Persona: Duality

by Sraosha

Amara Furaha is an aspiring artist living in the idyllic metropolis of New Motus City. One day, she is stranded in another world, and is attacked by unholy creatures - the Shadows. She, along with many others, will begin a journey to eliminate them and put a stop to the organisation that has jeopardised the safety of her beloved city. Yet, she must also try to live a normal life.

65. Descent Into Madness

AN: Oh boy. So much for this NOT taking as long to write. My apologies for the wait, everyone, but with this chapter I had to rewrite quite a few things until I was satisfied. To be specific, there were two battles that simply took up too much space without adding much to the story, so I replaced them with smaller battles and postponed the original two for the next arc.

A belated happy new year to all my readers. Please read and review!

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Chapter 65: Descent Into Madness

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|Saragel - Town Hall Museum|18:30 pm|

One minute, Keisha had been screaming for help. Then she was in a completely different part of the museum - the room where Nick and Brad kept their treasures. Had she fallen asleep? She didn't recall anything other than her pleading for mercy. Yet here she was.

"Have you finally calmed down now?" A voice outside asked. A shiver went down Keisha's spine. Tomas was here. Had he done something to her? She looked at herself - she didn't seem to be restrained. Yet when she went to open the door, the handle wouldn't budge.

"No!" Keisha cried. "What have you done to this thing?!"

"Tomas." Another voice said. Keisha recognised this as the man who was helping Tomas earlier - Rudo. "How could you do those awful things to those men? Torture them, force them to live out their final moments in such horrible ways...and kill them!?"

So that's how it happened. Good god...you make me sick! If I hadn't run away that night...why did I leave them at that bastard's mercy?

"We've been over this a thousand times, Rudo. I did it because it was necessary. Unlike everyone else, we weren't fortunate enough for Philemon to grant us the gift of a Persona. So we had no choice but to artificially bestow it upon ourselves to stand a chance." Tomas said. "And if we had used the Ornatu Legion stock, we would be insects before the Ater Vox."

"But there are countless Persona users fighting them directly! And from what we heard, rather well! Nathan even sent Josephine flying out of a window!" Rudo exclaimed. "What about the plan you proposed to them? What was the point of that?"

"That, my friend? Another small experiment on my part. Simply put, it was to test how easy it was to give them hope." Tomas said. "The results show good signs! Yet while their power is potentially great...in truth, I don't believe it is possible to reverse the Divine Sparks. Once they happen, it creates a historical counterpart of it in Inanis."

"So there's nothing that can be done? The Ater Vox can rewrite reality, and we can do absolutely nothing?!" Rudo screamed. "Why? Why even bother?"

"I never said nothing can be done." Tomas said. "The Ater Vox can rewrite reality if they so desire. Yet so can we."

"What?!" Rudo said.

"The secret lies within Inanis. That is where the Eternal Road shall commence once all the pieces are set. Yet in our current forms, we cannot fully understand that realm. Nihane Kronos has truly made it his domain. But if we were to take the power unleashed by a Divine Spark, we stand a chance of conquering Inanis!" Tomas said. "Think, Rudo! Eight people were inside a Divine Spark in June. They all returned to our city alive! The power of a Persona will let us survive!"

"So you really are insane...is this really the only way?!" Rudo said. "What of Amara? She trusts you! There's no way she'd ever allow you to go forward with this!"

"Why even tell her?" Tomas said. "If we're lucky, this Divine Spark will be triggered with the help of that girl in there before Amara and friends ever find out."

What?! You mean you're gonna lock me up in here while a Divine Spark goes off! But we'll die! Someone! Get me out of here, now!

"Sorry. I can't go along with this. No way!" Rudo said. "I don't understand! What would you even do if you somehow obtained the power of the Eternal Road?"

"...Ayodele." Tomas said.

"Ayo...dele?" Rudo said.

"That's right. You and your wife could be together again, as it should have always been. You, your wife, and your daughter. The three of you living in harmony. Doesn't that sound ideal? The perfect world you've dreamed of since that dreadful day, finally realised!" Tomas said.

"But…what about you?" Rudo asked. "You surely have your own desires! Right?"

"All I desire is my friend's happiness." Tomas said. "If you were to walk out on me now, all of this would have been for nothing. I don't want to have to recreate you in the perfect new world. I want you, as you are now, to live there in true bliss."

"I..." Rudo said. "Tomas, I'm sorry..."

"It's not too late. If you'll stick with me for this last hurdle, I'll make it happen. The sadness we've been through will fade away into nothingness. Amara and her friends can have their ideal world, too. The only ones who won't benefit? The Ater Vox! Not one of them will have what they seek! They will forever be denied existence!" Tomas raved.

"Then...I'll help." Rudo said.

Are you crazy?! Your friend isn't gonna bring back your wife or make the world brand sparkling new! He's fucking insane! Wake up and smell the coffee, you fossil!

Keisha sat on the floor. Neither of the men were talking anymore. She was all alone - and about to be sacrificed to the Divine Spark.

"Brad, Nick...help me!"

|Amurdad Ruins - Inanis|18:45 pm|

Most of the day had passed. Yet Nihane had remained here in this dreary place. To be surrounded by the ruins of a destroyed town would leave many with a solemn feeling in their hearts. Yet Nihane was calm. With the power Janus granted, he could witness Amurdad in it's heyday. Gorgeous white buildings as far as the eye could see - far from the drab factories and tower blocks of Kanaloa. The people of Amurdad put their heart and soul into making their home one to be proud of - nowhere was this more apparent with the grand palace that once lay before Nihane.

Janus had slowly revealed the past of Amurdad to Nihane over the years. The past Nihane Kronos conveyed an air of authority, and would not stand for ridicule or laziness amongst his people. Yet his good heart shone through. Many civilians would tell stories of being helped out of the blue. For instance, an old lady with a bad back was carried all the way home.

It would be his family he loved most, however. The eldest daughter had found love with a man the past Nihane did not approve of, but out of sheer love for his daughter, welcomed him into the family home. The youngest son, a shy and quiet boy, was guarded fiercely by his father. And his wife was prone to sickness, and often the past Nihane would be at her bedside, bringing her meals he had cooked himself.

Nihane had often laughed at these stories. How could his ancestor have such a cliché life? He had everything he desired. If his reign had not ended so abruptly, he could have done countless good deeds for the city. Amurdad may have outshone Nova Albion. In another world, Kanaloa was so notorious for thugs and drunkards that not a single travel guide bothered to mention it.

Yet today, Janus had shown Nihane the fate of his ancestor after their sorrowful escape from Amurdad. His daughter had not made it to the boat. His child had been slain by people he had tried so hard to make understand his own. Their journey to another land would be one of many tears. The boy took his sister's death the hardest, however. For years, he would remain haunted by the memories of their home's destruction. Their family would never be the same again.

Now was the time to revive the Nihane Kronos legacy. His family were in the heavens now, but they had to be watching the new Nihane. After all, he would go beyond the impossible, and revive Amurdad.

"Hmm." Nihane said. "Do you sense something, Janus?"

It seems your lofty ambitions may be realised faster than we believed. Very soon, the land of Hordad will awaken. Haurvatat and Tarsna are growing stronger with every tick of the clock. Amurdad. Spandarmad. Ardwahist. Wahman. Hordad. Soon, all that will remain is Sahrewar.

"Very interesting." Nihane said. "Then I shall be the eye-witness for Hordad's arrival. I wonder what will appear?"

In centuries past, a meek and timid politician of Hordad - or rather, Saragel - questioned the bloodshed, only for their family to turn on him. The result? Yet more bloody deaths. Rightly deserved for the bloodshed they brought to this once sacred land. However, can any suffering be parallel to your ancestors?

"Of course not. I alone bear the burden of their sadness. Their wait will end soon enough. Janus, I shall leave this place for now. Allow me to take centre stage."

Go on, dear Nihane. We shall be watching over you, as we have done so for your ancestors since time immemorial. Life for all except those of Amurdad shall come to a spectacular end, and those seeking revival will praise your efforts for all of time.

Nihane dismissed Janus, and made his departure. The footsteps echoed, with no other sounds to fill the empty abyss. Yet soon, the void would become less empty.

|Secret Base|19:30 pm|

When the team got to the secret base, no one was present, not even Aimee. Yet Kyle's computer was left running, with what appeared to be the Aeternus website on the screen.

"You know, for a tyrannical government, they could stand to hire a web designer." Serena said. "Like, did they put it together in five minutes with Dreamweaver?"

"Where is everyone?" Nathan asked. "Oh, there's a note on the table. Let's see."

"They keep doing this shit." Blaine grumbled. "Can't one of them wait for us?"

"No complaining! Let's see this note." Amara said.

To those from the Other World, Tara & Matthew:

Read that news article to understand what's going on. The situation isn't so good - Keisha's gone missing, Shirley's a Persona user now, and we think a Divine Spark is going to happen tonight.

Roger and Karen are looking for Keisha. Tara and Matthew, if you're reading this, please assist them. The rest of you, split yourselves into pairs and have one go to Farawell, one go to Saragel.

"What?! I wasn't prepared to take on a Divine Spark today!" Blaine said. "Please tell me they're just being paranoid."

"Perhaps reading the news article will let us know what's happening." Nathan said. Everyone crowded around the computer, and read everything.

A research facility had been destroyed, and the suspect was…Tomas Weiken. He was also smuggling a wanted man into Aeternus headquarters. And there was evidence of him being involved with terrorist activity in Saragel or Legarte. Ornatu Legion soldiers were patrolling those areas right that moment.

"...What the hell?!" Amara shouted. "There's no way Tomas could be doing this! That's crazy!"

"They've got a photograph of it right there, Amara." Serena said. "Sorry to say this, but it looks like your friend Tomas blew up that lab."

"Then what are we waiting for? We're gonna have to find my dad and Tomas and get the truth out of them!" Amara said, angry.

"Let's not be so hasty." Nathan said "If there's going to be a Divine Spark tonight, perhaps that history textbook Serena stole -"

"Borrowed!" Serena snapped.

"-borrowed should tell us where it could be." Nathan finished.

"Right." Serena said. "You're in luck. I kept in the bag I always take with me." She pulled out yet another bag of pretzels, and put it next to the empty packets by the computer. "...Maybe I should hold back on giving him these."

"Watching his diet is always a sign of true love." Blaine said, laughing.

"Shut it!" Serena said, blushing. "Okay, here we go. The 'story' written by Eugene Dwight. Let's see. Legarte…"

...that other incident - the one in Legarte. The Naval Base there was known for fostering true bonds between the soldiers, as if they were kin. They would gladly have died for their comrades. Yet after Amurdad fell, the soldiers started to lose their grip on reality. They began arguing with each other, slowly forgetting their brotherly love. They also refused to leave their base, having even lost their pride in protecting the harbour. Finally, the soldiers grabbed their weapons and tore each other to pieces. Not a single man survived - each one of them was out for blood. It was as bad as the cathedral, if not worse. After it happened, a massive riot broke out on the streets of Legarte. Everyone was blaming each other for what happened to the base, and quite a few lives were lost in the fighting. I nearly became one of the victims, but I managed to get away from those crowds.

"Holy fuck." Blaine said. "What the hell made those soldiers do that?"

"God knows." Amara said. "But where is this Naval Base supposed to be?"

"I'm not sure. It must have been demolished and built over." Serena said. "Although when I was at Solar Ray Mall, I noticed a bronze statue of a cannon outside. The plaque said it was there to commemorate soldiers who died overseas. So maybe it's there?"

"Who knows. Let's move on to Saragel." Nathan said. "What does Eugene Dwight have to say about that?"

"He talked about going to Takanawa. We know about the castle there already. Then the Donatella family of Nova Albion. Their house eventually became the Millers'. And…here's Saragel." Serena said.

A lovelier coastal town I never did see, but that mayor was a spineless coward who didn't want to join us! His son, and my former friend, aided me in burning down Amurdad's abominable medical centre, filled with all sorts of ungodly cures. His son was a good man, or so I thought. It turns out his father didn't like what he did, and had a few harsh words to say to him. So his son becomes insane, and commits patricide with a rusty harpoon! Then he tried to make himself the mayor - but he was a hopeless leader. He ordered the death of anyone who crossed him!

Then his wife - the woman I once loved - decides she can't let him do what he wants anymore. She shoves him off a cliff, and then she runs away, never to be seen again. Amurdad has robbed me even of Harriet.

"Jeez." Blaine said. "That guy murdered his own dad? Fucking psycho! He got what he deserved!"

"Yeah." Amara said. "Speaking of dads, we've got mine to protect! But I don't know which district to go to..."

"Heads or tails?" Serena asked. "Come on. We might as well."

"...Fine." Amara said. "Tails, I'm going to Legarte. Heads, I'm going to Saragel."

"Good. Nathan, do the honours." Serena said.

"Coin flipping seems inappropriate for situations like this. Yet I shall." Nathan said. He pulled out a silver coin, and flipped it. "Heads. Looks like you're Saragel bound."

"Alright." Amara said. "Then I should pick someone to go with me. Hmm…"

"How about me?" Serena asked. "Come on! How often is it just the two of us? Besides, you might need a healer!"

"And we won't?" Nathan said, sighing. "I hope you brought a first aid kit, Blaine."

"Nope. But hey, we're tough. By the time we attack, the enemy's not getting up." Blaine said, proudly thumping his chest. "Come on, Nathan! Get excited. Us guys, fighting monsters together! It's like a buddy action movie!"

"If you say so..." Nathan said. "Very well. We're going to Legarte. Promise me you two will be safe."

"We will be." Amara said. With that, the four of them split up and prepared to search for Tomas - for they had many questions.

|Legarte|19:59 pm|

"Argh!" Blaine screamed. The minute they arrived in Legarte, they were surrounded by piles of broken mannequins. Near his feet was a leg that had fallen off - and when Blaine noticed, he leapt up, shaking.

"...Blaine, they're not real!" Nathan said. He could just barely contain his laughter. Blaine quickly got out of the room, and Nathan followed. "So that's what Mr Black Lightning is afraid of."

"Screw you, Nathan." Blaine said. "They just looked real, alright? If they were, you'd be shitting your pants too!"

"Calm down. Now, we seem to be in a department store. Our target is the Aeternus Supplies Complex, correct?" Nathan asked. "Or as we know it, the Solar Ray Mall."

"Yup. Man, I haven't been back there for a while. Can't even believe I settled for that place, but...life gets tough. Fucking bills, man. I thought I could do some construction work, but nothing going." Blaine said.

"At least you finally found something you love doing. Right?" Nathan asked.

"Hell yeah I did. Getting that barman gig was awesome. What's weird is seeing Kaman over there so happy, but here he's a gloomy gus." Blaine said, shaking his head. "Guess there are some things you can't move on from..."

"Perhaps. Yet now he's like us. I hope that's giving him new direction in life." Nathan said. "Now then, I hope we're not too far from the centre. If the streets are packed with Legion soldiers, then we might have to take a few detours."

Blaine opened the door, and as they went outside the building, they saw Ornatu Legion soldiers everywhere. They were at the riverside, near a bridge. On the other side was the Aeternus Supplies Centre, in the same exact spot where Solar Ray Mall would be.

"How convenient!" Blaine said. "Can't we just waltz straight over there? You know we can kick all of their asses in our sleep. Come on. Don't wimp out on me."

"Blaine, I don't want to risk anything. We have to -"

Blaine covered Nathan's mouth, and pointed to two familiar faces leaving the Centre. They were Carlos and Pierre, talking amongst themselves. The latter seemed to be foul-tempered, complaining loudly, whilst the former sighed, and spoke to Pierre in a dismissive tone. Despite their loud voices, neither Blaine nor Nathan could make out what they were saying.

"Oh no..." Nathan said. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"But what about the Divine Spark - hey!?"

Nathan grabbed Blaine by the arm, and was practically dragging him away from the scene. They ran, fast as they could, passing by frightened citizens, bewildered Shadows and angry Ornatu Legion soldiers. Finally, exhausted from the chase, Nathan stopped in the right side of the harbour.

"You pussy!" Blaine said, panting for breath. "You really couldn't just be a man and fight those bastards?!"

"It wouldn't have been that simple! We could have been captured. You and your arrogance! You might be strong, but you're not invincible! If there were more of us, we might have been okay!" Nathan said. "…At least we're safe here."

"Yeah. We're safe, but if that supply centre really is the Divine Spark of tonight, everyone inside is gonna die." Blaine said. "Come on. Take a chance once in a will."

"You listen to me, you idiot! I've been doing that every day since June! Every single battle has a risk of death! Do you not think I consider the possibility, no matter how remote, that I may never see Priscilla again?! Well?!" Nathan snapped. "And you! What if your bravado got you in trouble? Lucy would never find out -"

Before he could finish, he was struck across the face by a infuriated Blaine. Nathan, shocked, stepped away from him. The two of them were quiet for some time, and the only sound was from the water that hadn't been sealed away.

"...Sorry. I couldn't take any more..."

"I...Nathan said, rubbing his cheek. "I wasn't thinking...I thought I was supposed to be the calm one."

"Come on, dude. By now, is anything the way it's supposed to be?" Blaine said. "Maybe one thing is, though. We got to meet again."

"Again?" Nathan said, confused. "What are you saying - shit!"

Nathan and Blaine were suddenly surrounded by vast crowds of Shadows, of many varieties. The amount of them was so vast, the entire area felt dark enough for it to be nightfall. Blaine pulled out his gun, ready to fire.

"Looks like we're in trouble, dude." He said, smirking. "How about it? You wanna bring down these fuckers?"

"I'd be happy to!" Nathan said. "As threatening as this demons are, I think the strongest one here is my ally right now."

"Hell yeah. Let's do it!" Blaine roared. The battle begun in full force, with the harbour becoming a battlefield among battlefields. Nathan and Blaine were indeed outnumbered, but their strength as two was not to be taken lightly.

|Saragel|20:05 pm|

Amara and Serena were having problems manoeuvring as well, and had just managed to reach Guardwell. In days gone by, it was filled with armourers and blacksmiths, but now it was one of the few streets in Saragel that was deserted. Yet it meant that moving into a busier part of Saragel would be tricky.

"Amara, are you okay?" Serena asked. "Getting to that museum is going to be hard from here."

"How could he blow up that lab? That was the only safe place for us to meet him! Now we're completely cut off from the Aeternus HQ, and my dad's in danger!" Amara said.

"You don't know that. Tomas is your dad's best friend, as you say. He wouldn't harm him, would he?" Serena said. "And we know the two places to go. If we get to the Museum, we might just find them."

"I sure hope you're right." Amara said. "Dad...he's a good man. This world has been utter hell for him."

"Everyone in our team loves their dads, don't they? Except me..." Serena said. "Well, he can be okay some of the time. But Blaine's died when he was 10, and he still raves about him. Nathan and you go on about how awesome yours are almost every day. But mine...we just never had that bond. I used to think it was my fault. Then I blamed him. Or sometimes Nina. Now...I don't know."

"Well maybe it's time to stop blaming people." Amara said. "Your dad must care about you on some level, right? And you said so yourself. He can be 'okay' at times. That proves one thing."

"What?" Serena asked.

"That it isn't too late to change things around. Maybe someday, you can be as close with him as me and my dad." Amara said. "But listen. As much as I love Dad, there are those times where you just can't stand him. So when that happens to you…just call. We can bitch about our dads together."

"That sounds like fun..." Serena said. "Um, maybe we should hurry up. Getting to the museum from here's going to be tricky. At least we're not too high profile."

She and Serena slowly walked down Guardwell, and turned right into Silkwood. Further ahead, there was a lot of commotion. Dozens of Ornatu Legion soldiers were crowded around their heavily injured female comrade, and three others had been covered with veils.

"Oh my god." Serena said. "Wait! Crap, hide!"

Amara and Serena quickly hid around the corner, and for good reason - Josephine and Nina had only just arrived to investigate. Fighting them and an army of soldiers would only delay them indefinitely.

"Be quiet! Less noise, everyone!" Nina said. "You there. What's your name and number?"

"E-Emma Wakefield...um...OL-4839." The girl said.

"Now then. We have already been informed that your unit was near the Town Hall Museum at the time of the incident. What happened?" Josephine asked.

"There was a girl screaming...something about...her grandma..." Emma said shakily. "She was...weird...the minute we came...she stopped screaming and ran off...and the Shadows got us..."

"What do you mean, a girl screaming? Can you describe her appearance?" Nina asked.

"Her hair was purple...she wore black...funny hat...glasses..." Emma said.

Amara and Serena looked at each other. Both of them knew exactly who this was. Keisha. So she distracted a unit of the Ornatu Legion - after all, she had never mentioned a grandmother before. Perhaps this was a smart move, but hearing Emma's distress didn't endear them to Keisha.

"And the others in your unit. They all succumbed to their injuries?" Josephine asked.

"I...couldn't heal them!" Emma said. "Miharu...Brian...Freddie..I'm so sorry! I...failed...I..."

"You there. Take Ms. Emma to HQ. You three, deliver these corpses to the 16th floor. The rest of you, resume your patrol." Josephine said. "Nina, we must leave. As it stands, we have yet to find the Divine Spark, Tomas or Rudo. I grow tired of our lack of progress. Don't you?"

"Yeah. I'm tired of this! We're just wandering around, waiting for something interesting to happen! This is as exciting as it's been! For goodness sake, if the Divine Spark's in Legarte, we've wasted the entire day!" Nina complained. "Everyone, stop listening in! Go and do as you have been ordered, right this instant!"

Amara heard the frantic scrambling as the Legion did as they were told. Her heart pounded as several of them ran right past her, and a sobbing Emma was taken away by two others. Serena and Amara waited for several uncomfortable minutes. Being spotted by Josephine and Nina now would be unwise. Yet they had to reach the Museum, and fast.

"Come on! We have to go!" Amara said. Serena nodded, and their hearts pounded in their ears as they frantically dashed down an alleyway. No matter what, they had to get to the museum first.

They were now walking through the street were Zao lived. Amara looked at the window of his apartment, and for a second she saw someone there. Yet when she looked closer, they were gone.

"Huh?" Amara said. "I thought I saw someone..."

"Probably just a scared onlooker." Serena said. "Or...do you think it's him?"

"Who?" Amara asked. Then she realised. The Zao they had thought, who had been deprived of all his soul and heart. The Zao she had fallen in love with was dead in this land, leaving behind a void that inhabited his body. "Why would he be there, though?"

"Who knows. He showed up at his grandpa's house." Serena said. "But you can't do anything about what Aeternus did to him. At least your other self didn't fall in love with him here, and your Zao is okay."

"I know you're trying to cheer me up. But...it's still awful. What sort of experiments do that to another human being? First Adrian, now Zao." Amara said. "I've been trying not to think about it. Yet imagine what Zao's going through. Maybe it's just as well he's not here tonight."

"Yeah...but he'll be pissed when he hears he missed a Divine Spark." Serena said. The two women continued their walk, and they later reached the fairly large Biela Vetra Square. A small Catholic church was located at the north end, the other sides lead to some modest eateries. The ground was painted with a beautiful winter scene - a forest filled with trees that graced the sky, branched covered with snow. Animals frolicking through the clearing, as the sun started to rise. And the snow fell from the sky, blown by the wind.

"You know, whoever painted the ground must have spent years on that. He sure as hell didn't skimp on the detail. I wonder who he was?" Serena asked.

"Actually, I read up on the story. Long ago, when they were building this square, it didn't have a name. No one could agree on what it should be called, but they all thought that it was missing something. Then a foreigner came. He called himself the master of the white winds of snow. That with every stroke of his brush, he could heal the wounds of the heart. So without even asking for permission, he started to paint. If someone tried to ruin it, he just started all over again. No matter what, he never stopped." Amara said.

"And this is what he produced?" Serena asked.

"So they say. One day, the man who had romanced the ladies, eaten all the bread and prayed in the church was gone. Yet this is what he left behind. So to honour him, they agreed to preserve the painting for as long as possible. Seems like even in our world, they kept their promise." Amara said. "Someday, I want to be one of those people."

"You know something? I really think you can do it." Serena said. She smiled. Then, she knelt down to look closer at the artwork. "Yeah. I'm sure you could do this in your sleep!"

"Thanks - Serena! Watch out!"

Serena jumped to the side, bewildered. If she had been any slower, she could have been impaled through the heart by a sword. Specifically, a rather violent Musha's sword. His armor was golden, yet with bizarre red swirling patterns on him. He was flanked by four regular samurai, all with their own weapons withdrawn.

"Dammit, now?" Serena said. "I could have been a Serena sandwich!"

"What?" Amara asked. "Is that a reference?"

"Sheesh. I'll have to educate you later. But come on! We have Shadows to kill!" Serena said. Amara nodded, and both of them readied themselves for battle. Biela Vetra's surface may depict a scene of peace, but above would be a fight for survival.

|Motion Publishing|20:06 pm|

All of the fifth and fourth floor was an absolute wreck. Shadows, in their thrist for Lucy's blood, had smashed open nearly every desk, computer and partition in their way. Window after window had been smashed, sending a rain of glass shards onto the ground. Now, Lucy had managed to get onto the third floor, yet Shadows were blocking the way down. This place had become infested over the years, but only now were the Shadows laying waste to their surroundings.

Lucy had locked herself in a private office, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before a Shadow broke down the door and attempted to devour her. This was not looking good. When she heard Shadows making noises further away, she gasped.

"Why...why is this happening to me?!" Lucy cried. Tears came to her eyes. This was too much. If only there was a normal reason for the city to be sealed off from the outside world. Yet here she was, fighting for her life. For the sake of her only friend...she had given up her dream job as a journalist, just to have a chance of investigating the city. She had moved all the way to a tiny boring village, where everyone despised her. If only everything could go back to when Blaine was staying with her...then maybe she could have begged him to help her. She couldn't do this alone...

"You idiot...you should have told me things would be this way!" Lucy cried. "I would have believed you! I really would! I...I can't do this! I..." Then she screamed. Something was bashing the door, and it wouldn't be long before it broke apart.

"...I have to keep trying, don't I?" Lucy finally said, wiping her eyes. "After all, that's all I can do. I learned that from you, Blaine. Shirley, you'll just have to wait a bit longer. I'm getting out of this place alive, no matter how many Shadows I have to kill!"

The Shadow outside smashed down the door, only to be greeted by Inanna's axe to the face.

|Legarte - Harbour|20:16 pm|

The Shadows simply kept coming. No matter how many great blasts of wind struck them, or violent thunderstorms blighted them, the swarm didn't grow any smaller. Nathan and Blaine had kept up the fight for this long, but if they couldn't make their way out, they could be here all night - and the Divine Spark would go off without them.

"Fuck!" Blaine said, as an Idol collided with him. "Ugly freak! Die!" His Mazionga laid waste to several Shadows, and he started shooting at several others. However, one of them cast an Aquadyne on him, sending him hurtling at Nathan. "Ouch!"

"Argh!" Nathan cried. "Blaine...get off! You're too freaking heavy!"

"They do say muscle weighs more than fat. So that's a compliment!" Blaine said. "...We're fucked."

"Blaine! Watch your language! There are women in the area!"

Nathan and Blaine quickly got to their feet, and let out huge sighs of relief. Other Serena and Other Amara were there, both equipped and ready to go. Other Serena's Mediarama gave both men some vitality, and Other Amara's Marakukaja made both of them feel more resilient.

"Hell yeah!" Blaine said. "We owe you ladies! I'll buy you a beer for this! Serena, I'll get you ginger ale!"

"What?" Other Serena said. "Whatever! We came looking for you! We heard Pierre and Carlos talking about some Shadow trap in the harbour!"

"You're kidding me!" Nathan said. "Thank goodness you found us. Let's defeat all of them together!"

"There's not many of these suckers left." Blaine said. "So...I think it's time to combine our strength! Let's do it!"

"Yeah!" Everyone else cheered. Their Personas circled around the remnants of the Shadow horde, each with their weapons prepared for deadly attacks. "Brutal Arms!"

Artemis opened with a barrage of arrows, hailing down on her unlucky victims. During this, Sekhmet slashed each Shadow with fast strikes, and Setanta impaled a good few more with his spear. The Shadows were crying in pain from this onslaught, but it would all end when Tlaloc slammed the ground with his mighty hammer. The shockwave finished all of them off, and at last, the Harbour was peaceful again.

"Alright!" Blaine said, punching the air with his fist. "We kicked ass! Nice work, ladies! You too, Nathan. We really hit the ball out of the park…"

"Don't get so cocky..." Other Serena said. "You might not have made it if Kaman hadn't told us to come here. Where did he go?"

"Who cares?" Other Amara said. "We have to find Tomas and my dad, remember? We've wasted too much time here already!"

"Nice to see you care."

Kaman had just arrived at the Harbour, with a deadpan expression. Other Amara had run out of patience already, and rushed past him to leave the Harbour.

"Kaman!" Blaine said, raising his hand. Kaman ignored him, and Blaine's smile faded. "Bad time, I guess?"

"Got that right. You already know what's going down, right? Old man Tomas, from the sounds of things, had too much absinthe. In other words, he's fucking crazy. So we're trying to find him before he does something crazy at the Divine Spark. Doesn't seem to be anything going on here, though." Kaman said, shaking his head. "Still, I'm glad the girls found you. We were looking all over the place, then we happened to overhear two certain Ater Vox members talking about a trap in the harbour."

"Guys! Stop standing there and help me find my dad!" Other Amara cried from the distance. Kaman shrugged, and started to walk towards her. The others followed, but Blaine noticed Nathan seemed hesitant to move.

"Dude. Is it cause of what I said earlier?" Blaine asked. "Or...the punch on the face?"

"Both." Nathan said. "But mostly when you said you were glad we met again. Are you going to tell me what you meant?"

"When things settle down, Nathan. Then we can have a good long chat. Sorry I lost my temper with you, by the way. From now on, I'm taking out all my aggression on those fucking Shadows." Blaine said. Nathan nodded, and the team left to regroup with the others in Legarte.

|Saragel - Biela Vetra|20:20 pm|

"Argh!" Amara shouted. "Why won't you die?"

She was clashing swords furiously with the Kinken Musha. Everytime they struck, sparks flew everywhere. The other Mushas had all been exterminated with extreme prejudice, and Serena was now busy swinging her whip at the Musha, desperate to make him trip.

"It's no good! He's too fast!" Serena whined. "And Aquadyne doesn't do anything on him!"

"Keep trying!" Amara shouted. "Hold on...Ruby Ignition!"

She barely avoided a swing at her throat, as Hathor's fiery radiance attacked the Kinken Musha. However, it seemed to barely affect him. Yet she felt strength flowing through her arms. Thus, she began viciously slashing the Musha, but he merely swung back, and his strikes remained just as brutal. Amara and Serena were both exhausted by this point, due to casting numerous Diaramas and their weapon attacks. By this point, the square had been thoroughly damaged by all the violence, and the cracks in the ground were ruining centuries old artwork. As angry as Amara was, she just couldn't fight back hard enough. She tripped, and her blade was knocked out of her hands.

"Amara!" Serena said. "Mediarama - huh?" Her magic spell didn't happen. Her face filled with dread - had she run out of magical energy? On occasion, they had run out of their spiritual power, but it replenished after resting. Yet now was no time to rest.

"No!" Amara wailed. The Musha was readying a particularly vicious attack. Amara covered her face with her hands, and waited for the inevitable. However, all she heard was Serena screaming and what sounded like fierce wind. She lowered her hands, and gasped. Setanta had just blasted the Shadow into the wall, barely missing Serena.

"Nathan!" Serena exclaimed. "Wait - the other Nathan! And...Blaine!"

"Looks like we came in time." Other Nathan said. "Fear not! Your attacker will not live to see another fight!"

"You okay there?" Other Blaine asked. He lifted Amara up with both hands, and she was amazed at how strong he was. Granted, she wasn't particularly heavy, but she didn't think it would be easy for someone to carry her. She stood on the ground, smiling. "I couldn't just let a pretty girl get into trouble like that! But for that fucker over there, he's gonna get it."

Amara and Serena watched in amazement at what happened next. Tlaloc and Setanta gave the Musha no quarter at all - instead, they relentlessly stabbed and smashed it, ignoring it's otherworldly howls of pain. Finally, the other Nathan and Blaine had grown tired of their brute force, and looked at each other with a knowing smile.

"Let's bring down one hell of a storm!" Other Blaine cheered. Other Nathan nodded, and began with Setanta conjuring a magnificent tornado. The winds were punishing, and the Musha was powerless to stop itself from being swept into the sky. Tlaloc was ready to double the pain, and blasted the Musha with a fierce hail of thunderbolts. "Daybreaker!" Both men shouted, as the final bolt of lightning hit the Musha. It's armour, already tarnished, broke away and dissolved into pieces, and the rest of it's body faded into nothingness.

Serena cheered, and high fived both Other Nathan and Blaine, who laughed with her. Yet Amara could only focus on the artwork. The scene had been utterly destroyed. If only she hadn't used so many fire spells, she could have preserved the Biela Vetra. She kneeled down on one of the few legible parts - the moon in the sky.

"Yo." Other Blaine said. "You really liked that picture, didn't ya?"

"...Yeah." Amara said. "It was beautiful. I wanted to help keep it here, forever. I absolutely loathe the cold, but I still loved this picture. If only I hadn't come here today, I could have stopped it from being destroyed..."

Other Blaine knelt besides her, and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked closer, and smiled slightly. "You sound just like me with Kanaloa. I kept thinking that if I hadn't been made Commander, Kanaloa would be just fine, and me, Dan and Matthew could have lived together. Now I know…they would have gotten rid of Kanaloa anyway. Just so they can create their fucking Eternal Road. But…just because something's gone, doesn't mean you forget all about it."

"Blaine, I...what can I do? I can't bring back Biela Vetra alone. No one else in our team can paint like I can." Amara said. "Even if the other me were to help, it could take years and years to restore it, and even then, so much of it has gone from that battle."

"So paint something new!" Other Nathan said. "Biela Vetra will remain in your memory for as long as you wish. But remember the story. The man came from a foreign land to paint something true to his heart. You came from Egypt to here. So maybe you should paint whatever's precious to you."

"Precious to me?" Amara said. "There's so many things. My dad...and mom. The necklace she gave me on her deathbed. My homeland. Zao. Everyone at Real People - heck, even Lucy."

"Paint it all." Other Blaine said. "Sure, people looking here won't know us. But if they see people hanging out together, happy as can be…won't that make them happy too?"

Amara stood up, and looked to the sky. Somewhere in the heavens, Biela Vetra's artist was there. If she were to make him proud…would she fight her hardest to bring back his masterpiece? Or...make her own?

"Thanks, everyone. But I think I'll be alright." Amara said. "We've got other fish to fry, anyway. My dad and Tomas are either in the Museum or the Legarte Supply Centre. So let's go!"

"There you all are!" Aimee had rushed into the square, looking exhausted. "Nathan, Blaine, I've been trying to find you! Thank goodness Seraphina remembered to charge her phone. Oh. One moment…" Irene manifested out of Aimee's body, and healed everyone to full pulsing vitality.

"Thank you." Amara said. "Aimee, what's the situation? Is the Divine Spark going to be here or Legarte?"

"Seraphina said she's detected strange energies in Saragel. Serena, your textbook listed the Divine Spark locations, right? Where is Saragel's?" Aimee asked.

"The town hall. Or today, the museum." Serena said. "Let's get over there!"

"Right. I'll ask everyone to meet up outside. Making our way through the Ornatu Legion will be tricky. The Power Tunnels seem to be deserted, though, so we can use those." Aimee said. "What are we waiting for? Amara, I want to believe that Tomas has our best interests at heart. I really do. So…we have to talk to him. I want to know exactly what he's trying to do. And your father...he's suffered terribly. I won't let that suffering continue!"

"Thanks, Aimee. Let's go." Amara said. Everyone left the square, anxious. Another Divine Spark was destined for tonight. If only she could stop it…but if she couldn't, she had to get Tomas and Rudo out of there. She clutched her ankh, thinking of her mother.

Mother...you have my word. I'll bring Dad back alive. Don't worry.

|Saragel - Town Hall Museum|20:30 pm|

Keisha had remained within the treasure room, waiting for any further noise. Yet it was quiet. All too quiet. By this point, Seraphina might have the entire team searching for her. If so…

"That's IT! I have to get out of here, right now!" Keisha shouted. "Lorelei!"

Lorelei appeared, and at Keisha's command, started playing an eerie song on her flute. Keisha smiled - she knew the effect of the song. She watched as Lorelei continued to play.

"Monodrama!"

Keisha was blinded by light, and the entire building seemed to shake. But when the light was gone, Keisha cheered. The door had been blasted open, enough for the entire doorway to be disintegrated.

"Alright, you old bastards!" Keisha yelled. "You think you can handle me? Go ahead and try! You won't get away with what you've done, sickos!"

She raced out of the room, and started running towards the top floor. Rudo and Tomas seemed to be further up...and she was going to tear them to pieces.

|Saragel - Promenade|20:31 pm|

Karen and Roger had taken their search for Keisha to the promenade. For a while, they had to move carefully due to the high numbers of Ornatu Legion soldiers on patrol. Yet now they seemed to have relocated to somewhere else, leaving the promenade deserted as usual.

"This doesn't bode well..." Karen said. "Roger. You've barely spoken a word since we left. What is the matter with you? I hardly thought of you and Keisha as being particularly close."

"We're not." Roger said. "She's an ally. That's all."

"Oh really? You seem a little closer than that." Karen questioned. "If you won't tell me what is going on right now, then I'll have to ask Seraphina exactly what's on your mind!"

"No!" Roger shouted. "Karen, stop it! There's no reason to go that far! I swear, Keisha is just part of our team! If we lost her, how are we supposed to use Tomas's plan to save the world? Besides, you wouldn't - uh...we have to save her!"

"I wouldn't what?" Karen said, perplexed. "You're scaring me. You really are agitated over Keisha, aren't you?"

"Karen. Do you remember what Tomas said at the Museum? How his Personas looked like the two thieves Keisha used to know?" Roger said. Karen nodded, anxiously. "Before Archibald found me, I was using my Persona to survive. Sometimes, if people tried to steal from me, I had to fight back. Back then…I was a little violent. So people that tried to kill me...well..."

"...You're a murderer?!" Karen said. Roger nodded, looking away from her face "Roger...look at me!" He continued to avoid her gaze, looking instead at the barrier covering the city. "Roger!" He finally looked back at her, and her furious gaze sent shivers down his spine. "How could you...how could you use that power to kill?!"

"Karen! It was life or death! If I didn't fight back, I wouldn't be standing here right now! It's a dog-eat-dog world. And I wasn't going to be eaten!" Roger said. "But...last year, two men saw me walking back to the apartment. They were planning to take everything I had! But they didn't know I knew they were following me. So...just as they were about to attack, I tried to teach them a lesson. Me and Kanaloa, we...didn't give them a slap on the wrist. I..."

"No...I thought...you weren't...oh my god!" Karen said, disgusted. "I think I'm going to be sick! Roger, you murdered Keisha's friends! Instead of trying to reason with them, or beg them for mercy, you...killed them?"

"That doesn't work in this world, Karen! It didn't work with you, did it?" Roger shouted. Karen was taken aback. Her eyes started to well up with tears. "Karen, I -"

Suddenly, she slapped him hard across the face. A familiar voice gasped, and sure enough, Matthew and Tara were on the scene.

"You guys! What's going on here?!" Matthew demanded.

"Karen, what's wrong!?" Tara asked. "What the hell did you do to her, Roger?"

"Oh, it's not what he did to me!" Karen yelled. "But before he became part of the group, he...killed people! He used his Persona to murder...people!"

Tara and Matthew were silent. Roger saw their indignant stares, and felt his blood boiling.

"Please...it wasn't like that. I had to fight them to stay alive. I wasn't about to let them screw me over. Life was hard...but I didn't want to die." Roger said. "I'm not proud of it, alright?! You seriously think I'm happy that I had to end people's lives? Well I'm not! I'm fucking not! So that's why I have to find Keisha!"

"Keisha?" Matthew asked. "...It was you who killed her friends, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was. Brad and Nick. Last year." Roger said. "They were no match for Kanaloa. I was brutal. It wasn't pretty. And Keisha was there. She saw me cut her friends to ribbons!"

"Keisha never told me anything like that." Tara said. "Granted, me and Keisha don't tend to have civil conversations most of the time. But Matthew, didn't she mention any of this to you?"

"Huh?" Matthew said.

"You know! When you and her had dinner, and went back to your place -"

"Nothing happened!" Matthew said, blushing. "Look, Roger. If…you really feel guilty about what you did, you have to tell Keisha how you feel. Can we avoid fighting with each other until then?"

"Fine. But Roger, I won't forgive you until you do." Karen said.

Just then, Karen's phone rang. Aimee was calling. She answered.

"Karen! Forget about your search for Keisha! The Divine Spark's going to take place in the Saragel Town Hall Museum!" Aimee said. "Hurry!" She hung up, and the four of them gulped.

"The museum again..." Roger said. "We're off." In awkward silence, the group left for the museum.

|Town Hall Museum - Outside|20:45 pm|

Everyone stationed in Legarte had assembled outside the museum. Like Josephine had said earlier, the door wouldn't budge. Now, the team - Amara, Serena, Other Blaine and Nathan, Aimee, and the Holy Cross - were struggling with how to get it open. Other Blaine, exasperated at all previous attempts, called upon Tlaloc.

"Time to use some muscle! Well, spiritual muscle!" He said. "Go! Break down that door!" Tlaloc gripped his hammer tightly with both hands, and started twirling it around in circular motions. After building up enough speed, he slammed it at the door. The strength of the hit made the ground shake, and the sound of the collision could be heard for miles.

Other Nathan walked up to the door, and tried the handle again. To his horror, it was still refusing to move. Not even Personas could break through this magic.

"This isn't normal Divine Spark behaviour, is it?" he said, exhausted. "Cause I remember getting inside the Cathedral just fine."

"It must be Tomas. Whatever he's doing, he doesn't want to be interrupted. If we can't use Personas to get inside, we've got a big problem." Alastair said.

"Hey! Roger! Karen! And the other two!" Kazuya said, pointing to Roger's team in the distance. All of them were silent, and did not even acknowledge Kazuya's presence. They stood by the others, awaiting orders.

"Is everything alright?" Aimee asked. "You four have seemed happier."

"It's not important." Karen said. "Please, let's just get this over with."

"Hey, look who's here!" Richard said. Everyone from Legarte had arrived, much to Aimee's relief. "What's happening?"

"Nothing in Legarte, that's for sure. So this is really where the action is?" Blaine asked. "Then let's go inside already!"

"We can't." Bianca said. "The door is blocked by a strange barrier. The Commander already tried to break it down by pure force, but that wasn't enough."

Seraphina shut her eyes, and began to concentrate. She began moving her hands, as if she were to feel the barrier before her. Then, she opened her eyes, and walked in front of the door.

"Your attempt to force entry via pure brutality was ineffective. The door is protected by a barrier formed of all eight elements." Seraphina said. "Therefore, there is only one course of action. Eight of you must attack the barrier at once, summoning the greatest power you can muster."

"Okay!" Amara said. "Then who's doing what?"

"Let me consider our eight chosen. Amara, Bianca, Dan, Nathan, Roger, Kyle, Alastair and Karen. All of you, assemble!" Seraphina ordered. Each of them did so. Other Amara and Other Nathan stared upon the door, as did the six others. Their Personas emerged, each imbued with the power they need. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

Each Persona blasted the barrier with their retrospective element. This was the first time they had ever seen such a combination of spells. Every element except Almighty was present, forcing their way into the barrier. Eventually, Amara could hear what sounded like something breaking. Then for a moment, she could see the barrier - a glass like purple covering that contained the entire Museum. Then it broke apart, sending tiny pieces of it flying into the air, disappearing forever.

"We did it!" Aimee cheered. "Good job! Now let's go. Seraphina, can you sense who is inside?"

"Sir Tomas is somewhere within, yet I cannot tell where. Sir Rudo is also inside, and I guarantee he is with Sir Tomas. And...Lady Keisha. She's here. And I sense a great deal of resentment from her. Directed entirely at two targets. One is Tomas, the other...I'm not getting a clear read on that. Yet we must make haste! No more discussion!"

Everyone hurriedly ran through the entrance, prepared for battle.

Meanwhile

"Well. This confirms it." Josephine said, smug. "This place shall be the setting of the 5th Divine Spark!"

"Indeed." Carlos said. "Now then. We already know there's no possible way for them to prevent it. However, Tomas may be planning to do something here that may prove a hinderance to us."

"Exactly. Which is why I want all four of you to go inside and put an end to Tomas and Rudo once and for all." Archibald said. "Then all we have left is the Legarte Divine Spark. We have done well, my friends. Go on ahead."

"Wait a second, Archie. Why aren't you coming with us?" Nina asked.

"Because I have other business to take care of." Archibald said. "Go inside. Remember, your objective is defeating Tomas and Rudo. Anyone else, if they attack you, you may engage in combat. But we are not here to capture them or kill them, Pierre."

"Singling out me?!" Pierre exclaimed. "You wound me, Archibald! Come on, let's just do this! I'm tired of this crap already!"

Archibald watched as the other four entered the Museum. Perhaps he wouldn't get to find out exactly what Tomas was attempting to do. Yet he knew it wouldn't work. Nothing could ever put a stop to their plans. No matter how much power Tomas could seize, Nihane would always have more.

Right then and there, Archibald felt as if he was being watched. He turned around - Shirley was there, scared stiff. He smiled, gesturing for her to come over.

"Ah...how good to see you." Archibald said. Shirley remained petrified, and stammered. "There's no need to be afraid. I sent Lucy to rescue you, after all. Yet that explosion should have killed you. Tell me, how did you escape?"

"I don't..." Shirley said. "Where is Lucy?! I have to find her!"

"I have no idea. She survived the explosion, however. Perhaps we can locate her together. But first, Tomas Weiken is inside. Perhaps you'd like to join the effort to stop him?" Archibald said.

"Not yet..." Shirley said. Nervously, she got into her fighting stance, and Rhiannon appeared. Archibald shrugged, amused. "I have to stop you! Tomas said…the Ater Vox brought Shadows into this world! It's thanks to you I was apart from Lucy for all these years! My parents are dead, I got captured by those thieves - all of that is down to you!"

"Oh dear. I should have realised your mind would be poisoned by his lies." Archibald said. Thor emerged, charged with energy. "Do you earnestly believe you can stop me? You've barely had your Persona, whereas I've used one for a decade! Do feel free to surprise me, though."

"Quit it! Grieving Rune!" Shirley bellowed. Rhiannon's magic, however, evaded Archibald entirely. "What?!"

Before Shirley could use another attack, a massive ray of lightning launched from Thor's cannon. Her body was sent flying, and she crashed onto the ground.

"No..." Shirley tried to stand up, but the force of the impact had knocked the strength out of her. "Lucy..."

Archibald, chuckling, walked over to her. His smile was purely sinister, and Shirley was powerless to get away. When he grabbed her, she screamed loud enough for all of Saragel to hear. Sadly, not loud enough for Lucy.

|Town Hall Museum - Unknown|20:55 pm|

"Huh?!" Amara screamed. Despite being one of the last people to go inside, no one else was nearby. In fact, as she looked behind her, only a small door was there, next to an overturned exhibit of a quill. That door was far too small to be the entrance. "Nathan! Serena! Blaine! ...Anyone? Help!"

"Amara?" Someone said. Roger entered the room from an archway to the north. "Thank god you're here. How did we get to this floor from the entrance? Divine Spark craziness?"

"Nope. This didn't happen before." Amara said. "Tomas must have done this too. Why - why is he doing all of this? How can we find him?"

"Take it easy. I know this place from when I was here with Karen, Matthew and Tara." Roger said. "It's quite a big town hall. So everyone else must be split up all over each of the five floors. Follow me."

They left the room to the right area, that during the town hall days was used as a financial sector. Framed invoices and other documentation were on the walls, and had not been stolen. Of course, these had no value in this world. Amara pondered to herself who would come to such a dull museum. Delusions of grandeur, perhaps.

"Karen?" Amara said, looking ahead. Karen was standing outside a door for a public bathroom, looking confused. She saw Roger, and glared at him. But when she saw Amara, she smiled.

"Amara! Thank god someone's here. When we went through that big entrance after we broke that barrier, I was in that bathroom! What on earth is going on? Is this Tomas' doing?" Karen said.

"I really can't say, but...I think so." Amara said. "Whatever Tomas is trying to do, I have to put a stop to it. We should stick together for now."

Karen leered at Roger disdainfully, but seeing Amara's worried face, she nodded. "Alright. I've been here before, so...this is near where we fought those Ornatu Legion four."

"That's right. We didn't tell you much about then, did we?" Roger said. "Well...Tomas helped us. Him and Rudo. Keisha was there as well. She freaked out when she saw their Personas. See...somehow, they look like her dead best friends."

"What?" Amara said. "Why? Did Tomas gather up Shadows that only they made?"

Karen was quiet, and groaned to herself. Now this was confusing. What happened between them to sour their relationship? She wouldn't even look at him. And he was too afraid to look at her. Amara hadn't felt this awkward since when Zao and Karl met up on the harbour.

"Something about Tomas doesn't feel right to me." Karen said. "It's the way he speaks, even the way he walks. And him placing a barrier over this museum, let alone warping all of us all over this building…"

"I know something is wrong!" Amara said. "That's why I'm here!"

"Oh, thank god! Someone's here!" It was Other Amara, who ran to her counterpart. She breathed a sigh of relief, despite the tension. "I found this lying on the ground..." She shakily pulled out a small framed photograph from her pocket. Amara gasped - the same picture that her father kept by his bedside table. Of the Furaha family, in front of their home. She was so small then, even compared to her petite mother. And she had a bright, sunny smile, as did her parents.

"Then Rudo's up ahead." Roger said. "Listen. This place might get dangerous. So we have to be careful - oh, goddamit!"

Shadows had appeared in front of everyone - two Cupids, and two Towers. It seemed this building wasn't safe. Amara and the others took out their weapons. They had to get through this fast, or they could be obliterated by the Divine Spark. Aimee might not be on hand to save them this time, so they had to be as fast as possible.

Meanwhile

Keisha, having scoured the museum, had found neither hide nor hair of her kidnappers. So now she was about to get inside the last room of this building - the attic. Climbing the stairs, she felt a shiver down her spine. The air felt cold…as if the life was being sucked out of it by the second.

Keisha managed to get onto the dusty floor of the attic. This was the one part of the museum that was not opened for tourists, hence the lack of maintenance. In the far distance, she saw two men standing, in a trance.

"There you are, you fucking assholes!" Keisha screamed. "Tomas, you freaking psychopath! How dare you turn my friends into your Personas! I'm going to free them, right here, right now! Lorelei, help me!"

Lorelei danced out of Keisha's body, and seemingly lounged on the air, ready to play her songs of power on her flute. Rudo gulped, but Tomas merely laughed.

"So, you're interrupting our transformation. All you had to do was reflect on your memories of this place, and hasten the Divine Spark!" Tomas said, amused. "Hear me out, Keisha. I have one of your friends coursing through my physical form as we speak. I have heard every one of this thoughts. In fact, it seems our friend Roger was rather...harsh towards him. All I needed to do was exaggerate how harsh. Now, Bradley's essence is of anguish, hate, and regret. Using that to change the world - do you prefer letting their power go to waste?"

"I don't care what happens anymore!" Keisha wailed. "This world can go to hell! Everyone I love is gone. My parents, my friends, and he - no, that's not important! All that matters is that you pay for what you've done! Once I kill you and Roger, I can die in peace! Lorelei! Aria Di Sorbetto!"

Lorelei's blast of ice struck Tomas, but despite the damage, he continued to laugh. Belial emerged, and Keisha gasped. No matter how many times she saw it, Belial was Brad. And now she had to take him down, alongside Nick.

"Brad, I can't believe this happened. I'm really sorry. Once it's over, the three of us can move on together." Keisha said. She raced at Tomas, but a massive metal ring hit her before she could hit him with her weapons. She gulped - Nebiros had fired it at her, and Rudo was standing below him. "You bastard! If you won't let Nick free, I'll have to cut him out! Lorelei! Vibrato!"

Lorelei played a fast tune, of alternating high and low notes. Then, a ferocious lightning strike hit Rudo, causing him to yell out in absolute agony. He fired at Keisha in confusion, and she was too slow to get away. Yet when it hit her, it barely hurt at all. Seems like Vibrato had reduced Rudo's firepower. Even so, she had some powerful enemies to contend with.

Tomas started to chuckle loudly, as Belial started to glow a bright red...

Meanwhile

"Phew." Amara said. "Where the heck is everyone else? Should we go downstairs?"

"No!"

Seraphina and Aimee rushed to Amara's group, panicked. Aimee had a large gash on her hand, and Seraphina quickly wiped away the blood. Soon, Matthew and Tara had joined them.

"What is happening?" Karen asked.

"It's bad. I mean, really bad. Everyone's gotten split up! And…the Ater Vox are all downstairs! Pierre, Carlos, Nina and Josephine! Seraphina sensed them all, each on different floors! We're the only ones who got away from each fight and made it up here, but…this floor was so huge, and there were so many Shadows. We thought we'd never find you all."

"We're okay. Let's focus on finding Tomas and my dad! Seraphina, do you sense them?" Amara asked.

"Yes! Oh dear, this is most unfortunate..." Seraphina said, in a melancholic manner. "Lady Amara - both of you. I do detect Tomas' presence, but...it has been thoroughly contaminated. It is as though another person is taking his place. Your father, the same effect. Yet it is smaller than Tomas' case. One more thing. Keisha is with them. I sense a great deal of hatred coming from her!"

"Where are they all?" Other Amara asked. "On this floor?"

"No. They're above us." Seraphina said. "This building has an attic, that during it's time as the Town Hall, was used to store surplus items. When it was turned into a museum, it was rarely accessed. I can sense the ladder to the attic is - ah! Near the very back of this floor!"

The group made their way to the far end of the 5th floor. Amara anxiously stared at the ground. Below, her friends were busy fighting the Ater Vox. Hopefully, they could fend them off whilst Amara spoke to Tomas. Alas, she noticed that Nina, Josephine, Pierre and Carlos were present, yet Archibald was not. Could he be here?

She shook her head. Now was not the time to worry about him. They finally found the ladder, and one by one, climbed up.

Amara gasped when she got onto the attic. Keisha was being struck repeatedly by Belial's large, deadly scythe, whilst Nebiros was stationary. Other Amara looked beneath the Personas, and shrieked.

"Dad! Tomas!"

Belial stopped, leaving Keisha to fall to her knees. All was quiet. Tomas' eyes had changed completely - they were blood red, and had a look of complete and utter insanity of them. They were beyond human. Amara noticed something else - Tomas' skin looked even paler than it once had. What was going on?

"Amara..." Rudo said. His voice was quiet, and distant. It was as if he was lost, and couldn't make his way back. "You're here...I wondered if you would come..."

"Of course I came! When I heard what Tomas had done, I knew I had to find you! What's going on? Tell me!" Other Amara said. "Dad, Tomas, why are you trying to kill Keisha?! What's she done to you?"

"Oh, Amara. So blissfully ignorant, as an innocent daughter should be. Allow me to fill you in, on every single detail!" Tomas said. He lifted his arms dramatically, and a red aura of smoke began to shroud him. "You see...this world is unbelievably rotten! To it's very core! Even before the Shadows, monsters infested every country of the world! They just dressed themselves in the garb known as humanity."

"What are you saying?" Roger asked.

"I was hand picked by one such monster. Archibald Ebert! He, and the rest of the Ater Vox, are the most vile monsters ever to be birthed by our Mother Earth! Yet I had no choice but to become one with these monsters. I began experimenting for them. As I worked with Shadows, I learned how to tamper with the fabric of reality itself! I could create monsters that had the power to heal! The power to kill! Endless possibilities! Alas, Nihane and his cadre of scum boast far greater powers than anything I could create." Tomas said.

Amara was silent. Hearing him rant like this made her feel...strange. Tomas was resentful of the Ater Vox, she knew that. But bitterness and evil seemed to lace every word he spoke. What mad scheme was he trying to enact?

"I needed help. And I wanted that help from my best friend in this monstrous world - your father. You can imagine the bile that rose within me when I learned what Nihane had ordered - your father's death! Luckily, a man of his status has body doubles, for all occasions. So I merely arranged for one of them to be found dead." Tomas raved. "Ah - Blaine did not murder him, if that's what you're thinking. I took care of that. Blaine already had been framed for Nathan's father's death, if you recall. So why not frame him for yours? It would intensify his rage against Aeternus, after all."

"You..." Amara said. "Tomas, please. This has to be a joke. Right, Dad?"

"It's true, Amara." Rudo said. "Tomas needed to get me somewhere safe - the external lab. If Aeternus was satisfied he was dead, then there would be no need to prowl the streets to find me. And Tomas could ensure my protection from Shadows in that lab. He...is a true friend, after all..."

"Dad?" Other Amara said. Rudo's eyes seemed rather glazed over. He seemed to be staring into space, and…there was an aura covering his body, too. "What's wrong with you? Tomas is -"

"Is what?" Tomas interjected. "Crazy? I won't dispute that! But that is the folly of this world, my dear! We are tested, time and again, until we lose our minds! After I rescued Rudo, I knew what I had to do. Destroy the Ater Vox, and get rid of the Shadows. Yet I started to consider the possibilities of the Eternal Road. If it's power is genuine, Nihane and his flunkies can manipulate time and space, each to their own liking. But that rule is there that they're the only ones who can?!"

"You mean to say you're going to be at the centre of the Eternal Road?!" Aimee shouted. "How can you even entertain such a thought? You could be killed!"

"Aimee, you cowardly girl..." Tomas said. "You are such a naïve child. I realised I needed power to even begin to use the Eternal Road for myself. So I decided to get a Persona, for both of us. Yet nothing I made had the magic that each of the Ater Vox boasts. Going against them and their plans would be a death sentence. So I decided to tinker with the method of creating Personas. Instead of using Shadows born from countless people, why not filter them out? Create pure coalesced monstrosities of power, entirely of one person's psyche, and harness that into a power I can use?"

"You bastard!" Keisha wheezed. "And you...you!" Keisha roared. "Roger! If you hadn't...if you hadn't...!"

"If he hadn't what?" Amara asked. "Keisha, what is going on?"

"Ah..." Tomas said. "Bradley and Nicholas were my subjects. They generated wondrous results! Yet I couldn't have done it without you, Roger Martin. Amara, are you aware of how monstrous even your own comrades are? Bradley and Nicholas assumed he was an easy target, and felt like picking his pockets. Unfortunately, he already could use Kanaloa's power. By the time they realised who they were dealing with, they were lying on the ground in a pool of blood!"

Amara turned to Roger, horrified. He merely looked at her, pitiful, and sighed.

"I...lost my head." Roger said. "I was trying to scare them, but they had knives - and they weren't afraid to show them off. I couldn't...control myself. I...thought I killed them."

"You DID!" Keisha screamed, pointing at him with sheer rage. "You're the freak who killed my friends! I saw you do it! Your Persona stabbed them to death - or at least, I thought it was their death! How could you?! If you hadn't done that to them, Tomas would never have done those crazy experiments! So you killed them, Roger!"

"That's right. You were there. Your hair was brown back then. Your real colour." Roger said. "Keisha, I'm sorry -"

"I doubt your apologies can pacify her anger, my friend!" Tomas said. The aura around him seemed to be growing brighter. His eyes were even more vivid now. Humanity was slipping through his fingers. "I used many things to torture Brad and Nick further! Finally, I used a genius method. Throughout my interrogations, I learned of the man who inflicted such vicious injuries to their bodies. So with experimental virtual reality hardware, I made a nightmare into what was real for them! You, Roger…as far as they know, you kidnapped them, beat them almost to death. And then...hehe...you took Keisha over here, and slaughtered her! Their screams of anguish were amazing. If only I hadn't lost the video footage."

"...You're insane." Other Amara said. "Dad! How can you let him do this stuff?! Roger may be a murderer, but..." She couldn't even finish. She covered her mouth, shaking. Tears streamed down her eyes, and she gazed at Tomas with abject horror. Rudo was quiet, and refused to look at either of his own daughters.

"You should be thanking me, Amara." Tomas said. "I've gained power comparable to yours. Belial, born from the dregs of Bradley. Nebiros, derived from Nicholas' pain and suffering, belongs to your father. Together, we can fight alongside you. Or at least, that was the plan until last night..."

"Last night?" Tara asked. "Why on earth did you self destruct your own lab?"

"Simple, you stupid girl." Tomas said. "Archibald knew I had designs on that power. If he had feigned ignorance, I could have used you all to destroy the opposition and seize the power of all the Divine Sparks for myself. Yet that meddling bastard just had to clue someone else in on my power. Shirley Evans…it seems she was acquainted with your friends, Keisha. She screamed at the sight of Belial and Nebiros, didn't she? Shirley got access to my top secret data! She saw the full extent of my research."

"Shirley?" Seraphina said. "The Holy Cross saw her earlier today..."

"Shirley would have killed Rudo if I hadn't been alerted. Yet by the time I arrive, she has her own back up! Dear Lucy Crossman, a fool manipulated by the enemy. I decided to tell them the truth - their employers were the ones who brought Shadows to this city! But I knew that I could no longer stay in the external lab, not after I'd been discovered. So I took drastic action. Thanks to my very thorough research, I knew that this place was very important to you, Keisha! And to Shirley. She had been forced to aid Bradley and Nicholas, correct?"

"So what?!" Keisha said. "No...wait, then - you knew this would be where a Divine Spark happens?"

"You hit the nail on the head! It was either here or Legarte. So, I knew I had to get here. If Legarte came first, that would only mean a longer wait! I expected having to reside here for months, even years." Tomas said. "Hahaha! But I couldn't just let my enemies browse through my materials! I had to get rid of both. Or at least, try. So I blew up the lab! You saw the results online, I suspect!"

"Then our plan...that was all a lie?!" Aimee said. "We thought we could reverse the Divine Sparks, if we had a person of every Arcana! We believed in you!"

"You see, Aimee? That WAS my plan! I gave you all hope to carry on! Thus, you'd become my personal army to keep the Ater Vox at bay, and I could carry out my secret agenda! But you know what convinced me to go through with it? The results from when the Holy Cross needed to be decontaminated. They all survived the Divine Spark of Farawell, yes? However, their bodies accumulated excess Shadow energy. Thus, if I were to descend to Inanis using a Divine Spark - think of all the power I could attain. I would be reborn! I knew you'd arrive...and I can sense your hatred and confusion! The Divine Spark will become even stronger because of it. At last, everything is going my way! Nothing can stop it now!" Tomas broke into howls of evil laughter, whilst Rudo only looked at him vacantly. Amara couldn't even begin to believe what she was hearing. Tomas was...going to let himself be hit by a Divine Spark?

"Dad! What the hell are you thinking? You can't go along with him!" Other Amara said. "Tomas, you have to stop this crazy plan! We can find another way to defeat Aeternus, without any more of your crazy experiments!"

"Amara. You're supposed to trust me, aren't you? Yet here you are, mouthing off to me! All because my new scheme is a little...radical, yes? I did what I had to do! Bradley and Nicholas were supposed to be sacrificed! Now, they will enable our new transformation! Rudo and I will finally have a shot to wrest control of the Divine Sparks, and then..." Tomas said. "When the Eternal Road comes...I'll bring back your mother!"

"What?!" Amara shouted. She gripped her ankh tightly, and closed her eyes. There she was. Ayodele Furaha, the beautiful woman who Amara loved and treasured even today. She was so happy to have come to a new land, filled with new opportunities. Amara knew one thing for sure. Her mother would not want a future where 'mistakes' of the past could be created. No. Those 'mistakes' were to be learnt from, so humans could grow from their experiences.

"Mom..." Other Amara mumbled. "...Tomas, you can't be serious! I still miss my mother! Dad, I know you do as well! But are you seriously telling me you'd destroy our reality just so you can bring her back? Do you really feel that way? Surely not...right?!"

"I do." Rudo said. "Amara. Think about it. I've lost my business, my wife, even my freedom. I thought even my daughter was lost. Now we have a chance to make everything the way it needs to be! I want my family back, no matter how many dimensions have to be destroyed. Join us. Please! I beg you, Amara! I can't let you fight for something that isn't worthwhile!"

"How dare you say that!" Amara shrieked. "I'm through with you! Do you hear me? I'm from a luckier future than this, but even I still cry sometimes when I think about my mother. But she gave me this ankh for a reason. To carry on the family name. Dad! You moved us to the city for new opportunities! Won't you try to do that again? Start anew? Because I refuse to reset our universe!"

"Hear that, Tomas? Sounds like your friend's daughter ain't so fond of you anymore! Everyone, we have to stop this guy, and now! He has to pay for everything!" Keisha yelled. "As for you, Roger...this is still all your fault! Once I've killed Tomas, you're dead!"

"Karen. Matthew. Tara." Aimee said. "I think you need to go back and help everyone else! They'll need all the help they can get if the Ater Vox are fighting them. We can handle things up here, don't worry!"

"No, I can't! Keisha needs my help!" Matthew cried.

"What, you think I can't handle this? Lorelei and me will be just fine! Go away, you idiot!" Keisha shouted. Tarhad to drag Matthew down the stairs, followed by Karen. Tomas stood tall, and summoned Belial in front of him.

"This fire could never be possible without my research! Maragion!"

Scorching flames attacked the entire team, and Aimee gasped with fright as flames hit her body. She stepped back, watching her allies. Rudo called forth Nebiros, and let loose with a Bufudyne on Roger. Amara gasped. She had truly never seen anything like this with an artificial Persona. Tomas' experiments were inhumane, but they produced real results. Yet at the cost of almost all his sanity, and possibly her father's.

"I'll show you fire!" Other Amara cried. Her own Maragion took form, matching the same level of heat and power. Yet Tomas wasn't even hurt. In fact, he laughed out loud. Rudo, however, looked rather worse for wear.

"Take this!" Roger shouted, and he struck Rudo with this claws. Seraphina shut her eyes, and Hecate appeared behind her. Both her and Persona entered a trance, resembling a mime with their hand movements.

"Listen carefully. Don't bother trying to use fire attacks on Tomas! He'll merely absorb them. However, ice moves will cripple him." Seraphina said, still concentrating. "I know we lack that option right now, but as long as you do not use any Agi spells on him, there will be nothing to worry about. As for Rudo, he is the exact opposite! Ice moves are utterly useless, but fire will wreck him!"

"You call yourself a psychic?" Keisha said, snidely. "Check this out! Aria Di Sorbetto!" Lorelei played her familiar tune, of a soothing yet vibrant stong. Then an ice blast crashed upon Tomas, shattering into tiny pieces.

Amara was tempted to use Agidyne, due to it's power. Alas, it would be worthless to use it on Tomas. And even if her father was weak to flame, hurting her own family was something she couldn't do. If she could just fight Tomas...she struck him with her sword. To her horror, he pulled his gun's trigger, aiming right at her head. How could Tomas have become this insane? Was this world really as cruel as he said?

"Do you earnestly believe that outnumbering us is enough?!" Tomas shouted, looking up at his ill-gotten Persona. "Behold...power above mankind's reach! Gomorrah Fire!"

Amara and the others were surrounded by a ring of red and black fire. It gradually grew smaller, closing in on the team, until it collided with all of them, sending everyone to the floor with the severe burst of flames. Not only was it painful...Amara felt a lot weaker. This power Tomas wielded, it was greater than she imagined...

"Hang on! Mediarama!" Aimee cried. To everyone's relief, their wounds were quickly healed, but Amara still felt sluggish...

"Hathor!" Amara cried. However, Hathor did not manifest. "What? No!"

"Oh crap. Here! Cantibile!" Keisha bellowed. Lorelei played a tune that grew louder with every note, until it started to hurt Amara's eardrums. However, the sluggish she felt started to fade. So she had been silenced thanks to Gomorrah Fire...and Keisha helped her.

"Thanks, Keisha! Okay, Force Sabre!" Amara cried. Hathor stepped back, holding her sword. Then she lunged forward, thrusting her blade, sending Tomas flying across the room. Other Amara, anxious, cast Marakukaja. Amara started to feel more normal again...clearly, Tomas' magic both debilitated and immolated his enemies. Thank goodness they had Aimee for this fight. Her healing would prolong the battle in their favour.

Rudo, aghast at his friend's condition, used Ring Blade. Nebiros' incredibly sharp chakram-like weapon flew straight ahead at Keisha, who winced in pain as it spun at her. She dashed at him, and hit him repeatedly with her sword and dagger, anger building up with every strike. No matter how many times Rudo shot at her, she would not be stopped. Amara wanted to tell her to stop. That was her father she was attacking. Yet Rudo had been brainwashed by his poisonous friend...and reasoning with him was fruitless.

"Zandyne!" Seraphina cried. Hecate's magic power was remarkable indeed. The almighty power of her sorcery unleashed a blast that injured Rudo greatly. Despite his pained expression, Keisha did not relent with her attacks. Yet...Belial appeared behind her, and with a violent swing of his scythe, pushed her away.

"Malaques!" Roger commanded Kanaloa, much to Keisha's chagrin, to blast his enemies with rushing water. By now, both targets had been subjected to rather painful punishment. Yet Tomas let out his typical laughter, madder than before. He wasn't finished yet...

"Wonderful!" Tomas screamed, as he got to his feet. His voice had started to echo, as if it had been digitally altered. His mad eyes bounced all over, madly gazing at his enemies. "Rudo! I can feel it this time! So much power, trying to break through! This Museum will be reduced to nothingness soon enough..."

"What?!" Aimee screamed. "That means, if we can't beat him fast enough...we die!?"

"No way!" Amara shouted. "What now?"

"We hurry up and kill him!" Keisha screamed. "Stop hesitating, Amara! You have to take him down!"

"Please, Amara! Stop fighting! I must see your mother again! If you open your eyes, you'll see...this world has to end!" Rudo said.

"Dad...I'm sorry." Other Amara said. "This is the only way I can get through to you! I won't let you do this! Agidyne!"

Rudo was blasted with intense heat and flames once more. Nebiros, however, retaliated with a chilling Bufudyne. Other Amara doubled over in pain - but what she saw next shocked her more. Belial was preparing a particularly painful scythe attack, one that would inflict some incredible damage.

"Behold! My Reaping Rondo!" Tomas bellowed.

"No!" Amara shouted. As fast as she could, she shoved her other self away, and just barely missed the blow of the scythe. Tomas' demonic laughter was cut short as a Laguna Rush crashed into him at breakneck speeds. Keisha glared furiously at Roger, grinding her teeth.

"Back off, you idiot! He's my target! Vibrato, Lorelei!" Keisha commanded. Lorelei played a peculiar song, that ended on a particularly loud final note. This song created a strong lightning bolt that shocked Tomas, yet sent some of it's power into Keisha's body.

"Megidola!" Seraphina cried. Hecate unleashed what could only be described as pure power itself, at a grand scale. A energy blast, stronger than a normal Megido, struck both Tomas and Rudo. Yet no matter how hard they were attacked, they did not cry in pain, or even wince. Were they so determined, they could withstand even Hecate's sorcery?

Rudo and Tomas were very weakened. Their bodies were completely covered in red auras, to the point were the arena had become filled with a mist of a similarly eerie hue.

"I'll finish this." Other Amara said. "I never thought I would have to do this..." Sekhmet took her sword. Already dark in colour, it started to become purely black in hue. "...Mother, please forgive me. Sable Cross!" Sekhmet landed onto the ground, and in two swift moves, slashed Tomas and Rudo. Each strike was like a wrecking ball, their blasts echoing throughout the loft.

Suddenly, there was loud shouting from downstairs. Aimee gasped as he saw Dan climb into the attic, followed by everyone else.

"Guys! What the hell is happening?" Tara asked. "The Ater Vox were downstairs, weren't they?"

"The Divine Spark...it's happening right now! The ground floor is being torn apart, and - Look, I think it's time!" Richard wheezed. "Come on! Aimee, make with the teleport!"

"But...we..." Aimee said, pointing at Tomas and Rudo. Despite their injuries, neither of them looked to be in any pain. Instead, Tomas started laughing. The red mist seemed to flow with every movement his body made. Rudo remained staring vacantly at Amara, expectantly.

"No! I'm not leaving this to chance!" Keisha yelled. "Time for you to die! Overture -"

Suddenly, there were flashes of light in front of everyone, as the ground started to shake even more. When the light faded, Archibald was there, and his Persona was already summoned. Blaine grimaced, glaring at both of them. Of all times to show up, he had picked the absolute worst. Whay was he here to do?

"It looks like your dream is at it's end, Tomas." Archibald said. "As depraved as your experiments were, I am truly impressed at what you were able to accomplish. Alas, you weren't able to persevere today. Tell me. Do you intend to use this Divine Spark to empower yourself and Rudo?"

"Oh, I'm sure you already know the answer to that..." Tomas said, laughing. "But I learned from the best, didn't I? You think you're the only one in Aeternus who can do the inhumane for the sake of progress?!"

"Of course not." Archibald said. "Your data on artificial Personas even taught me many things. Alas, your time is up. It won't be the Divine Spark that kills you. Thor…eliminate them."

"Huh?! No! Dad! Get away -"

Despite the increasingly violent shaking, Archibald was undeterred. Thor soared into the air, and Tomas watched him with wild interest. Thor gathered vast amounts of energy into his cannon, and the sheer quantity of energy was blinding. All Amara could see was a massive sphere of pure light. Then...Thor fired.

The collision was deafening. It blew away half of the roof of the entire building, sending tiles and bricks onto the ground below. Most of the wall at the south end had been obliterated as well, and many of the floorboards had been blown away. All anyone could see was smoke.

"That takes care of that." Archibald said. Other Amara's mouth hung open, as she slowly beheld the wreckage Thor had caused. "Take heed, everyone. Tomas never cared of your goal. Be grateful. With this, he will never take the energy of the Divine Spark for himself. We shall meet again." He and Thor vanished, smirking the whole time. Amara looked at her other self, and the billowing smoke. She bit her lip, shaking her fists. Archibald...if he hadn't shown up, she could have saved her dad. But it was too late now.

"I understand the situation is most dire." Seraphina suddenly spoke. "Yet I do sense someone else in this building. Someone stuck downstairs, in a room filled with treasure. In their current state, they cannot get outside...and this Museum will be gone very soon."

"Who is it, Aimee?" Priscilla asked.

"It is someone I know very vaguely. It is…Shirley!" Seraphina said. "Yet at this rate, the building will completely collapse!"

"Fuck it. You guys warp out of here! I'm going after her!" Dan shoved aside everyone in his way, hurriedly climbing down the stairs.

"Wait a minute!" Other Blaine called, but Dan ignored him. "Idiot! He better make it!"

"He will." Kaman said. "Dan doesn't give up on anyone he cares about. Looks like something good came out of this after all."

"Yeah...Tomas is finally dead." Keisha said, fatigued. "Brad and Nick are free..."

"...That's my dad who just died, you bitch!" Other Amara shouted. "I could have saved him! But Archibald…he just had to ruin everything!"

Meanwhile

Shirley woke up, and as she tried to stand up, she panicked. To her shock, both her arms and legs were tied. The door had been completely destroyed by someone - or something - earlier, but in her condition, she couldn't get near it, or even stand up. This room was where Brad and Nick had left her in, trapped via that door. Now it was gone, and yet she was still trapped.

"Help! Someone!" Shirley cried. The entire museum seemed to be shaking. This must have been the Divine Spark she heard of. Entire buildings, no matter how robust, were utterly obliterated by the power of Shadows. If she were to stay here when it finally happened, what would become of her?

"Oh my god! Shirley!"

Shirley looked up, and gasped. Dan was there, his mouth wide open. How did he know she was here? No - that didn't matter. All that Dan cared about was making sure she was safe.

"Dan...?" Shirley said. "Help! I can't move! Archibald, he...he must have stuck me in here!"

"I'm coming!" Dan shouted. He raced over, and in a frantic rush of hurry, tore off the ropes binding her arms and legs. She got up, and to his surprise, hugged him tight. He wrapped his arms around her, and as he heard her sobbing, she gently stroked her back

"Dan...the Divine Spark is happening right now...right?" Shirley said.

"Yeah. Come on. We don't have time. Follow me!" Dan shouted. The two of them held hands as the stormed out of the treasure room, just as a blast of Shadow energy crushed several priceless artefacts. The museum was collapsing before their eyes, and holes were all over the floor.

As they finally reached the ground floor, the place was slowly becoming filled with dark energy. It would be a wild dash to the exit, but Dan knew he had to try his best. As fast he could go, he ran around all the debris, and narrowly avoided being hit by a falling chandelier. The exit was in sight...could he make it?

Meanwhile

Suddenly, Amara saw something moving within the smoke. Two men, obscured by both red mist and the smoke from Thor's assault, stood up. Keisha turned her attention to them, enraged.

"What?!" Kyle said. "How are they still alive?! And...what is happening to them?"

Amara saw the silhouettes of Belial and Nebiros appear, hidden in the mist. Then...they flew into the men's bodies. Four voices could be heard screaming in agony…

"What the - what do you think you're doing?! Brad! Nick!" Keisha screamed. "I won't let you get away with this! If Archibald can't finish the job, I will!"

"KEISHA, NO! GET BACK HERE!" Matthew shouted. She completely ignored him. Instead, she looked upon the nightmarish vision with pure hatred. Taking out her weapons, she ran straight into the smoke - just as a blast of Shadow energy broke through the floor.

"Everyone! We have to go!" Aimee said. "I'm so sorry, but I have to save us!"

The last thing Amara saw was Tomas' face, laughing with depraved insanity, and her father's despondent, empty stare into her eyes. Before she knew it, she was lying there in the secret base...screaming for her father.

|Inanis|22:00 pm|

The empty land of Inanis became the stage for the latest in a long line of phenomena. First, there were deafening roars from above. Then a gigantic vortex, high above in the sky, tore open, and beams of darkness poured from the void like a stream. Amidst the shadowy energy were pieces of a building that disintegrated as they descended, and as they landed on Inanis' surface, the energy built up into a swirling mass of power. Finally, the vortex above vanished, and the vast amount of Shadow energy began to rapidly convulse.

It took quite a while for the shapeless mass to transform into something recognisable. But when it did, Nihane could see the Town Hall of Saragel - the form it had before it became a museum. Yet it bore an eerie purple hue. Nihane turned his sights to the other sights of Inanis. The cathedral, the castle, the mansion…and the ruins. All of them had the same glow.

Nihane chuckled. Now there was only one obstacle left. The Eternal Road would open right where Nihane stood, and he would have Amurdad thrive once again.

He vanished, leaving Inanis an empty land once more.