A Fool's Study into Witchcraft
Chapter 3: The Cognitive World
Diana was a descendant from the House of Cavendish, a long line of aristocrats that was established by one of the Nine Old Witches, Beatrix. Her lineage was so old in fact, it could be traced all the way back to the dawn of the sixth century. It was due to this rich history that her family was highly respected in the magical world.
Naturally, with fame comes expectation, especially when you had such a famous name attached to you since birth.
For most of her life, Diana had been hard at work to make herself as adept at everything magic related as humanly possible. She had mastered multiple ancient languages like Elvish and Draconic, many which haven't been in use for centuries. She had studied ahead and already knew far beyond the curriculum of Luna Nova by heart despite being just a freshman. She had mastered multiple high-tier spells and could cast them with ease, a feat vary few famous witches of old could proclaim.
For most people, doing this much would be the accomplishment of a lifetime, much less at her age. But for Diana's standards, it was just the bare minimum she needed to do to carry the Cavendish name.
However, with the fiasco that was yesterday's entrance ceremony, doubt of her worthiness bubbled to the surface for the first time in many years.
When Diana first saw Aradia, as that girl called it, she searched for an answer amidst her vast knowledge, only to find it lacking. She couldn't understand what that girl had beside her. Was it a type of guardian spirit? A Familiar? Some forbidden demon summoning?
Her conclusion after careful thinking was: none of the above, as she could not feel even a sliver of magic from Aradia like she would any other magical creature. This fact was both intriguing and confusing for Diana. Just what was this girl's summon?
When Aradia smiled at her with her faceless grin it was like getting struck by a tidal wave of pure negativity and malice. Paralyzing fear crept up her back and threaten to consume her very being. Only through biting her lip and sheer willpower did Diana not succumb to the mental assault. Thank goodness that she had studied curses before and had experience in resisting them.
Her friends were not so lucky however. Hannah had been reduced to a crying mess, sobbing intensely as she could barely stand. Barbara fared no better as she tugged on Diana's uniform and pleaded for her to get them out of there and to get as far away from the monstrosity in front of them as possible. Their capacity for reason had been overwhelmed by the wave of intense fear, leaving the normally smug duo in tears.
"Do not worry! I will treat you both immediately!" She said as she tried to restore their senses with healing magic. The Cavendish line is known for many things, but their specialty had always been healing spells. It was only natural for Diana to know dozens of such spells that should easily clear mental afflictions such as this.
Except nothing happened. Both of her friends were still wailing messes in their seats. Diana casted spells one after another, everything she knew about countering curses and psychological attacks, but nothing worked.
For the first time in Diana's life, the knowledge she had worked so hard to master had failed her.
"I-I can fix this, I swear! Pixie can use Patra!"
Diana's disbelief only grew stronger when the root cause of this mess apologized, dismissed the troublesome summon and replaced it with another spirit, this time a pixie dressed in blue. She began commanding it to fix the students under the watchful eyes of the angry teachers. And it worked.
Patra... That spell didn't ring any bells. There were similar sounding words that were components of other spells, but she didn't know of any healing magic that only took one word to cast. Healing magic repairs the human body. It re-knits the flesh and mends the mind, which is a complicated thing. There shouldn't exist a one word incantation unless the caster was a lying hack, yet the pixie's success spoke for itself. Just what made her fairy's spell different, and possibly superior to her family's?
Another thing; how the adults failed to realize that she summoned her spirits without using a wand was beyond Diana. Summoning magic warps space with magic to bring you something, so the skill required for such a complicated spell was astronomical. Take summoning her family's unicorn familiar for example, something even she herself rarely did because of how much concentration and skill it needed. This girl did it by just crushing a card and saying the summon's name, effectively causing all past witches who dedicated their entire lives to perfecting the art of summoning to collectively roll in their graves.
Diana was extremely close to just running up to confront the girl, but with the sheer amount of affected students and teachers surrounding her, she ultimately decided against it to avoid making a scene. She helped Hannah and Barbara lineup for the infirmary, and then spent the rest of the evening checking things in both her own collection of books and in the libraries. All that research just confirmed what she suspected.
That girl's summon was an unknown.
That night, concern arose in Diana's mind. She would need to be careful from now on. If that girl could do magic that she couldn't then there would be problems. What if she manages to get better grades than her? It is a childish worry, but not an impossibility. Even if both of them were equal in marks, she would still lose due to the girl's unique brand of magic.
If this does happen by some miracle, then it could ruin her. It would be a total nightmare if the ranking at the end of the school year put her in second place because that girl managed to impress the teachers more with her unknown summons-
-No! How could she even think such petty thoughts? She quickly suppressed such vile ideas back into the darkest depths of her psyche. The thought she just had was utterly selfish, unfit for someone with the name of Cavendish, the Witches of Affection. She wanted to be the best of the best, but not at the cost of others if they were also working as hard as her. So what if that girl has magic that she has never seen before? She would do what she always did and work her way towards mastering it herself.
Come to think of it, when was the last time she had someone that she could consider a rival? She didn't think she ever had one. She was always on top ever since she steeled her resolve. It was kind of refreshing to be in the unknown for once.
Diana went to bed after, deciding that she would go confront that girl tomorrow and maybe get her to share her strange magic. If there were still things to be learned when it comes to witchcraft, then Diana would make sure she knew it as soon as possible...
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... Diana's confrontation was a complete and utter disaster.
Why must she be so stupid? The goal of the confrontation was to ask about Akko's summons, not have a debate with her and point out why it is silly to believe in Shiny Chariot's "magic". But no, despite having that goal in mind, she ultimately couldn't help herself and did it anyway, a childish mistake that blew up in her face more horribly than she could ever imagine.
Now her personal secret has been revealed to the world, once again, and she looks like an utter hypocrite now. The terrible memories of her humiliation during preschool comes to mind; she can only hope history will not repeat itself once more in Luna Nova...
"Diana! Can you open the door please?!" Hannah knocks hard on the door of their room.
"Come on, Diana! We won't laugh at you! We promise!" Barbara attempts to comfort.
After another five more minutes of knocking, the door finally reopens to reveal her frowning face. Barring the trails of shed tears and slightly swollen eyes, Diana manages to appear like she had gotten her emotions in check.
"So..." Hannah begins, scratching the back of her head, "...you really are a fan of Shiny Chariot?"
Diana takes a deep breath and sighs. "... At this point, there is no use hiding it. That girl has the evidence and if I deny any further, it will just make me look even more hypocritical. I will have to admit this with the pride of a Cavendish."
"Then... all the trash talking and lecturing you did over the years was just an act?" Barbara asks.
"... Yes. Looking back, my actions was really petty wasn't it?" Diana frowns harder. "The very person that has inspired me to take the path of magic, is also the one I ended up constantly criticizing and belittling to make myself feel better… How ironic..."
"Well it's still that no good Chariot's fault!" Hannah points out angrily, "she just up and disappeared, leaving fans like you heartbroken! You have every right to be angry with that fraud!"
"Yeah, Hannah! You said it! Don't beat yourself over it, Diana!" Barbara nods.
"... Thank you, both of you. But it is already too late..." Diana frowns again, "the entire cafeteria heard Akko's outburst. The rumor has already spread. The image I have tried so hard to keep has been soiled..."
"Hell no!" Hannah exclaims. "They're just rumors right?! Nothing a bit of intimidation can't cover up!"
"Heck yeah we can!" Barbara agrees, "Just leave it to us! We will make sure those rumor spreading bottom feeders forget this within the week!"
"Both of you...!"
"In fact, we should go after Kagari!" Hannah points out again, "if we can get our hands on those photos she has...!"
"That's a great idea, Hannah! We can have our revenge on what she did to us!" Barbara nods in agreement, "if we can destroy the evidence then today will just remain a rumor! Just like those morons that said you couldn't do magic back in elementary school!"
Diana frowns once again. It is true that she doesn't want unauthorized photos of her private activities out in unknown hands, but is she really going to sink so low as to threaten Akko with force to get them back?
"I will let you two deal with the rumors then," Diana orders, "but I will go negotiate with Akko to see if I can get her to relinquish the photos."
"Oh c'mon Diana! Why even waste breath talking?!" Hannah asks, "she obviously won't give them back. Just pressure her! You have money, status, and magic!"
"No. I will handle this in a way that will not tarnish my family name," Diana states as she walks past her friends.
"Diana, where are you going?!" Barbara asks.
"Heading for class, what else? The day isn't over yet," she disappears down the hallway.
"Oh crap! We completely forgot!" Hannah and Barbara immediately shuffle off to follow Diana.
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The rest of the day for Diana was annoying to say the least. While the remaining classes were quiet and respectful, the halls were filled with whispers. Hannah and Barbara did their best, and always stayed close to her like guard dogs. They easily intimidated any students that dared to mention Shiny Chariot in their presence.
The one that said the least was surprisingly Akko herself. Whenever Akko saw Diana, she would wave to her in complete honest goodwill, and Diana would in turn ignore her and causes her to frown in disappointment.
That girl's teammates also worried Diana, especially that gloomy girl- Sucy, if Diana recalls. Her occasional wicked smirk towards her group felt almost like a looming threat that she will use her new found knowledge to bring them trouble.
Due to what has transpired today, and the fact she had missed lunch crying, for the first time in Diana's school life she remained mostly quiet. She only raised her hand to answer when she knew for sure that the teacher missed something.
The afternoon bell signaled the end of the classes, and also the time for Diana to act. (After she grabs something to eat, of course.)
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After classes ended, Akko, Sucy, and Lotte had been hanging out at the school's courtyard, enjoying the afternoon.
"Ah! Finally! Classes are over!" Akko rises her arms and stretches her back, "what a boring day... I still can't believe I have to call my magic class this!"
"If it makes you feel better, Akko, all of those were just introductions. We'll be using our wands for real tomorrow," Lotte points out, "the broom flying class is also tomorrow. I'm sure you'll find it much more exciting."
"Really?!" Akko exclaims with glee, "I'll finally learn to ride a broom after ten years! Yay!"
"Doesn't your Persona already fly?" Sucy deadpans.
Akko huffs like a child, "it isn't the same though! I want to fly with my own magic! Don't you know how embarrassing is it to have Aradia carry me around?! I am not a child!"
"Hey Akko," Lotte begins, "I was wondering until now. Is your belt purse also like your backpack?"
"Why yes Lotte, they are the same!" Akko reaches her hand back to unzip the purse attached to her belt. "The backpack is where I carry all my random stuff, while this here is where I put all of my valuables. Like my new Shiny Rod!" The casting catalyst emerges from the tiny bag, which the fangirl immediately marvels over.
Sucy stares down at the rod as well, "Come to think of it, why was it in the Arcturus Forest anyway? Isn't it supposed to be with your idol?"
"... I honestly don't know, Sucy. I've been asking that myself since yesterday..." Akko looks at the rod with a slight frown, "Why isn't this with Shiny Chariot? Just where has she gone...?"
"Akko..." Lotte frowns also.
"Well, wherever she is, I'm just glad I was the one that found it! Maybe she even put it there herself in order to help out her biggest fan!" Akko beams.
"Yeah, no. Keep dreaming," Sucy deadpans again. "I doubt she even knows who you are. You said you only went to one of her live shows, remember?"
"Boo Sucy, you party pooper," Akko huffs.
"I'm just stating facts," Sucy rolls her eyes.
Suddenly Akko snaps her head and stares off in the direction of the courtyard. She then lowers her head again and ponders in thought.
"Akko? What's wrong?" Lotte asks.
"Oh...! Nothing!" Akko frantically replies, "A-Anyway, guys! Mind if we go to the cafeteria? I want to grab a snack!" she shoves the Shiny Rod back into her belt purse and gets up. "C'mon!" she gestures rather unnaturally.
Sucy sends a look at Lotte and the Finnish girl understands the message instantly. Both girls get off their seats on the grass and follow Akko.
When all three are at the entrance of the school building, Akko suddenly clutches her abdomen in pain, her expression that of displeasure. "Oh! Sorry guys! I need to go use the toilet real quick… It might take me a while... so go ahead without me!" She leaves in a hurry... back to the direction where they just walked from.
Lotte and Sucy look at each other with their eyebrows raised.
"... That was some of the worst acting I have ever seen." Sucy deadpans.
"She's not even going towards a bathroom..." a sweat drop rolls down Lotte's forehead, "I suppose we should follow her and see what she's up to?"
There was no need for a verbal answer. Both girls start walking.
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"Aradia, is it near here?" Akko asks, her head cautiously scanning the surrounding area for onlookers. She is currently at a secluded part of the courtyard, behind lots of trees.
"Positive, an entrance exist nearby. How fortunate we found it so quickly," her Persona replies in her mind.
"Me too. I just hope there aren't some ridiculously powerful Shadows inside the cognition of Luna Nova right now."
"Unfortunately Akko, the chance is rather high. It is a school after all, buried emotions are everywhere," Aradia points out.
"I know, but I can still hope, right?" Akko frowns, "hey! There we go!"
Before her is a hollow tree trunk about the size of a car. It looks like it was the foundation of a majestic tree that existed long ago, but now it is merely an oversized stump of wood that refuses to decay.
To any normal person, there is literally nothing at the spot that Akko's eyes are focusing on and the girl would come off as a crazy person. But Akko sees the truth invisible to the average person; a distortion exists in the space inside the opening of the tree trunk, resembling an unstable mirage.
"Eh, a tree trunk? Didn't expect that."
"Witches are beings with a great connection to nature. It makes sense that their cognition would open near dense vegetation," Aradia comments, "this fallen tree also looks like a place of memorial. Thou wonder if there is any connection?"
With a grin, Akko rises her dominant hand. The card of the Fool Arcana descends down onto her palm. "Persona!" The Haunting visage of Aradia manifests. Without wasting any time, she thrusts both of her claws into the unstable space and begins prying it open.
One would think ripping open the fabric of reality itself would be astronomically disastrous, but very anticlimactically, the distortion pealed apart relatively calmly, similar to pulling open one's curtains. The resulting rip in space matched perfectly with the hole of the hollow tree trunk, turning the inside of the stump red and black.
"Yay!" Akko cheers, "let's go, Aradia!"
"Akko...? What is this?!"
Surprised, Akko turns her head to look behind her as Lotte and Sucy are walk up to her, their astonished expressions getting larger by the second.
"Lotte?! Sucy?!" Akko exclaims in confusion, "why did you both follow me?!"
"Your acting was terrible, that's why," Sucy points out.
"A-Akko, please tell me what you opened was a Ley Line...!" Lotte says, her voice shaking.
Akko quickly looks back and forth between the tear space and her friends, her face in utter disbelief. "Wait! Both of you can see this?!"
"Who wouldn't notice a tear in reality...?" Sucy deadpans. "Ah, I see. This is the Cognitive World you talked about earlier, isn't it?"
Aradia gives off a chilling chuckle. "Interesting, thy new friends have borne witness to this distortion. Perhaps they too possess the same potential as thee?"
"... No way! You think so?" Akko gasps.
"Is your Persona saying something?" Lotte asks.
"Ah..." Akko turns to Lotte and Sucy. "Be honest with me. Are you both really seeing this entrance?"
Lotte nods, "Yes Akko. Is it a problem that we can see this...?"
Akko ponders to herself again. "... Remember what I said earlier today, that the Cognitive World can't be entered without a Persona?"
"Yes."
"Hehe... That's because normal people can't see the entrance." Akko mutters, one finger scratching her cheek.
"W-Wha- Are you saying...!" Lotte gasps.
"I get it, since we can see this, you're suggesting that we might have Personas too?" Sucy finishes. "That's interesting."
"Maybe…? I don't know?" Akko shrugs, "but it'd be super amazing if you two can get a Personas though! Because then I won't be the only one in this school anymore!" she cheers.
"So, since we can see the entrance, are you actually going to take us there now?" Sucy asks, a greedy smirk forming on her face, "Also, why did you decide to go ahead in the first place?"
"Well I noticed this entrance earlier, so I thought I'd scout ahead first before maybe bringing you both. I'm not familiar with Luna Nova's space yet," Akko explains, "but since you're both here already, I supposed we could explore this together. Come on, follow me. I'll explain while we're inside."
With that, Akko turns toward the gap of alien space. Causally, she takes a big leap and disappears completely into it. Aradia follows right after, vanishing too into the red and black within the gap.
"I suppose that's our cue," Sucy comments as she walks towards the portal. Lotte hesitates, but quickly steels her nerves to follow.
As the group enters the tear and disappears from reality, a student with the familiar lettuce hair emerges from behind some trees. On her face is an expression of utter astonishment.
"What in the world…?"
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The first thing Lotte realizes when she enters the so-called Cognitive World, is that Akko wasn't kidding. The feeling she felt was almost indistinguishable from that of entering a Ley Line. It would've fooled her if there aren't other sensations in the new environment that set it apart. Namely, the view.
Upon seeing their new surroundings, the timid girl realizes just how wrong this place felt.
The entire sky was dyed pure red. The lack of a sun made the entire area dim and foreboding under the cover of the crimson atmosphere. It is absolutely terrifying to Lotte, and reminds her some of the best scenes of Night Fall's Halloween arcs.
Even more of a shocker is that, they are in an exact copy of Luna Nova! Aside from the color, the buildings, even the courtyard... are all the same, down to the same formation of trees! It feels so familiar to the girls, yet entirely alien.
She takes a glance at Sucy beside her, a mask of neutrality covers her face as the gloomy witch tries to hide the fact that she is on edge. She wonders if she is secretly as unsettled as her, and is just refusing to show it.
"W-Where are we?!"
"Welcome to the Cognitive World!" Akko exclaims walking towards them, her Persona trailing behind her, "or more specifically, the cognitive version of Luna Nova. Pretty spoooooky huh?" she wiggles her fingers to emphasize 'spooky'.
"Cognitive version of... Luna Nova?" Lotte asks, her voice shaky, "what does that mean...?"
Aradia gives out a creepy chuckle. "We are in the realm of human consciousness, child. A world formed from the Cognition of all those perceiving this very school. A place formed from one's true feelings and where everyone's lies are laid bare for all to see."
Akko groans, "that explanation is really wordy... You're going to make me repeat word for word to them, aren't you?"
The Persona nods.
"Fine..." Akko sighs as she diligently repeats what the Persona said to her friends.
"Realm of human consciousness…?" Sucy absorbs in the words, "so you are saying we are essentially in a dream world?"
"This realm exists separately from reality, not as a dream but as its own dimension," Aradia chuckles. "The simplest distinction is that a dream is the realm of the unconscious, while this is as thou said: a realm of those perceiving reality."
"Wait… Where would that put that Velvet Room place then…?" Akko mutters to herself after paraphrasing her Persona.
"Velvet Room… Akko?" Lotte asks.
"Oh nothing! I was just thinking!" the brunette laughs it off.
"... I give up. This is definitely not my place of expertise," Sucy shrugs.
"Same here, Sucy. When I first awakened Aradia, she said the exact things I've just paraphrased, and I didn't understand any of them until much later!" Akko rubs the back of her head, laughing. "C'mon, it's better to experience this world than to talk about it. Trust me when I say you both will pick up all the details from just exploring," she declares, "anyway, remember to stay close to me. There are... things here, and they're super dangerous."
"You talked about 'Shadows' before, I suppose that is what you are referring to...?" Sucy recalls.
Akko simply nods as she heads toward the alternate copy of their school. Both of her friends acknowledge her advice, even though Sucy is slightly irritated from having her personal space invaded. It isn't long until they are out of the trees and into the open replica courtyard.
"...! Aradia, come back!" Akko exclaims as her Persona shatters away in a hurry. She quickly grabs her friends and escapes from view by hiding behind some plant bushes.
"Ow! What happened Akko-" Lotte is about to cry out, but the brunette immediately covers the girl's mouth.
Akko gestures a finger to her lips. "Shhhhhhh...! Sorry! But please be quiet...!" she whispers apologetically. She peeks out of the bush, "...look!"
Lotte and Sucy peek out as well. Their eyes widen with shock when they see what Akko is hiding from. Slithering around by dragging its body with its many useless arms, the creature a few meters away is essentially a pile of liquid darkness. Multiple white masks with empty eye holes cover its surface, each moving around as if they were an entirely separate face. Grunting and gurgles of raw hunger accompany it when it moves, adding to its creepiness.
All three girls lower back down into the safety of their bush.
"W-What is that?!" Lotte whispers/shouts, "I have never seen any spirit or magical creature like it!"
"I have seen scarier monstrosities to be honest," Sucy comments, "but that still makes the top five. Just what is that?" She sends a look at Akko, "let me guess, this is a 'Shadow' isn't it?"
"Yep! You're a sharp one, Sucy!" Akko smiles.
"Calling a creature made of darkness... A Shadow. How original," Sucy humors.
"Hey, I didn't name them. It's more of a name of their... species, I guess?"
"W-What are we supposed to do now? It's so close to us!" Lotte says worried.
"Well, it doesn't have a red aura, so it's safe to say it's a weakling..." a smile appears on Akko's face. Her right arm reaches into her belt purse, and to her friend's shock, pulls out a metal baseball bat. "Wait here, I will take care this. Be back in a jiffy!"
"What are you doing Akko-" Lotte asks before the girl flickered and disappeared. The girl just vanished, leaving Lotte and Sucy shocked, awed, and very confused. One moment she was sitting beside them, the next she has shot herself out of cover as a blur and is descending on the Shadow creature with her weapon.
"Reveal yourself!"
The bat smashed onto the monster, causing it to cry in pain. Akko immediately backs off from the creature, doing multiple back flips before landing gracefully on her feet as she poses a battle stand.
The smashed Shadow jerks violently, its shape destabilizing before it outright explodes. The black goo it produces reforms into two entirely new shapes. Stepping out of the liquid darkness are two horse-like creatures. Their fur is black as night but their manes are snow white. On top of their heads are green beautiful goat-like horns that shine as if they are made of emeralds. They neigh angrily at Akko.
Akko's shoulders quickly drop in disappointment. "Really, Bicorns? I was expecting something different since we're in England..."
"Bicorns...!?" Lotte gasps in surprised. "How...?"
The magical creatures(?) neigh at their attacker once more. "You have some nerve attacking us!"
"And they talk!" Lotte continues, "Wait, Bicorn can talk?!"
"None that I know of," Sucy adds.
"Yeah yeah... Not scary..." Akko's disappointed expression shows she is neither intimidated nor interested in the creatures. The Magician Arcana appears on her right hand palm. "Take care of this quick, Pixie. Zio."
The card shatters and the cute fairy appears amongst the blue fire. She waves her finger and conjures a jolt of electricity toward the Bicorns. The lightning struck the one on the left and obliterated the beast in a flash. The creature dissipates into black particles upon annihilation, evaporating into the red atmosphere.
"YOU! DIE!" The other Bicorn roars and breaks off into a charge, intending to tackle the girl head on. Its attack is short-lived however, as Akko offhandedly bitch-slaps the beast away with her bat. The magical creature(?) doesn't even get to hit the ground before it is also destroyed by Pixie's electricity.
"Just like those in Japan… At least they're simple to defeat," Akko sighs as her summon shatters away.
"Akko!" Lotte and Sucy rushes out of the cover. The Finnish girl's face is in horror and astonishment as she confronts her friend. "D-Did you kill them!?"
"Yeah. What of it? They're just Shadows." Akko shrugs.
"Well, I hope you're happy. Bicorns are considered an endangered species, and there is a massive fine for anyone caught hunting them," Sucy deadpans.
"Lucky for us those weren't real Bicorns then, am I right?" Akko smirks.
"What do you mean by that? How are they not real...?" Lotte asks confused.
Scratching the back of her head, Akko crushes another card and Aradia returns once more. The creepy witch chuckles at both girls, almost as if mocking them. "Children are so naive these days. So kind-hearted as to pity the vile darkness of humanity."
"What Aradia is saying is, I should've explained what Shadows were first," Akko frowns as she paraphrases.
"Alright, we are all ears," Sucy crosses her arms.
Aradia cracks a chuckle.
"You guys remember how I told you about the Cognitive World right? How this is a world formed from the collective subconscious of everyone perceiving Luna Nova? In layman's terms, a dimension made from their feelings?"
Lotte and Sucy nod.
Another chilling chuckle.
"Well, what do you think would happen to their bad feelings then? In a space where feelings can become real?" Akko points out, "we call those... Shadows."
"I get you, so 'Shadows' are essentially monsters created from people's negative emotions?" Sucy formulates. "Makes sense in a world inside people's minds, I suppose."
"Similar things are not unheard of before in the magical world. Things like vengeful spirits are also formed from negative emotions like grudges," Lotte points out, "but this is the first time I've heard of 'Shadows'."
"But why Bicorns?" Sucy ponders.
"Oh, it's not just Bicorns. Shadows can appear in many, many forms. I once fought an Angel of all things, wings and everything. She even told me to go pray to god," Akko recalls, "I don't know the exact rules, but Aradia said that they're simply cognitive versions of the real things that exist in myth and legend."
"Ah, that's why you claim to have fought many ZhènNiǎos before," Sucy understands.
"But... do you have to kill them though?" Lotte mutters.
"Lotte, if I don't those Shadows will murder me in cold blood," Akko answers. "I've been surrounded a few times in the past and it was terrible! I almost died a few times! So I don't have any remorse for them."
"... I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me." Lotte apologizes.
"It's okay. If it makes you feel better, the Shadows I defeat will actually come back after a while," Akko stats, "I once killed a Shadow ten times in a row, to the point it started to recognize me and ran from me on sight! That was crazy!"
Lotte and Sucy stopped and really processed that statement; they didn't expect such cruelty from Akko.
"Another reason to destroy Shadows by the way..." Akko turns to the spot where the Bicorns died. "You get sweet loot!"
On the floor sat two very familiar green horns, and lying beside the monster parts are two £5 bank notes- Wait what?!
"Yay, they do drop British money! Now I don't have to go exchange my yen!" Akko happily cheers as she collects the items.
"Why is there money?!" Lotte says shocked. "Is it real?!"
"Yep! Want to touch it?" Akko hands the bills to Lotte. The girl checks the money in detail, and her glasses slip off a few inches when she realizes it is in fact real.
"How...?" Sucy is shocked.
"No idea." Akko shrugs as her Persona chuckles, "Aradia said it has something to do with how money is the cause of a lot of people's negative emotions. It honestly doesn't make much sense, but it's free money so I just roll with it."
"Are you sure they're safe? What if they're counterfeits?" Sucy asks again.
"I went to check with a bank before with the money I got from Japan's Cognitive World, and they said it's as real as it can get." Akko shrugs once more, "it's a mystery of the Cognitive World I have no answer for."
"I see, that's what you were referring to with 'all those months of fighting and earning money'?" Sucy asks.
"Yep! I spent an entire year fighting in the Cognitive World to earn money for Luna Nova's tuition," Akko sighs. "That was... not fun. But anything's worth it to achieve my dream!"
"An entire year of fighting with your life on the line?! That's… crazy!" Lotte exclaims. "I can't even… How did you do it for so long without going insane, Akko?!"
Akko waves off the statement. "Oh, it's nothing Lotte. As long as I have my believing heart, there is nothing to worry about!"
"Believing heart…?" Sucy raises an eyebrow.
"Yes! As Shiny Chariot would say: A believing heart is my magic!" Akko does a cheerful spin and then spread out her arms with a smile. "As long as I believe, I can do anything in here!"
"I think Lotte is onto something here… you might want to get your brain checked." Sucy deadpans.
Akko drops her arms and frowns. "I'm serious, Sucy! Having a believing heart in here is incredibly important!" She huffs, "I'll show you both eventually!"
"Alright then." Sucy shrugs.
"Anyway, do you want these, Sucy?" Akko hands the Filipino the Bicorn horns. "Now that I know these have other uses other than selling, maybe you can use these in your potions?"
The gloomy girl brings the horns to her nose, taking her time to analyze the scent. Her eyes widen when she realizes the quality of them. "... No wonder they banned Bicorn hunting. This stuff is good. Hehehe..." The grin on her face when she realizes there is a bright future set for her cauldron.
"This place, this Cognitive World, is crazy. It's literally filled with riches and things that only exist in peoples' dreams. Akko could've made herself the wealthiest person in the world by now if she was any smarter." Sucy thought to herself as she secretly grins. "Bicorn horns, ZhènNiǎo feathers… Heheh… I wonder what else I can find in this world."
Akko stores her spoils of battle into her belt purse. "Alright. Let's head toward the cognitive version of our dorm," she rests her baseball bat on her shoulder as Aradia shatters away. "Remember still, stay close to me."
"Why our dorm though, Akko?" Lotte asks as they begin walking.
"Well, I definitely want to get this place mapped out, but obviously there is no way we can achieve this tonight," Akko ponders, "... we can, if we skip dinner, but that would be a bad idea. So I figure we'll just explore the dorm, since I'm familiar with the real one already. Should be quick!"
"If you are familiar to the real one, what's the point of knowing the layout of a replica?" Sucy asks.
"I need to make sure! Sometimes the copy is not exact and can have extra hall ways, extra rooms... things like that. I don't want to get lost while hunting!" Akko replies. "I also need to set up a home there before we go."
"Home? Don't tell me you want to live here Akko?!" Lotte says astonished.
"No, not that kind of home! I'll show you both when I set it up. I guarantee it will blow your minds!" the Japanese girl cheers.
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The three enter the identical copy of their dorm building; with everything the same save for the color tones, which is now a bizarre mix of yellow. Lotte didn't realize how much more creepy the hallways could get with this color palette, especially when the windows are dyed bright crimson due to this world's sky.
They move in and begin their survey. So far most of the layout is the same as the real world's, even down to the decorations and furniture. About halfway though they encountered new hostiles, and quickly, Akko drags her friends to the corner of the halls. All three peek out to see two Shadows patrolling the hallway; unlike the one from before, these ones are more humanoid and are actually walking on legs, their shapes resembling young teenage girls.
"Why do they look different from the ones outside?" Sucy asks.
"Don't worry, it's always like that," Akko replies plainly, "Aradia told me that the forms of Shadows are influenced by the cognitive world they live in. They're people's negative emotions after all."
"So, do we just deal with them the same way as you've been doing?" Sucy deadpans.
"Yep." Akko readies her bat. "It'll be quick, wait here."
Once the Shadow isn't facing her, Akko rushes in for a surprise attack. Moving as swiftly as before, she zips on to the back of the Shadow and smacks it with her bat, alerting the other one at the end of the hallway. Causing it to rush in to help confront Akko with its injured ally.
Akko backflips away as both burst into goo. The darkness reforms into two women with green skin and hair. They don orange dresses, seemingly old English maid uniforms. They don't have visible legs and are floating in midair with the end of their dress brushing the floor.
"How could you attack fair maidens like us?! You must pay with your life!" The Shadows cry in irritation.
"Oh, Silkys. Yay..." Disappointment plasters all over Akko's face. "C'mon. Let's make this quick."
"How dare you mock us!" The Shadows- now angered Silkys- raise their hands as freezing cold air begins condensing before them...
"Take them out, Berith.Maragi."
A new card appears in Akko's hand; the Hierophant arcana. She crushes it, revealing a new Persona. The new summon is massive and towers over Akko twice over, barely even fitting in the hallways. It is a knight in blue full body armor, riding on a majestic red horse. With a quick wave of his golden trident, a wave of fire burst forth to consume the Silkys.
"Ahhhhhhh...!" the female Shadows wail in pain as the fire claims them, dissipating away just like the Bicorns from earlier.
"Still the same even in England," Akko stretches her back, bored. Her knight Persona shatters away just as Sucy and Lotte comes up to her.
"You called them Silkys, Akko?" Lotte ponders before she realizes the meaning of the name, "I think I've heard of them from my grandma once. Silkys are these really nice spirits that come into your house to help you clean," she explains. "I can't believe these Shadow monsters would take the form of such kind spirits…"
"They're just cognitive versions of the real thing, Lotte. They might have the looks, but they usually don't act the same way," Akko shrugs.
Sucy walks over to the spot where the Silkys had perished and found two discarded maid kerchief that formerly belonged to the Shadows alongside some money. "That's unfortunate, they didn't leave anything I can use," she grumbles and hands the reward to Akko.
"Don't worry, I have use for these," Akko nods and stores them in her belt packet.
"By the way, Akko, I've been wondering," Sucy asks, "just now many Personas do you have?"
"I have six," Akko counts her fingers. "Aradia, Pixie, Slime, Berith, Mandrake, and Silky. That's the max my heart can house it seems."
Sucy does a double take, "... did you just say Silky? As in the ones you've just killed?"
"Yeah!" Another card appears in Akko's hand, this time of the Priestess Arcana. Crushing it in her hand brings forth the exact creature she had just fought. The green skinned maid greets her summoner's friends with a polite bow.
"You see, if I can convince a Shadow enough, I can actually make it into a Persona I can use! Pretty neat, huh?" Akko smiles.
"So you can actually talk the Shadow into not fighting? Why didn't you do that earlier then, Akko?" Lotte asks.
Akko shrugs. "I could, but its soooo hard! I almost always have to beat them up until they're limping and begging for their lives before they're willing to talk! Some would even fight me to the death rather than answer my greetings, or trick me so they can sneak an attack in! Unfortunately, it's just safer, faster, and more rewarding to defeat them."
"I see, Sucy grins, "so your Personas are just Shadows that you've beaten and made into your slaves. Got it."
"What? N-No, it's not like that!" Akko frantically defends herself from such a cruel accusation. "It's more like… um... Pokémon! Yeah!"
"Pokémon…? I can see the comparison," Sucy shrugs, "but I wasn't criticizing you though. It's pretty normal for witches to go out and hunt for a familiar if they want one. What you're doing isn't that different."
"Huh…" Akko eyes her friend. "Do you have a familiar, Sucy?"
"Don't remind me..." Sucy deadpans, dropping the question and leaving her friends wondering.
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Hanging out before the cognitive version of the trio's room, is the biggest Shadow so far. It resembles the shape of an adult woman. The masks covering it are shaped differently and colored purple. A blazing red aura flows from its body like fire.
"Didn't you say something about red auras earlier?" Sucy asks. "This is a tough one, isn't it?"
"... I can even feel it from here. Is this… what pure malice feels like?" Lotte stutters, her legs wobbling.
"Oh man… I shouldn't have complained so much about things being boring, huh?" Akko sighs.
"Yes," Sucy crosses her arms. "Anyway, why is there a Shadow this strong right in front of our door anyway? Does your Persona know?"
Suddenly, the gloomy witch is interrupted as whispers echo through the hallways like creepy background music. Lotte almost screamed in fright. Thankfully Akko was fast enough to cover her mouth before the massive Shadow was alerted.
"That girl from Japan, she is definitely trouble!"
"That thing she had… it's scary…!"
"How could she make me into such an embarrassment? Now I'll surely be a laughing stock…!"
"Oh man, that thing she summoned looks so cool! I am so jealous!"
"She must be some kind of demon summoner… The school needs to kick her out before she sacrifices us all for even more monsters!"
"... Are these voices from the students of the school?" Lotte asks as she takes Akko's hand off her mouth. "These are rumors about Akko?"
Akko hammers her fist into her palm in response. "Ah! Now I remember! I've seen it happen before! Whenever there are nasty rumors flowing around, you can actually hear them in the Cognitive World. During times like this, you can find strong Shadows!"
"So… You're saying this big one is entirely your fault then?" Sucy deadpans.
"Well… Aradia's fault. I wasn't the one who went trigger happy and cast Evil Smile on the whole assembly hall," Akko huffs, "but anyway, let's wait for it to look away. If I can get the drop on it, I should be able to beat it with ease."
The trio wait behind their cover diligently. Unfortunately, the Shadow continues to stand its ground. Not a single opportunity arose after ten straight minutes of waiting.
Sucy picks her ears while yawning heavily. "These whispers are grating on my nerves…" her eyes are watery and her lids begin to droop. "and… my coffee is wearing off too. Is that thing moving or not?"
"It's guarding our room for some reason..." Lotte points out. "Maybe we should just retreat, Akko… Do you really have to defeat it today?"
"Yes, I want to get in our room and get everything done today..." Akko taps her foot in annoyance. "Argh, to heck with this! If it won't turn around then I'll just go fight it directly! Aradia and I can handle this!"
"Wait-" Sucy and Lotte's eyes widen, but their fingers are too slow to grab Akko before she zips out of cover.
Like several times before, the brunette smashes her bat into the massive Shadow and backflips away as the monstrosity inside manifests to engage her. A beautiful, skinny woman steps out of the liquid darkness. She is entirely naked, but there's nothing to be embarrassed about since her body is doll like, lacking any genitalia. Her skin is dark purple and her hair reaches down to her shoulders is plant like, as if they are roots of some sort. Her back is covered entirely with tree bark and twigs resembling scales.
"Oooh… You're new," Akko says, her eyes narrowing both in interest and surprise. "What are you?"
"You!" the Shadow smirks maliciously. "You are the reason I was called forth! I am Skogsra, and the souls of this place wish for your death!" The plant woman declares as her eyes flash red with power.
Underneath Akko's feet, a pool of dark magic manifests and explodes upward, consuming the girl in an eruption of curses.
"AKKO!" Lotte exclaims.
The blonde's worry is alleviated as the girl bursts out of the pillar of dark energy without a scratch on her. In her hand is the Fool Arcana once more.
"Aradia! Kouha!" the card shatters and the witch immediately fires a spear of light at the plant woman. The spell struck home on the chest, pushing her back. However, instead of piercing the Shadow now dubbed Skogsra, the spell only bruised her.
Akko backflips away to give herself a little more distance. "Uh oh! I guessed wrong! Persona change...!" Aradia shatters away and is replaced by the Hierophant card…
"Not so fast now!" the Shadow interrupts and reaches out her hand. "Come to me… my lovely…!"
Too busy switching her Persona, Akko is engulfed by a bright pink aura. Rose tinted magic feels gentle… comfortable… and loving… As the pink aura dissipates, Akko's raised hand drops to the side and the Hierophant card vanishes.
"Akko? AKKO?!"
The brunette ignores her shouting friends. A heavy blush dusts her face and her eyes are narrowed. She drunkenly wobbles toward Skogsra, who has her arms spread wide as if she is inviting her in.
"Yes… come into my embrace…!" The Shadow whispers lovingly with a malicious grin.
Just mere seconds before she could draw Akko into her arms, a few dozen ropes are tossed through the air and drape over the Shadow's body, surprising her.
"That's enough," interrupts Sucy's annoyed voice, "Juras Halas Halas."
Upon the spell's activation, the ropes harden and contract to bind the Shadow. Skogsra yells in surprise and is swiftly forced down to her knees. The Shadow struggles, but her physical strength is not enough to break free as each rope is now as tough as solid wood. "Damn witches!"
Using this opportunity, Sucy and Lotte run out from their cover. The gloomy witch tosses down a potion, creating a massive smokescreen as it explodes on the floor. Using smoke as cover, both girls drag the infatuated Akko a safe distance away.
"Akko! Akko?! Please answer me!" Lotte grabs the brunette's uniform collars and begins shaking. Much to her dismay, Akko's only response are drunken chuckles.
"That magic has affected her mind," Sucy points out, "we need to snap her out of it." She gestures Lotte to move aside as she grabs the collar of Akko's uniform, "let me try something, this usually works on stuff like this."
"What are you going to-?" Lotte's face twists into a wince when her answer arrives in the form of a heavy slap to Akko's face. Sucy's hand moves as fast she is physically capable, smacking the girl's cheeks over and over again.
"Ow! OW! Stop, stop! I'm up! I'm up!" Light returns to Akko's eyes after the sixteenth slap. She caught Sucy's wrist before the seventeenth connected. Immediately breaking off from the gloomy witch, she rubs her slightly reddened cheeks in pain. "How could you, Sucy! That HURT!"
Sucy shakes her own sore hand, which is now more swollen then Akko's cheeks. "Says the one with skin this thick. Now go deal with that before she kills us all!"
Just in time too. The smokescreen hiding them has dissipated, giving the Shadow a clear sight of the three girls. Skogsra's eyes glow red once more, forming a pool of curse energy directly underneath their feet. "DIE! ALL OF YOU!"
With her superior speed, Akko swiftly grabs Sucy and Lotte's hands and drags them away before the spell consumed the three of them. As soon as she is a safe enough distance away, the brunette releases her friends and calls forth the Hierophant card. "This time for real, Berith! Maragi!" she throws the tarot card at the Shadow as a projectile before following up with a crushing gesture with her hand.
The card shatters on the space above the bound Shadow, and the massive knight atop a mighty stallion comes down on Skogsra at full force, crushing the poor plant woman underneath the steed's powerful hooves. Judging from the resulting sound, it has to be really painful if not outright gruesome. As if that wasn't already enough, Berith's trident then ignites as he drives it down, setting everything beneath his steed ablaze.
"AHHHHHHHHHH…! ! !" Skogsra screams in agony, unable to escape due to the crushing weight and the binds. Sucy's ropes just end up adding fuel to the blazing inferno. The fire burns until the Shadow goes quiet and dissipates into black particles.
"Thanks, Berith..." Akko sighs in relief as her Persona shatters away once more. All three girls drop to their butts, their backs now resting against each other.
"... Tell me, how did you survive in this place for so long?" Sucy asks with doubt.
"Ahaha… The truth is I usually don't engage a fight like this unless I absolutely have to." Akko frowns as a painful memory resurfaces. "The last Shadow with a red aura gave me so much injuries I had to stay at home for two straight days..."
"I hope this is the last thing we're fighting..." Lotte confesses, hyperventilating even though she didn't really participate in the battle. "I don't think I can take much more today…"
"Then let's calm ourselves first." Akko suggests. Another card manifests in her hand; this time the Death Arcana. "Mandrake,Energy Drop."
The card shatters between her clutched fingers and brings forth a tiny being about the size of an eight year old. It has a feminine pink body with roots for limbs. She shakes the massive flower on top of her head, causing green light to envelope the girls. Their exhaustion evaporates and frayed nerves settle as the green light revitalizes them with renewed energy and calmness.
"That's a mandrake…?" Sucy raises an eyebrow as the adorable Persona shatters away.
"Yeah, is there a problem?" Akko asks.
"Real mandrakes don't look like that," Sucy answers.
"Really?"
"Yes. Maybe I'll show you a real one someday," Sucy smirks wickedly.
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After much hassle, the three girls finally enter the cognitive version of their dorm room. The room, just like the entire Cognitive World so far, is just a monochrome copy of the real thing. Not a thing about the room stands out to the trio.
"So, here we are," Sucy deadpans, "now what?"
Akko grins, "can you both give me some space?"
Lotte and Sucy do as they are told and back off, allowing Akko to stand in the center of the room. Once the girl is in position, she places her hands on her chest and closes her eyes in concentration. Blue light that always accompanies her Persona began emitting from her body, although she wasn't calling out a card.
"I believe… THIS PLACE IS MY HOME!"
Soon after, the mono-colored copy of their dorm room begins to change. Colors bleed out from underneath Akko's feet and seep into everything, from the walls and floor, to the beds and window. Eventually, the room becomes truly identical to the real thing.
Akko opens her eyes, takes a look, and cheers. "Yes! Success!"
"W-What did you do, Akko?" Lotte asks, astonished.
"I replaced the cognition of this room with my own," Akko explains, "that's why I said having a believing heart in this place is important!"
"What does… replacing the cognition do though?" Sucy asks, raising an eyebrow.
"... I can't demonstrate it right now, we don't have the time," Akko sticks out her tongue playfully, "you'll just have to see tomorrow, but I promise it will blow your mind!"
Sucy rolls her eyes, "so I suppose this is the part where we go back to the real world?"
"Pretty much."
"Akko, please don't tell me we have to walk all the way back to the entrance…?" Lotte frowns, already dreading the idea, "Right now, I don't think I've got it in me to do that again…"
"Don't worry, I got this covered," Akko grins and gestures to herself, "can both of you hold onto me?"
Lotte and Sucy give her a puzzled look, but at this point they know to trust Akko. They do what they are told and lock arms with her.
The Magician card manifests in her hand. "Pixie, Traesto."
The blue fairy appears as the card is crushed. The tiny being points up and concentrates as a white light engulfs everyone.
"Wha-" Lotte and Sucy reopen their eyes as their vision returns. Astonishment fills their minds when they realize they are now outside again, right next to the rip that leads back to the real Luna Nova.
"So you can teleport now?" Sucy deadpans.
"Only to the entrance of any Cognitive World," Akko replies, "trust me, you don't know how important this spell is… It has saved me more times than I can count..." she says as she heads for the exit. "C'mon, let's go back to reality. I think dinner's starting soon and I am STARVING!"
Both Lotte and Sucy nod in agreement. Even with the boost from the Energy Drop, nothing will ever beat having a proper meal and rest to truly refresh the body. Eagerly, they follow Akko as soon as she leaps into the tree trunk.
The distorting feeling washes over them again, and then, their eyes no longer see pure red, but instead the orange of the setting sun.
Everything seemed fine and dandy… Until they realized that they landed face to face with Diana, wand at the ready, aimed at them and the tree trunk.
"Explain yourselves," the honor's student tiredly demands.
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Akko's Personas:
Berith (Hierophant)
Null: Gun
Resistance: Fire
Weakness: Ice
Skills: Double Fang, Rakukaja, Maragi
Profile: One of the 72 demons of the Goetia. Known as the Duke of Hell, he rides a gigantic horse and burns those without manners.
[]
Silky (Priestess)
Resistance: Ice
Weakness: Fire, Electric
Skills: Bufu, Dia, Dormina
Profile: A fairy of England and Scotland. She carries out household chores while everyone sleeps and is a welcome spirit. It is said you can hear her silk skirt rustle as she works.
[]
Mandrake (Death)
Resistance: Psy
Weakness: Fire, Bless
Skills: Tarunda, Energy Drop, Psi
Profile: A magical plant whose roots look like a human. They are valued for their healing properties in potions, but the screams they let out when pulled from the ground will kill anyone who hears them.
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Enemy Shadows:
Bicorn (Moon)
Resistance: Curse
Weakness: Electric
Skills: Eiha, Lunge
Profile: An Evil Creature that looks like a horse with two curving horns. It is said to be the opposite of a Chichevache.
[]
Skogsra (Moon)
Null: Gun
Resistance: Curse
Weakness: Fire
Skills: Eiga, Dream Needle, Spirit Drain, Marin Karin, Rakunda
Profile: Beautiful wood faeries of Swedish folklore. They are said to resemble beautiful women from the front, but their backs are covered in bark. They are known to blow on huntsmen's rifles to bless them, as well as protect campfires while travelers sleep. They yearn for the company of a man, but those who see their backs flee in terror.
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AuthorNCS: Gee, Akko. Try getting something not weak to fire would you?
And thank for MortalitasBorealis for stepping in to be the backup beta. RionAgrias vanished on my butt due to unknown reason and the update would've been in the limbo for who knows how long.
If everything goes well I will try update this story once every 3 weeks-ish, at that rate we can finish this story in maybe 3 years. :D (Next update is mid-Sept BTW, because I still have to beat Kancolle Summer 2017 event Hard mode.)
Yes, there will be other SMT stuff in this story (If Zhen in Ch2 isn't obvious enough). Demons that I wishes to see in a Persona game, but will never do because of certain reasons. (For Skogsra is because there are no amount of camera restriction they can do to force you into only seeing her back.)
If you read the manga of LWA OVA, you will know what that comment about familiar is about.
Berith appearing in P4 as the Hang-man arcana is BS, so is having literally no fire spell in P5. Akko's version is closer to the one in P3, while focusing more on defense rather than attack. Mandrake has also been fixed from the terrible version of P5's.
Like in P4, Shadows in this story will drops their body parts when defeated. Most of them are reference to Strange Journey's drop list.
Having a "believing heart" is surprisingly effective in the Persona setting. This mean Akko has stupid amount of Cognition. One of the main theme of this story is exploring the amazing things you can do with such high level of believe. It will be glorious.
Next chapter, Diana's descend into the rabbit hole continues.
There is also a forum for this story now. Don't know if anyone cared.
If there are criticisms, feel free to leave them in the review. Until then, see'ya all next time.
08/25/2017 Edit: This chapter has been improve-Beta-ed by RiceFieldRenigade.
11/18/2017 Edit: Thank the people at Sufficient Velocity for grammar checking this. Should be free of grammar mistakes now. Unless you have god's eyes and find something else, this chapter is now grammatically perfect.