A Fool's Study into Witchcraft
Chapter 8: Aim to be the Top Part 2
As she slowly regains consciousness, Diana's eyes creak open.
"...Ah…" with difficulty, she sits back up, removing the blanket over her body and rubbing her temples. Trying her best to rid herself of the throbbing headache bogging her mind. "What… what happened to me?"
Memories resurface of the events that lead to her current predicament. The unconscious walk to the memorial tree and the event that followed fresh in her mind. A chill ran down her spine when she recalled the… thing that grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the crimson space. What in the world was that? And where exactly was she now?
Diana mustered up her strength to stand, her eyes scanning her surroundings as she continued to ponder on her current situation…
Wait a minute.
The room she was in looked oddly familiar. That wall paper, that desk. She turns around to see the rocking chair she had sat on and immediately recognized it.
"This is… mother's room?" she whispers in shock. Continuing her search of the room, she spots the large bed and her mind spirals into a chaotic max of emotion.
"Thank Founder Beatrix you are awake now," the person on the bed says. "I am beyond relieved that you are unharmed."
"Impossible" was the only word mutter by her lips. Right before her, at that very moment, smiling at her with the face she had longed forever to see once more was Bernadette Cavendish, The former head of her family- her very own mother.
"What's the matter?" the woman says again, puzzled. "Is there something on my face?"
"N-No… this can't be real…!" she sobs, tears flowing from her eyes. "This has to be a dream! You can't be real!"
This couldn't be real, it just couldn't. But there she was, sitting on the bed. Her mother passed away a decade ago from sickness. Necromancy was a possibility, however sickening the thought of raising the dead was. But if that were the case, she should be speaking to a pile of animated skeleton, not to the clearly healthy and very much alive woman before her.
"No, this can't be real...!" Diana breathed out between her conflicting emotion.
"Oh?" her supposed mother inquires. Smoothing out her pajamas and touching her face, she responds, "I feel real to me. But if you're not so sure, how about you come check for yourself~?" Lightly padding the empty space on the bed almost like she is teasing a kitten, she beckons Diana to come over and sit.
"N-No!" Diana denies once more. "This is impossible...! You are supposed to be dead! I was there at your funeral…!" tears continue to stream freely down her face. She knew this couldn't be her mother, logic dictated it so. But the way she looked, the way she sounded, the way she talked... everything was just like how it used to be...
Bernadette simply smiles back in understanding, "Perhaps. But does it matter?" she soothingly replies. "Maybe this is just a dream, and you are free to think so. But I'm here now correct? How about we spend some much needed time together?"
"Oh… Mother!" The last of Diana's defenses crumble as she falls into her mother's loving embrace. The gentle smell of floral soaps, the protective and loving warmth of her mother's hug, the rhythmic beating of her heart as she buried her face in her mother's chest. Exactly as she remembered, she lets herself melted into her mother's warmth without resistance.
"There, there," the woman coos as she lovingly pets her daughter's back. "You have gone through so much... But it's going to be alright, Mother is here now. You can do anything in you wish in a dream after all..."
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Sticking to the dim areas, Akko's team evades detection as another Shadow passes them by. As soon as it's out of earshot, they dash into the next hallway.
"Holy crap, that was like the eighth one," Amanda complains. "Just how incompetent are these things?"
"It feels like I'm playing a really bad stealth game with really poor AI," Sucy mocks. "We were literally right in front of it, moved under its legs- and it still didn't realize anything."
"Yep. That's why I said stick to shady areas," Akko reassures. "Shadows are pretty much blind to… shadows."
Lotte pants a bit, sweat rolling down her forehead. "All… that jumping and running around… is starting to get to me…"
Akko summons Mandrake and casts Energy Drop on everyone, alleviating them from their exhaustion. Afterward the brunette reaches into her cape and pulls out a few cans of soft drinks. "Let's rehydrate ourselves!"
"Seriously, what don't you have on person?" Amanda questions in awe.
"I just like to come prepared that's all. You never know what could happen in this place," Akko shrugs. "I'm just glad my friend taught me how to pack all of it away. It's ridiculous how much stuff you can get in the Cognitive World."
Thirsty, everyone took the offered drinks in quick succession, opening them without looking at the can...
"-bah!" Amanda spits hers out. "What is this!? It tastes terrible!"
"I don't know what you are talking about. It's pretty good." Sucy replies, already halfway through the can.
Lotte takes a sip of hers, contemplating the taste. "It's… different, but I think it's okay."
"It's called Dr. Salt. They're pretty popular back in in Japan," Akko explains. "Not a fan?"
"Aurgh... Nah. The taste makes my stomach turn," Amanda groans.
With a chuckle, Akko takes the drink back and hands Amanda a Coke. "Here, drink this instead..." She wipes the opening of the can clean before chugging the entire drink herself. "...What? I don't let stuff go to waste!"
Once rehydrated, the group continues their exploration. Finally, after stalking around the building, hopping from shadow to shadow, and hiding inside or behind various large objects, they reached the main building… Or at least what replaced it.
It turned out, all the talk about a grand party the previous Shadows all talked about was no joke. The hallways of the main building were lively, every inch of the walls littered with decorations and lights.
The group gape with widened eyes as a trio of girls walk right passed them, chatting between themselves as they enjoy the festivities.
"W-What!?" Amanda grasps. "Why are there students here!? Did they get trapped in here too?" As she attempts to give chase, but stops dead in her tracks when she spots a waiter Shadow. The group tense up and prepare for battle… only for their assumed foe to offer them one of the snacks on its serving tray before leaving to attend other guests.
Sucy eyes the shrimp appetizer she had gotten before throwing it away. "Okay… what is going on? Why didn't it attack us?"
"This must be what she meant by wanting everyone to join her party," Akko reasons. "I assume that's why it didn't attack us. Since we're here, it must've thought we were guests too."
"That still doesn't explain why there are students here," Amanda says. "Seriously, what's up with that?"
"I doubt it, Amanda. We haven't heard anything about anyone else going missing," Lotte replies.
"They are cognitive copies, Amanda," Akko explains. "Remember, we are basically inside Diana's mind right now. These guests must've been created from her memories our classmates. I've seen similar things in other Distortions before. Remember how I described that Train Molester Distortion?" she asks. "That guy saw the entire Shibuya station as his personal petting-zoo and the Distortion reflected that. The same rules apply to Diana."
"So… she sees Luna Nova as her mansion?" Sucy pieces together. "And all the teachers and students are her... fans?"
"This is… messed up," Amanda shivers. "Just, what the hell is going on inside Diana's head!?"
"No idea yet, Amanda… But from what we've seen, they seem to act just like normal people. We can use this to our advantage," Akko points out. "Let's try asking them about where Diana is!" With a twirl, Akko turns to face the girls. "Let's split up and asks around! Just remember to keep a low profile."
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Before Sucy are Professor Finneran, Professor Badcock, and Professor Nelson. The three older witches are dressed in fancy expensive clothings with a glass of drinks in their hands.
"Such a wonderful display! As expected of the shining star of Luna Nova. She does not disappoint!" Cognitive Badcock praises.
"Indeed, Mistress Diana is not one to disappoint. I have said it before and I will say it again; she is simply much more brilliant than old crones like us," Cognitive Finneran admits.
"Born of an ancient bloodline with a mind ever thirsting for new magical knowledge, compared us to her we are nothing but hacks. The only thing we can do now is to unconditionally support her so she may mature into a true leader of the magical world." Cognitive Nelson gushed.
"So this how she sees the teachers, that's amusing." Sucy whispers to herself, smirking. "I wish I could record this."
When the three older teachers notice Sucy's presence, they stop their conversation and turn to her. "Miss Mambavaran? What are you doing here? Do you have a question for us?"
"Ah… yeah. Do any of you know where the "Shining Star" is? I'm kind of looking for her." Sucy deadpans.
"Do you not remember the meeting?" Cognitive Badcock questions. "The Mistress said she had important business relating to the event that will be taking place in fifteen minutes," Badcock answers. "Honestly, how could you forget something that important?"
"This is rather unacceptable, Miss Mambavaran," Cognitive Finneran politely ridicules. "You may be a transfer student, but to miss such an important detail, I can't say I'm impressed. Our decision to group you with Miss Kagari, was right after all."
"That girl couldn't even fly to save her own life," Cognitive Nelson shakes her head. "I don't understand why Mistress Diana is so scared of her?"
Sucy raised her eyebrows at that tidbit of information. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Nelson!" Cognitive Badcock bites at her colleague. "How could you say something like that?! Are you suggesting that the Mistress actually has something to fear?!"
"Well, I'm just speaking from looking at the evidence…" Nelson defends. "She has spells that none of us have even heard of before and…"
Cognitive Badcock gasps. "How could you?! You would doubt the hope of the magical world?!"
As the bickering escalated into a full blown argument Sucy made her leave. As much fun as it was to watch three older women fight amongst each other like shrieking fangirls, it was starting to draw attention, and she did not want to be in the spotlight.
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Lotte recognized the girls before her; Avery, along with her teammates Mary and Blair, if she had her facts straight. They shared a few classes together, so she figured they would be as good a start as any.
"Ah… excuse me…?" Lotte timidly asks. "Do any of you know where Diana is?"
The girls grasps. "Did you just address the Mistress with only her first name!?" they growl in anger. "How disrespectful!"
"A-ah…! I meant Mistress Diana! - Do any of you know where Mistress Diana is?" Lotte stutters, trying to regain control of the conversation.
"Huh!" Cognitive Avery grumbles. "As expected from a teammate of that talentless demon girl! How clueless can you be?"
"Yeah! Mistress Diana is going to save the magical world with her teachings," Cognitive Mary praises. "She's an inspiration to the entire magical world, truly the pinnacle of what witches should aspire to be! Once she is done with us here, we will never have to deal with magic-less commoners again!"
"Yes! Mistress Diana is ideal in every way! With the kind education she'd prepare for us in the main event, we shall inch one step closer toward her magnificence!" Cognitive Blair finishes.
"M-Main event?" Lotte stutters.
"Yes! In fact it's going to begin soon! How dense can you get? Don't blame us if you missed out on her incredible wealth of knowledge," Avery sneers.
"Ah… thank you all for the reminder," Lotte remarks before walking away.
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"You've gotta be shitting me," Amanda groans. "The nerve of that high class bitch!"
"Oh my, another me. Such a foul mouth too, clearly you haven't received Mistress Diana's wonderful teachings yet," her cognitive copy replies joyously. A simple, silken, ruby red dress cascades down her form. Her mascara was done flawlessly, she held herself with a grace that made Amanda want to vomit. "How about we stop being such a ruffian and start acting like a proper witch, just like she is?"
"...!" Cognitive Constanze that stood beside her clone eagerly nodded in agreement before returning to her task of building a large Diana statue. Cognitive Jasminka attempts to offer Amanda some potato chips, but frowns as the red head slaps it away in irritation. The thought of someone with her and her teammate's face's being so obedient to Miss Perfect made her skin crawl.
"But then again, we shouldn't expect much from someone so crass," Cognitive Amanda sneers.
"OK you know what, screw this," Amanda growls, prepping her spear.
Rushing through the crowd, Akko grabs Amanda from behind, holding her back. "Ok Amanda, that's enough!"
"I'm gonna shove this spear so far up your ass you'll be tasting steel for weeks!" Amanda screams, struggling to escape Akko's grasp. "GRAH! Let me go! LET ME GO! I NEED TO WIPE THAT STUPID SMILE OFF HER FACE!"
"You need to calm down. You're causing a scene," Akko whispers. "You are going to blow our cover!"
"Oh my, so violent~ Don't you think it is such a shame for a daughter of the O'neil family to act like this?" Her clone chuckles. "Why don't you stop acting like a barbaric hooligan and start conducting yourself in a manner befitting your name?"
Amanda threw her spear, must barely missing the copy's face and impaling it by the side of her ear, right into the statue. Cognitive Constanze frowns, clearly displeased at her damaged work.
"SHUT. THE. HELL. UP!" Amanda roars. "Don't talk shit about me with my face!"
Amanda continues to struggle as Akko throws the redhead over her shoulder, retrieving the thrown spear as she searches for a more secluded spot. Once they're out of the spotlight, Amanda squirms out of Akko's hold and glares at the brunette. "Why the hell did you stop me?!"
"I stopped you because destroying her wouldn't change anything. It's just a waste of energy and will draw more attention to us," Akko explains. "The Amanda over there is nothing more but a distorted copy— a copy that Diana's distorted emotions made. Even if you destroyed her, she'd just come back later. You want her gone, then we need to help Diana."
"... Damnit!" Amanda grunts. "How can you be so chill about this!?"
"Because I know that feeling," the brunette admits. "This is gonna sound a little corny but just bear with me, ok? When Shiny Chariot stopped doing her shows, there were a lot of rumors floating around. Some said that she was a fluke or that she had abandoned her fans, but I didn't let any of that get to me. It didn't change how I saw Shiny Chariot!" With a flourish, she turns to face Amanda. "Once I find her and become her successor, I'll show all the naysayers the truth and change their hearts with my magic! But right now we need to focus on rescuing her!"
Amanda stares at Akko for a bit before shaking her head. "Fighting against all the naysayers huh?" she says with a sigh, a grin spreading across her face. "I didn't take you as a rebellious type too."
Akko returns the grin with her own. "Oh trust me, I have no issue with breaking a few rules. Speaking of which, after this whole thing with Diana blows over, Luna Nova might get kind of boring. What do you say we stir something up?" she winks to the redhead.
With that both girls burst into laughter.
"Ahaha! Oh man, you are something else! Hell yeah, why not? You're definitely my friend now. Whenever you need help, just say the word and I'm there!"
Grinning, both girls lock hands.
*Shatter*
I am thou... Thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond...
It shall aid thee in thy journey to inspire.
With the blessing of the Chariot Arcana, thou shalt ignite the fires of inspiration in the hearts of the people...
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [VII] Chariot Rank 1 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
"Another link!" the brunette awes in her mind. "Aww yeah! I'm on a roll!"
"More like making up for the missing time," Aradia snarks. "The Fates are being awfully kind to us despite the previous uneventful year."
Slime jerks up and down, power surging through its body.
"Ow!" Amanda whines and withdraws, clutching her hand. "Watch the super strength!"
"O-Oops!" Akko apologies. "Do you need a heal?!
"Nah, its fine. You didn't break anything." The redhead reassures. "Hehe you know, at first I thought Luna Nova was gonna be real boring, but now between hanging out with you and exploring this place, it might not be so bad after all."
"Wow, that was cringy," Sucy comments. "Are you done with your little bro moment?"
Akko and Amanda turn to face Sucy and Lotte. "How long have you guys been here!?"
"Since you dragged the loud mouth away kicking and screaming," Sucy replies. "Anyway, we may not have found where lettuce head went, but we do know a few new things about this place."
"It seems Diana's Shadow is about to do something big," Lotte says. "All the guest here seem to be excited about it. I think its best we go check it out."
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Fifteen minutes later, the chime of a bell echoed throughout the room, an indicator for everyone to attend the "Main Event". All the guests began cheering like crazed fans as the Shadow workers guided them in the right direction. Using this opportunity, the girls hid themselves amongst the crowd of fancily dressed students, blending in without much issue.
"Looks like they're going towards the auditorium…" Lotte observes.
"Fitting. It is large enough to do whatever she wants," Sucy agrees.
As they entered the auditorium, they found that the once humble display room had been replaced with a grand theater, complete with an elevated stage and lighting. Once arriving, the army of guests scramble to find an empty seat, eager for their Mistress' appearance. Akko's group decided to stay in one of the less populated sections of the audience, away from the cognitive copies, in case the going got rough.
"Wow… these chairs are so comfortable…" Amanda sighs, sinking into one of the seats. "Definitely something I could use right now…"
"Me too, my legs are tired…" Lotte adds.
Akko eyes go wide, staring at the center stage and observing every inch of its details.
"What's the matter?" Sucy asks.
"There no mistake about it…" Akko whispers in disbelieve, a giddy smile stretching across her face. "It's a copy of that show in Japan!"
"Huh? That show? As in the one from your photos?"
"It's almost exactly the same!" the brunette exclaims. "It may be a round stage, but that clear flooring… those support pillars… the lighting... It's the exact same set up! Her Shadow reproduced so well!"
"Can't say this surprised me. Fangirls do think alike after all," Sucy muses.
A few seconds later, the light shifts from a bright white to a deep green, signaling the beginning of the Main Event. In a flash of sparkles, Shadow Diana manifests in the center of the stage, her arms spread wide.
The cognitive copies immediately begin to franticly clap in fanatic worship, each and every one gazing in awe at Shadow Diana. Basking in the wave after wave of praise, the Mistress of the mansion gazes back at her adoring fans.
"...What are you doing?" Sucy hisses, glaring at Akko.
"What?" she asks as she continues to clap. "Good performance should be cheered on!"
"Man, she's really hyping huh up, huh?" Amanda muses. "Then again, she is a magical prodigy."
"Thank you. Thank you all, my dear guests," the Shadow says with a bow. "It warms my heart to see so many of you here tonight. Now, without further delay, let tonight's fantastic lesson begin..."
In a flash of sparkles, a tree root weaved replica of the Shiny Rod appears in her hands. With a simple wave, brambles and roots burst from the stage, rapidly forming themselves into a gigantic blackboard. With another wave, countless complicated magical equations and their solutions in Lunar Alphabet cover its entire surface. A couple of female Shadows with same mask as that maid appeared on the side of the stage. Using their oversized instruments, soothing classical music flowed throughout the room.
Using the fake Shiny Rod as a pseudo pointer, she began the lecture. "Continuing on from where we left off…"
Shadow Diana went on and on, proposing and explaining each topic on the board in excruciating detail. Each subject she discussed was advanced, so advanced in fact they were beyond the scope of what Luna Nova taught at even a senior level. It was the kind of lecture only the most academically capable of scholars would understand. Had they attended, even their school's Professors would have a hard time keeping up.
The gang could only attempt to sit through the lesson, unable to do anything lest they be revealed. Lacking the background knowledge necessary to even remotely comprehend the material, Shadow Diana's lesson might as well have been white noise.
Not five minutes in and Amanda had already passed out, her legs propped up on the chair in front of her. Knowing the topics at hand were far beyond what she could comprehend, Lotte didn't bother listening, opting to instead play simple games with Wispy.
Akko was barely managing to keep herself awake. She would have been sleeping right along with Amanda had it not been for Aradia's encouragement and the desire to find clues of Diana's whereabouts.
"Did she seriously waste her time learning all of these?" Sucy deadpans.
"What are you talking about, Sucy?" Akko asks, confused.
"Those theories are worthless this day and age," she scoffs. "Props to her, but there's no practical application for them. Did she actually try to master these old stuff? What a waste of time and energy."
"Well, we know her family's having a hard time. Maybe this is what she did to offset her situation?" Lotte points out.
"That's an overcompensation on her part then," Sucy rolls her eyes. "Bet her bed is just a bookshelf, because she probably spent every waking moment studying dusty old tomes." She elbows Amanda beside her, "Get up, loudmouth. She's about to make her move."
"-Ow!" the redhead hisses, jolting awake. "Hey that hurts!"
"... Now, how about we put these theories into practice?" Shadow Diana asks, clapping her hands. "Bring me the materials, Head Maid."
She gets silence in response, causing her eyes to narrow in irritation. "Head Maid…? Anna? Where are you…?"
Shadow Diana pauses and ponders to herself before scanning the crowd with dawning realization. "My dear guests… Would you all kindly pull out your invitations?"
All at once, each audience member pulls out an envelope, raising it into the air as it glows an ethereal green. Due to a lack of their own invitation, Akko's group ends up sticking out like a sore thumb. A small dark spot in a sea of green light.
"Yo Akko, take out that invitation!" Amanda orders. "Like now!"
"Ummm…I didn't bring it. I left it at the dorm. Oops…?"
"Oh are you serious," Sucy growls. "Out of everything you have on that's the one thing you don't have!?"
Holding up a single finger, the brunette argues, "In my defense, I thought it would trigger traps or something. I was just being careful! How am I supposed to know this would happen instead!?"
"I see. So that's why Anna disappeared. A mistake on my part to not notice you all..." Shadow Diana says, a small frown on her face. "To be honest, I was expecting this, but had hoped that this would not be the case," Shadow Diana grumbles. "How rude. I offer you all a formal invitation, yet you all still decided to stalk around my manor like common thieves."
"Yeah, like we'd fall for such an obvious trap," Sucy deadpans.
"Obvious Trap…?" the Shadow mutters, seemingly hurt. "How dare you?! That invitation was genuine. I truly wished for you all to formally join this celebration, but it seems my good will was squandered, just like always..."
The audience boos at Akko's group, insults and remarks being thrown about.
"Fine. Have it your way. Feel free to skitter around like the rats you all are," Shadow Diana shrugs. "But don't expect my staff to be as accommodating as they would be had you come as guests." Clapping her hands, she turns to the small band. "Clean up this mess."
"As you wish, Mistress Diana!" One by one, the members of the band burst into black ooze, the liquid coalescing into five beautiful floating women. The leader of them was garbed in exotic cloths and jewelries. In her grasp was a vīṇa; an Indian string instrument. Her subordinates were all blue skinned dancers.
Akko's eyes widen. "A Sarasvati!? And so many Apsaras too!?"
Without warning, the wife of Brahma plucked the strings of her instrument as her nymph allies outstretched their hands. Cold air condensed before them as a large chunk of ice and many smaller figments were hurled at the group.
"...! INCOMING!" Akko yells, jumping out of her seat and in front of her friends, a small blue mirror in hand. "MAGIC MIRROR!"
A blue shield materializes in front of the group, sparing them the barrage of ice attacks. After the protection item crumbles away, Akko outstretches her hand and calls forth the Hierophant arcana. "Grab on, everyone! BERITH!"
Scrambling to climb aboard the Duke of Hell, the group manages to take off just as the next bombardment of ice collides with their previous position.
"We need to thin out their numbers!" Akko exclaims. "Amanda, get ready! Lotte and Sucy, provide support!"
"You got it! / Mhmm! / Okay."
As the hoofs touched the stage, Akko dismissed the Goetia demon summoning Lilim in his place. "Mazio!" In an instant, the succubus rains down a torrent of electricity onto the Shadows.
The Apsaras immediately react to the attack, extending their arms to create a yellow barrier, blocking the electricity. The electricity surges through Sarasvati, yet it did nothing more than cause the Shadow to grunt.
"Right… they can cast Electric Wall..." Akko frowns. Lilim clicks her tongue annoyed.
"Face my wrath!" Sarasvati yells, strumming her instrument and sending another chunk of ice at Akko.
"No you don't! Wispy!" Grabbing ahold of the small spirit, Lotte coils her fingers around its small frame. Taking a deep breath, Wispy blows through the gap in her hand, letting loose a jet of vibrant green flame and evaporating the hunk of ice instantly.
"Thanks Lotte!"
"Let us handle their ice spells, Akko!" The girl cheers as she and her pet melt another wave of icicles hurdling towards them.
Seeing an opening, Amanda charges at an Apsara, impaling her through the chest. Kicking the Shadow off the shaft, Amanda switches focus to a new target. However just as the Shadow dissipated, she aimed an open palm at Amanda's back and let loose one final shard of ice-
*Shatter
Before Amanda could even react, Akko had rushed to her side and slammed her bat into the icicle. Turning her head to the brunette, the redhead flashed her a grin of trust and nodded. A gesture which Akko returned. The moment of camaraderie was short lived however as the two girls jumped out of the way, several more chunks of ice crashing into their previous positions.
"I'm assuming since you know its name you've fought it before?" Sucy asks, "so what's it's weakness?"
"Pretty sure she's weak to wind," Akko grins. "So go for it, Sucy!"
The gloomy witch pulls out her wand and took aim, "Veris Aura."
A quick flash of green and a blast of air struck the Indian goddess. Yelling in pain, the Shadow drops to the floor, dazed. Seeing their leader's predicament, the Apsaras' begin bathing their fallen ally in healing light.
"Huh… is this how it is," Sucy muses, reaching into her bag. "Let's see how they like this." With a manic grin, she chucks a vial purple, murky liquid at their foes. Upon contact with the ground, the vial erupts into a cloud of sickly miasma, completely engulfing the Shadows.
The toxin's effect were immediate. The Shadows stiffened, their muscles locking into place. Small chunks of flesh began to peel off their forms, falling to the floor as the debilitating poison coursed through them.
"Well, that's interesting," Sucy raises an eyebrow. "That mixture wasn't even that potent."
"Looks like it did the trick though. Nice work Sucy," Akko says. "I'll take it from here! Let's do it, Aradia! Let's try out that new Terror Claw technique!"
As the false goddess materializes, she lunge at the wounded Shadows, claws enveloped with dark, malicious energies.
Apsaras were not physically strong Shadows, and even less so due to the debilitating toxin. So it goes without saying that the poor Shadows were shredded to ribbons by Aradia's claws, one by one, splattering evaporating black liquid across the stage.
Lotte meekly turns her head from the carnage. Despite the fact she knew Shadows were just negative human emotion taken form, it was still unsettling for her to see such human like creatures being relentlessly slaughtered.
"You fiend...!" Sarasvati cries, barely blocking Aradia's assault with her instrument. "If it weren't for that foul toxin I'd have you groveling at my feet! How could a false existence like you-"
Aradia bares her faceless grin at the Indian goddess, promptly shutting her up. Channeling more power into her claws, she crushes the vīṇa. With one more precise swipe, Aradia tears out the Sarasvati's throat.
Amanda lets loose a low whistle before saying, "Wow, Your Persona is cool looking and all... but I think she has anger issues." Taping her spear against the palm of her hand, she adds. "You should've saved some for me too!"
Rolling her eyes, Sucy replies, "That's not a thing to complain about you moron."
"Eh... Aradia has a history of hating Shadows based off of goddess." Akko admits as her Persona dematerializes. "She did pretty much the same thing to the last Sarasvati too."
"It's because they act all high and mighty with their 'Holier than thou' attitude"," she grumbles. "Just because they're one of the more popular goddesses doesn't mean they get to act all entitled."
*Clap* *Clap*
Shadow Diana reemerges with her bodyguards in tow. The surrounding guests all frantically clap at the return of their mistress.
"Not only did you all slay Anna, but now the entirety of my entertainers?" the Shadow says with an exasperated sigh. "What a huge mess you all made for me. It seems that I've underestimated you all..."
Re-summoning her tree root Shiny Rod she begins to chant a spell. "Shuryal Muryuelle. Creature of the holy mane, emerge from the abyss as my shining protector! Tiphillie Lirullianae!"
A pool of liquid darkness gathers and swells underneath her feet before bursting. A blur of white rushes from the ooze, galloping through the air before descending right behind its Mistress.
The audience begins cheering as they marvel at the arrival of their magnificent guardian.
"Holy shit… That's one big ass unicorn," Amanda whispers, eyes wide. "Do they even get this large!? It's almost as big as an elephant!"
"Be a dear and put them in their place, would you?" The Shadow self orders, before walking a short distance away. With a wave of her Shiny Rod, she conjures up a small table and chair, which Cognitive Hannah and Barbara immediately stand protectively by her side and pouring her tea. "Show everyone a great performance."
"As you wish, Mistress Diana! If these ungrateful children can't even get past me, then they don't deserve to see the grand event!"
Akko gasps in shock as her enemy gallops through the air, barreling towards them. Akko barely has enough time to call forth Berith. The rider rushes to cast Rakukaja on himself, and withstanding the brunt of the attack. The horned horse of fantasy collides with the mighty Duke of Hell, horn and trident locked in a battle of strength.
"Aurgh...!" Akko grunts, straining herself against the force. "Hang on... Berith!"
Persona and Shadow push against each other as they battle for dominance. However it was Unicorn who proved stronger as it steadily forced the Goetia demon across the stage. "Is this the best you can muster?" Without warning, Unicorn slammed its side into Berith, forcing the Persona out of the way and causing Akko to yelp in pain.
"GRRRAAAAAHHH," Amanda screamed, spear poised to pierce the horse's hide.
"I AM THE BEAST OF THE CAVENDISH! YOU CAN NOT HARM ME SO EASILY!" Unicorn roared. With a clop of its hoof, a blue aura envelops it just as Amanda makes contact. A loud clang echoes throughout the auditorium as the spear bounces off of the beast's hide, leaving not even a scratch. A split second later, Unicorn turns and kicks out its hind legs.
"CRAP!" Barely having enough time to react, Amanda positions the shaft of her spear in front of herself just as the Shadow's powerful kick connected.
"AMANDA!"
"Gah!" Amanda gasps in pain as the wind is knocked out of her, the force of the kick sending her flying across the stage.
"Go Wispy!" Lotte commands, the spirit spewing a stream of fire into its face. Utilizing the momentary distraction, Berith rams into the Shadow, allowing Akko to dash to Amanda.
"Amanda! Are you alright!?"
"Aurgh...! I'm f-fine," Amanda grunts, hunched over on her hands and knees, arm clutching her side. As she tries to push herself off the ground, a wave of pain explodes from her side. "Agh...!"
"Stay still!" Reaching into her cape, Akko retrieves a magic stone from within. Placing it in the palm of Amanda's, Akko tells the girl to crush it. As she does, a wave of green energy washes over her.
"You ok?" Akko asks, offering a hand to help her up.
"I've been better." Amanda rasps, shakily rising to her feet. "Something tells me I would've been worse if I didn't have that robe. Thanks Akko."
"Zero Kosode is more for defending against magic, but it works as armor too," the brunette nods.
While Akko tended to Amanda, Unicorn had been continuously assaulted by Wispy and Berith's flames. But no matter how much fire was thrown at it, it had done little to actually injure the beast. "You think such weak flames are a match for me!?" Unicorn spat before ramming into Berith at full speed, forcefully dismounting the rider from his steed and then trampling him under its hoofs, shattering him into specks.
Akko screams as head splitting pain surges through her skull. Clenching her jaw and grasping her head, she drops to her knees in agony. "No... Berith..!"
With the bigger threat disposed off, the Shadow turned its attention to Lotte.
The girl took a few fearful steps back as Unicorn turned to face her. Dragging its hoof across the ground, the Shadow prepared to charge.
*Bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang*
Suddenly, a cacophony of gunshots rang out as Sucy and Amanda unloaded their firearms into the beast. Taking a shaky breath, Akko staggered to her feet and let a few arrows of energy fly. While the bullets weren't doing much, the arrows had actually managed to pierce the Shadow's hide.
"Run Lotte!" all three girls screams.
Not needing to be told twice, the bespectacled girl scurries out of the crossfire.
"To actually manage to inflict injury on me, very impressive," Unicorn praises. "But enough is enough...!"
With a mighty neigh, green light envelopes its form. Each and every wound the Shadow sustained stitched themselves shut almost instantaneously. Everyone click their empty guns and collectively groans in anger.
"Okay, not cool!" Akko yells in frustration. "Tough as nails, can cast Rakukaja and can heal!? Are you serious!? Please tell me there's a weakness at least! Come fourth, ARADIA!"
Pointing her scepter, the false goddess fires a surge of dark energy, making the Shadow howl in pain as a full power Maeiha slams directly into it. But despite the amount of power in the attack, it left only superficial wounds at best. With a powerful flex, Unicorn breaks out of the Curse spikes and heals itself once more.
"It's not Curse magic," Aradia groans. "Try Psychic next, Akko! Bring out Mandrake!"
Following Aradia's advice, she summons the plant child. As soon as Mandrake materialized, she flung orbs of multicolored energy at the Shadow. Unicorn, seeing the orbs coming, dogged and weaved around the attack, making a visible effort to stay as far away from the magic as possible.
"Looks like that's its weakness," Akko sighs. "But Mandrake can't tag it."
"Don't worry, I got this," Sucy interrupts. "If all else fails, we still have my poison~"
Busy evading the Psychic spells, Unicorn couldn't react in time to avoid the vial that shattered on its face, nor could it stop itself from inhaling the miasma. It's muscles tensed and twitched as flesh peeled off of it's bones.
"Kekeke! There we go!" the gloomy witch inquires and snaps her fingers.
"Poison?!" the horse grumbles but then mocks. "Powerful, but ultimately useless before the Cavendish's magic!"
With a loud neigh, a wave of soothing light washed over Unicorn, the rotting effects of the poison stopping immediately. With another heal, its damaged tissues were repair with ease.
"You have to be kidding me! How is this possible?!" the gloomy witch yells in disbelief.
"Fufu… Ahahahaha!" Shadow Diana sips her tea, amused, "How naive... It was my ancestor Beatrix that developed the foundation for all modern healing magic. It is an undeniable fact that without my family, healing magic would never be as advanced as it is today. Your poison means nothing before us," she mocks, setting down her teacup. "Enough, I am tire of this display. If this is the extent of their power, then my assumption was wrong and they are in fact not worthy of my time. So show them the true might of the beast of Cavendish!"
Hearing the order, the horse of fantasy gallops into the air and looms over the group. The Shadow's brilliant horn glows as an electric blue energy gathers at its tip, charging the very air with power.
"Oh no! Everyone get back!" Akko yells. "FALL BACK! It's an AOE spell! Magic Mirror can't protect all of us!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Amanda says, breaking into a run, Sucy and Lotte following closely behind.
"Damn it, Berith is still down. Mandrake, Tarunda!" the brunette orders.
With a wave of the plant child's flower, red energy binds Unicorn. She shatters away as Akko and her friends flee.
"A valiant effort, but not enough to stop me!" Unicorn neighs and brings its head down. "Taste the Mistress' power, vile scrums! Die!"
A massive blast of azure energy descends upon the stage, the powerful Nuclear spell cascading over the group. The effect of the Zero Kosode kicks in, but they had their limit. Thanks to them, the group managed to avoid being burned by the blast, but the resulting airburst was complete unavoidable. The explosion sent them all off the elevated stage to a story drop toward the hard ground.
Witches are more durable than the average human, and thankfully that durability is usually enough to make such a fall non-lethal. But they will be hurting for a while unless they are treated soon…
"Shit…" Amanda mutters, forcing herself up as the dust cleared. "That's gonna hurt in the morning… Ow..."
"Amanda…!" Akko yells, running to her friend. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine… my ass just all bruised up that's all," the red head replies. "You should check on the others instead…"
"Sucy! Oh my god! Sucy! Please get up!" Lotte cries from nearby.
As the two girls rush to their friend, they get a sinking feeling in their stomachs. Upon reaching their friend, their eyes widen as the sinking feeling turns to dread. Huddled in Lotte's arms is Sucy, a stream of blood flowing down her forehead over her visible eye.
Lotte looks at her friends with teary eyes. "S-She helped me get away… a-and… I think she hit her head during the fall!"
Kneeling down, Akko places two fingers on Sucy's wrist before letting out a relieved sigh. "Don't worry, Lotte." Akko soothes as she summons Pixie, "She's just unconscious, she'll be fine. Pixie, Dia-"
As soon as the words left her lips, a large spear of light pierced through the small fairy and shatters her, causing another hot lance of pain to drill through Akko's skull. She screams and drops to her knees, blood slowly trickling from her nose.
Sensing the impending danger, the brunette scrambles to grab Amanda, Lotte, and the unconscious Sucy, before roughly shoving them all to safety. Unicorn smashing into her like a meteor barely a second afterward.
As Amanda and Lotte attempt to get up, they are met with the sight of Unicorn pressing its hoof into Akko's chest.
"AUGH- AGH!" Akko squirms under the weight of the horse's hoof as she struggles in vain to free herself.
"Weak!" Unicorn mocks. It's horn lighting up as a "pop" echoes through the auditorium, signaling the destruction of the Tarunda. With its strength now unhindered, it presses its hoof down, making Akko scream in further agony. "To think you are the one inconveniencing the Mistress? Pathetic! I will make sure you suffer until your last breath!"
"Shit… I-It can't end like this…!" Amanda weakly stammers.
"Please, Wispy!" Lotte begs, but the small spirit frowns as it shrinks, revealing its lack of magic. "N-no! You ran out of juice already!?"
Through the muffled screams and sobs, Sucy blearily watched what happened as she slightly regained consciousness. Through her blood soaked vision she watched as Unicorn slowly crushed the brunette. Her ears rang, her head ached, and everything sounded so far away.
She continued to helplessly watch as Akko screamed in agony underneath the powerful Shadow's might. Since she has to equip Slime just to survive the onslaught of stomps, it's unlikely the brunette could escape from under the massive hoof.
Her concussion was too much and she starts to slip back into unconsciousness. Her heart seethe in anger at what that damned horse was doing… How dare it... How dare it harm something that belonged to her… She should be the only one that is allowed to...
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Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [IX] [0] [VII] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
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Sucy eyes snap open as she jolts up into a sitting position. No longer was she in a large auditorium, but a grassy field with a dirt path cutting across the scenery. Massive mushrooms loomed in the distance, each and every one a different combination of colors and patterns. She couldn't quite place it, but the scene before her felt familiar, and oddly welcoming.
"Where... am I?" she mutters, hand on her head in an attempt to alleviate her headache. "Am I… dreaming?"
"Close, but not quite."
Sucy quickly turns her head at the source of the sound.
Perched atop a nearby large mushroom, admiring a rare species of mushroom was… herself, at least a younger version of herself. The doppelganger appeared to be around eleven, and was dressed in a simple purple robe seemingly made from mushroom annulus. Her hair was the same as Sucys, the differences being that the left eye was uncovered instead of the right, and the hooks curling outward rather than inward. Mushrooms sprouted from her back, and her exposed body like the neck and hands are wrapped with dozens of stings of mycelium.
Setting the mushroom aside, the girl happily gazed into Sucy's uncovered right eye with her own golden uncovered left. Taking a good look at the clone, Sucy shakes her head and sighs at the realization of her identity.
"Ah… I see. You're my Shadow, correct?" Sucy says.
Shadow Sucy giggles and shoots her a smile, confirming Sucy's suspicions. Swiftly tossing the mushroom she was examining into her mouth, she gets off her perching sport and casually strolls towards her. "That's right! I'm everything that you kept locked up inside!" She counts her fingers as she lists things off. "Joy! Love! Compassion! The desire to pet baby animals! The admiration of west coast celebrities…"
She pauses, before closing her fist and continuing, "... and many, many more..."
The Shadow narrows her visible eye and gestures to herself. "I am the embodiment of everyone that you have sent to the guillotine. I am you, Sucy Mambavaran. The you that was cast aside when you chose to walk the path of solitude. And I have called you into your own heart so we may talk."
"Talk huh? Alright. So what are you going to do now?" Sucy questioned, crossing her arms as her body tensed. "Go on a rampage like Diana's own Shadow?"
"No, silly~" the Shadow says in a cheerful tone as she waves off the accusation, "Not all Shadows are hostile! Well… then again… considering what I went through maybe I should~" She states, her mouth stretching into a feral grin. Sucy takes a step back, sweat rolling down the back of her neck.
The Shadow then bursts into laughter and slaps her knee. "Hehaha! Got you~!"
Sucy clicked her tongue in annoyance. "For crying out loud… What exactly do you want from me? Just say it and stop wasting time."
"Fufu. What I want is what every repressed self wants," Shadow Sucy smiles. "And what happens next is entirely depending on your answer."
Sucy raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You've been asking this question over and over, have you not?" she questions as she tilts her head. "The answer to your question is; a Shadow and a Persona are merely two sides of the same coin. To gain a Persona is to accept one's darkness and gaining the will to change."
Sucy recalls how Akko explained how she got her other Personas. "Is that so…?"
"Yep! You're always the straight man right? You'll probably have a much better time than that lettuce head. She probably rejected her Shadow immediately!" her Shadow says with excitement. "So with that said, are you ready to face me? Your own darkness?"
Sucy goes over everything that her other self said. It's was pretty clear that if she said no, her Shadow would become another threat. Considering Akko was already having a hard time fighting that Unicorn, her refusal could resulted in even greater danger for everyone…
No, she will not let others- especially Akko, died now. She still have so much she wanted to do with them.
"... Fine," she sighs, making eye contact with the younger girl. "I will face you… myself… however that works."
Shadow Sucy's expression changes from cheerful glee to deep nostalgia. "...From the day we were born, we've walked the path full of loneliness. We have nothing to our name but this…" From thin air, she pulls out a tiny bottle and hands it to Sucy.
Sucy frowns at the small bottle in her hands, her one and only treasure.
"This was our only guiding light. From the moment we could read, we dedicated ourselves to learning everything we could about it. And in doing so, we shut everyone else out. After all, why should we bother with with other people? People back home are only ever bad apples. We were way more intelligent than those mongrels could ever hope to be. The stupid bullies from the orphanage could rot for all we cared. In fact, we literally tried to do that… Ramzan's such a killjoy, am I right?" the Shadow giggles.
Sucy chuckles as she recalled that particular event. "Totally, almost found a way to cure a type of flesh eating bacteria. A shame that the lab rats refused to do their part."
"How twisted~" the Shadow says with a cheerful tone, "We always did what we wanted, whenever we wanted, regardless of anyone. Normal people to us were merely specimens to study, sacks of flesh for us to experiment on." The doppelganger places a hand on her chest, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "But then she barged into our life, and turned our world upside down."
"..."
"She's everything we despised. We tried so hard to get her to leave us alone, but we just couldn't get rid of her. She reached out to us with the stupidest reason in mind… And that moron actually succeeded," the Shadow chuckles. "Now we are poisoned by this new feeling… It's almost poetic really."
"Hey, that idiot is one of a kind. I would've never thought that this kind of thing could happen to me," Sucy defends. "That's why she's worthy of being my jester."
"Hehe~ Regardless, we befriended her. At first for selfish reasons, merely wanting a toy to play with. But somehow, within two days, she managed to touch our heart…"
With her treasure in hand, the gloomy witch touches her own chest.
"Surely you can feel it… right?" her Shadow smiles. "We came to a realization that idiot changed us. We can't comprehend how or why she does what she does. We thought we were above the whole friendship thing, but soon realized it was something that we secretly craved. Now look at us, willing to do things we never bothered with in the past. Lotte tagged along and we got ourselves another companion. That loudmouth is annoying, but we don't exactly hate her like the others before; in fact she is starting to grow on us. And knowing this... it is scary." The Shadow points to herself, "I am that very disturbance you felt. I am your Shadow, the you that you've buried long ago and now wishes to embrace this joy. Deep down we WANT to go on more Shopping trips in Inaba with everyone. We WANT to try watching that Featherman show or maybe even try reading Nightfall-" Her Shadow stopped her rant and cupped her cheeks, a light blush forming once more as she imagined each and every fun scenario. "Kehehe… The possibilities are limitless!"
"Okay, slow down… I get it alright?" Sucy sighs. "... Damn it, I can't believe I would ever get myself in a situation like this. Feels like I am out of my field here..."
The Shadow self smiles, "Then let's save our jester so we may take the first steps toward that change. We can't let someone we cherish be harmed by anyone other than us, right?" the Shadow asks. "Not to mention we need her help for our true goal. She is an asset we cannot loose no matter what!"
"You're right," Sucy nods, her eyes narrowing in determination. "Akko belongs to me. And no one else gets to touch my jester— no, my friend, except for myself."
Her Shadow nods in response. She spread out her arms as an ethereal blue light envelops her being. "Then let us make a pact." Holding out a hand, the Shadow states, "I am thou..."
Taking her hand in response, Sucy clutches her treasure to her chest and locks eyes with her Shadow, "... and Thou art I."
"Now, call upon my name!"
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Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [IX] [0] [VII] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
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A pillar of blue fire erupts from Sucy as her scream tears through the room.
"S-Sucy?!" Lotte exclaims through her tears.
"What now?!" Unicorn exclaims in shock.
"I see..." Sucy growls, slowly stumbling back onto her feet, "so this is how it feels!" She wipes away the blood clouding her vision and swiftly brushes away the hair covering her left eye in one fluid motion. That very eye glowing a vibrant gold before turning back to the usual red.
"You! Unhoof my friend!" She demands, as a tarot card, the Lovers arcana, manifests in front of her. She viciously shatters it with a swift backhand. "PERSONA!"
Mushrooms. Every part of her Persona was comprised of various species of mushrooms. Atop of her round head lay a crimson mushroom resembling a pointy hat. Its skinny, tendril like limbs were weaved from long mushrooms and adorned with arm guards made of hardened fungus. Veil like mushroom annulus covered its body like fabric, forming a tunic. Belts made of mushroom fibers crisscrossed over the Persona's chest. It's feet are a cluster of Mycelium that hold it up.
Many purple snakes with colorful markings sprouted from the pores and grills of the mushroom hat and served as hair, mimicking Sucy's own style. Adorning its skull like face is a set of protective research goggles that hide the glowing white eyes underneath. Compared to Aradia, who was already a towering figure, it was an entire head taller. Its spindly build made the Persona mirror a snake ready to strike, whilst wicked laughter that resembled sharp flutes echoed out from its throat.
"Kyuufoofoo…! I have come from the sea of thy soul! I am Angitia! The great snake charmer!" With her mouth filled with sharp snake fangs, the goddess declares with a grin of excitement. "From this day forth, your thirst for both poison and companionship shall see no limit! Use your new found power to banish those that would do harm to those you deemed your possession!"
"Sucy…!" Akko's gasps in awe.
The Persona sends out a pulse of healing light, soothing the injuries the girls had sustained. "Angitia…" With her concussion gone, the gloomy witch throws out her arm. "Mapsi!"
Her goggles flash as orbs of purplish-pink energy rocket themselves towards the unicorn, knocking it prone and freeing Akko with ease.
"U-Unbelievable…!" the Shadow rasps in pain. "Of all elements...!"
As Akko reached Sucy, she looks up at her Persona astonished. "S-Sucy…!"
"...We'll talk later, after we send this guy to the glue factory." Turning to face Akko, she continues. "So show me how to use this power, friend!"
Upon hearing that, a bright smile makes its way onto the brunette's face. "Leave it to me! Akko-senpai will show you how it's done!" Reading her bat, she points forward. "Follow my lead!"
"Under my blessing, you shall strike with the precision of the deadliest viper!" the snake goddess behind her declares. "Show them the strength you've gained by being true to yourself!"
From her messenger bag, Sucy retrieves her dagger. Twirling the small blade in her hand, a feral smirk spreads across her face. "Ready when you are!"
"Take this! ALL-OUT-ATTACK!"
The girls pounced and chaos ensued, kicking up a cloud of dust throughout it all. Everything was a haze as Sucy's vision tunneled on the Shadow before her. Slash, slash, stab, sidestep, she swung her knife with surgical precision, and right there beside her was Akko, decimating the large Shadow with powerful swings of her bat. She was never the type to enjoy physical exertion, and had no issue sitting in her room all day mixing her poisons or playing the occasional video game. But despite that, this, the feeling of absolute power she felt from her Persona and the rush of adrenaline from combat. She could get used to this. Bye bye previous plans to develop an energy drink to remedy her physical weakness; she don't need that formula anymore. With so much strength at her fingertips, she felt like she could own every mushroom samples from all corners of the world with ease.
As the dust settled, both girls leapt away from the battered form of their prey. They exchange a look, their faces sporting a feral grin.
"So, this is how it feels," the gloomy witch flexed her offhand in awe, "I have to admit, this power is addicting."
"Totally." Akko nods enthusiastically. "Having a Persona really makes your feel like a true superheroine!"
"You… bastard children!" Unicorn snarls, struggling to get back onto its hoofs. "No! I as the symbol of the great Cavendish shall not fall here!" Its horn shimmers as healing light washes over its body.
"Kyuufoofoo…! Such an annoying enemy before us," Agnita says. "My little Sucy... now is the time for you to unleash my full strength!" the Persona states, eager to put an end to the fight. "I am thou, thou art I. My power is yours to command!"
"Stagnant Air!" Sucy commends, extending an arm.
Arching her back and taking a massive breath, Angitia spat out a massive cloud of green gas that rapidly spread over the area.
Akko coughs a bit. "Wait, Stagnant Air?! So your Persona specializes in-"
"Now shut it up with Makajama!"
The snake goddess opens her maw once more, revealing an Aulos, a Greek two pipe flute, in the place of her tongue. Shutting her lips, the Persona plays a sharp, haunting tune, sending a green wave of magic right at the Shadow.
Realizing it was uninjured, Unicorn attempted to mock the pointlessness of the attack, but as it opened its mouth to speak, no words came. Dawning realization set in that it could no longer emit sound nor channel any magic.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Sucy mocks. She approached the Shadow, retrieving a spray bottle as she stalks ever closer, a sinister smirk on her face. "For the crime of curing my poison, your will pay with your life~"
Dictated by its survival instincts and its pride as Mistress Diana's guardian, the Shadow charges at Sucy full force, hoping to gore her before she could do anything.
"No you don't! Mandrake, Tarunda!" Akko yells.
A red wave of magic engulfs the Shadow, visibly making it weaker and more sluggish. Taking this opportunity Angitia moves in front of her summoner and binds the Unicorn with her mushroom tendrils with surprising strength. That along with the Akko's weakening spell made it all too easy for the snake goddess to overpower it and pin the beast to the ground.
"Come! End this with the poison you worked so hard to synthesize!" the Persona exclaims.
She pried the Shadow's mouth open as Sucy casually walked to its downed form. Taking the spray bottle, the gloomy witch forces the nozzle into the Shadow's open maw before staring directly into its eyes. "I hope you're hungry," she hisses and floods its throat with the contents of the bottle.
Within seconds, the Shadow's body slowly petrified, flesh and bone crystallizing into fine diamond. With its magic sealed, and its body weakened, the only thing it could do was squirm underneath Angitia's vice grip. The Shadow wordlessly neighed at Sucy as the life faded from its red eyes. Before long, what remained of the unicorn was a statue of pure diamond.
"Sucy that was… what kind of poison was that?" Akko asks, disturbed but also curious.
"Remember why I came to Luna Nova at the first place?" Sucy pants and explains, "That's what cockatrice poison does when you refine it."
"So… you actually used it?" Akko asked with a frown.
"It's okay. I collected plenty of feathers, remember?" Sucy waves it off. "Saving our butts is more important, so it is worth it."
"Kyuufoofoo! You have already shown growth! The you of the past would never say such a thing." Angitia states, before facing Sucy. "Continue to uphold our vow and I shall provide you with all the power you need. I am with you, always!" Having said her piece, she returns to Sucy's soul.
*Clap* *Clap*
An impressed grin stretched itself across Shadow Diana's face as she reappeared in a flash of magic.
"Defeating even my family's symbol... I take back what I said." she chuckles. "You all have proven to me that I was indeed correct about my assumptions. I will allow you to take your leave, should you want it. That being said, I implore you all. Delve deeper into my mansion so that you may see the climax of this party." With a wave of her Shiny Rod, the Shadow self disappears. The guests in the auditorium also take their leave, until their Mistress' next summon.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Amanda grunts, still nursing her injuries. "She suddenly wants us around after trying so hard to kill us?"
"No idea, but save your breath. She's gone," Sucy replies before collapsing to her knees. "Wow that was tiring…"
"Haha… It's normal," Akko helps her friend up. "That was how I felt when I first got Aradia. It'll fade the more you use your Persona." She says as she summons Silky, ordering her to cast Dia.
"Sucy… I am so glad you are alright!" Lotte exclaims, running up to embrace her friend. "I am so sorry...! If only I was faster…!"
"It's not your fault, really. No need to blame yourself…" Sucy sighs as she returns the hug.
Lotte wipes away her tears before continuing. "How you and Akko worked together was so cool! Congratulations on getting your Persona! How exactly did you do it?"
"I can't believe you got it before me…" Amanda sighs. "Got some tips?"
Sucy smirks. "Just be true to yourself, I guess."
"Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean...?!" Amanda exclaims.
"Too tired to explain, figure it out on your own," Sucy sasses.
"Oh c'mon!"
As Silky tends to everyone's wounds, Akko turns to look at the Unicorn statue. Smiling greedily to herself, she took off her cape. With a swift motion, she drapes it across the diamond Unicorn and then stores it into her inventory.
Everyone turned to look at her, their deadpan stares making the girl slightly uncomfortable. "What? Why waste such a nice statue?" the brunette defends. "Anyway, it's getting late now, not to mention everyone's pretty beaten up. I can sense a safe room nearby so we can pick this up tomorrow. Sound good?"
Hearing no objections, Akko leads them to the safe room. After creating a home there, the girls retreat for the day with a quick cast of Traesto...
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"I am off to the showers, see you guys later," Lotte says before leaving the room.
Akko and Sucy watch as their friend exits the room. With the dorm to themselves, Sucy can finally ask the questions she wanted.
"So… it was the same for you too, right…?" Sucy asks.
"Ah… what do you mean?" Akko inquires, tilting her head in confusion.
"You know what I mean," Sucy deadpans. "To grain a Persona is to face your own Shadow right? What was it like for you?"
Akko soaks in the question. It didn't take long for her to shift uncomfortably while rubbing her scar. "Ah… How about this? You tell me yours I'll tell you mine!"
"... When did you learn to bargain?" Sucy groans. "Fine, but you go first."
Akko looked up, gathering her words before starting, "... I was desperate… I was in pain and so, so scared. I knew I could die at any moment. That was then she appeared…" Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she continued, "My Shadow roasted me like yakiniku on an open flame. She used everything at her disposal to get under my skin, and I mean everything. She mocked my grades, my capacity to learn, my inability to speak even broken English..." A pause. "She mocked my insecurities. Everyone at my school saw me as that one crazy girl that jump off trees in a cheap costume. Chuunibyou is what they called people like me, and for the most part I ignored it. I just kept on spouting that I was gonna be the next Shiny Chariot without doing anything towards that goal..."
She locked eyes with Sucy before continuing.
"But my Shadow, she made me realize just how right they were, that I was nothing but a stupid child with a dream she could never reach. She said I should just give up right there and save everyone the trouble. Everything she said was the truth… and it hurt. So I decided to change. I shouted back at her and made a new vow to myself. From that point on I do everything in my power to truly take steps toward my dream!" She smiles at Sucy and continued. "She became Aradia afterward, and still to this day I make sure to fulfill that promise."
"I see…" Sucy nods. "Mine wasn't that complicated to be honest. I just acknowledged a feeling I refuse to admit since I met you…"
"Since you met me…? What is it, Sucy?! You have to tell me!" Akko eagerly asks.
Sucy eyes her jester for a second before looking away. "Screw it. I take back what I said. I am not telling you today."
Akko puffs up her cheeks in frustration. "Sucy you meanie! You broke our bargain!"
"Kekeke! What did you expect really? Did you honestly think that I'd tell you?" she smirks wickedly.
"No fair! I told you about my Shadow, you should tell me about yours too!" Akko grumbles. She thrusts her hand at Sucy, her pinky finger extended. "Fine! You don't feel like telling me?! Ok. But promise me that you'll tell me when you're ready! And you can't break this promise!"
"What are you, a little kid?!" Sucy glares back. "Who pinky swears at your age?!"
Akko just stares at her friend, refusing to move from the bedside until they locked pinkies.
Sucy sighs. "Fine…" she reaches out with her pinky, "Only you could ever get me to do something like this… Can't say I hate it."
*Shatter*
I am thou... Thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond...
It shall aid thee in thy journey to inspire.
With the blessing of the Devil Arcana, thou shalt ignite the fires of inspiration in the hearts of the people…
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [XV] Devil Rank 1 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
"What?!" Akko exclaim in her mind. "But isn't Sucy's Persona the Lovers?!"
"It just means that while her personality is symbolized by the Lovers, her bond to you is the Devil," Aradia chuckles. "What a polarizing individual."
Lilim joins the conversation, expressing immense joy in the growth of her power.
"Why are you doing staring off into thin air?" Sucy asks, annoyed, as she retracts her hand.
"Ah…. nothing!" the brunette waves off. "Anyway, I am just glad I reached out to you that day. Thanks for being my friend…"
"... me too."
"-Eh? Did you say something, Sucy?"
"You didn't hear anything, idiot," she huffs, before wrapping herself in her blanket. "Would you cast Dormina on me? I'm pretty burnt out right now. We'll talk tomorrow."
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Sucy's Persona:
Angitia (Lovers)
Null: Pys
Resistance: Curse, Ailments
Weakness: Bless, Fire
Skills: Mapsi, Media, Stagnant Air, Rakunda, Makajama, Balzac
Profile: An obscure snake goddess of the pre-Roman Italic and Oscan-Umbrian people of central Italy. Some source believed she was a traveling Greek priestess that had brought the art of snake charming into the country; other suggest she is Medea herself after Jason's betrayal.
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Enemy Shadows:
Sarasvati (Priestess)
Null: Ice
Weakness: Wind
Skills: Media, Bufula, Ice Boost, Patra, Dekaja, Resist Rage
Profile: In Hindu myth, she is the goddess of rivers and patron of speech, writing, learning, and the arts and sciences. Brahma is her husband.
[]
Apsara (Priestess)
Resistance: Ice
Weakness: Electric
Skills: Bufu, Media, Dormina, Electric Wall
Profile: Water spirits in Hindu myth. They are beautiful young women who dance for the gods. They also guide heroes fallen in battle to paradise.
[]
Unicorn (Priestess)
Null: Ice, Nuclear
Resistance: Bless
Weakness: Pys
Skills: Assault Dive, Mafreila, Nuclear Boost, Kouga, Rakukaja, Diarama, Amrita, Dekunda
Profile: A legendary white horse with a single spiral horn. It can only be tamed by a pure maiden, and its horn supposedly has miraculous healing capabilities.
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The Chariot Arcana has empowered Slime! New Skills have become available to it!
Current Skills: Evil Touch, Eiha, Lunge, Pulinpa, Fear Boost, Resist Phys
[]
The Devil Arcana has empowered Lilim! New Skills have become available to her!
Current Skills: Mazio, Mudo, Spirit Drain, Dormina, Aging, Aging Boost, Marin Karin
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Battle Items:
Anti-Shadow Mixture(Prototype): An experimental mixture created by Sucy to combat Shadows. While proven to be effective, due to the ingredients' rarity, she cannot mass produce them as of yet. Deals light Almighty Damage and infects Poison, Bind, and Exhaustion on all targets.
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Cockatrice Poison(Refined): One of the rarest and the most sought-after poison in the magical world due to its ability to create pure diamond from living organisms. Inflict guarantee Stone on all targets, pierce all Curse resistance.
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AuthorNCS: I am so disappointed at you, LWA fandom. :( Why are there so few stories of mother-daughter-flashback-hangout between Bernadette and Diana? (Maybe there are some more at tumblr, but I am not going there to risk catching cancer.)
Don't you just love Unicorn…? One of those "**** you, you don't have the level or damage to kill me" bosses. Thank goodness Sucy's here, she's so broken in this story lol.
Ailment in P3/4/5 games are not good… period (Except Confusion for money). It's often more partial to kill Shadows with attacks rather than status them (Screw you Mitsuru back then). The problem I believe is that they wear off too fast to matter and the fact they don't trigger weakness is just sad... (Good memory from mainline SMT games where status are actually good to a degree.)
In this fic:
-All Shadows can now be down by Ailment weakness.
-Some Ailment skills can do weak Almighty damage.
-[Ailment] Boost now buff any attacks that infects that Ailment by 10% and stacks with other passives. (Example, Blight.)
-Up to three Ailments can be stack on to one target.
-Main Bosses can be Poisoned, Exhausted, and Muted, but chances are rare and they recovers faster. Mini-bosses are fair game aside from Fear and Despair.
-Duration for all Ailments are longer.
-Fear and Despair skills now triggers 1 up if they connect. Making Ghostly Wail useful (but with increased SP cost so they can't be spam).
Also updating Elemental Walls as they also suck and are undermined by Magic Mirror and Makarakarn.
-Instead of Resist, Wall spells now Null that particular element for 3 turns.
-(Elemental) Breaks now last 6 turns. Can be cancel with Wall Spell.
3 turn buffs are silly, as it made Dekaja and Dekunda slot wasters and combat strategically liner.
-All buffs/debuffs now last 6 turns.
Going P3P with Sucy, since Lover SSL got occupied by someone else. It's also a nice way to show her polarizing affection toward Akko.
RIP Ep 8, you have no reason to exist in this timeline. Sweet dreams nice animations.
Originally Sucy was going to have Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty as her Persona, but that pick was a fruit so low hanging, it is buried underground. Not to mention she ended up not fitting the theme I am going for in this story. Maleficent has no redeeming quality in the original fairytale and is a pure villain (No I don't care about the live action Disney remake), so she can't be made into a good Persona that will fit Sucy (which granted would've fit OVA Sucy).
Semiramis, Unhcegila, and Achlys were also considered, but... they are kind of too strong as an initial Persona? Especially Achlys, who is the daughter of NYX. Not touching that in a Persona fic this early.
Thankfully the ancients had me covered. And what's more interesting is that there are barely any fiction I know that had Angitia; she's really unpopular. More the reason to write her.
Anyway, due to beta issue this was a bit late (Praise RiceFieldRenegade for the long hard work). Which is unfortunate, but the good thing is I get to edit this and polish it more.
We bring in the emotion next update. See y'all next time.
03/25/2018 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.