I am finally back! Sorry about the long wait, I swear I was going to post this sooner, but then my laptop died on me and it took forever to get my files back.
In any case, here's the next chapter at long last! I'm proud of how this chapter turned out, though I can't say the Angel Joker fight is my best...
In any case, thanks Cosmic Sky (I hope you enjoy this chapter at least half as much as the previous!) and RosyMiranto18 (Thank you, as always!) for reviewing, all 24 followers, 19 favorites and 1,662 readers!
Not much else to say...most of this is familiar to those who read SoR, but enjoy the new parts!
They walked further in when Tatsuya felt a resonance wash over him. He froze, his eyes widening.
"Jun…" He whispered.
"It's Jun-kun…but…there's someone else, too…the same Persona…?" Maya muttered to herself only to gasp, her eyes far away. "No…! It's like something is staring at me…in an endless pit of darkness…don't, Jun-kun…these powers shouldn't be used…"
"We need to hurry…come on, let's go!" Tatsuya encouraged them before he took off running, Eikichi and Ginko at his sides and Maya right behind them, desperation and fear pushing them ever onward.
"Jun!" Tatsuya, Eikichi and Ginko shouted as they ran into the center of the Caracol, their eyes landing on their masked and manipulated friend before they saw anything else, focused on anything else.
"Jun-kun! Please stop this nonsense!" Maya begged, her eyes wide and pleading, trying to reach the boy she knew.
"Jun, listen to us!" Tatsuya cried, even as he held his katana at the ready to fight, Eikichi at his side with his machine gun ready.
For standing in front of them was many members of the Last Battalion, the Fuhrer (and wasn't that the craziest part of all of this!? Adolf Hitler, raised from the dead, wearing sunglasses of all things!) at the front of them, and standing in front of them, on a stage, was Jun, Shadows of Tatsuya, Eikichi and Lisa and the final executive of the Masked Circle, most likely Queen Aquarius considered how the man at GOLD mentioned a queen and the fact that the riddles given by King Leo had referenced the Aquarius sign.
"It seems all the players have taken the stage. The three factions here are qualified to raise Xibalba and have their desires granted." Jun stated.
"Exactly. My Order of the Holy Lance, symbolizing the Zodiac, has those same qualifications." The Fuhrer (Tatsuya still couldn't get around the fact that rumors brought this guy back to life) stated.
"Heil Fuhrer! Sieg Reich!" The Order of the Holy Lance cried in unison, saluting their leader.
"Only those born under the holy constellation of the Grand Cross can control the five skulls." The Fuhrer smirked.
"Ha…and what would a ghost from the past, resurrected by rumors, wish for?" Jun asked, tilting his head to the side coyly.
"The same as you, marionette of the Wheel of Fortune." The Fuhrer stated as his evil grin grew. "Destruction and progress…these contradictory impulses are constantly at war within man. It was your fears and expectations of them which summoned me. And now that I am here, I must live up to them, nein?"
"True…but that's my duty. I wish you'd leave, old man…along with that trash over there…" Jun said, pointing a gloved finger at his childhood friends. The Order of the Holy Lance split its forces then, some attacking Shadow Tatsuya and Shadow Ginko, while the others turned to attack Tatsuya and his friends.
And that was the moment Tatsuya felt his heart truly crack. Jun…he would never say something like that. He was polite to a fault, never even said a bad word about kids who bullied him, he didn't even defend himself to them. He believed in dreams, believed in Tatsuya and…this wasn't Jun, this wasn't Jun at all.
"Jun! You have to stop this!" Tatsuya cried, even as he faced the Longinus attacking him and his friends, blocking that damned spear with his katana.
"You're wrong, Jun-kun! Dreams aren't meant to be given!" Maya added. "They only have meaning when you achieve them under your own power! If man wants to evolve, then…"
"Foolish girl…do you believe that all humans have such a sugarcoated view of the world?" Jun scoffed.
"Jun, stop!" Tatsuya begged. This wasn't Jun, he'd never say anything like that, no way in hell! Maya wasn't just his big sister, she was his mom, he loved her as if she was his own blood. And he should recognize her, but now he was calling her foolish…this wasn't Jun! "Please, come back to us!"
"Indeed…the rampant illusion of freedom causes man to worry over petty matters." The Fuhrer agreed. "The masses will always desire a leader who decides everything for them…anxiety over the future only causes them pain!"
"That is why I, Joker, will lead mankind into a new era! Humanity will be freed from the suffocating chains of raison d'etre!" Jun proclaimed, his arms raising to the sky as he turned towards the wheel that contained the crystal skulls behind him, which began to slow its spinning. "Behold the wings of death and rebirth! Xibalba!"
"No! That's not true! Then why were we born!?" Maya cried, trying to reach Jun.
But it was too late.
The five skulls behind Jun began to glow and then, suddenly, the sky turned red and Tatsuya could see four lights in the distance as giant rings began to circle Sumaru City and the city itself was lifted into the air. The ground was shaking with the force of their liftoff, but it did not stop. The city continued to fly, higher and higher, and Tatsuya could already feel the change in air pressure, could feel his breath coming in shorter than it should as they lifted away from the Earth.
"N-no way…" Ginko gasped, her hands coming up to grasp her chest as her body tried to acclimate.
"Wunderbar…! Such a dignified appearance is worthy of the true city for a Fuhrer…the Fuhrer Staat!" The Fuhrer proclaimed, his grin wide and twisted, exactly how a mad dictator would grin.
"Hahaha…aaaaaaaahahahahahaha! Look! What Father said was true!" Jun laughed. Tatsuya was grateful, in that moment, that Jun's face was hidden. He wasn't sure…if he could take it, seeing such a twisted smile that his laughter spoke of on his face, his delicate features twisted in a way that was just wrong.
"I-it can't be…it was true…?" Queen Aquarius asked, her eyes focused on the wheel, her hands raised up towards her mouth. Her voice was familiar…but Tatsuya couldn't place it.
And at that moment, he didn't care.
Suddenly, Jun fell to his knees.
"Jun!" Tatsuya shouted in worry, seeing Jun clutching his head. He wanted to get to him, needed to, but these damn robots were in his way!
"Ngh…!? No…what…I wanted…wasn't…this horrible…thing…!" Jun gasped.
"Jun-kun!" Maya cried in worry, her nails digging into the palms of her skin, desperate to reach the boy in pain before her.
"He's still in there…we can still save him!" Eikichi insisted, clutching his machine gun, his eyes wild and frantic, yet steely with their determination.
"You bet we are!" Ginko nodded firmly, changing her stance to a fighting one, ready to charge in and save her friend, come hell or high water.
"Hold on, Jun!" Tatsuya cried, his heart clenching, because they couldn't be too late, not if Jun was reaching through, not now.
"Now! Seize the skull!" The Fuhrer suddenly ordered.
"Jun, look out!" Queen Aquarius screamed, frantic.
It all happened so fast after that…a Longinus flew up and was about to stab Jun, but Queen Aquarius pushed him out of the way, taking the blow for him, right in the stomach, and she collapsed to the ground. Jun, in his confusion, summoned his Persona to try and stop the Longinus, but he was too late. The Longinus took the skull in the center and returned to the Fuhrer, passing the crystal skull to him.
"Hahahaha! Since that's risen, there's no more use for this place!" The Fuhrer laughed. "This place will collapse soon! If you don't hurry and get on with it, you'll be another casualty of the world's destruction!"
Then, using jetpacks of all things, the Fuhrer and the Order of the Holy lance flew away.
All that remained was Jun, the three Shadows and the four original Masked Circle members.
"Tch…!" Jun scoffed as he faced the Shadows. "Take the remaining skulls and go after him!"
"As you wish…glory to the Mask…" Shadow Eikichi, Shadow Tatsuya and Shadow Ginko chorused before they vanished with the remaining skulls.
All that was left was the five Masked Circle founders.
Suddenly, Jun fell to his knees and clutched his head in pain. His body was trembling and Tatsuya could only imagine the anguish that was on his face, hidden by his mask (his mask, which used to represent their friendship, but had now been twisted into a mockery of it…).
"Ngh…it was Tatsuya…who killed Big Sis…who killed our Mama…right, Papa…?" Jun gasped through his clear pain.
"Jun! That's not what happened, you have to remember!" Tatsuya begged as he ran towards his other half, his friends (his friends) right behind him.
"Jun! It's about time you came to your senses!" Eikichi added, his voice steady and determined where Tatsuya felt as if he was about to fall apart.
"Jun…? Who…am I…? I'm…I'm…" Jun whispered, his voice pained and confused and lost.
Suddenly, the light that usually indicated a Persona summoning surrounded Jun and an unknown voice spoke. It was a dark voice, one that sent shivers down Tatsuya's spine.
"Don't forget…you are Joker…kill…kill…kill."
The voice, unlike other Personas, did not resemble Jun's voice at all. And yet, Jun stood up at the sound of the voice.
"That's right…I'm…Joker!" Jun proclaimed. "It's been a long ten years…experience for yourself the pain and sorrow I endured!"
"Jun!" Eikichi and Ginko cried, desperate to reach their friend, to not have to fight him.
Tatsuya took out the lighter and held it out towards Jun.
"Jun, look! I still have the lighter, I still remember our promise! Don't you remember? We promised to never give up on our dreams, to always be together!" Tatsuya cried.
"Please, you have to come back to us!" Ginko added.
"Jun-kun, stop this! I'm alive! There's no reason for you and Tatsuya-kun to fight like this!" Maya protested.
"If we have to beat some sense into you, then we will! We're getting our friend back!" Eikichi cried.
"Don't worry, Jun. We'll save you. We'll wake you up." Tatsuya promised.
"Save me? Ha! You killed Big Sis, our Mama, how could you ever save anyone?!" Jun spat, twisted anger and fury clear in his voice. He raised his right arm forward, so it was parallel to the ground in front of his body. "Faerie Wind!"
Jun's Persona morphed out of his body and Tatsuya cried out as a small tornado filled with rose flower petals pushed him back, the flowers and wind cutting into his skin as he was thrown back.
"Ta-chan!" Eikichi cried.
"Chinyan!" Ginko cried at the same moment.
"Lisa, Eikichi, no!" Maya shouted as they both turned their backs to Jun.
"So even now, you two continue to work with him…what did Big Sis ever do to you?!" Jun shouted, his fists clenched tightly.
He moved to summon his Persona once more, but Eikichi moved faster, shooting a round of bullets at Jun's feet before getting close enough to punch the boy in the face, despite his mask.
"I told you I'd beat some sense into you, so shut the hell up about that! You're wrong, and we're gonna prove it before these memories make you kill yourself!" Eikichi snarled before he summoned Rhadamanthus Prime and casting Aques, soaking Jun.
"You know nothing of the pain I have suffered!" Jun shouted, "Nothing!" He suddenly held up a yellow iris and used the stem to cut into Eikichi's wrist, causing the blue haired boy to let him go as blood streamed from his wrist.
The surprise from the seemingly innocent weapon cause Eikichi to stumble back only for Jun to raise his arm once more, calling on his Persona to cast High Pressure.
Tatsuya grunted as the almighty attack landed, feeling as if the pressure was enough to break his bones. But as soon as it lifted, he forced himself up, aided by Ginko's healing magic.
A second after, the blonde girl called on Eros Prime and sent rocks hurtling at Jun, right before she hurled herself forward to land a solid punch to his face.
"That pain you're talking about? It isn't real! None of this is Tatsuya's fault, it's ours, Jun! But we can still make it right, starting by getting you back!" Ginko pleaded, tears in her voice. "So come on, come back to us!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jun screamed, throwing yellow iris after yellow iris at them. "Repent in hell, all of you!"
Before the worst of the maelstrom could hit Ginko, Tatsuya grasped her arm and pulled her back, feeling one stem land in his right arm as he swung his katana in an attempt to throw Jun off balance.
But Jun only ducked before kicking his leg out, landing a perfect hit on the flower imbedded in Tatsuya's arm, forcing it deeper, injuring muscle as well as skin.
Tatsuya hissed, but he didn't back down.
"I know you're in there, Jun! You're my other half, I can feel that you're still there! And I won't give up, not until we're together again, like we're supposed to be!" He cried, swinging his katana, and cutting a chunk out of Jun's mask. Jun let out a growl before he took out a fully bloomed fritillaria cameschatcensis and swung it at Tatsuya, obviously intending to hit an artery in his neck.
"You ruined that bond the day you declared Big Sis should die!" Jun snarled, his anger twisting into a deep black aura around his body.
"That's not true, Jun! You know it isn't!" Tatsuya shouted as he quickly summoned Vulcanus Prime, burning the flower in Jun's grasp before it could stab.
"Unseasonable Bloom!" Jun shouted, throwing Tatsuya and everyone else back away.
"Jun, come on! It's us, you know us!" Ginko begged, her fists shaking.
"Silence, all of you! Faerie Wind!" Jun casted.
"Jun, stop!" Eikichi shouted.
"Jun!" Tatsuya begged.
But it wasn't any of them who was hit by the wind and rose petals.
It was Maya.
She stepped in front of them all and took the blow, grunting in pain as the wind cut viciously, but she didn't fall. She refused and that allowed her to stay standing.
But that didn't stop the rest of them from screaming,
"Big Sis!"
Jun froze as their voices registered and when the wind died down, Maya swayed for only a moment before she looked up and stared at him.
"Jun-kun…it's me…please, stop this! It doesn't have to be this way!" She begged.
"No…no, you're dead…you're an illusion!" Jun spat. "How dare you use Big Sis' face?! How dare you!"
Maya's eyes were sad as she raised her two pink guns.
"I'm sorry, Jun-kun, but I promise, I'll save you from this." She stated. Then she pulled the triggers, sending bullet after bullet at Jun, never hitting anything vital or a spot to give him a debilitating injury, but she still hit him. "Feral Claw." Maya Prime appeared then, cutting into Jun, breaking his mask even further. "Tatsuya-kun, now!"
"Sorry, Jun. Agidyne!" Tatsuya shouted as the fire raced through his blood and exploded outside of him, aimed at Jun.
Jun screamed then, falling to the ground, and clawing at his mask as if desperate to remove it. He was heaving for air, the combination of being at such a high altitude and the fire sucking all of the remaining oxygen away taking its toll on him.
"This is…" Jun whispered, his voice hoarse as he laid on the ground, still shaking with the Caracol's incoming collapse.
Quietly, and a safe distance away, Tatsuya knelt in front of Jun and began to whisper quietly under his breath about the good memories from ten years ago, reminding Jun of all he taught them about the stars and flowers, the games they used to play and how close they all had been. Anything to get through to him.
"Are you all okay!? What in the world is going on…?" Yukino's voice asked. Turning slightly, Tatsuya watched as she and Anna ran up to the five original members of the Masked Circle, her eyes wide with worry. Even Anna looked concerned, especially when she saw Jun and Queen Aquarius both on the ground.
"I-impossible…this…can't be…! I…I refuse to accept this!" Jun cried as he pushed himself to his feet, his body shaking with the struggle to do so, and put even more space between himself and his friends, as if he was trying to subconsciously protect them from himself.
"Jun, listen to me, it's okay…" Tatsuya said as he stood up. "Please…let us help…"
Maya was going to add something, but suddenly the blue light of a Persona surrounded Jun once again and the same voice from before spoke.
"You want power…? Then wish for it…hate…immolate yourself in the flames of abhorrence…"
"I…want power…! Power enough to yield to no one…!" Jun cried.
"No! Don't listen!" Maya shouted, her eyes wide and frantic with new fear.
"Jun!" Tatsuya, Eikichi and Ginko cried once again, trying to reach their friend before it was too late.
But it was already too late.
Jun's Persona appeared and continued to speak.
"Your wish has been heard…the sacrifice on offer is yourself. Since you were praised as an angel, I grant you heavenly strength…"
Suddenly, Jun's body spasmed violently as light engulfed him.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaagh…!? S-stop…!" Jun screamed, pain suffused with every word.
The light cleared and Jun's back faced them, an angel attached to it and Jun himself appearing to be nothing more than a puppet.
Tatsuya's heart broke even more.
"I am the archangel of judgement…the corrupt souls of man shall be cleaved with my sword of light…" Angel Joker, for that was what he was, proclaimed.
"What're we supposed to do!?" Ginko cried, fear and worry in her voice and tears in her eyes.
"Dude, can't we do anything for him!?" Eikichi cried, desperate, his voice shaking and his hands unsteady.
"Jun-kun, please…please stop this…" Maya begged, her voice shaking, tears falling from her eyes.
"Jun…I know you're in there…so fight this…come back to us…please…we need you, I need you! You're my other half right? So come back to me…!" Tatsuya pleaded, feeling tears in his own eyes as his voice shook.
He had never been so desperate in his life.
"Help…" The smallest whisper left Angel Joker's lips.
"You guys hear that!? Jun is still in there! If you want to save him, then you have to fight one last time!" Yukino cried, sliding her knife out of her sleeve as Anna took out her whip, wordlessly supporting them in their fight. "Now come on!"
"Right!" The four Masked Circle members chorused, their morale raised.
"Hold on, Jun. We're coming!" Tatsuya vowed.
"Accept your punishment!" Angel Joker declared as he raised his arms up. "Holy Sword!"
Suddenly, swords of light shot down from the sky onto all of them. Tatsuya hissed as he felt one cut deeply into his shoulder, but he paid it no mind. As soon as he had an opening, he summoned Vulcanus Prime and casted Agidyne, the fire throwing Angel Joker back.
Seeing the opening he made for what it was, Eikichi quickly summoned Rhadamanthus Prime, casting Zanma, as Ginko quickly healed Tatsuya's shoulder.
"Anna, with me!" Yukino shouted.
"Right!" Anna nodded as the two women ran forward and summoned Durga and Reverse Aeshma, casting Ziodyne and Aquadyne in unison.
Angel Joker shrieked as the water conducted the electricity making it all the worse of an attack.
"Don't give him a second to recover or he'll kill you!" Anna shouted in warning.
"I'm sorry, Jun-kun." Maya apologized, her eyes sad even as she summoned Maia Prime and raised her two guns as she casted Feral Claw, shooting a round of bullets into the angel that took over Jun's body like a parasite.
Angel Joker hissed at them once he found a moment to breathe.
"You sicken me, you demons…I shall punish you all!" He declared before he cast Alpha Blaster, causing Tatsuya to bite his tongue to keep from shouting in pain.
"Jun, come on, you know this is wrong!" Ginko shouted as she summoned Eros Prime, sending a veritable rockslide worth of earth at the parasite possessing their friend.
Before Angel Joker can retaliate, Anna's whip shoots out and wraps around his ankles, forcing him to fall. As soon as he does, Tatsuya shoots forward, Yukino at his side and they both cut through the wings that mockingly proclaim him an angel.
Ginko follows up quickly with a solid kick to the gut before she grasps Angel Joker's shirt collar and tosses him into the air the moment Anna's whip is pulled away. As the boy seemingly floats in the air for a moment, Maya and Eikichi open fire until he's collapsed on the ground, struggling to push his body up.
"I…won't…" Angel Joker hissed.
"Jun, please…" Tatsuya begged before he casted Fiery Fury.
"Man, we know this ain't you, so just come home." Eikichi added, a regretful look on his face as he followed up with an Ice Blade spell.
Ginko let out a quiet sob as she casted Sharpshoot.
"Jun-kun…we're here." Maya whispered as she raised her arms and casted Omni Dimension.
Yukino and Anna remained silent as they observed.
"No…nooooooo!" Angel Joker snarled, trying desperately to keep fighting, only-
Wind filled with flower petals suddenly sprung up around Angel Joker and the boy utterly screamed as he suffered from his own attack.
The original Masked Circle members, Yukino and Anna were frozen as they stared at him in disbelief.
Jun…from within his entrapment in Angel Joker…had defeated himself.
As his final scream rang out, Angel Joker, along with Joker's clothes and mask, faded away into nothing as Jun collapsed on the ground.
"Jun!" The original Masked Circle cried as they all kneeled around him, Maya and Ginko supporting him and helping him sit up.
They didn't have to wait long after Ginko used a Diarama for Jun's eyes to open, tears forming in his eyes as they landed on the people surrounding him.
"Jun-kun…" Maya whispered, a smile on her face.
"Welcome home." Tatsuya smiled, reaching out to squeezing Jun's hand as he seemed to reorient himself.
"This whole time…was I…having a nightmare…?" Jun whispered, his voice soft, as if he still couldn't quite believe this was real, that his friends had returned to him, saved him, that his big sister was alive…he pushed himself up and Maya and Ginko hugged him tightly, looking as if they never wanted to let go.
"Oh, thank goodness…I'm…I'm so glad…!" Ginko whispered and Tatsuya could hear the tears and smile in her voice.
"Damn, dude…you had us so worried…" Eikichi sniffed, smiling brightly as he lightly punched Jun on the chest, since Maya and Ginko had a shoulder each.
"Hey, Jun…" Tatsuya smiled, feeling his own tears fall as he took out his lighter with his free hand and placed it into the one holding Jun's. Jun understood what he wanted to say without him saying a word.
"Tatsuya…you had that…all this time…?" Jun asked, his voice shocked and yet hopeful. Tatsuya smiled wider if that was possible, though he admitted to himself that he missed hearing Jun's real voice calling him 'Tacchi'.
"Of course…we promised, didn't we?" He said as he gestured to Jun's right wrist.
Jun lifted his wrist and stared down at the watch.
"It's ticking…it had been stopped…ever since that day…" Jun whispered. "That's right…we promised to protect Big Sis together…forever…and I…I…!" Jun gasped out a sob as Maya and Ginko helped him to his feet and Maya took out a flower.
"A nemophilia…'I forgive you'…" Jun in Tatsuya's head explained.
"Jun-kun…this is how I feel…I promise you…" Maya said, her own tears falling around her genuine smile. "No matter who stands against you…even if the whole world becomes my enemy…I'll keep my promise…"
"A nemophilia flower…" Jun said as he delicately held the flower in his hands. "I'm sorry…Big Sis…I'm so sorry…Tatsuya…" Jun fell to his knees and let out a sob, the flower delicately held in his hands. "I…I…"
Carefully, Tatsuya knelt down and gently held Jun's hands in his.
"All is forgiven and we're gonna stand by you no matter what. You're not alone anymore, Jun, we'll never leave you." Tatsuya promised.
Jun looked up at him, tears in his eyes. Carefully, he slipped the nemophilia into his buttonhole, taking the yellow iris that had previously been there and throwing it to the ground. He opened his mouth to say something when-
A terrible resonance washed over the group and they fell to their knees.
"What the…!? My Persona is…scared!?" Maya gasped.
"What's happening!?" Tatsuya cried.
"Something's coming, something big!" Eikichi grunted.
"But what could possibly scare our Personas!?" Ginko asked.
"I think we're about to find out." Anna stated.
"Brace yourselves, we don't know what this is!" Yukino warned.
Suddenly, in a whirl of purple, a familiar man in all black with a red scarf appeared.
Jun was the only one standing to see him.
"Shame on you. The head of the Masked Circle dares to allow his enemies to pity him?" The man scolded, shaking his head in disappointment. "Come, Jun…claim your revenge and open the way to Idealian."
"Father…we need to stop this…I…I just wanted to be like Big Sis and lead everyone to their dreams!" Jun protested.
"And that's why I gave you that power and the In Lak'ech. Your dream has come true, so why resist me?" The man, Jun's father, questioned. "It's your turn now to grant MY dream…and as your father, I will eliminate anyone who tries to deceive you. Now, come."
Tatsuya felt the fear from before, the fear of losing Jun, rise up again. He knew Jun idolized his father, knew he was Jun's entire world as a kid. Would Jun turn on them now, follow his father and return to being Joker?
The idea was more terrifying than Tatsuya wanted to admit.
However, Jun stood strong and took out an edelweiss flower, holding it like a ninja would a shuriken.
"I won't let anyone hurt Big Maya…not even you, Father!" Jun swore, glaring at his father defiantly.
"…ha. Very well. Jun…you have been removed from the wheel of fortune." Jun's father stated, not looking the least bit concerned that his son just threatened him. Purple light suddenly spun around Jun and Tatsuya's eyes widened as he saw Jun's Persona appear only to vanish. The light cleared and Jun was on his knees. "I will lead the Masked Circle in your stead. Farewell, my son. You will become part of the foundations for the new world…"
Jun's father vanished and everything went white.
When Tatsuya came to, he was once again in the gazebo that Philemon appeared in, all of his friends, including Yukino and Anna, were with them.
Jun looked around for a minute before he hung his head in shame. Without thinking, Tatsuya made his way over to him, taking Jun's hand in his and squeezing it. Jun looked up in surprise, but smiled gratefully. He didn't let go.
Philemon floated in his butterfly form for a moment before his human appearance took shape.
"The past, present and future of the Rings of Time have begun to spin. Xibalba has shown itself." Philemon stated. "To escape the eternal suffering that comes with understanding one's existence, man has summoned from the abyss that which should not exist. What awaits you from here on will be a crueler fate than even that which the Crawling Chaos has woven…"
"The 'Crawling Chaos' again…what exactly are you talking about?" Maya questioned.
Just the name, the Crawling Chaos, was enough to make Tatsuya shiver. He didn't let go of Jun's hand.
"There's still too much we don't know. About Jun-kun's father, and that Persona…or why rumors started to come true…" Maya continued.
"Please, tell us the truth, Philemon. Jun, at least, should know." Tatsuya requested.
"Eventually, the time will be right for you to learn everything. If anyone can stop him…the darkness from thriving, it is you." Philemon said. "The power amassed by the feelings which have been fostered over ten years…show him the potential that lies within you."
"Philemon…my Persona-summoning ability…would you mind giving it to Jun?" Yukino requested, stepping forward suddenly.
"What!?" The four teenagers cried, eyes wide in shock.
Jun's hand tightened its grip on Tatsuya's. The idea of making up for his mistakes had taken root. Tatsuya squeezed back in reassurance.
"What…? But then…what will you do, Yukki?" Maya asked.
Yukino took out her mentor's camera and held it to her heart.
"I don't need Personas anymore. I can keep my head high and walk on my own now…it's time I passed these feelings on to someone else." Yukino explained, a small smile on her face. The members of the Masked Circle bowed their heads in respect.
"Understood…but there aren't many who can remember their identity when in this domain. Can you state your name?" Philemon requested as he faced Jun.
"My name…is Jun…Jun Kurosu! That's…all I am now!" Jun stated, only letting Tatsuya's hand go when Philemon began to speak again.
"Well done. I can indeed vouch for the strength of heart you possess to reflect on yourself and your kindness towards others." Philemon said. "Yukino Mayuzumi's power of Persona will be entrusted to Jun Kurosu."
A small blue light left Yukino's heart and floated over to enter Jun's. After that, Jun faintly glowed as he raised his right arm so it was in front of him, parallel to the ground. A Persona morphed out of his body and floated above him. Then it spoke, in a voice heavily similar to Jun's own and Tatsuya's heart felt warm.
"I am Hermes…giver of fortune and fame and herald of souls…to my alter ego: love thy neighbor with the selflessness like the wind's…"
"It's so warm…thank you, Mayuzumi-san…I won't waste your feelings." Jun swore as his hand returned to Tatsuya's and Hermes vanished.
"I know you won't." Yukino smiled, as if she were looking at a younger brother.
Tatsuya found himself fondly smiling down at Jun, a warmth unlike anything he had ever felt before. Jun was back, he was safe, and he was joining them in fixing everything.
He couldn't ask for anything more.
"It seems the others have also found their true Personas that caused such feelings in them when they were young…these will grant you power." Philemon's voice cut through Tatsuya's sappy thoughts and he looked up in surprise.
But even in his surprise, his body moved on its own as Philemon's hand hovered above his head, taking out his Red Hawk mask and holding out before the masked man.
Suddenly, a figure morphed out of his body and a voice similar to his own spoke.
"I am thou…thou art I…from the sea of thy soul I cometh…ruler of the blazing sun and blue skies, Apollo…"
Philemon nodded in approval as Apollo returned to Tatsuya's mind, his warmth blazing through him even brighter than Vulcanus Prime's, though it was incomparable to the warmth Jun brought just by standing at Tatsuya's side.
Philemon turned to Maya next, who also took out her Blue Swan mask as Philemon's hand hovered above her head. A figure morphed out of her body and began to speak in a voice similar to Maya's own.
"I am Artemis…the moon goddess who illuminates your twilight virtue…my purer half, do not be bashful of your destiny."
Next was Ginko, who held her Pink Argus mask out as Philemon faced her, ready for him to hover his hand over her head. A figure morphed out of her body; her voice similar to Ginko's own.
"I am Venus…goddess of fertility about whom beauty and love dance…I am you…you are me…let us become one…"
Finally, it was Eikichi's turn and he grinned as he held out his Yellow Owl mask as Philemon's hand hovered above his head. A figure morphed out of his body and spoke, his voice similar to Eikichi's own.
"I am Hades…king of the underworld who judges the evil and the righteous alike. I am thou…thou art I…let us walk this path together."
"Well then, I shall now send you to Xibalba." Philemon smiled as Hades returned to Eikichi. "If you have the faintest strength to reach for your dreams, the stars will shine even in the darkness. Take control of your destiny…"
And with those words, everything faded to white light.
When Tatsuya could see again, his hand was still in Jun's, and they all stood in front of Alaya Shrine.
"Well…that was…" Anna broke the silence, trailing off in utter disbelief.
Tatsuya had to agree with her, unable to find the words to say. His throat felt as if it had closed and he couldn't speak around it.
All he could do was squeeze Jun's hand, feeling the black haired boy squeeze back in return, equally shocked.
"Hey, lady!" A familiar voice cut through the thick silence and the entire group of Persona users (current and former) turned, only to find Akari running towards them, followed by the kids they had saved in the Aerospace Museum. "The city's flying! What's going on!?"
"And…my papa and mama disappeared…" One of the boys cried. Tatsuya's heart ached; the boy resembled Jun so much. "When I think hard, I know I had a mama and papa…but now when I go home, I'll be all alone…Papa and Mama were always fighting. But…they were still my parents! Big Sis! Big Bro! Go beat the bad guys and bring back my papa and mama!"
Jun was staring at the boy in disbelief, looking as if his ability to speak had been robbed.
"You heard him, right, Big Bro?" Tatsuya whispered teasingly as he released Jun's hand only to squeeze his shoulder instead.
"Don't worry, leave it to us! We'll thrash those bad guys in no time and make sure you get your parents back!" Maya grinned as she bent at the waist so she could look the children in the eye. The children let out a cheer at that, smiles and hope replacing the sadness and fear they previously had. Briefly, Maya glanced at the rest of them and her smile turned nostalgic and brighter if that were possible. "Hey, kids! Mind telling me what you want to be when you grow up?"
"Hey, Big Maya…I don't think now's the time to ask stuff like that…" Eikichi sighed, running a hand through his hair, though there was a fond exasperation in his voice.
"Idiot!" Ginko hissed under her breath as she punched Eikichi in the chest, sending him to the ground, wheezing. "Let Big Maya reassure them, they're kids!"
"Yes, Ginko…" Eikichi wheezed.
"I'm gonna go to Italy and be a soccer player!" One of the kids cried.
"I'm gonna be a singer! And I'm taking dance classes too!" Another shouted.
Other wishes filled the air and Maya smiled once they quieted down.
"Well, guess what? These guys are going to teach you a chance that'll make your dreams come true!" The reporter declared.
The children surged forward excitedly as Tatsuya and Jun shared a wide eyed look of shock. Tentatively, Jun looked at Maya, who nodded in encouragement, and then to Tatsuya, who smiled and squeezed Jun's shoulder one more time.
"Um…it's called the Persona Game…" Jun tentatively began to explain. Slowly, as he explained, his voice gained confidence, and Eikichi, Ginko and Tatsuya joined in, demonstrating the game that Maya had taught them ten years ago, the game that had led to all of them finding each other, being friends.
And even if this game had led to this situation in the first place, Tatsuya wouldn't go back in time and reverse this, because he would never give up these bonds he had formed, these irreplaceable friends. Not ever, if he could.
"Persona, Persona, please come here. Persona, Persona, please come here. Persona, Persona, please come here." The children chanted as they finally played the game. When they finished, they cheered aloud and ran away with smiles, intent on returning home, knowing the big brothers and sisters they left behind would take care of this.
Jun, however, stopped the boy that Tatsuya had thought resembled Jun himself, and knelt down to meet his eyes, holding out a primrose flower.
"A primrose…'hope, wish, aspiration'…" Tatsuya's mental version of Jun translated and he smiled softly at the sight.
"I'll make sure to get your papa and mama back to normal. Here, as a token of my promise…" Jun smiled shyly as he held the primrose out to the boy.
"What's this flower?" The boy questioned as he took the flower and examined it.
"It's a flower of hope." Jun smiled.
"Thanks, Big Bro!" The boy grinned as he ran out, waving cheerfully as he did so.
When the boy left, Jun stood up and faced the rest of them, his face now regretful.
"If the Ideal Energy stored in the five skulls is released, the people I turned into Shadowmen may be returned to normal…the skulls are the key and the power source for activating Xibalba." Jun explained. "If we take back all the skulls and bring down Xibalba before the Grand Cross happens, we can prevent further tragedy…"
"That leaves us twelve days…August 18th." Tatsuya mused thoughtfully.
"That's correct. By now, they'll have placed the skulls of earth, water, wind and fire in their respective shrines to control them there." Jun nodded. "Our goal should be the first take back these four skulls, and then take over Xibalba. My father…should be chasing the Heaven Skull and the Fuhrer to the center of Xibalba."
"Then that'll be our first stop tomorrow!" Maya cheerfully declared.
"Sorry to spring this on you, guys…but I'm gonna part ways here. I've been thinking of staying in the city." Yukino spoke up. Eikichi and Ginko cried out in shock at her words. "The battle between the Masked Circle and the Last Battalion is spilling over into the city. People might get caught in the crossfire. And I thought if that happens, it'd be best to have someone who can fight there to handle it. I don't want anyone else to die…"
"I see what you mean, but…it's crazy to try and fight them alone and without a Persona, even for you!" Eikichi pointed out, reasonably worried.
"Don't worry, she won't be alone. I'll protect Yukino…I won't let anyone touch her." Anna spoke up, her words causing the barest hint of a blush on Yukino's cheeks, but she smiled, nonetheless.
"Then there's nothing to worry about! Take good care of Yukki for us, Anna-san!" Maya grinned as she bowed before the younger woman.
"I'll call up my friends from high school too. We'll all keep the city safe; you just focus on those shrines." Yukino smiled.
"You got it, Yukino-san." Tatsuya smiled.
"We'll see you when we kick this guy's ass!" Ginko added with a fist pump.
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Yukino grinned proudly, before she waved goodbye, Anna simply nodding in acknowledgement as she left. Right at the shrine entrance, Yukino paused and turned back. "One thing, guys. If there ever comes a time when you need to ride something…do NOT let Maya-san drive!"
Tatsuya, Eikichi and Ginko nodded emphatically in agreement at those words.
"Yukki! How rude! I'm an excellent driver!" Maya protested, though she was grinning brightly.
The five who understood the inside joke laughed before Yukino waved one last time, walking off with Anna into the darkened night.
"Alright then! Let's all head home for the day, I think we could all use the rest!" Maya declared, clapping her hands together decisively.
"No kidding, I'm beat…" Ginko sighed as she allowed her body to slump.
The three boys also let out collective groans of agreement, causing Maya to laugh at them all.
That night, for the first time in years, Jun found himself dreaming peacefully, his memories clear of the manipulation that had plagued them for years, his heart finally at ease, even as he slept within a silent home. Tatsuya, Ginko, Eikichi and Maya felt the same peace and ease as they all slept, counting their victories for the day as they prepared for the battles yet to come in the morning.
And there we are! Okay, now that we officially have Jun in the party, it's time to start explaining his flower symbolism in his weapons (yes, they're symbolic, yes I'm going this far).
Fritillaria cameschatcensis is symbolic of 'love and curse' in hanakotba, while edelweiss is symbolic of 'courage and power'. If there's any I forgot, let me know and I'll fix this note!
Okay, so we're officially in the endgame now! All that's left is four shrines/temples and the center of Xibalba. I still can't say how many chapters that will be, but at LEAST five. We are so close, y'all, so close.
Not much else to say here...leave a review to let me know what you think! Later!