he didn't stop.
"You're the one who's been shoving people from the Midnight Channel into this world, isn't that right!?" Randall yelled as Victoria slowed.
"Yes, that's right," she said.
"Why?" Hilda asked.
"On rainy nights the TV shows me who wants to be saved, and so I do it."
"You sound insane," Frida said.
"If I didn't put you inside of the TV world, what do you think would've happened to you?" Victoria asked.
"That's insane! What you did nearly got us killed!" Kelly yelled.
"You just wanted to murder people!" David added.
"No, the murderers are you!" she accused. "I know your plan. You want to kill this little girl!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Hilda exclaimed.
"You can't kill her because I'll save her! Just like the rest!" She held Lil Hilda up to the sky.
"Let her go!" Randall yelled.
"That's right! I'm a hero!" The ground started shaking around all of them and the clouds became lined with red.
"I'm a knight in shining armor!" The red clouds began absorbing them.
"Big bro! I can't breathe!" Randall's cousin was screaming over tears. Randall sprinted forward. He was blocked as shadows flooded the room, surrounding Victoria like a tornado.
"Astria!" Alfur called in his Persona.
"It's like the Shadows are bonding with his power!" Alfur yelled. An explosion erupted and knocked them back. An enormous creature now floated in front of them. It had clockwork surrounding its head, and was holding little Hilda, now pinched between it's left pointer finger and thumb.
"I won't let him hurt you!" Randall ran in.
"Don't rush it!" Alfur yelled.
"I'll save her!" Victoria's voice boomed as an explosion shot Randall back. He summoned a Persona and ran forward again. Victoria held up a peace sign and he froze.
"Why did he stop?" Hilda asked. A piece of clockwork appeared over his head.
"Something's wrong with him," Alfur warned. Randall turned and raised a hand.
"Run!" He yelled as his Persona unleashed a blast of fire at his friends.
"What the hell!?" Trevor yelled as his Persona cleared the smoke. Randall's persona changed as Trevor sprinted forward and it deflected his attack.
"Victoria is somehow controlling him!" Alfur shouted. Randall's Persona changed again and unleashed a huge blast of wind at his friends.
"Who knew this bitch was gonna fight back this much!?" Trevor yelled as Randall changed Personas again.
"Oh no," Alfur said as Metatron took form. "He's charging to wipe us all out at once."
"I won't let anyone get in my way!" Victoria bellowed. Light scattered from the Persona as Randall struggled.
"Let me go!" He screamed.
"Big bro. Don't hurt them," his cousin said. Randall froze.
"Do it now!" Hilda yelled and unleashed her Persona. Everyone attacked, and Trevor destroyed Metatron.
"Dammit," Randall groaned as he fought for control. His arm slowly inched up and grabbed the clockwork ring. It became searing hot and started melting Randall's flesh until he was able to throw it on the ground and shatter it. Victoria dropped Lil' Hilda as she grew weaker. Randall ran in and caught her in his arms.
"Give her back!" Victoria yelled. Clockwork began appearing over his friends' heads.
"I can't fight it!" Hilda yelled. His friends unleashed their full force on him. As the dust cleared, Orpheus stood, and unleashed his strings, shattering the clockwork controlling Randall's friends. Randall put his cousin down.
"Everyone! Now's your chance for an all out attack!" Alfur yelled. The seven ran full speed at Victoria.
"I'll be the one to save her!" she yelled.
As the dust from the attack cleared, the Shadows began leaving Victoria. Randall swapped one last time, to the Persona Anubis. A light shone from the Persona, and when it cleared, the Shadows were gone.
"We need to get her out of here," Randall said. His cousin was unconscious.
Fog surrounded the hospital in Trolberg. All was silent, save for the machine helping Lil' Hilda's breathing.
"If only we could've gotten to her sooner," Frida said.
"Us whining does her no good now," Trevor mumbled. "We need to believe in her now."
"This touchy feely shit is getting me down anyway," Kelly added.
11/21
"I swear this fog just keeps getting thicker," Hilda complained as the group walked through downtown. David returned to them with a newspaper.
"I found an article on Van Gale! I guess she woke up," David said. Hilda grabbed the paper.
"In an official statement to the police, she says that she regrets her actions and that she was motivated by fear," she read.
"So, I guess it's over," David said.
"For real this time," Frida added.
"Guess what else? I got a call from the hospital this morning, Hilda can have visitors this afternoon!"
"We should go after school, then!" Trevor suggested.
"Hey, Hilda," Randall said to his cousin.
"Big bro," she said weakly.
"Don't be expecting any big conversations, she's still weak." Randall's uncle sat in his wheelchair.
"Mr. Elison, you really should be in your room," a nurse said, opening the door. "You're still recovering, too."
"Oh, fine," he complained. Detective Leif began moving him out of the room. "Don't wheel me around like I'm an old man!" he yelled.
"I wonder when the hospital will let her go home?" Hilda asked as the group walked to their homes.
"I heard someone say their kid was bedridden because of this fog." The group passed a woman when suddenly a man in a gas mask came out of an alley.
"Run! The fog is poison! It's filled with viruses!"
"That's a bit extreme," Hilda said as the man ran off.
"You have to admit this fog has lasted a long time," David said.
"It reminds me of the TV world," Randall said.
"How could that be possible?" Kelly said.
12/3
"How would we prove the fog is from the TV world?" Randall mused.
"I'm not sure. It sounds like things with Van Gale are at a stalemate too," Alfur said.
"Apparently, nothing she's saying makes sense," David added.
"This is all still bringing me down," Hilda said. The group sat quietly and ate their food.
To Be Continued