This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.
We Are Sisters, Brothers All
Takes More Than Strength To Make Us Fall
6/14 Saturday
Evening
A vacant quiet had fallen on the city, even the barely-perceptible sound of the zeppelin motors overhead not even a whisper in the damp air. At some point, a substantially full moon had intruded over the sky, only to be cast into relief by another one of the bulbous dirigibles.
To Hex, it felt like the entire place was holding its breath for the next big 'bang'.
There had certainly been enough action lately to justify that gut feeling. Multiple criminal incursions all across the breadth of the sallow metropolis, resulting in battles between criminals and the police that had left the harbor a ruin and damaged several other buildings, possibly endangering the lives of the citizens within as well.
This city lay shrouded in an eternal night. It never rested for long, and neither did the internal rage at Joker, at all of the criminals who put innocents at risk.
And yet... That criminal gang leader. The one with the pirate hat. She seemed... familiar. Could she actually be...?
Contemplating the possibility from a rooftop perch drowned out the approach of a light drizzle, peppering the eavestroughs as thoughts from another lifetime came meandering back.
That girl... She had Aiko Tsuruga's face and voice, and yet she fought like... No. Impossible. She has no training, and this is my place. I don't want her here among the criminals.
Yet, if that really was her... Then it's too late. She's joined the criminals, and needs to be brought to justice. That theatrical attire, so much like Joker's... If she's really fallen in with him, then she's in even worse trouble than I thought.
I have to find her. Her colleagues are small-timers. Police can pick them off any time, without needing my help. Last time I saw them was around this area. Should check around for signs, find her and help her. Then go after Joker for daring to mess with my friend and bring her into this city full of sinners.
The drizzle ended abruptly, bracketed by a fair wind carrying the noise of the motors and police sirens along with it.
Hex didn't think anything was odd about that until the breeze suddenly surged into a brutal torrent that ripped him straight off the roof down onto a lower section of tarmac.
An attack? Maybe Tsuruga?
Reflexes born from a thousand urban brawls had three darts in hand before rolling back to his feet, but then a shot rang out, blasting them out and hurting the hand. Another shot struck near his feet, making him hesitate before a bright blue explosion struck, knocking him straight down to the floor. The smoke bomb still went off, but more blasting wind cast the concealing cloud away, leaving him vulnerable to the descending, screaming maniac with the sword, the raw force of two slashes across the flank casting him back.
Tsuruga's gang, he had just enough room to think. Come back for revenge for getting their leader arrested.
There was absolutely no hesitation in their actions this time, no cajoling words trying to make a truce, or even a taunt. Any attempt at a counter was immediately met by a gust of wind, a crackling lightning bolt, a precise gunshot or the brutal slash of a broadsword, and it wasn't long until that sword hung suspended at his throat covering, the others gathered around ready to support if needed.
There were four of them, Hex saw. Two of them were instantly familiar- the armored knight clad in metal feather-looking protrusions with the enormous beak-shaped helmet leading the charge, and the red-jacketed one with the bandanna covering one eye and twin pistols at his belt. However, Tsuruga- if that truly had been her before- was missing from the ambushers. In her place, there was a loosely-clad dancer woman with an exotic headdress and necklace. Beside her, there was a tall figure wearing a metallic-looking mask and wide-sleeved, priestly robes who didn't seem to have taken any aggressive action yet, merely standing by.
The primary concern, of course, was the armored knight. Or more appropriately, his sword.
"Toldja", the red-jacketed boy remarked, his voice a mixture of cold anger and triumphant pride. "If the Shadows hadn't interrupted us last time, we totally would've won. This bastard's nothin' but smoke and mirrors."
"Perhaps", the bird knight said more icily, tightening his grip on the blade. "But it is his knowledge, not his combat prowess, which matters to us now. Mender, please make sure he has no chance to break free."
The metal-masked priest nodded after a moment of hesitation, invoking some strange power that manifested beside him as a cross shape of metal and gems. "Tarunda." In mere seconds, Hex felt considerably weaker than before the ambush had struck, barely able to resist the blade any longer.
"Our captain", the knight began, "has been taken away by the Shadows. Kindly tell us where they might have brought her, and you may live to fight another day."
Behind the black pentagram mask it was impossible to determine actually what the vigilante was thinking, but the anger in the reply made it clear it wouldn't be so simple as interrogating a defeated Shadow as their leader did sometimes.
"I have nothing to say to criminals. If that girl is your leader, then she's on the wrong side, and it's good that the police have caught her."
While his blade did not relent, Pelagio suddenly looked less energetic. "...Perhaps this truly was nothing more than a specialized cognition all along. Only they and the Shadows could hold such an infantile view of this Land."
Frowning, Mira drew closer, trying to determine if Pelagio was right or not. If he was, they'd likely wasted their time. "You really think so? But this one fought back, and so far all the cognitions we've seen here were just bystanders. I've never seen a cognition get violent. And if he was a Shadow, he would've transformed by now."
Turning from him back to Hex, she focused her eyes into the unfeeling black gloss that concealed eyes. "Please listen. Saber is a human, like us. She's trapped in this world of yours. All we want is to get her out, and then leave your city. We're not criminals. So please..."
Hex went silent, head down, motionless without any sign of attack.
After so many seconds, Pelagio was about to wonder aloud if he had triggered some kind of suicide mechanism when the black-masked head rose back up towards Mira, all the earlier hostility vanished.
"...Sorano-chan?"
Mira froze up, feeling the curious gaze of the others on her as well. Memory and intuition finally struck a spark, and she could only stare back at the dark visor in shock.
"...Take off your mask", she asked, too absent-sounding, too frightened to for it to be a command like Pelagio would have done. "Show us your true face. Please."
All the earlier resistance been drained out of Hex on the earlier utterance. Slowly, without any hint of threat, black-clad arms reached up to take hold of two small handles at the back of the pentagram mask. Pressing the two inwards with both hands produced a sharp hissing noise, releasing the lock and allowing the entire rig to be lifted free and cast down on the dusty pavement of the alley.
Now everyone else could share in Mira's surprise, unable to do anything but stare into the ashen human face that stared back at them, nearly as awestruck.
Finally, Mira snapped out of it, able to speak again. "Hayato-senpai?"
The second one to recover, Pelagio lowered his sword. "Of course. The true Hex."
"The ruler of this Land", Noel realized, equally thrown.
Sunken-eyed but smiling for what felt like the first time in weeks, Reiha nodded back, speaking without the mask, without the intimidating masculine growl that they'd gotten used to coming out of it, her dark hair spilling out of the collar.
"Guilty, guilty, and... guilty."
At some point, there was a new voice.
Aiko couldn't tell exactly when. Time had no meaning in this place, where pain regularly engulfed the senses until the body's only option was to perform a sort of emergency shutdown, deaf to everything except the occasional sound.
But this sound didn't sound like the cloying voice of her tormentor, the awful black-gowned Shadow with Reiha Hayato's face who worshiped pain as a release. Who called pain a God.
The thing that truly stuck out to her wasn't anything to do with her appearance however, but the last time she'd managed to get together enough strength to speak up in defiance.
"You call pain a release? It's just pain. Why don't you try it for a bit if you like it so much?"
But the suggestion hadn't even fazed the strange Shadow who called herself Mistress Kaneshiro. Dark flowing lips smiled that horrible fanged smile.
"Do you think that I haven't felt it? That is how we find our loyal defenders of justice. We can't accept just any Shadow into our ranks. Only one who endures this will come to understand the gift I have given them. They understand that the only worthy purpose they have is to protect the citizens, the ones who have not yet been tainted by tragedy."
"In other words, you torture them until they agree to serve you. That's not justice."
But by then, the Shadow had revealed another surprise, pulling the opera glove on her left arm loose with her right, holding it limp and close in the other hand so that Aiko could see the dozens of tiny thorns inside of the sleeve, in case the collection of lightly bleeding marks all over the exposed arm wasn't proof enough.
The grin became one of unbridled euphoria. "You see, dear? This lovely collar and my gown are the same way. They fill me up with the blissful pain to grant me power. When we are done here, you too will be able to transform your pain into power. If you wish, you may even take one of my outfits. Oh, you'll look so good..."
The mere thought of that had left her too disgusted to talk back any more. Even the Shadow seemed to recognize that, choosing to leave the room.
To leave her alone with the thorns.
With the pain.
This voice couldn't be Reiha's Shadow, returning to check on her victim to see if she'd given in. It was different. Accented, yet familiar, though she couldn't yet place exactly where...
"What are you doing? You must wake up."
W-what...?
"This is not mother. Mothers appreciate their children. They love them in actions, not merely words. Their eyes hold only joy at the sight of you."
Right. You...
"Without a sense of self, of thine own purpose, you are vacant. A vacant one has no power. You must awaken, and find your purpose."
Not that Shadow's purpose, never... But, what then? I don't know...
"Remember our contract. Remember who you are, and who you wish to be."
I... I want to protect them...
"That is not enough! Without the strength of thine true desire, without a sense of self? One so vacant cannot protect anyone. Think!"
But I... I can't lead... I don't deserve...!
"Why not? Are you not more deserving than a dog, or a mere negative shell of a human, a Shadow?"
No! I...
"Or, do you believe that Shadow's words are truth? That your only purpose in the world is as a protector of others?"
She could no longer feel her brows knit, or the muscles in her face tighten up by reflex.
Never. I'll never yield to that. No matter what. But...
A polite pause, and then:
"Yes. And yet, that pain... What you have been feeling is the pain felt by thousands, millions of humans all across their world. The pain of starvation, the pain of injury, the pain of addiction. And the worst of all... the pain of losing a beloved one."
Across the world... That's why I...
"Why you sought to cure the pain of those in need? Or, why you so eagerly sought to forfeit yourself to that cause?"
Silence filled the void, agony that had once wracked her becoming little more than white noise as she realized the truth.
I really am no better than Mira, or Jiachi when they went through the gate.
I wasn't seeking pain.
I was seeking death.
"Sacrificing your life for a world that you know nothing about beyond your own nation? Less? No. Sacrificing yourself for any purpose, without your own will. Personas are very the essence of purpose, enmeshed in the collective memory of mankind as legends... how can one who lacks it expect us to come to their aid?"
Wait.
Wait.
'Us?'
Of course. Of course. How could she have forgotten so easily?
It was the voice of Anne Bonny calling out to her.
In hindsight, the 'city hall' seemed obvious. An enormous building among a collection of enormous buildings, it stood out through a circular pavilion framed by endless rows of curving windows towards the top, all framed by large, movable floodlights that could illuminate it from a distance. More of the lights and the city's ubiquitous silver rings adorned the catwalk along the very top, possibly for the task of illuminating zeppelins as they docked with it.
"Restocking their crew", Pelagio remarked softly from the relative safety of their hiding spot beneath statue of some type of gargoyle with wide, overcast wings- they'd tested it thoroughly to ensure it wouldn't come to life and attack. "Hmph. I should have been watching their movement patterns more closely; this is the building each of them docked at regularly."
"It can't be helped, Guardian", Noel reassured him from over his shoulder, surveying the massive concrete edifice for more signs of the enemy. "At least we know now."
"Thanks to Hayato-senpai", Mira nodded more brightly. Even if the building in front of them was more than likely packed with Shadows, what mattered was they were finally making some real progress towards saving Aiko.
Though she did not wear the black-visored mask, Reiha did not seem quite so enthusiastic, the protective kevlar bodysuit masking her presence better than the other's outfits. "That girl doesn't belong in here. None of you do. You need to grab her and get out of here."
"And you too", Jiachi commented, having completed his own sweep and finding a gap in the searchlights. Whatever elation he'd felt seeing Hex unmasked had been short-lived, Reiha's refusal to share any more of the truth with them most aggravating to him of everyone. "Hayato-senpai, please listen. To Sorano, or to me. I know how it is. I've been exactly where you are right now. This world is just a trap with bait. It's not even freakin' real."
The older girl smiled back, if only slightly. "Huh. I figured it might be something like that. But you're wrong, Rosea-kun-"
"Gunslinger", he corrected politely. "And just how am I wrong about that, huh?"
For a moment Reiha looked like she might demonstrate her viewpoint directly, then decided against it and merely clenched her gloved fist. "When you get hit here, it hurts. It's no different from the other world. When you hit something hard enough it breaks, just like the other world. This place might be different from what we're used to, but as far as I'm concerned... it's just another reality."
"The fact that we're using code names to avoid people hearing our true ones is proof enough that you are incorrect", Noel argued back, looking pained at how much she was resisting any effort to make her leave with them. "This is the collective world of people's dreams. And this Land is the Land of your dreams."
Pausing for a moment, Reiha turned and lifted her Hex helmet. "Maybe. But this city still needs a hero to protect it. You're gonna tell me the citizens here don't feel pain when criminals attack them?"
"Not in the way that real humans do", Pelagio pointed out. "But this argument can wait until our captain is safe."
"Got that right", Reiha nodded, halting on putting the black mask back on for another moment by a stare of genuine interest in their current 'temporary' leader. "By the way... who exactly are you? I recognize Sorano-chan, Rosea-kun, and Vitienne-kun... but I can't place your face. Prolly 'cause you've got a full helmet like me. Care to take yours off before I put mine back on?"
Pelagio's large eyes stretched wide in surprise before narrowing in amusement and tapping his steel-beaked 'helmet'. "Hmph. It does nor come off. I am, shall we say... different from the others here, Reiha Hayato."
"No kidding. I'd definitely recognize a male student who talked all formal like you do. Got lost on the way to the Royal Shakespeare theatre, kiddo?"
"You shouldn't put that helmet back on anyway", Mira urged her worriedly. "You didn't even recognize us as friends until you took it off. It obviously does a lot more than just change your voice to be more threatening."
"Duh", Reiha retorted. "It also protects my head, and hides my face. Don't you worry. I know you're not criminals. You were just dressing up like Joker and his minions do, so I made a mistake. Sorry about that."
"Like Joker and his..." Mira trailed off before shaking her head. There was still so much she wanted to ask Reiha, but there was no time. "No. Guardian's right. We can't just wait around and trade questions any longer. Who knows what they're doing to Saber in there."
"I'm on it." Snapping the helmet back into the collar with the sharp hiss as before, Reiha reached into the toolkit at her waist, producing a foot-long black rod-shaped object. Taking a moment to ensure no searchlights were near their hiding spot, she carefully stepped out and took aim at the top balcony.
"Um... Gunslinger, wasn't it? If you could take a shot at one of the lower windows?"
Standing up, Jiachi looked thrown by the command, looking to Pelagio for clarification. "'Scuse me? The lower windows, you said? That'll just set off an alarm though."
"The alarm's gonna go off as soon as you go in anyway", Reiha explained, the electronic distortion of her mask making a calm explanation sound more like an animal preparing to lunge for one's throat. "The only way to avoid it would be to go in from the dock, which you need a zeppelin for. But if an alarm goes off on the lower floors, it'll draw the Shadows down there and override the one you'll set off by entering through the balcony door."
"Hm. A clever plan", Pelagio observed approvingly, clasping his gauntlets and regarding the rod. "And what then?"
"Then I fire this. After Ros- after Gunslinger shoots out the window. Any time now."
Understanding her meaning, Julian nodded, stepping out beside her, reaching down, spinning and aiming one revolver in his right hand. "This okay?"
Reiha chuckled. "A showoff even here, huh? If you're ready, go ahead."
"He's changed", Mira pointed out, preparing her daggers as well, the tension from the action she knew lay ahead tightening muscles but not hampering her. "Before, he wouldn't have waited for Guardian's permission, or yours."
Jiachi smirked back. "That is so not true. But, uh... everyone ready? 3... 2... 1...!"
The noise of the shot was actually cut off by the alarm; a keening, wailing siren that seemed designed to spread its noise all the way across several city blocks. Yet this close, it was shrill enough to make talking difficult. Instead, Reiha silently pressed down on the rod, sending a rope flashing out across the gap to embed itself in the balcony wall's concrete.
"Grappling zipline hook", Julian observed approvingly. "Cool. Got all sorts of nifty gadgets in there, right?"
"Glad you have time to gawk", Reiha remarked harshly, burying the blade at the other end in the base of the gargoyle statue. "Hurry now. Grab the rope with both hands, and you'll slide across the gap."
Clamping down on any reservations, Mira went first, the ease with which she was able to slide along the cable over to the city hall balcony giving Julian the confidence to follow closely after. Hearing the way he shouted when his speed picked up didn't stop Noel from carefully grasping it, keeping the sleeves of his robe clear.
Vaulting up over the balcony rail with the agility that only her Persona could provide, Mira stared back across the gap. As she'd feared, Pelagio was the heaviest of the all, and the zipline slackened dangerously under his weight. Just as he looked like momentum might carry him all the way, she heard a cracking noise and the line flew back across towards Reiha's side.
Leaving Pelagio to plummet out of sight without a sound.
"Guardian!"
Peering over the rail made her realize just how high up they really were- the rows of windows seemed to go down forever, limning an empty abyss without a visible bottom. Wind gusted up like raw anguish, and then...
"Hmph. How shortsighted. I should have tested it before."
Following the sound let her see the armored figure clinging to the side, both his sword and shield dug deep into the stone. Without waiting to see the other's reactions, he raised the sword out and jabbed it into a higher spot, slowly using the two as climbing tools until he could take Mira's offered arm.
"You're just as bad as Saber", she sniffed in the cold air. "Never stopping to think about your own safety."
"I may do that", he replied, "when the one I have sworn to protect is free."
"Better get going", Jiachi agreed, raising his voice to be heard over the alarm, his eye inevitably drawn to the small gash the zipline had left in the wall. "That's not gonna fool 'em for very long."
"What about Hayato-san?", Noel pointed over at the far rooftop where Reiha had been, only to have vanished. "She should-"
"She didn't want to come with us", Mira remarked with sigh. "That's why she waited for last. She still thinks that she belongs here. That's a fight for another day, and one I'm sure that Saber can help us win."
"And you knew that-" Julian forced his jaw back into place. "Who are you, and what have you done with Mirambela Sorano?"
"Code names please", she replied, a sly smile creeping onto her face despite her words. Wow. Even Rosea-kun thinks that I'm being brave when I'm actually so scared it feels like I'm about to fall over. "Remember, I'm Dancer."
Noel recognized that smile as well, echoing it before snapping his mask on. "Lead the way then. Saber should be close by."
Though Mira knew, 'close by' could turn out to mean 'only ten floors up' in such a massive structure. As hoped for, running through the first door they saw did nothing to intensify the alarms any further.
Even taking it in at a rush, they were struck by how ordinary the interior looked. Faded red carpeting led the way past dozens of plain-looking office stations and tables, all of it starkly devoid of the harsh gothic look of the city outside.
They were about to dismiss it and move on when dozens of glowing eyes appeared from every dark corner of the area, heralding each pair sliding out in the form of raspberry red slimes.
"'It'll draw the Shadows down there and avoid the alarm, rawrrr'", Julian mocked in a decent imitation of Reiha's electronically enhanced hypermasculine growl. "Yeah, so much for that shit."
"Hmph. Don't complain", Pelagio ordered, quickly drawing his blade. "Besides, these ones look weak."
That estimation was quickly proven correct. While the jellies held up to physical force well enough, they were slow moving and crumbled easily when exposed to any kind of elemental power. Only Noel stayed put, merely standing in the rear and watching the fight play out until every Shadow had melted away into nothingness.
"I guess they were just too slow to follow their buddies downstairs", Julian considered after it was over. "Or too stupid."
"Either way, we should hurry before the heavy hitters realize they've been tricked", Mira pointed out as they arrived at the far end of the floor, spotting the entryway to a staircase along with an opulent elevator door. "So, stairs then?"
"Indeed", Pelagio nodded back. "The elevator is most likely a trap, particularly when the alarm is active. We climb."
Careful not to look down for various reasons, the four made their way out into the top floor. A long, gray marble lobby stretched out before them, framed by rows of elegant pillars and the same carpet from before, signs of a second tier balcony running all the way around before disappearing into a door at the far end.
"Cool. I see Hayato-senpai watched the Matrix too", Jiachi noted, more casual after the lack of resistance they'd encountered. "Good taste in films."
"Is that really how it works?", Noel asked eagerly. "The Lands are actually formed from random images within the ruler's mind?"
"Hence the Land of your dreams", Mira explained more regretfully. The memories of her own Land, a hybrid jumble of her homeland and advanced technology, would likely never leave her. "The city and the blimps too. I wonder if it affects the appearance of the Shadows?"
"Perhaps you can ask that one", Pelagio called to them in mild irritation, demanding their focus back to the task at hand. "We do know him, after all."
Julian stared ahead, immediately forgetting all about movies.
There was only one Shadow in the lobby, slowly sauntering towards them, but it was a hatefully familiar sight; an extremely tall, lanky figure clad in a dark purple suit topped with frills, a white line running up into a chest on the chest. Above the frills, a white mask covered a featureless face adorned with red ink in a question mark shape. White gloves clutching a curving scythe nearly its own size, which descended to a ready position as it drew closer.
"Another lieutenant", Pelagio explained. "A high-ranking Shadow. Be on your guard."
"And the bastard who got Saber", Jiachi muttered in barely-contained fury. "That blade's got poison on it, FYI."
"Sounds like I'll be needed then", Noel noted. "Well, shall we? Illuminate the path forward, Dellingr!"
"Yeah", Jiachi snarled as the strange floating Persona appeared. "Let's show that skinny fucker what we're made off, and avenge Saber... Burn 'em down, Wild Bill!"
Seeing the cowboy-hatted legend materialize, Mira grinned and stepped forward to follow suit, heading towards the masked enemy without fear. "Right. This time, we have to win... Chakacha, Oya!"
"Strike him down, Galahad", Pelagio commanded with less ceremony, replaced with sheer determined focus. "You, Shadow... You have dishonored us with a defeat. The only remedy is your destruction!"
The slender figure, unsurprisingly, said nothing. It seemed to be a trend for the Land's top Shadows, whereas the coral giant had only been able to speak in guttural animal noises. Instead, this one's response was merely to increase the speed of its pace down the hall towards them into a jog, and then a full-out sprint, bladed weapon at the ready.
Julian struck first, crying out in hurt rage as he unleashed a barrage from both revolvers. The slender Shadow didn't break stride, spinning its weapon and deflecting every shot until the next attack, a combination of Galahad's explosive power and Oya's lightning, crashed into it, kicking up an impressive smoke cloud.
Then the purple-tinted scythe flashed through the cloud, lunging for Julian's neck and coming within three feet of it until it crashed into an unseen barrier and flew back.
"Praesi", he acknowledged with a grateful nod to Pelagio. "Thanks, Guardian. You rock."
"Spread out", their assigned leader ordered without breaking stride to acknowledge the compliment. "Remain mobile. This one is extremely swift, and we may lack its weakness."
"Time to even that score then", Mira declared, spreading her arms to grant the speed-enhancing boon of Sukukaja to as many as she could before the enemy recovered. When it did, its own spell gathered, oil-shaded curse energy ripping into Julian until Noel could counteract it with a healing skill.
That was all the distraction Pelagio needed to get in close, his lunge barely parried by the Shadow's scythe in time. It turned that into a spin, casting his weapon away along the carpet but then Mira was there, pouncing from behind with both daggers and refusing to let go even when the curse spell struck her.
The enemy spun again, this time a full-body revolution that made Jiachi hesitate to fire on him until Mira was sent flying off with a startled cry. Landing gracefully on her feet, she clasped her hands to unleash a stream of wind, converging with Jiachi's fire skill into a blazing dervish engulfing their target.
"Hmph. You two have improved", Pelagio remarked in genuine awe as he watched the conflagration cover the Shadow completely. "Synchronizing your elemental skills in that way... well done!"
"Fire and wind seem to mix together well", Mira agreed brightly. "As do nuclear and lightning. Would you like to try that again, Guardian?"
But their leader shook his head. "No. That fusion didn't work as well as your combination with Gunslinger does. He may be weak to wind or fire, if we are fortun-"
He couldn't say any more, as the slender Shadow had emerged from the sirocco windstorm in a lunge towards Mira. Clucking in devilish amusement, Pelagio re-cast the Praesi shield spell, once again halting the enemy's forward momentum with a loud crash... and then did a double take as a second Shadow, identical to the first, flew out of the storm and raked its scythe across Mira before she could dodge, injecting its lethal poison into her.
"Two?!", Julian shouted, riddling the new arrival with shots while Noel hastily remedied the poison. "How in the hell...!?"
There was no time to question it further yet- both Shadows had turned their weapons on Noel and Pelagio, shrugging off attacks from the others and slashing through Pelagio's guard to envenom both their targets. Panicked, Mira and Julian unleashed their combined skill again, once again covering the area in the super-heated wind.
"I think...", Pelagio was able to stammer once his poison was cleared up by Noel and Dellingr. "That this must be the mirror image skill. I've seen it before. The Shadow is splitting its power up into multiple shapes. However, only one is real."
"'Only' one?", Jiachi wondered, eyes widening in terror as he saw the enemy recovering and preparing to strike. Four identical images flew out of the cloud this time, each one heading for a different target at top speed. "Oh, crap!"
They all tried to block the rush in their own way, Julian with the tough metal of his revolvers, Mira with her daggers and Pelagio with his shield, but Noel had only a moment to look horrified before the curving blade descended towards his defenseless neck... and halted on nothingness. Another nearly invisible shield.
"Praesi again?!", Mira's jaw dropped. "Are you going to be alright if you keep that up, Guardian?"
"Our primary healer must be protected", Pelagio rasped, trying as usual to hide any sign of his strain. "Particularly if they continue this coordinated attack. We must hurry and find the real one."
"How?", Julian shouted, unleashing a wide wave of fire with Maragi to delay the lethal quartet's next attack for a moment, Mira following suit with Mazio's electricity to buy more time. "They all look the same, and they all hit the same- like an effing semi truck!"
As if seeking to demonstrate his claim, Noel's assailant missed and ground its scythe into a pillar, nearly ripping it apart in one stroke. Ducking away from his cover, their new teammate turned to release Tarunda on the image attacking him before continuing to run, Dellingr's light casting long shadows along the walls as if followed after him.
Wait. The walls...
Mira's realization nearly cost her a head as the image struck, firing off another curse skill when the spinning slash missed. Studying the floor after she'd been healed back from that confirmed it.
"Wait, look down!", she cried out, hoping she hadn't caused an equally fatal distraction for anyone else. "Look at the floor!"
Blasting his target back with a desperate fire skill, Jiachi frowned. "What? I don't see anything."
"Only one of them casts a Shadow!"
Pelagio's large eyes became larger still before studying the room and understanding. "Yes... yes, that's it! The one attacking Mender is the real one. Everyone, strike at that one together! I'll provide this- Mafrei!"
The staccato barrage of blue explosions pelted all four images like flashbangs, doing little real damage but giving the others enough time to focus on their real target. The Shadow had its weapon raised again, ready to rip into Noel when a bullet struck its blade, ruining its aim and followed up by a stronger, more concentrated bolt of lightning crashing down. Being closest to Noel, Pelagio was able to contribute directly, sidestepping his own attacker to stab the true enemy in its exposed back all the way to the hilt, actually producing a pained grunt from the enemy.
When it tried to raise the envenomed scythe to counterattack, another aimed shot from Jiachi slammed into it, finally knocking the weapon out of its hand and skittering along the smooth floor. "Got it!", he cheered. "Nice call, Dancer!"
"Thanks!", she managed to smile back at him, even among all the chaos and danger filling the lobby. Suddenly, the mirror images seemed that much slower to her, or perhaps that was merely the marvelous agility and reflexes that Oya and the Sukukaja skill granted her. "Just a little more, and we win!"
"Hmph. Focus please. This is too early to celebrate", Pelagio reminded them, indicating the way the quartet of clones had suddenly gathered together now that their secret was out. "I had a feeling that one was holding something back when it fought the captain."
As one, the trio of copies raised their scythes to the ceiling, drawing the team's eyes up to the simple light panels there, and able to clearly make out the way the oily curse energy from their combined skills had begun to rip into each panel, yielding crackling noises as each light was blotted out and the entire hall was cast into near perfect darkness.
Noel's mocking laughter haunted that darkness.
"Really? Trying to conceal your true self in the dark? Dellingr, let your dawning radiance reveal all!"
The rays that burst from the center of the hall- from the crystals covering their new recruit's Persona- spread out to illuminate the area as an enormous golden lantern. Though it wasn't nearly as balanced as the ceiling lights had been, leaving the far corners unlit and wavering around like some bizarre haunted mansion ride, Pelagio's raptor eyes could still see everything.
Including that scythe someone had thrown at Mira, knowing that in the darkness she wouldn't even see it coming until it cut her in half. Casting Praesi once more brought him down on one knee... and then the other flying scythe ground into that knee.
"Guardian!"
"I'm fine!", he lied, once again trying to fight off the poison and forced to take some of the medicine they had brought. "Focus on the enemy! They will likely target Mender next!"
They already had done that, he saw. The last remaining scythe had been passed over to the real Shadow, while the three fakes hung back, each one focusing some kind of support skill.
"Oh man!", Jiachi blanched in horror. "I recognize that- Tarukaja! They're all pumpin' the main one's power way up!"
The triple strength boost didn't show itself in the Shadow's body, still thin as ever, but in its scythe. The weapon surged with the patchy black and red curse energy, swelling outward until it was over twice its original size. Either through exhaustion after all the dodging and healing or simple instinctual fear, Noel could only stare at it.
Then the building-sized blade fell. It burst through a last-second shield like glass, smashing down and actually tearing a hole in the marble floor.
On his hands and knees, Noel continued to stare, not quite believing what he was seeing.
"You... nein, nein... why did you do that?!"
Lying flat on the bottom of the resulting crater, grimacing in pain that he could no longer hide, Pelagio fought to speak.
"I... Galahad was out of energy... I had to protect..."
While neither of them seemed able to move any time soon, Jiachi and Mira were only momentarily paused by the sight of their temporary leader so badly hurt. As the Shadow strained with the effort of recalling the giant scythe for another attack, dozens of shots riddled it, accompanied by dagger thrown into the skull symbol on its chest, a bolt of lightning striking the handle and channeling the electricity into its victim, driving it down to its knees. Behind it, the three mirror images wavered strangely for a moment, then faded completely from sight.
Perhaps knowing it was already defeated, the Shadow made no effort to get back up in the last moments it had before the final bullet left a hole through its mask.
"Boom", Julian said, unable to summon his usual glib excitement no matter how he tried. "Headshot."
The Shadow's did not immediately disintegrate as its fellow lieutenant had. As the they watched, the perforated mask peeled away. The face concealed underneath might have been human once, but was covered in so much scar tissue that it was difficult to tell. Far more gruesome were the two gouged holes where the eyes should have been, and Mira had to look away for a moment in revulsion.
The misshapen slash of a mouth opened then, producing a high-pitched, broken voice before finally beginning to fade as its images had.
"Release... Yes... At last, release..."
Jiachi waited until it was completely gone before returning to Pelagio and Noel, the former showing no sign of movement any more. "Damn you", he sighed, trying not to weep as Mira looked to be on the verge of doing. "Damn you. You damned suicidal idiot. You really are just as bad as Saber!"
"Nein", Noel repeated, brushing off his own sorrow and standing up, sleeves folded almost ceremonially. "There is still one miracle I can perform here."
Behind him, Dellingr's light shone through the empty hallway once more, brighter than before as Mira and Julian could both sense an immense gathering of the Persona's power.
Behind his mask, Noel seemed serene, spreading his arms together with Dellingr's light. "Let this fading soul be restored to flesh... Recarm."
The rest of the hall fell back into darkness as warm, ethereal light descended on Pelagio's crumpled body in a vertical stream, light constantly flickering between the brightest of green and gold as it gathered around him even generating a brief ring of multicolored flowers, entering his body with a final flicker.
"What did you-"
Mira's voice cut off into a squeal when she saw Pelagio's raptor eyes flicker open. The awful-looking cracks all across his armor had not been completely erased by Noel's power, but they had been greatly reduced.
"That skill", he whispered in wonderment, amazement at being able to breath air once more. "I seem to have greatly underestimated you, Mender."
Noel looked like he'd just taken the last hit himself after all, barely able to stand but still managing to grin. "The Recarm skill. Sadly, it can only be used on the very recently departed, and as you can see, it takes a fair bit out of me. I'd... greatly appreciate it if we could avoid needing me to do that again today."
"We're all pretty pooped after all that", Mira noted somberly. Without the adrenaline rush of battle, exhaustion had quickly caught up to them. "I'm just glad that you're okay, Pela-tori."
"Code names, remember", Julian teased, averting his eyes.
"Shut up."
Carefully standing, Pelagio briskly nodded to the others, his usual bearing restored as well. "You two performed excellently as well. I feared that our strength would be hampered without the captain to lead us, yet we overcame that powerful Shadow."
"Naw", Julian chuckled. "If Saber had been here with us, we'd have owned that freak in half the time it took us. And you wouldn't have needed to die."
"No", Mira lamented, downcast. "She would've been the one to sacrifice herself instead."
Julian sighed. "Hey now, less gloom and doom, okay? Point is, we kicked its faceless ass, and Saber should be up ahead somewhere. That's the only reason that Shadow would be posted here. Not really much else up here worth protecting, yeah?"
"Y-yeah", Mira agreed, forcing a spring back into her step- thankfully, there was no need for them to carry Pelagio or Noel yet. "Sorry. I was just thinking about how Saber used to scare me when she really got into our fights with Shadows."
"Scare you?", Noel looked surprised. "But isn't she your friend?"
"My best friend", she nodded. "But... I think you'd have to see it for yourself, Mender. When Saber gets into it, she's like a force of nature. Stronger than any of us."
"I know what you mean", Jiachi echoed more reservedly, much less willing to admit anything ever scared him, much less a friend. "I like to think I'm a tough guy, but when we're in this world... Saber's the boss, no question. Guess I gotta train harder to catch up to her."
"Maybe", Mira allowed quietly. "But Mender just revived the dead. After this fight, I think I'm a little bit scared of us."
"What you're experiencing", the voice of Anne Bonny said, "is an infinitesimal fraction of the world's pain."
The trance's reprieve had been all too brief, and Aiko found herself once again struggling not to expire under the weight of it. It felt like acidic pressure, pushing in on every side without a care for the terrified morsel of flesh in between.
It felt like drowning.
"Have you finally pieced it together, vacant one? Do you understand? Your voyage is hopeless. You will never find the treasure you seek. You can never provide a balm to enough people to stop the inevitable. Pain. Pain will devour the humans of your world. It will turn them against each other, turn them feral until they have destroyed themselves and the farce of civilization is at last rightly put to bed."
The pressure remained, crushing, smothering, biting... She couldn't move.
But she could still think.
Maybe you're right. Maybe I was wrong.
I'm still only a teenager. I had no idea until now just how much suffering there is in the world outside of Japan. Or how much there still is here, even after the Phantom Thieves did what they did.
No one can carry that weight all alone. It's impossible. Saving people from the darkness that haunts their sleep and drives them to despair might actually be impossible. It's like you said. I'm... vacant. Empty. I don't know enough about the world to even begin to try to improve it.
But this, at least, I can do. I can save Reiha. I can save anyone else who gets trapped in this world, and give them back the lives they discarded.
When I did that for Mira and Julian, they changed. For the better, I believe. They didn't want to run away, to escape from reality any longer. Instead, they chose to face it head on.
That's what I will do, too.
I don't need to have experienced that pain myself to imagine it. I can understand it, and help others overcome it. If I am empty, then that just means there's room to fill up with something good.
I will not be vacant... and I am not alone.
There was nothing to look at, no face or posture of Anne Bonny's to try and discern a reaction. Instead, it was merely felt. A surge of pride, acknowledgment.
"...Well done, young one. You are no dog. You are worthy of my mantle after all. Now, awaken. See the reality beyond the mask of pain."
When she blinked again, the white void was gone. Instead she was looking into a familiar face, upside-down and stretched into an expression of concern.
Julian's face, she realized dimly. And he wasn't upside-down. She was. At some point, Kaneshiro must have swiveled the rig she'd been bound to, set it inverted.
Blood rush to the head. No wonder I was seeing things.
Then the world shifted, moving back to the upright position, and Julian began working at the thorn-covered restraints. Behind him, she could see Mirambela as well.
Who seemed like she was looking at a wild dog, unsure if it was safe to approach.
No. She shouldn't look at me that way. Don't want her to be scared.
She tried to speak, but it came out as some kind of gargling noise, releasing a spray onto Julian's bandanna that felt like an equal mix of hot spit and blood.
"S-s-s..."
Far from offended, he merely smiled. "Nice to see you too, captain."
Then it hit her. Really hit her. This was real. It wasn't some kind of pain-induced hallucination or dream.
Kaneshiro- not mistress, never mistress- was wrong. About everything.
Her friends were here. They'd come. For her. To take her away from this place that felt like a tomb, a crucible of suffering that even now hung in the air like a stench, permeating the room.
Then Jiachi's hands popped the second wrist binding and she fell forward into something, unable to stand without them. "Well", she heard Jiachi's voice, closer now, sounding faintly amused about something. "This feels nice. Not really the time though."
"No time for that", Mira agreed quietly. "You're just lucky Guardian is on watch duty. Mender, can you deal with some of this?"
"Of course", another, more refined male voice, one she couldn't place in her current state, offered.
Warmth covered her then, more than any human body could have generated, so comfortable that she nearly fell asleep, but then it was gone, leaving behind a numb, stinging feeling.
She opened her eyes, and for the first time in she couldn't say how long, it didn't hurt. Breathing didn't hurt any more. Neither did moving. There was nothing. Nothing when there should have been something.
Feel... vacant?
She blinked again as the robed figure who had healed her pulled his mask back enough to make out his blue eyes. "V-Vitienne-kun?"
"Mender", Noel corrected her with a polite grin, tapping his metal mask. "For the moment. I'm glad to see you safe. This... place..." He studied the cushions around them, making a face. "I can feel the anguish released in here. Just what have they...?"
"Torture", Mira spat in revulsion. "That's all we need to know. Another reason why it's good Guardian's not coming in here to see. He might get too angry with whoever's in charge of all this."
"Kaneshiro", Aiko muttered. The word seared her throat. The memories it summoned brought on a headache serious enough to double her over. "What she calls herself. But she's actually-"
"Hayato-san", Noel finished. "We know. We met her."
"That can wait", Mira emphasized hard as she could, knowing that Aiko's automatic response would be to go find Reiha. "For now, we have to go home. It's been..." She caught herself, looking at Aiko then back into the cushioned room.
She's leaving a lot of pain behind her in there, she acknowledged grimly. Taking a lot of it out with her. Just what kind of sadistic monster is this Shadow? I mean, mine was awful too, but...
"It's been hours", she admitted. "We're not sure how many. That's why we want to get back home as soon as possible."
"Home", Aiko rasped weakly, as if trying to remember the word. "Home. Right."
Alternately glad to hear their leader's voice and horrified at how she seemed to be reacting, Jiachi produced some familiar items; a wide-brimmed hat, along with a cutlass and a belt.
"They had 'em locked away", he explained. "Guess it's good they didn't take the rest too."
Ai steadfastly avoided looking down. She didn't need to in order to know how shredded the rest of her captain outfit likely was, after everything. Gratefully accepting her hat, belt and the weapon within, she took an extra second to ensure her ruby shard was still there before turning back to Mira. "Okay. Let's go... home."
A score of various types of Shadow filed out of the elevator doors and into the top floor lobby of their 'city hall', the blaring alarms had stopped, but they didn't need any guidance from a superior to know that the intruders were still nearby. If they hadn't, the state the lobby was in would have confirmed it, numerous pillars crumbling apart along with the crooked gash in the floor.
One of them, an impossibly-scarred warrior with a blazing chestnut mane and glowing red eyes, numerous arrows and even several swords protruding from open wounds, surveyed the damage and sniffed the air through a crushed nose. "They're nearby", it announced without needing confirmation. "The criminals who dare threaten this city's peace and justice. Who oppose Mistress Kaneshiro's justice."
"Kill", several of the lower ranking Shadows muttered, barely able to focus on anything else. "Kill the criminals, kill the unjust ones! Kill!"
The large warrior chuckled quietly, drawing one of the swords embedded in its own flesh, briefly enjoying the exquisite pain as it slid free. This floor in particular held fond memories for many of them, as it was in these private chambers that Mistress Kaneshiro educated stray Shadows in her own special way, making them understand just how empty and meaningless their lives were, and that the only proper application of their strength was to protect the innocent and uphold her law.
In return for that commitment, she granted them all a wonderful present: The gift of pain. A pain that inevitably humbled even the most arrogant of their number into service. Certainly, there had been some failures when it came to this method; Shadows who were too stubborn or powerful to give in and realize the truth.
What that happened, the only choice was for them to cut their losses and destroy them- no matter how strong, no visiting Shadow had ever been able to match Mistress Kaneshiro in power, and the exceptionally powerful ones who submitted were further gifted with authority over the other Shadows. Potential usurpers became eager allies of justice, protectors of the city and its people.
Now, though, those lucky few were nowhere to be seen. All that was left was to take down the criminals who dared to attack city hall, who had dared to trick them into abandoning their posts with a fake intrusion. That purpose would certainly keep the hordes of lesser Shadows united in their cause long enough to triumph over these wretches... Particularly if Joker had been the one behind it.
"Kill!", one of the more beastly Shadows hissed from behind. "Die in the name of justice!"
Its answer was a sudden, cacophonous revving noise that filled the entire ruined hall, loud and threatening enough to actually silence all the Shadows which had been rabidly murmuring their all-consuming need to kill the intruders. Their stunned silence led into a mad scramble to get away from the enormous rectangular figure blasting out of the hall's main door, crushing all in its wake.
Tightly gripping the wheel at the front, Jiachi hauled it hard right as soon as they'd cleared the crowd of Shadows, steering Pelagio's silver car form around the crumbling pillars and directly towards a tall bank of windows.
The reactions of the others made it clear why he's been chosen as the driver this time; no matter how she tried, Mira couldn't stop herself from screaming in fear, even in the back seat with Aiko, who had been shocked out of her previous trance for the time being by the sights and sounds of madness around them. In the front passenger seat Noel seemed calmer, but winced every time they hit a Shadow or an obstacle.
"Got it! It's just up ahead!", Julian shouted back to them, unable to hide the wild grin on his face. "Everybody hang on now!"
Only Pelagio was in any position to reply coherently, though even his voice seemed unusually tense as they crashed through the glass screens, roaring out into another weirdly plain office room. "This is the last time, the absolute last time that we allow you to come up with an escape plan, Gunslinger!"
Swerving extra hard to punish his criticism, Julian cackled madly as another Shadow was too slow to dodge and was crushed beneath Pelagio's wheels. "That's ten!"
"Ah", Noel managed to utter from beneath a veneer of absolute terror, hands clutching his ducked head. "So you were deliberately trying to run them over. I was wondering about that."
"Hey, why not? They're freakin' Shadows, dude. Oh, and brace!"
Another screen shattered apart before the power of Pelagio's mass times velocity, and then they had a direct line to the line of windows running along the building's east wing.
"Here it is!", he called out, holding off the accelerator for several seconds before flooring it. "Everybody, hold on tight!"
One more Shadow expired beneath Pelagio's grille, and then they were zooming towards the final obstacle at a rate that seemed too supernatural even for this world, fast enough to outpace the crashing noise of the windows as well as the glass, along with a pained grunt from Pelagio as they pushed through and over the outside rail.
"Noooodon'twannadieeeee!", Mira screamed.
Under better circumstances, they might have laughed at how long it felt like Pelagio seemed to stick in the air, giving them a gorgeous view of the entire city, admiring the way it seemed awash with light in the scant moments before gravity overcame forward momentum.
Falling...
Falling...
Falling... The resulting wind drowned out even Mira's terror-filled screams, along with any others, and finally they slammed down hard into the highway below with enough force to crack pavement and make Pelagio stifle another grunt.
"Nailed it", Julian announced triumphantly, speeding down the long, wide road connected to the city hall building without pause. What few cars there were weren't moving. "Hah! And here you all were thinking I couldn't handle it."
"If you weren't driving right now", Mira grated out, "I'd..."
"I'm honestly not sure if what he is doing counts as driving", Noel pointed out, heaving mightily to regain the air he'd lost now that the worst of it was over. When he had it back, he dropped into a litany of biting curses only he understood.
"Everyone's a critic", Julian snickered. "Come on, you at least have to admit I'm the only one who could have gotten us through all that."
"Indeed", Pelagio's voice rumbled out from the trunk-covered motor before them. "You are the only one insane enough to try such a stunt. However, seeing as I am still nominal leader of this crew, I decree that the next time I use this form, Dancer shall drive."
"Urp... That would be... nice", Mira managed over her fleeting nausea. "I don't have a license though. Sorry."
"Neither does he", Pelagio replied without needing to provide any evidence of that claim.
"I have a license", Noel said mildly. "Though, it's only valid in my home country, and certainly not to drive a talking bird that transforms into a talking car."
"Still better qualified than Gunslinger", Mira piped up after a pause, then turned back to their captain, concerned that she hadn't spoken at all since their escape. "Come on, that was a great setup."
"S-sorry", Aiko whispered, staring out the back window at the cityscape below. "I just..."
None of them knew what to say then, how exactly to approach their leader. "It looks like they did some truly vile things to you", Noel tried eventually, turning around in his seat to behold her. "Vergebung. If we had only acted faster, then..."
"We did all we could", Mira cut in, though it sounded more like she was talking to Aiko than anyone else, leaning down into the car cushions to get closer. "Besides, I know that Saber won't let it get her down for long. She's too strong for that."
Strong? Aiko sat up, dimly alert. The thought seemed like it had come from a completely alien consciousness. Am I strong?
Mira seemed to think so. Jiachi too. Yes. She remembered that.
How strange that made her want to cry.
They were watching her, waiting for an answer, she realized. Unless she said something right now, Jiachi might actually get distracted enough to crash on a nearly empty highway.
Fine, she considered. Fine.
If pretending to be her old, naive self gave the others the courage they needed, then she could do that. For a little while, at least.
Maybe, if she could do it longer, she might be able to make that mask a permanent one.
"Captain?", Pelagio's voice floated to her. "Are you alright?"
No. I'm not. And I might not ever be again. But...
"Shaken", she blurted. "It's just like you said. That Shadow... the ruler of this Land... Kaneshiro. She's worse. Worse than any Shadow I've ever seen. She tortures other Shadows until they give in to the pain and submit to her. And..."
Julian's grip on the wheel tightened, his knuckles turning white. "'Kay, I'ma go back and shoot her in the throat. And everywhere else 'till the bitch stops twitching." Despite his harsh words, the car didn't turn.
"Later", Pelagio promised. "Right now, none of us are at full strength, especially the captain. I do not require a watch to know that this is the longest amount of time we have ever spent in Faraway Lands, which may carry its own risks. We must focus our efforts on escape for now."
"Yeah, yeah", Julian yielded in aggravation, carefully steering around a motionless van. "Sorry. I'm just mad, is all. I'll head straight for the Breach we saw around here."
"We're not safe yet", Mira pointed upwards, indicating one of the zeppelins, which had set a course to intercept them, the only one close enough to manage it. "That one's trying to catch up to us."
"Not if I floor it", Julian claimed, ignoring Pelagio's noise of protest. "Man Guardian, your speed is just crazy. Too bad you can't take this form in the real world, eh?"
"Hmph. If I could", Pelagio said, "I would never allow you to drive me. Besides, the roads in Tosashimizu are far too short and packed for my maximum speed."
Noel laughed, seemingly out of the blue. Now that they'd overcome the worst of their mission, the sheer absurdity of the current conversation had come back to him. Even without Aiko, they'd overcome every obstacle in their path, every single Shadow, rescued their leader from the enemy's greatest stronghold. And now, despite everything, they were safely back out again too fast for any Shadow to catch up.
They were going to make it!
"So he transforms into both a ship and a car? How versatile."
"He can only become a car in this Land", Mira explained, indicating the now empty plastic flask she'd brought along for this occasion. "And only when we give him the water from Faraway Lands. His change is different with each Land."
"And not for very long", Pelagio admitted reluctantly, his voice emitting from the motor as if the car was haunted. "In fact, I feel that I am close to reverting to my true form now."
"No big", Jiachi gloated. "Just a little bit further, and there's no way that one can catch up to us. Actually, since I'm driving right now, can someone else kill their lights?"
"Why?", Noel asked.
"Because he likes annoying the Shadows by breaking all their toys", Mira sighed helplessly. "Fine. I'll do it." Still in her seat, she carefully withdrew her dart gun, taking aim on the flying vehicle chasing them, lining up her sights with the two floodlights at the front.
Stopped. "What the...?"
"Something wrong?"
"It's..."
Hearing her fright, Noel turned to follow her gaze, only to gape at the sight.
There was something wrong with the blimp. Dozens of blue spikes had began to emerge from within the massive dirigible, puncturing its exterior. They seemed small at such a distance, but he was easily able to calculate that they had to be multiple meters long each, at least. "G-Gunslinger, maximum speed! Now!"
Fighting off the instinct to turn and see for himself, Jiachi simply did as he was told. "You got it! Here we goooo!"
Mira could barely feel the wind buffeting her as Pelagio's motor was revved back up to the manic speeds that had gotten them past the Shadows. She couldn't take her eyes off the way the spikes were continuing to tear their way completely through the outer hull, multiplying, expanding and spreading endlessly until-
Mira turned away to cover her eyes from the flash at the last moment. The resulting explosion rocked everyone in their seats, accompanied by the sound of glass in countless windows shattering apart from the sonic boom. Looking back, she caught a brief glimpse of an enormous twisted metal skeleton falling towards the road at top speed. "Brake! Braaaake!"
There was a high keening noise from somewhere up ahead, and then they were flying, flying upwards and over, back down to slam into the concrete. Recovering, she saw everyone else looked jarred, but not crushed beneath the weight. Unhurt. Glad we all buckled up. Of course if we hadn't, we wouldn't have survived this far with how crazy Julian drives.
Above them, their upended ride flashed several times, fading and distorting back into the familiar form of an armored bird-knight lying on the ground, just as shaken as the rest of them. "Ungh... I dislike that form. Its speed is far too dangerous to my passengers. Is everyone alright? Captain?"
"I'm fine", Aiko panted, struggling to stand. "Just got the wind kicked out of me."
"S-same here", Noel choked out. "Does anyone need healing?"
"No", Mira brushed herself off, staring just a few meters down the highway at the burning wreckage of the zeppelin. It had crashed down so close to them she could actually feel the heat of it on her skin, yet that heat wasn't enough to melt the collection of enormous ice spikes that had caused its destruction. Without the external covering, she could see that the spikes actually formed the shape of a single colossal snowflake. "At least we managed to avoid that."
"Barely", Jiachi remarked in his own shock at the sight ahead of them. "Holy shit, who did that? Who could?"
Then, as one, they heard the song.
The mysterious singer was talented, male and loud. Audible despite being out of sight for the time being, yet he sung it in a low minor key, making the previously triumphant lyrics sound far more like some nightmare monster creeping up towards a frightened child asleep in bed.
"Oh, I come from the Land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun, where the hot springs blowwww."
"The hammer of the Gods! We'll drive our ships to new Lands."
"To fight the horde, we'll sing and cry!"
Finally, the mysterious singer appeared from behind a wrecked car, another which had been upended by the crashing zeppelin. He clutched a massive steel hammer in one hand, hoof-shaped with a chain and hook on the handle allowing him to brandish it with disturbing ease. Horned battle armor of the same flawlessly shining steel covered him but did nothing to cover his face.
A face that looked impossibly smug, smiling as he finished the verse. "Valhalla, I am coming."
They all stared at him. The light of the fire glittered off the man's armor and in his eager eyes, which studied each of them for a second before a hungry smile spread itself over his face.
"Hey kids", Prince Taurus joked, the fire of destruction reflecting in his eyes growing ever brighter as he prepared his weapon for battle, the brutal power of Mithras manifesting around him. "How's it goin'?"
Enemy Profile #14: Macabre
Arcana: Death
Strength: Curse, Lightning
Weakness: Bless
Abilities: Tarukaja, Rakunda, Eiga, Maeiha, Blight, Rising Slash, Tempest Slash, Mirror Image
Background: Spirit in medieval oratory, embodying works of art with grim or ghastly atmosphere. 'Macabre' works of art or fiction tend to emphasize the details and symbols of death. Danse Macabre, or the "Dance of Death" works of art tend to depict the dead or Death itself summoning representatives from all walks of life to dance along to the grave. Usually depicted as a skeletal figure in a black cloak with a sickle to reap humans. They were created to remind people of the fragility of their lives and how vain the glories of earthly life are. It is believed to originate from illustrated sermon texts.
A/N: 'To be continued'... hopefully sooner than last time.