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.

72. Cruelty of Madness

AN: This is the longest chapter by a LONG way. I doubt I'll ever come close to this length again. Still, I hope you guys like it! Thanks to everyone who followed/favourited, and please read and review!

And it's been two years since I started this story! How time flies, huh? Please keep reading my story, and thank you all so much for staying with me so far! And to new readers, thank you as well! I'm aiming to finish this arc before the end of June, then I'll be on holiday in Portugal.

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Chapter 72: Cruelty of Fighting

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|Dream|

Huh? Where am I? Where's Zao?

Once again, Amara had arrived in another vision. After the lovely birthday meal she had at home, not to mention a wonderful evening with Zao, she did not imagine anything out of the ordinary. Yet here she was, in what looked like Aurelia Park. She watched for a few minutes, as her sight turned to the blossoming trees. Their pink petals were scattering towards the ground, with the sun shining down on them. Yet this didn't feel like a happy occasion. She couldn't feel elated to see the signs of spring. Why, she wondered, until she noticed something.

Wait. Why can't I move? I can't even move my head?

That had never been the case in most of these flashbacks. She had always been able to see everyone involved, even Nihane. And her movement was mostly unrestricted, although at times she was forcibly moved to different locations. Now, she wasn't in control at all. Yet it didn't feel as if something else was manipulating her body. In some ways, moving like this felt familiar - and it was a melancholic sort of nostalgia.

Hang on. Is this...me?

Amara's vision was turned to her right, and sure enough, there was her father. He did seem rather tall - but it was Amara's height which was different then. She must have been a young child then. Just then, Amara felt her arms wipe away something from her eyes.

Tears...this is this year my mother died. I was crying for months after then. Mother, I hope you never think I've forgotten about you. The necklace I wear is proof you're still with me.

"Amara, do you want to go home? I thought a walk might do us some good." Rudo said gently. He was holding his daughter's hand very tightly, but when Amara saw his face, she saw him looking rather lost himself. It had been a terrible time for the both of them, and Amara had even lost all desire to draw. All she had wanted was to hear her mother's voice again.

Amara felt her head shake, yet she did not utter a reply. Rudo sighed, and the two of them kept walking. They repeatedly stopped to admire the scenery, including a rather cute sparrow. Yet Amara back then did not comment on any of them. All thought was that someone else should have been there.

However, when they moved away from a rather excitable poodle, Amara started to scream. Rudo leapt up in fright, and knelt down besides her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, anxiously. Amara was feeling around her neck, trying to find something. Yet it was apparent it wasn't there - and the screaming grew louder. Of course - a dreadful event had happened, one that Amara dreaded to this day.

"Mommy's...her necklace...is gone!" Amara wailed. "Daddy, I'm sorry! I though I could keep it safe, but I lost it!"

She began running around, looking all over the ground. Yet she found nothing, and grew even more upset. Her face was drenched with tears, and no words from her father would help. She fell to her knees, sobbing.

As she began to ran forward, the vision abruptly stopped, then everything disappeared...

|Zao's Apartment|7:34 am|

"Huh? What happened?"

Now she was back in Zao's bed, and it was morning. She quickly checked, and it was no longer a dream. Zao was not in the bedroom, but she could hear him setting the table for breakfast. Smiling, she got dressed and went to see him.

Zao waved at her, as he munched on some scrambled eggs. He was still dressed in his favourite pair of goldfish-patterned boxers, each one with a silly face on it. She sat down, and gasped. Her favourite breakfast - a cheese & ham omelette.

"Thank you, Zao!" Amara said, giving him a quick kiss. He chuckled, and the two of them ate. Whilst Zao was chatting about the usual subjects - fish and fishing - Amara kept going back to what she had just seen in her vision. Was having a dream about that painful part of her childhood normal? It was something she tried not to reflect on. Yet losing the ankh had always been her greatest fear. When Blaine fought to get it back for her in June, it earned him her respect.

"Are you okay?" Zao asked. "Don't worry. I put your necklace on the bedside table. I think I know by now how special it is!"

"You really are sweet." Amara said. "I never want to lose it, ever again. We're going back to the other world tonight, aren't we?"

"Yup." Zao said. "Man...if I have to see the other me one more time, it'll drive me crazy. Just...looking at him is freaky. There's no life in him anymore. Whatever they did it him, I won't let it happen again!"

"Good. But you know, it's not easy for us to deal with him, either." Amara said. "Next time, promise me you'll stay strong. Alright?"

"I'll try...I really will." Zao said, anxious. "Maybe I can save him, too...but how? The Ater Vox won't help us, and Kyle probably doesn't know what to do..."

"There might be a way somehow." Amara said. "You should just eat your breakfast. Oh, and this omelette is delicious. I knew finding a boyfriend who can cook was the best idea!"

"Sounds like Lucy! She's always rambling about how Blaine is the best chef she's ever met!" Zao said, cheerful. "Yet when it comes to fish, he's all thumbs. Maybe we need a cooking competition..."

|Dan & Blaine's House|8:28 am|

"Hey, wake up."

Blaine squinted, the sunlight filtering into his eyes. Dan was standing over him, and he handed Blaine a cup of coffee.

"Whoa. You're not trying to make breakfast, are ya?" Blaine asked.

"It's coffee, Blaine. The one thing I can make better than you." Dan said. "And I thought you needed it, after everything we talked about last night."

"Brought back a lot of memories. Bad ones, mostly." Blaine said, taking a sip. "Man...if it wasn't for you, my life would probably be a goddamn mess."

"You know that's not true." Dan said. "You're a clever guy, remember? You weren't half bad at high school. And you work hard at any job you get, and you're friends with everybody. Even those old ladies across the street! Or that injured fox!"

"Dude, I just called a vet. I'm not a saint." Blaine said. "Thing is, Dan, I owe you a lot. If you hadn't dragged me back home that day, I'd be all on my own. And there'd be no one to make me coffee, put up shelves, or sing drunken bar songs together with."

"Heh..." Dan said, sitting down. "You say that, but you're always with her these days. Or your other new buddies. I get it. I'm no fun anymore. And you've finally met someone special...guess someday, you're gonna be out of here. Then it'll just be me. And...I'll get used to that."

Blaine put down his coffee, and shook his head.

"You fucking moron. You won't be getting used to anything." Blaine said. "Dan, I love Lucy like crazy. But I would have lost her ages ago if I'd stayed the same. With you, I saw how much of a womanising shithead I really was."

"Blaine, are you serious? I know you hear me sometimes at night..." Dan said. "You must be fucking tired of it by now. So am I."

"Dan, you're not the only one. Some nights, I wanna cry too. Sometimes...I do." Blaine said. Dan looked at him, surprised. "What, you thought it was just you? That guy was part of my life for sixteen years! Without him, it feels so empty."

"...I'm an idiot." Dan said. "All I thought about was losing my kid brother. You lost yours too. And I was too busy moping around to notice."

"Dan..." Blaine said. "If you think I'd choose Lucy over you, you're wrong. Maybe someday, I'd leave this house, but you really think I'd never come back? You're my bro, Dan. We gotta stay together. We have to! So...next time you wanna cry, just come and find me. We'll cry together, like last night."

Dan thought for a minute, in silence. Then, he smiled.

"You're one hell of a friend, Blaine." Dan said. "I know I said nothing matters, but that's bullshit. Guess I'm the one relying on you...I gotta do something about that."

"Don't rush it, okay?" Blaine said. "We'll start with another of my cooked breakfasts. Then you call in sick and take the day off. You could use a break, anyway."

"Sounds good to me. You wanna take a ride somewhere?" Dan asked. "And...I have an idea. I'm not the only one who misses Matthew like crazy. Kyle's not coping so well, either. If I hadn't been such a jackass, I could have helped him. So the next time I see him, I wanna take him to Matthew's grave."

"Whoa?" Blaine said, shocked. "You sure you're ready for that?"

"...No. But maybe, just maybe, if I talk to him...I'll feel better." Dan said. "And I want him to know...that I'll take care of Kyle in his place. Blaine, you'd better come too."

"Yeah, for sure." Blaine said. "And you better apologise to Shirley. She seemed pretty sad that you turned her down. You and her still have a chance!"

"Hey, what happened to not rushing stuff?" Dan said. "Man...I never thought I'd feel this good after crying myself to sleep. Come on, let's stop being all sappy. We gotta get some breakfast down us before our ride."

"Good plan! Where's the place with the hash browns you like again?" Blaine asked. "It's been way too long. Come on, I'm buying."

|Secret Base|18:25 pm|

The basement was covered in all sorts of decorations. Balloons & ribbons were tied to the chairs and tables, and even Kyle's wheelchair had pink balloons tied around the handles.

"Whoa." Amara said. "What's all this?"

"You didn't forget your own birthday, did you?" Other Amara said. "I was kind of down, cause of...you know. Then Seraphina insisted we have a big party, like they always do for one of our birthdays. It was actually pretty crazy, especially the drinks Kaman and Blaine prepared."

"Hey, I haven't forgotten how to make killer cocktails. And Blaine was more than capable as my assistant - although he seems to have let his station go to his head." Kaman said, frowning.

"Come on, Kaman! He was way better than you!" Lucy said, pouting. "And I'm not biased, even if he is my boyfriend."

"...That would constitute bias in most people's opinion." Alastair said, laughing.

"It was a nice party." Bianca said. "I did question whether we should have let Kyle and Serena drink, but ultimately, who's going to stop us?"

"My head hurts..." Kyle said, looking rather woozy. "Dan drank me under the table..."

"Did you seriously expect to outlast me, little guy?" Dan said, looking smarmy. "You wait until you're my age. Then you'll go at least four hours without passing out!"

As they discussed the party, the group relaxed. Perhaps today, there would be no need to fight any Shadows. They could just engage in some banter, whilst hankering for slices of the cake Aimee had prepared.

"Oh, and congratulations, Karl." Aimee said, beaming. "You look exhausted, though. Did you have to go on a victory parade?"

"Yeah...you should have seen them. Everyone was cheering our names. Well, mostly mine..." Karl said, sheepishly. "It's going to be a busy couple of weeks, at least. In fact, I'm going on TV tomorrow."

"Nervous?" Kazuya asked. "The whole nation will be watching, after all. They'll be scrutinizing every word you say, your body language, even your facial movements. Make one bad move, and you might regret it for years to come."

"Gee, thanks." Karl said, glaring at him. "Richard, you were pretty fantastic in the final too. I doubt we could have won without you!"

"Really?" Richard asked, blushing. "I'm a guy of many talents. Man, if only the rest of you were into sports. Then we could do something like a five-a-side-"

"Another one of your terrible ideas." A familiar voice said. Everyone looked up in shock at the NDD - Keisha was here. And she merely smirked at everyone, and waved at them. "Oh, Aimee baked another treat. How kitsch."

"What the hell do you want?" Lucy asked. Blaine tried to quiet her, but she ignored him. "Get out of here! You're not welcome!"

"Oh, shut your face!" Keisha shouted. "Tch. I'm not stopping. Wouldn't want Mario & Luigi getting upset." Matthew and Dan looked at each other, and blinked. "Here. I'm supposed to give this to you. Written and signed by all of the Ater Vox. Oh, and you're supposed to read it A.S.A.P. Or else."

"Or else what?" Amara asked.

"Read the stupid letter! I told you, I'm not stopping!" Keisha said.

"Good. After what you did to Matthew, I'm glad we'll never work together again!" Priscilla said, staring at Keisha dismissively.

"That's what you think, Princess Peach." Keisha said. "Well, see ya!" She left, leaving behind the sealed letter on the ground. Alastair went to retrieve it, and looked closely.

"Hmm. That is the Aeternus seal. They only use that to send letters to other governments across the globe. So other countries don't end up trying to stop them. Not that any military could handle the Shadows." Alastair said. He broke the seal, and pulled out the letter. He read it through, and his eyes were wide open with horror.

"What?" Bianca asked, concerned. "Alastair, what's the matter? Are we in danger?"

"...Kyle was right to be worried. Look." He put the letter on the table, and as everyone read it, they gasped.

To the attention of the following;

Amara Furaha, Nathan Albion, Serena Agnethe, Blaine Spencer, 'Seraphina', Priscilla Lancaster, Kyle McHale, Daniel Kingsley, Alastair Clark, Bianca Summers, Kazuya Miyazaki, Richard Eden, Karen Marshall, Matthew Kingsley, Tara Miller, Aimee Davenport, Zao Yuria, Karl Davenport, Lucille Victoria Crossman, Shirley Evens & Kaman Barrs

You are all to assemble in front of the Convention Centre at 1930 hours today, September 28th 2012. Failure to arrive within five minutes of the designated time will result in complete annihilation of both of your hideouts. Any additional facilities your may have acquired will not be spared. No one listed above is to be absent, or the annihilation will commence regardless of whom arrives on schedule. Bring your weapons and/or necessary equipment.

From the Ater Vox

"Oh no..." Kazuya said. "We only have half an hour!"

"This...isn't real, is it?" Shirley asked, shaken.

"We have no choice." Seraphina said. "The Ater Vox have summoned us. To what end, I do not know. Perhaps our final confrontation. Or a trap."

"It's a bit obvious for a trap, isn't it?" Blaine asked. "I mean, why tell us to bring weapons if they're gonna try and kill us?"

"If I'd known Keisha would betray us, I never would have let her join..." Aimee said. "Seraphina, why didn't you know she was going to do this?"

"Reading people is not always an open book. The human mind is a complicated piece of machinery, one with many cogs. Even you may not be aware of your own feelings. Keisha...may have betrayed us on a whim." Seraphina said.

"Some post-birthday celebration this is..." Zao said, looking glum.

"Cheer up, pal. Yours is next month. We'll have some real fun then, in both worlds!" Karl said. "And Aimee will have enough time to bake another cake. Right?"

"Definitely! And maybe some fishcakes, too." Aimee said, grinning. "Anyway, we're off as soon as we're ready! Lucy, grab your gun! Dan, your rifle's behind the sofa! Hurry, now!"

|New Motus Convention Centre|18:56 pm|

The Convention Centre looked, from the outside, to be the same as it was prior to the explosion. A rather meticulously sculpted dome-like building, with long banners that had become faded by the sides of the main entrance. No one seemed to be in the surrounding area - in fact, it was eerily quiet. Then, as the group got closer to the stairs, their hosts came into view. Sitting on top of the steps was Nihane. He seemed bored, and was tapping the ground with his feet. However, when he saw Amara and the others, he smiled. Standing above him with the others of the Ater Vox - and Keisha.

"Looks like our persuasion made you more punctual." Nihane said, smirking.

"What do you want with us?!" Kyle demanded, glaring at Pierre. "Are we gonna have our final battle here and now?"

Pierre merely laughed, and nudged Carlos in the rib. Sighing, he turned around, and grabbed something. In one swift moment, he shoved a man to his side. Roger...

"So you brought him too?" Karen asked. "Why? Are you one of them now?!"

"No, Karen! They said if I didn't go, you'd..." Roger trailed off, then he shuddered. Looks like he's been through hell. Poor guy.

"You can relax now, Roger." Carlos said. "Everyone's arrived. There will be no danger of Karen burning to death in her slumber."

"Now then, I'd like to answer Kyle's question." Nihane said. "We aren't looking to engage you all in combat. Actually, we have a proposal. One that will displease everyone in involved, but one that is absolutely necessary. Nina, explain."

"Y-Yes, Nihane." Nina said, clearing her throat. "Despite our efforts, Tomas & Rudo have gained control of the Divine Spark of Saragel. Unfortunately, they won't stop there. Their control over such power has given them a sizeable army of Shadows, and unless they are neutralised, they may wind up taking over the whole of Inanis. Which means they could take the Eternal Road for themselves."

Amara couldn't believe her ears. They were alive after all...but still bent on world domination. The very last time she had seen them, they seemed to be changing into something inhuman. What sort of form would they have gained after such long exposure to the power of Shadows?

"As you seem to dislike the thought of anyone using the Eternal Road, we assume you all wish to prevent them from doing so. Naturally, we wish to eliminate them, and quickly, Tonight, actually." Nihane said. "Therefore, our proposal is as follows. All of the rebels will co-operate with the Ater Vox, and together, wipe out Rudo & Tomas' forces."

There was a long silence. Everyone must have been dwelling on such a situation - their sworn enemies, asking for their help? This was not what anyone had been expecting, least of all Amara. Having raised her sword against all of them, she couldn't help but despise the entire organisation. Alas, their power would be a significant aid in putting an end to Tomas' megalomaniacal ambitions. And then her father could find peace, even if it meant his death...

"We appreciate this is a difficult mission. Yet there will be no time to mull it over." Carlos said.

"If we delay, we run the risk of our enemies being too strong to overcome..." Josephine said.

Other Blaine looked straight at Archibald, but he turned away, seeming rather morose.

"But this means I have to fight with him!" Kyle said, glaring at Pierre. "Please, don't make me do it -"

"Alright." Amara said. "We'll go. You'll blow our base up if we say no, anyway."

Nihane looked at her, surprised. "Really? You do realise we're going to eliminate your father for good. It may not even be you who deals the killing blow. Are you not going to object like your comrades?"

"No, we're not." Other Amara said. "When I knew my dad was alive, I was so happy...I thought we could go back to the way we were. But he's too far gone now. Tomas has ruined him, and there's no way back. I can't hope he'll turn back to normal anymore. So we're going, and that's that!"

There were a few more silent moments. Then Nihane chuckled, and stood up, The others stared at him, anxious for his next movement.

"Then we shall depart." Nihane said. "Inside, everyone. For the first and only time, you will get the chance to go to Inanis in style."

He and the other Ater Vox marched inside of the Centre, and Keisha hurriedly ran after them. Without turning back, Amara and her other self followed - but two people held the hands of each one.

"You'll be okay. I'm there with you, always!" Zao said.

"You have my eternal guidance, Lady Amara." Seraphina said.

Both Amaras smiled at their retrospective partners, and without another word, entered the Convention Centre.

While the others reluctantly followed, Karen stopped Roger, and got a good look at his face. There were several bruises, and his clothes looked like they had been scratched. Whilst she looked at him with worry, he shook his head, and put his finger over her mouth. She sighed, and walked straight ahead.

"Karen..."

|Convention Centre - Interior|19:04 pm|

"Whoa!" Serena asked. "What did you guys do to this place?"

From the outside, it had appeared normal. However, on the inside, everything was far more grand and sinister than Amara could have imagined. The entire centre was one giant dome-like building now, and the floor was a dark blue, yet it seemed rather glass like- one could make out thousands of fibre optic - like cable going to and from the centre of the space. The perimeter was marked with six gigantic stone columns, each of them embossed with the symbol for eternity. Five of those pillars were glowing a radiant white, the sixth dormant. Looking up at the ceiling, Amara saw an amazing spectacle - floating chandeliers, each lit with blue flames that made the painted stars on the roof glow.

"We hired a decorator, obviously." Nina said. "This building is where we finally began our control of the Shadows, after all. Thus, to commemorate the event, we changed it into a portal to Inanis."

"I have to say, this place is rather pretty. If only your HQ was as wonderful." Bianca said.

"You should be grateful we built you a Jacuzzi." Josephine said. "I never should have been tempted to use that contraption. Especially when Richard was off duty." Nathan looked at Richard in disgust, and his face turned bright red.

"How does this work?" Amara asked. "I don't see anything. Where's this portal?"

Nihane chuckled and moved to the very centre of the room. As he did, circles of light began to glow, and a massive surge of power began emanating throughout the wires beneath the floor. Finally, the room was bathed in all colours of light, as a giant hole appeared where Nihane was once standing. Floating over it, he laughed even louder.

"Right here." Nihane said. "This will take us to the very centre of Inanis - with a leap of faith."

"What, all we have to do is jump down?" Tara asked. "That's crazy! Can't you just warp us all there?"

"Quit complaining. It's an experience unlike any other." Pierre said. "Even we rarely have the chance to use it."

"Once we arrive in Inanis, we'll decide our battle strategy." Archibald said. "You will have to listen to orders carefully, otherwise this will become a one-way trip."

"Do understand we don't enjoy this scenario either." Josephine said. "Alas, our best chance to destroy our enemies is to co-operate."

"Enough talking! Let's get going!" Carlos said, impatiently. Nihane nodded, and with his face to everyone, fell backwards, deep into the abyss. The other Ater Vox members did the same, without any hint of fear. They must have used this portal often, although Nihane seemed to be the one who controlled access to Inanis.

"Are you going?" Matthew asked, looking at Keisha. "You don't have anything to lose if you don't go -"

"If I stayed behind, they'd never let me in on the Eternal Road. I'd be erased from existence like all of you." Keisha said. "Let's get this over with! Here we go - ARGH!"

Keisha's screams after she leapt echoed around the giant dome. Amara giggled, but harsh stares from the others stopped her. Soon, the others began to follow, some brave, some unconfident.

"Wait, how am I gonna get down there?" Kyle asked, confused. Naturally, he wasn't able to jump down like everyone else. And just falling down there might not be the safest way.

"Ah, leave it to me." Dan said, casually picking up the wheelchair. "You ready?"

"Hell yeah! Jump, jump!" Kyle cheered. Dan jumped, and the two of them were screaming the entire time.

Due to Seraphina's clothing, she could not jump particularly easily. To her surprise, Other Amara grabbed her, and smiled.

"Lady Amara, I did not expect me to be swept into your arms." Seraphina said, bemused.

"Keep your hair on!" Other Amara said. "You'll be okay. Let's gooooooooo!"

They fell down, descending rapidly into Inanis. Amara grabbed Zao's hand, and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Never thought we'd end up doing this, huh?" Amara asked. "Zao, don't let go until we're down there. As long as I can feel your hand, I know I'll be okay."

"Right. Then on the count of three! One, two, THREE!" Zao shouted. They darted towards the hole, and leapt through. As they fell, they saw the whole of Inanis come into view. The empty space where Legarte was. The ruins of Amurdad. The cathedral, mansion, and castle, all glowing an eerie red hue. And finally...what seemed to be the entire district of Saragel, as it was in the past.

|Inanis - Central Point|19:12 pm|

The descent finally ended when they were standing in the very centre of Inanis, where one by one, the others appeared. Lucy was still clinging to Other Blaine for dear life, whilst Shirley was laughing with Dan. Eventually, Nihane cleared his throat, and stepped in front of everyone.

"You've noticed Saragel is strikingly different than the others, haven't you?" Nihane said. "If one is to concentrate the power of a Divine Spark, one can recreate far more of the past than a single building. Indeed, over a short period of time, Saragel of the 18th century has been recreated. Complete with the memories of it's inhabitants."

"So what are we going to do?" Priscilla asked. "The primary target is still the Museum, yes?"

"Exactly. Tomas and Rudo are most likely still holed up there, and with the Shadows under their control, they can use this fabrication of Saragel as a fort. Therefore, we need to split into groups to make our way through Saragel, to eliminate as many Shadows as possible for our final assault." Josephine said.

"Amara. Both of you. I would like both of you to assist me." Nihane said. "If your ties to Rudo and Tomas have any chance of weakening their power, then you must be the ones to confront them. My role is simple - eliminate them and regain the Divine Spark."

"Are you kidding me? I can't go with Zao? Why you?!" Amara said.

"If it wasn't for you, Rudo and Tomas wouldn't be in this mess!" Other Amara said.

"Perhaps." Nihane said. "Unfortunately, we don't have time to play the blame game. Now listen carefully. We will arrange six teams - five members apiece - to include one healer each. Nina, would you like to pick out your members?"

"Y...yes, Nihane." Nina said. She hastily pointed at Other Serena, Kaman, Dan, and Kazuya. "I would like to see how powerful my sister has become. After all, she managed to stand her own against myself."

"She's just that badass." Dan said. "You should have seen her whipping this big Jotun to death! It was epic!"

"I'd like to vouch for your sister's badassery as well." Kaman said. "Although she's quite hard to calm down after a victory cheer."

"Hey, I like the thrill of victory!" Other Serena said. "Nina, you watch out. I'll kill more Shadows than you in a heartbeat!"

"That's hardly a fair challenge, is it? I'll choose next." Pierre said. Nina glared at everyone, but folded her arms and watched. "I'm going with Aimee. She's the best healer. Oh, and the Commander. Having his strength will work well in my favour. I'll take the cute redhead with the boxing gloves, as well." Karl blinked, but said nothing. "And I'll make things interesting. Kyle, you're with me."

"...NO!" Kyle said, grimacing. "Why me?! Why not someone else?"

"Would you rather not have the chance to spy on me, in case I harm one of your friends?" Pierre said, smirking. Kyle shook his head, and groaned. "Good boy. Dan, stop looking at me like that. Carlos, your turn."

"Thank you, Pierre. I'll take Tara, Priscilla, Seraphina, and the other Blaine. I think that should make a good mix." Carlos said. "Tara, I trust we can put aside our differences for tonight?"

"Fine, but don't expect me to Recarm you." Tara said angrily. "Who's next?"

"That would be me, my dear." Josephine said, smugly. "Alright. Karen, we shall fight together once more. And Roger, you get a chance to ally with me as well. At least in here, I can't smell your foul odours as much. Nathan, my darling, you're all mine. Try to keep your hands off me."

"I'm sure that'll be exceedingly easy." Other Nathan said, scowling.

"How rude." Josephine said. "Now then, I'll finish off with...let's see...Lucy."

"WHAT?!" Lucy cried. "But I wanted to go with Shirley! We kick all sorts of ass together!"

"Then you'll have to 'kick ass' with me instead." Josephine said, chuckling. "What an impudent little wench. Archibald, I trust we didn't steal anyone you had your heart set on?"

"I...can make do." Archibald said, staring into Other Blaine's eyes. "Well then. I shall take the other Serena. Also, Matthew, Shirley, and Alastair."

With their selections, it left Keisha alone with Zao, Nathan, Richard, and Bianca. The four of them gave her evil stares as she stomped over to them, yet Zao floundered a little and hid behind Bianca.

"Excellent. Then we shall advance to Inanis. Until we reach Saragel, I'll ensure we do not run afoul of any Shadows." Nihane said. The entire group began their march, as Saragel grew nearer...

|Inanis - Saragel|19:30 pm|

This was how Saragel was portrayed in history books, in the halcyon days before it became an entertainment land of clubs, beach goers and sports fanatics. The few buildings that everyone recognised had stood the test of time, yet for the most part it was like a different city together. The roads were paved with cobblestones, and at this point, the Impavido coal mining tunnels were still in operation.

"So this is the past of Saragel, huh?" Blaine said, looking around. "Looks kinda boring."

Just then, the entire area went dark. Many people running through the streets started to appear, all screaming at the top of their lungs.

"What...is this?" Nina asked. "Nihane, this is just like Amurdad!"

"So it would seem." Nihane said, watching.

It was hard to make out what the people were screaming about. Yet Amara heard one housewife rambling about the town hall. Another woman fainted, with her young children trying to revive her.

"Amurdad have struck beyond the grave! No one is safe!" A rather hysterical miner said. "They won't stop until all of us are dead with them! We're doomed! Doomed! Oh good lord, save us! Have mercy!"

"Edgar's gone berserk! My friend told me he killed his own father last night! Heavens, how could he be so cold-hearted? My husband told me he was a demon when they were in Amurdad together, but I hadn't imagined patricide!"

"Harriet! Where are you?!" A bearded man in ragged clothed asked. "I'll keep you safe from Edgar, I promise!"

"Dammit, the further we go in, the more we'll see stuff like that," Kazuya said. "Guys, try and stay calm. We have to keep our wits about us so we can fight the Shadows!"

HAHAHA!

Suddenly, all the citizens disappeared. In the far distance, massive columns of red light could be seen. They were coming from the Town Hall, which was now bathed in dark power.

What do you think, Archibald?! I did it! I finally took over one of the Divine Sparks! All of this power...it's mine! Mine! And you all tried to use me like your other scientists! Well, looks like I surpassed you! Even you, Nihane!

"Tomas!" Other Amara screamed. "Where the hell are you?!"

There's a lot of people here tonight, aren't there? Excellent. If I can have your power as well, then all of Inanis will become mine! The Eternal Road, finally at my complete control! Amara, do you still not understand? My future, where your family lives together again! Ayodele, your lovely mother, back in your life! Are you seriously going to deny her, Amara?!

"Back in my life? She never stopped being part of it, Tomas! If I let you go through with this, she'd never forgive me! You just wait. I'll get over there and destroy you!" Other Amara said.

Amara, my daughter, please stay away! This is for the best...living without your mother is something I can no longer tolerate. I must do this! My eternal tomorrow, with both of you...please, for your own sake, do not interfere!

"Dad..." Amara said. "I have to end this. For your sake. Mother wouldn't want any of this to happen!"

So you're going to ignore your own father? You'd ally yourself with the Ater Vox, not to mention that malevolent traitor Keisha, all so you can destroy me? Fine! Now I know where we stand! Then go forward - if you can!

"This is where we go our separate ways." Nihane said. "My unit shall attempt to take a direct path to Rudo & Tomas. All others, you should spread out and stop Shadows from reaching the Town Hall. I'm designating the Ater Vox as team leaders. For Keisha's team, however, I'll let Zao take command."

"Sweet!" Zao said. "C'mon, we're going to the promenade! There's bound to be tough Shadows there!"

"Are you kidding me?" Keisha complained. "He'll just end up trying to catch really dead fish! Nihane, you can't leave me with him!"

Zao ignored her and left, and Keisha tried to endure Nihane's piercing stare of contempt before she finally followed. The other teams went in different directions, after some awkward goodbyes. Amara couldn't help but wish that she was with one of them, so she had at least one friend on her side. Yet apart from herself, she was paired up with Nihane, the man who was behind this atrocity to begin with. And he had no remorse whatsoever.

"Alright. With them working hard, we should get to the Town Hall much faster." Nihane said. "Onward!"

Both Amaras ran ahead, through the narrow roads, swords at the ready.

|Skylark Terrace|19:35 pm|

While they shared the same name, the Skylark Terrace of the past and the future were completely different beings. The modern one was an opulent, pristine building where wealthy people lived, yet here, it was a run down, dirty block of tiny flats. And there were piles of trash outside the front door.

"Eew." Serena said. "Why are we here, Archibald?"

"Simple. We have to keep finding Shadows and kill them all!" Archibald said. "The important thing is to allow for Nihane to reach the Museum without Tomas summoning back up. And a place like this, I feel will have quite a few."

"Shadows?" Shirley asked. "I bet everyone else is busy fighting, and we're stuck here in this dump. Wish I had brought something to eat..."

"Me too. Kazuya's ramen would be a delicious snack at times like these. Or perhaps the banana smoothie Richard can make." Alastair said, salivating at the thought.

"Dude, you like food way too much for someone so skinny." Shirley said, shaking her head. She sighed, and leaned against a wall. Alastair had his sword at the ready, and glanced around. The area was quiet. Matthew paced back and forth, waiting for something to happen. Finally, Shirley spoke up again.

"Hey, Archibald. What's the deal with you and Tomas?" Shirley asked. "Is he really just your assistant that turned against you?"

"There is no deeper relationship between us. He was merely a talented man, despite his age. So with my tutelage, he became the second greatest in my department. How ridiculous...he would never be satisfied with being second best. Not after sharing a business with Amara's father." Archibald said. "A man like him is only truly happy when he has one thing. Power. The freedom to achieve anything, without anyone to answer to. We should have seen it coming."

"I guess even old geezers make mistakes..." Matthew said, smirking. "So Archie, what about Blaine? You and him have history, don't you?"

"What?" Shirley asked. "Dan never said anything about that?"

"He didn't have to." Matthew said. "I do this sort of work for a living, you know. Whilst I was growing up with Dan and Blaine, I found pictures of Blaine's family. In some of them, was a man who looked quite a bit like you. Darker hair, of course, and some really bad jackets. Oh, and I paid attention to your golden age speech..."

"I see. You must have a good memory." Archibald said. "Yes, the man I spoke of was Timothy Spencer. Blaine's deceased father, and my only friend." Serena gasped. How did she not see this coming?

"Only?" Alastair asked. "You do seem like the loner, studious type, so it fits. And I bet you didn't have much of a social life at our age. Yet what of the Ater Vox? You must have some care for them?"

"Perhaps. Yet we cannot be called friends, on the same level as your group." Archibald said. "Timothy is the only friend I need. His wife and son, as well. That family deserves to be united once more, and I will ensure it happens."

"But what about what Blaine wants?!" Serena asked.

"You know him well, do you not?" Archibald said. "As a boy, he adored his father. He was proud to be his 'little man'. I witness for myself him bounding up to the front door to greet his father, only to be told this was a regular occurrence. So no matter how much he might deny it, I know he wants what I do."

"You don't get it at all." Alastair said. "Our Commander is not the same boy you know. He's grown up! He's moved on since then. And I know our Commander would never dare of being like you!"

"...If that's the case, then so be it. I'll recreate Blaine as well." Archibald said. "As the child who constantly played with my glasses. The happiest days of my life will never have to end. That, everyone, is what has kept me going for ten long years."

"Wow..." Shirley said. "You're sort of like us, then. I never stopped thinking about Lucy, even after everything that happened!"

"We are not alike. You people don't have the ambition to restore the past." Archibald said. "And that is what separates us! The drive to do what is necessary!"

Suddenly, the entire front wall of the Skylark Terrace building collapsed. An Okina Shadow emerged from the rubble, and by it's side were four Infinite Sands.

"Such as destroying those things!" Archibald said.

|Saragel Promenade|19:35 pm|

The promenade only vaguely resembled that of the future. Here, the buildings were the old sandy colours, and of course there were no clubs. Instead, there were plenty of old bars, most of them rather run-down, and various other stores. Zao tried to get over the wall to the beach, but he fell back as he hit an invisible wall.

"Ow!" He whined. "What was that?!"

"Are you for real?" Keisha said. "This isn't the real Saragel! It's Inanis! We're right up against the wall!"

"It is rather convincing." Bianca said, looking at the waves crashing onto the sand. "Sand and sea, as far as the eye can see. Even in these times, this place was a haven of beauty."

"I think it's wonderful, too." Keisha said, ignoring Zao massaging his sore foot. "For ten years, I couldn't even see the ocean. I never thought I'd see those waves ever again..."

"The people here would have no idea what their descendants would be going through. All because of what they did to Amurdad..." Nathan said.

"We don't deserve to go through this, no matter what they did all those years ago! We have to end this, and make sure Nihane never wins!" Richard said, clenching his fists.

"Seriously? Are you forgetting who I work for now?" Keisha said, frowning. "We may not have responsibility for what happened back then, but because of our ways, we let this world fall into decline! How did I end up with this team? Led by a weakling, too! You're still idiots, trying to delay the inevitable!"

Before Keisha could finish speaking, she stumbled at the sight of something. Zao turned around, and his eyes went wild with horror. There were a horde of Shadows incoming, all different varieties. He even recognised the kind he fought when he first awakening to Rashnu's power, the one that looked like man in gallows. Appropriately, it was a Hanged Man Shadow. Smirking, he raised his weapon.

"It's our responsibility to kill these guys. Can't we agree on that?" Zao said.

|Opal Street|19:35 pm|

What was now a housing estate was once a place filled with mystic stores. From the signs in the shop windows, they offered 'cleansing' crystals and other such novelty items. Eventually, the market for spiritual items would dry up, and Opal Street would become a forgettable section of Saragel.

"Look at this crap." Kaman said. "This stuff won't cure anybody. What they need is a good stiff pint."

"Are you suggesting people become alcoholics?" Kazuya said. "That seems a counter-productive solution!"

"You moron. I'm not saying they should go that far at all." Kaman said. "There's nothing better for a wounded heart that a night out with your best buddies. Or if you're alone one evening, you can find a friendly face behind the bar."

"You must have had to pay your staff handsomely, then." Nina said. Other Serena burst out laughing, and Nina blinked. "What's so amusing?"

"You! I forgot how funny you used to be!" Other Serena said, still giggling. Kaman grumbled, and started to puff on a cigarette. The smoke immediately made Kazuya distance himself from him, which prompted Kaman to give him a rude gesture. "You've forgotten all about that, haven't you? Like that time you did stand up for the school festival?"

"It's a little late to travel down memory lane." Nina said. "No matter how dear our memories together are to you, they won't protect you." She marched down the street, and Other Serena sighed.

"Hey..." Dan said. "You still love her, don't ya?"

"Huh?" Serena said. "Um..."

"What she says is bullshit. I still remember every day I had with my baby brother, you know. Like the day he was born. I got to hold him in my arms..." Dan said. "The decade without Matthew was nothing but pure hell - until Kyle saved me from it all. Yet the whole time, I still felt like a big brother. And that'll never change. Your sister can act tough as much as she wants, but I know she still cares."

"You think...she does?" Serena said, curious. "But...she's going to kill me for her new world!"

"Then ask her what she really wants. Does she want a new world where you don't exist, period? Or one where you're still around?" Dan said. "I think you'll be surprised. Come on, this is your only chance to talk to her."

"I guess you're right..." Serena said. "Once we finish up, we'll be fighting each other again." She began to follow Nina, who was surveying the area. "Nina, I have to ask -"

"Not now! I sense something!" Nina said. "Kaman, put out that cigarette. Now!"

"Already? I haven't had a smoke in ages..." Kaman said. "Alright, Shadow, show yourself! Me and the boys will thrash ya!"

"But, Kaman, there are two women with us." Kazuya said. He got a thump on his shoulder as a reply. Dan, having watched this, thumped Kaman.

Out of nowhere came a huge Shadow, resembling a robot from a Japanese anime. It carried a typically over the top sword, and it was coloured black with various white insignias.

"Hey, cool! It looks like Zech's Gundam!" Kazuya said.

"Sex's gun damn?" Kaman said incredulously, scratching his head. "You guys have some strange shows..."

"It's approaching. Be ready!" Nina shouted. "We begin!"

|Impavido Coal Mine - Entrance|19:35 pm|

Only a plaque on the side of a travel agency provided any hint to this mine's existence in modern times. Yet up until the early 20th century, the Impavido Mine was a lucrative source of income for the Saragel area. The tunnels were rich with coal, and as techniques and equipment improved, the production increased, with roaring success. In fact, the United Kingdom and imported coal from Saragel during their early locomotive years. Alas, once the poisonous gas was discovered, the mine was immediately closed, and sealed as thoroughly as possible.

"Ah, the fearless coal mine." Josephine said. "It's wonderful to see they used our wonderful language."

"We're not going inside, are we?!" Karen asked. "We can't! That place is supposed to be filled with poison! We'll die if we get inside there!"

"Calm down, Karen. We're only passing through this road." Roger said. "And anyway, I doubt that mine leads anywhere except to coal."

"Actually, I just don't want my clothes to get covered in soot." Josephine said, shaking her head. "Now - what on earth?"

A woman arrived at the entrance, and there was an injured miner on the ground. She did her very best, applying all her knowledge, but it was too late. He stopped breathing, and the nurse cried, running away. Karen gasped, watching the miner's blood slowly drip all over his clothes.

"Who was that?" Lucy asked. "She looked really upset..."

"Unsurprising... She failed to save a patient." Other Nathan said. "Poor woman..."

"Ah..." Josephine said, deep in thought. "My husband was a paramedic. He used to see scenes like that all the time. For that line of work, one needs a steely resolve. His passion to save lives...that was how we met."

"Josephine?" Karen said.

"Wait, why am I telling you all about Arthur?" Josephine said, regaining her composure. "Life would have been so much easier had he not died."

"Did that mean you had to kill Nathan's parents too?" Roger asked, annoyed.

"You're not in a position to talk back at me. Be a gentleman and be silent, please!" Josephine said, glowering. She took out her pistol, and lightly tapped Roger on the lips. Karen looked away, biting her lip.

"Josephine." Other Nathan said. "Your actions have destroyed my family...and one day, you'll regret it."

"How so?" Josephine asked. "Oh, are you going to prevent the Divine Spark? Not gone well for you so far, my dear. I'll have my dream world very soon...and I'll have Arthur by my side! You and Reginald, too! Our youth shall never fade!"

"Um...guys, shut up! Look!" Lucy said, anxiously. Coming from deep inside the mine, were five powerful Shadows. They consisted of a Mother, Idol, Papillion, Officers and a Beetle.

"Damn!" Other Nathan yelled. "Everyone, prepare yourself! We'll have to fight our way through!"

"Naturally." Karen said. "Josephine, you will heal us, won't you?"

"Only if I get Nathan to give me a full massage!" Josephine said, chuckling. Nathan turned around, and raised his staff. "I'm only joking. Focus on the real enemy, and we'll be done in no time. Be impavido!"

|Biela Vetra|19:35 pm|

Carlos' team had made it through the streets without any issues, surprisingly enough. Yet once they reached Biela Vetra, they were confronted with a sobering sight. A woman was standing outside a church, with a lost and hurt expression. Then, a tall man in ragged clothes carrying a rucksack entered the scene.

"Eugene!" The woman said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was evicted again..." Eugene said, sighing. "Harriet, whatever is the matter? Your eyes!"

Harriet wiped away the tears beneath her eyes. She cleared her throat, and as she spoke, Eugene listened intently.

"It's Edgar. I think...he's the murderer! He murdered his own father!" Harriet said, in a hushed voice. "Ever since that awful Amurdad debacle, he's been obsessed with power. He thinks he stands a chance at becoming Prime Minister!"

"Harriet...you might be right. Edgar was like an animal when we were in Amurdad together." Eugene said. "He did so many disgusting things...he even decapitated a little girl, and -"

Harriet's scream echoed long after she vanished, along with Eugene. Tara looked at where they stood, aghast.

"Okay, what the hell was that all about?" Tara said.

"The memories of the past are not easily understood. We can only speculate." Seraphina said. "Lady Priscilla, are you well?"

"I'm fine...I'm just worried about Nathan." Priscilla said. "If only I could have been in his team..."

"Chill out." Blaine said. "Your Nathan's one of the strongest guys I know. Maybe even on my level. He won't lose, not as long as you're waiting for him!"

"Waiting..." Carlos said, musing to himself. He stepped towards the church, still dwelling on his thoughts.

"What's the matter?" Priscilla asked. Tara sighed, and looked away. The sight of anyone taking an interest in Carlos' welfare was not one she wished to behold.

"There was someone waiting for me back home." Carlos said. "Someone who promised they would wait forever. Alas, time passes. Memories fade, and thus do reasons to wait. She's probably moved on with her life. I wasn't able to be the man I should have been for her. All of that will change, once world revolution comes."

"Are you saying, you're doing this for a girlfriend?" Tara asked, annoyed. "All of this happened because of that?!"

Carlos turned around, and his eyes were furious. Blaine gasped, and readied his gun just in case.

"Do you think I would resort to all of this because of romance?!" Carlos yelled. "I was not talking about a girlfriend, you complete imbecile! If you must know, I was talking about my daughter!"

"You...have a child?" Priscilla said, surprised.

"Yes! She would be eighteen as of now!" Carlos said. "I met her mother during my days as a boxer. She was a spiteful woman, but our little girl was every bit her opposite. Even to this day, I still hear her laughter. If only things hadn't turned so sour between me and her mother...Christina wouldn't have had to suffer!"

"So your daughter's still alive?" Blaine asked. "Why not go see her, then?"

"It is quite simple. Her mother turned her against me. I could see it, the last time I ever saw her...she had spread stories of my violent bar brawls. My plan was to turn myself into an academic, to prove I was more than a prize fighter." Carlos said. "Now...I can make a new world. Me and Christina can start over...and I will be able to call myself a father again."

All was quiet for a few seconds. Suddenly, the ground started shaking. Seraphina stood in front of the team, ready to fight.

"Everyone! I sense it, a Shadow of supreme darkness! A witch of dark magic, on her steed! She arrives, ready to strike!"

From out of the ground, the witch appeared. She seemed to be wearing a light green cloak, with jewellery made from the bones of exotic-looking creatures. She wore a pointed hat, and beneath it was dark grey hair. Her face was covered with the Priestess mask, and she was on top of a large white unicorn.

Seraphina began to summon her Persona - but something intriguing happened. Hecate appeared, yet there was a huge flash of light, and she disappeared into a column of blue energy. When it faded, another Persona was there. She had a similar face to Hecate, but her hair was green with a white fringe and streaks. She had equipped a light purple dress, with boots and a cape, as well as dark jewellery. In one hand was a gold sceptre, and in the other were purple cards.

I am thou. Thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I am reborn. My wisdom will last for aeons, smiting those of false hearts. I am Sophia, she who longs for the Pleroma.

"No way!" Tara said. "How come your Persona changed?!"

"Her resolve must have strengthened." Carlos said. "Now Seraphina is stronger than ever. You must be relieved. Now you won't have to work as hard."

Tara glared at him, and with a roar of fury, she called upon Maká. Yet when this happened, another peculiar event happened. Another Persona took Maká's place, and this one resembled her forebear greatly. Her hair was now auburn, with a circlet made of leaves. She also had sparkling wings that too seemed to be plant-like, and her clothes were of a matching hue.

I am thou. Thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I am reborn. As long as man supports nature, I shall support man. I am Chehooit, she who heals the earth.

"Whoa, you too?" Blaine said. "This is gonna be awesome! I'm in a team with the toughest chicks! Carlos, whose Persona is the most badass?"

"Mine, I would assume." Carlos said, shrugging. "Yet there is a narrow margin tonight. Now go! Seraphina, perform the analysis!"

|Jasmine Gardens|19:35 pm|

Without the stadium, this area was rather plain. Many trees, apparently from foreign lands, towered over anyone who ventured into the park. Several white and orange gazebos were around, as were fountains and benches. The team had just defeated some pesky Eagle Shadows, so were glad to find a place of respite.

"Hmm, this is quite a nice place." Pierre said, regarding some bluebells by the entrance. "To think it would be replaced with such an ugly stadium."

"You take that back, you stupid dick!" Karl shouted. "That stadium is a modern masterpiece! An arena where champions compete!"

"So you had to destroy nature for your childish sport? How enchanting." Pierre said dryly. "I doubt Kyle here has much desire for sport, either."

"That's not...uh..."

"What is it?" Aimee asked. Kyle shook his head, but he seemed to be dwelling on something.

"I only picked you all for your abilities. To be honest, I can't stand either one of you." Pierre said, with a huge smile. "Kyle, you're a dependent cripple who craves attention from adult figures. Aimee, your foolish altruism makes you a sitting duck in this hellish world we live in. Blaine, you only care for getting drunk and nights of passion with young, voluptous women. As for Karl, you're just a football - or for you simpletons, soccer - fanatic, obsessed with your temporary glory before your retirement!"

"Hey, shut your fucking mouth. We don't like being with you either. You're just a sociopath!" Other Blaine yelled.

"Oh, am I?" Pierre said. Now he was leering, and he clenched his fists. "Would a sociopath struggle in vain to prevent his cousin from blowing his head off?"

"...Excuse me?" Karl asked.

"That's right. Pig-headed scum like you, Karl, found out about my cousin's...different lifestyle. They stole from him! Drove his friends away! Got him expelled from school! And I stood alone to wipe away those tears. But they didn't stop falling. Then one day, those tears turned to blood. Blood, dripping through my hands! When I'm in charge, I'm never going to let that happen again. Jacques will be able to live freely, and he won't have his life torn to pieces by this stupid system!"

There was silence. No one knew quite how to process this information. Yet it seemed that Pierre, as cruel as he was, had someone he cared about after all. A reason to renew the planet. And he would not listen to anyone trying to deter him.

Before anyone could speak, however, there was a giant glyph on the ground. And out of it was a tremendous Shadow, resembling a clock. Its body was gold, with a light green tint to the frame, and it's 'feet' were made from what looked like bronze. Twelve small figures were portrayed on the top of the clock, each of them pertaining to the first twelve Major Arcana of the Thoth tarot deck. The clockface was black, with golden abbreviations for the same twelve Arcana, and the hands were made out of polished silver.

"Seriously?" Other Blaine said. "The Corrupt Chronicle came back?"

"Not quite. It's been reborn...as the Reflective Chronicle." Pierre said. "So even after death, they don't give up. Everyone, as much as I despise you all, we're in this together. Are you ready to fight?"

"I've been ready since we came here! Bring it on!" Karl shouted.

|Town Hall Entrance|19:41 pm|

Amara, her other self and Nihane had been forcing their way through to the museum, and had slain a great deal of Shadows. The other teams were likely hard at work, defeating the masses of Tomas and Rudo's army. Yet her team had gone here directly, and with any luck, they would win.

"Hmm..." Nihane said, pondering, as they stood in front of the building. "If this place is like Amurdad, then any minute now -"

He was interrupted by the sound of a man screaming, in the utmost agony. Then, coming out of the Town Hall...was a violent looking young man, who was throwing quite the tantrum.

"Curse you, father!" He roared, looking inside. "Just you said! Once I'm mayor, Saragel will really progress! And without you, everyone will be better off! We don't need spineless cowards like you! You never even lifted a finger when we went to Amurdad! What kind of man are you, huh?! Huh?!"

With that, he vanished - and in his place was a Knight Shadow. Groaning, Amara readied her blade - only for a huge column of light to vanquish him. Nihane's Judgment attack had struck once more.

"It would seem we witnessed part of the event that brought about this Divine Spark." Nihane said, stoically. "The mayor did not approve of his son's role in the Amurdad massacre - perhaps he was one of the few sane people at that time. Alas, he had always failed to connect with his angry son of his...which led to his downfall."

"I don't care about any of that!" Other Amara said. "We have to get inside, and soon!"

"Everyone else is fighting so hard for us. We have to do the same!" Amara said, and she opened the door. The other Amara and Nihane entered, and all three were ready for anything.

|Skylark Terrace|19:43 pm|

Archibald summoned Thor. With a shot of his Thunder Cannon, the skirmish began. One of the Sands got struck, but that did not deter it. It swiftly cast a Matarukaja. Then the other two joined in, with Masukukaja and Marakukaja. Now every enemy was substantially stronger...and harder to kill.

"Oh, no!" Serena said. Then came something she feared. A huge Maragidyne burst from the Okina, blasting everything with intense heat. "Argh!"

"You'll pay for that! Phantom Edge!" Shirley tried to attack, but Rhiannon's assault was dodged. The Sand then attacked her, knocking her into Alastair. He moaned in pain, but they weren't done yet. Another one cast Garudyne, fortunately hitting the one person resistant to wind - Matthew.

"Alright, my turn!" He shouted. Acolnahuacatl pounced out of thin air, and twirled sharply. Now, the team received the boost of Masukukaja, and just in time - Shirley managed to leap out of the way of a lunge from the Okina. Alastair, however, was still on the ground, and groaning.

"Hang on!" Serena said. "Mediarama!" The team felt their vitality come back. Archibald, however, was eyeing the Okina. And he seemed to recognise it.

"This would be the Lost Okina. An odd looking Shadow, wouldn't you say?" He said, adjusting his glasses. "And it just so happens to be vulnerable to light. Alastair, if you're done having a nap, come up and help out."

Alastair rolled away from another Sand, and slashed it. Then he sidestepped a Magnadyne, and looked towards the Okina. He knew what to do.

"Michael! Sacred Impact!" He shouted. Soon, the angelic Persona was bathed in light. Then it threw it's sound into the air, and fired a laser from it's palm. As it struck, so did the sword, resulting in the Okina's screams of anguish. "Know your place, scum!"

Serena was busy evading the persistent Sands, who were resilient to her whips. However, right after they hit her across the face, a sphere of lightning appeared around them. Then it burst, shocking each of them.

"Hey...what was that move?" Serena asked. "It was cool!"

"Actually, I daresay it's considerably over boiling point." Archibald replied. "It was simply my Blitz Sphere attack. Now begone, Shadows!" Now, he punched through the air - and the orbs on his gloves began to glow, and sent small pulses of energy at the Sands.

"Grieving Rune!" Shirley beckoned. The power of Rhiannon's darkness emanated from the ground, and one of the Sands was now incredibly unstable. Unfortunately, the Okina was having none of it. In retaliation, he bashed Shirley repeatedly. Then, it used it's own Mediarama, with a sinister inhuman giggle.

"No!" Serena cried. "Why do they always do that?!"

"Don't you think they feel that way when you use Dia spells?" Matthew said. "Come on, someone team up with me! I wanna get rid of one of those Sands!"

"Then allow me. You don't seem as strong as your brother, but you'll do." Shirley said, smirking. "Rhiannon, go!"

"Oh, I'm every bit as tough as Dan! You wait and see!" Matthew said, with a playful glint in his eyes. Acolnahuacatl leapt into the air, and Rhiannon grabbed onto it, brandishing her scythe. They leapt forward, and bounced off all of the Sands and the Okina, striking with both fangs, claws, and scythe. Rhiannon also charged the onslaught with light and dark, and thus each strike was bursting with power. Finally, Acolnahuacatl swung around in a circle, cutting all the Shadows in a swift movement - with Rhiannon assisting. "Dusk Mount!"

Matthew got his wish. One of the Infinite Sands perished, thus providing some irony. The Okina, however, used Mediarama again, and Serena groaned.

"Stop doing that, you old fart! Lunar Scope!" Whilst Alastair slashed one of the remaining Sands and Shirley kicked it, Artemis transformed her bow again. A hail of arrows pierced the ground, and thus the Shadows felt Serena's anger.

"Wow, I didn't expect your Persona to have that sort of attack." Alastair said. "Golden Feathers!" Michael flapped it's wings, and golden sharp feathers flew across the area. The Infinite Sands and the Lost Okina were being ripped to shreds, but their will somehow saved them. Now the Lost Okina was doing something strange. It did a dance, and...used Old One. Once it hit, things changed.

"What's...going on?" Serena asked, sluggish. Moving her arms and legs seemed to take more effort. Perhaps this is what being elderly felt like.

"This is just great. How am I going to kick anybody like this?" Shirley said. She feebly tried to attack a Sand, but it was unimpressed and hit her away.

"We'll just have to try and fight back!" Alastair said. "I bet Archibald doesn't feel any different, though."

"With a Persona, age breeds greater experience. And you all shall be my witnesses!" He said. "Megingjard!"

Thor appeared in front of the enemies, and with another blast of his cannon, he conjured up a large energy shield. Then, it broke into five pieces - and everyone was now inside the barrier.

"What's this move, then?" Shirley asked. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"

"For the last time. We are trying to kill those Shadows, not each other! Now settle down. That barrier combines the functions of Rakukaja and Makarakarn. So you will be safe, until we can deal with this enervation..." Archibald grumbled.

"Alright! Then here goes! Malaques!" Serena cried. Crushing waves blasted the Sands, yet it did nothing to the Okina. "Oh, come on..."

The Okina was getting restless. It the Hours rushing at the team. Meanwhile, it began a strange chant, and it managed to charge up a considerable amount of power. Archibald, however, simply chuckled. He fired off a Ziodyne, and the Okina fell to the ground, stunned.

"Magarula!" Matthew cried. Winds surged from Acolnahuacatl's fingertips, and surprisingly, the Sands fell down.

"So...what next?" Shirley asked, with an evil glint in her eye.

"We go all out!" Serena said, cracking her whip. Alastair and Matthew nodded. Archibald stood back, and held out his hand. "No holding back!"

Everyone dashed at the Shadows, in a chaotic frenzy. All one could hear was the sounds of metal clanging and other brutal attacks. Archibald stood back, and fired blast after blast. It felt like a cartoon brawl, where one could only see fists flying everywhere.

|Promenade|19:41 pm|

Keisha reluctantly took out her weapons, and watched as Rashnu burst into the scene. "Helios!"

Roaring flames engulfed the area, and actually set one of the houses on fire. Bianca gasped, and stood still for a few moments.

"Bianca! Get a hold of yourself!" Richard said. "He's not trying to cash in on his insurance policy! And that house isn't even real!"

"I know..." Bianca said. "Then en guarde! White Rose!" As she thrust forward with her rapier, Gabriel did the same - with a thrust so sharp, it pierced the armour of a Musha. Then, she dodged a Ziodyne from a dancing Couple. "Argh!"

"They'd be romantic if they weren't trying to kill us." Nathan said. He swung his weapon - yet one of them touched him, with a purplish mist. "Ugh...I feel...weird..."

"Shut up and try to kill them!" Keisha shouted. "Fine. Cabaletta!" Euterpe, as Lorelei did, played her flute - and the poison effect was gone. Not only that, Nathan felt tougher.

"Nice tune!" Richard said. "You might remember this one...Ultraviolet Whirlwind!" Winds of every colour of the rainbow emanated from Raphael's wings, and shot through the Shadows. A few Cupids succumbed to the gale, but then a Basalt rose into the air to strike. Fortunately, Richard rolled away, and laughed as it fell upside down. That laughter ended abruptly after a Idol cast Ziodyne.

"Richard! Are you okay?" Bianca asked, stabbing at the Idol.

"I'm fine!" Richard said, despite him wincing as he clutched his arm. "Fight back! I'll heal myself! Diarama!"

Nathan kicked at several of the fallen Cupids, and swung his staff to further torment them. Just as a Wheel came to attack, he conjured Setanta. "Liath Macha!"

Stormy winds appeared below Setanta, sending him soaring into the 'sky'. When he reached his peak, he held his spear downwards, and with one swift movement, he drove it through the Wheel.

"Your Persona's kind of cool. The opposite of you." Keisha said, with a slight smile, as she slashed another Idol. Nathan glared at her, but perhaps trying to be a gentleman, he let it slide. A Pesce rammed Bianca into the wall, and it was the wrong move, as it would soon learn.

"That's no way to treat a lady! Be more courteous! Water Lily!" Gabriel danced into the battlefield, and twirled. A beautiful pink & orange flower, gargantuan in proportion, was generated by the angel. Then, it span, and jets of water shot out and smacked into the Pesce and the Idol Keisha was wailing on - killing the latter. "Keisha! Go for broke!"

"I dunno what that means, but sure! Vibrato!" Keisha hollered. Lightning struck the Pesce, and vanquished it. Now, there was the Basalt that had clumsily landed upside-down, an Idol, and the man in the gallows. Some other Shadows, however, were trying to run, but Zao seemed to have a plan.

"Rashnu, come on! Mass Destruction!" He roared - and his command met with resounding success. The fearsome strikes killed all the Shadows that were trying to flee, and it almost felt like they were lamenting their fate as they perished. "Yay - oof!"

His moment of joy had been ended by a rather painful Akasha Arts. A new Shadow had crashed the party - a nasty looking Chaos Cyclops. The Gallows, Idol, and Basalt had managed to recover too. Everyone glared at the small army, and now it was war.

"Hey, let's heal up!" Richard suggested. He used his Gentle Breeze, and shortly enough, everyone was okay. "Nathan, hurry up and make us faster!"

"You really need to be politer with your demands, Richard. I shall comply, just for you! Masukukaja!" Setanta's aid would come in handy, especially since they were able to dodge the Cyclops. Granted, it had just used Balzac upon itself, which did not do wonders for one's accuracy. Or self control, considering it was bashing everyone with no finesse.

Bianca laughed and let loose with a Mabufula. However, it only harmed the Gallows, who had just struck Nathan with Magnadyne. "What?! No!" The Idol was performing a grim incantation - one for Mudoon. She was powerless to resist it's foul clutches, and collapsed.

|Opal Street|19:43 pm|

"Permafrost!"

A gigantic block of ice formed around the Dominating Machine. Despite it's panic, it could not escape this fate. Nina chuckled, and with sinister glee, used her next attack - Chilling Massacre. This was a particularly evil attack, where Hel slashed and slashed through the ice - torturing the trapped foe with both freezing temperatures and sharp blades. Finally, the ice broke apart, and the Machine was furious. He held the large broadsword high, and used a peculiar new move - Heat Riser.

"Oh, no!" Kazuya shouted. "That one's Tarukaja, Sukukaja, AND Rakukaja together! We're screwed!"

"Giving up that easy? You dumbass, we can buff ourselves too! C'mon." Kaman said, cooly. "Marakukaja!" He commanded. Dan, eager for battle, used Matarukaja. Neither of the team had Sukukaja, but it would do. Kazuya instead volunteered a Ziodyne - yet it was he who ended up shocked.

"Looks like electricity is useless. Dan, you may have to sit this one out." Nina said, grinning.

"You've never really seen me in action before, have ya?" Dan said. "How about this little trick? Gullotine Fall!"

Tezcatlipoca, with an animal-like savagery, slashed the Machine with his scythe repeatedly. Each swing of his scythe seemed to bring down pools of blood, and Serena actually backed away.

"Aquadyne!" Serena cried. Unlike Kazuya's thunder, this had a much greater effect on the Machine. It toppled over, completely still - as if it were just a model.

"What are you waiting for?" Nina said, readying her chained sickles. "Attack! Now!"

The entire team rushed at the Dominating Machine, bashing it with their weapons - or in Kaman's case, his fists. However, while they were doing this, the Machine arose, and swung his blade around in a perfect circle - and everyone felt the brunt of Vicious Strike, hitting walls of the street.

"Ow..." Kazuya moaned, clutching his stomach. "That was...worse than...cuttlefish..."

"Hang on!" Serena shouted. "Diarahan!" Within seconds, Kazuya went from almost crying to jumping up and down, and giving the Machine the middle finger. Being an expressionless machine, however, it did not give any gesture back.

Nina used Bufudyne next, which was quite potent - and cooled the area down. It seemed this day in Saragel's past was quite hot, so it was an added bonus.

"Here's something else new, ladies!" Dan said, cheerfully. "Soul Harvest!" Tezcatlipoca faithfully gathered blood red energy in his scythe, and his eyes seemed to glow the same ominous hue. Then he viciously attacked, and as the scythe dug into the Machine's 'flesh', energy seemed to flow out, and into Dan's body.

"What the -" Serena stammed, eyeing his Persona in terror. Dan chuckled, and fired some shots from his rifle - ignoring Serena's fright.

|Mine Entrance|19:42 pm|

Josephine fired all over, and whilst the bullets bounced off the Beetle's scaly form, they hit the others - yet the Officer didn't seem to be particularly concerned. It fought back with Black Spot, with enough force to smash the pavement - yet she gracefully shrugged it off, and shot again.

Nathan glady aided the team by a swift cast of Masukukaja, whilst Lucy attacked the Idol with Inanna's Heatstroke. Karen was trying to slash the Mother, but she was having none of this. Angry, Karen cast Bufudyne.

"Yes!" She cried, as Aeshma's ice seemed to cause it pain - but annoying, it simply healed itself. "Oh, come on!"

Roger seemed more relaxed, as he stabbed at the Papillion. As the name suggested, it resembled butterflies. He then conjured the crushing power of Aquadyne, and cheered. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to take that lying down. A cartoonish star surrounded Roger, and then entered his head.

"Uh...huh?" Roger said. "Wait, what are you doing?!" He yelled. He suddenly hit Other Nathan across the face, and shoved the Mother out of the way of Karen's stab.

"What the hell?" Lucy shouted. Then came the next attack - Malaques. The Idol blighted them all with water, but the pain didn't end there. Fierce lightning manifested, and it was the Beetle's doing. Roger's shocked body collapsed, whilst he stared at the insect in confusion.

"Wait...we're...buddies, right?" Roger said, delirious.

"Right, that is IT!" Karen shouted. She stormed over to Roger, shoving the Papillion out of the way - prompting Nathan to attack it. She lifted him up, and soon began to bring him out of his confusion - by slapping him at least ten times.

"Oww!" Roger shouted. "It hurts when you keep doing it!"

"Sorry. Just needed to bring you back to normal. You trying to help the Shadows is kind of an issue..." Karen said, shrugging."Whoa!"

The Idol wasn't interested in this at all, and let off another elemental blast - of fire. Maragion burned everyone, but Lucy naturally was unscatched.

"You twisted firestarter!" She shouted. "I'm the girl on fire in this team!" Josephine burst out laughing, and despite everyone's confused stares, she did not offer an explanation. Instead, she beckoned Cybele.

"Terra Lapsis!" She cried. A massive earthquake ravaged the enemy team, with dark energy pulsing through the cracks in the ground. The Shadows looked worse for wear afterwards - perhaps a little fragile. Lucy smiled evilly, and used Agidyne - burning the Idol with severe heat.

"Maragula!" Nathan commanded. Soaring winds crashed down on their foes, yet annoyingly, the Beetle was completely unaffected. He tried to bash it with his staff, but it flicked him away into a barrel. "Ouch!"

It seemd the Mother was aware of her ailing health. She quickly cast Rakukaja on herself, self-preservation being her apparent priority. The Officer seemed to glare at her, but she pointed to Lucy. She gasped - but it came too fast. The Officer shot her, and the pain was overwhelming. The Papillion was keen to attack as well, and burnt Josephine with Agidyne.

"Everyone, hang on. That Beetle...I don't trust it." Josephine said, readying her guns. The brazen insect was indeed a nefarious creature - it managed to gather almighty energy via it's fast wing flaps, and released a Megido.

"Ouch..." Roger croaked. "Still not as bad as Karen's 'remedy'..."

"Do you want to try it again?!" Karen shouted. "Josephine, we need some help!"

She nodded, and Cybele performed first-aid via Mediarama. Irritatingly, the Mother had the same plan - she healed the Papillion. Greed took over, however, as it absorbed some of Josephine's health. She was furious, and shot it and the other Shadows repeatedly. The Officer stomped over, roaring.

"Oh, put a sock in it. Mór Gaoth!" Nathan ordered. This barrage of wind halted the Officer's steps, and made him land right through the window of a chemist across the street. If this was the real Saragel, he would have felt guilty about property damage. The Idol had witnessed this, and used a Mamagnara to prove her multi-elemental mastery.

"That hurt, skank!" Lucy's anger brought out the devil in her - and the devil was Passion Ablaze, upon the Mother. Roger cackled, gazing at the fallen Officer, and out came Kanaloa.

"Hurry! Kraken Lance!" He barked. His Persona held his spear tight, then drove it through the Officer. The sheer violence of the attack had done it's job - the Officer dissolved, leaving four Shadows. "Ha! And people used to say I was a theatre nerd! Check me out now!"

"Roger, the people who used to call you that are all dead." Karen said.

"Did you have to bring that up? I was having such fun..." Roger said, sadly.

"Sorry. Just stay calm, and destroy them! Cursed Image!" Karen yelled. Aeshma, slowly moving towards the Papillion, took out her mirror. She held it in front of it's 'face', the Priestess mask, and the reflection suddenly turned dark. Then, Aeshma attacked, but the Shadow seemed barely affected.

Undeterred, the butterfly beast cast Hamaon - which upon use, caused a huge dark image to burst out of the mirror. It was of the Papillion, except three times as big. It pounced, biting through the foe. Once the bloodbath was finished, neither was left flying. Roger gasped, whilst Karen simply smirked at him amd slashed the Mother.

|Biela Vetra|19:41 pm|

The Shadow, once known as the Dominating Sorceress, did not wait to be telepathically scanned. Instead, she pulled off a powerful Agneyastra - a rain of fiery comets. Everyone winced, and Tara immediately cast Mediarama. Then, the Sorceress bolstered her strength with Mind Charge

"C'mon, Tlaloc!" Blaine said. To his dismay, Tlaloc remained the same. "Guess I'll have to wait for my big upgrade. But you can't improve on perfection!"

"Venti says otherwise. Take a look at this." Carlos said. He darted up at the Shadow, and quickly did some jabs. "Airborne Melee!"

Venti emerged, and clenched his fists. Then, he pulverised the Shadow with four sharp punches, each one sending gusts of wind as well. Carlos looked at Blaine, and smiled proudly.

"Oh yeah?" Blaine growled. He cracked his knuckles. "Pay attention, ladies. I'll knock that witch into next week!"

"Considering where we are, that might just be possible." Priscilla said.

Tlaloc burst out of his body, raised his hammer aloft, and it came crashing down on the Sorceress. Then he repeated this twice, growing stronger each time. The Sorceress was now suffering intolerable pain, yet Blaine responded to this with several gunshots. Priscilla had Uathach use Bufudyne, which compounding the Sorceress' pain.

"Complete! This is now the Repentant Sorceress!" Seraphina cried. "Once, fire the most feared weapon in the enemy's arsenal. Yet now, it will be like all other. And we appear to be without the gift of fire, as well..."

"We won't be needing flames." Carlos said. "I'll have that witch on the ground in no time." He took up his stance, and ran in, punching the Sorceress square in the jaw. Immediately, Venti joined in with Skyward Dragon. "Hiyah!"

"Okay, that's kinda cool..." Blaine said, reluctantly. "Ziodyne!" Tlaloc's sparks hit the Repenant Sorceress as well, and in her anger, she cast Yellow Wall on herself.

"Play to your strengths, Sir Blaine. As I shall show you! Sophia! Stellar Vision!" Seraphina said. Sophia's eyes glowed as bright as the night sky - and then a cloud filled with stars and dark matter swirled around the Sorceress, exploding upon contact.

"Maká - no, Chehooit! Magnadyne!" Tara ordered. The strength of her earth power had grown since her Persona had changed. The Sorceress was being pummeled left, right, and centre. Then when Priscilla used Snowfield, she had decided to act against these spellcasters.

The unicorn the Sorceress rode upon neighed, standing on its hind legs, whilst its master created large, immaterial chains of power. With each wave of her hand, they hit everyone, and they were then hit by supreme dark energy.

Seraphina stumbled, and fell to her knees. While it was a powerful attack, it seemed to have completely overwhelmed her.

"Seraphina! Are you okay?!" Tara shouted.

"If being unable to stand on my own legs is okay, then yes..." Seraphina groaned.

"No need to be snarky! Here!" Tara said. She quickly used Mediarama, and Seraphina got back up, yet still somewhat weary. "What was that attack? And...wait. Blaine, Carlos, you two look just fine!"

"That accursed enchantress can blight her enemies with 'Witch Hunt'." Seraphina replied. "Those like myself, you, or Ladr Priscilla are in grave danger when it is used...but those like Sir Blaine and Carlos will feel as if a breeze had touched them."

"Sweet!" Blaine said. "I'm not really into hitting girls, but this bitch is gonna pay! Tarukaja!" Tlaloc gracefully amplified Blaine's strength. Carlos, however, let out a Garudyne, slicing the Sorceress with the power of wind.

"I will not allow this wretched whore the opportunity to survive past the termination of the witching hour!" Seraphina said, glaring at her nemesis. "Megidola!" Pure energy, of almighty power, manifested, and with a strong blast, hit the Sorceress.

"Aurora Borealis!" Priscilla twirled, and so did Uathach. Beautiful rays of light, of all sorts of colours, shone over the sky, much like the real Northern Lights. Then they began firing down, piercing through the Sorceress' countenance. She shrieked, and by now she was absolutely furious. The witch was not going to let these humans run free.

"What is she doing now?" Carlos asked. "She's even uglier when she's plotting something! Just like the women of Malaga!"

She showed the first step of her scheme. The horse began neighing again, as she began to chant a peculiar spell. Then, she performed an abominable act - Evil Smile.

"...Huh?!" Blaine said. Suddenly, he was shaking. No one seemed willing to attack anymore. The thought of getting close to the Sorceress was...petrifying. Looking at her face made everyone shudder.

"What's going on? I'm okay..." Tara said.

"Wait, no!" Carlos shouted. "This is just as I remember! This Trauma Shadow could turn her enemies into quivering wrecks, then with one Ghastly Wail, she could -"

His words were cut short by a dreadful sound. It was of painful, mournful ghosts...begging the living to join them. Blaine, unable to take much more, collapsed. Priscilla, Seraphina and Carlos then fell to the ground.

|Jasmine Gardens|19:41 pm|

Alexander, summoned by Karl's will, granted him more strength with Hero's Steel. Pierre smirked, but turned to the giant clock.

"Foncé Aroma!" Loki broke out of his master's body, and with an evil grin, caused a strange lavender air to flow into the Chronicle. Nothing else seemed to happen, however.

"Hold on..." Kyle said. "The energy reading! It's just like Stagnant Air!"

"Exactly." Pierre said. "This should be entertaining."

The Chronicle had become to act at last. Its hands moved to Hierophant and Justice - and these corresponded to Tarukaja and Rakukaja respectively. Aimee gulped. Without a weapon, or any attacks at all, her only option was to stay out of harm's way.

"Aimee! Don't worry! We can take this guy down!" Kyle shouted. "Demon Crag!" Hephaestus took out his blade, then he struck the Shadow. Then his blade pierced the ground, causing large, sharp rock formations to burst out from below - hitting the Chronicle with heavy force.

"Ziodyne!" Blaine hollered. Thunder came crashing down from the sky, shocking the clock. "This thing's kind of tough. No wonder I picked it out to distract everybody..."

"Oh!" Kyle said. "When you kidnapped me?"

"Why are you getting nostalgic in a confrontation?!" Pierre ordered. "Watch out -"

The Chronicle's body did not move. The hands, however, had changed again, landing on Priestess and Empress. And soon, everyone was being pummeled by the hardest ice of Shadows - Mabufudyne. As if that wasn't bad enough, the second hand's position allowed the Chronicle to use Diarama. Which it did, and everyone groaned.

Karl sneered at the Shadow. "You're just like that stupid angel! Well this time, I'm not taking your shit! DIE!" He got up close, and with some impressive punches, pulled off a seven-hit combo, finishing with a strong uppercut. Small cracks appeared on the clockface, but the Shadow was still roughly intact. Kyle eagerly assisted, with his powerful Soaring Phoenix. Blaine, preparing for his next attack, was using Tarukaja on himself.

"Everyone, stay strong!" Aimee said. "Mediarama!" With that, she healed everyone's bodies. Pierre had an evil look in his eye, as he stood before the giant timepiece.

"Cruelle Couer!" He ordered Loki. Rings of dark and purple power surrounded the Reflective Chronicle, and rapidly shot into it. Now, it seemed to be purplish in hue - it had been ridden by poison. "Marvellous!"

"You know, if you had just used those moves instead of your illusion crap, you might have beaten us." Kyle said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, don't complain. Little by little, that Shadow will succumb to my 'gift'." Pierre said, smug.

Unfortunately, the Chroncile had no intention of accepting this gift. The hands were now on Magician and Lovers - the former created a Maragidyne, whilst the latter enabled the Chronicle to use Amrita on itself. Thus, it cured its sickness.

"Merde!" Pierre swore. Fortunately, flames did nothing to him, and barely affected Kyle. Yet the heat had hurt everyone else bad enough for Aimee to use another Mediarama. "Don't waste your energy. Only heal us in an emergency."

"Y-Yes." Aimee mumbled. Kyle clutched his laser weapon, and cut into the loathsome Shadow with it. He tried to use Agidyne, but it failed to do much of anything.

"I don't get it. It worked before!" Kyle said, scratching his head. "Wait...do its resistances change with its hands?"

"Obviously." Pierre said, shrugging. "Peur Lumiére!" Loki appeared again, and after gathering energy into his palm, fired a peculiar bright and reddish beam at the Reflective Chronicle. More cracks began to appear, and the Shadow somehow managed to move backwards. Was it afraid?

"Mighty Braver!" Karl shouted. Alexander fiercely struck the Shadow with his sword three times, but the Chronicle did not end up falling over like the Unblessed Cherub did. "Man..."

"Come on, Karl. You gotta keep at it. You ain't seen this one yet! Stormy Ascent!" Blaine cried. Tlaloc generated dark storm clouds, high above his foe. Then, after they grew bigger and darker, they exploded, and ferocious lightning bolts came down. The sparks surged all over the Shadow, and soon smoke was coming off it. "Guess this thing's worthless at an auction now!"

"Must you find time for jokes?" Pierre asked.

"Well we are fighting a giant clock..." Aimee said.

"Be quiet! If you must laugh, do so after we've eliminated this behemoth!" Pierre shouted.

|Town Hall|19:45 pm|

Upon their arrival, the trio were immediately greeted with more Shadows. This time, a horde of Dice.

"This doesn't bode well." Nihane said, readying his blade. "You are likely aware of their Last Resort attack. If they all have the chance to use it, we may be defeated soundly."

"Then what do we do?" Amara asked, as she and the other Amara held their swords close.

"A joint attack." Nihane said. "Channel your mastery of fire with my power, and that should wipe them all out at once! Now go!" He had both aspects of Janus appear above him, holding their hands out. A giant ball of column energy emerged in front of them, one half turning white, the other black.

Hathor and Sekhmet rose up, and soon the four Personas were in front of the pillar of pure power. The fiery goddesses raised their arms, and soon burning flames engulfed that pillar - and it soon collapsed, sending balls of flame all over the room.

"Towering Inferno!"

The results were devastating. When the flames and smoke had cleared, only a single Dice Shadow remained, and it was at death's door. It advanced on Nihane, who had his back turned - but Other Amara quickly somersaulted through the air and stabbed it, and it disintegrated.

"Tomas!" Nihane called out. "We know you're here! You will not escape!"

Is ThAT RiGht?! Hehehe...HAHAHAHAHA! IF YoU ThInk YOU CAN sURvIVE, come UPSTAiRs! As High AS YOU Can! I'll BE WAITING!

Amara, go back! You won't survive if you try to fight! Please, get to safety...

"Dad..." Other Amara said. "I already told you, no! Up to the attic!"

"Then be prepared! There will be Shadows around every corner!" Nihane yelled. He ran up the stairs, and with one swift movement bisected a Musha Shadow. "Out of my way, you worthless scum!"

They had to deal with countless foes every corner they turned, and by the time they finally got to the attic, the rooms around them had been heavily damaged, some even on fire. Amara had to hope this building could hold until she was victorious...

|Skylark Terrace|19:50 pm|

The Sands had all perished via the team's reckless assault, except one. It was, however, clearly a lost cause. With cracks all over it, it had to limp to move at all. Yet it had some glimmer of power still about it, as it suddenly unleashed Mazionga.

"No!" Serena cried. Then she remembered. Megingjard protection...it would save them all. The lightning bolts came, but the minute they hit the barriers, they came straight back - and the Infinite Sands had become finite. The Lost Okina had lost all it's allies, and no other Shadows were around to aid it. In it's anguish, it unleashed the hellish fire of Maragidyne.

Shirley screamed, as the flames rushed at them. "Why couldn't it have used the strong move first?!"

"They're savvy, maybe?" Alastair said, choking. "Serena...hurry...I think we're nearly done."

Dutifully, Serena healed everyone. "I hope you're right. That fire was horrible!"

"Time to go, you old fart!" Matthew dashed at the Okina, only to be bashed over the head and knocked to the floor. Shirley managed to strike it with Phantom Edge, however, and Blitz Sphere seemed to be rather potent.

"Alright. Time to meet your maker!" Alastair cried. "Glorious Impact!" He concentrated, and Michael emerged, his sword in both hands. With an intense build up of power, his blade grew to double it's size. Then, after several short slashes, he threw it into the sky. Next up, Alastair fired a ray of light, trapping the Okina in place - and then the sword came crashing down, sending shockwaves all over the area.

The Okina was sent flying, it's body smoking, and it landed upon the debris of the fallen Skylark Terrace. Before it could get back up, it had been shot by Archibald's energy blasts and Shirley's Grieving Rune. With that, it dissolved.

"Not bad, if I say so myself." Alastair said, sweeping a hand through his hair. "Archibald, you were magnificent. How did you construct those gloves?"

"With years of testing and prototyping. The amount of research generated by my curiosity, is extraordinary, I will attest." Archibald said. "Yet the process to create these self-defence articles of clothing is complicated. You won't be able to sweet talk me into giving you a pair."

"For someone so smart, you really are stupid." Serena said. "If you hadn't joined up with them, you could have been helping us! Helping Blaine!"

"...It is too late to change my mind, child." Archibald said, grimacing. "You cannot sway either of us. Not after we witnessed Nihane's potential. Blaine may have the ability to simply move on with his life, yet I cannot see the value of a future, the way things are. Now shut up and get back to work."

He stormed off, whilst Skylark Terrace completely fell apart. Serena sighed, and scowled.

"Serena, you cannot change someone's mind so easily." Alastair said. "Especially after they've been exposed to such dark power."

"I guess..." Serena said. "But...what if we could convince him? Is that really not possible?"

Shirley shook her head, sadly. "It wouldn't work. The two sides won't stop until they have what they want. And you can't force what you want on others."

Serena sighed loudly, and looked upon the fallen Terrace. Whilst Alastair and Shirley got moving, however, Matthew stood behind her. "Aren't you going?"

"I think you're right. Maybe it isn't too late to change their minds." Matthew said. "It's a matter of finding the right words. I'm a detective, remember? We don't resolve things by shooting criminals. We catch them. Maybe we can change their ways."

"I'm not sure anymore..." Serena said. "After everything they've done, could they ever go back to living normal lives?"

"No one knows. But we can find out!" Matthew said, grinning. "Come on, we've got a job to do. There could be Shadows in all of these old buildings. Race ya!"

"Hey, give me a head start!" Serena yelled. The two of them dashed to reach the other three, and soon enough, they were in combat with more Shadows.

|Promenade|19:50 pm|

"Bianca, no!" Richard shouted, shocked. "Oh man...I don't know Recarm! This is a nightmare!"

"You simpleton. Recarm isn't the only way to bring someone back. Watch! Tessitura!" Euterpe's next melody was somewhat poignant, yet touching. The notes seemed to lilt in one's ears. When it was done, Bianca stirred. She looked around, and groaned.

"I take a nap and you still haven't won?" she said, desparingly.

"How about this, then? Heartful Cry!" Zao yelled. Keisha's watched in shock at the sheer power of Rashnu's onslaught - the blast destroyed the Gallows, and had hurt the others considerably. "I've gotten stronger since last time! Wouldn't you say?"

"Y-yeah!" Keisha replied. "I'm glad I wasn't fighting you in that opera house..."

"The only problem is, Zao tends to 'spam' then and get tired afterwards. Like now." Nathan said. Zao sighed, but it was true. He was starting to ache, after the amount of energy his new abilities consumed. Richard used a Garudyne, and eliminated the Cyclops. Then he quickly healed Bianca up, and they high fived each other. At this point, however, a Turret rolled into the battlefield. Then a pair of Twins appeared...

"What? More?" Zao whined. "It looks so cool, but it's gonna try and blow us all up!"

Nathan, unlike Zao, was still full of energy. When he called up Setanta, the energy was pulsing throughout the entire promenade. The gallant Persona's eyes turned red, and he held his spear out. Then he went ballistic, spinning around with reckless abandon. There was no stopping this melee of strikes, each one seeming sharp enough to tear through wind. "Heroic Frenzy!" The attack finally ended, as the wind subsided, and Setanta politely bowed to his pain-stricken enemies. Now, only the Turret and Twins were standing. The former charged up a shot, and fired at Zao with Agidyne. The Twins elected for a more graceful approach, via Brain Shake.

"Ritornello!" Keisha hurriedly commanded. The boost from Masukukaja was starting to run out - but then Euterpe's song brought it back, for one final chance. These two Shadows weren't likely to withstand much more, and with any lucky, they had ran out of allies. With Bianca's Malaques, the Turret was disarmed, and faded away.

Zao was drained, having used up all his energy with his new moves. Yet he still had enough to take on one Shadow. With a long leap forward, he swung his weapon, and cut the Twins in half.

"How's that?!" He yelled, glaring at Keisha. "Still think I'm a weakling? Huh?!"

"Alright, you're hella strong. Just calm down, okay?" Keisha said, afraid. "Looks like we've cleaned up the promenade. At least your team's good for something."

"Keisha, must you be so sour?" Bianca asked. "I daresay you'll leave, like all the other Last Soldiers. They all see the light, as we did."

"Bianca's right!" Richard said. "You think it's inevitable we'll lose? No way will we let that happen!"

Keisha sighed, but when she saw Zao panting for breath, she went over to him and patted him on the back. "If you guys really want to try, go ahead - but the less times I have to fight you, the better. Here." She pulled out a bottle of water, and everyone took a drink. "We've got more Shadows around the corner, I bet. Be careful!"

|Opal Street|19:51 pm|

"Kshuparaka!" Kaman ordered. Chandra twirled into the air, strange winds emerging as he did so. They struck the robotic Shadow, and once the winds had waned, the Shadow seemed to have a strange colouration. "Yes! He's Exhausted! We'll have this fight over in no time!"

This, however, was tempting fate. The Dominating Machine, keen to emphasise his name, held out his sword, in a faux-heroic pose. Then, he was charged up. Then, with one immense swing of his weapon, he slashed Dan with Brave Blade. The echo of the blade's sheer power almost defeaned everyone's ears.

"Dan!" Serena shouted. He collapsed, unconcious. "No..."

"You're a healer, Serena. Do what you have to do! In the meantime, I'll punish this Shadow for daring to appear before me!" Nina screamed. "Hel!"

Hel became shrouded with hailstones, and thus her weapon became even colder than ever. She then leapt into the sky, and somehow managed to float upside down. Then she twirled her weapon, and immense icicles rained down like hailstones. Each one pierced the Machine, causing it to emit sparks from the broken pieces of it's 'armour'.

Kaman followed this up with Deva Burst, causing even more sparks. The sight of this Shadow suffering brought everyone great pleasure - yet Dan was still out for the count. Serena, concentrating, pleaded Artemis for help.

"Samarecarm!"

It was a miraclous recovery. Dan got up from the ground, and despite a few scrapes on his chin, he seemed fighting fit.

"Thanks, babe!" Smiling, he gave her a thumbs up - and immediately opened fire on the Machine. Kazuya was swinging his knives, yet due to the Machine's height, could only hurt it in the legs.

"Oh, this is stupid! Agidyne!" He hollered. Flames erupted, and even more sparks came from the exposed Machine's innards. Alas, it was a creature fromed from darkness, and thus it was immune to being short circuited or motherboard failure. Even so, it was clearly becoming weaker.

The Dominating Machine's next move was not what anyone wanted to see - Power Charge. If it attacked everyone with the same power as Brave Blade, they were as good as dead.

"No!" Nina yelled. "Hurry! Bufudyne!" The blast of ice, as strong as it was, did not finish it off. Dan repeated Gullotine Fall, but unfortunately, that didn't seem to do the trick. By this point, almost it's entire front torso had broken off, revealing wires, a processor, a hard drive and RAM.

"Kyle would love this, I bet!" Dan said. "Too bad none of that stuff's real..."

"Heaven Pyre!" Kazuya yelled. This time, Uriel's fire was filled with light, and ignited at scorching levels. Irritatingly, the Shadow was still standing, alas it's head was hanging on via wires due to the damage to it's armour.

"Oh! Why didn't I think of this sooner! Rajanipati!" Kaman yelled. Chandra's fierce water sphere crashed into the Machine, sending both pieces of 'metal' and water all over the street. It now looked as if a bomb had hit it. The Machine had reached it's limit, and collapsed. It twitched, still clutching it's blackened broadsword, but it's strength was running out.

"It's time!" Serena yelled. "Nina, this will be dejá vu for you! Everyone else, prepare to be amazed. Artemis, bring down the wrath of the gods, the rage of the seas! Titanic Rainfall!"

A mighty sphere of crystal clear blue water materialised around the Machine, and it floated upwards, and shined in the sunlight. Then, many large raindrops fell from the sphere, crashing into the Shadow. After a mighty monsoon, the sphere grew even larger, and collided with the Machine, causing it to explode. It's many components dissolved as they broke through the buildings on each side of the street.

The Dominating Machine had finally been thwarted. It dissolved, leaving nothing behind but wisps of darkness. With it's demise, the area was clear of Shadows - for now.

"Impressive." Nina said, clapping. "All of you did incredibly well. Especially you, Serena..."

"It must run in the family!" Other Serena said, cheerfully. "Nina, I wanted to ask you earlier...why are you doing this?"

"You don't understand yet?" Nina said. "Then I'll make it clear. This world was not kind to either of us. We were born into a family of lies and deceit. And you inherited a condition, which eliminates any possible descendants. What you don't realise is...I, too, bear that fate."

"Wait, what condition?" Kaman asked. "You girls diabetic?" This time, it was he who was thumped by Kazuya.

"Neither of us can bear children." Nina said. "And I was never told. Our lineage would end with us, it seems. I didn't mind. Perhaps my sister could be saved. Maybe the family could continue via her. Yet it would not be so...this world has robbed our family of a future. All because of our parents."

"Wait!" Dan said. "Your parents didn't choose that to happen!"

"It doesn't matter." Nina said. "I will make the necessary changes! Our family will be ideal - the one I've longed for! And Serena...you will be free. Enough. We should continue. I must surpass Nihane's expectations!"

Serena stood there, stunned. Then Dan lightly grabbed her shoulder, and smiled.

"See that?" Dan said. "She's still a big sis. And you never know - you might not have to take her down after all. It's not over yet."

"Dan..." Other Serena said. "Thanks. I think I sorted out my feelings. Let's help my sister, everybody!"

"Oh, come on!" Kaman said, puffing on another cigarette. Kazuya was about to eat some banana flavoured Pocky, but had stopped mid-crunch.

"Eat and smoke later, you idiots!" Dan said. He and Serena laughed, as they joined Nina again.

|Mine Entrance|19:52 pm|

The Beetle had been quietly observing the battle. Then, it quickly Power Charged, and flew backwards, perched on the windowsill of the wrecked wall. The two remaining comrades seemed frazzeled, but then the Mother used Mediarama, much to everyone's infuriation. Then it used Magarula - and Josephine did not do well in wind at all. She collapsed, her body surging with pain.

Other Nathan's Lian Scatha was just as potent as his counterpart's. The sheer strength of the attack had torn through the Idol, and her wails faded along with her wretched body. He wiped sweat from his brow, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lucy eyed the Beetle - the Power Charge would enable it to case even more harm than it did with Megido. Afraid, she used Matarunda - and thus, the two Shadows were weakened. "Yes! Wait, no! God no! Stop right there!" Despite her shots, it was too late - the Mother had used Tarukaja - cancelling out the Tarunda effect. "What now?!"

Roger did not respond. Instead, Kanaloa stepped up to the plate. Then came the Ocean Malady - strong wave, after another, crashing onto the street. This would have resulted in large scale flooding, if this was real water and a real street. Luckily for the team, they were both metaphysical - yet grievously harmed the Mother. This act of matricide saw her disintegrate.

The only Shadow left was the Beetle, a resilient foe indeed. Nothing except Earth had so much as left a scratch on it. "Oh, come ON!" Lucy screamed. Her Heatstroke wasn't having much success. "Help!"

"I'm trying!" Karen shouted. "Icy Mirror!" Aeshma lifted up her mirror, and a frosty chill came from it, shrouding the Beetle in icy crystals. As she did this, Karen seemed to become enchanted with a barrier - Tetrakarn. "Yes!" The Beetle ran up at her, and slashed - only for the attack to injure itself. Alas, the damage was minimal at best...

"I'm left with no other option. We must crush this bug, now!" Josephine commanded, looking up at Cybele. The Persona's red aura grew brighter, and there was a gleam of ominous light.

"What are you doing?" Other Nathan asked. He attacked the Beetle with a Mór Gaoth. Yet it did absolutely nothing, except blow wind all over the street. "Crap!" The nimble bug flew into him, and ferociously attacked with its wings. "No!"

"Nathan!" Lucy cried. "Oh man...Josephine, what are you doing? Nathan needs help -"

"Oh promised land of the heavens, be birthed into wondrous existence! I will channel the love of mother earth into the destruction of all who would ravage her progeny! Now behold! Terra Fatali!"

Cracks in the ground started to appear. Rocks came crumbling down on the Shadows, each one breaking apart with a powerful blast. Then pulses of light burst out, and the environment completely changed. Nothing but grass, flowers, and mountains were around. Then the mountains started to break into pieces as well, and their fragments slashed through the Shadows, as an earthquake of grand proportions began. Finally, the Shadows fell into the abyss, and onto Saragel once more. They perished instantaneously, and Josephine was exhausted.

"Josephine! Are you alright?" Karen asked.

"I'm...alive." Josephine wheezed, clutching her chest. She fell to the ground, unable to stand any further. "I never...used such power before...please, go on ahead with me...help Nihane..."

"It wouldn't be right if we left a comrade in danger." Roger said, shaking his head. He offered his hand, whilst Josephine stared at him in shock. Karen was just as surprised. "Until you recover, we'll protect you."

"We will?!" Lucy said, aggravated. "Why?! Is it the right thing to do or something?!"

"I don't know. But if it isn't, you have my permission to say 'I told you so'." Roger said. Josephine was quiet for a few moments, but then she finally took Roger's hand.

"Wait. Let me give you a hand."

Karen helped Josephine balance, and the three of them led the way.

"It won't be long until we're fighting her again." Nathan said. "Especially with another Divine Spark on the way. Why be courteous to her now?"

"I dunno...I just wish we could get rid of them all." Lucy said, angrily. "I hope Shirley and Blaine are alright..."

|Biela Vetra|19:53 pm|

"...No!"

Tara couldn't believe what had just happened. Was she supposed to carry out this battle alone? Against such a wretched old hag?

"Guys...why?"

She glimpsed at her fallen comrades. Carlos, she had no care for, but he was supporting the team - for now. What could she do to win this battle? The Sorceress could not be allowed to alive. No, she would never allow that.

"Chehooit, heed my prayers! Shadows are a poison to the land, that must be banished at all costs! Please, lend me your love and guidance! Everyone, please wake up! Pangaea Dawn!"

The Sorceress was trotting closer to Tara, only to be shot flying into the air. She was floating before giant meteors, flying around her in a fixed orbit. Then, they smashed into her repeatedly, growing hotter every time, until they all collided into each other. The resulting burst of light was blinding, but what appeared was beautiful. The planet Earth, from millions of years ago. All the contintents of the world were one. Antartica, Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia were united, as Pangaea. The life force of the Earth flew around everybody, and whilst Tara felt her own body get stronger, the others slowly got up, dazed.

"Lady Tara...you saved us..." Seraphina said, amazed.

"Way to go!" Blaine said, giving a thumbs up. "Chewits is one heck of a Persona!"

"That's Chehooit, Blaine." Priscilla said, shaking her head. "Carlos, are you alright?"

"I seem to be alive, and that's good enough." Carlos said. "Tara, we must redouble our strength! Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I can do this." Tara said. She swung her weapon, slashing the horse - and whilst it drew 'blood', the effect seemed neglible. The horse kicked Tara away, however, which was considerably more painful. "Argh!"

Priscilla and Uathach used another Bufudyne, and thus the square seemed as cold as the painting they were standing on. Seraphina, calling upon Sophia's almighty power, used the spectacular Grimoire's Armada. More comets, except unlike the ones of Pangaea Dawn, they were formed out of pure limitless energy. After they fell, the energy released managed to give everyone Rakukaja.

"Good...at least we should be safe." Carlos said.

"That was cool!" Blaine said. He grinned, giving the Sorceress a sinister look. She turned to him, and watched intently. "Heads up! Punishment!"

Tlaloc stood tall, holding his hammer in front. Then, he gyrated many times, building up an ever increasing momentum. Finally, Tlaloc let go, and the hammer landed on the Sorceress' head. She toppled over from the bloodthirsty impact she had suffered, and began to twitch.

"Excellent. There's no escape! Wind Fist!" Carlos said. Whilst he punched the downed witch, Venti did the same, his fist charged with wind. The Repenant Sorceress, disgusted with the savagery that had been dealt to her, focused her attention to Tara - the one who had revived those she had slain. Massive energy charged into her, via Mind Charge. Then, she released a chilling breeze, that became a Bufudyne of sadistic punishment.

"Argh!" Tara shouted. "That was...sore..."

"Lady Tara! You must be strong, even in times of uncertainty." Seraphina said.

"Hey, I've got an idea! What say the three of us team up?" Priscilla said, smiling.

"We're already in the same team..." Tara said, shrugging.

"I'm well aware of that, Tara." Priscilla said. "Seraphina, you knew what I meant, didn't you?"

"I know everything. Including that." Seraphina said, winking. "Chehooit! Uathach! Sophia! Let them unite!"

"Oh!" Tara said. "That's more like it. Let's get this started!"

Uathach began by turning the floor to ice. Then, she skated around the Sorceress, forming a huge glacier that imprisoned her. Then Chehooit caused massive, jagged stalagmites to poke out of the ground within the glacier, piercing through her cursed body. Then finally, a comet of purple energy, swelling with stars, was launched by Sophia. The three forces collided, with a massive earthquake, shards of ice falling everywhere, and an explosion much like a big bang.

Unfortunately, despite all the Sorceress had suffered, she was still standing. Carlos tried to beat it to a pulp with Air Smash, a bigger form of Wind Fist, but the Sorceress somehow leapt away and kicked him with the horse's hind legs. Blaine likewise tried to finish it off with Brutality, but it evaded each and every swing of Tlaloc's heavy hammer.

"What is up with this woman?" Carlos said, wiping sweat from his head. "She should be dead by now!"

"This is a tenacious enemy." Seraphina said. "It will not perish until the bitter end. Do not let your guard down!"

"Whoa!" Priscilla cried. The Sorceress was cackling away now. She began chanting strange words, and bizarre emblems appeared in front of her each time she spoke. They were all red, and in ancient runes. This was the Succession of Witches. Then they span around, and as they did so, they released incredibly hot lasers, that seared the ground and everyone standing on it.

"Ow ow ow ow!" Tara said, yelping. "Too hot! I hate the heat!"

"So...hot..." Priscilla wimpered. "It's...torture..."

"Yes...this Shadow may well have overcome us, had things gone to her plan. Yet we're going to win! Behold! Never before have you seen such a display of power, talent and agility! The height of champions! Hurricane Brawl!"

Carlos cracked his knuckles, and Venti appeared, immediately sliding across the ground to the Sorceress. Then, with a brutal punch into the air, he sent the Sorceress high in the sky. Then he jumped up, and began punching her higher and higher, with more strength each time. Venti seemed to be teleporting all around her, yet he was just that insanely fast. Then, with a final punch, the Sorceress came crashing down, crushing one of the buildings on the right into dust.

"Whoa..." Blaine said. "That was..."

"Impressive, I imagine." Carlos said, smirking. "I'm sure you wish your Persona could move so nimbly."

Blaine simply shrugged, and pointed to the Repenant Sorceress. With the amount of attacks that had been thrown at her, she should have been dead long ago. Yet she was standing, albeit very unstable. There was no fight left in her. The killing blow would be a mercy, and Blaine would be the one to put her out of her misery.

"I don't need to be fast to tear up the arena! Tlaloc, gimme your power!" Blaine commanded. Tlaloc emerged, and there was fire in his eyes. He was champing at the bit, waiting to attack. "Show her the Black Lightning!"

Tlaloc held his hammer aloft, and with a single flash, black lightning bolts rained down on the Repenant Sorceress. Each one had her yelling, her horse now very agitated, but Tlaloc did not relent. Instead, the lightning bolts continued, finishing with one final jolt that broke all the windows in the square.

The torrential storm had passed. The Sorceress, screeching in pain, stumbled into the church, and smashed through the front wall. It's steed sped off into the distance, fading away just as it reached a shocked Priscilla. The witch was left to disappear alone, with nothing left.

"Told ya!" Blaine said, blowing on his fists. "See that, Carlos? That's a real man's strength!"

"Hmm. It seems I have much to learn from you." Carlos said. "I concede defeat - this time." He raised his hand, and Blaine instantly gave him a high five. "How did you gain such strength?"

"Easy. You either get strong, or you get scraped off the pavement." Blaine said. "But Kanaloa isn't all drugs, motorcycles and hookers. Some of the best people are there. Like my old man."

"So even at your age, you think highly of your father." Carlos said. "...We must move on. The Shadows are all over Saragel, and our comrades are hard at work. Our fighting continues." With that, he left the square.

"That arrogant lowlife. He has no right to order me around! He killed my parents!" Tara said. "And if he goes through with the Eternal Road, Christina will die with everybody else!"

"If I was a dad, there's no way I'd let that happen to my kid!" Blaine said. "We gotta get through to him, somehow. I know his little girl must still love him. If she's anything like me, she'll be missing her daddy like crazy."

"Speaking of which, we should catch up to Carlos." Priscilla said. "I wouldn't want to anger him any further."

"I just want this to be done...it doesn't matter if he has a daughter. I still will never forgive him!" Tara said.

"Your hatred is not without reason. Yet you understand you cannot act on it yet. Be prepared for the day you will finally overcome him." Seraphina said. "And do not fear. I have no doubts of your victory."

|Jasmine Gardens|19:54 pm|

The Chronicle's hands turned to different positions, as ever. Now they were fixed to Chariot and Strength. Out of nowhere, a golden Gigantic Fist dropped from the sky, and punched Aimee to the floor. Karl, aghast, tried to run to her aid, but then a golden sword materialised, and performed Deathbound - and the swing struck everyone.

"I..." Aimee wheezed. The pain was greater for her than anybody else. "I can't...move..."

Karl got up, and snarled. He stared at the foul clock, and then his fists. This Shadow was not going to get away with harming his little sister. With severe rage, he jumped up, and began punching savagely. Pieces of glass broke off, and each punch seemed cause it to wobble slightly. At the height of his fury, Alexander emerged, and finished the assault with another Mighty Braver.

"Um..." Kyle mumbled. He quickly cast Makarakarn, but stared in awe at Karl's strength. He quickly went to Aimee, and lifted her up. He checked her over, and after giving her a quick hug of relief, he ran back into the fray.

"That dude's one tough son of a bitch." Blaine said, looking proud. "Hey Karl, here's more for ya! Brutality!" Tlaloc, not to be outdone, shoved Alexander out of the way. Then, he swung his hammer three times, each swing growing stronger. By now, most of the glass covering the clockface had fallen out, and the gold finish had been chipped away by flame, lightning, or brute force.

"Now I can finally use this. Mal Flamme!" Pierre said. Loki's flame was a light blue, with dark wisps surrounding it, as it ignited around the Reflective Chronicle. While it was silent, and made little to no movement, there was something about the way it stood that suggested it was in pain. It had improved greatly from its time on the Legarte Harbour as the Corrupt Chronicle, when it was felled by Amara and co. Yet even reborn, it could not prevail. Unless...

The hands changed to Emperor and Hanged Man. The first led to Maziodyne - yet luckily for the team, Kyle's Makarakarn sent the lightning right back at the Chronicle. Whilst it resisted Electricity in this state, it was still painful to be hoisted by it's own petard. However...the next move was not what anyone expected. It managed to conjure two barriers around itself - Makarakarn and Tetrakarn.

"What?!" Aimee shouted. "That can't be! How are we going to break that?"

"Simple. We have to attack, with the lowest possible chance of injuring ourselves." Kyle said. "We can still win this! Let's go, team!"

"Yeah!" Blaine cheered. "Let's go - Ziodyne!" As expected, Tlaloc's lightning got sent back to Blaine. "Oww!" He began hopping around, clutching his foot.

"Idiot." Pierre said. "Karl, I'm sure your herculean strength can protect you from yourself. Will you do the honours?"

"If you insist..." Karl muttered. He punched at the Reflective Chronicle, only to be knocked back onto his bottom. "Dammit!"

"At least we can attack it now. Aimee, heal your big brother, would you?" Pierre suggested.

"Here goes nothing. Irene, for the sake of the world, grant my friends harmony! Eternal Peace!" Aimee cried. Never before had she managed to call on so much healing power. The entire field became covered in a blue and green spectrum of light, and everyone felt their body being raised. Their entire physical form was being regenerated, free from their prior injuries.

"Excellent." Pierre said, as the light faded. "Now, if we're using our full strength, watch this. Loki, bring your judgment to all who stand before a new world! Aesir's Demise!"

Loki twirled, with a sly, michievous smile. Then tiny embers of flame hit the Chronicle, with barely any effect. It's hands started to move, but before it could finish, more and more minature flames appeared on the Shadow and around it. Eventually, they combined, and all one could see was a great, scarlet bonfire, whilst Loki watched it with pleasure, sticking his tongue out. The flames disappeared, and the grass around the Chroncile had become scorched. Yet the Shadow was not to be defeated.

The hands fixed themselves to Hermit and Fortune, and whilst it boosted it's own speed with Sukukaja, it used Magarudyne to blow everyone away. Whilst the team got up, and started to reach closer, the hands began to spin around rapidly in opposite directions. Then, bizarrely they flipped around, and pointed to the centre whilst spinning. The word 'Fool' appeared on the centre of the clockface. This would be the Event Horizon - supreme energy began coursing throughout the clock's body, until it's body looked like outer space, with stars shining bright. Then the entire outer area resembled bright sunshine, and everyone seemed to be floating in the sky. Then the 'stars' and darkness of 'space' began seeping out from the Chronicle, until all one could see was a swirl of daylight and nightime. One by one, all five of the team were sucked in - and there was a gigantic explosion.

"Kyle!" Aimee screamed. He was completely unconcious, and had fallen out of his wheelchair. Blaine came over, and lifted the boy back into his chair, whilst Aimee hurriedly used Samarecarm. "Please, wake up!"

"Huh? What just happened?" Kyle asked. "That Chronicle's still alive?!"

"Not for much longer! Right, your time is up! Die already!" Blaine roared.

The Chronicle levitated away to avoid Blaine's Ziodyne, yet after this, it got hurt by Pierre's flames. It's hands were having difficulty moving. Despite the nature of this construct, time was not on it's side. Especially after Kyle had a sudden jolt of inspiration.

"Karl!" Kyle shouted. "Have you ever done a unison attack before?"

"Yup! Let's do it! C'mon, Alexander! Give Hephaestus a hand!"

The two sword-wielding Personas clinked their arms, then unleashed a co-ordinated aerial barrage of slashes. The Chronicle was powerless to resist, and no adjustings to it's clock would save it now. Finally, Hephaestus and Alexander threw their swords into the Reflective Chronicle's clockface with extreme impact. "Cadladbolg!"

The beleaguered clock toppled over, and tiny gears and shards of glass fell onto the ground. Having lost all vitality, it's clockface broke apart, the hands twitching like crazy. The gears finally stopped, and one by one, exploded. The rest of its body dissolved into a pool of 'blood'.

"We did it!" Other Blaine cheered.

"Pierre. We're never going to be allies. But I'm glad you supported us." Karl said. "Teamwork doesn't mean we have to like each other, after all. It just means we're working towards the same goal."

"I see." Pierre said. Karl held out his hand, and smiled. "What?"

"One handshake. Before we end up trying to kill each other again." Karl said, still smiling. "Even if one side loses, as long as they played their best, it's still sort of a victory."

Pierre thought for a second, as Kyle glared hatefully at the two of them. Finally, he shook Karl's hand.

"You're quite profound for someone so dim." Pierre said. "We all fought well against those two Shadows. Yet you're all going to die in the end. You can live with that, right?"

"Thanks a lot, prick." Other Blaine said.

"You're welcome, moron." Pierre said. "Now hurry up. We have other Shadows to contend with. Oh, and as for what I spoke of earlier - do not think on it further. Go!"

Aimee quickly healed everyone, and whilst Kyle continued to glare at Pierre, he followed him anyway. This Jacques, who Pierre spoke of, must have meant a lot to him. His imagination ran wild, as he thought of Pierre trying to deal with his cousin's troubles. If only this world was more understanding, then there would be no Ater Vox at all...

|Town Hall - Attic|19:59 pm|

"What the hell?!" Amara screamed. The attic was filled with a red haze, and she couldn't see a thing, not even her own hand in front of her face. However, further back, she saw two black forms. They raised their hands, and suddenly the haze subsided.

Straight ahead were Belial and Nebiros. Or it seemed to be, at first. However, their faces had changed. Nick and Brad's likeness had been replaced...with Rudo and Tomas'. Their faces were rubbery and emotionless - as if someone had painted them on.

"Dad?!" Other Amara screamed. "What the hell have you done?!"

"With what happened, we couldn't retain our physical forms. So we used our Personas to survive the Divine Spark." Rudo said. His voice had become a peculiar echo - as if someone was listening to the conversation via headphones. "You couldn't stay away, could you? My own daughter, rejecting my dream world...what a tragedy."

"This isn't your dream world, though! It's him! All him!" Amara yelled. "Tomas, you bastard! You've turned my dad into...THIS! For what?! So you can have freedom? That's all this is for?!"

"Not just freedom, Amara!" Tomas screamed. "My whole life, people have stood in my way! I should have been able to earn my success, and never be found wanting! With everything that got in my way, I was stuck with this life! With no power to change anything, I settled for what I had. Yet now I have never felt more alive! My strength will pave the way for a new future, and you, Nihane, will die here and now!"

Nihane swept away his hair, and pointed his sword at Tomas. He smiled briefly - before letting out a chilling roar.

"You will never stop me!" He screamed. "This is my Divine Spark, not yours! Only I deserve to rule over Inanis! Now DIE!"

Janus emerged, and the attic became filled with chaos, as their barrage of attacks hit everything in sight.

"Nihane!" Amara called out.

"You two focus on Rudo!" Nihane cried, rushing into the fray. He slashed at his foe, blocking a severe scythe swing. "Go!"

"Right!" Other Amara said. "Agidyne!"

"Hathor!" Amara used the same attack, and the room became hottter as the flames burned. Rudo, wielding Nebiros' ring blade, shot it forward, slicing both of the Amaras. Then, with a dark incantation, two blobs of darkness appeared from the ground. Mayas...both of the Strength Arcana. Seeing her father commanding these loathsome beasts was agony, but now was not the time to look away.

Other Amara bravely charged ahead, and attacked all three targets with Sable Cross. In retaliation, the Mayas used their dark power to use Zionga and Aques, and they were potent spells. They may not have been dyne-level, yet they packed a punch regardless.

"This is crap..." Other Amara said. "We have to get rid of them first!"

"I'm on it." Amara said. "Hathor! Tefnut's Raze!" A bright burning fire erupted beneath one of the Mayas, and the flames covered the Maya's small, gelatinous body. This caused a great deal of pain - yet not as much as the sudden chill Amara felt. Before she could question the meaning of this, ice blasted her to the ground.

"Hey!" Other Amara shouted. "Don't just lie there!"

"Dad..." Amara said. "That was..."

"I know. You've never coped well with the cold." Rudo said, shaking his head. "I am sorry...once all is over, none of this suffering will have ever happened."

You mean, I'LL never have happened...why, dad? Why couldn't you have resisted Tomas' schemes?!

The Mayas had no care for the feelings of their enemies. Instead, they pummeled them with Garula and Magnara. Other Amara took one look at her other self, and growled.

"Die, you monsters!" Now it was her turn to show off - with Tefnut's Raze. It seemed stronger this time, as it burned through the second Maya. Granted, the attic seemed incredibly warm now. And Tomas was likely trying to obliterate Nihane with hellish flames. Alas, it was the Maya who perished, fading into a puddle of darkness.

"You're even more powerful than I heard..." Rudo said. "I'm sorry! I...argh!"

His eyes suddenly turned blank. Without a word, he turned to the Other Amara, and like her counterpart was struck to the ground via the cold blast of ice.

"What's happening?!" Amara shouted. She stood up, and stared at her father's eyes. Yet they were cold, and lifeless. "Is...that even my dad anymore?!"

"Of course...not...oww..." Other Amara uttered. "That ice...it's too...strong..."

Amara glared at the remaining Maya. It was biding it's time, waiting for the right chance to strike. Amara would not let it have it's day, however. "Force Sabre!"

Hathor's gleaming blade cut through the Shadow, leaving nothing behind wisps of shadowy matter. The Other Amara managed to stand up, and smiled.

"Phew...we got rid of them. Dad, can you hear me?!" Other Amara shouted.

Rudo did not reply. Instead, he floated higher, and ominous voices began to flow throughout the entire area. Their words were unintelligible, but chilling. They were chanting for some sort of dark ritual. Then, at the apex of this chant, the Mayas emerged from whence they had been slain.

"No!" Both Amaras cried. "Dad, stop it! Please, stop!"

Suddenly, energy gathered out of nowhere. With a huge blast, that of Megidolaon, the Mayas were instantly disintegrated.

"You idiots! You will get nowhere by pleading with him! Especially with Nick's soul inside of him!" Nihane said. He dodged another Reaping Rondo, and a Mudoon, and continued the fight against Tomas.

"Nick's soul..." Amara said. "No, that can't be!"

"Then we have to end this, and fast!" Other Amara shouted. Rudo's already-warped form began to glow a fierce red, and the dark chanting started all over again. Except it was louder...and even more fearsome. Then the ground became nothing but darkness, and everything except the two Amaras disappeared. Then huge blue shockwaves burst out of nowhere. Each one was stronger than the last - and Amara felt like she was being hit from all sides. Eventually, the nightmarish assault ended, and the room became visible once more. Except the Mayas had finally returned.

"I can't let Dad go through this anymore!" Amara shouted.

"Dad's suffered enough...I'm going to end this, here and now!" Other Amara said. "Let's do what we did downstairs."

"Actually...we should go even higher." Amara said. "Something hotter than the land of Egypt should do it!"

"I like the sound of that. Then again, being the same person as you, I would." Other Amara said. "Then come on, you go first!"

The two Mayas tried to attack - but one used Agilao, which did nothing of any consequence. The other, more alarmingly, used Bufula, but missed. Hathor and Sekhmet took out their swords, and stood back to back, eyes on all their opponents. Flames shrouded the two of them, forming a giant sphere. Then, their swords became almost ten times as long, and completely formed out of fire. The two Personas sent the fiery sphere that had covered them at their enemies, and at the same time brought down their blades. The two Mayas were completely consumed by the flames, and this would be their final death.

Rudo fell to the floor, clutching his head in agony. His eyes had returned to normal, but they were filled with nothing but pain. He was done for. Amara saw another figure flicker briefly into view - Nick.

"Dammit..." Nick's voice wailed. "Stop...go away...I wanna...kill that old guy...stop trying to hold me back!"

"Dad!" Other Amara wailed. "Oh no..."

Rudo screeched in pain, as Nick tried even harder to assert his dominance. This was a fight of the soul, that no one was willing to lose. Now, nothing was left but the killing blow.

Amara stared her father down. He saw her, and he managed to smile. Nick's image became fainter and fainter...

Amara, I'm sorry for everything. We've made countless mistakes. Yet I know one thing. Becoming a father was my greatest achievement. Please, end it here and now! If I must die, let it be at my daughter's hands! You will not be my murdered, Amara. Never think of yourself that way. You spared me from a painful existence - you will be my saviour! Please, take your sword!

Both Amaras raised their swords, and stared at each other. They nodded. Now the time had come. The readied their weapons, and lunged forward.

"No!" Tomas screamed, as he dodged Nihane's thrust attacks. "Rudo, you fool!"

They impaled Rudo right through the stomach. Despite going straight into his 'flesh', there was no blood. Instead, all that happened was Rudo's final smile. Nebiros began to collapse into itself, and both Rudo and Nick were sent flying away. Whilst Nick was crying out in anger and hatred, Rudo was quiet and smiling. However, before they could escape...

"I won't let you get away with that! You cannot just leave me here, you fool! You are my friend until the very end - of BOTH of us!" Tomas exclaimed. He raised his scythe, but not before knocking Nihane to the wall. Nick and Rudo's spirits were powerless to resist his pull. They flew into his body, as did the energy that had comprised Nebiros.

"What the..." Nihane said, stupefied.

Tomas began to cackle evilly, as the jewel in his forehand shone brighter. The room's red demonic haze became even brighter as well, and the sky had turned into a purple and black hellish hue. Inanis had become a demonic plane of existence...

"Rudo, you fool! Nicholas, you thieving brat! Neither of you have the strength to change the world!" Tomas roared. His eyes turned completely red. "But I do! Hehehe...isn't it wonderful, Amara?! This power is all due to your father!"

"You..." Amara muttered.

Tomas...how could you go so far?! You took my father's own soul, just for your precious power?! I'll kill you!

"How dare you!" Other Amara screamed. "Tomas, I trusted you! You were the man who got my father out of his depression! You saved him! Now you've reduced him to being just extra power...you make me sick!"

"Oh, spare me the lectures!" Tomas shouted. "I am not beneath either of you anymore! You cannot hope to dissuade me from my ambitions! The new world I shall shape will be for the strong! And I shall stand above all of them, forever! Demonic Chariot!"

The epitome of power soon unfolded. Flames, hotter than any seen tonight, gathered around Tomas, and formed a gigantic chair of fiery doom. Tomas perched himself upon it, and began to laugh cruelly. The chair grew into a huge chariot, and then spears of dark, blackish red flames shot forth, hitting everyone from all angles. Then, Tomas flew above the pain-stricken team, and let the Chariot dispere. The blast sent all three of his enemies crashing to the ground, and now the walls and roof had been burned away by the flames.

Amara had never felt this much pain in her entire life. And this was the element she resisted, too...was this her fate? To be torn to shreds by Uncle Tomas? If only Zao was here. Karl, Nathan, Serena, Blaine, anyone at all. Where were they? Were Tomas' Shadows still fighting them? If she died here, it would be up to her friends to end this mission...

"So that's all my best friend's daughter can do?!" Tomas shouted. Now, Nihane stood alone. "Pathetic! Don't you think so, my friends?"

"Stop! Let me go, you freaking bastard!" Bradley moaned.

"Brad...I wanna go home. I want to see Keisha's face!" Nick cried.

"Tomas! Let me see Ayodele!" Rudo begged.

"Idiots! I will never let you free, not until the world is mine!" Tomas shouted. "You should be happy I let you share this power with me, you know. You've always sought power, even if it was just to survive! Now you will dominate this pitiful world with me! Reaping Rondo!"

Nihane, unlike the two Amaras, managed to stay calm, and as an added bonus, he could still stand. He rolled to the side, as the deadly scythe strikes hit the wooden floor, tearing through the wood. Enraged, Tomas tried to attack again - yet Nihane was not about to be vanquished. Janus combined, and supreme power, enough to be heard pulsating from afar, came crashing down from the sky, in the form of a light purple pillar of light. This was Rapture, and true to it's name, it was incredible in power.

"Argh!" Tomas screamed. "Janus, must you insist on fighting me to the end?"

"This is ridiculous! You could never rule this world." Nihane said. "It's mine. Mine alone. I decide what happens to this planet, and not you!"

"You only have your strength because of Janus?!" Tomas chided. "If they weren't holding your hand, you would have nothing at all..."

"I don't need to hear your lies!" Nihane screamed. "Janus! Judgment!"

As if one blast of almighty energy wasn't enough, Janus managed to find even more strength. The male flew to the left of Tomas, and the female flew to his right. They fired a white ray of light at each other, and it collided. A blue sphere began to grow, as the rays intensified. Finally, they were done, and the sphere exploded. Tomas stood there, his face covered in a dark blood. Yet he was not about to be beaten here.

"You really think your power is actually your own...?!" Tomas shouted. "Open your eyes, as you burn to ashes! Gomorrah Fire!"

Amara gasped. She remembered that move - nowhere near as devastating as what she and her other self had just been through, but it was a dangerous blaze. Nihane simply watched as the black and red ring of fire grew closer, and as it struck him, he cried out in pain - but he held his sword tighter, and brushed the embers off his now-tattered clothes.

"Nihane, you stubborn child! Accept your fate!" Tomas screeched, mania flowing through his mutated veins.

"No." Nihane said. "Janus!"

The two forms of Janus appeared in front of Nihane. They stared Tomas down, then they turned to Nihane.

What will you have us do, master?

"Erase that man!" Nihane screamed. "You two! Keep him occupied! This will take some time to prepare!"

Amara was apprehensive. If Nihane was summoning Janus for something powerful, there was a risk everyone would be killed - not just Tomas. Yet that bastard was nothing to her now. He had killed her father, and become driven by madness. Those two thieves may have been criminals, but they deserved nothing of this.

"Got it!" Other Amara yelled. She retrieved her blade, and struck Tomas many times. It had become a chore to swing the sword, but it did not matter.

"Hiyah!" Amara roared, as she slashed Tomas across the stomach. He raised his arms to swing his scythe, and before she could get back, the room suddenly became filled with light.

"What...are you doing?!" Tomas screamed. "Nihane, no! You can't...be serious..."

"I am always serious." Nihane said, flatly. "You are now...deleted."

ERASURE.

The two embodiments of Janus span around Nihane, generating a spiral of immense power. It was in every colour of the rainbow. Then it turned pure weight, and formed a massive column of light. It grew and grew, and finally, it collided with Tomas.

"NO!" he screeched. "Stop this now!" Amara, save me!"

Both of the Amaras were silent. Tomas was in great pain, as the energy broke through his form and pierced him. He was trapped, and there was no way out. And while Amara may have once sought to save him, deny his madness, in front of her friends...she could never have done that now.

"Go to hell, Mr Weiken!" Other Amara yelled.

Tomas turned to her, and his eyes suddenly turned normal. They were...crying. His power seemed to be slipping, and the red haze began to vanish.

Wait...Nihane, do you have to go this far? Maybe we can save him!

"Stop, Nihane!" Amara yelled, leaping towards him - yet it was too late. Janus had touched the column, and it's brightness intensified. Very soon, the walls, ceiling and floor broke apart, as nothing but light filled the room. As Amara began to fall to the ground, she heard Tomas' final screams...

Amara...help me!

|Dream - Aurelia Park|

Amara was now back inside the park, and could hear sounds of sobbing. Not this day again. Why did she have to see her father now? After everything Tomas did to him, why did she have to go back to when Rudo was alive? Once again, Amara was not in control of her own movements, or even her field of vision. She was watching actions she had taken years ago.

As she ran through the park, hysterical, she had her eyes fixed to the ground. To her surprise, she bumped into someone, who stumbled slightly. The man turned around, but his face was blurred. What? Why? Who is this guy? Amara struggled to focus, straining her mind. Finally, the man came into view. It was none other than...Nihane Kronos.

"Oh, sorry mister!" Amara wailed. "Um, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You seem rather upset, however. What's happened?" Nihane asked.

"Sorry to bother you, mister. We have a bit of an emergency on our hands." Rudo said, apologetic. "Perhaps you might know - we're looking for a necklace. Made of gold, with a red jewel. Are you familiar with an ankh, sir?"

"Egyptian symbols of infinity? Yes, I read about them in my spare time. It sounds like a beautiful necklace." Nihane said, with a small smile. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen it. However, I have quite some time until I have to return to school - would you mind if I helped find it?"

"Mister, would you really do that?" Amara asked, sniffling.

"It's no trouble." Nihane said, nonchalant. "Now then, fill me in on the facts. When did you notice it was missing, miss...?"

"Oh, my name's Amara! And just a few minutes ago! I had it when we came in the park, right daddy?"

"Correct." Rudo said. "My daughter and I haven't been here in some time, not since...well..."

"Say no more, sir. It's likely still in this park, then. Perhaps we should go to where you first came in." Nihane said. "Could you tell me which entrance you came from?"

Amara pointed towards the south end, and so the three of them made their way. Nihane looked all over the ground as he did so, examining everything rather closely. As they got closer, Amara noticed something. Nihane's clothes were rather plain, only consisting of a black polo neck, trousers, and brown shoes. And he seemed even shyer than before. He seemed to be avoiding people, even completely harmless looking individuals like an old lady, or a boy playing with a dog. When she saw that boy, she thought he looked a little like Alastair. His hair was just as curly back then, if it was him.

Nihane reached the entrance first, and bent down by a bush. He scrutinized it very carefully, and then started to shake it. Yet nothing seemed to happen. Then, he looked up at the trees, yet nothing was there either.

"Mister, um..." Amara said. "I didn't climb up the trees. Daddy says I'll get my good clothes muddy."

"Oh." Nihane said, looking embarrassed. "Wait, hold on..."

He inched towards a bench. There was still an empty wrapper from the local bakery on there, the one Amara used to like. Yet Nihane had seen something that had been overlooked. He lifted the wrapper up, pulled out something gold, yet covered in some cookie crumbs. It was the ankh necklace.

"My goodness!" Rudo said. "So it must have fallen off when she was done eating her snack!"

Nihane nodded, and gingerly wiped off the crumbs. He gently gave it back to Amara, who hurriedly put the necklace back on again. Now it was back in her possession, she held her had over it firmly. Her face finally broke out into a smile, and without warning, she wrapped her arms around Nihane - or rather, his legs.

"Calm down, miss. I really didn't do anything extraordinary." Nihane said, slightly amused. "It's good to see you're happy, however. Will you be alright now?"

"Yeah! Mommy's gonna be so happy I got it back!" Amara beamed. "Mister, what's your name? I wanna tell my mom who found it!"

"Oh, really?" Nihane said. "Well, my name is - "

The vision seemed to stop there. Yet Amara wasn't about to give up. She tried to focus on him, and hear every word. And time started going again.

"My name is Ethan Walters."

To think you would abandon your original name.. Why? It's a wonderful name. Ethan Walters. I won't forget it now. And I won't let you forget it, either!

"Oh? That's a nice name!" Amara said. "It sounds really smart! Are you a nerd, Mr Walters?"

"...One could say that, yes. I'm studying various engineering modules at my university." Ethan said, pointing at his forehead. "In fact, I've got a lecture to go to. I've been covering some advanced topics, and so I'd like to go over them with the professor. I need to make sure I understand voltage perfectly."

"You do seem like a clever young man. Good luck to you!" Rudo said. "Sorry to have distracted you from your studies, Ethan. But you have my sincere gratitude. My late wife would be grateful too."

"Late wife?" Ethan said, looking surprised. "Ah, now I see why this necklace is so special. Amara, I'm so glad I found it. Having your mother close to your heart must be a wonderful feeling. I never met my parents."

"Oh?" Amara said. "So you don't have a daddy? What about brothers or sister?"

"Afraid not." Ethan said. "I don't even know my family name. Walters is just something the people at the orphanage gave me. So you should be a good girl for your father, while he's still here."

"Mister, um..." Amara said, looking up at him, smiling. "If we see each other again, can we play together? I'm really good at artwork! I could draw you a mommy or a daddy!"

"...Draw my parents?" Ethan said. He chuckled, and now he had a genuine smile. "You're a kind little girl, Amara. Your father's lucky to have you. Alright, then. I promise, the next time we meet, we'll play. As long as you keep that necklace safe. I'll be going now. Take care, both of you!"

He waved, as he walked towards the park entrance. Amara's thoughts were going into overdrive, as she saw the man she had despised leave.

Nihane Kronos - no, Ethan Walters. I can't believe I forgot all about him...

"Ethan! Please, wait!" The real Amara screamed, running towards him. Alas, she couldn't get closer. Soon, he was out of sight, and the area was flooded with white light.

|Inanis - Outside Town Hall|20:30 pm|

Amara opened her eyes, only to see white. There was no sky, or even sound. She laid there, looking up at the emptiness all around her.

Everything went back to normal, didn't it? But...now my dad is really gone...

She finally stood up, and gasped. The Town Hall of Saragel was in front of her again, yet the rest of the town had vanished. The other self was staring at the ethereal building, in deep silence. No doubt, she was dwelling on the same thing as her counterpart. That this time, her father truly was gone. And there would never be a chance to live a normal life.

"Amara..." Someone said. Amara turned, and saw Zao. Everyone else had assembled, all looking perplexed. No Shadows were in the area anymore - this mission was truly over. Yet with a terrible cost.

"So it's all over." Archibald said. "Tomas was a genius, no doubt about that. If we had acted differently, perhaps all of this could have been avoided."

"I wish I had been there to fight him. But maybe Nick and Brad can be free now." Keisha said, grimly. "...Something else that could have been avoided."

"Do you understand now why we seek the Eternal Road?" Nina said, looking at Serena. "So we can correct all those avoidable mistakes. Each of us will be at the centre of our brand new worlds, all without the sins of the past. The more you try to convince yourselves you can struggle with this current reality, the more pain you'll feel. Please, try to relinquish that suffering..."

"It can't be helped. Unlike Keisha, they are resolved. So be it." Carlos said. "Nihane appears to be absent...where did he go?"

"Isn't it obvious? He went to Amurdad!" Pierre said, sighing. "After all of that, he goes away to rendezvous with the ghosts of that place. I guess we won't be celebrating, then."

"Have a heart, Pierre. This mission involved eliminating someone's father." Josephine said. "We'll allow you all to return to the city via the central point - just this once. After that, you'll have to use your old method."

No one else had anything further to say. The mission was complete, and now the Ater Vox had no further use of the rebels. They left, walking silently to the central point. Keisha, however, took a few steps, then turned around.

"You might not believe it, but I enjoyed being on your side tonight." Keisha said. "So...take care. Roger, you can still go to hell." With that, she finally left.

Roger, dejected, sighed - then Karen lifted his face up, so he was looking right at her.

"Roger, she may never forgive you, but I want to at least try." Karen said. "Don't go off alone. Come back to the base."

Roger was taken aback. This had never occurred to him at all, it seemed.

"Do you mean that, Karen?" Roger asked.

"Every word. I can't have you sleeping rough, without knowing if you're eating well. What you did in the past is just the past. What you do tomorrow is what's important." Karen said.

"Ah...so you remember. Beauty of the Seashell. The last play we saw together..." Roger said, smiling. He grabbed Karen's hand, and they began to walk on ahead. "Perhaps Kyle can find us a recording...and we can watch it tonight."

"I'd like that!" Karen said, smiling.

"At least he's happy..." Matthew said. "But what about us? It doesn't feel like much of a victory. The Ater Vox are still on track to win with the Eternal Road! How can we stop that?"

"I don't know how. But we will." Amara finally said. "We have to."

"Amara...?" Zao said. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I think we've cried enough. There were times when I wished I could just go back and bring my mother back. Then my dad too. But if that means undoing all of this, everything we've been through, then no way! I know what life is now...growing stronger with each new experience! Not throwing the universe down the drain because things aren't the way you want them to be..." Other Amara said.

"So yes, Zao. We're going to be okay." Amara said, finally breaking out into a smile. She held her ankh in her hand, close to her heart. "Because I'm not alone!"