Chapter 14: Finding Oneself

|Real People Offices|11:37 am|

"So it was the whole convicted murderer on the run thing that made me divorce Ken, not the affair." Karen was saying, much to everyone's shock.

"Karen, where did you find these guys?" Lucy asked.

Amara tried to focus on the rather outlandish tales Karen was telling, but her mind wandered back to Aeternus, the Ornatu Legion, and the Ater Vox. Would they ever get closer to ending their reign? And what of the other Amara? She wondered if her new friend had the answered.

"Hey, Stella, have you ever heard of anyone called Seraphina?" She asked, after Karen returned to her office. The aloof psychic blinked, and shook her head. "Oh. I met someone called Seraphina last night, and she reminded me of you."

"Interesting. I was home last night, trying to hone my abilities. Which is difficult with all those motorcycles around. So if you're implying I disguised myself, you're mistaken." Stella said. "Hold on..."

"What is it?" Amara said. "Come on, tell me!"

"Wait a moment. I can't tell you everything. You're still not ready to tell me about the 'other world', are you?"

"Well, I'm...sorry." Amara said, trying to avoid Stella's harsh stare. "I suppose I have to tell you. But you might not believe any of it-"

"I'm a psychic, remember? I'm sure anything you say is the truth. I know that much." Stella said, smugly. "Not now, of course. Lucy's staring at us again. How about after work?"

"Okay. Better make sure no one hears anything we say..."

Finally, she would be telling Stella about the other world. Why didn't she do so earlier? If Stella was to become her ally, she needed to be honest with her. She might get to learn more about Stella too. After all, the rest of her colleagues were just normal people with their own idiosyncrasies, but Stella was a closed book. And Amara wanted to be the first to open the pages.

|Saragel - Cocoa Harbour|17:42 pm|

"Is there nothing more delightful than coffee by the beach?" Stella said as the sun was setting. "A fitting end to the daylight, and the perfect way to say 'hello' to the dusk."

"It is nice here. Way better than the coffee we get at work, huh?" Amara said, sipping on her coffee.

Cocoa Harbour was a popular establishment on Saragel's beachfront, and a common hangout for young creative people like Amara. With a fantastic view of the ocean, it was a great place for inspiration. In fact, on the wall above the kitchens were portraits of famous authors, musicians, etc who had worked on their talent here. Amara had a fantasy of her face being there one day, although she knew she had to balance that dream with reality.

"So tell me what happened, last Thursday night. After all, I was surprised by my reading. It didn't feel like it was me giving it - more like something else was telling me to do it." Stella said.

"Okay. Listen closely." Amara said, taking a deep breath.

For everyone else, they just looked like two girls having a talk about boys, money, etc, but for them, the world seemed to stop. Amara recounted everything so far; finding Nathan, Serena and later Blaine in the other world, the existence of an alternate reality connected by strange dimension crossing doorways, the Holy Cross, and Aeternus.

"...That's about it, so far. It's been a tough couple of days, believe me."

"That...was quite a tale," Stella said. "one that anyone else would dismiss it as idle daydreaming. It's difficult to believe..."

"Well, do you?" Amara said, nervous.

"I'm not sure how I feel. To be honest, I was hoping it would all be metaphorical and symbolic. Yet, it wasn't. And now you and the others are involved in a quest to save the other city from chaos." Stella said, looking towards the sea. "Perhaps that cloaked man interfered with my ability, somehow."

"Really? You think so?" Amara said, amazed. "I just thought he was a man with no idea of personal space!"

"He isn't a normal man. If someone did influence my reading, it was probably him." Stella said, in deep contemplation. "What bothers me is that fact he hasn't appeared since Thursday. If you could find him, he might be willing to divulge more details. Most worryingly, he knew your names."

"Yeah. I know my dad's company is famous, but most people don't really know his name or face. He prefers it that way, since we wouldn't get so much attention." Amara said. "So why us?"

"Perhaps it's fate," Stella said. "Annoying, isn't it? 'Fate' could be the answer to any question. Yet, there's a possibility the cloaked man has some strange insight like myself. And he wanted to prepare yourselves for it."

"Maybe, but it didn't really help," Amara said. "We don't need him. We can get by just fine without him! Whatever we run into, we'll be okay! We've got Personas. Probably better than the ones the Holy Cross have!"

"That's the spirit! Don't let your guard down yet, though. The Ater Vox will be far more dangerous than the entire Holy Cross combined. Not to mention this Commander they keep harping on about." Stella said. "Well, I'm glad you told me all of this. Perhaps this is what my power is meant to be used for. So don't worry, Amara. I'm going to use my gift for you from now on!"

"Great! Stella, you're my guardian angel!" Amara said, giggling. "Now enough of that! Let's finish this coffee and go for that walk!"

"Sounds perfect. It'll make a change from the ever so beautiful Kanaloa promenade, tastefully decorated with graffiti and broken glass."

|Saragel Promenade|18:20 pm|

Saragel was one of the two districts of the city that faced the sea, and in comparison to Kanaloa, it was the most appealing. With cleaner beaches, amazing clubs and bars by the sea, and a harbour bustling with life, it was easy to see why young adults chose it as their hang-out spot. Amara loved it here, but she hadn't been since she broke up with her last boyfriend.

"We're lucky to live in such a beautiful city, aren't we?" Stella said, gazing at the sandcastle tournament that was taking place. The creations were works of art, in all shapes and sizes. Not a single detail was left out, even sand people on the balconies wishing upon the stars. "Even if I do live in Kanaloa, I wouldn't go anywhere else."

"Yeah. I want to go back to Egypt someday, though. I want to see the place I was born." Amara said. "At least, with new eyes. As an adult, not a little girl."

"That sounds like a great idea. I'd love to see it myself, but there are quite a lot of places I'd love to visit. Even so, I'd always come back here." Stella said. The two of them walked in silence, staring at the stars in the sky. The night was still young, so the two of them just kept on walking. They occasionally stopped to look at whatever caught their interest, whether it was a stray cat, an ice cream shop with dragonfruit and guava flavours, or a particularly intense volleyball game. Eventually, they got closer to Legarte.

"What a great night. Unfortunately, I've got to be getting back." Stella said, stopping. "I forgot, I needed to be somewhere else tonight. Take care, alright?"

Stella then waved goodbye, and headed towards the nearest bus stop.

Wonder where she was going. Does she have a family? Or friends back in Kanaloa?

Amara stopped for a minute, staring at the beach. Apart from a rather handsome young man fishing, there was nothing happening. Just a silent, quiet night in Saragel. Amara just realised - the other New Motus City couldn't access the sea anymore. The beach must have become an absolute eyesore, nothing like the one she was looking at this moment. That awful truth sent a shiver down her spine.

Gazing at the water again, her eyes kept wandering to the young fisherman. He was even more handsome than she first thought. His bright blue hair, and his matching blue eyes - they were so enticing. He looked physically fit, no doubt from his work. Eventually, he noticed her, and gave her a charming smile. For a second, she felt like going down to talk to him. It seemed almost natural, like they were meant to meet.

Wait, what am I doing? I don't even know that guy!

Smiling back at the man, she then turned around and began her return journey. The night was still young, and she'd no doubt be back here soon enough, in either world. Walking slowly, she absent-mindedly took out the key to the warehouse. Tonight, she wouldn't be going to the other city, but enjoying herself in this one. Yet soon, she'd be back in there, fighting Shadows alongside the others. She could only hope that her comrades were enjoying their moments of peace.

Just then, she felt someone snatch the warehouse key from her hand. She turned around, and just barely saw him, running away as fast as he could.

"Hey!" Amara shouted. "Get back here now!"

Giving chase, Amara ran faster than she thought possible, just so she could get that key back. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, they wound up outside the warehouse in Farawell.

"Please, stop!" Amara shouted.

The man finally did so, as he unlocked the door, and hurled the keys back to her. She only got a glimpse of his face before he ran upstairs, but it was Nathan. In very rough and tattered clothes, with a different hairstyle, but it was definitely him.

"What the heck is he trying to do?"

Without thinking, she ran upstairs herself and gasped. The NDD was set to the Farawell Shadow Development Centre, not the secret base. If the other Nathan ended up fighting Shadows, what would happen? Could he summon a Persona like Setanta? Amara quickly sent texts to the others explaining what happened, and jumped through the NDD.

|Secret Base|18:56 pm|

"Oh, good evening - huh? Just Amara?" Kyle said. Aimee walked in the room just as Amara emerged, and Seraphina stood up, alarmed. "Where's everyone else?"

"Lady Amara, I sense you are here in pursuit of one who has returned to this realm from yours."

Aimee looked up, concerned. "What? Someone went to Amara's world, but came back?!"

"Yeah, bang on. It's Nathan from his world!" Amara said, panicking. "I asked the others to come, but - damn! I can't get a signal in here. Listen, what do you know about Albion Inc? They're still around in this world, aren't they?"

Kyle, hesitantly, nodded.

"In a manner of speaking. Nathan Albion, son of Reginald Percival Albion. It only just hit me. I assume Nathan's father is still alive in your world, right? Over here, however, the CEO died in an 'accident'. Thus, the company was absorbed by Aeternus. On the surface, Albion still produces electronics, but in reality, they lent their technological expertise to creating advanced Shadow machinery."

Nathan's father is dead here? When he finds out, he'll be devastated.

"Oh my god. So could Albion have been involved with Aeternus' experiments ten years ago too? This is bad. If the other Nathan does something crazy-"

"Be calm, Lady Amara. I've already figured out where he is. The scarlet-haired warrior has returned to his home district. Be warned, those who wield monsters of falsehood may be nearby. Be very careful! And please, bring him here!" Seraphina said.

"Thanks. Okay, hurry and set the NDD to Nova Albion! I have to protect him!" Amara shouted.

Hesitating, Kyle put the code in, and Amara jumped through.

|Nova Albion - Albion Incorporated Head Office|18:57 pm|

Even in this city, the Albion Incorporated building couldn't be missed. It was still a behemoth of a building, with its tremendous lit red sign and countless floors with glass windows. It seemed almost like a fairy tale tower, built for a modern era. Amara wound up just across the road from the famous building, but luckily for her, no one else was around. The NDD itself was inside an old coffee shop, that was closed for the day.

"Nathan?" Amara called out. No response. "Nathan! Please, come here! I have to protect you!"

Silence. Every second of silence made Amara more and more worried, and so she ran to the entrance. Unfortunately, it was locked.

"Damn! What the hell am I going to do now?"

Just then, she heard voices. Worried it was the Ornatu Legion, she quickly found a dumpster to hide behind. Spying on them from behind, she saw the three boys the team had fought on Saturday.

"It's no good, I can't find them anywhere." the dreadlocked boy said. "I guess we won't be getting that promotion anytime soon."

"Man! Even if we did find them, there's no way we'd win. After all, the Holy Cross failed." the blue-haired boy said.

"Yeah. I heard that the Commander's furious. Again." the red-haired boy said.

"And I thought I heard them talking about how they were already searching for a woman named Amara Furaha before now. You know, the daughter of the oil guy who was killed a few years back?" the dreadlocked boy said. The three of them walked off, and Amara stood there in shocked silence.

"Dad's...dead?"

Amara couldn't believe what she just heard. Was it the Shadows? Or had Aeternus come after him?

"No...I can't let it get to me. My dad's still alive! The other me's dad isn't. Oh god!"

No matter how hard she tried to reassure herself, she felt like her heart was going to break. When she was sure the Ornatu Legion members were out of sight, she quickly ran off, still looking for Nathan.

Maybe he knows more about my dad. I have to try!

Finally, she saw him - outside a large posh house. Perhaps it was the same house Nathan lived in, but Amara couldn't be sure. He had a staff weapon similar to the Nathan she knew, but he seemed more comfortable holding it.

"Nathan Albion? I'm glad I finally caught up to you. My name is Amara Furaha!" Amara said. He looked at her, surprised. "I mean, I'm Amara from the other world. But I have a Persona! So please, whatever it is you're doing, don't go off on your own -"

"I appreciate your concern. There's no need for that, however. I wield a Persona myself." Other Nathan said, seriously. "I apologise for taking your key. I just needed to get back here, and I knew that you and the others had the key to get inside."

"You could have just asked me for it! Would have saved a lot of trouble!" Amara said, pouting.

"Being in your world was...difficult, to say the least. I'd imagined what my life would be like if the Shadows had never appeared, and now I finally got to see it. And since you locked the warehouse shut, I couldn't return until I found you. This house is where my other self lives. Here, another family reside, rarely venturing outside..."

"I'm sorry..."

He shook his head, and managed a slight smile. "Don't be. I've no intention of interfering with my other self's life. He and I are one and the same, after all."

"...Nathan. Do you know what happened to my father? Rudo Furaha? I overheard the Ornatu Legion earlier. They said he was murdered..."

Nathan looked grave, and stepped closer. After a few moments, he summoned up the courage to speak.

"I've already met your other self several times. She's told me some details, enough for me to get the general picture. I'm afraid the story you heard was true. Your father was murdered - and the Commander may have been responsible."

"No!" Amara shouted.

I knew he was scary, but he actually killed my dad? Why?! The money? Had he stopped being useful to them?!

She still wanted to cry, even if her father remained alive in her own world. Yet, Amara was still Amara in this world. They were the same, even if one of them didn't want to admit it.

"I'm sorry. Unfortunately, I have to go now. There are many things I have to take care off. I'm also looking for revenge against the Commander, and the Ornatu Legion itself." Nathan said, and he started to walk off.

Amara didn't respond. She eventually fell to her knees, sobbing. Grieving for her beloved father, she couldn't stop the sadness, the heartbreak. This pain was such that her other self had six years to come to terms with. For her, it was a fresh wound that just wouldn't heal.

"Amara!" someone cried behind her. It was Serena, looking concerned. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Serena, I..." Amara said, as the tears finally stopped. "It's about my father."

"Your dad? What about him?" Serena asked, but her eyes widened. It seemed she knew what Amara meant. "Oh..."

"He was killed by the Commander six years ago. I can't believe it! What the hell happened six years ago?!"

"I wish I knew. In here, everything's different, and not for the better." Serena said, looking around. "You sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'll be alright in a minute. Thanks..." Amara said. Serena handed her a handkerchief, and Amara wiped away her tears. "Really, I mean it. Thank you. Where are Nathan and Blaine?"

"Still coming. I just got here first. Kyle and the others were really worried! So did you see the other Nathan?"

"Yeah, I just saw him. He looks so different from Nathan! His clothes are all torn, and he even has a tattoo. But he mentioned he was getting revenge himself, against the Commander."

"Revenge? Then, Aeternus did kill his dad?" Serena said. "Let's go and look for him! Even if he has a Persona, it's dangerous to fight alone!"

The two girls ran off, looking all over. Finally, they wound up in Nova Albion's Augustus Square. It was known for its festivals during the month of August, celebrating the culture and class of the town. Sitting there in a corner was the other Amara.

"Hey, it's her!" Serena said, astounded. "She's like your identical twin."

"I know. I don't think she's noticed us yet. Should we go over?" Amara said.

"Sure, but be careful!" Serena said, cautious. "I'll be with you, of course."

Hesitating, the two girls decided to walk over - but before they could, someone else suddenly appeared. It was none other than Alastair Clark.

What the hell is he doing here now?!

Sensing his presence, the other Amara spun around, and gave him a hateful look.

"Your team seriously need to stop chasing me! I'm not joining your army, not after what happened to my father!"

"Unfortunately, my superiors won't take no for an answer. Come with me, now!"

"Let her go! Hathor!" Amara yelled, and with incredible. force, Hathor unleashed a searing Agi spell that hit Alastair, sending him onto the floor.

"Argh! This pain, I - Wait, why are there two of you?!" Alastair yelled. "I was wondering why you didn't have a scar..."

"You're mistaken! I'm...um...her twin sister!" Amara said, panicking. "Right?"

"Uh, no." Other Amara said, coldly.

"Cute. But we've been on to you for some time now. Not only are there two Amaras but there's another Nathan too! The son of the Albion company. He's been missing for so long now, Aeternus assumed he had died!" Alastair said.

Alastair laughed darkly. "How pathetic. We've been on to you for a little while now. Two different versions of yourself, and two different versions of Nathan Albion. Our surveillance system caught a glimpse of Nathan in Saragel, at the exact same moment Kazuya was fighting him in Legarte!"

"But that's just stupid. How can there be two of one person at once?" Serena asked, raising her eyebrows.

"That's something we'll learn once we capture you," Alastair said, with a condescending expression. "And you, Serena Agnethe, are supposed to be dead!"

"What?!" Serena gasped, shocked. "Dead?! But -"

"As for that Blaine fellow, well...no, I'll wait until I confront him personally. Unfortunately, I must withdraw. I know my limits...as should you."

Alastair quickly ran away, and the Other Amara stood up, disgusted to see her other-self.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?!" she said. "I could have handled him on my own! And to think she's your friend!"

Serena stared, befuddled. "How do you know me?!"

The other Amara simply glared. "Forget about it. In fact, forget about everything. You two should just go home, and let me deal with this."

"No it isn't," Amara said. "It doesn't matter what world I'm in, Rudo will always be my father. And I won't just like his murderer roam free. We can fight the Commander together! You, me and the others! The rebel team -"

"Shut! Up!" Other Amara wailed. "You don't know anything! He's not your dad! He's not the one who got shot twenty times in the back!"

Amara recoiled in horror. An image of her dad's corpse came into her head, and refused to leave no matter how hard she tried to push it away.

"Amara - uh, other Amara - please stop this! We can help you!" Serena said, patiently. "Whatever the Serena here did, it's nothing to do with me! Please, we really can help!"

"No you can't! Come forth, Sekhmet!" Other Amara unleashed, with a blue explosion of energy, a Persona that was like another Hathor. Yet, she had a red dress and black metal boots and gloves, and wielded a black sword instead of a staff. With what looked like a black coat hanging on her shoulders, she looked much more vicious than Hathor.

"Whoa!" Amara cried out. There was an incredible surge of power in her body. It was just like when she first summoned her Persona. Hathor appeared without even being called for, and pointed at her alter-ego.

My darker self, there is no need to face me in combat this way. Allow me to show you the path of the sun once more, and regain your lost joy!

Sekhmet simply shrugged, unmoved. The other Amara was fuming, outraged by the sight of a Persona that was just like her own.

My lighter self, you are too naïve to understand. The path of sadness I have travelled, no one can possibly join me. Not even you!

"What is this power?!" Amara screamed. Hathor seemed to almost double in strength when facing Sekhmet. The other Amara seemed to be experiencing the same thing, and scowled.

"Shut up! If you won't go away back to your own world, I'll make you!" The other Amara was furious, and Amara's attempts at reason only made things worse. "Come on, Magma Cross!" Sekhmet slashed Amara twice, in a cross formation, with her blade infused with flames. Oddly, it hurt quite a bit, despite Hathor's fire resistance.

"Damn...I'm not going to give up on this world! Or you! Serena, go find Nathan and Blaine! I'll handle this!" Amara said.

"What? But what if -"

"I'll be alright! Just go!" Amara said.

Serena nodded, and ran away as fast as she could.

"Now come on! Take this!" Hathor changed her staff into a sword, and performed a strong fiery slash. "Now...Rakukaja!" Amara discovered a new spell - it would improve her resilience to attacks.

"What?! You too?!" Other Amara shouted, astonished. "Fine! Anything you can do, I can do better!" She cast the same spell on herself, and the two girls soon started clashing swords. No matter how hard each of them swung, they were unable to land a single hit on the other.

"I guess we're evenly matched..." Amara said, panting for air.

"No, we're not!" Other Amara said. "Agilao!" A powerful fire spell that outclassed Agi hit Amara, and the pain was searing. Amara saw her alter ego laughing, and felt a flash of indignation in her.

"That's it! Now I'm going all out! Hathor, Agi!"

Hathor soon conjured more flames, and while this wasn't quite as strong as Agilao, a potent magic behind the spell caused it to be quite powerful regardless. Amara soon realised - Hathor was the more magical of the two. Sekhmet, on the other hand, was more adept with a sword. The two girls leered at each other, and soon resumed slashing at each other, neither one of them letting down their guard.

|Outside Albion Inc. HQ|19:20 pm|

Serena arrived at the coffee shop, and as soon as she saw Nathan and Blaine, she ran over. She must have looked rather panicked, from Nathan and Blaine's reactions.

"Serena? What's going on? Is Amara alright?" Nathan asked.

"Well, no! She's fighting the other Amara right now!" Serena said, distressed. "She told me to get you guys. If she's not careful, she could be in real trouble! We have to save her!"

"Easy, Serena. We're gonna help her soon, okay?" Blaine said, calmly. "We'll find the other Nathan and find out what his story is."

"We're lucky both the other me and Amara were desperate to return here," Nathan said, relieved. "But if they've both got Personas, we should get them to join us."

"Okay, let's go," Serena said. "To the square!"

|Augustus Square|19:21 pm|

The fight showed no signs of ending. Despite all the fire magic and sword attacks, neither of them were ready to give in. Amara couldn't believe that it would be so hard to take herself down, and the other Amara seemed to think the same.

"Here's a new toy for you to play with!" Other Amara said. Sekhmet, raising her sword, cut Amara repeatedly, inflicting a nasty poison.

Dammit, I don't have anything like that. Or do I?

To her surprise, she managed to make Hathor use the same Poison Steel attack, which seemed to have the same results.

"You really are me, aren't you?" The other Amara asked, wincing from the pain. "It's like looking into a mirror..."

"That's why we shouldn't be fighting like this. Please, stop fighting and listen to me!"

The other Amara shook her head in defiance.

"Quit telling me what to do! I've had enough of this!" Other Amara said, tears running down her face. "You don't even know how lucky you are! You ended up in a good world, so you should have stayed there! If you keep coming here, you might end up dead! Then what will Dad do?!"

"I...I know it's dangerous." Amara said, solemnly. "But if you're really me, you'd know that we can't just leave those in need behind. I have a Persona, so I want to use it in the right way. Not as an Ornatu Legion drone, but as myself."

The other Amara stood silent, still tearful. However, she seemed to have ceased her attack. However, she looked behind her counterpart, and gasped.

"What the hell is that thing?!"

Amara turned around and gasped at the monstrosity behind her. A grotesque Shadow, that was a dark horse-like beast with a skeletal witch figure riding on top of it. With a white mask for her face, the witch started chanting in a bizarre voice.

This Shadow's got a similar aura to that clown one. But where did it come from?

"...Let's take her down!"

"Huh? But I..." Other Amara said, still shaking.

"We'll talk later! Let's take care of this first. We've got a witch hunt to do!"

Both Amaras, holding their swords, got ready to attack. They resolved to ensure that this Sorceress would not leave the square intact.