A/N : Sorry I've taken so long to update but I have mock exams in a few weeks and its been pretty stressful. It's been really fun to think up ways to write different characters' personalities and traits. Anyways, Taylor will be meeting a few of her personas this chapter as she experiments with her powers. Any ideas for cape names? I can't think of any that would fit the theme. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer : I do not own Worm or Persona!
Vengeance 1.2
I woke up at dawn every day. I spent the mornings and afternoons reading and completing my summer assignments. Then, I would play Dungeons & Dragons with Eddie and his group of friends when they were done with work. Sometimes we would go out and watch a movie or go shopping. They were sleeping over until the summer break ends, it was safer in my neighbourhood - they didn't have to worry about the Empire or the ABB giving them trouble. My area was close enough to the Protectorate headquarters that none of the gangs would hang around here. After dinner, I would go to sleep immediately after wishing them goodnight. It was a quaint and relaxing summer.
Or at least, that was what Eddie and his friends saw. Illusions were so useful, I learned, though mine were not as strong as Medea's, it sufficed for normal, mortal minds. Medea had taught me how to use runes, which helped to power this endeavor, as my magical energies were still not up to the task. Thankfully, I picked them up quickly, with Medea's and Arachne's knowledge. It was weird to say, hearing multiple voices in my head, but I had gotten used to them over time.
I now knew three of my apparently infinite Personas. Medea had introduced me to both, considering they were all from the Greek pantheon which I had read so much about. Medusa was one of them. She was a tall woman, her face bandaged with whitish almost gold paper, wearing what seemed to be sunglasses. Her hair was a mass of black, cascading down her back like snakes, constantly moving. She, like Medea, wore a chiton, but hers was decorated with a snake motif.
She was, eccentric to say the least. She came from a different part of my soul, the side which Medea described as everlasting darkness. Thus, she and Medea were both, completely different beings in both nature and mannerism. While Medea was quick to anger and sniped out insults, Medusa was calm, methodical and her memories were clouded in sadness and torture. She was soft spoken and never spoke unless spoken to. Her memories were bleak. Her head had stayed alive, even after the hero Perseus had beheaded her, and she had suffered eternally, attached to Athena's shield. A suffering existence was all she could attest to.
The other girl, completing the trio was Arachne. Her appearance was a welcome surprise, as Medea had not intended to introduce her yet. Her hair was short and curled, her unnaturally golden eyes always downcast. She wore the same Greek apparel I attributed to my lack of taste, with a Spider motif running down its back. From her back also emerged eight sharp spider legs, the curse from Athena running deep within her blood. She was painfully shy - the only reason I had met her being that I had seen a spider nest while exploring the Bay. This had lead me to remembering her story, and in turn had caused her to manifest in my part of the soulscape.
This had happened within a span of a week after I had completed the illusion rune and hid it in my room. After I had done that, I set out with Medea's help to find a desolate area to unlock parts of my soul that were holding me back. The Bay was the easiest place to search. It was abandoned and a safe haven for most independent heroes or villains and I had found my own area after many a journey.
The place was in a rundown cruiser ship, to be more exact, the part of the ship that used to be the ballroom. Within a couple of minutes after manifesting Medea to the mortal plane, she had used her magics to clear out the place and ward it from dangers. A small part of the large room held a comfortable, cotton bed that I had conjured after a painstakingly long lecture about magic. Meanwhile, the rest of the room was split into many different areas, all possible due to the space magic that Medea also knew. The common area was in the middle, holding a few seats and a whiteboard which all three personas used to teach me. While I had their memories, it was but a brief rundown of their history and a limited amount of powers I could draw from. To truly access their treasure trove of information, I had to learn. And learn I did.
To the left from the entrance of the ballroom was Arachne's area. While Arachne was shy, she was a great teacher (maybe because she was me?) and she taught me much about the magic of Greek runes and the power that came with it. She also taught me how to weave, though she never did it completely, her memories bringing her a small bit of PTSD. She would never complete one of her works again, fearing the retribution of Athena's jealousy. She also taught me how to weave in combat, using spells to create string stronger than steel and to bind enemies. The string could even be shaped into swords or needles able to cut through lead like it was butter. It was a beautiful art, yet it probably had little use for my current goals.
To the back area was Medusa's. It was the biggest by far with targets and training dummies. Medusa taught me armed combat, an art she had much knowledge of considering the millenia she had been grafted onto Athena's shield. Spears, swords, javelins, daggers, bows, you name it and she probably knew how to handle them like a master. She taught me the basics for each, though my body adjusted quickly due to her memories. Her skills meshed well with Arachne's weaving, skills I had slowly learnt to use together.
Finally, to the right was Medea's. It was slightly bigger than Arachne's area and about half the size of Medusa's. Medea taught all that I needed to know in Magic. Of course, she didn't know everything, but her spells catered to my need for revenge. Invisibility spells, poison spells, mind control, heck even elemental magic like fireballs, lightning strikes and freeze spells. With her help I crafted a plan. A plan that would be implemented in a month's time. One more month and Sophia, Emma and Madison would pay. Their due was in blood and suffering, one I would enjoy with every fibre of my being.