"Strength represents both passion and self–control. It is depicted as power with reason."

Edogawa–sensei, Persona 3.

Stocke watched the paramedics load Marco's unmoving form onto the ambulance with clouded eyes. Like the rest of his friends, he'd been given a shock blanket, but somehow he could not feel its weight upon his shoulders. Sonja had her head bowed, and she looked so very tiny as Rosch rubbed her back for comfort. Raynie, for her part, was talking with the police in dry, mechanical tones. She had given them contact information to reach Marco's family, who apparently lived outside the city.

The students who had come to the horror movie event hung around the school entrance as well, unsure of what to do. Among them, Stocke saw Raul Gutierrez, the teacher in charge of the cinema club. Stocke noted how haggard he appeared, a far cry from his usually calm and pleasant disposition. The poor man looked like he was in desperate need for a cup of coffee.

Much like the rest of the people present, Stocke had given the cops a statement… a false one, of course. Who would have believed that a perfectly healthy teenage boy had fallen in a coma after being defeated by the personification of his deepest, most hidden fears and regrets? Stocke felt a chill as he remembered the scene. The black mist pouring into Marco's eyes and mouth, the way his body had gone limp and unmoving… Stocke squeezed his eyes shut, resting his head in his hands. It was the stuff of nightmares.

He had no idea how much time had passed when he finally took note of two familiar figures approaching him. Stocke raised to them a pair of tired eyes, and his mother reached down to pull him into a tight hug. Soon, Eruca was doing the same, sobbing quietly as she wrapped her arms around her mother and brother. Stocke relaxed into their embrace, but his mind could not settle down. Later on, hundreds of thoughts buzzed around his head as Sophia drove him home. One idea stuck out like an ink spill over white paper.

You failed, Stocke kept telling himself. You failed, and someone else paid the price for that failure. He scowled, looking out the car window in an attempt to evade Eruca's concerned gaze.

Still, despite all the dark thoughts cloying his brain, Stocke fell asleep the moment his head touched his pillow. Murky, frightening dreams dogged him throughout the night. When he opened his eyes to meet the grey light of morning peeking from behind his drapes, Stocke still felt a fatigue that seemed to nail his body to the bed. Throat parched, head aching from a searing migraine, he reached for his phone. Still, his heart skipped a beat when he read what was written on his lock screen.

Saturday, 8:11 A.M.

Stocke sat up in his bed suddenly, almost not believing his eyes. There had been a loop. His eyes were drawn to the White Chronicle, resting innocuously on the top of a pile of books on his desk. On a whim, he had brought it with him while he'd gone to confront Raynie's Shadow; obviously it was necessary for him to have it in his possession to trigger a loop. How did the damn thing work, anyway?

Still, there was no time to lose mulling over these things. Stocke jumped out of bed, getting dressed in a hurry before rushing out of his room. He stomped down the stairs, finding Eruca sitting at the table eating her breakfast meal, as she had did in the previous loop.

"You're already up?" she said, puzzled. "What's the world coming to?"

"Eruca," Stocke said, "what day is it?"

He heard his mother wheeling herself toward the kitchen with her computer chair. Stocke cursed under his breath. He'd forgotten she'd gotten up early as well that morning. Of all the times to break her routine!

"It's not a week day, for sure," Sophia said, amused. "You don't have to go to school, honey, you can go back to bed if you want."

"So it's really Saturday morning?" Stocke said; he'd managed to keep his voice steady, indifferent even, despite the wave of relief now crashing over him.

"It is," said Eruca. "Why do you ask? Do you have something planned for today?"

Stocke shrugged in a perfect show of apathy. "Nothing important. I gotta go or else I'll miss the bus."

"The bus?" said Eruca. She exchanged a look with their mother. "Where are you going?"

"No time to explain." Despite all of Stocke's efforts, his words came out rather rudely. "See you."

"You're not going to tell us where you're going?" Sophia said as Stocke headed for the door. "If there's anything, call me. I can give you a ride back home, you know?"

Eruca, for her part, was frowning a little. Still, when Stocke turned to give them a little nod in goodbye, she smiled and said, "Okay. See you later, Ernst."

Again, Stocke sent a message to Rosch and Sonja while he was on the bus. It was eerie, writing the same words he'd used in the precedent iteration. A part of him wished he could just leave them out of this mess. It would be safer for everybody if Stocke was just strong enough to take care of everything on his own.

The same line of thought was also heavy in his mind when he spotted Raynie's form in the distance. As she had done before, she greeted him with a grin. Still, Stocke's eyes were invariably drawn to the Shadows amassing by the school entrance. Raynie, however, showed no hint that she noticed their presences.

"Good morning!" Raynie called out. "It's great to see you, dude! I hope it wasn't too hard getting up early on a Saturday morning, huh?"

"Yeah," Stocke said, only half–paying attention to the words that were leaving her mouth. "Uh, listen, Raynie…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

Stocke swallowed nervously. Apparently, she had no memory of the prior loop.

"Two of my friends will be coming with us," Stocke began, "and, well… the rest is harder to explain." And harder to believe…

"What are you going on about? I don't get it." Raynie was beaming at him, and yet all Stocke could see was her tear–streaked face looking at him as she held Marco's unconscious body. He inhaled sharply, inserting a hint of coldness as he spoke next.

"Raynie, I'm sorry, but you need to go home. I don't have time to explain, but trust me on this."

Her eyes were full of confusion—and pain, Stocke numbly realized. "Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

Stocke rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's complicated. I'll tell you later. Just…" He sighed, before steeling his gaze as he stared down at her. "Sorry, Raynie, but it's for the best."

"Okay. Fine, whatever." Raynie put her hands on her hips, and Stocke found himself unable to hold her gaze. Maybe he deserved the hint of acidity that slipped into her voice as she spoke next, "See ya later, then."

"Yeah," Stocke said. He turned to face the group of Shadows observing them from the school entrance. His heart twisted in an uncharacteristic show of apprehension. "See you later."

Stocke opened his eyes, mind still lost in a strange fog.

For a moment, he did not move from the soft, cushy surface where he was lying, brain working furiously to make sense out of the hundreds of half–formed thoughts assaulting him. Then, the realization brought him back to reality with all the subtlety of a screeching alarm clock.

Stocke was back in his room, lying in bed. Immediately, he grabbed his phone, feeling the blood drain from his face as he read the now familiar words.

Saturday, 8:11 A.M.

Stocke fell back on his pillow, holding his face with one hand. The memories of the past iterations came with the fiery sting of shame. He'd failed. Again.

He had thought that saving what precious time they had spent fighting Raynie's Shadow would help them get to Marco in time. Thanks to Hlín's guidance, they had indeed reached the music room far more quickly than in the first loop.

But it had not helped. By the time they had gotten to their destination, both Stocke and Rosch were exhausted, having faced a staggering number of beast–shaped Shadows beforehand. When they had burst into the music room, Marco had once again been sitting in that lone chair, a huge dark shape looming over him like a stormcloud. Sonja had tried to gently pry him from the Shadow's hold, but somehow her words had not been enough.

Stocke had felt even more helpless as the dark mist had expanded over Marco. This time, no dread had shown on his face as he had locked gaze with his Shadow. Marco had almost welcomed its touch, Stocke had realized with horror.

Stocke inhaled and exhaled in long bouts to clear his head. Yes, he'd failed, but the White Chronicle had given him another chance. There wasn't any time for him to wallow in his misery. There was work to do.

Stocke hurried downstairs with the grace and finesse of a stampeding giant spider. He only gave Eruca a perfunctory greeting, not even thinking of telling their mother where he was going. Time was of the essence, after all, and he would suffer a hundred family reunions involving both his father and uncle together in the same room (he shuddered at the mere thought) before he would let Marco at the tender mercy of his Shadow again.

Again, he contacted Rosch and Sonja on his way to school. As he approached the school, he saw Raynie patiently waiting for him. Stocke picked up the pace, touching the bag where he'd put the White Chronicle for comfort. As always, a few Shadows were lying in wait in front of the school gate.

"Good morning!" Raynie said cheerfully. "Whao, man, what's up? You look dead on your feet!"

Stocke supposed she was right; he hadn't taken a look in the mirror this morning, but the horrified expression he'd spied on Eruca told him he probably appeared to be longing for his bed, on a subconscious level, at least.

"Seriously, man, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, well…" Stocke slumped his shoulders forward, uncertain of how to tell her the truth. Thankfully, he soon caught glimpse a familiar pick–up truck coming up in the parking lot. Oh. It had taken longer for him to get to school this time. "Just so you know, my friends Rosch and Sonja are coming here too. I'll explain everything to you when they get here."

"Oh–kay. Whatever you say."

Her face showed a sort of guileless confusion, and Stocke scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit of guilt creeping up on him. Maybe it was a mistake, the dumb thing Stocke was just about to do…

Once more, Rosch and Sonja had brought along some makeshift weapons. Again, they expressed disbelief and worry as Stocke explained the current circumstances to Raynie. Her eyes grew round as he pointed behind her, where the Shadows were watching them with growing interest. Raynie, it seemed, could still not see them.

Still, her face had grown red with anger, and now she seemed ready to give Stocke some (well–deserved) hell. It was obvious she didn't believe a word of what he was saying. Stocke finally threw his hands up the air. Maybe it's time to bring out the big guns, then, he thought with some exasperation.

Without any warning, he willed Baldr into existence. Raynie nearly tumbled down as the fiery Persona soared toward the Shadows, setting them all aflame with the swipe of his blade. Thankfully, Sonja caught her in time, and so Raynie managed to stay on her feet as the creatures burned to a crisp.

"Stocke!" exclaimed Rosch, while Sonja held back Raynie, who was shouting obscenities at the top of her lungs. "What the hell are you doing?"

Stocke let out a groan. What he would have given for just a modicum of Eruca's natural sense of diplomacy right now? "We don't have time for this," he said through grit teeth. "There's a Shadow inside the school and it's about to hurt Raynie's friend. We need to go, now."

"Wait, what?" In three strides, she was right in front of Stocke. "What friend? What are you talking about?"

"We'll talk on the way, let's just go." And before his friends could place a word, Stocke ran to join Baldr by the school entrance, pushing the gates open without so much of a glance behind.

"Stocke, slow down a bit!" Sonja said as she and the other caught up with him. "There are a tons of Shadows here, it'll be dangerous for Raynie!"

As she spoke, three beast Shadows materialized in front of them, their golden eyes piercing the gloom of the locker room with their brightness. Raynie loudly swore at the sight of them, but she did not step back as Stocke feared she would.

"Those things," she said, nearly in a whisper, "what the hell are they? It's like I can almost remember…"

The three Shadows inched closer, jaws opening to let out the slightest of growls. In twin flares of blue light, Tyr and Hlín came to life next to Baldr.

"Raynie," Sonja began, "you really should—"

"Stay behind us, just in case," Stocke said to Raynie. She'd awakened to her Persona in the previous loop, but there was no way of knowing if she had kept these powers in this new iteration.

"Uh," said Rosch, "not to be rude, but—"

In the middle of his sentence, two Shadows leaped forward, claws extended. Stocke bit down a curse, silently commanding Baldr to meet them head–on. Thankfully, Rosch's Persona followed the fiery figure, and together, the two red–clad warriors stopped the beasts in their tracks. The third Shadow snarled as the Personas made short work of its comrades. He bolted out of Baldr's reach, making its way toward Raynie and Sonja, who had stayed behind, just as they had in the previous loop. Stocke felt his muscles tensing in anticipation while Rosch screamed Sonja's name; Baldr and Tyr could reach the girls in time, yes, but images and feelings of the past loop filled Stocke's mind, making his heart race…

With a thunderous roar, the lion Shadow lifted a paw to strike at Raynie. Still, all fear seemed to flee from her face as she swung the hockey stick Sonja had given her, shouting in rage as if to drown the beast's growls. Her attack connected, and the lion's mask cracked in two under the sheer force of her strike. The monster stumbled backward, its hesitation making it a perfect target for Baldr's flames.

Raynie was panting heavily when the creature dissolved to black dust. Sonja put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Hlín shimmering beside the two of them. Then, the Persona's veiled face turned sharply toward the depths of the school, where Stocke knew a certain Shadow awaited them.

Before anyone could place a word, Stocke pressed onward, Baldr silently gliding behind him. He was keenly aware of the weight of the White Chronicle in his bag, yet he could not take comfort in it. Knowing that he could rewind time to undo his mistakes should have been a blessing. Still, all Stocke could see in his mind's eye was Raynie sobbing as she held Marco's body. He would not let it happen again, he would not.

"Stocke!" Rosch called out after him. "Stocke, wait up!"

"Don't take off on your own like that!" Sonja added. "There are a ton of Shadows up ahead! I mean, shouldn't we get Raynie somewhere safe first?"

"We might need her," Stocke said, rather bluntly. "The Shadow we need to beat is possessing her friend, and I don't know much about him."

"What friend?" Raynie ran up to Stocke, looking rather panicked. "What are you going on about? You're freaking me out!"

Stocke tried not to look at her face as he carefully chose his next words. "Your friend Marco. If that Shadow gets to him, he's gonna fall into a coma. Like those two other kids, Bram Crow and that girl who's still in middle school. They got attacked by their Shadows too." And no one was there to help theme…

Now Raynie was grabbing his arm so hard her knuckles were going white. "Wh–what? N–No… you're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding!"

"You guys!" Sonja suddenly cried out. "A couple of Shadows are around the corner! We can talk about this later!"

Stocke let out a little sound of irritation. "Yeah. Let's take care of the small fry first. There's no time to waste." His heart should have swelled in relief as Baldr and Tyr came forward, ready to take on the enemy, but worry still gnawed at him. All he could think about was how tightly Raynie was holding on to him. "Let's do this. We'll save him this time—definitely."

Stocke sprung awake with a gasp, heart ramming against his ribcage. A few familiar sights greeted his eyes—the pile of unread books on that desk, various items of laundry laying on the floor, some photographs of his friends and family pinned on a board by a calendar. Stocke's mouth went dry as he realized just where he happened to be. No… not again…

Quickly, he reached for the phone on his nightstand.

Saturday, 8:11 A.M.

"No," he whispered, "no, no, no…"

Cold horror trickled down Stocke's spine as he remembered yet another failure. This time, he'd brought Raynie as far as the music room. Despite the swarms of Shadows that kept assaulting them, she had never remembered how to summon her Persona. By the time they had reached Marco, Stocke and Rosch had found themselves once more exhausted by the fighting, having all but ignored Sonja's warnings about relying too much on their Personas' magic abilities.

Not that it would have helped much. Once again, Marco's Shadow had acted immediately when they had stormed into the room to confront it, leaving them unable to save him from its dark clutches. Once again, Raynie had rushed forward to catch her friend's limp body. Once again she had sobbed over him, calling herself a failure for something that was clearly due to an idiotic miscalculation on Stocke's part.

Stocke breathed in and out loudly to calm down his rattled nerves. He'd failed yet again, yes, but it would do him no good to lose himself in a panic. Marco's life was on the line.

Soon, Stocke had regained his cool. Quickly, he passed over in his head every piece of information he had gotten so far. All the others had been seemingly entranced by their Shadows before snapping out of this strange, dreamlike state. Then, they had been able to assist Stocke in defeating the creatures. He had to trigger a similar change in Marco, no matter how hard it might be.

The only question was how.

He mulled over this a thousand times over as he made his way to school. He was no closer to an answer when he caught sight of Raynie as she stood in front of the school gate. This time, when she came over to him, greeting him with a radiant smile, Stocke found that he could say nothing. Soon, however, Raynie's grin disappeared, replaced by a look of concern.

"What's wrong, man?" she said. "You look awful…"

Stocke swallowed nervously as he peered down at her, summoning all of his willpower to utter the next sentence, "It's complicated. And it won't be something you'll be happy to hear. I'm sorry."

"What?"

"Your friend Marco is in danger." Stocke softly cursed as he saw her eyes widen. "He's in danger, and the only way to save him is to get him to help us."

"In danger how? What the hell are you going on about?"

And so, for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Stocke told her everything. Even when he spied Rosch's car entering the parking, he continued on with his story, not caring that Raynie was now looking at him like he had a few screws loose. He fought to not let his annoyance show when he heard Rosch and Sonja approaching. Repeating the same events over and over was starting to grate on his nerves.

"Stocke!" Rosch said. "And, uh, R–Raynie, is it?" He tried—very unsuccessfully—to hide behind his back the golf club he carried. "Well, crap…"

"She knows," Stocke said, a little curtly. "I told her everything."

"What?!" Rosch replied, exchanging a panicked look with Sonja. "Stocke, what were you thinking?"

"She awakened to her Persona in a previous loop. We beat her Shadow, but there was another deeper inside the school."

"Two Shadows showed up at the same time?" Rosch said. "Again?"

"You turned back time because we didn't manage to defeat the second Shadow, did we?" Sonja said. "Oh my god… Stocke, there was someone with that Shadow, wasn't it? That's why you went back, right? To save them?"

Stocke looked away, but only ended up meeting Raynie's gaze instead.

"He was about to tell me before you two showed up," she told Rosch and Sonja. "He said that Shadow thing had something to do with me."

"Yeah," said Stocke. "It belongs to your friend Marco. And I…" He tried not to focus too much on how pale she had gotten when he spoke next, "And I can't defeat it without your help. Out of all us, you're the one who knows him better. You're our best bet to find out just what that thing might have promised him."

"Promised?" Raynie managed to keep her voice steady, which was rather a feat in Stocke's opinion. "What do you mean, promised?"

"Guys," Sonja said, suddenly looking thoughtful. Behind her, a faint blue light shone, and Hlín appeared. Raynie instinctively reached to cling to Stocke's arm at the sight of the Persona. "There are tons of Shadows inside the school. If Raynie's friend really is in there, then we should get going if we want to save him."

"Yeah." Stocke nodded decisively. "We can talk about all of this while we're on our way."

"Then," Rosch said, "Raynie should go home and—"

"No," Raynie said, "I'm coming with you guys. If there's any way for me to stop this from happening…"

"She's right," Stocke said, cutting short to any objection Rosch or Sonja might have made. "She's coming with us, Persona or no."

Again, Rosch and Sonja exchanged a wary look. Stocke kept himself from sighing in relief as they finally agreed to his proposition.

As always, the few monstrous stragglers outside the school were quickly dispatched by Baldr's spells. As they entered the school, they encountered once more the trio of beastlike Shadows. This time, Stocke and the others were prepared; the lions never stood a chance against the combined assaults of Baldr, Tyr and Raynie's trusty hockey stick.

As they ran through the twisted hallways, Stocke took careful note of his surroundings. In contrast to the other times he'd faced his friends' Shadows, the school had changed very little; the colours were a bit more garish, sure, and the lighting was off, as if the natural laws of optics did not apply here, but otherwise the place where Stocke was forced to spend most of his days appeared mostly unaltered. A sense of wrongness hung in the air, however, and the hair on the back of Stocke's neck bristled with dread.

They went deeper inside the school, battling Shadows all the way. Fatigue soon settled in every inch of Stocke's body, though he knew he could not slow the pace. Sonja often sent worried glances toward him, but Stocke all but ignored her.

One he could not ignore, however, was Raynie. Throughout the way, he peppered her with questions about Marco, trying to find the one clue that would give him the edge he needed to defeat her friend's Shadow. Marco's life, it seemed, was dreadfully mundane. He'd been born the last kid in a large family of farmers. He wasn't especially close to his parents or siblings. He'd come to live in the city with relatives in middle school in an attempt to escape the smell of horses and manure. He wanted to go to nursing school. He was a quiet sort who enjoyed classical music and cute things like stuffed animals. Really, there was nothing indicating that Marco was hiding a deep, dark secret side.

As she spoke, Raynie's voice began to shake, as if she was growing unsure of what she was saying. Finally, after bashing in the masked face of yet another beastly Shadow, she turned to Stocke, distress evident on all of her features.

"How come I can't find out what's wrong with him?" she told him. "He's my best friend! I mean, how could I not know? Just what kind of friend am I?"

"Oh, Raynie," Sonja said. "Don't blame yourself. Sometimes people don't want their loved ones to know where they're hurting."

Raynie kicked at the ground, hands tightening around her hockey stick. "No, it's all on me. I always talk his ear off about my own crap, but obviously I never thought to extend that courtesy to him. Talk about being a crummy friend, huh?"

Rosch looked like he was about something, but Sonja put a hand on his arm, silencing him. After a while, Raynie sighed.

"Crummy or not, I'm the only one he's got right now. This isn't the time for me to whine and stuff."

"You're his only friend?" Sonja said sadly.

"More or less," Raynie answered. Then, she frowned, almost as if she was now starting to remember something. "Well, he's got some of the kids who were in the school band with him a few years back. Like that girl he's got a crush on. Mimel. They're always hanging out together, but he just can't bring himself to ask her out."

"I see," Sonja said. Raynie's words had brought back a slight smile to her face. "How cute. We got to make sure he gets the chance to confess his feelings, then."

"Yeah," Raynie said, smiling back. "She probably likes him back, too. She's just waiting for him to make his move, really."

Stocke blinked, suddenly feeling cold. Wait…

"This is sweet and all," Rosch said, "but should we get a move on? Music room's just around the corner. If that thing really is waiting for us inside, then…"

"No, there's no time to waste," Sonja said. "It's close, I can feel it."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Raynie seemed barely able to contain an urge to rush forward recklessly. "Let's beat the crap outta that thing!"

The three of them turned to look expectantly at Stocke. The latter could only swallow nervously as he remembered the past iterations of the current events. A strange impression gnawed at the back of his mind, like the memory of something he'd only seen through a thick layer of mist. Drawing his lips in a thin line, Stocke nodded.

The door to the music room creaked horribly as Stocke pushed it open. Again, the familiar sight of Marco, sitting in absolute silence in that lone chair in the middle of the room, greeted his eyes. Above him, a shapeless black fog lingered. As Stocke and his friends stepped inside, a pair of bright golden eyes appeared in the dark mist, turning toward them. Marco's own gaze soon followed; his vacant expression sent shivers down Stocke's spine.

"Holy shit," Raynie whispered in horror. "Are we… are we too late?"

Marco frowned a little. "Raynie..? What are you doing here?"

"We're here to save you, man." Sweat made Raynie's bangs cling to her forehead. "And we're here to get rid of that freaky thing hanging over you!"

Golden eyes flared ominously at her. Raynie shot the Shadow an equally fierce glare.

"We're here to help," Stocke said. "There's no need for this to get violent, really. Marco, we're on your side. That thing is not. I know it's hard, but you gotta listen to us."

Stocke racked his brain trying to find out just what the Shadow was offering Marco, but his thoughts seemed even fuzzier than before. Still, he was sure he'd felt the spark of realization before, if only briefly. He just needed to remember, even if Marco's Shadow was doing its damnest to smother all will of rebellion.

Black tendrils tightened across Marco's chest. The latter let out a little sound of discomfort, his frown deepening.

Stocke fought a new wave of apprehension. Already they were running out of time…

"Raynie," he eventually said, "you said something to me on the way here, something that felt… off. What was it? Can you remember?"

"Huh? What does this have to do with anything?"

In front of them, the Shadow formed a somewhat humanoid shape. It titled its head to the side, almost regarding Stocke and Raynie with a curious look. Marco followed the trail of its gaze, but as always his expression was flat, indifferent.

Stocke nearly cursed out loud. What was it? What was it that Marco's Shadow was whispering in his ear to trap him in its web of lies?

"The music room," Sonja suddenly blurted out, startling Stocke out of his musings. "Why the music room? Why is he here, anyway?"

A hint of colour showed on Marco's pallid cheeks. "It's for band practise. My friend and me, w–we, uh…"

"Oh yeah," Raynie said, forcing herself to smile; she had understood she'd have to play along with Marco's delusions, Stocke realized. "You're working on that cover, huh? To play with—wait, what was her name again?"

Marco's face became redder, and a bit of life shone in his eyes for a moment. It was a relief to see him with such a normal expression. Still, Stocke knew they could not let their guard down, not now.

"Ah, I remember now!" Raynie said. "She was in middle school with us, but one year below. Mimel, right?"

Goosebumps prickled Stocke's skin. He glanced behind him, seeing the realization dawning on Sonja's face as well.

That's it. Stocke felt something tugging at his heartstrings. "Mimel," he said, rather bluntly. "You're friends with Mimel. That girl who's been in a coma for months now."

Stocke saw the blood draining from Raynie's face. She turned to look at Stocke, her features showing equal part distress and confusion.

"Wait, what?" she said. "What the hell are you going on about, dude? Mimel's alright… isn't she?"

"Yeah," Marco replied. "What are you talking about?" Stocke was shocked to see him rolling his eyes. "She's perfectly fine. Stop saying such creepy things."

The Shadow grew a little fuzzier. Stocke inhaled sharply; was the creature's hold on Marco growing weaker?

"She's not!" Sonja came forward, Hlín hovering behind her. "That's a lie your Shadow is telling you! It's hard to accept, but it's true!"

Raynie shook her head; it seemed she had started to put the pieces together. "Then, it's true? She's really…?"

"She is," Stocke said. He met Marco's eyes. To the latter's credits, he did not flinch or look away. His Shadow shook with a long shudder.

Marco blinked. He tried to move from his chair—only to realize something was clearly holding him still. He yelped, and his eyes grew wide as he looked above him.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed, struggling against the Shadow's vicelike grip. "What the heck is that?"

Finally got you! Stocke thought, feeling a swell of vindictive satisfaction. "Baldr!" he called. As always, the Persona came with a bright blue light and the sound of breaking glass. "Go save him! Quickly!"

The Shadow shrieked as it saw Baldr soaring toward it, sword poised for an attack. Before the Persona could land a hit, it dissolved into a thinner cloud of dark mist, releasing its hold on Marco. The Shadow reformed a few feet behind, taking a vaguely human shape once more.

"Marco!" Raynie rushed forward. She grabbed her friend and helped him to his feet. When the Shadow turned its golden gaze toward her, she stepped in front of Marco, raising her hockey stick in a silent threat.

"Alright!" said Rosch. Soon, Tyr was at Baldr's side; at the sight of the two Personas, Marco's Shadow retreated further into the room. Marco, for his part, began to crawl backward, lower lip wobbling in fear. He managed to reach Sonja, but could not help but cry out again as the sight of Hlín.

"This one doesn't seem to have a lot of offensive capabilities," Sonja said. "If only Hlín could get a better look at its elemental affinities…"

"O–Offensive capabilities? E–Elemental affinities?" Marco sputtered. "What's going on? What are those freaky things?"

"Personas," Sonja explained amicably. "Don't worry, they're here to protect us."

"F–From what?"

The Shadow let out what sounded like a screech of irritation. Then, to Stocke's dismay, it just… disappeared.

Both Sonja and Rosch cried out at the same time, and Raynie loudly cursed. "Where did it go?" she said, slightly panicked.

"I can still sense it, but just barely," Sonja said. "It's moving—fast!" She closed her eyes as a delicate light flared around Hlín. Then, Sonja's green gaze snapped open. "Rosch! Watch out!"

Thankfully, her warning did not fall on deaf ears. Tyr hurried to Rosch's side, and a fuzzy, dark shape crashed on his shield. Tyr pushed it away, and for a split–second Stocke could see just what form Marco's Shadow had taken; a rodent–like creature with dark fur and huge golden eyes that flared like the headlights of a car. Then, it was gone from sight once more.

"Ah!" Sonja said. "Hlín has trouble sensing where it's going! Its presence is so faint…"

"Great," Stocke said. "Just great. Exactly what we needed."

To his right, Raynie was helping Marco to his feet. The latter was pale, and he was uttering soft whines. His eyes were darting everywhere; Stocke realized he was trying to find his Shadow.

Baldr and Tyr came nearer, dropping into defensive stances. Then, Sonja shouted, voice shaking with fear, "It's about to cast a Terra spell! Watch out!"

Stocke braced himself, hiding behind Baldr as the latter raised his shield. There was a flashing, blinding light, and then the ground shook with surprising intensity, throwing Stocke off his feet. He heard a loud snap, and his heart gave a jolt when he saw the floor fissuring in some places. When the room finally stopped shaking, Stocke was dizzy and drained of all energy. Through clouded eyes, he noticed that Baldr, Tyr and Hlín had all disappeared.

In the middle of the room, the rodent Shadow was sitting on his hind paws, looking at them with inquisitive golden eyes.

Raynie was the first to stand up. "You little bastard! Stop gloating, you piece of shit!"

Rosch was the next to stumble back to his feet; he also helped Sonja up as well. "So, uh, that was… unpleasant," he said. "What's its weakness, Son? Can you tell?"

Sonja all but pouted. In any other occasion, Stocke would have been amused to see such a childish expression on her face.

"Hlín tells me it's strong against every kind of magic except for wind spells," she said. "It's also weak against physical attacks, as I said before. But that won't help unless you guys manage to land a hit, will it?"

"Marco!" Raynie said, smiling humourlessly. "Why is your Shadow such a pain, man?"

In response, Marco shook his head, teeth chattering. He was the only one still on the ground. He hugged his knees, whimpering. Raynie's forced grin dissipated as she hurried toward him. Marco ignored her extended hand. In front of Stocke, the Shadow narrowed its eyes, tail whipping back and forth furiously.

Before Stocke could blink, it had vanished again.

In response, Stocke summoned Baldr again; he fought down a bit of dizziness as more of his strength was sapped by the process. Nearby, both Hlín and Tyr came in a burst of blue light. Sonja and Rosch's cheeks were now glistening from perspiration. Only Raynie still stood without faltering, her face twisted in a snarl.

The gears began to work in Stocke's mind. Marco was the key to defeating this slippery foe. And Raynie was the key to snapping Marco out of his current state of panic, Stocke was sure of it.

"Raynie, can you keep an eye on Marco?" he asked her. "Rosch and me, we'll deal with the Shadow on our own."

"We will?" a dumbfounded Rosch said.

"Uh, o–okay?" Raynie added, not sounding too confident herself. "What do you want me to do?"

Stocke gave her a wry grin. "Play the shrink. Talk to him, listen to what he's got to say."

"Huh?" Raynie frowned, clearly puzzled by his reasoning. "How is that gonna help?"

"Trust me." Stocke shot a glance toward where Rosch and Sonja stood. "Let's do this, guys."

Baldr and Tyr came forward, shields raised to protect Stocke and the others. Stocke scanned his surroundings, trying to catch sight of Marco's Shadow before it could strike. Behind him, he could hear Raynie speak.

"Marc?" she said. "Hey, Marc, you hear me?"

There was a bit of silence before Marco gave a little sound of assent.

"Marc," Raynie continued, "you know that you can talk to me if you're in trouble, right?"

"I know," Marco replied softly. "I'm okay, seriously, I don't want to be a bother…"

"What? Why would you think that?"

In front of Stocke, a faint, shimmering outline showed for a moment, before disappearing once more. Baldr rushed forward, flaming sword leaving flickers in its wake, but the Shadow had already gone from his reach. Undeterred by this failure, the Persona dropped into a protective stance again, standing back–to–back with Tyr behind him.

"You guys shouldn't waste any energy worrying about me," Marco said. "Really, I'm…"

A hint of movement caught Stocke's eye. The rodent Shadow had reappeared, and it was now surrounded by a bright light. Sonja cried out in alarm.

The ground rumbled underneath Stocke's feet, and he fought to stay standing. His attempt was a monumental failure, and he tumbled backward, feeling his connection to Baldr severing like a wire snapping under too much pressure. Sonja fell as well, and poor Hlín dissipated in a scatter of blue light. Stocke managed to see Tyr moving in front of the group, the Persona probably seeking the bear the brunt of the Shadow's spell. Besides Stocke, Rosch was still standing, though he was yelling in pain.

Finally, mercifully, the quake came to stop. Head throbbing, Stocke rose on shaky feet. At the same time, Rosch's legs buckled under him, and he fell to his knees. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was laborious.

"Rosch!" Stocke cried out, as Sonja hurried to their friend's side. She snapped her fingers a few times near Rosch's face, earning no reaction from the latter.

"He's spent," she said, managing to keep her voice steady in a manner that would make a surgeon proud. "Jumping in right in front of the danger to protect us… typical Rosch…"

She took a deep breath and summoned Hlín once more. A delicate light flared as the Persona worked to ease Rosch's pain. His eyelids fluttered a bit, but he only mumbled, "Not yet, Ma, gimme another minute," before easing himself into Sonja's embrace, like a content, slumbering kitten.

"Well, that's not worrying in the slightest…" Stocke heard Raynie comment from behind. He turned and saw that she was on one knee, holding a pale and wide–eyed Marco in her arms. "That thing's crazy strong! How does it do that? The other freaks we beat on the way here weren't that powerful!"

"Those were lesser Shadows," Sonja said, as the rodent–like creature disappeared from sight again. "That thing is the real deal, unfortunately for us."

"Marc! Can you do something about it before it kills us all?"

Marco nervously shook his head. "Why do you talk like I could control that thing?" he said in a horrified mutter. "It doesn't have anything to do with me, does it?"

The Shadow came into view, its hops easing to a stop. It cocked its head to the side, staring at Marco again.

Sonja smiled softly, looking toward him as well. "I know it's hard to accept, but it is part of you."

"This… this is crazy," Marco replied. "None of this makes any sense."

The Shadow's dark fur bristled. It hunched its back, narrowing its huge, flare–like eyes.

"This is just a bad dream," Marco continued, extricating himself from Raynie's hold. Eyes still fixed on his Shadow, he began to back away from the rest of the group. "I'm gonna wake up soon and then everything will be back to normal. Mimel's gonna be fine and I'll—"

"No, she won't," Stocke said. "I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Stocke continued to observe the Shadow. Its mouth was opening, reveling two rows of sharp teeth dripping with saliva. Before Stocke could react, it emitted a sharp, ear–splitting keening sound. Stocke called for Baldr, willing the Persona forward in an attempt to stop the Shadow from causing another quake.

Except that hadn't been the creature's intended course of action. Stocke could only stare numbly as a huge piece of rock was ripped from the ground by an unseen force, which then hurled the projectile right toward Baldr. The Persona never stood a chance; as he exploded in a show of shard–like sparkles, Stocke grabbed his stomach, wheezing as if he'd just been punched in the gut.

He staggered backward, eyes blurring as he heard Sonja and Raynie calling out his name. From the middle of the room, he could see the bright eyes of the Shadow staring at him, even though the rest of its features now appeared as indistinct as fog.

"Stocke!" Sonja said. "Easy, now, don't push yourself too hard."

Stocke's legs wobbled under him, heart pounding as if he'd just ran a marathon. He tried to gather his thoughts in an attempt to bring back Baldr, only to fail miserably. Stocke startled a little as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Raynie was looking up at him in worry.

"She's right, you know?" she said to him. "You really don't look so good right now."

Stocke let out a grunt. "Sitting this one out won't help. The Shadow is out of control, and Rosch can't fight right now."

"Neither can you," Raynie said with a snort. "You were the same when you all fought my Shadow. Dammit, Stocke, you really need to stop with the martyr bullshit—"

Raynie's lips parted in shock. Stocke himself could only stare at her without saying a word, sharply drawing in a breath.

"My Shadow," Raynie said. She glanced backward at Marco, then turned toward her friend's Shadow. "If I faced my Shadow, then…"

Marco's Shadow gave her a strange look. It appeared to be pondering something.

"Then, I got my own…" Raynie set her jaw, grabbing the hockey stick she'd dropped in the Shadow's first attack. She began to advance toward the creature in long, determined strides. "Then, that means I can fight! C'mon, Sigrún! Don't let me hanging!"

And with her words came a fierce burst of azure light. Floating behind Raynie, there was now a graceful figure wearing a blue tunic covered in silver armour. The cat ears coming out of her helm twitched backward as Raynie ordered the Persona forward. Sigrún twirled her spear, and a gale of wind swept across the room, the force of it slamming into the Shadow. The creature yelped as it was knocked backward, hitting the wall hard enough to make it crack.

"Oooh," Raynie said. "That was neat! Good girl, Sigrún!"

Through the slits on her helm, Stocke could see Sigrún's eyes narrowing, the Persona obviously basking in the praise of her master.

"You," a voice said from behind Stocke, "how did you do that, Raynie?" Marco had stood up, and he was now limping toward Raynie. Somehow, his gaze seemed clearer than it was beforehand. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Well, that's Sigrún, my Persona!" Raynie announced proudly. "I beat my Shadow and for some reason that means that I can summon her from the depths of my mind or whatever." She grinned ferociously at Marco. "If you do the same, I'm sure you'd get a Persona of your own. Wouldn't it be awesome?"

"I… I don't think I could actually," Marco mumbled. He gave his Shadow a miserable look. "I can see you defeating one of these things, but me… I–I'm just one big wimp, you know that, right?"

"Oh, Marco," Sonja said, "don't say that..." In her arms, Rosch continued to babble, seemingly still unaware of everything that was happening around him. At least he appeared as if he was in the middle of a particularly pleasant dream, Stocke noticed.

Raynie, for her part, only grabbed Marco's arm, dragging him forward. By then, Marco's Shadow had recovered from Sigrún's attack; it watched Raynie and Marco's advance warily, dark fur suddenly rippling with streaks of varying colours.

Realizing what it meant, Stocke mustered all the strength that remained in him to shout, "He's about to turn invisible again! Watch out!"

"Huh?" By the time Raynie had turned to look at the Shadow, it had already vanished. "Oh, come on!"

"This is hopeless," Marco said as he struggled against Raynie's grip. "We can't win against that thing, we can't."

As his voice rose in pitch, another sound surged through the room. Again, the Shadow had torn a piece of rock from the ground. Stocke saw the faint silhouette of the now invisible creature underneath the floating boulder. Sonja gave a little cry of fright and she drew the still insensate Rosch closer to her. Legs shaking, Stocke stepped in from of his two friends. Not that it would them any good, of course; his skinny teenage frame had little chance of stopping something of that size.

"Wait," Raynie said suddenly. "The Shadow always makes itself invisible… Marco, is it really how you…?" She fell silent, then said, more softly, "Man, I've really been a crappy friend. All this time, you were feeling that way, and I never noticed."

The Shadow's barely visible outline fluttered a little.

Tears gathered at the corners of Marco's eyes, and he wiped them angrily with the back of his hand. "I didn't want you to know," he mumbled. "You're always getting me out of trouble when people try to mess with me. I don't want you to think I'm even more pathetic."

"Don't be ridiculous, dude! Nobody thinks you're pathetic! Well, except dickheads, but who care about 'em, right?"

Marco managed a weak smile. The Shadow's hold over the large rock seemed to be vacillating; already, pieces of it were starting to break away from the whole.

"The world's full of, uh, jerks who love to hurt people like me," Marco said. "For the longest time, only you and Mimel were willing to stick around me. Can you blame me for not wanting to be even more of a burden to you guys?"

Raynie ruffled Marco's hair, earning herself a scowl from her friend, surprisingly. "Heh. I get you, buddy. But c'mon, don't wait to tell me if there's something wrong. I'm serious, dude. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I do know a few more things other than how to throw a mean punch."

This time, Marco's smile grew in earnestness. In response, the piece of rock shattered in thousands of little bits, and the Shadow was engulfed in blue light. When Marco turned to face it, another creature stood in its stead. The newcomer resembled a mouse, hinting at the form he took as Marco's Shadow, but the Persona's fur was brown rather than black. He was wearing what seemed to be an old–fashioned military uniform in shades of white and green. Like Raynie's Sigrún, he'd been blessed with a helmet that had holes in it to allow his ears to poke through. The Persona gave Marco a brief, solemn salute before disappearing.

"Omigosh!" Raynie exclaimed. "Is that your Persona? It looks so huggable!"

"Huggable?" Marco grimaced for a moment. "It would have been too much to ask for something that could strike fear into the heart of my enemies, I guess…"

Raynie sent her friend a strange look, making him laugh in response.

"Just kidding! You can be so gullible sometimes, Raynie!" Now, Marco was staring at his Persona with unabashed awe. "I wouldn't want it to look any other way."

"Yeah," said Raynie. "Adorable on the outside, deadly on the inside. Fits you perfectly, buddy."

"What's his name?" Stocke said, relief easing into him like the comfort of a warm, homemade soup.

"Byggvir, apparently," Marco said. "Wait, why is his name Byggvir?"

"Yeah," Raynie added, "no offense, but what kind of name is Byggvir anyway?"

"It must be the name of a god in the old imperial pantheon," Sonja said. "Here, let me check…"

Rosch, for his part, was starting to shift a bit in Sonja's hold. He finally opened his eyes, glancing upward at her. She was typing something on her phone.

"What… where…" Rosch said. "Uhhh…"

"It's okay, dear, you're safe," Sonja said, absentmindedly patting his cheek. "Everything's fine, the danger is gone—ah, there you go! Byggvir is the god of… barley?"

Everybody turned to look at Marco, except for Rosch, who was smiling beatifically—and rather dumbly—at Sonja.

Marco made a face again. "The god of barley? Really?"

Raynie gave a bark of laughter, slapping him on the back. "Well, seems like we can get you out of the farm, but we can't get the farm out of you, huh?"

Marco rubbed his face with both hands, groaning, as Raynie continued to snicker. Stocke himself found chuckling. Seems she had been right when she had told him that she and Marco were like brother and sister.