Hallway, Yasogami High School, Midnight Channel
As soon as I left Narukami-san, I immediately went towards the announcement room.
"I hope I'm not too late" I muttered as I hurried my pace.
Announcement Room, Yasogami Highschool, Midnight Channel
As I arrive, I threw the door open and went inside.
I take a good look at the room. This room isn't your typical Announcement Room you will find at your average school. In front of me is a panel of small televisions lined up in several rows and columns. Further to the front is a glass window which overlooks a room of what looks like a TV studio painted in bright yellow.
To my left was a control panel with a microphone sitting on it and to my right is just wall painted in steel blue.
"Odd" I whispered
Shadow Labrys isn't anywhere nearby
Where could the other Labrys be?
Truth be told, I only saw Labrys approaching the microphone.
"Hmm? Are you lost little boy?" Labrys notices me
"You're not thinking straight, this isn't a school. We're in a world inside a TV. You're not the president" I said, in a rude and blunt way.
"What are you talking about little boy? Are you trying to find your elder sibling here?" She asks innocently, trying to play the role of a Student Council President, as I assume.
"I can use the P.A system and make your elder sibling come here" she offered
She looks to my eyes, her eyes devoid of emotion.
Her robotic parts aren't concealed anymore.
But her 'concerned' look is what's odd. I can really feel that her 'concern' to my 'situation' is not real
"Snap out of it Labrys-san, you're not the Student Council!" I shouted, trying desperately to convince her to drop her 'Good President' act
"Why, why're you saying that stuff?! I wanna stay here! This… this is the only place where I can belong!" She shouted back
She faces her whole body at me, raised her right hand up, and with perfect timing, her wings glowed red and released air which caused the wings to propel, by the time the small handle is an inch above her head, the handle extends itself which Labrys then grabs.
Her wings now turned into a giant axe which she now uses as her weapon.
"I won't go back! I'm gonna stay here forever and ever!" She shouted
She brings her axe down at incredible speed and strength. It actually left a dent on the floor
To swing down a large metal axe like that so easily. That's just not humanly possible. It is to be expected though.
"I'll apologize later, but if you're still ignoring me, I'm gonna make you listen with everything I have."
I exclaimed as I prepared myself
Ooh, this is going to hurt.
As I then began my attack.
I first began by putting a little more distance between me and the robot with an axe.
Her first instinct was to approach me.
"Come Kala-Nemi!" I quickly summoned my Persona and let it cast a barrage of flying Zios at my opponent.
Luckily, she wasn't able to dodge. Having shocked her, I immediately dashed towards her and attacked her relentlessly, ranging from my Persona's melee attacks to my kicks and pierces.
As I was about to summon Kala-Nemi, Labrys brought down her axe on my chest, which blew me to the other side of the room.
She immediately dashed towards me and she bashed her axe all over my body for how many times. She never let up.
Three seconds after she began her barrage of attacks. Power once again surges through me.
After a few seconds, she paused her attacks, holding her axe behind her, as if she was charging for an ultimate attack. Thinking fast, I quickly summoned Kala-Nemi and blew her away. Making her unable to dish out that attack she was about to perform.
"Kala-Nemi!" I called out to my Persona again, who then materialized a thousand of electrical arrows above him. I quickly gave my signal and myriad arrows rain down on Labrys.
"why? Why can't I stay like this?" Labrys said in between sobs, once she got up from my recent attack.
"What good will it do to you if you forget everything?" I asked
"When you want to avert your eyes from the truth, that'll hurt even more." I said as I looked down
Labrys slumps on the floor and continues to cry her heart out.
Even though the words I said before were for her own good. The scene before me Is just heartbreaking.
After a few seconds, Labrys looks at me with her eyes red from crying
"You wouldn't understand… no one can understand how I feel!" she shouted at me
"That's right. They'd never understand" Another voice said, I know because Labrys eyes widened and her mouth didn't open
"The Shadow, so you were nearby after all."
"Why wouldn't I be? I'm her"
Wherever Shadow Labrys is, she did a pretty good job hiding.
As I looked around the scenery around me turned black
Then after a few second, fires lit up the room. There I saw outside the Announcement Room's glass window. A furnace-the source of light- being filled with broken robotic parts.
"Wh-what?" I managed to exclaim
The scenery before me is something no one should be able to see, it's like chopped up human bodies were being thrown into the furnace, if you don't see the minor details of robotic elements on those bodies
"And I still need her, so I can become myself" Shadow Labrys exclaimed as she appeared behind me.
Once she reached my location, in the process of approaching Labrys, she swung her robotic arm on my abdomen and threw me towards the control panel.
Fortunately none of them broke, if they did, I would've been electrocuted to death.
Wait, according to Satonaka-san, when the real person denies everything the shadow says, they go berserk.
So that's why, the shadow hasn't gained a new power yet,
"Forgetting was your only escape plan, but that has also been taken away from you too. Poor pitiful 'me'" she starts to taunt the original self
"You made them go through the same pain, but in the end, they still didn't understand."
"The… same… pain" I muttered
"It was so painful. It made you so devastated. You hated annihilating 'them'" Shadow Labrys continues to taunt
Labrys continues to sob
I took the pieces Shadow Labrys kindly elaborated, with the ones I saw outside the announcement room's window
So she was forced to fight and destroy her sister units. That wouldn't be so tragic if the robots were never given a personality and a heart.
But in Labrys' case, she was connected to the sister units she was forced destroy. Everyone she destroyed were precious to her, they held a special place in her heart.
The Shadow then looked at me full of hatred
"He was forced to fight his friends too, but he didn't feel the despair that we did. He wasn't alone after all. He's completely different from us…" she stated
"We're neither human nor an ordinary machine. We don't belong anywhere, and we'll always be alone"
"No one will ever understand us!" She shouted
"Tha-"I was about to interrupt but the real Labrys beat me to it
"PLEASE STOP!"
The shadow needs to the original to deny it.
"I'm not alone!"
"If they don't understand, who will? The only ones who could were all destroyed. BY OUR OWN HANDS"
"No! That was you! Not me! YOU'RE NOT ME!" she finally denied her shadow as the ambiance changed drastically.
"ahahahaha!" Shadow Labrys chuckles evilly
"I'm free now! No one can capture me! I'm truly free!" Shadow Labrys shouts in evil glee
"Yes the power!" She said as some sort of logo appeared beneath her.
The shadow has gone berserk.
Then from below chains shoot up, lifts the unconscious form of Labrys in the air. As a black bull appeared behind the shadow.
Labrys starts to fall, luckily a defense mechanism was activated since the axe she was gripping extended even more, slowing the fall of the robot.
I then caught her as her axe began retracting.
She looks at me in surprise, but I only smiled at her.
"Don't Worry I got this" I said to Labrys as I gently leaned her unto the nearby wall.
I stand and readied my spear as the axe in her hand released powerful gusts.
I hope I can defeat her shadow, it was already difficult to defeat her Persona-less self.
I then summoned Kala-Nemi and cast a Diarahan on myself.
Then Shadow Labrys charged at me, with that bull-Asterius as I like to call it- behind her.
Before I could re-summon my Persona, the bull grabbed me and buried me on the now water-like floor, dishing out some damage.
Asterius then threw me up, where Shadow Labrys' axe came waiting for me. As I took my time to recover, she immediately began another barrage of her melee attacks while the bull behind her is casually shooting lasers at me.
After her second set of attacks, I immediately performed a lot of pierces and kicks, but unfortunately, those were defended.
She suddenly summons the bull which blew me away.
I quickly recovered and let Kala-Nemi materialize three sets of arrows. I immediately gave the signal to attack my opponent with the first two sets, and last ones became my first line of defense.
I then re-summoned Kala-Nemi and let him cast a barrage of Zios at my opponent.
She took her time to recover so I immediately dashed in her direction and perform another series of attacks.
I once again summoned Kala-Nemi who then materialize another set of a thousand electrically charged arrows and then let it rain down on her.
The bull then disappears, leaving Shadow Labrys knocked down but not unconscious
The real one stands up and said
"Am I gonna be alone again? What am I saying, of course I am. After all I've done"
"No you're not gonna be alone again Labrys-san" I started, "Truth be told, I bear some resentment towards the Kirijo group. They indirectly caused the death of my mother"
Labrys' eyes widened.
"But, I had friends with me, who let me understand that my mother's death was just an accident. In fact these new Kirijo group will not allow some event similar to mine to ever happen again. These new Kirijo group, though they will atone for the sins made by the previous heads, will make sure every man and woman will never be bothered by the atrocities that founded our generation." I continued
"I assure you, no one will lock you away ever" I finished
"But why? I caused all these mess, dragged innocent teenagers into this. There ain't no reason to forgive me!"
"That is only your own opinion" I replied
"huh?"
"Kujikawa-san?"
"I can hear you Amada-kun!" Kujikawa-san said through her Persona
"Is that Rise-san?"
"That's right, you've met her too. And" I started
It seems both Mitsuru-san and Kujikawa-san teamed up for Mitsuru-san's plan
Mitsuru-san's plan was to connect everyone here. Some of them I already fought, some of them I don't know.
Though realistically speaking, some of this people here may find it hard to forgive Labrys for what she's-her shadow's-caused
But I believe in them.
"Umm to tell the truth, I only saw you for a second, so I ain't sure what's going on" a gruff voice said through the telepathic link
"But it seemed that you went through a lot. Anyway, hope things start to look up" the gruff voice continued
"That's way too simple! Can't you think of anything better to say?" Hanamura-san said
"Hey, it ain't simple at all! I know damn well how tough it is to see a Shadow come outta yourself" the gruff voice argued
"Yeah, we've all been through the same thing, so we'd suck pretty bad if we didn't forgive you" Satonaka-san added
"You caused me a lot of trouble! Buuut, it was still kinda fun! Kinda!" I'm guessing this is the real General Teddie that Shadow Labrys was impersonating earlier
Heh, I was worried over nothing. These people know how to accept someone for who they are, regardless of her looks…
That is why even though Labrys is a machine, they will surely welcome her
I'm sure of it, and indeed they showered Labrys with more warmth than I thought.
"What we saw wasn't the whole picture right? That's just how our hearts are" A beautiful voice said
"I concur. None of us can cast stones after you've gone through the hardship of facing your Shadow" A boy's voice said
"That aside, I'm just glad you're okay" Hanamura-san's voice is filled with relief
"I was worried about you… I left you alone, knowing you couldn't use a Persona" He continued
"Labrys when you come back, we should talk" Narukami-san's soothing voice said
"Senpai's right, and not just us" Kujikawa-san affirmed
"Labrys? I apologize for what the Kirijo group has done to you. No doubt that the scientists forced you to do horrible things. For that I will do what I can to earn your forgiveness" Mitsuru-san apologized
"Sister? Can you hear me? I, too, would like to talk with you. There's something I'd like to tell you, you may know it already, but still..." Aigis-san's excited voice said
The warm voices touched me as well. Indeed If I was alone in a situation like this, I'd have broken into pieces.
"You guys. Why? I" Labrys whispered.
"You are a machine, yes that much is true. There will be times when your human heart and robotic body will clash and put you in a dilemma. But one thing will be different, starting this very moment, you will not be alone" I said with confidence as I grabbed a nearby chair and sat down on it. The fight against two Labrys exhausted me.
"Friendship and companionship is the greatest guide." I voiced out my thoughts
"We hope to be that guide for you as well. If you're not alone, you can stand whatever trials and face what the most painful of truths"
"Face… The… Truth" Labrys mutters as she spared a glance at the still lying down doppelganger
Her eyes, are no longer laced with fear.
"I see. I get it now!" She then approaches her Shadow, smiling at me along the way.
She pulled her Shadow in a hug.
"I'm sorry I ignored you all this time. I was the one who left you all alone… No, you're me after all"
And with the words of acceptance, Shadow Labrys glows and a bull shaped logo appeared beneath both Labrys.
The black logo shatters
Same with Shadow Labrys, she disappeared-faded into non existence- and above Labrys was a beautiful long haired woman in armor.
"This is my Persona" Labrys mutters as I nod silently
"Ariadne" she whispers, to what I assume the name of her Persona
I let Labrys rest a little as I looked around the room. And I saw a piece of paper near the microphone. I quickly pocketed it without reading it.
I think it would be best to read it once we were out of the TV world
"C'mon Labrys-san lets go!" I offered.