Here's another long one guys. Now with 100% more Yalathas and an egregious use of the word 't.v'.

I.E - the chapter every single one of you has been waiting for.

I hope I deliver. :P

Enjoy!

A Discourse

Yu couldn't quite adequately describe what he felt in that moment. Shock was there, he was certain. A sense of wonderment like he hadn't felt since first arriving in Endrivan was there as well. Throw in a cocktail mix of excitement, uncertainty, and nervousness to that, then you might be getting close.

The other man's eyes, eyes so like his own in shape yet so bright in color, crinkled in amusement and sympathetic understanding. It made him wonder; did Yalathas feel similarly? Yu would ask, but seeing as his mouth wasn't up to working right then, he found he couldn't.

Physically, Yalathas looked very much like he did. Like, pretty much exactly the same, particular hair style and everything. The only notable feature Yu could discern as different right off the bat were their eyes. Yu's own were dark, deep, a shade of grey that could be as hard as flint or as soft as fleece depending on the situation. Yalathas' were . . . brighter, a sharp, scintillating silver like the polished edge of a sword or pieces of fractured starlight. His armor was just as bright, tightly compact plates of silver linked together with a weave of mithral chain, surprisingly sleek in design and giving off just the faintest glow of magic. Faulds attached to the cuirass, yet they bore a strange malleability, like they were made of cloth instead of metal so they couldn't hinder movement. The gauntlets on his hands went up to his elbows, flaring out into an even array of metallic feathers that appeared liquid smooth despite their solidness. His boots were much the same, save for the thin layer of mithral that was tightly affixed to the front of the article, starting at the top of the cuff and ending just under the sabaton. A torque was around his neck, twin threads of silver with feathers fletched all along the bands, spreading out along his collar and throat. A scabbard was attached to his hip, dark grey leather that appeared supple and soft, the tip adorned with metallic whorls of white steel. The hilt of that same sword was long, meant for two hands, the circular pommel inscribed with a softly glowing rune and the center of the cross-gaurd set with faceted diamond.

He looked cool . . . like a holy knight . . .

His friends voices rose up in quiet, awed murmurs, all eyes on the newcomer. If Yalathas was ever uncomfortable under the scrutiny, he hid it well, merely shifting his weight to his right leg, attention shifting to the left and speaking in a voice that was low, resonant, and just like Yu's own, "Excellent performance as always, Rhys. But maybe next time we should just go for a normal introduction."

Rhysana waved a hand as she rose to her feet, striding across the room to meet him, "Pft! Where's the fun in that? Besides, how often do I get to play a song about you when you're in earshot?"

Without pause, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, squeezing, tone giddy, "But whatever about that! Its so good to see you again!~"

Yalathas returned it, smiling now, "Its good to see you too, Rhys."

Another pair of arms looped around Yalathas from behind, Tirin's voice taking on an unusually whiny tone Yu wasn't accustomed to hearing from him, "Yalathaaas, what about meee?"

"Wait your turn," Rhysana said curtly.

"But I give better hugs."

"Oh, is that a challenge?"

Yalathas' smile widened, the fondness apparent in his eyes, a feeling Yu was well acquainted and understood perfectly. Understanding was good, right?

"Its good to see you too, Tirin," he said, reaching up to pat the other man on the head. The gloaming gave a pleased grin, giggling under his attention.

"Maaaybe save that competition stuff for later, huh?" Cahira cut in, tapping the end of her staff on Rhysana's shoulder, "And don't hog all the space!"

Rhysana chuckled but moved away, grinning up at Yalathas as the rest of the champions began to gather around their own leader.

"That includes you, Tirin," Cahira added, looking pointedly at the mop of blonde hair resting on Yalathas' shoulder.

The gloaming scrunched his nose at her and pouted, but one more look had him reluctantly acquiescing to her demand.

"You know I don't mind, Cahira," the man said, shrugging.

"I know, but then that leaves no room for anyone else. Now stop being a stranger and get over here!" Cahira said, grinning from ear to ear as she pulled him by the arm, armor and all, into a strong embrace. It was all energy, full of affection, and even though she stepped away a moment later, she was still grinning from ear to ear in blatant happiness.

Ylvaria came forward then, gripping Yalathas' hands in her own. But instead of an embrace, she pressed her cheeks against his own, transitioning from the left to the right in practiced ease, saying in the flowing, silken language of her people, "Suo nimiu di, amicum."

Yalathas responded in kind, smiling softly, "Habet, Larethian's autem grati unar."

A greeting, obviously, one overlaid with a cultural tone that, in his eyes, was very forward. But this was a different world with different customs, and a hello as strangely personal as that was no exception. He'd look to see Yukiko's reaction, but frankly, that wouldn't hold his attention right now.

The elf pulled back, eyes full of a happiness she didn't need to put into words as she spoke, this time clearly and with a hint of teasing, "You still owe me that dinner."

A slight cringe crossed Yalathas' face, but he nodded, "I do, don't I? I guess an apology still won't cut it?"

"No."

"Hey, you pay for one, you pay for two!" Cahira said, slipping an arm around Ylvaria's and pressing close to her side, "Its a rule of courtesy."

" . . . Are you sure an apology won't fix it, Ylvaria?" Yalathas asked, this time a touch more desperate.

The woman smiled in mirth, eyes sparkling deviously, "Absolutely sure."

"Hey, would'ya let us in, now?" Korval ask brusquely, looking impatient.

Ylvaria released Yalathas' hands, stepping away with Cahira still (rather closely) glued to her side as the big half-orc took their place. With a huge grin, the man threw both arms around the smaller with gusto, beating a hand against his back with a boisterous laugh, "Been way too long, Grot-Ean! S'good to see ya!"

Yalathas was released with a grunt, rubbing his neck but smiling back all the same, "The same. Been quiet ever since the two of you left for the Underdark."

"We can say the same," Nyras said, hugging him in turn. It was brief and over in a flash, but no less warm than the others had been even as she reestablished a more comfortable distance, "Sometime later, we need to sit down and discuss what we've been through."

"Just say you've got stories you want to share! That's what I do," Rhysana interjected, mood astonishingly more chipper since Yalathas' arrival, and that was saying something, "Besides, I think we brought the best one back with us."

Her eyes flickered to where they sat, and not one word more needed to be said.

A cooling breath of air ghosted over Yu's cheek, and for the first time since Yalathas' entry, he found his eyes wandering towards Yvir. The sylph was floating over to the silver-eyed man's side, coming to a static hover just before him, and the expression on his face was . . . well . . .

Yosuke had always been a guarded person. It was simply how he was, someone not willing let emotions out for fear of the backlash at his pride and image. Yu could count the number of times his best friend had truly opened up to him on one hand. And he didn't mean the times of simply saying how much one mattered to the other, but moments met with real connection, where all walls and pretenses had been dropped and discarded. Those moments, few as they were, was some of his best memories, personal experiences, things only shared between the two of them. Otherwise, Yosuke was his old, cheerful self, playing the funny man part with a grin and a (sometimes bad) joke.

There were no walls on Yvir's face, and what he saw was an open, unabashed affection mixed with something even more. It was a look that transported Yu back to a grass-covered hillside overlooking Inaba, back to a dusky riverbed where only two souls stood, knuckles bruised and breathless, but content.

And Yalathas was returning it.

"Hey. Long time, no see," Yalathas said.

Yvir's lips quirked up into a small half-smile, but his eyes were glowing with pleasure, "Shut up, you saw me yesterday."

"That's a long time," Yalathas replied smoothly.

From his place on Yvir's shoulder, Aife warbled, flashing a viridian eye in Yalathas' direction. The man nodded to the little beast, "And you, Aife."

With familiar ease, Yalathas plucked a piece of dried fruit from his belt and tossed it towards the fae. The dragon wheeled up immediately, snapping it out of the air with a falcon's speed before settling back on Yvir's shoulder, humming contently as he gnawed.

"You spoil him, you know that?" Yvir said, a while he looked like he was trying to be serious, the amused smile on his face ruined it.

Yalathas gave an idle shrug, eyes flashing with playful challenge, "So, who's going to stop me?"

Yvir cocked an eyebrow, and Yalathas began to reach a hand out to the sorcerer-

-when suddenly Rhysana slipped herself between them, grabbing Yalathas' searching hand and smiling, "Alright, well, now that we've said our hellos-" she spun around and swung an extravagant arm out to where Yu and the others were, "Why don't we actually introduce you!"

She shoved him upfront, putting him right in the spotlight. Yalathas looked startled for a moment, as if he were not expecting her sudden interruption, but his expression leveled out a heartbeat later in understanding. Behind him, Yu saw Cahira sharply nudge Yvir in the ribs, almost like a silent reprimand. The sorcerer gave her a sour glance in reply, glaring pointedly at her and Ylvaria's interlocked arms before turning away, rubbing the spot but otherwise keeping quiet. Nyras was sighing.

Yalathas straightened, overlooking the group with placid eyes, and Yu found himself almost standing to attention. There was something about Yalathas' demeanor, a quiet yet powerful presence that wasn't intimidating yet called forth respect. It was . . . something else.

"I have been a bit rude, haven't I?" he questioned rhetorically, smiling, "Even though you probably already know who I am."

. . . what did he say? Yu legitimately had no idea, which was a problem because he knew everyone was waiting for him, specifically, to reply. But he sat, frozen, a sensation not unlike cotton in his throat as he stared back. 'Stage fright' was not a phenomenon he ever expected to feel for himself, but there was nothing else he could think of to describe his total inability to even form a sentence.

Luckily, Naoto saved him. Bless her.

"We do know you . . . Yalathas-san," she started off a bit hesitantly, groping in a way that was unusual for her, "And, I'm sure you know who we are too."

"Its been a subject of some discussion lately," Yalathas replied, a twinkle of amusement entering his silver-bright eyes, "Naoto."

The girl blinked, then idly fiddled with her cap, pulling it down just so.

There was movement, and Teddie was standing in front of him, looking up in unusually silent wonder. He tilted his head to one side, eyes probing the man like a child probed an unknown bird or insect. Then, he chirped, "You're really shiny!"

Yalathas chuckled quietly, "I guess I am. You must be Teddie."

The bear grinned, giving a sparkling salute, "Right-o! Beary nice to meet you, Sensei-Number-Two!"

Yalathas quirked an eyebrow, when behind him a second shadow rose up, peering crossly at the blonde.

"You have a Sensei-Number-One already," Tirin said, looking for all the world like a bristling cat guarding its favorite toy. The eyes didn't help, "Back off."

"Tirin, be nice," Rhysana chimed in from the back.

The rogue glanced her way, folding his arms across his chest defensively as Teddie grinned, finding victory in her support.

"Don't worry Tirin. You're still my favorite gloaming," Yalathas said, tone placating but honest.

It worked, because Tirin brightened at the consolation. Literally, in this case.

Rise came forward next, ignoring the argument with a sweet smile and polite bow, outwardly unflustered as she spoke, "Nice to meet you, Yalathas-san."

She glanced back, gesturing with her hand and whispering, "Come on, you guys."

"No, its fine. I understand that this is still a little unusual for everyone," Yu's counterpart said, but he gave her a grateful smile to show the effort was not unappreciated, "But thank you, Rise."

The girl's shoulders stiffened, then relaxed, smiling growing warm, "You know, you're just like I imagined Senpai's counterpart would be.~"

Yu ran a self-conscious hand down his arm.

Yalathas reacted a bit more coolly, smiling, "I hope that means I've impressed."

Rise giggled, "Don't worry, you have."

Yukiko rose elegantly to her feet as the brunette finished, Chie following just behind with a bit more bounce in her step. Yalathas faced them, nodding to each in turn, "Yukiko and Chie, correct?"

Both paused. Then,

"Y-yeah!" Chie said, "Nice to finally meet in person!"

"We've heard a lot about you," Yukiko said politely, bowing respectfully.

"I'm sure you have," Yalathas replied, accepting, "Good things, I hope?"

" . . . well, alright, maybe not a lot. Everyone's been really secretive," Yukiko amended, "But that's what makes a surprise a surprise, right?"

"Right," was his response.

"Okay . . ." Yu heard Kanji mumble right before striding around the sitting area to stand before Yalathas. He boldly stuck his hand out, and it was only his tense posture that betrayed his nervousness, "H-hey. Nice to meet ya n'shit!" he froze, "U-uh, I-I mean-"

Yalathas laughed, but it was far removed from a mean one as he reached out and shook the boy's hand, "It's nice to meet you too, Kanji."

Flustered, the boy drew back, mumbling and rubbing the back of his head as Rise nudged him in the side.

Teddie came bouncing back to where Yu and Yosuke still sat, grabbing both by the arms and urgently pulling them forward, "C'mon, c'mon, you still have to say hello!"

With nowhere else to go, Yu stood up and allowed himself to be hauled to the fore along with Yosuke, the rest of his friends parting to let them pass.

Well, he better get his act together now, because Yalathas was right in front of him. He was right in front of him.

Right in front of him.

The man's smile was patient, gentle, and if he hadn't been wearing armor, Yu could have pretended he was looking into a mirror. Except this mirror breathed and blinked and spoke, "Hello."

"Uh . . ." Yosuke fumbled for a moment before getting it together, putting on a friendly smile like he wasn't talking to his best friend's doppelganger. Or maybe that was helping him, who knows, "Hey! About time we got to meet you."

"It is. I would have come sooner, but I had a few things to take care of beforehand," Yalathas said, shifting his gaze to the boy, "But its good to finally meet you too."

Was it just Yu, or did his tone get softer there? His eyes too? What?

Yalathas' head tilted just slightly to the left, studying him for a moment before commenting, "You really do look just like Yvir."

Yosuke fidgeted awkwardly under the scrutiny, fiddling with his headphones as he murmured, "Uh, yeah . . . I guess."

Yalathas chuckled, smile turning wistful, "Sorry, I'm embarrassing you, aren't I? Yvir used to do that exact same thing when he was uncomfortable, back when he walked on the ground with the rest of us."

"I still do!" Yvir protested without any heat.

"That's what he says," Yalathas spoke, playfully ignoring the sylph, "But he rarely follows through."

That was when he extended a hand, not to Yosuke, but to Yu.

"But we'll have plenty of time to talk about that later, won't we?" he said, smile soft and infinitely patient.

He was letting him choose what to do, Yu realized. If he was still too uncomfortable, Yalathas wouldn't press this greeting. Yu knew beyond a doubt, because if the situation had been reversed, it was exactly what he would have done.

It reminded Yu that even though his eyes were sterling silver, at the core Yalathas was the same as him. He was him.

And that unwearied understanding was what finally what gave Yu the courage to accept it. He'd removed his gauntlet beforehand, the skin of his palm surprisingly smooth, and quite warm to the touch. His grip was firm, but not tight or painful, with enough slack that Yu could pull away whenever he wanted.

Yu smiled, faint but true, "Yes, I think we will."

It was like a collective breath had been released in the lull that followed their exchange. Yalathas let go of his hand, his smile know bearing an edge of pleased contentment to it, and Yu felt he could understand it better now.

He really did believe he was looking forward to those talks. Of sharing their stories, their experiences. How different were they? How similar? Someday soon, he hoped he'd find out.

"So, uh . . ." Chie broke the stillness first, "Were you in Bailsborough the entire time?"

"No, I was in Arvorod."

That drew him some puzzled stares, Chie's brow furrowed as she asked, "Then how did you-?"

"My doing," Yvir interjected, "I can place the entrance to this plane anywhere I want so long as its somewhere I've been before. And Yalathas always has my permission to enter."

"Lucky. We still have to ask," Tirin said, though it was more in play, like he already knew full well why he didn't have said permission.

"That's because you like to steal my things when I'm not here," Yvir replied without pause, clarifying the previous why. Floating forward until he hovered beside Yalathas, he added, "Speaking of my door, would you believe that they found it on their own?"

Yalathas blinked, surprised, "Really?"

"Mhm. Xirskam can testify to it," the sylph finished, placing a hand on his hip.

Yu shared a puzzled stare with Yosuke. What did they mean by that?

The armored man faced Yu again, inquisitive, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Oh, "W-well . . . I found it by accident. Was I not supposed to?"

"Technically . . . no," Nyras cut in, crossing her arms, "Yvir's door exists on another plane as well. Most would have simply passed through it like it were not there."

Oh . . .

"Which is why its interesting that you didn't," Cahira said, leaning against her staff, one arm still casually looped around Ylvaria's.

Rhysana leaned back against the wall, twiddling with a piece of her hair, "We know you didn't have any nasty intentions, but we would like some clarification on that little trick of yours.~"

"Among other things," Ylvaria added with a smile.

Ah . . . it begins.

"So, your song was to stall until all of you were together to interrogate us?" Yu asked mildly, a hint of humor in his voice.

"Basically~," Rhysana said, grinning.

"C'mon, you really think we'd have a talk like this without our leader here?" Korval inquired, taking up a seat on a set of drawer that seamlessly flowed into the wall.

"No, I guess not," Yu agreed. Of course they'd want Yalathas present for this.

"But, playtime's over now! Onto the juicy stuff!" Tirin hollered, looking quite delighted at the prospect of learning their secrets.

Yu took a quick breath as he sat down again, preparing himself mentally. They had a lot to explain, as well as a lot to make their magical counterparts understand about their world. And now that they were all present, it seemed a little more daunting than before. He could almost feel the nervous tension being exuded by his friends, the hard fact that this was finally happening fully sinking in.

Yalathas stood above them with Yvir at his side, and even though his smile was still patient, still kind, it didn't stop the nervous flutter in his stomach as he asked, "So . . . what exactly did you do that set Yvir off so much?"

Yvir groaned, "Did you have to phrase it like that?"

"Well, its true, isn't it?" he inquired, teasing.

"Boys," Rhysana gave a sharp clap, ordering, "Let the children speak."

A pensive silence followed, the champions waiting and the I.T scrambling for where to start.

"Well . . . " Yu finally spoke, all eyes falling to him in expectant response. His voice suddenly sounded far too loud in the very quiet room, "We're going to have to go back a ways. There's a lot we have to explain."

When no one spoke, he continued, "I guess to start with . . . you remember how we said there was no magic in our world?"

"We do," Nyras said, gaze probing.

"Well, that's true . . . mostly."

"Mostly?" Yvir echoed, his unspoken prompt to explain very clear.

"Last year, we all found out that magic did exist, albeit its very different from what you use and it doesn't . . . actually exist on Earth. Our world," Yu clarified.

"You found it existed on another," Nyras stated plainly, and at their startled looks, she added, "Tirin informed us that when you first spoke with him, you mentioned you already knew other worlds existed. For a world with no magic, I thought that was strange."

"And that's also where you're from, isn't it cub?" Tirin chimed in with a grin.

Teddie squeaked in alarm, "H-huh?!"

"'If we're not in my world and we're not in yours, then where are we, Sensei'," Tirin spoke in a perfect imitation of Teddie's words, anxious tremor and all, then tapped a finger to his temple, "Pays to have a good memory in my line of work."

The blonde shuffled uncomfortably where he sat, eyes falling to the floor as he laced his fingers together tightly. He didn't speak. Yu and his friends didn't say anything either. It wasn't their place to talk about it.

The champions exchanged looks, evidently realizing they'd brushed on something touchy.

"Alright . . . moving on. How did you find this other world?" Yalathas asked, quietly and considerately steering the conversation back towards the previous topic.

"Yeah," Yvir added, an eager gleam in his eye, "If there really is no magic on 'Earth', then it should have been impossible."

"There was a lot going on behind the scenes that made it possible," Yu said, a touch of gratitude in his voice for not prying further, "But in the beginning, we sort of found it by accident."

"How do ya find a whole world 'by accident'?" Korval asked, looking disbelieving.

"Well, you can blame Yosuke for that," Chie said, sniffing.

"Hey, Yu's head was stuck inside a t.v, how else was I supposed to react? And you were freaking out too!" Yosuke reminded her, tone pointed.

"I was in control of the situation. You both pushed me in," Yu said, absolving himself any embarrassment of the situation at hand.

"You had your head stuck in a 't.v'? Is that some kind of portal?" Tirin inquired, placing a finger against his chin.

"Uh, right, you don't know what are," Yosuke mumbled.

"I told you we'd have to explain," Yukiko whispered.

"A t.v is an acronym for 'television', a system that can transmit images and sound on a screen for entertainment purposes," Naoto said, taking up the responsibility of explaining, "And, most certainly not a device used to travel to other worlds."

" . . . technology?" Korval asked.

"Technology."

"But you fell into one anyway, regardless of its lack of mystical qualities," Nyras murmured, thoughtful.

"Yeah, we did . . ." Chie started again, leaning back against the cushions with a far-away look, "Back then, we had no idea what was happening. We were in a store, and suddenly we just . . . weren't."

"Where were you?" Rhysana inquired, leaning forward, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"It's . . . hard to explain," Yu said, taking a moment to think how best to phrase his next words before continuing, "The world we found . . . I guess the simplest way to describe it would be surreal. It wasn't a world like ours or even this one. It was a world made to reflect the innermost thoughts of humans."

"Meaning it could change, I would assume rather sporadically," Nyras put out.

"Mold, would be more accurate," Naoto replied, "It responded to the people who were inside, shaped itself to mimic their thoughts and emotions. And you're right, it was sporadic at times, which could make it very unpredictable."

"Interesting . . ." the ranger murmured.

"How did you get out? If it was as chaotic as you say, then it must not have been easy," Cahira questioned, hand on her hip and head tilted to the side.

"Um, well . . ." Yosuke fumbled, looking uncertain if he should continue.

Then, "I helped them get out."

All eyes shifted to Teddie, who uncharacteristically squirmed under the attention. But he continued in spite of it, "You're . . . right. I am from that world. And back then, it used to be beary, beary dangerous for humans. So I helped them leave."

"Ah, so you aren't human. Figured."

Now everyone was looking at Yvir, eyes puzzled and questioning, at least on part of the I.T.

Yvir shrugged nonchalantly, "This is my plane, remember? Part of that means I can sense the planar affiliation of those inside it, like if your human or not. And you were a bit different from the rest of your friends, Ted. I just didn't bringing it up because, you know, why bother?"

"Why are you so uncomfortable, anyway?" Tirin spoke next, holding a hand up to gesture at the assembled group with an eyebrow quirked up in the bear's direction, "If you haven't noticed, half of us aren't human either."

"But he comes from a world where the ruling majority is human, Tirin. I imagine its a bit more difficult opening up about such things there," Yalathas put in, looking at the gloaming firmly but not unkindly. The other man raised both hands up in surrender, laying off.

Yalathas shifted his gaze back to Teddie, asking gently, "You said this world of yours was dangerous. How so?"

Bolstered under Yalathas' patient stare, the blonde went on a bit more boldly, "Well, because of the Shadows, of course! They could get really nasty, especially when the fog went away!"

Naoto was already on it, having read the questions in their counterparts eyes, "Shadows are essentially splinters of human ego that took a corporal shape. They were the entities that populated that world, most of which were born from repressed emotions and negative inclinations. They were . . . quite dangerous."

"No joke . . ." Rise memorized.

"But they weren't magical beings. Not like here anyway," Ylvaria said, lacing her hands demurely in front of her.

"Kind of yes, kind of now?" Yosuke floundered, rubbing the back of his head and thinking, "I mean, they couldn't exactly make their own little pocket dimensions, anyway . . ."

"Could roast ya if you weren't careful, though . . ." Kanji reflected.

"Was the t.v magical? And how did no one notice could do that before?" Cahira questioned, looking puzzled.

"Sort of," Yu said, "But you have to remember, we were sort of a special case. No one else can enter the t.v like we can. Before we fell inside, we had no idea anything like that existed. It was surprising, to say the very least."

"You said the 't.v world' was one made to reflect human emotion and thought," Yvir stated, eyes all agleam with fascination, "Does that mean it was connected to yours? Your world is just made up of humans, right?"

"Yeah to both. And they're connected pretty closely, actually," Yosuke commented.

"And you could travel between the two with this 't.v'," Yvir stated, looking like he was making mental notes.

"Mhm," Yukiko nodded.

"Okay. All very interesting," Yvir crossed his arms, "But none of that explains how you have magic yourselves."

Ah, here it was.

"It had to do with the t.v world, again," Yu said, settling himself in to explain, "We're still not entirely sure of all the details ourselves, but while we were there, we could summon a power that allowed us to fight the Shadows. That power was called a 'Persona'."

"Persona?" Yalathas questioned. It sounded strange, coming from a man who looked and sounded so like him yet completely unknowing of what the word even meant.

"A physical manifestation of our inner psyches," Naoto said, "Its what allowed us to go through the t.v in the first place, and to harness what comes as close to 'magic' as can exist in our world."

The girl started a little when Yvir pointed at her suddenly, shouting, "So you did have something!"

"Calm down, Sverhein," Yalathas said, words rolling into an unknown language that sounded sweet to Yu's ears, lips turned up into an amused smile.

Several of the champions chuckled at the outburst, and Yvir pointedly crossed his arms.

" . . . moving on. You said your Persona were part of your inner psyche. Do you . . . perhaps mean that as an extension of your soul?" Nyras inquired, steering them back on track. Everyone was watching, closely now.

"I guess you could look at it that way," Rise replied, looking thoughtful, "Our Personas are, well, us in a way . . . huh, actually, that sounds a lot more mystical when its put like that."

The group opposite them had gone quiet, contemplative. Then,

"Is that true? The Personas are your souls?" Rhysana questioned, voice a touch more tentative than before.

"To some extent, I suppose," Naoto said, shrugging, "Ordinarily, we could only use our Persona inside the t.v. Anywhere else would be met with failure. But . . ."

"We think they're the reason we were able to do what we did before," Yukiko finished, "You know, with the paper."

The Champions did not reply. They were looking amongst themselves now, talking quietly, but urgently, faces a blend of wonder, consternation, or flat-out disbelief. Yu shared a look with Yosuke, feeling a tinge of nervous anxiety crawl up his spine.

"What'd we say now?" Kanji mumbled to them, not taking his eyes off the group.

Yu could only shrug.

Yalathas took a step forward, drawing all their concerned attention to him. His face was calm, but his eyes were a whirl of questions as he spoke, "All of this is true, correct. About the Personas?"

Yu gave a hesitant nod, feeling small under his counterpart's silver gaze, "Y-yes. What-?"

The man, in an uncharacteristic rush, cut him off, "How did you come by them? Did the world grant them to you? Or was there a trial involved?"

"A trial?" Chie asked. She shifted where she sat, self-consciously tugging at the sleeves of her shirt, "Well, I guess you could say there was one."

"Tell us more," Nyras said.

Yu's friends remained silent. For this, it fell to him.

"Do you remember what we said about Shadows being the splinters of human ego?" he questioned. Once he received their nods, he continued, "For my . . . most of us, the power of a Persona didn't become manifest until they . . . confronted and accepted a Shadow. Their Shadow."

"Your repressed emotions," Nyras stated, putting two and two together and reading the subtext beneath, "The parts you try to ignore, if I'll hazard a guess."

More silence.

"Yeah, um . . . its not exactly something we like talking about," Yosuke said slowly, rubbing his wrist and looking profoundly uncomfortable.

"Is it alright if we just move on?" Rise asked, twining her fingers together.

Nyras pursed her lips, brow furrowing, but before she could speak, Rhysana spoke out without a hint of her usual levity, "Personal demons are personal for a reason, Nyras, as you well know. Leave them alone."

Nyras frowned at that . . . but she took it to heart and let the matter drop, "Very well."

"Pretty badass, gotta say," Korval added, injecting a little more cheer into the conversation with a crooked half-grin, "You're a lot more than just a pack of scruffy kids."

Yosuke quirked an eyebrow, "Uh . . . thanks?"

"They definitely are something special," Cahira said in agreement, eyes sparkling.

At the curious (and somewhat flustered) gazes, Yalathas intervened, "Your power sounds very similar to something known as Mythic, or 'soul magic' here. Its not like other varieties of magic, and its one of the rarest and most powerful forms of all."

. . . oh.

"Magic like that can only be received by coming into contact with something far and above the norm, like being the distant descendent of a god. At that point, the magic comes straight from your very entity, or your 'soul', the strength of which surpasses even that of a bloodline," Yvir tacked on, wind stirring strongly around him as a passionate zeal began to spark in his eyes, "And even then, only after succeeding a trial that lets the magic take root and grow. Maybe you aren't descended from any gods, but your circumstances sound very similar, not to mention it explains a lot!"

"And even then, the possibilities you've shown us with that test is . . . well, incredible!" Ylvaria said, beaming and clapping her hands.

"How is it different from regular magic?" Chie asked.

"Well, look at it this way," Yvir said, leaning over and extending both hands. As they watched, a current of air began to spin between his palms, gyrating so quickly it created visible ripples that swirled and fluctuated like a miniature tempest, "With my magic, I can create this. Mythic can create the same thing, except because the power is fueled by your soul, its much, much stronger. Its also a lot harder to generate, and even harder to control."

The wind dissipated with a soft hiss, and he drew his hands back, "That's why what your doing is amazing! Especially for being so young."

A stunned silence met his explanation.

"Really . . . our Personas are on that level here?" Yosuke breathed, looking awed. Yu felt him. That was a lot to take in.

"Ooh . . ." Teddie mumbled in wonder, stars in his eyes.

"Well, our Personas are pretty powerful, I wouldn't kid ourselves with that. We've just," Rise twirled her hand before continuing, "Never been able to use it in the real world before."

"Well, technically we still can't," Yukiko reminded them.

"Whatever caused this change, it is vastly different from how we used it before," Naoto conceded, nodding.

"How did you use it?" Nyras questioned.

"We summoned them," Yu responded, "But here, its . . . well, we can't summon them per-say, but if what we're using really are our Personas, then this is the first time we've done it without having to."

"There's a simple explanation for that," Yalathas said, hitching a hand against the hilt of his sword, "You're simply channeling Mythic the way its done here; through your physical forms. I can get why that come off as a little challenging. Its not easy to accomplish, and can be pretty taxing."

"But that just means you have leeway!" Tirin said, leaning back and crossing a leg over the other, grinning, "And now that we know what we're dealing with, we can give you a run down of the basics on how to use it!"

"A rundown?" Yu asked, curious.

Rhysana winked, "Well, lets just say we know a bit about Mythic ourselves.~"

"Wait, you have that stuff too!" Chie shouted.

"A bit," Yalathas spoke then, and the I.T fell silent, turning their expectant attention to him, "We faced our own trials once, and were granted a small measure of power. But if even half of Yvir's rant was true, then ours isn't anywhere near as potentially powerful as yours."

Yvir pressed his lips into a thin line, but didn't comment.

"How could our Persona be stronger than you? We can't even use them properly out here!" Rise asked, looking genuinely disbelieving, and Yu couldn't fault her. After seeing the fighting capabilities of their counterparts firsthand, it was hard to imagine them stacking up in any way at all, let alone surpassing them.

"Our Mythic can give us boosts in strength and vitality, or increase our natural capabilities to levels many would could call uncanny," Nyras explained, "But none of us can generate true soul magic, the sort of which that can create storms of fire or bend the properties of space itself. It is simply beyond our capability."

"If it really worries you, though, I promise we make up for that in other ways," Tirin smiled, a trialing tendril of smoky shadow flitting around his fingers that drew most eyes towards him.

"Quit showing off," Yvir reprimanded. Aife clicked his tongue, almost mimicking the rebuking tone perfectly.

"You're just mad I beat you too it~," the rogue teased, eyes twinkling mischievously.

Rhysana rolled her eyes, but took up the explanation herself, "Listen. You said your Persona were manifestations of your soul, and its the only thing that explains what you did at the inn. And if your souls are powerful enough to even cause those sparks with no training at all on how to use it, then sweetheart, I can't even imagine what it'll look like when you finally learn to channel it properly."

"We should be able to give ya the basics," Korval added. Then, with a punch more gusto, yelled, "So you can bet your ass that means more trainin'!"

"Oh, now we're talking!" Cahira was on board immediately.

The I.T weren't really paying attention. Beside him, Yosuke murmured, "Wow . . ."

"Yeah . . ." Chie mumbled, for once agreeing, "Who woulda thought we'd be able to use our Persona out in the real world one day."

"Who would have thought we'd wind up in magical alternate reality where are other selves are all amazing superheroes?" Rise pointed out.

"Good point."

"But using them . . ." Yukiko whispered almost to herself, looking concerned, "Do you think we can actually do it?"

"Who knows," Yu said, because if he was being honest, he had no idea how to go about this himself, "But we'll never learn if we don't try."

"I wouldn't worry."

Yu and the rest looked up at Yalathas, who was smiling, "I've heard you've done exceptionally well up until now. I think all you really need is a push in the right direction."

"And you can bet we'll push hard!" Cahira vowed, grinning, all abuzz at the prospect of training with them, "We'll get those 'Persona' in top form in no time!"

Ylvaria giggled, "Don't break them, Cahira, we still have long way to go before this journey's over."

The monk waved at her, but her eyes sparkled all the same, "Yeah, I'll be careful."

"One last question, if you will," Nyras interrupted, holding up a hand. Once everyone was looking, she lowered it and continued, "Why would you return to such a place? If true that such things were unheard of, and it was as dangerous as you say, what would prompt you to go back?"

Ah . . . this was bound to come up, wasn't it?

Yu glanced at his friends, then faced the champions, "Back when we first discovered this . . . was also around the time a series of murders took place in our home."

"We found out that the killer was using the t.v to do it," Chie added, face solemn.

"And we wanted to stop him," Yosuke said, voice tight.

"They were using that other world to commit murder?" Rhysana asked, eyes widening.

"Yes, they were. At least at first," Naoto said, "After the first two, they tricked another into kidnapping more victims so that person would take the fall instead."

"I see . . ." Nyras said, "And you took it upon yourselves to solve this mystery?"

"No one else knew what was happening, and we couldn't explain it to them without people panicking," Rise explained, eyes low, "And . . . a lot of us were personal victims too. We wanted to make sure it couldn't happen anymore."

The champions all shared a look with one another, and Yu could glean equal parts pity and respect in their expressions.

"So, did you catch your culprit?" Yalathas questioned, leaning forward just so.

Yu looked him in the eye, and something within the moon-touched silver seemed to already know what he was going to say. A gleam of understanding that resonated more deeply than Yu would have expected, "Yes. We did."

(*)

Torchlight bounced off the slick, gleaming stone walls in luminous streaks of orange and amber, flickering and twisting like spectral hands from Hell itself. No natural sunlight would ever find its way down here, in the deepest pit of Eis-Moor, the Prison of Cold Stone.

Here, on this level, there was only one prisoner.

It had not been easy to get here. Without the help of her newfound 'allies', it would have come close to impossible. But between Lady Phaedra's skilled assassins, her enigmatic brother, and a pinch of cursed decay from the Lady of The Rotten Wood, the guards were all . . . reasonably occupied.

And allowed her to impinge unhindered.

Screams echoed far distant, like the phantom cries of those who'd perished beneath the old, weary stone that pressed down upon their heads. She focused on the dripping water instead, for they produced a much lovelier sound; a somber, melancholy elegy to the damned and forgotten.

She turned a corner, finding two of the prison's esteemed guardsman standing watch before a large, circular door of plated cold iron, set so deep into the ancient stone it seemed the shadows had laid claim to half of it, dragging it deep into a strange other-world.

Both men lowered their glaives, releasing fearless war cries as they charge her.

Words soundlessly flew from her lips, plucking a wand from her hip as the tip flickered to life with dark, mellifluous energy. The torchlight bounced off the men's glaives, the tempered steel flaring bright with sunset flame, boots pounding so loudly they swallowed the tinkling music of the water.

Her wand went up, two beams of black energy flying free and striking the two men in the breast-plated chests. The stumbled, fumbled, glaives dropping to the stone with a clatter. Hands flew to throats, screams trapped behind lips that were withering, cracking, turning to ash beneath their hands.

It was over in seconds. All that remained were two pairs of polished armor and two sets of sodden dust.

The tinkling returned.

Satisfied, she went to the door, reaching into the satchel tied to her belt and plucking a small pinch of grey dust from within. Once she stood before it, she brought the powder to her lips and gently blew it forward, like she were blowing a kiss to a far-off lover.

The powder clung to the stone around the door, and the rock began to weather, like they saw the passing of a hundred storms in only a handful of seconds. Further and further they shrunk, until the door began to creak forward, foundation fading.

There was a scream of metal and the ear-splitting crack of stone, and the door collapsed, crashing to the floor with a tremendous sound, like thunder rolling down the empty corridors.

Beyond lay a dark, dark room, the flickering light of the torches falling slant through the archway and crawling up the back of the stone wall.

Half a cot was illuminated, a pair of legs dressed in prison garb as well. The man felt no inclination to acknowledge her presence.

"Have you died in here?" she asked, coming to stand at the threshold, "A pity if you have. Quite a lot of effort was made into reaching you."

"There are easier ways to send a letter," was the dry response.

"I'm sure you can understand why such a letter would not arrive," she replied, "But now that I have your attention . . . perhaps you'd like to hear what I have to say?"

"Well, you did put 'so much effort' into it," the man said, tone mocking as he leaned back in his cot, "Must be one hell of an offer. One I can't refuse?"

"Of course you may refuse it, if you prefer the drawl interior decorating and," she idly nudged a bowl of gruel with a foot, "The dining."

The man huffed a laugh, "Yeah, guess it is pretty shit down here. But what have you got that's better?"

"Oh, how about . . . a second chance."

An eye opened, an eye as hot as a burning coal, as scintillating as a ruby, and as red a drop of freshly fallen blood, "Oh yeah?"

The woman smiled.

Who dat? :O

I touched up on most of the subjects, more stuff pending. Hope it was worth the wait!

Translation Time:

Suo nimiu di, amicum. - It's been too long, friend.

Habet, Larethian's autem grati unar - Indeed, but with Larethian's grace, we meet again. (Traditional Elvish greeting)

Grot-Ean - Orc honorifc for someone worthy of great respect. Used for close friends. No actual translation.

Sverhein - Sweetheart. 3