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.

108. Kindred Spirits, Stormy Seas

AN: Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took me over a month to update, but I've been busy with work and other things. Still, I'll try to write Chapter 109 quicker, and I've not forgotten about Gnosis! Here we go. Please read, review, favourite, follow, whatever!

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Chapter 108: Kindred Spirits, Stormy Seas

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|Schloss von Zerrissene Familien|

"Um...guys?" Shirley said. "Any idea what's going on here?"

The blue castle the team entered seemed to lead them down a long, gloomy corridor. Once they had reached its end, however, the land had changed entirely. Now they appeared to be outdoors, standing in the snow. Serena saw the sparkles of the thick snow, which her shoes sank into, and managed a faint smile.

"We're...in..." Kyle began, looking around. "This is a park called Hibiscus in Legarte. Near Serena's house. It doesn't stand out very much, compared to places like Aurelia, but it's got lots of nice flowers during the warmer months. And in the winter, it's a great place for snowfights."

"Yeah, that's right!" Serena said, happily. "Kyle saw it back in December, but Shirley was busy fighting Carlos. You see...when I was really little, my big sister took me and my best friend at the time – Mara – to play in the snow. And it was a lot of fun..."

"I bet. Kids are so cute when they're playing with the snow. Especially when they make cute little snowmen..." Shirley said. "But, why are we here? This sure doesn't belong inside a castle. And the area looks normal."

"I could be wrong, but..." Kyle began. "The six castles are hosting ghosts of the dead, who Nihane wouldn't let rest in peace. Each castle is empty at first, but using the host, it builds areas based on their memories. Such as Nina taking her beloved baby sister to play in the winter..."

"...Nina." Serena said. She walked on ahead in the snow, and tried to remember some more about Mara. After the New Year, she had tried to get in touch with Mara, but she had moved from the only address Serena had found, and none of her friends had any clue who she was. There was the option of contacting Stella Cleon, aka Sophie, for help, but Serena didn't feel right doing that. Sophie didn't exactly relish her powers, and having her use them in perpetuity was an awful burden.

I'll find Mara my own way. Maybe she's forgotten all about me now, but after seeing the snow fight, I remember her so clear! Nina helped me make friends with her, just by being here with us. My sister can't be there for me anymore, but I'd love to see Mara just one more time. I want to tell her about everything that's gone on in my life, and she can tell me about what she's done since we lost touch.

"Serena, you alright?" Shirley said.

"Yeah." Serena said. "We're going to find my sister, right? We've got to stop Nihane from whatever crazy plan he's thought up!"

"Absolutely. Janus's backup plans are a setback, but when have we ever let setbacks destroy us? Not once. So let's venture forward, and see where this 'castle' takes us." Kyle said.

Marching through the snow of childhood years, Serena stared straight ahead. There might be many more places she and Nina shared their happiest moments in this castle, she thought.

But seeing them again won't destroy me. They'll only make me the strongest Serena Agnethe that's ever been.

|Castle of Isolated Hearts|

"Why the hell are we here?" Blaine said. "This some kind of post-modern take on a castle?"

Somehow, Blaine and his loyal allies had ended up going through a giant, yellow castle of malevolent architecture...and ended up inside a giant classroom. With white walls and a navy carpet, it seemed largely typical of any school – except every desk had a computer on it. Not a modern, sleek high-end machine, however. Rather, each desk had a computer that the British Broadcasting Corporation had hired Acorn Electronics to produce, back in 1981. This was none other than the BBC Micro, more affectionately called the Beeb.

"Oh! I know these! Roger and Kyle were talking about these one night in the base!" Lucy said. "What was it? They used some 'BASIC' programming language?"

"Don't ask us, Lu." Blaine said. "Those two are the tech support. I didn't even know people didn't go to the Apple Store to buy fruit!"

"...You dumbass." Dan said, shaking his head. "Our schools never had anything like this. I'm surprised they even could afford electricity. This sure isn't Kanaloa, though. So where are we?"

"I don't know..." Lucy said. She walked over to the teacher's desk, also with a computer on it, and looked around. She finally saw a fire evacuation sheet, which identified the school as being 'Kindall Primary School, Gloucestershire'. "...How the hell did we end up in England?!"

"Cor blimey." Blaine said, dryly. "And we're back in...I dunno, the eighties or something."

"Hold up, Blaine. I think I got an idea. Remember back when we fought Archibald in Inanis?" Dan said. "When he was showing us how he met you and your dad...he told your family about how he was a computer programmer. And he taught at a primary school!"

"You remember that?" Blaine said. "I never really thought about his time in England."

"This place must have been important to Archie." Lucy said. "Even when computers were as primitive as these, he must have really loved writing code for them. And he got to get other kids interested in computers too. You said he let you play some of his old games, didn't he?"

"Yeah...those were great times. But I tried not to think about them when Dad died...and so I totally forgot I ever knew Archie." Blaine said, sadly. "But I think, deep down, I really missed not going around to his house and getting to use that joystick he bought for me. It was a great weekend treat..."

"Archie sure must have loved ya, Blaine." Dan said. "And I bet you still love him. Right?"

"I guess I do...he was a great friend." Blaine said, smiling. "Let's go on ahead. I dunno where this road is heading, but if it can help us get to Archie, I'll take it."

It was now time for class to be dismissed. The group left the classroom, to be taken to another place and time...

|Schloss von Zerrissene Familien|

Exiting the park had taken them all over the city. They had seen several toy stores, some that had long since gone out of business or completely renovated. Serena had vague recollections of going to a toy store where she got to ride on a miniature train in a back garden area, and her big sister was keeping a close eye. Now she got to see it again for herself, and she smiled.

The next place they came across was a place Serena had completely forgotten about. It seemed to be a white and light blue office building, on the 10th floor, looking overhead Legarte's Newport Avenue. It had a familiar smell, Serena thought, but she didn't know this place at all.

"Hmm. Judging by these computers, this has to have been about thirteen years ago or so." Kyle said. "There's something strangely comforting about Windows 2000."

"Hang on, look at this paper." Shirley said, looking at a stack of documents on the desk. It read 'Aeternus Inc.'.

"That's it! The original Aeternus building!" Serena said. "I always wondered what happened to it. Once Ethan – or Nihane – took over, they just went and turned Kanaloa into their own HQ...!

"Nothing really happened to it. They just abandoned it. With their powers, they could create any kind of facility they wanted. They didn't want to be limited by actual physical matter." Kyle explained. "And besides, with the Shadow crisis ongoing, no one really cared about high-speed internet access."

"So now we're into Nina's own memories?" Shirley asked. "It feels like we're invading her privacy here..."

"I know. But we're looking for her right now, to stop Nihane from using her." Serena said. "And she used to share everything with me. I'm old enough to understand now – who exactly Nina Agnethe is!"

The group were able to make their way through the area, fighting Shadows – including the cybernetic dinosaurs that Serena had a penchant for – until they reached the lower levels. The door to a room marked 'Project A-V' was wide open, revealing a large open space. Many computers were in the process of decompiling complex processes, while convoluted setups of hardware were connected and flashing – transmitting data.

"Look at this!" Kyle said, looking over a stack of papers. "This is the original project they were working on!"

"It looks complicated." Shirley said. She looked to the right, and saw a dartboard with a photograph in the middle. It was of a rather angry-looking businessman, arms folded. "Who...is that?"

"Clearly, a higher-up that wasn't too popular." Serena said. She had a look over a workdesk that she thought might have been her sister's. There, kept safe from the electric equipment, was the necklace that Serena now wore.

"This is amazing..." Kyle said. "Technology without the aid of Shadows! It's beautiful! Ahead of its time, in every way. Archibald was onto something. He might have really made a more efficient internet standard! Imagine, these guys could have revolutionised the entire world wide web!"

"Really? That's kind of hard to imagine. Look at the calendar on Carlos' desk." Shirley said, pointing to it. There was a desk calendar, that displayed bikini-clan Latino beauties. One of which was a very busty lady from Brazil called Katalina, lifting up her shades and winking to the camera.

"Well...sometimes, hard working programmers need something to perk them up." Kyle said. "It's why I take breaks from programming to play all my favourite games. And now I can finally experience modern ones, too."

"Roger sure knows how to party when he's not working, too." Serena said. "I mean, I don't see him that often in my world, but Blaine gets to have a drink with him every couple of weeks. Apparently, Roger tries to do the moonwalk when he's drunk."

"Oh yeah! He used to do it when he was at college!" Kyle said. "Although he was pretty sleepy when he told me that. I think it's meant to be a secret..."

Shirley laughed, smiling. "I guess even our Tech Support have their silly quirks. Everyone else here does. Without any Shadows to worry about, it's nice being able to go back to my hobbies. And Dan's always around to hear me play the new piano..."

"New piano?" Serena asked.

"Yeah! It's in our bedroom. At nights, I play the piano, song after song, and he just sits there, watching me. It's like he's in a dream, the way he listens to me. I almost forget what we went through to make all of that possible. And now, I have to do the same to get it back..."

"We can do it." Serena said. "We've got to go on, and save my sister's soul..."

"That's right!" Kyle said. "So come on! Let's move on out!"

The trio left the building, and out the front doors – without a clue where they would end up next.

|Castle of Isolated Hearts|

After leaving the school, the group had gone through several locations that they had to assume where in England. Neither of them had been there, but they had passed through the courtyard of the school, several dull-looking computer offices, and a large park. While they went through each location, somehow warping all over the county, they came across many fierce Shadows.

Geez, Archibald had some boring memories, I bet. I guess meeting me and my dad was the best thing in his life after all.

They had now reached a more brightly coloured dwelling. There were some pleasant paintings and ornaments around, mostly souvenirs from Archibald's travels around the UK. Blaine noticed on a shelf a stack of books, mostly large, convoluted references for programming and electrical engineering.

"No prizes for guessing who lived here." Lucy said. "Look at this crap. He's got a book called 'Advanced Trigonometry in C++'. And he's got boxes of floppy disks lying around. I haven't seen those for ages."

"I...I've been here before." Blaine said. "When I was a little kid. Sometimes, after school or on the weekends, Mum and Dad would come here with me so I could play on some of Archibald's computer games."

"Oh yeah!" Dan said, smiling. He walked into the living room, and saw a rather bulky TV. It was connected to lots of different gadgets, resulting in many wires that seemed to blend in with each other. There was also a large shelf containing lots of video tapes, mostly taping of programmes and interviews that involved computer discussions – not to mention a large set of Doctor Who episodes.

"Nice to see Archie appreciated comedy." Lucy said, admiring the Fawlty Towers recordings. Blaine stared at the TV, smiling. He had sat here sometimes with his family and Archibald, usually watching the news, or his cartoons, or even Archie's Laserdiscs.

"We were working class. We'd have to save up for years to have a house half as nice as this. But Archie just let us come and go as we please. Maybe it was because we had something he didn't. A family...a 'home'. Not just a house. And when I was here, it felt like all his hard work was worthwhile." Blaine said, eyes trailing throughout the familiar living room. It felt so small now, being a man of 6'1, but as a kid it felt like a palace.

"...You alright?" Dan said.

"Y-Yeah. I... I just forgot how much I liked being here. It was like a treat, the thing I looked forward to every week. Here, follow me." Blaine said. Through an archway was Archie's main computer room, stacked with discs upon discs of all kinds of software and drivers. Plenty of used peripherals abounded, from a time before USB and the internet. It was perhaps a tragedy that Kyle & Roger weren't here to revel in this digital nostalgia.

"Wow, look at this!" Lucy said, looking at a box full of games. They were mostly for the Commodore 64, but also the ZX Spectrum, and several DOS titles. "See whose name is on the label?"

"Yeah!" Blaine said. There, written carefully in red ink, was his name. With a quick doodle of Blaine, with a big smiley face on his oval head. "I remember when we did this. Archie decided it was time we had somewhere safe to put all of my games, so he went out and bought this box. And then I put the label on..."

"You sound like you were a pretty cute kid back then." Dan said.

"It's really sweet, actually." Lucy said. "Archibald left his home behind to start over here. And he ended up becoming part of your family."

"Yeah." Blaine said. "I'm glad I saw this house again. I don't wanna run away from my childhood anymore. It was a great time of my life...but I never thought I'd ever be that happy again."

"Just thank the lucky stars a sexy American came into your life, eh?" Dan said, arm around Blaine again. Lucy rolled her eyes, but let out a small laugh.

"Don't forget you, Dan. You buy me drinks when I'm out of cash!" Blaine said, smirking.

"That's right!" Dan said. "Now come on! We've got to find Archie! And..."

"My folks. I know." Blaine said. "You two...please, don't leave me."

Blaine walked on ahead, through the door that normally would have lead to the kitchen. Lucy hestitated, while Dan followed his friend.

"Me, leave you? I'm always scared it'll be the other way around..."

|Schloss von Zerrissene Familien|

Serena's team had ventured more places of Nina's time. Most of which were still recognisable, but the 90's were markedly different from the New Tens, due to the emerging trends between. The era Serena stood in now had not entirely immersed itself into a digital age, but had that goal in mind. There were many wonderful homes, that must have belonged to the rest of the Ater Vox. Yet one very tiny apartment, with sparse decorations and scattered computer books and components.

So she got to see where Ethan lived? He's never told me what his feelings for her were...not that it would matter now. But I get a feeling that they both cared for each other. The same with me and Kyle.

Continuing their journey led them to a special place indeed. The back garden of Serena's house, exactly as it was circa early 2000. Serena recognised the plastic yellow slide and a blue inflatable pool, as well as a brown and black bench that her father had painted recently. Only after 12 years did her father find the interest to repaint that bench, and for the first time since Nina's death, Serena caught her parents sitting next to each other there, basking in the sunshine.

"This is your house...right?" Kyle asked. Serena nodded. "I've been here in your world...but it wasn't as nice looking at this."

"Me and Nina used to play here all the time. It was a lot of fun, especially when we got to use that pool in the summer. Or that time we were outside at New Year's, and we got to celebrate the new Millennium together. If only someone had told me that there would only be two years left in that millennium with my sister..."

Kyle held her hand, gently, while Serena wiped her eyes. If Nihane – either past or present – could just leave her sister's spirit alone, then she would be able to smile about her happier times. Now, she could only think of what could have been.

"Look!" Shirley shouted. There, standing by the back fence, was Nina. A ghost of her, with a red aurora. And flanking her were her parents, as they were of the past. Above them was a red crystal, within which a tearful Other Serena was caged.

"SERENA!" Kyle screamed. "Hang on! We'll get you out of there!"

"Nina! Mum! Dad!" Serena cried. "...Do I really have to fight my own parents?"

"Serena, what have I told you about inviting friends without asking us first? Honestly, you never listen to anything we say anymore. I suppose it's just as well you've only ever brought one person to this house, but..."

Hilde suddenly struck the ground – with a whip exactly like her daughter's. Serena gasped. Her dark suspicions had been confirmed. This Hilde was nothing but a fragment of the Masquerade, copying Serena's skills but her mother's face. Before long, there was a Reverse Selene on the field.

"Damn...this is twisted." Kyle said. "Wait, who's Fred going to use -"

Fred quickly answered that question, with both Kyle's weapon and Reverse Vulcanus.

"Your sister certainly never wasted her time with these silly games. Look at her performance. I even thought she'd go on to a PhD...she was that good. And you don't get one of those by mashing buttons on a piece of plastic. Do you?"

"Figures. Parents with no imagination." Kyle said. "So now we get to see how hard it is to fight me and Serena. This is a cruel experiment, one that never should have hypothesised. But I'll complete it - alive, no matter how hard you try!"

"That's the spirit! And I'll protect you two! With my life!" Shirley said, taking up her stance. "Dan's told me how proud he is of you, Kyle. It'd be an honour to fight alongside his 'kid soldier'!"

The stage was set for a fierce battle – between the Agnethe Family, joined by Evens and McHale.

|Castle of Isolated Hearts|

The group were now inside another house, a less opulent one that was on the outskirts of Kanaloa. Blaine gasped upon seeing it. The familiar sight of that hallway, where his father's work boots were there, covered in sawdust. Family photos, some of which Blaine had kept. The slightly defective answering machine, bought for half price by Pauline. And there was also a picture of Blaine's parents on their wedding day, facing the camera with warm smiles.

"You know, your mother was really beautiful." Lucy said.

"You got that right!" Dan said, impressed. "Your dad looks pretty smart in that suit, too. Looks a lot like you do know, come to think of it."

"Now you know where I get my good looks from." Blaine joked. "Man...when my dad was still around, mom still looked like she did then. It was hard work, looking after me, but somehow they did it. I just wish I could apologise for the stunts I pulled."

"Kids do that stuff." Lucy said. "But I think good parents would forgive their kids no matter what."

"Yeah. It was like that with my folks. It was usually me misbehaving, of course...Matthew was a do-gooder even then."

The group went into the living room. Blaine smiled, remembering the old but comfy furniture. Back then, his legs dangled over the seats. These were his halcyon days, he thought.

"Oh yeah, I remember the time we were last here." Dan said, looking at the music collection. "So 80's. Your mom had great taste. There's just something you can't get from anything other than a vinyl, huh?"

"Yeah...too bad my mom ended up selling all of these, just so she could buy food." Blaine said, shuddering. "But I guess that's ancient history now."

The group started to head into the dining room, where suddenly, they were warped to a sunny day of 1988. This had been the same day Blaine had gone to the park with his parents. There, in the centre of that green field, was Archibald.

"So this is it." Dan said.

"Dad..." Blaine said. "Mom..."

"Look, Pauline! Look at him go! He just started walking! All by himself!"

Lucy gasped, at the sound of what had been one of Timothy's proudest moments. Blaine simply stood there, eyes wide at his father...and the tears started to fall.

"See the way I did his hair today, Tim? Now you two have matching hair styles! He looks so grown up like that, doesn't he?"

"Stop!" Dan said. "Don't do this to him..."

"Dan! Blaine! Look up there!" Lucy said, pointing up overhead. Trapped in a red crystal was Other Blaine, who was desperately banging on his cage – without any luck.

"Shit!" Dan said. "Blaine! Both of you! Listen to me. You are not alone, you got that?"

"...I know." Blaine said, shaking his head. "I know! But, I'd forgotten what it was like to hear them so happy..."

"You're not the only one who wants their parents back..." Dan said, looking fiercely at Blaine. "But look at those ghouls in front of you. They aren't them! They don't really care about you, or any of us!"

Suddenly, Timothy and Pauline pulled out weapons – guns, matching Blaine's and Lucy's respectively. They gasped, especially when something even more bizarre happened.

"...Personae?!" Dan screamed, incredulous.

Indeed, the two parents had summoned Personae – Reverse Quetzalcoatl and Reverse Ishtar. Blaine, still tearful, glared with fury. These fakes of his parents were spouting their words at him, and mimicking his and his beloved's Persona.

"Dammit!" Blaine said, summoning the true Quetzalcoatl. Dan followed suit with Mictlan, and Lucy conjured Ishtar. "Archie...can you hear me?"

Archibald did not respond to this question. Perhaps his soul was too thoroughly under Nihane's control at this point, judging by the evil red aura around him. This wraith of Archibald summoned Thor, however, and he was already charged and ready to fire.

"I get it." Blaine said. "You need me to break you free again. Let me just say this, then. It doesn't matter how much power Nihane gives you. Cause...I loved you, Archie. You're still my family! Nihane can't toy with you and get away with it. You'll see. Now that I've got a future worth a damn, I'm invincible! Let's DO THIS!"

|Schloss von Zerrissene Familien|

Serena and Nina were lashing at each other, each hopping over each other's weapons. It was like a demented, hellish game of jump-rope. Finally, Serena landed a hit across her sister's face, then rolled aside from the deadly sickles.

"You're pretty fast..." Serena said. "I better keep myself hydrated. Reservoir!"

A heavy monsoon began to fall, resulting in a pool of water beneath the group's feet. Slowly, it would help to recover their health. Regenerating their bodies would be crucial to survival. For a moment, Serena wondered how her friends would manage without her medical abilities.

They're going to be okay, right? I wish we could have just stopped all this fighting. I never wanted to be a white mage in real life! Not when it's my actual friends being hurt...but if I have to, I'll do the best job I can. I 'll go beyond Level 99 if I have to!

"Awesome!" Kyle said. "Vulcanus. Makarakarn!" The fiery Persona covered everyone with a magic shield, strong enough to repel any magic spell – albeit only once.

Shirley, however, was busy kicking at Hilde. It seemed rather odd to see this woman moving as nimbly as Serena, but odd was just the order of business when it came to Shadows. Shirley leapt up, kicked Hilde twice, then jumped high up, ready for a high kick. However, Hilde managed to catch Shirley with her whip, and throw her back down to the ground.

"What?!" Shirley said. "You bitch! You might be Serena's mom, but you're not getting away with that!"

Hilde ignored this remark, however – and instead, summoned Reverse Selene. Before long, she had created her own reservoir.

"Serena really likes the river, doesn't she? Perhaps one of these days, we ought to book that river cruise...it sounds incredible. Perhaps if I cut back on my hair appointments, we can save a bit more money."

Serena was stunned. She didn't quite remember her mother ever saying that. But it must be somewhere within her past. A promise to sail down the long river through the city, on a high-class cruise ship. To dine like kings, and sit back and enjoy the entertainment. It might not quite be the gondolas through Venice, but it looked like a magical experience nonetheless.

"I might suggest we focus on taking down Hilde first, Shirley." Kyle said. "Serena's water spells won't have much effect on her, but mine and your attacks should be quite potent."

"Yeah, that's our best plan. Don't forget to fend off the other two..." Serena said. "And protect me too. I won't be able to heal you unconscious..."

"Yeah, I figured you hadn't developed sleep-healing yet. Never mind. I'm gonna get you!" Shirley yelled. "Enchanting Awen!"

A black and white glyph of pure power was placed upon Shirley, no doubt in preparations for a truly mesmerizing spectacle. However, this would have to wait – as Nina had just struck her with her sickles, and thrown in a powerful kick for good measure.

"Shit!" Kyle yelled. "What -?"

His Makarakarn, normally invisible when active, suddenly appeared again – only to be shattered. Dismayed, he turned to this right. Fred, using Reverse Vulcanus, had Makara Broken the team's defences. Angry, Kyle moved to him to strike, but ended up clashing swords.

"So, this Kyle. He's really just a friend, is he? If he's really helping you do better at school, then fine with me...but be careful, Serena. High school can be a trying time. Your sister had her share of heartbreaks. Although she did seem to like that man from her last job...

"You cheater!" Serena said, angrily. "And stop playing back my memories! I don't want to hear them now, okay?!"

"Should have know they wouldn't let us stay protected for long..." Shirley said, standing up.

Nina, looking as cold as the spells she was known for, targeted Serena with one of her newer attacks. Hel fired an icy ball of mist, that hit the younger Agnethe.

"Ah! Cold cold cold!" Serena whined, teeth chattering. "This isn't how June's supposed to be!"

"Serena, do you remember what that does?" Kyle said, worried. "It'll be like walking up Mount Everest in a yellow polka dot bikini!"

"Specific example there." Shirley said.

"Well, Dan used to laugh at that song..." Kyle said, sheepishly.

"I'll be okay!" Serena said. "We need to worry more about my mother, remember?" Swiftly, she swung her whip – hitting both Hilde and Nina at the same time.

"Yeah, I get it.." Shirley said. "Try and stay warm! We'll keep Hilde occupied!" Grunting, she aimed a sweeping kick at Nina, knocking her to the ground. "Now!" She yelled, glaring at Hilde. "Taliesen's Tale!"

Ceridwen took out her favourite mysterious book, filled with enigmatic knowledge. She opened the book, and before long, it's full breadth of mysticism emanated, causing much harm to Hilde and her family.

"At least my Compendium is worth a re-read." Shirley said, grinning evilly.

"Burn..." Kyle said, recalling the Shadow. Serena was fighting back the urge to make several book puns, especially if she could work in 'spineless' somewhere. Ironically, Fred summoned a Persona very much capable of causing actual burns. Reverse Vulcanus leapt forward, swinging his infernal sword to cause a Volcanic Divide. The blade of flame grew upon impact, causing Shirley to scream from the heated steel.

"You know, Serena, you could have dinner with us once in a while. Your mother cooked this meal for all of us to enjoy. If you were going out with Kyle tonight, you should have told us before. No, forget it, just go and have a good time. You obviously prefer Mrs McHale's food compared to your own mother's..."

"No! Stop it already!" Serena cried. "My real father might not be the nicest guy around...and I wish I could speak of him the same way my friends talk about their dads. But I still love him! And I won't accept you using his image to attack my friends! Aquadyne!"

Selene's eyes were full of will and indignation, as she brought down the water of judgement at Fred. Kyle immediately ran in for the strike, slashing him with more force than before.

"Serena!" Kyle said. "I...I wish it could be my father we were fighting. Then you wouldn't have to go through this..."

"No..." Serena said. "I'd be in pain then too. Cause we share our pain together."

"She's right. I don't think it'd be easy fighting any of our fathers. We have to get through, somehow..." Shirley said.

"...Of course. Forget I said that. You have my full support." Kyle said. "Vulcanus! Raging Rampart!"

Out of nowhere, the blacksmith Persona appeared, and carved a giant wall from the land itself. With one big push, the same wall fell onto Hilde, with a thud big enough to shake the house – and the adjacent ones – to their very foundations.

"Rage is one word for it." Shirley said, nodding with approval.

"I just wish I could put Shadows aside. Then all I'd have to get rid of are syntax errors." Kyle said. "But if I must fight, there won't be any mercy!"

However, neither of their enemies tonight would have any comprehension of mercy. Hilde, mimicking her daughter's whip, leapt around hitting Kyle. To see someone assaulting another without making a sound, and with an unmoving face, was utterly horrifying.

My mother and father have become your dolls...Nihane Kronos, what if someone did that with your family? Forced you to fight them like this? I bet you wouldn't even dare to make someone else go through with it! When I get to you, Nihane, you're going down!

Reverse Selene appeared, similarly passionless. A Malaquadyne was soon cast upon Serena and her group – but it barely harmed the caster's daughter. Kyle and Shirley, however, did not shrug off the water as well.

"Have you thought about college yet, Serena? I've picked out this brochures for you. There was even this one for studying in Scotland. Isn't that where Kyle's father lives? Perhaps if he studies over there, he can meet his family. You're probably going to the same college...you go everywhere together these days."

"Guys!" Serena cried.

"It's nothing..." Kyle said, trying to regain his balance.

"Yeah! You just stay on your toes." Shirley said. However, she seemed alarmed. "Your sister's plotting something..."

"What?!" Serena asked, disturbed. She saw Hel, who was flying overhead, and prepared for whatever was to come.

Hel drove one end of her weapon into the grassy lawn. Ice crept up the newly-made gasp in the ground, and onto the apex of the Winter Warhead. This frost soon hardened and expanded, creating a large blade of sub-zero sharpness. With this lethal weapon, Hel swung it many times at Serena, before driving the blade painfully into her torso. She removed it, as she cried out in pain.

"Oh my god! Serena!" Kyle cried.

"Nina, you can't stop yourself, can you?" Serena said, in deep pain. Nina did not respond, and swung her sickles – however, these were blocked by both Shirley's kicks and Kyle's blades.

"She won't respond to you now..." Kyle said.

"Now! Heal!" Shirley ordered.

"Alright. Selene, we must keep everyone alive. Please, help me! Mediarahan!"

Serena may have been an aspiring author, but her Persona had the full compassion and kindness of a nurse. With one Mediarahan, the three allies were feeling much healthier again. It was like she had never been stabbed at all.

It's weird how Personae can stop it from getting killed, but they can't stop it from hurting like Hel. ...Now isn't the time for wordplay! I've got a battle to win!

"Thanks!" Shirley said. Fred was advancing on her, but she leaped up and kicked him twice in the chin, knocking him to the ground. She then directed her feet while landing onto his torso, with as much force as possible.

Hilde wasn't so happy about this blue-haired hussy beating up her man, it seemed. She instantly summoned Reverse Selene, who stepped on the ground, to briefly change the arena to a beautiful, serene lea with the moon shimmering in the night sky. Then waves of water crashed into the group to form a Tranquil Sea, which spread a soothing energy outwards.

"You know, when it's used on you it's not very tranquil." Shirley said.

"Sorry...?" Serena said, awkwardly.

"It's fine..." Kyle said. "Let's just say I prefer my attacks dryer. Like so. Magnadyne!"

Falling rocks hit Hilde, knocking her backwards into Nina. However, the icy Agnethe was not fazed, not even slightly. Quickly, she beckoned Hel to freeze the team with Mabufudyne, a chilling retort.

"Ah!" Serena cried.

"This could be a long one..." Shirley said, shuddering. Angry, she clenched her fists, and ran forward, weaving out of the way of Nina's weapons. "But you should know better by now. I don't lose. Cause going up against me is gonna be your worst Nightmare!"

Right on cue, Ceridwen embraced Nina with both hands. The immediate environs were metamorphosed into a demonic landscape of dark colours, where peculiar symbols flew all over in no particular order. Evil distorted laughter could be heard, the pitch and reverb changing also at random. Finally, all symbols and light gathered into Nina with a black and red flash of phantasmal energy.

"...That still scares me every time I see it." Kyle said.

"Seriously. And I thought my nightmare about cursed cookies was bad." Serena said, shuddering. Even two months on, it still was a weird dream that convinced Serena not to have milk and chocolate biscuits before bed – before school, that is.

Fred, however, had no care for his daughter's unusual dreams. Instead, he struck her across her body, and then summoned Reverse Vulcanus. This false Persona then hurled a boulder into the sky, and within seconds, carved it into a Crushing Eagle. He then sent it into Serena, and its impact made it break into many pieces.

"ARGH!" Serena cried. "Ow...it hurts...!"

"I know. But it's not over yet. Not by a long shot..." Shirley said, blocking against Hilde. She then kicked the woman right into the fence, and immediately span and kicked Nina high into the air. Serena, still in pain, whipped her sister hard as she could.

"I'll...kill all of you ghosts!" Serena said, voice choked with deep bitterness.

|Castle of Isolated Hearts|

The sight of his own mother aiming a gun at him had dampened Blaine's vigour. Yet, he soon refuelled his fighting spirit, and called down Quetzalcoatl.

"Torment!" Blaine ordered. The grand hammer of his Persona was charged up, sparking from the excess power. It then was crashed down upon the wraith of Pauline, sending shockwaves throughout the park.

"Blaine..." Lucy said.

"Don't worry about me! We have to get this over with..." Blaine said.

"I know." Lucy said. "I didn't plan on meeting your parents this way...but I gotta hurt them too!" She pulled the trigger of her gun, hitting Pauline with a medley of bullets.

"What's the matter, my little man? You too sick to go to school? Maybe we better get the doctor around, you've got one heck of a fever..."

Tim, however, had caught Dan off guard with a quick shot. Using the grand lightning of his Reverse Persona, he soon reached a Stormy Ascent. Dark clouds appeared in the bright sky, and cast their shadows over the park – and then came a brutal thunderstorm, electrocuting everything in the area.

"Ah! Damn..." Dan said. "It really as as painful as it looks!"

"You're gonna...pay for that!" Lucy said. "The real Tim would never allow a copycat like you to hurt his son that way! Ishtar, we need your help! Gilded Gown!"

Energy resembling a red fiery cape was draped over everyone. This further increased their resilience but also their agility. The heat of the cloak would also protect them from burns, if needed.

"Thanks, Lu." Dan said. "We really should have got a healer with us, but Richard and the other Serena were out of action..."

"We're gonna have to break the habit of a lifetime, Dan. We're gonna have to use our brains instead of our brawn." Blaine said.

"Ah, don't worry. I've got a mind as sharp as a fox. We'll get through this without a single Dia spell, even if it's gonna hurt like hell." Dan said. "Come on, what have you got?"

"You two went all out on making my birthday dinner, didn't you? My favourite men in the whole wide world, making my favourite food...I almost don't mind getting older now!"

Pauline soon answered that question, with a very Crazy Cutter courtesy of Reverse Ishtar. Each strike hit Dan with its sharp edges. Rather than yell, however, Dan rammed his fist hard in the fake Pauline's face.

"I seriously have to hurt my brother's mother?" Dan said to himself. "Fine. But when I get back to you, Nihane, I'm gonna blow you pieces! Mictlan! Xibalba!"

This time, the move worked as normal, turning the area pitch black – then causing flashes of red to strike the targets. The rush of power in each flash sounded like a high-pitched scream, and Lucy shuddered at the sound.

"Now I get why that word means 'Place of Fear'." Blaine said. "Even I got the chills..."

"There's no out there that can scare me, man. Well, maybe one guy..." Dan said. "But that's a secret."

Archibald however, had no interest in Dan's secret fears. Instead, using the electricity stored within Thor, he cast upon his team the power of Megingjard. Now they were heavily protected from any assault – and to dispel it meant severely hurting the penetrator.

"Now that's just mean!" Lucy said, angry.

"Tell me about it. We gotta break it safely..." Blaine said.

"How are we gonna do that?!" Dan asked, ducking under a hail of bullets. Archibald's gloves seemed stronger this time around, and while he lacked the robotic armaments of the previous fight, he still was a tough opponent.

"I know just what to do." Lucy said, smirking. "Ishtar! Maragidyne!"

Proudly, the beautiful Persona ignited her potent fire. As predicted, it bounced off the barrier, weakening it considerably. But the Gilded Gown from moments earlier had just taken the flames, and kept them from scorching the bodies beneath it.

"Phew..." Blaine said. "I love it when a plan comes together."

"She's a clever one, your Lu. We keep this up, we're gonna get out of this untouched!"

Archibald seemed mute in this false resurrection. He would have scorned the team quite nastily had he been his former self, but now he was stoic, like a very organic doll. However, he still had great powers over thunder. Thor emerged, to strike Lucy down with a severe Ziodyne.

"ARGH!" Lucy yelped, the sparks scattering around her. Just then, a bullet from Timothy's gun came hurtling towards her, but it was quickly blocked by Blaine.

"Whoa!" Dan said, frightened.

"It's...okay." Blaine said, despite the pain. "With Quetzalcoatl, it'll take a lot more than a gunshot to take me down. It doesn't matter how dangerous this fight is...or which Lucy is in trouble! I'm not letting anyone hurt her! Punishment!"

The Persona appeared, radiating strength. "Punishment!" Blaine demanded. His Quetzalcoatl held out his hammer, and revolved around himself in a herculean fashion. Having built up speeds higher than a Concorde, Quetzalcoatl released the hammer, dropping it on Timothy with a colossal thud. The impact caused a small quake throughout the spectral area, and Blaine smirked at the result.

Dad, remember the time you lifted up that giant tree that fell over in our back yard? Right now, I feel like I could lift up a hundred of the things! All thanks to you...

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Dan said. "We got rid of the magic barrier, but there's still a physical barrier on him, right?"

"Yeah...but I bypassed it, somehow." Blaine said. "Must have picked up some ability. I've been fighting a lot since June!"

"You boys get all the toys." Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

"Lion, huh? Sounds like me. Just wish my name was cooler than Timothy. Ah, whatever. We're not all like that. You want to know what I did today? Make a new bed for my kid. He's into teddy bears, so I made the headboard shaped like one. He loves it!"

Timothy, however, was now just as lethal as a grizzly bear, and had the physique for one too. The Reverse Quetzalcoatl he possessed rained down three consecutive hammer strikes, all hitting Blaine with the same savage strength.

"No!" Lucy cried.

"Don't get scared! This is nothing!" Blaine said, firing back at his father. "Just keep firing!"

"Right!" Dan said, taking careful aim. He stood far back, and pulled the trigger. It was reflected, of course, but it negated the Tetrakarn on Archibald, letting Dan follow through with a painful attack. It was just then that Blaine realised that he could not longer have purely happy memories of his park. For it had also become the scene of a solemn bout.

Nihane, you're lucky I'm in the middle of a fight...cause when I'm done, it's you I'm gonna fill with lead. Doesn't matter how dead you already are, me and my buddies are gonna make it stick!

"Time to spill some blood on the dance floor!." Dan said. "Go! Mictlan!"

The deathly Persona appeared, and wasted no time. With his chaotic scythe, he swung wildly at Archibald, drawing out blood with every swing. A visceral onslaught, Blaine could not deny.

"You might want to be careful, Dan..." Lucy said. "You're not exactly the most nimble of us. Strong as hell, but an easy target."

"Don't worry about a thing, Lu. I'm a tough old dog." Dan said, proudly, while firing another round - at Pauline.

"Blaine! Honestly, you can get carried away when you're playing with your friends! Don't cry, it's just a scraped knee...we'll go make it better, okay sweetie?"

That had been the Pauline of the past. This one, however, had more dangerous injuries to inflict in mind. In fact, second-degree burns. Out came the flames from Reverse Ishtar, a Passion most truly Ablaze.

"Argh!" Dan yelped. "Your cape thing only good once?"

"Sorry!" Lucy said, nervously. "You can take the heat, can't you?"

"Hey, I'm the only one of us who can cook anything harder than toast. I'll be fine." Blaine said. "You know, though, it's time we switched to an electric oven! Ziodyne!"

Sparks flew, striking Pauline. And to think she had once been petrified of him shocking himself by playing with his toys in the bath. As confident as he looked on the outside, every moment of this fight was hurting him deeper than any shock could.

Even if I win...I'll still have had to kill my own parents. That's not a victory. That's just tragedy.

Timothy, however, while his face hadn't budged a muscle, spoke with a warm kindness.

"You're a big boy now, aren'tcha? Just as well your daddy's stronger than most dads! We've got a few more years of piggy back rides left in us, little man!"

A Ziodyne, charged up by Reverse Quetzalcoatl, struck Lucy. With Dan and Blaine's resilience to thunder, Lucy seemed to be taking most of the voltage here. It already seemed to be taking its toll.

"This...hurts..." Lucy groaned. "Why did you two have to go for electricity?"

"We have a lot in common, I guess." Blaine said. "Even when we were still kids, it felt like having an older brother."

"Guess this is what that cyborg chick meant by overspecializing..." Dan said, recalling a movie he had watched with Kyle one evening.

"Whatever! You're lucky you brought me along for the ride. Time for your immolation, you ghosts!" Lucy shouted, angry. After firing bullets at all three enemies, and leaping under Archibald's energy shots, she summoned Ishtar. "Burning Obsession!"

A hot pink flame burned underneath Archibald, with a lurid smoke billowing above it to match. This did not seem to charm him, however, but the heat had him hot under the collar. Thor's cannon was charged up, and ready to fire. And thus, Blaine was fired across the park via a Dynamo Cannon, narrowly missing the railings.

"Shit! No!" Dan cried.

"Fuck..." Blaine said, sitting up, reeling from the impact. "Give me a minute, I'll be okay..."

"That's it, Archie, you're triple dead!" Dan said.

"Triple dead, Dan? Really?" Lucy said, incredulous.

"...Mictlan, please just use Soul Harvest so we can forget I ever said that." Dan said, almost praying to his Persona. Lucy chuckled, but was still impressed at the sight of Mictlan's ensuing bloodbath. Blaine, still groggy, staggered up to watch Dan rejuvenated himself with Archibald's life force.

"I...I'm gonna keep on fighting!" Blaine said, firing his gun. It hurt to even lift up his pistol, but that was no excuse. Leaving these two on their own to fight his former family just wasn't an option. He would fight until there was nothing left in him.

"Blaine, no! I know what he said was very nasty, but you can't punch someone because of that! Are you listening to me? You mustn't do that...you're usually such a nice boy! How could you do this..."

Blaine gulped. That had been a bad day of his youth, in his first year of school. From what he remembered, a boy from a different class was making fun of his mother. For no other reason than he liked getting a reaction. However, Blaine's reaction broke his nose, causing a bit of a scandal. When Timothy found out, he had been furious, and actually raised his voice to his son – scaring the boy witless.

It's a two-pronged attack. Being hit by my own attacks, and my own memories. I've got to make this end, and fast!

Pauline, via Reverse Ishtar, cloaked her team with a Gilded Gown of her own. Neither of the six combatants were quite ready to give in. Their battle would rage onward, spreading thunder and ash throughout this once idyllic park.

|Schloss von Zerrissene Familien|

As expected, each time having a medic – with matching healing powers – made this a long and gruelling fight. Despite their best efforts, the team hadn't managed to defeat any of the undead Agnethe family, and both sides were looking exhausted. The time was drawing near that one side would fall, but which one was still not clear...

"Please, don't give up, Kyle...you too, Shirley! Moonstone Wave!" Serena begged, summoning her lunar Persona.

A glowing white wave struck the enemy team, it's sparkling shine healing Serena and allies. Energised by this, Shirley and Kyle hit Hilde hard with their kicks and sword respectively, then they turned to an advancing Fred.

"You stay away!" Kyle said, lunging at Fred, only to miss completely. Reverse Vulcanus then emerged, and cast a fierce Magnadyne on Shirley.

"Damn!" She moaned. "Should have known...you're copying Kyle, right down to his fearlessness. I'd almost respect you if you weren't a phantom. Even so, I'm gonna prove to you how much power we really have! Paranoia Impulse!"

Ceridwen forced a foreboding red ball of destructive energy through all three Agnethes, causing them to violently convulse. Serena shuddered at the sight, and even shut her eyes to block it out.

"You okay?" Kyle asked.

"Y-Yeah..." Serena said.

These replicas, while not capable of much conversation, clearly had some initiative behind them. Hilde tapped into her healing energy, with Reverse Selene as a conduit, and cured her team with Mediarahan.

"Son of a bitch!" Kyle complained.

"We've got to find a way to deal more damage than they can heal..." Shirley said.

"Right. Let's try and stay alive until then." Serena said.

"Gotcha. But here goes nothing! Agidyne!" Kyle screamed. A burning flame hit Hilde, incinerating her fabricated body. "Take that!"

Nina, right behind him, began a dastardly medley of sickle strikes. Yet this was only the beginning of her torture. Hel appeared, and wasted no time encasing Kyle in some Permafrost. The boy looked around, in pain and fear, in anticipation.

"Kyle!" Serena screamed. "Come on, we've been through this before! We'll make it this time! Honest!"

She and Shirley began a mad dash up to Kyle, but were fiercely blocked by the Agnethe parents. Forced to protect herself from her father's blade, she had to behold the murderous Hel. There would be no time to rescue Kyle from a Chilling Massacre. Hel's twin lance sliced up the icy block, and nearly shredded the captive at the same time.

"Ouch...ouch! It, it hurts...!" Kyle said, wincing, clutching his sides - as if his body was about to break open at any second. "Every part of me aches...well, the parts that I can feel, anyway..."

"I'm sorry!" Serena said, tearfully "I...I couldn't free you!"

"Damn! This isn't my day at all..." Shirley said, rolling away from Hilde's whip. "Begone, all of you. Nocturnal Seal!"

A huge circle of darkness, resembling an eerie puddle of oil, appeared on the ground. A seal lit up below in a blend of pale blue and purple, resembling another rune. The energy released blew Hilde high into the sky, and she came crashing back down with a loud thud.

Nina reacted swiftly to her mother's injuries. Hel appeared again, and this time summoned a heavy Avalanche. Serena felt her entire body shiver from the cold snowflakes falling on her, and deeply wished that she had packed her warm mittens from Cologne.

"This is absolute torture..." Serena whined. "But...I'm used to that now. Sad, isn't it?"

"Serena..." Kyle said, melancholic.

"That sadness stops today! Tranquil Sea!"

Selene appeared, and with a twinkle in her eye, began to direct massive waves of light. The moon shone overhead, lending its power to the aquatic barrage. Serena and her two companions were thus restored, feeling their energy returning.

"Awesome!" Shirley said. She was able to kick Fred four times, then sent him in the air. Serena quickly leaped up, swinging her whip rapidly to cut him. "Now, Kyle!"

"Right! Vulcanus! GO!" He yelled. The Persona of the forge appeared, and wasted no time in sculpting a Crushing Eagle of his own. Proudly, he smashed it on top of Hilde, and admired the resulting devastation.

"I think we're going to have to call the gardeners in after this fight..." Serena said, gazing at all the wreckage in front of her. "Shit! Shirley, look out!"

"Nina, why haven't you taken any of my calls? ...What? I should do what to myself?! What's gotten into you these days? Your sister has been worried sick! Can't you find any time to come visit us?"

Shirley, alerted, looked to see Fred and Reverse Vulcanus planning a deadly assault. Instinctively, Shirley rolled away - only to be high by the fierce stones of Demon Crag.

"Argh!" Shirley said. "Are magic rocks his form of homing missiles?!"

"Well, they're a lot cheaper to mass produce!" Kyle said, musing to himself.

"That's it! I've had it up to here with this!" Serena said, cracking her whip, deep with rage. "We've got to strike, and now! With everything we have!"

"Gotcha. But what have you got in mind?" Kyle asked.

"How about complete and total annihilation?" Shirley asked, with a murderous glint in her eye. "I think I can manage that..."

Swiftly, Ceridwen appeared, rapidly twirling her scythe in a slow, but deadly circle. Shirley could feel the darkness of her Persona brimming inside of her, and she was not about to restrain herself in this time of need.

"Ceridwen! Let the darkness of the night strike be burned in the nightmares of our foes! Bring them despair beyond that of a lifetime! Only doom lays in front of them! Noson o Anobaith!"

Their surrounded turned pitch black. Ceridwen was now cloaked in pale moonlight. The three enemies were swiftly sent high into the air, unable to escape this judgement. Ceridwen rotated her glaive rapidly, her weapon creating a trail of red light. Eventually, this scarlet light drew a strange glyph, that hit the three ghostly Agnethes, and subjected them to piercing darkness and chaos. They all plummeted to the ground, as the atmosphere returned to normality.

"Great, we won! I need a drink after that. How about gin & tonic?" Shirley said, utterly exhausted.

"I don't think that's the end just yet." Kyle cautioned. "Look, they're...getting back up!"

"What?! How?!" Serena said, in despair. "Oh god...what now...?!"

Hilde and Fred were a little too injured to fight at that time, instead staying back. Yet the time had come for Nina to unleash the full icy void of Helheim.

The grass beneath them became enveloped with frost, and fierce icicles were hanging over the three living fighters. They were literally frozen on the spot, the ice trapping their feet. Next, a gigantic snow flurry began, and just as it reached its fastest and cruelest speed, the icicles crashed, exploding into many different fragments of destruction.

"A...Ah..." Shirley moaned, collapsing. "I'm sorry...I can't...I can't go on..."

"Damn!" Kyle said. "I'm so sorry!"

"Shirley..." Serena said, upset. "We've...we've got to finish this! For her! For us!"

"Right." Kyle said. He grasped Serena's hand, tighter than she had ever felt. "Then let's fight together, okay? The two of us as one!"

Serena nodded. Without any hesitation, she summoned Selene, while Kyle called upon Vulcanus. At the same time, however, Fred and Hilde summoned the Reverse of those Personae. Alarmed, Serena decided she could only do one thing - carry on, with all her heart.

The fiery Persona gathered what seemed to be a glowing lump of silver, and using his sword and strength, began working the unrefined metal. Meanwhile, Selene rose as high as she could via a jet of water, which seemed to be bathed in pale moonlight. Hephaestus finished his work of art - a gigantic silver arrow, shimmering with holy power. He gave it to Selene, who gave him a quick kiss of appreciation. Selene loaded it onto her magnificent bow, and Hephaestus held her tight.

Across the battlefield, however, it appeared the Reverse Selene was about to do the exact same thing, aided by Reverse Vulcanus. Except her bow was about to launch hundreds of arrows, all of which were of rusted metal, stained with blood. These were forged without any bond between the users, only a primal instinct to destroy what was in front of them. There was no serenity in their teamed assault. Only Zerstört Ruhe & Idylle.

"I'm ready whenever you are!" Kyle screamed. "GO!"

"Right! FIRE!" Serena said, pointing straight at her three enemies.

"Silver Serenity!"

One pure arrow, and many evil ones were launched at the same time. Serena and Kyle stood strong, taking the many piercing hits. Meanwhile, the giant holy arrow gracefully coursed the air, and landed in a spot in front of all three ghostly targets - instantly exploding into a tremendous brilliance, of pure devotion. The false arrows opposing it had no chance. Those remaining were disintegrated, and almost instantly, so were Reverse Selene and Vulcanus.

"Go take your mimicry to hell, where you belong!" Serena roared, clenching her fists.

"You failed to copy the true essence of who we are. That's why you were doomed to fail!" Kyle shouted, full of bravado.

Fred and Hilde, somewhat stunned, quickly faded away. Serena wiped her faced, and gasped. She hadn't even noticed her own tears. The battle was over, and yet the tears weren't stopping. How sad, she thought. Fate conspired to arrange a battle such as this, and even victory felt hollow.

|Castle of Isolated Hearts|

The battle had lasted for quite some time, but neither side seemed willing to give in. Blaine's battles had hardened him somewhat, and he had grown accustomed to lengthy confrontations. Yet this one was undoubtedly the worst he had ever experienced. He fired yet another bullet at his father, yet had to run from one fired by his mother.

"Damn!" He yelled. "No other way, is there? Fine! Lightning Circuit!"

Quetzalcoatl's electric wheel span fast, shooting sparks everywhere, until it collided with Pauline – causing her body to flash from the sheer voltage. She collapsed in front of Archibald, who was already preparing his counter-attack – Cyber Calamity.

Out of nowhere, transparent images of Cyber Sinistra and Cyber Dextra appeared, and swiftly manoeuvred to either side of Blaine's team. He gulped, remembering this painful technique. The two robotic hands fired piercing laser beams at everybody, and then harshly slammed into each other – knocking Dan and Lucy towards Blaine.

"ARGH!" Blaine cried, as he fell to the ground. In agony, Dan got up first, while Lucy slowly got to her knees, holding her hair in pain.

"Lucy..." Dan whispered. "You've got to stand up!"

"I...I will, okay?!" Lucy screamed. She got up, but she almost toppled over again from the pain. "This is the worst fight...but I'll win! I always do. No matter how much pain I go through, I always make it! Passion Ablaze!"

Her sheer devotion and spirit manifested in incredible heat and energy, in a bright combustion that engulfed Archibald. Blaine, while weary, felt more alive after seeing this. While prone to calling his girlfriend 'hot', he now fully understood just how fiery she could be.

Tonight, I should have been able to go home and cuddle up with her, like any other. Sure, she'd probably get annoyed that I haven't put up that shelf yet, but I'll get Dan to do it eventually.

Timothy, while eerie, possessed the same intimidating physique he had in life – yet without the warm smile or jovial laughter to balance it. Blaine gasped, as a Lightning Circuit came rocketing towards him – and it actually managed to hurt him a bit.

"Whoa..." Dan said. Suddenly, he saw Pauline aiming her gun at Blaine, and quickly shot her. "No! You've been trigger happy enough, you banshee!"

"...Do you even know what a banshee is?" Lucy asked.

"Banshee, poltergeist, zombie cop, they're all the same." Dan said. "I'll zap them all! Ziodyne!"

A bolt of lightning flashed, striking Pauline. At this point, she had been hurt the most, and wasn't likely to last much longer. That last time he had seen her in the hospital, she had been drained of all the fight she had once possessed. Seeing her like this now was just like that, Blaine thought.

A burning Maragidyne set forth, its flames enveloping the three living entities of this battle. Despite the searing pain, Blaine ran forward, shooting at his three assailants with his gun. He didn't have many bullets left, he realised, but that didn't matter. It was his own father who had fostered in him the ambition to never give up.

You're watching this, aren't you? Dad, I promise, when everything gets back to normal, I'll do everything I can to make my business plan work! Me and Kaman are going to be massive, I can tell! But for that to happen, I have to get through this fight...I'm sorry, dad!

"Quetazalcoatl! Stormy Ascent!"

Intensely dark clouds, almost black, loomed overhead, and loud rumbling thunder could be heard for miles. These clouds then burst out into immensely strong thunderbolts, lashing all over the battlefield. This was a force of pure destruction, that had slain many Shadows. Yet Blaine had hoped never to unleash it again.

"I have to do it, honey. The joinery's shut. No one else is hiring right now. And I'm not good at anything else. We need money now. Don't cry, darlin'. I can do this. I won't get caught."

"What?!" Blaine said. "That's...when..."

"The robbery?!" Dan said. "Jesus..."

"...You mean, when he...tried to steal from a bank?" Lucy asked. "How did he think he was going to get away with that?"

"He didn't think, did he?!" Blaine shouted. "He was desperate!"

As if this wasn't enough Torment for Blaine to endure, he looked up to see Reverse Quetzalcoatl's hammer, charged up, poised to strike. Gasping, he looked away – only to be shoved to the side.

"W-what...?" Blaine said. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Dan – but it had been Lucy who had gotten him out of harm's way. She wasn't exactly frail, but she was dainty in comparison to him. Yet she had rushed frantically to save him.

"...People do crazy things without thinking, don't they?" Lucy asked, with a brave smile. "But for some people, you don't think. You just do whatever you can."

"...Lucy?" Blaine said.

"Don't let these memories hurt you anymore!" Lucy said. "I've finally seen your father...now I know why he means so much to you! We'll take out these hollow ghosts together, I promise. ISHTAR! Rosso Corsa Burial!"

Ishtar, the fiery Persona that she was, set her axe aflame with a click of the fingers – creating a vivid red flame. Indeed, the flame was of the shade named in this technique. Ishtar quickly threw it at Timothy, and it erupted into a pillar of flames. The result of this was a rather wounded looking ghoul, barely able to stand up.

"Lucy, I..."

"Don't waste time thanking me!" Lucy said, already firing at Pauline. "This fight isn't over yet..."

"I know." Blaine said. Standing back to back with her, he fired bullet after bullet, refusing to let a single adversary get close. Past and future had reached a major schism tonight, and neither of them had any intention to lose out to their regrets. They ducked under Archibald's energy blasts, and fired bullets at him as well.

"Don't look so sad, Blaine. I might be able to see you more often, if I try harder with my treatment. You...please be good. Have fun at the beach tomorrow, you hear?"

Blaine stopped firing, shocked. The last words he had ever heard his mother say. At that time, he had been convinced she could recover completely, and leave the hospital for good. If she had...what would have happened? Would she approve of this budding journalist for a daughter in law?

The phantom of Pauline had no care for the son's feelings. With a flare of red, Reverse Ishtar unleashed a beast made purely from fire, shaped like a lion. The fiery beast bashed Blaine with a vicious impact, dissipating with a mighty roar that rang sharp through his hears.

"Hey! Make your own bad ass moves up, you plagiarist!" Lucy moaned. She shot Pauline in the face, angry. "Even when fractured, the Masquerade is one evil bastard. Dan, go kill them!"

"Oh, don't worry. When they try to mess with my brother's head...they lose theirs." He said, baritone and icy. Lucy and Blaine actually shivered at the sound of it. "Xibalba!"

Mictlan overturned the light of this ethereal memory, and what features could be seen were now overcast by a hue of blood red. Then, invisible energy struck them, creating flashes of red with every strike. The lights faded, and all three enemies were looking peaky.

Archibald, however, was driven by an inhumane will that was truly indomitable. Thor soared high as it could, and began charging supreme power into his canon, the Krevad Mjolnir. Then with extreme recoil, it shot forth a tremendous blast of mighty thunder, electrocuting all in sight.

"No!" Lucy cried, dropping her gun. She slumped backwards, but fell into Blaine's arms. "No...I have to survive this!"

"You will!" Blaine said. "We've got to finish this, right this minute!"

"Hang in there...guys!" Dan said, despite the agonising lightning pulsating around him. "I'm...I'm gonna end it myself!" Angry, but focused, he summoned Mictlan with all his will. "I'm the grim reaper! And if you're on my list, it's gonna be one painful demise for you all! So enjoy your last seconds, before I redefine what it means to feel pain! Blood Blitz!"

A red bolt of lightning suddenly struck the ground, creating a huge blast of blood-red energy. More lightning fell, covering the enemy field with strong bursts. Mictlan guided this painful storm, with all the power it could. All Blaine could see was a barrage of explosions, the lightning growing more intense by the second.

To Dan's dismay, this had failed to destroy the trio. They were thoroughly weakened, however, enough for the Spencer parents to drop their weapons, but Archibald had one last card up his sleeves.

"Shit..." Blaine said.

"No!" Lucy said. "We can't...survive any more!"

Alas, Thor was unstoppable. Mysterious extra components materialised from out of nowhere, all attaching themselves to the cannon on his right arm. It was now a tremendous weapon, that just by being assembled, caused a tremendous lightning storm around the area.

"Damn!" Dan said.

The cannon charged up, powered by billions of volts of electricity. It was made-up of cylindrical parts that rotated faster and faster, and it seemed to be absorbing the residual force around it. The weapon was already starting to break apart from the vast amount of power filling it. Finally, when it had reached it's limit, Vingthor fired, completely shattering.

"NO!" Blaine said. Without a moment's thought, he grabbed Lucy and held her close, trying his best to shield her from the impact. Yet suddenly, someone else grabbed them. Dan. Their screams, their agonised faces, said it all. This hammer was truly one of the gods.

When it all stopped, Blaine gasped. Somehow, he was still standing. As was Lucy. Even Dan seemed intact, and was already lifting up his rifle.

"How...How did we survive?!" Lucy asked.

"I don't know...I was trying to cover you, but..." Blaine said.

"Dan!" Lucy said. "Don't tell me you were trying to take the bullet!"

"It's better than all three of us snuffing it..." Dan said, voice barely above a whisper. "I...I gotta do everything I can..."

With the last ounce of strength, he pulled the trigger, hitting Archibald in the chest. He fell to the ground, unable to move any longer. Relieved, Dan slumped over as well.

"Dan?" Blaine said.

"...We're going to have to finish this ourselves." Lucy said, staring into his eyes.

"...Right." Blaine said. "We can't fall. This isn't how our story ends." He held her hand, and she held hers. They looked up ahead, at the imprisoned Other Blaine. He nodded.

Across from them, however, Pauline and Timothy had joined hands as well. Their Personae appeared, also joined in an embrace. Reverse Ishtar was cloaked in fire, while Reverse Quetzalcoatl was bathed in lightning. This energy began to form two seperate silver rings high above them – cloaked in flame and electricity. This was their Undying Vows, revolving around each other.

"...We can do better than that!" Lucy said, gazing up at the Blaine she loved, and also his counterpart.

"We sure can!" Blaine said. "In both worlds, you and me are gonna be together for a long time! Imagine it, Lucy. You'll be Lucille Victoria Crossman-Spencer. Isn't that the best name ever?"

"Add a 'Dame' to it, and you're onto something." Lucille said. "...Enough joking around. I don't care what my name ends up being. I just want to be with Blaine...I want to make his future – and mine – the best it can possibly be!"

"Then let's show them what we can do!" Blaine said. "Quetzalcoatl!"

"Ishtar!"

"Future Calling!"

Before long, there were giant rings up above of their own – golden this time. They were the same in every way, however. A promise of eternal commitment and love, to see through life's troubles and joys together. Blaine would make that promise a thousand times if he had to. These two rings were linked, never to drift apart. They set forward, and clashed with the silver rings. Immediately, there were sparks and flames, as they tried to bypass the other.

"Come on...!" Blaine said.

"We can't give up yet!" Lucy cried.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack. The two silver rings had broken apart, and soon faded into dust. The golden rings, however, went towards their enemies dauntlessly, wrapping them in a gigantic pillar of fire and lightning. The sky became red and stormy as a result, and Blaine's heart was beating faster than he had ever known before.

Once this rush of power had ended, the two ghosts began to burn and fade away, leaving nothing behind. Their story was done, but in Blaine's memories, never forgotten. Yet now he had burned away all his dread, ready for a new life free from regrets.

|Schloss von Zerrissene Familien|

With Mother and Father exorcised, there was only a fading Nina left. She dropped to her knees, as Hel disappeared into the icy void. There was no further need to fight, Serena saw. Finally, the red crystal containing the other version of her dropped, and released its captive.

"Serena!" Kyle said, flying his wheelchair over to her. Elated, he hugged her close, and she smiled as she held him in her arms. "You're okay, aren't you?"

"It...wasn't a fun fight to watch. But you survived. That's more than enough." Other Serena said.

Shirley, still in pain, sat up, and smiled. Now seemed like a good time to rest, while the others said their goodbyes.

"You two really love each other, don't you..." Nina said, smiling. "I'm so glad... I got to see this before I disappear."

"Nina." Other Serena said, walking over to the ghost of her sister. "It's really time to say goodbye. I...I don't really know what to say..."

Nina shook her head. "You saw the places from my memories, right? Places I shared with my friends at Aeternus, places I shared with you...they've always been part of my mind. Getting to watch my baby sister grow was one of the greatest experiences I'll ever know. Thank you, Serena..."

"Just one thing." Serena said, hand on her necklace. "I've worn this necklace almost every day since you passed away. I always thought...you were so beautiful when you wore it. And...I've always wanted to be like you, deep down. That's why I keep wearing it. And I want you to know, that even after all of this, I'll still wear this, close to my heart."

"Yes. So will I." Other Serena said. "It doesn't mean I can't move on from what happened. It's so I don't forget that there was once a big sister who held my hand, when I took my first steps in the world."

Nina smiled, touched. Other Serena ran closer to her, and held both her hands. It was harder to grasp them every second, closer to feeling through air.

"You wear that necklace for as long as you like. I left it for you, after all. And maybe, someday, you'll pass it down. It doesn't have to be someone you share blood with." Nina said, tenderly. "As long as it's someone you trust with your memories of me."

"We have to help Ethan now. Before we head back, do you have anything you want to say to him?" Shirley asked.

"You probably know by now. I spent a great deal of time with Ethan." Nina said. "Although he was too scared and too timid to tell me what his real feelings were. But I think I knew what was going on his mind. Typical Ethan. He's constantly afraid he'll ruin everything for everybody else. Even with the way my life turned out...I'm still glad I met him."

"I see. I'll let him know. This is the kind sister I've missed...so much." Serena said.

"Please, don't worry about me. I've got a lot of people I can call family these days." Other Serena said.

"I know." Nina said. "And it's the perfect family. The one I always dreamed of. I can't be part of that family now, but I have no doubts. You will shine brighter than any moon of the night sky, my sister...farewell."

With that, Nina finally let herself fade away. Before long, the entire garden vanished too, leaving a black void that rapidly turned back into the exterior of Tachibana University.

"Are...you going to be okay?" Shirley asked, standing up at last.

"Course I am." Other Serena said, wiping her tears away. "I...I have to go on ahead. This has to end, for good!"

"You said it! I'll destroy all of the Shadows out there, if they even dare to stand in my way! After today...nothing can stop me from fulfilling Nina's last wish!" Serena said.

"Her last wish?" Kyle said. "Was it to save this city?"

"Yeah. Without a doubt." Serena said. "I could tell. Sisters have a way of knowing what the other is thinking, after all."

"Time to rescue this city from peril once more. Onward, everybody. The old Nihane Kronos doesn't stand a chance against the new Serena Agnethe."

The four of them marched towards the city centre again, preparing themselves for another uphill struggle.

|Castle of Isolated Hearts|

There was nothing left for Archie. No support to maintain his ethereal rebirth. His Persona disappeared, never to be seen again, and Archibald collapsed onto his back. Just then, the red crystal containing the Other Blaine lowered to the ground, and vanished.

"Blaine!" Lucy cheered.

"You're alright!" Blaine said.

"Thank you...all of you." Other Blaine said, hugging his partner close. He looked at Dan, and breathed a sigh of relief to see him still breathing. "I knew you guys wouldn't stop at anything until you got me back."

"Of course I wouldn't. I...I'll just say this. Losing you is what...scares me more than anything." Lucy said.

The Other Blaine stroked her hair gently, at peace. This warm embrace brought a smile to her face, and slowly, Dan opened his eyes.

"Hey, bro..." Dan said.

"You can go take a long nap, Dan. You've earned it." Blaine said.

"Ah, give me a few minutes..." Dan said.

"Blaine...a chip off the old block, in every sense. Your father was just the same when your mother entered the room, long after the honeymoon period..."

Shaking his head, the Other Blaine walked over, and leaned over his fallen old friend.

"You were supposed to rest in peace with my parents, you old fart. Go back to them! They'll be wondering where you've gone."

"...Of course. I will. Blaine, my happiest days lie far in the past, but I remember them so clearly. How many times did I have to replace my computer joystick for you? Or when you got your muddy shoes over that new rug I wanted to impress your parents with. Those days made me glad I came to live here, Blaine."

"I won't forget again, Archie." Blaine said. "For a long time, when I looked at myself in the mirror at night...I just felt shame. Cause I wasn't as wise or as tough as my old man. Now, when I look into that mirror, I see a new man there...and a lot of people seem to like that man."

"Indeed they should. Your strength inspires them to make the most out of their lives. After all, you lost everything, only to gain everything. I think you know by now where your future is headed. And this time, you can avoid disaster. You can make the Spencer family one of courage, of devotion...for generations to come."

"Generations...?" Lucy said.

"We'll need to stop the old Nihane before that can happen. Which means we're gonna do everything to help your boy Ethan." Dan said.

"Of course...you must go to his aid. Please. Without his old guard, you all must support him as much as you can." Archibald said, smiling weakly. "I have my full faith in both my pupils...they'll light the way ahead."

"We'll get to Ethan right away, Archie." Other Blaine said. He grabbed Archie's hand, just barely tangible, and gripped it as tight as he could. "The old days aren't really gone. Cause I'm gonna keep them where it mattes." He proudly thumped his chest, with a radiant smile.

"...That's it. That's the way you used to look at your father. Now...I can go. Please, don't let a single Shadow get away. A Spencer never leaves a job half-finished!" Archibald said. With that, his body finally vanished, and Other Blaine's hand only grasped the air. The area seemed to disintegrate, and then rebuilt itself into the exterior of the Cathedral.

"Archie..." Blaine said.

"Nihane must have thought that was going to break you." Lucy said. "He had a good try, I've got to admit..."

"Maybe so. But he won't win." Dan said. "He's just the orphaned doll of a puppet master. Even when we cut the strings, he can't do anything by himself."

"Damn straight. C'mon, let's go to Ethan. Archie's not going to be there to help him this time...but we sure as hell will!"

With that, Other Blaine marched off towards the centre of the city again, joined by his companions. As they walked, Blaine felt for the engagement ring in his pocket – and smiled. It was still there, and he was never going to let it out of sight. Once, he had no hope for the future. Yet now he was determined to grasp it with full force.

|Farawell|

Ethan and his party were walking down a street on the outskirts of Farawell, when to their relief they saw Karl's group. Tara and Matthew were there, and so were Alastair & Bianca.

"Hey! You made it!" Bianca said, relieved.

"Course we did!" Kazuya said. "We've got a knack for surviving disasters, you and me."

"You're all safe, right?" Karl asked.

"Yes, thank you." Aimee said. "Oh! Ava, those two are Bianca and Alastair. They're part of the Holy Cross."

"Oh?" Ava said. "A religious order? You don't exactly seem dressed for church..."

"Well, our Personae are the four Archangels." Richard said. "And they shot down all of my name ideas."

"Like 'Richard and Friends.'" Bianca said, rolling her eyes.

"Why not? You guys are my friends! But you gotta have the guy with the best teeth lead, you know what I'm saying?" Richard said, flashing his pearly whites.

"Yes, very impressive." Ava said. "But please, try to blind the Shadows, and not me?"

"Oh! Sorry, Ava." Richard said.

"Karl told us a little about you on the way. Ava Walters, correct?" Bianca asked.

"That's what I go by now..." Ava said, sadly. "I actually don't even remember my real name. Things are becoming more clear, though. Like, memories of my father. And my mother. And, a little boy who called me his sister."

"Interesting." Alastair said. "I'm sure you'll remember in time. Try not to strain yourself."

"Exactly." Ethan said. "Although we do have to face your father soon..."

"...I will speak with him one more time." Ava said. "If he really is my father...I can get through to him. To rip off the layers of darkness and pain, and find that spark of love left in him. It still exists. A divine spark, like any other."

"Divine spark?" Ethan asked.

"It's...just a phrase of mine." Ava said. "For a person's inner goodness."

Bianca smiled awkwardly. "That's really lovely. I might have to borrow that sometime."

"You wouldn't be the first, Bianca." Kazuya said, slyly.

"We must get going. The other teams might be waiting for us. And I don't want the city to stay like this one second longer." Alastair said.

"Understood!" Ava said. The two groups, now one, continued onward. As they did, Ethan kept a close eye on Ava. The way she walked seemed reminiscent of something. Perhaps it was just the way high-society girls walked, like in old movies, or he had seen girls walk like that in Aeternus. Yet it seemed deeper than that. What was Ava, other than a very distant relative? She must be here for a reason. Could she somehow have been a Persona user alive?

No. That couldn't possibly be. That doesn't make sense. There weren't any Shadows or Personae then. Right? If Amurdad had Persona users, they never would have been destroyed so easily. Or would they? God, this is making my head hurt. What can I do to protect Ashi?

When they got nearer the castle, the atmosphere felt strange, and there was a scarlet hue over the ground. Looking further up, Ethan witnesses a large red crystal, floating in front of the main entrance. It had faint white cracks all over it, but it was mostly flawless.

"What?!" Ethan asked. "What on earth is that?"

"It's just like the ones we were stuck in..." Kazuya said, ashen faced. "Didn't Aimee manage to break out of one, though?"

"I did... I don't know how, though." Aimee said. "It was when Ava was talking to her father, and he must have lost his concentration..."

"You were very fortunate." Bianca said. "You never had to witness a fight and be powerless to intervene..."

Karl stood still, curious. "We ought to stay back here. Going near that crystal might be dangerous without the whole group."

"I agree." Ethan said. "I don't want to risk being drawn into a battle that we're not prepared for. Wait – Oh no! Look out!"

Suddenly, the crystal shot forward, and hovered above everyone's heads. Ethan gasped, and shut his eyes – yet the phantom prison did not capture him. Rather, the one taken into its confines was...

"NO!" Aimee screamed. "Ava!"

"Let her go!" Karl demanded.

"Can't we do something?!" Alastair shouted.

Ava looked around, confused. Then, when the crystal soared into the air, she screamed, and gazed at everyone with tear-filled, pleading eyes.

"Ava!" Ethan yelled. "Dammit...I'm coming!" Ethan said. He ran in pursuit. Whatever Nihane planned to do with Ava, Ethan had to stop it.

Ava - or Ashi! I'll save you, no matter what!

The crystal entered the castle, and panting for breath, Ethan reached the door. As he was about to bang his fist on it, it went straight through – and he was pulled right inside...