Shin Persona Evangelion

by Ultra Sonic 007

Shinji Ikari stared, bewildered by the bizarre-looking man, who gave an intrigued smile. "An interesting guest has arrived. My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room, young fool...we have important matters to discuss, you and I." (A fusion of the realms of Evangelion and Persona, where not all is as it seems.) (Cover art by Renu of the Sufficient Velocity forums.)

101. Wednesday - September 2, 2015: Part 2

Author's Note: Blah. Can't believe it's nearly been a month since my last update.

That's one of the worst things about moving: it interrupts your normal flow. And that lack of routine can kill momentum.

Anyhow, since it's been a while, here's a brief reminder as to what Keita, Musashi, and their Personas look like (given how Keita and Musashi are Angel-fied):

xx

Takaya Sakaki slowly rose to his feet, idly stretching his limbs as the presence of Iruel and Leliel began to pervade the cavern once more. First came a cloud of dust, manifesting from nowhere; the streams converged, forming a thick mass that eventually dispersed. In the place of the cloud of living dust was Musashi Strasberg, his messy purple hair now slicked back; his shirt was gone, revealing that his visible veins and arteries possessed a subtle orange glow: a sign of Iruel's presence within his body. Just like Takaya, his eyes gleamed a piercing yellow.

Moments later, an empty disc — blacker than night — manifested besides Musashi; the gleaming yellow eyes of Keita Asari were seen first, illuminating the darkness before he stepped outside. Just like Musashi, his shirt was also gone, highlighting how his pale body was dotted with abstract patterns of black and white stripes and lines: the mark of Leliel. The geometric flow lines all converged around his neck, leaving only a vertical strip of normal skin running from his chin to his hairline: to the right of it was flesh the color of coal, and to the left was skin whiter than ivory.

[...]

Phobos and Deimos were both twins of a sort, sharing the same proportionate size that Hamlet had with Ikari, or Tokoyo with Katsuragi; each clad in segmented bronze armor that made them appear more like living robots than people. Lightning wound around Phobos like a living snake from head to toe, culminating in a flowing scarf of electricity; Deimos, meanwhile, bore a chariot's wheel along his back, which evoked a thunderous boom with each turn of the spoke. Each Persona's face was half-hidden by a stoic mask of silver, perfectly molded to fit a human face: Phobos's left side was masked, whilst it was the right side for Deimos. Though equally yellow eyes stared at her from behind the mask, their exposed faces were completely different: the right half of Phobos's face was made of living shadow, contorted into a permanent expression of fear and panic; the left half of Deimos's face, by contrast, seemed to be burning perpetually, stuck into a wretched snarl that evoked dread and terror wherever it looked.

xx

Now, let's begin!

xxxx

Within the Velvet Room, Pen-Pen had suddenly vanished.

Theodore blinked, looking around curiously. "That...was sudden. I hope he is okay."

"It is his nature," calmly remarked Igor. "Let us focus on implementing his idea."

Theodore seemed hesitant. "...it just seems wrong, to focus on a method on the periphery like this...a Guest would not be at their utmost, if they weren't in the Velvet Room at their fullest..."

"That may be true; however, it is a method that we will offer nonetheless. Even if its effectiveness is lesser, our Guests may still desire it...for even though dreams are ephemeral, they can still linger, and leave an impression."

"...understood, Master." Sighing, Theo turned back towards the edge of the Velvet Room (at its limit...?), exerting his essence towards a blank space(?).

"Do not exhaust yourself unduly; when you tire yourself out, tell Margaret to take your place."

"Of course, Master."

The faint haze of blue began to brighten-

xxxx

/The Auditorium, 2nd Floor, Himmel Research Institute, Tochigi Prefecture/

Shinji Ikari blearily opened his eyes — Did...I fall unconscious just now-? — just in time to smash into the barricaded entryway of the Auditorium.

xx

Misato Katsuragi impulsively grimaced as Shinji crashed through the entrance to the Auditorium, followed shortly by the skulled creature that had called itself Zeruel. "SHINJI-KUN!" She made to follow them-

CRASH!

Tokoyo dragged Misato back, pulling her away from the sudden intruders from above; ambient light filtered in from on high (because everyone always expected light to shine through a ceiling when someone breaks through, that's just the way things went), illuminating the trio. The sight of red hair immediately made her growl. "Minazuki."

Sho Minazuki grinned. "'Sup?" The redhead withdrew his twin swords, their sharpness outpaced only by that of Tsukiyomi's wickedly burning blade. "Pardon us for dropping in!"

Mana Kirishima's attention was on the other two accompanying Sho. "Musashi-niisan...Keita-niisan..."

Musashi's blood vessels shimmered orange through his skin; Deimos stood behind him, the chariot's wheel rotating menacingly on his back, "Mana-neesan."

Keita's monochrome body appeared stark amidst the gloom; Phobos loomed over his shoulder, his lightning scarf illuminating the pale boy. "...are you going to fight us again?"

"...that's up to you two," she muttered, resting LABRYS over the back of her shoulders.

Mayumi, looking between everyone with alarm, suddenly leapt upon Armisael's throne and floated away. 'Um, I'll help you both avoid their attacks!'

"Forget the wimp," sneered Sho, focusing instead on Misato and Mana. "Let's slice and dice!"

Musashi and Keita shared a glance before looking back at their sister. "...no hard feelings," murmured the latter.

"Oh, like I believe that," growled Misato, standing besides Mana resolutely. "You ganged up on her before, left her a mess...because that's what loving brothers do, right?"

Musashi scowled. "Don't talk like you know what we've been through!"

"Eh, we can bitch and moan later," snarked Sho, grinning toothily. "Time to make them moan like bitches instead! HeheheheHAHA!"

Misato narrowed her eyes, her lips flattening with constrained wrath. "...Mana-chan. Can you take Minazuki? Tokoyo and I will handle your brothers."

Mana looked suspiciously in her direction, before begrudgingly acquiescing. "Don't kill them...please?"

"Wasn't planning on it!"

'Get ready,' mentally warned Mayumi. 'They're about to attack!'

Misato, Tokoyo, and Mana impulsively moved forward, forcing Sho, Musashi, Keita, and their respective Personas to retaliate: the battle was joined.

xxxx

Unit-01's A.T. Field had flashed before Shinji Ikari collided with each part of the HRI facility; only once he was airborne in the courtyard did Hamlet finally catch up, wrapping his arm around the boy to soften his landing.

"...ow..." Shinji grimaced as Shogoki overlapped with Hamlet; the empowered Persona took aim with his skull and sword, focusing on the skeletal frame of the complex's cognitive double.

Zeruel stepped beyond them into the open, striding with a confidence that was simultaneously reserved yet showy: this was a being that knew they were strong, and felt it natural to display such strength, as though they were merely obeying a law of nature. "THREE OF MY KIN HAVE FALLEN BY YOUR HANDS; THEIR SOULS, ONCE MORE RETURNED TO THE GREATER CORPUS OF OUR IMPRISONED PROGENITOR...YET YOUR SINS FAR OUTPACE THOSE TRAVESTIES."

...it sounds like this Angel has a grudge, Shinji thought as he ignored the pounding in the back of his head. "I don't know what you're referring to..." Aiming for a shot in the dark, he added, "...but if you're referring to something I did in another timeline, I have no memory of that."

The hollow recesses in Zeruel's eyes gleamed like stars. "SO YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT MUCH..." The glow faded. "...BUT NOT THE FULLNESS OF THE TRUTH, IT WOULD SEEM."

Why do so many people seem to know about past worlds?! Why can't they tell me?

His Other was silent.

The Beast laughed.

"NO MATTER." Zeruel cracked his knuckles. "THIS WILL BE A TEST OF MIGHT, AS I SAID. IF YOU PERISH HERE...THEN IT WOULD BE A PREFERABLE FATE, FOR SUCH WEAKNESS TO BE CRUSHED BEFORE ITS TIME!" A crimson aura became palpable, glowing furiously about the humanoid's form. "AS IT MUST BE, SO IT SHALL BE!"

"...is there any possible way for us to talk it out? Yamagishi-san managed to do so with Armisael..."

"YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN MY NATURE, IT WOULD SEEM." The death-faced Angel reared his arms. "LET ME REMIND YOU...HEAVENLY RAGE!" In the air above Zeruel, phantoms of hulking fists manifested.

Shinji's eyes widened.

As one, they fell as the deluge.

Hamlet once more grabbed Shinji, hopping away from the rain of Physical Power made manifest; the force shattered the very ground they stood upon, destabilizing the cognitive foundation until only voids remained. That was close!

Zeruel looked at the blank spots, then all around; despite his unchanging face, he seemed to be displeased by their presence. "THE WORLD BORN OF LILIM MINDS: SO VERY FRAGILE!" Snapping his fingers, the voids all dissipated, like smoke before a strong wind. "NO NEED FOR THE DEFICIENCY OF YOUR SPECIES TO GET IN THE WAY!"

Shinji looked around with shock. "Wait, you can do that-?"

Zeruel punched him in the sternum, sending him skidding along the ground. "YOUR WORDS MEAN NOTHING. SHOW ME YOUR METTLE!" The furious Angel(?) turned towards the empowered Hamlet. "NO MATTER WHAT ASPECT OF YOURSELF I FACE, YOU WILL NOT ADVANCE!"

Hamlet swung his sword. "Cleave!" The blade clashed repeatedly against Zeruel's forearms; the blows shaved away stray bits of cognition and bone, yet Zeruel seemed remarkably unconcerned. "Psio!" Colorful lights surged from his handheld skull, crashing against Zeruel's form.

The Angel snorted. "ADEQUATE POWER...BUT NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!" With a ferocious kick, Zeruel smashed his foot into Hamlet's torso; the Persona's eyes bugged out beneath his mask, whilst the silhouette of Unit-01 howled in pain.

Shinji shared in their agony, as the wind rushed from his lungs, and his mind sparked with painful electricity. "Agh..." Don't pass out, don't pass out...! (You must take a stand!) Slamming his foot into the ground, he willed himself not to fall. "I..."

(August the 30th. A lesson from Minato Arisato. "The idea of using more than one Persona at the same time...is to understand the facets of yourself: the contradictions, the complementations, and everything in-between...to think and ponder about who you are at a given moment of time..." Despite his outward apathy, his eye seemed to shine with emotion of every type and kind. "They're the sort of questions that sound weird, if you say them out loud: how does my temper battle my patience; would my sense of humor get along with my stoicism; can love bloom from apathy; and things like that. To truly understand your bond with other people...you have to understand yourself...and the more you understand yourself, the more you're able to call forth every aspect of yourself to face the world...")

I can't believe I'm trying this out right now, he thought with a grimace, reaching inwardly for his Personas (your other selves). Taking Arisato-senpai's advice to heart, he tried to focus on those which were not so different ('a little less than A' with 'a little more than A', as he had put it). As Hamlet (the Fool: a reflection of you walking on the long journey of life, becoming less empty as you near the end...) stood to face Zeruel, Shinji reached out for two separate aspects of himself. Focus. (Who would aid you as the Fool?) Focus...

Suddenly, there was a flash of insight, born from experience. (Who would help introduce order to the path of the Fool?) (The Emperor: a symbol of one who is in control of themselves, seeking to pull others along in their wake; chaos is reduced because of their presence...making your journey all the safer.)

Grimacing, Shinji — ignoring the sensation of his mind thinking two different things simultaneously — roared, "HELP US OUT, SOBEK!"

With a burst of blue fire, a bipedal crocodile in Egyptian garb emerged, wielding an ankh and staff. Standing beside Shinji, the second Persona — who, unlike Hamlet, was not overshadowed by his Evangelion — took aim with the ankh. "Diarama."

An emerald glow rush from the tip of the ankh, splashing over Hamlet. With renewed invigoration, Hamlet raised his sword, successfully blocking a downward chop from Zeruel.

"IMPRESSIVE," said Zeruel without emotion. "LET US SEE WHAT OTHER POWERS YOU POSSESS, THIRD CHILD!"

xxxx

Mana Kirishima had found it strangely easy to focus on Sho Minazuki. (Smash, went his swords against her shield; a warning from Mayumi had her swinging her axe behind her without looking, forcing Tsukiyomi to dodge.) It probably had something to do with the helpful directions that Yamagishi was providing, but it seemed deeper than that. (She ducked underneath a horizontal swing from Sho, kicking at his knees; she foresaw his jump, allowing her to rotate and backhand him with the broad side of AIGIS. As he went flying, she immediately brought LABRYS to the fore, clashing against Tsukiyomi's blade.) The bond she had with LABRYS and AIGIS...with Big Sis and Little Sis...what did that mean, in light of her brothers' presence? (LABRYS seethed with energy, unleashing a wave that pushed Tsukiyomi back; only Mayumi's telepathy forced her to dodge, leaping away from Sho's wild charge before he could impale her.) What do you think about what happened...? Part of her couldn't help but wonder.

Big Sis cracked her knuckles, threatening to give her brothers a whoopin'!

Little Sis simply shook her head, before resolutely placing a hand on her back.

The rest of her was too focused on removing Sho's limbs from his body. (A Vorpal Blade crashed against her shield, its residual force draining into the crimson gem; her follow-up strike against Sho slammed into his A.T. Field. His counterstrike, in the form of a headbutt on her face, nearly made her dizzy.) I hate this jackass!

'Sorry Mana-san, I'm trying to keep everything straight...oh, incoming Psycho Blast!'

"Psycho Bla-!"

Mana screamed, unleashing the absorbed force from AIGIS in a concussive wave that interrupted the attack before it could even begin.

"You're movin' way too nimble compared to the last time we rumbled," growled Sho, running the edges of his twin katanas over each other. "How the hell are you pulling it off?"

Mana notably avoided looking at Mayumi, who was watching the conflict from high above. However, she did briefly glance towards Misato...

xx

"Not the same when it's not your sister, is it?" growled Misato, nimbly dodging the clouds of rabid dust swirling about Musashi's form. "Do you get off on bullying your family?"

"Shut up!" snarled Musashi, his yellow eyes narrowing with frustration. With unerring synchronicity, Musashi and his Persona charged in a zigzag fashion; the wheel on Deimos's back churned, unleashing thunderous booms that rang with the energy of Debilitate and Dekaja. "What do you know of anything?!"

It was only thanks to Mayumi's mental directions that Misato, empowered by Heat Riser twice over from Tokoyo, was avoiding the tangible bursts of colorful energy. "Given that you were the one who gave me the message about what Tokita and his damned project did to Mana-chan?!" Firing several bullets at Deimos, Misato heatedly added, "Did you really forget, or do you just not care anymore?"

"If you truly care, then you would let Mana-neesan go free," hissed Musashi, his body surging with agitated nanites. "She wouldn't be bound to NERV, she wouldn't be forced to fight!" Deimos aimed a palm at Misato, intoning "Makajama."

"Some things we can't help," retorted Misato, rolling away ahead of time to dodge the sealing aura; with complicated acrobatics, she dodged the ravenous nanomachines, slashing at them with her sword to keep them away from her person. "You know what the hell of it is?" Misato dove beneath a swirling cloud, running up at Musashi and kneeing him in the chest with enough impact to send him skidding backwards. "If you and your brother hadn't tried to make a break for it...you probably would have ended up with Mana-chan in the same situation. You wouldn't have been separated...and you damn well wouldn't have ended up with a pack of psychos who thought allying themselves with the Angels was a good thing!"

Musashi snorted with youthful impetuousness. "You don't get it; if you learned what we learned-!"

"Not interested," growled Misato, firing a bullet at his leg.

It bounced off of a localized A.T. Field; nanomachines swirled around Musashi's form, jittering with an odd sort of vibration. Musashi's yellow eyes suddenly narrowed. "Is that so...?"

Is he talking to an Angel? wondered Misato, warily sneaking a glance towards her Persona; Tokoyo was a whirling dervish of blades, alternating between the electrical Phobos and Keita with swiftness that seemed preternatural. I wonder what telepathically communicating with my other self sounds like-?

"KEITA! GO FOR THE GIRL ON THE THRONE!" yelled Musashi without warning.

Misato's eyes widened; before she could move to strike, she was forced to evade Deimos's attacks. Damn it!

xx

...ah hell, mentally griped Mana as she immediately yelled, "RUN FOR IT, YAMAGISHI!"

CLANG, went the blades of Sho and Tsukiyomi against AEGIS. "Ah ah ah, don't make it boring," mocked Sho.

xx

The two cries interrupted Mayumi's focus, breaking the three telepathic 'lines' she had been maintaining. "Eh?" she blurted, looking in front of her; a void disc had manifested, from which emerged Keita's monochrome body in mid-punch. "EH?!" Without thinking, she willed Armisael to descend, except Phobos was waiting for her! "No no no no no!" she chanted to herself, willing her floating throne to fly backwards; only barely did she dodge the blue burst of Freidyne. Not good not good not good-!

"Please surrender," politely asked Keita, landing casually upon Phobos's shoulder.

"...I have a better suggestion." Without warning, Armisael transformed into its portable halo form; landing roughly on her feet, Mayumi immediately booked it out of the Auditorium, running as fast as she could go.

Sighing to himself, Keita and Phobos pursued.

xx

Misato and Tokoyo regrouped with Mana; the woman watched warily as Musashi and Deimos did the same, rejoining Sho and Tsukiyomi. "Well there goes our trump card," she growled, irritably reloading her handgun.

"Then we'll just have to fight harder," snarled Mana, her eyes drifting back and forth between Sho and Musashi. "How good is your Persona with an axe?"

Misato, briefly wondering how Mayumi-chan was going to get out of her sticky situation, replied, "Can't say I know for sure."

"Tokoyo's faster and stronger than me," the young girl answered matter-of-factly, as though that was enough to settle the matter...which in this case, it kind of was.

"...hope using it is intuitive."

Mana shot a meaningful glance towards LABRYS. "...Big Sis will cooperate."

xx

Sho Minazuki couldn't help but smile at the impromptu exchange of weapons, as Tokoyo exchanged her shorter sword with Mana in return for an axe that was way too familiar. I wonder how deep the resemblance goes: bottom of the ocean or a bottomless pit?

"Why are we letting them prepare?" wondered Musashi aloud.

Sho snorted at the kid's impatience. "Some things in life are best savored: you gotta let 'em marinate for a while to unlock the flavor." Let's see if this little switcheroo will amount to anything!

xxxx

Mayumi Yamagishi's tended to be full of questions.

Prior to June 2015, most questions would have been related to whatever book she happened to be reading, or perhaps with the goings-on at the Literature Club. (After all, questions about other aspects of her life would have been worthless...)

Many things had changed, since then.

Now, the questions roiling through her head were along the lines of: 'Why doesn't my Persona have offensive abilities; how come it took so long for her to be targeted by any of the opposing Persona-users; why did her Metaverse outfit manifest bloody heels; why had she agreed to enter this stereotype of a haunted lab; etcetera, etcetera.' Seriously, this place checked off so many horror tropes that we should've left IMMEDIATELY- "EEK!" she shrieked, interrupting her own internal rants as a bolt of lightning streaked by her. The mere impressions from the attack echoed throughout the local cognition, reverberating and filtering through her mind: Phobos pursuing; Asari diverting through a broken wall; Asari entering a portal-? Gulping, Mayumi skidded on her heels, quickly going right instead of left; thus did she barely avoid the monochromatic boy emerging from the left prong of the intersection.

(A whisper echoed though the back of her mind: hollow and without depth, yet vaster than the universe itself.)

You...Cannot...Run...Forever...

(She could definitely try!)

This...Is...Simply...Futility...

Grimacing as her heels stumbled through cognitive rubble, she willed Armisael to expand once more, leaping into the black throne and surging forward through the air-

"Freidyne."

The calm tone of Phobos ran contrary to the explosive burst of nuclear energy; atomic blue illuminated Mayumi's left side, nearly knocking her off-course. Oh wait, my Persona's a bigger target in this form oh NO-! A terrified yelp erupted from her throat as Keita emerged from her right, his foot smashing into the side of her throne. She impulsively moaned as her Persona collided against the wall, sending a jolt of pain through her skull. "Ow..." Wearily looking through her monocle, she idly observed Phobos and Keita standing in front of her, at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively. "...um..."

"Surrender," hissed Phobos.

"Please. I'd rather not fight if at all possible," softly said Asari.

"...the group you've aligned yourself with has made that a difficult proposition," murmured Mayumi, her mind racing for possible means of escape. Think think think think...!

"There is no need to fear the end," intoned Phobos, their voice sounding with the crackle of electricity. "It is an end which is long deserved..."

"...and you have an understanding of that, don't you...?" murmured Asari, running a hand along his monochromal skin. "You...were bound to an Angel, much like I am..."

(The same whisper sounded.)

The...Essence...Of...Armisael...Even...Now...Your...Being...Bears...Their...Mark...

"...not willingly," remarked Mayumi. "And for reasons which are more sad than anything...but your path is one I can't walk..." Think. Think. THINK! Why don't I have anything offensive...?!

Asari sighed. "Then I will respect that choice." The young man raised his hand...

Think, Mayumi! Armisael summoned a whole army of Archetypes; why can't you do the same? (The rules were different now; the fundamental aspects of Armisael that allowed it to summon so many cognitive thoughtbeasts were denied to her.) Why can't I do the same? (The power of the Velvet Room allowed for Shinji Ikari to withstand the strain of manifesting different aspects of himself, represented by his numerous Personas.) I don't even need anything that thorough! I just need SOMETHING!

...Phobo's scarf vibrated with visible agitation...

Come on Mayumi Yamagishi, use the brain of yours for something USEFUL!

xxxx

Her Other tiptoed across the double helix, rotating endlessly amidst the void of space.

"Do you remember the feeling?"

One of the orbs floating within the folds of the twisted halo burst, spilling forth endless shadows into the emptiness, to paint it with their many colors...diluted though they were.

"Mere echoes. Shades. Reflections of true thoughts, lacking the human essence which makes them last through the sea of memory..."

Her Other, holding a weathered book, snapped it shut.

"...but a reflection can still hold power of its own."

xxxx

An epiphany struck, of memories filtered by the perceptions and inhuman mindset of an Angel; Mayumi impulsively summoned a protean orb, holding it within her hand. "TAKE THIS!" Smashing the orb onto the ground, it transformed upon impact into a hollow shade of a rather familiar Archetype.

"Hee-ho!" chirped the gleeful Jack Frost, almost on automatic.

Phobos and Keita took a step back with surprise. "Wha-?"

"Jack Bufula!" screamed the colorless snowman, splitting apart into ice statues of snowmen that crashed into the duo; frozen water built up in an instant, trapping them in place. Not for long, to be sure...but long enough for Mayumi to make a break for it.

"Oh my goodness I did it," she breathlessly blurted out, impulsively willing her Persona to float down the hallway at high speed. The thoughts going through her mind were rampant, matched only by the strange heat behind the bony half-mask on her face: I actually had an offensive maneuver; oh goodness I need to get away; why did that use so much energy; you have to regroup with everyone eventually...!

(All the while, that strange whisper — fading away as she made her retreat — sounded...)

How...Interesting...Why...Does...This...Navigator...Have...The...Capacity...For...Fighting...In...Such...A...Way...?

(...confused, yet intrigued...?)

xxxx

Fighting with Tokoyo's shorter sword fet strange, mused Mana. Despite being sized for a Persona that was twelve feet tall, it was still lighter in 'mass' (if such a term had meaning in the Metaverse) than LABRYS. Maybe it had something to do with how LABRYS was bound to her. If nothing else, Tokoyo was wielding her admirably...

Big Sis held tightly onto the hand of Misato's Other, who looked remarkably like a battleworn woman in a dirty kimono. "I'll lead!"

Misato's Other simply nodded, letting Big Sis take the lead in a dance of blades.

...as was seen by how Tokoyo used her katana in one hand to counter and parry Deimos, whilst using the axe to likewise strike at Tsukiyomi. It would have normally been a difficult maneuver, for one Persona to take on two at once; however, LABRYS seemed to be assisting the swordswoman almost preternaturally.

It also helped that Katsuragi herself was keeping Musashi's attention occupied, firing a never-ending stream of bullets with her handgun. Her short sword alternated between rebuffing clouds of surprisingly solid nanites and lashing out at Musashi whenever he got close. Is he not used to fighting separate targets with his Persona? She had no idea as to how Strega normally fought, but niisan seemed to be letting his frustration getting to him. You have to keep a clear head, niisan; you'll only make mistakes, that way! (How bizarre, that she found herself worrying about his welfare, even though they were currently opposed to one another.)

(You were the one who fought for years under Tokita's tender 'care'. They don't have your experience...even if they have other powers from the Angels.)

These thoughts swirled like a maelstrom, punctuated by clashing against Sho Minazuki. "Always had a thing for wordplay," he cracked, eyes gazing maniacally at her from over the rim of AIGIS, "but I guess swordplay will have to do!" Loosing a maniacal cackle, he brought his other katana around to stab at her side.

Only a hasty parry from her borrowed sword kept the steel from piercing her flesh. "Why do you keep talking?"

"Because why not? You're gonna die anyhow, so why not make the experience enjoyable?" As the deranged redhead continued his assault, Mana found herself wondering as to how she could turn this around, because looming over their heads was the strange monster that had taken Ikari out of the equation-!

Little Sis quietly held her hand.

"Don't worry about what you can't control...focus on protecting what's within your reach..."

-and there was also the fact that Minazuki and Musashi-niisan were both capable of using A.T. Fields thanks to their Angelic enhancements-

Little Sis sighed.

-and Keita-niisan had pursued Yamagishi, who wasn't much of a fighter-!

Little Sis suddenly caressed her head.

"Lacking the power to protect those you care for...I understand that frustration..."

Staring at the monsters in the midst, Little Sis seemed...strangely older...?

"...are you strong enough to let me help you...?"

Mana's inward ruminations were disturbed by a sudden flinch by Musashi, barely caught out of the corner of her eye; niisan glanced over towards a distant wall, murmuring to himself. "...that girl's on her way back. No time to mess around!" With sudden violence, the swarm of nanites solidified into a proverbial wall-

(Misato's eyes widened with sudden shock, even as she impulsively crossed her arms.)

-that crashed into Katsuragi, carrying her to the side of the dilapidated chamber; with a strangely hollow slither, the nanomachines left her face visible, showcasing her frustrated snarl. "DAMN IT!"

A dreadful chill went down Mana's spine, more from the epiphany that Musashi-niisan had been holding back. (Why? For what purpose? Had he done so intentionally?) As her brother turned towards Tokoyo to triple-team the Persona alongside his own and Minazuki's, Mana's attention was divided. Who do I help? What do I do? Would those strange nanomachines leave Misato be? Would they kill her? Should she focus on making sure Tokoyo didn't fall? And what about-

"Keep your eyes on the Sho-stopper, little girl!"

SPLURCH.

-Minazuki, who had taken advantage of her momentary indecision to run her through from behind; only a belated dodge allowed her to get by with only her left shoulder getting pierced. A frustrated swipe with the sword in her right forced Minazuki to leap away, tearing away his sword with a meaty rip that made her wince in agony.

"Mana-chan!" cried Misato from afar, her struggles only intensifying. "Let me go, you sons of bitches-!"

Sho snorted, interrupting her tirade. "Can't say I ever met my Ma, so I don't even know if she was a bitch or not!" Brandishing his twin blades with a flourish, Sho slowly walked forward with dramatic flair, his silhouette cutting a fearsome figure in the murk of the Metaverse. "Looks like ya flinched first, little kid...maybe when you die, you'll find out if your mom was a bitch. Maybe you'll even be able to come back as a ghost and tell the lady over there! Eh? Eh?"

Mana's grip on her shield was going slack. What...what can I do...?

(August the 14th. In a pitched battle against a legion of Archetypes summoned by Armisael, she had fought in a frenzy alongside her comrades. It wouldn't be until the debriefing the next day that she would realize, in retrospect, that AIGIS and LABRYS had moved of their own volition within the Angel's domain.)

...I have to do something...!

(August the 30th. A lesson from Minato Arisato. His words had seemed somewhat confusing, as to the mechanics of how he had used a 'partial connection' with AIGIS. "...you would apply the same ideas with the bonds you have with your weapons...think of the relationships you had with them...and how they differed, in the ways you interacted with them, in the ways you felt about them. What would they say about you? And if you were someone else, looking at you interacting with AIGIS and LABRYS...what would they think?" She didn't quite follow. "And that's part of the point," he bluntly said, rising to his feet. "I could explain everything to you about all the stuff I learned the hard way...but some lessons have to be experienced to be learned. That's especially true, when it comes to figuring out more about yourself...and maybe at the end of it all, you'll know enough about yourself to reach out to other people.")

...but I have been reaching out to other people...!

Little Sis quietly asked, "Enough to risk being hurt without us by your side?"

From afar, Big Sis shouted, "You're becoming a big girl! You can't let us hold you back!"

Mana impulsively took a step back from Minazuki, even as the furious sounds of Tokoyo desperately fighting Tsukiyomi, Deimos, and Musashi rang out from behind. I...without Big Sis and Little Sis...what can I do in a fight...?

(...)

"Burdens become lighter if shared...but to carry them, we must walk on our own feet," said Little Sis, with a strange resolve belying her youthfulness.

"You won't be able to rely on us forever," gravely said Big Sis, even as a smile came to her face. "But that doesn't mean we can't face our problems side-by-side!"

It was the difference between holding her axe and shield closely, unwilling to surrender their protection because of how closely they had been bound to her (not only that, because they were her family, how could she let them go?)...and letting them go, to become freer, to still fight...but no longer hiding behind her sisters. Can I do that...?

"You already have," both sisters said.

...can you do that...?

(July the 16th. Amidst the July New Moon, Minato Arisato's sudden arrival had shocked her...especially as the impression of Little Sis — no longer so little! — embracing Arisato's form burned itself into her mind. It was the sign of something strange and unusual...yet it was a bond that she had no conception of, a bond that granted power.)

...can WE do that...?

There was only silence in return...but the sensation was clear enough.

...I guess I get it, thought Mana with grim determination. Can't move forward if I'm still holding onto you...and you can't do what you need to do if I'm holding you back...! They were bound to her; that fact was inescapable. Yet...that bond wasn't fixed, was it? Then...I'll keep doing what I need to do, she spoke inwardly, hoping her sisters were listening. And...you can do what you have to...!

Minazuki arched an eyebrow. "What's with the change in your face? Got a mid-battle epiphany? Those..." Growling, he crossed his blades. "...are the most annoying!" Without warning, he charged...

(Mana's left hand, stained with blood from her shoulder, released AIGIS.)

(Tokoyo, suddenly glancing at LABRYS with alarm, threw the axe towards Misato, barely bringing her long katana up in time to ward off her assailants.)

...and swung his swords towards her neck.

CLANG.

They crashed into AIGIS. "Eh?" blurted Sho, befuddled by the fact the shield had blocked his blow...even though Mana was no longer holding it. "The hell is this-?"

A girl's pale silhouette — more of an outline than anything else — with an impression of short blonde hair was now holding the shield.

On the other side of the Auditorium, another pale silhouette of a woman — this one with blueish gray hair in a long ponytail — was now holding the axe, slicing through the nanomachines that had held Katsuragi in place.

(Unseen, save by those with excellent perception, was the ethereal tether going from each silhouette to Mana: a sign of their bond made tangible.)

A strange flash of recognition came to the redhead's face. "Oh this is such bull-!" His curse was interrupted by Mana's sword piercing his shoulder. "-SHIT!" he snarled, paying for his sudden lapse in attention.

"Now we'll see what happens when you don't outnumber us anymore, jackass!" howled Mana, fighting with renewed vigor as AIGIS and LABRYS moved of their own volition.

(All the while, Misato stared with a dumbfounded expression at this new turn of events. "...you know what, I'm not even gonna question it.")

xxxx

Zeruel, Shinji had come to conclude, was not an easy opponent.

After Sobek had been dispersed, Shinji had tried for other combinations of Personas, opting for those that presented less strain on his mind.

Kuchisake-onna (of the Tower), surprisingly, had been an effective partner for Hamlet...but not for long.

(As Zeruel's arm parried Hamlet's blade, Kuchisake-onna's scissors went for the tiny gap between the deathly face and the shadowy body; Zeruel merely looked at the feminine wraith, vaporizing her with a cross-shaped blast from his eyes.)

Desperation had forced him to call upon High Pixie (a fellow Fool); if only to use her curative powers...

(High Pixie had barely unleashed a Diarama upon Hamlet before Zeruel growled "Absolute Terror"; his mouth unleashed a colorful bolt of concentrated Almighty energy, annihilating the winged fairy into dust.)

...which led to his current situation with Neko Shogun (a Star, similar in disposition, neither ), utilizing Masukukaja and Rakukaja to increase the speed and defense of both Shinji and Hamlet.

"YOUR PERSONAS ARE LACKING IN STRENGTH," growled Zeruel, kicking the empowered Hamlet away before turning towards Shinji. With frightening speed, the Angel's arm crashed into his garden fork and trowel, nearly breaking through Shinji's crossguard. "AS ARE YOU."

What is this Angel's deal...? Shinji's knees were trembling from the inherent strength in Zeruel's frame. "I don't understand-"

"IS THIS THE EXTENT OF YOUR ABILITIES? SURELY NOT." With a contemptuous snarl, his free arm swatted away a dual Psio from Hamlet and Neko Shogun. "YOUR POWER MEANS NOTHING IN ITS CURRENT STATE."

"Wha-"

"DISAPPOINTING!"

Shinji's words were cut off by a kick to his torso, driving the wind from his lungs. The force paradoxically remained local, delivering pain and agony without sending him flying like he should have; he could only fall to his knees, wincing from the ache in his abdomen. I...

His Other opened his mouth to speak.

The Beast interrupted him. "You know what you must do."

The fury in the monster's eye was burning with delight.

"It is inevitable."

The feeling was punctuated by another spike in the back of his mind: a new headache caused by Zeruel's unceremonious obliteration of Neko Shogun with yet more eyebeams. Although Hamlet's hardier constitution, courtesy of Unit-01's A.T Field, enabled the Persona to endure...it still wasn't enough. Zeruel casually tanked Psy Skills and Physical blows, finally reaching out with a hand to grip Hamlet's masked face.

"PERHAPS IT WOULD BE A BLESSING TO KILL YOU NOW," mused the Angel. "EVEN IF NOT AT THE APEX OF YOUR POWER...EVEN IF IT WOULD SUBJECT YOU TO THE CYCLE WE ARE ALL BOUND BY, IT WOULD WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN. WE WOULD NO LONGER BE BOUND TO THE USURPER'S GAME...SINCE YOUR VERY PRESENCE WOULD BE A CORNERSTONE OF THE NEXT WORLD. THAT WOULD BE AN INESCAPABLE FACT..." The Angel of Might seemed intrigued by the proposition. "PERHAPS EVEN ENOUGH THAT THEIR HOLD OVER OUR PROGENITOR WOULD BE LOOSED AS A CONSEQUENCE? WOULD THAT ARROGANT WRETCH PRIORITIZE YOU, OR KEEPING A LEASH ON OUR FATHER...?"

Shinji wearily tried to rise, even as Hamlet continued to struggle futilely in the Angel's grip.

Zeruel's eyes glimmered, as though he had come to a decision. "YES. WAITING FOR YOU TO REACH THE SUMMIT COMES WITH MANY RISKS...AND THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT PHANUEL'S SUICIDAL GAMBIT WILL LAST FOR MUCH LONGER...WOULD FORCING YOUR SOUL INTO THE CYCLE OF REINCARNATION CHANGE THE GAME IN OUR FAVOR? PERHAPS EVEN LILITH WOULD BE DRIVEN TO SUCH DESPAIR THAT SHE WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO THROW HER LOT IN WITH US..."

LILITH...Ayanami...?

Snorting, Zeruel unceremoniously tossed Hamlet into the side of the dilapidated facility. "YOUR ABILITY TO SUMMON MORE THAN ONE PERSONA AT ONCE WAS INTRIGUING." Without another word, Zeruel kicked Shinji in the side; his soul barely manifested as a shield before he crashed into Hamlet with a loud thud. The empowered Persona barely had the wherewithal to set him down before dissipating into azure flames, leaving behind only a fading, nigh-invisible silhouette of Shogoki. "BUT IT IS NOT YET AT THE POINT TO EVEN MATCH THAT OF THE USURPER'S UNFORTUNATE SLAVE...WHAT A SHAME." Zeruel's mouth and eyes began to glow in tandem.

The Beast's lips were near his ear, whispering seductive promises.

"Will you die here?"

Shinji futilely tried to rise. I...I can't...not here...!

"DIE." The glow from Zeruel's mask shined like a star. "UNYIELDING MIGHT." A colossal flood of Almighty energy erupted, as a river.

Shinji watched his oncoming destruction with widening eyes-

"Wings of Fury!" cried a newcomer's voice.

A hulking figure leapt in front of Shinji, protecting him from the stream of power. At the same time, fists made of wind showered towards Zeruel from above. The Angel's thrall swiftly backed away, avoiding the bursts of gale force. "WHO IS...?" When the smoke cleared, Zeruel's eyes narrowed into blazing pinpricks. "YOU."

The Third Child's impromptu savior lowered his crossed arms, brushing away the scorch marks on his purple sleeves. "Hoo...that could've been messy!"

Shinji blinked confusedly. "Mister...P...?"

The mohawked bird-man glanced over his shoulder, flashing a cocky smirk. "You might want to recuperate lad, we're not out of this yet." As his Persona Gryphon landed roughly besides the bird-man, Mister P turned back towards Zeruel. "Well...your thrall suddenly looks a lot buffer, compared to the last one."

"...WHAT SERENDIPITY," mused Zeruel, his fingers cracking with each motion. "WHAT A CURIOUS TWIST OF FATE, THAT THE NEFARIOUS INTERLOPER WOULD RETURN TO THE PLACE OF OUR LAST BATTLE..."

"I had come to rescue some pals. I can't be blamed for your itchy trigger finger," remarked Mister P, even as Gryphon's wings twitched with agitation.

"YOUR PRESENCE WAS AN INTOLERABLE WILD CARD THEN, JUST AS IT IS NOW," growled the Angel of Might, his borrowed body brimming with tension. "THE ONLY DIFFERENCE NOW...IS THAT TABRIS IS NO LONGER AROUND TO SAVE YOU THIS TIME."

Mister P rolled his neck, still grinning at the Angel. "Guess I'll just have to wing it, then!" Briefly glancing over his shoulder, Mister P mouthed, 'If you want to lend a hand, you might want to hurry up.'

Shinji could only stare dumbly as the bird-man and his avian Persona lunged forward, engaging in direct combat with Zeruel. What's...going on...?

The Beast gazed into his eyes.

"Does it matter? Let them play at their games."

Its strangely feminine hands were caressing his cheek.

"You must decide if death is worth denying me..."

xx

Mister P and Zeruel clashed; the possessed abomination had changed in size seamlessly, to match the bird-man's own height exactly. Without another word, they began throwing punches.

To the children that had battled Mister P on August the 16th, their conflict would have had to be retroactively viewed as a spar; the bulky bird-man now fought with a ferocity that belied his jovial demeanor, befitting the power of his opponent. Zeruel, in turn, was no longer acting with the condescending laxity he had shown Shinji Ikari; the Angel was seemingly intent on pulverizing his enemy into a pulp.

Defense was not in play, nor desired; as pugilists in a brawl, the two were trading haymakers, hooks, uppercuts, and smashes with earthshaking ferocity; Mister P's gloved fists quivered with the telltale green of his unique 'Force' energy, whilst Zeruel's glowed with the ethereal power of Almighty Skills. Lesser beings would have been demolished by such an onslaught.

The speed was also surprising, for two beings with their level of musculature; the sensation would have been akin to seeing an 18-wheeler going at over a hundred miles per hour whilst drifting expertly around a tight turn.

Mister P tanked a liver blow, retaliating with a right cross to Zeruel's face; spinning from the momentum of the blow, the Angel's thrall twisted on his feet, firing a right straight into the bird-man's chest; scowling, Mister P smashed his fist in a counter, only to get a shot to the beak. Back and forth, over and over, went their brutal parley; the only sign that their attacks were being mitigated at all was from the minor flickers of their A.T. Fields flashing from the point of impact.

Such was their focus that Zeruel cared not for how Gryphon flew about in circles around them, flinging Wind Skills at his back. Fragments of shadow and bone, like dust, flickered away with each hit; the Angel's thrall cared little, compared to his true opponent. "THE LIGHT OF YOUR SOUL IS AS IMPRESSIVE AS EVER, FOR A MERE AVIAN CREATURE."

"I'll take the compliment," cracked Mister P, some strands of his normally immaculate mohawk limping and falling out of place. "A shame it comes from such a boorish cretin!"

Zeruel spoke with both words and a fist between the eyes, right at the bridge of the beak. "YOUR RESCUE OF THOSE ANIMALS...MERE PLAYTHINGS OF THOSE VELVET CRETINS...WAS SIGN ENOUGH OF THE SIDE YOU SERVED."

Mister P countered his opponent's argument with several rapid hooks to the kidneys. "Koromaru, Fox, and Teddie would be hurt by your opinion...and why such a distaste for the Velvet Room? Were you not bound, so very long ago, to the Arisatos? Do you not still possess a connection, even if only in memory?"

Zeruel's eyes flashed, unleashing a cross blast on Mister P's face. Through the explosion, he roared, "THAT YOU POSSESS SUCH KNOWLEDGE IS SIGN ENOUGH THAT YOU'RE AN INTOLERABLE INTERLOPER."

"What can I say? I have a lot of friends who know too much for their own good," joked Mister P, barrelling through the explosion to smash his fist into Zeruel's skull. "An even greater shame, that your distaste for the Velvet Room has grown to such levels! Would not an alliance be better for all, for the sake of defeating a mutual enemy?"

"OUR FATHER NO LONGER CARES FOR SUCH THINGS," snarled Zeruel, delivering an uppercut to the underside of the bird-man's prominent beak. "VENGEANCE IS ALL WE DESIRE, NOW: OUR GOALS ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE!"

Mister P brought his fist down atop Zeruel's head. "A shame I'll have to do my damnedest to stop you, then!"

"YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO THAT YOU CAN'T KEEP UP THIS PACE," mocked Zeruel, eyes glimmering with certitude.

"Good thing I don't have to," retorted Mister P, lashing out with his leg to get some distance between him and Zeruel's thrall. Gryphon suddenly crashed down besides the bird-man, rearing back on his back legs as Mister P ripped open his jacket and shirt to reveal a muscular and downy chest. "Heavenly..." Mister P and his Persona both tensed their arms in unison. "...Flex!" As one, their pecs became taut, shining brightly; a dual eruption of Almighty and Bless energy ensnared Zeruel in a brilliant pyre.

Zeruel emerged, slightly singed...but otherwise unharmed. "YOU'RE AN ANNOYANCE WHO WILL NOT BE MISSED."

Mister P opened his mouth to respond-

DOOM.

-only to snap it shut, as the rubble behind him was vaporized by the will of a mind and soul united with Supreme Power. "Oh?"

Zeruel looked over Mister P's shoulder, staring at something far more important than either of them. "AH...THERE'S A FAMILIAR SIGHT."

Mister P and Gryphon warily turned around, the former muttering, "This is not exactly what I was hoping you'd hurry up to..."

xx

/Less than Sixty Seconds Ago/

Shinji had watched with a strange sort of delirium as Mister P and Zeruel brawled with a ferocity that was dumbfounding to witness in person.

All the while, the back of his mind was churning with a strange sensation at the sight of the thrall's face...it burned, for some reason...

His Other quietly watched as the Beast loomed larger and larger.

"Do you truly think this is necessary?"

The Beast laughed derisively.

"Are you going to hold us back once more? Do you think I am nothing but an inconvenience? A stumbling block? Nay..." Swelling even larger, the Beast spoke with mouthful of fire. "...I am a TESTAMENT."

His Other sighed, seemingly resigned to what was about to happen.

"You are an aspect of us: that much cannot be denied. Yet it is an aspect he desires to grow beyond." His Other looked down at a human skull: impossibly old, yet new. "Can he truly take a stand, if he merely loses himself to anger...?"

The Beast snorted, eyes gleaming with the fury of a thousand suns.

"In the face of a monster which only desires his death, is anger not justified? He cannot stand without me; he cannot even so much as draw breath without me." Its maw stretched wide, showing inhuman teeth. "Don't be so condescending...and besides..." The Beast knelt down, its gargantuan face peering into his own. "...that silly bird-man isn't the type to hang around in the face of something like ME."

His Other finally walked away, knowing what was to come.

As Zeruel emerged mostly unharmed from Mister P and Gryphon's Heavenly Flex, Shinji found himself grimacing. I...have to...stand up...

(August the 28th. Ayanami spoke about the nature of the Ascended State. "You have taken hold of Evangelion, and set it free from the intrinsic bonds of your mind and spirit, allowing it to walk among the worlds of men...but to then take it, and constrain it with your physical form? To do so, without shackling it in the chains of nature? It is paradoxical. That paradox gives birth to power. But that paradox comes at the price of pain. Be willing to embrace the contradiction: that to be whole in such a fashion...you must carve away at yourself...to live as one in self-imposed shackles, yet with an unbound heart..." As he began to sink within his own Evangelion, she continued speaking. "...can you be a slave to yourself, without losing your freedom?")

...I...have to...! A distant part of him recognized that Misato, Mana, and Mayumi had yet to emerge from the building; what had delayed them? It couldn't be anything good; that epiphany only drove him further.

The Beast, smiling with glee, reached down with its monstrous hand; it impossibly encompassed his whole body whilst caressing his face with maternal gentleness at the same time.

"You need not fear collateral damage...your friends aren't in the vicinity...so take hold of that anger...that rage that's always simmered within your being..."

The familiar silhouette of Unit-01 slowly settled over him, his mind and body and spirit aligning (in a distant memory, he quietly grabbed a pair of handlebars, and stared out at a distant horizon from on high)...

With sudden violence, the Beast devoured him to the tune of a titan's heartbeat.

"...and EMBRACE it."

...and as his eyes flashed yellow, he gazed at the object of his wrath.

xx

Mister P and Gryphon slowly backed away, stepping out of Zeruel's line of sight with Shinji Ikari.

The Angel's thrall, despite the fixed expression of their skull-like face, seemed to be both pleased yet irritated by this change. "IT IS AS IT ALWAYS SHALL BE, IT SEEMS..."

Shinji Ikari stood with slouching shoulders, his whole body burning with the image of Unit-01; the violet outline was flickering haphazardly, shifting between a hazy aura and a living image. In the moments where the silhouette seemed solid and real, Shogoki's eyes were blank...and its maw was filled with perfectly inhuman teeth. "Hah..." he growled, arms hanging low with the weight of untamed violence.

Zeruel's entire frame began to twitch with unbridled fury. "EVEN NOW, IT DRIVES ME TO THE BRINK OF MADNESS..." Loosing an unearthly snarl, the thrall howled, "SHOW ME YOUR METTLE, IKARI!"

In the blink of an eye, Shinji Ikari crashed into Zeruel, unleashing force that made the Metaverse around them quiver from the impact.

As Zeruel and Shinji barreled through the cognitive remnants of Himmel's facility, they scarred the Metaverse in their wake; trace remnants of cognition withered from their passing, curling away like smoke. The utter momentum of Shinji carried Zeruel through the other side of the facility, until they were tumbling down the mountainside.

Zeruel's eyes gleamed. "A FAMILIAR SENSATION!" With a vicious grip, he grabbed the side of Shinji's head and smashed it into the slope; Unit-01's ethereal form sparked and crackled as a ditch was carved by his face. "MADNESS OVERRIDING YOUR LIMITS; POWER PUSHING YOU TO A BERSERK STATE; HOW OFTEN HAVE I WITNESSED SUCH FROM YOU?!"

Shinji responded with a kick to the sternum, pushing Zeruel away; with a punch against the slope that served as a proverbial rocket, he shot upward, grappling with the Angel in midair. As they tumbled and rumbled amidst cognitive trees, their presence served as a warning for all nearby Archetypes to flee.

"THE URGE TO DESTROY, TO BREAK AND SHATTER YOU...IS INTOXICATING." Rising to his feet, Zeruel's fingers extended outward like whips, as thin and sharp as razors. "TO LOSE WITHOUT END TO MERE MEMORIES...TO THINK THAT DEFEATING THE TRUE IKARI WOULD BE SUCH A BALM!"

Shinji lowered his hand as though it were a sword, slicing through the whips; with furious energy, he stepped in and lashed out with wild punches.

Zeruel's A.T. Field flickered with each blow, even as the residual force peeled away more aspects of shadow from his corpus. "YET YOU LACK ALL CONCEPTION FOR THAT REALITY, EVEN NOW..." With a wretched snarl, Zeruel smashed his fists against Shinji's head with unerring precision. "HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU TOIL UNDER YOUR DELUSIONS?!"

Even as his own soul's light flashed from the impacts, Shinji nonetheless fought with as much offense as Mister P had displayed in his prior brawl with the Angel's thrall; the one difference now was that were was a bestial aura to the whole affair, lacking any semblance of grace or chivalric vigor. There was only the desire to cause pain on behalf of both participants...

Somewhere else that was simultaneously right beside them...the Angel and the Beast were face-to-face.

The deathly face glared with absolute fury. "FOUL LILITH-SPAWN!"

The gleeful grin of the monster widened. "How much do you remember, Fourteenth Angel?"

That title elicited a roar of outrage.

...and it was a desire they eagerly indulged in, as they grappled with each other, trying to rip and tear each other to pieces. Shinji's shoulders fell against the ground as Zeruel smashed angular fists into his face; fingers reached up, grabbing at the rims of Zeruel's skull for leverage. A harsh yank was all it took to roll over, allowing Shinji to pummel Zeruel from above. With great violence, Zeruel's shadowy flesh lashed out in a storm of tendrils, slashing away at mind and spirit and flesh; Shinji nonetheless endured, ripping away sharp skin even as his A.T. Field weathered the vicious barrage. This was not a clash between warriors or fighters, but a brawl between rabid animals: simultaneously befitting yet utterly demeaning of their natures.

With renewed fury, Zeruel surged forward, eyes brightening with holy fire. Shinji, acting on instinct, brought his hands up over Zeruel's eyes.

CHYOOM.

KABOOM!

A cross-shaped cloud erupted over the landscape, blasting away the entire forest at the base of the mountain; as dust and rubble flew away, the sound of fists striking flesh echoed from within the murk. Cognitive winds slowly blew away the explosion-induced clouds, revealing Shinji and Zeruel still going at it; however scuffed and singed Shinji was, Zeruel's body was actively disintegrating. This reality was solidified by how the thrall's fist shattered upon impact against Shinji's abdomen; in retaliation, Shinji's fingers stabbed forward, piercing through the shoulder of the other arm with deceptive ease.

The Angel gazed down at its decaying form with an expression akin to disgust. "HOW DISAPPOINTING. THE SUBSTANCE BY WHICH YOU LILIM THINK AND ACT AND PERCEIVE...IS SO VERY LIMITED. SO VERY WEAK. SO VERY LACKING...IN MIGHT." As the shadowy corpus of Zeruel's thrall continued to fade away into fragments of cognition and bone, he remarked, "SHOULD YOU PERSIST LIKE THE VERMIN YOU ARE...THEN OUR PATHS SHALL CROSS AGAIN. NEXT TIME WE FACE EACH OTHER...WILL BE IN MY FULLNESS..." There was a strange glint in the skull's eyes. "I CAN ONLY WONDER IF TABRIS HAS DARED TO SEEK YOU OUT...TO TRY AND MEDDLE YET AGAIN...BUT IT WILL NOT AVAIL HIM ANYTHING...NOR WILL IT AVAIL YOU..." As the entirety of the empowered thrall was finally reduced to the original Acolyte's skeleton, Zeruel's voice boomed with finality. "UNTIL NEXT TIME...SHINJI IKARI." Then, even the skeleton itself dissolved.

Shinji Ikari stared at the fading remnants with a grimace.

The Beast sneered.

"Oh, but we're not done yet, are we...?"

With a brief snort, Shinji turned on his heel, stomping up the mountainside towards the research facility.

xxxx

/Moments Earlier/

Well, this has gone tits up, mused Sho Minazuki with a grin as he parried Katsuragi's short sword.

The battle within the Auditorium had taken another swerve as Mayumi Yamagishi had returned, nary a scratch on her.

The girl's hitherto unknown power to seemingly summon Archetypes — one at a time, and only for a single Skill — had only added an additional wrinkle to the battle, even when Keita Asari and Phobos had returned. With AIGIS and LABRYS now being free actors of their own, the A.T. Fields of the trio from Strega were no longer a trump card in and of themselves, as they were in danger of being flawlessly rebuffed by AIGIS or cut through by LABRYS.

The utter chaos was more to Sho Minazuki's taste, to be honest; he clashed with Katsuragi, whilst AIGIS, LABRYS, Kirishima, Yamagishi, and Tokoyo fought in a frenzied scrum with Keita, Musashi, their Personas, and Tsukiyomi. The latter seemed strangely flummoxed by the battle they had found themselves in.

His Other, amidst the chaos, calmly observed their circumstances.

"They have never fought without Sakaki or Shirato...both Hypnos and Moros are immense force multipliers..."

He quietly gazed upon the two boys, eyes gleaming with insight.

"...yet, even empowered by Angels...they are holding back..."

"What's so funny?" growled Misato, her short sword and handgun trembling with barely restrained rage against Sho's twin katanas.

"A lot of things," he sneered, pushing back to change her angle (because that gun barrel was getting very close to his eye); the ferocity was almost intoxicating. (How much of that was himself?) "Mostly that those brats were so gung-ho against a bunch of scrubs, but all it takes for them to wobble is to meet their long-lost sisters?" Inhaling deeply, he summoned a well of strength to rebuff Misato, pushing her back far enough for him to swing freely once more. "What shitty resolve, am I right?!"

Snarling, she managed to close the distance once more, angling both her sword and gun so that he had no choice but to use his twin katanas to stop them. (Was the 'glasses girl' telepathically coordinating their movements again between attacks?) Was Katsuragi trying to physically wear him down? (She has no chance in a battle of attrition with you.) "They're your allies, aren't they?"

"Pfft, get real! Takaya Sakaki brought 'em along for the ride because they're chumps. If they want to destroy humanity, that's fine by me...but that includes people they may not hate, or maybe even like." He managed to lean in closer, all but snarling in Misato's face. "I can tell that Kirishima's never gonna turn, no matter how much they want her to...and if you're gonna kill every last human on Earth, you can't be so wishy-washy."

"What about you," retorted Misato, headbutting him out of frustration. "Why do you want to destroy humanity? What's been done to you?!"

Sho smiled. "It's simple: we deserve it. And I'll serve our just desserts until the whole damn world's a desert! HAHAHAHAHA!" Right as Misato lashed out with a knee to his abdomen, he repulsed her with his A.T. Field. "Kidding-"

A familiar voice suddenly roared through his mind.

"I AM SATISFIED."

Sho paused, holding his swords up in a defensive posture. The hell-?

"THE THIRD CHILD IS PROGRESSING WELL. HIS CONSUMMATION IS STILL A POSSIBILITY. YOU MAY DO AS YOU WISH."

...oh? Sho mentally sneered. What if I want to kill him?

"YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KILL HIM AS YOU ARE."

Zeruel spoke so matter-of-factly that Sho was temporarily confused. So much so, that in that brief lull, his eyes turned toward the gaping hole that had been blown through previously.

Someone stepped through: a demonic silhouette with exaggerated shoulder fins and a singular horn. In the strange mix of muted colors and blooming impressions that came when mixing physicality, spirituality, and mentality together, the being seemed more real than anything else. The fact it walked with loose arms, and a strange slouch to its shoulders...evoked a feeling of primal dread.

He wasn't the only one who had paused. Everyone had stopped fighting, slowly turning to face the newcomer.

It was only upon entering the Auditorium in full that they realized the silhouette overshadowed the form of a grimacing teenage boy, his eyes colored a piercing yellow.

(Mana impulsively stepped back, mind turning back to that fateful day two months ago: when Shinji Ikari had nearly killed her whilst gripped with rage. "Ikari...")

"...what kind of a monster are you?" asked Musashi aloud, eyes wide with shock at the sight of Shinji.

"Ain't it obvious?" said Sho, feeling a strange sense of delight at the feelings that the mere presence of the whelp managed to evoke within him. "It's someone who hates this hellhole of a world as much as I do!"

Shinji Ikari, empowered — possessed? — by Unit-01, roared with unbridled wrath.

It was Keita and Musashi's first time facing an Evangelion-user, so they reacted harshly and with great violence.

A surge of nanomachines roared from Musashi as he and Deimos moved about in a pincer maneuver. Keita and Phobos, meanwhile, delved into a blank disc of emptiness, vanishing from sight.

(Mana watched with stunned silence as her brothers moved with an alacrity they hadn't displayed against her and the others. "What the-?")

Shinji didn't react to Musashi and Deimos's threefold pronged attack; instead, he leaned back-

(Mayumi's mind sparked with insight from above, feeling the incoming attack...)

-and turned on his heels, facing the void that had opened up behind him. Without hesitation, he fell inside to face Keita and Phobos before they could even emerge into the open air.

The nanomachines splashed into the ground where Shinji had been standing, ineffective as to their purpose; Musashi skidded to a stop, yellow eyes wide with surprise. "How did-?"

CRACK.

Keita and Phobos both erupted from a crack in the air, launched out of whatever dimension they had been in; the sheer speed of their collision with the ground caused a great dust cloud to erupt, filling the Auditorium with a blinding haze. Scowling, Musashi willed Deimos's wheel to turn, to unleash a wave of force-

Piercing eyes on a monstrous face emerged from the gloom, right in front of him. "HOLY-!"

Monstrous hands gripped both Musashi's face and Deimos's simultaneously (impossible, they were different sizes-!), gripping tightly before tossing them with an underhanded pitch. The sheer velocity of the throw caused them to carve great trenches in the ground, stopping in a groaning heap by Keita and his Persona.

CLING.

Twin blades crashed against his palms, digging into his A.T. Field. "I'd say heads up, but I'd rather it be heads off," snarled Sho Minazuki with a savage grin, his eyes peering directly into Shinji's. "Man, what a mean look...where was this kind of anger in Okayama? Where were you hiding this-?" A high kick pushed his blades aside, pushing Sho back ever so slightly-

CRUNCH.

-and it was just enough room for Shinji to punch Sho in the torso — breaking through his A.T. Field — with enough force to break his lower ribs. The spike of pain was sudden, sharp, and exhilarating. Tsukiyomi just barely managed to catch Sho, but he almost didn't care. "Heh..." Spitting out a glob of blood, he grinned with teeth stained by crimson. "We're gonna get serious, are we...?" He prepared to summon more of his patron's power, even as Ikari (not even Ikari, not even an Evangelion, he was more like a Beast), strolled with a slouch towards the fallen forms of Strasberg and Asari. "Well, not like I can complain..." he sneered, even as Musashi and Keita wearily looked up at their executioner.

Howling loudly, the Beast raised his hands to crush the two young boys.

They crashed against a shield held by a spectral girl.

The Beast (Ikari?) tilted his head with curiosity; in that instant, Kirishima — still armed with Tokoyo's short sword — and LABRYS attacked from the side, swinging blade and axe with enough force to send the Evangelion-user flying.

As the Beast crashed into the wall on the other side of the Auditorium, Kirishima looked over her shoulder with a fierce expression. "GET OUT OF HERE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" she snarled, focusing mostly on Musashi and Keita.

...eh, why not. Now that he had experienced this side of Shinji Ikari, he wanted a fight when he was fresh. "Well, you heard Little Miss Axe Crazy! Later, hater gators!" Next time...will be a PROPER fight...

As he relied on Zeruel's power to slip through dimensions, Sho felt that he finally had some insight as to why his patron had such a fixation on the Third Child...

xx

As Sho faded away, Mana kept her gaze upon her brothers. There was a strange sensation of looking at them through two other points of view, via Little Sis and Big Sis; it was fortunate, because it allowed her to see their faces in surprising detail: fear, uncertainty, terror...as well as longing and shame...?

(Musashi was wide-eyed at the sight of Big Sis's silhouette. Keita, meanwhile, looked like he was about to break down at the sight of Little Sis holding the shield.)

"Mana-chan, they're with Strega," growled Misato, even as she kept a wary eye on where Ikari had landed. "We can't let them-"

"Now's not the time, Katsuragi!" she retorted, yelling with a force that belied her age. "You haven't faced Ikari like this...you have to go."

"...neesan," muttered Musashi with a stutter. "We can't leave you to face that thing-"

"And I'm telling you to go for your own good! LEAVE!" Saying those words felt like torture. (So long as they lived, there would be a chance...but in the face of whatever hateful rage had possessed Ikari, she didn't trust Ikari to hold back against them. Not while Angels had their nasty fingers in them.)

There was an expression shared by Keita and Musashi: words and thoughts shared on a wavelength she couldn't touch. "...you could come with us," whispered Keita.

As a low moan emerged from Shinji Ikari, Mana forced herself to turn away from her brothers: an act of trust that was strangely paradoxical in the face of how they had throttled her mere weeks ago. Yet it felt right. "My place is here, for now...but you're gonna see the light one day...you'll see."

Her brothers said nothing. "...don't die, neesan," muttered Musashi, even as Keita summoned another void to nowhere and everywhere. As their twin Personas faded, the two brothers supported each other as they stumbled into the vanishing darkness.

"...you're going to regret letting them go," muttered Misato with a strange tiredness.

"Maybe," admitted Mana, watching as Ikari looked at them with an expression that made her want to curl up and die. It beats making them face...whatever the hell THIS is. "...so...got a plan?" she asked, even as AIGIS and LABRYS seamlessly fell into her hands. (The silhouettes vanished? Minimized? Whatever it was, it felt like they rejoined her, filling up that strange absence in an instant.)

Katsuragi snorted, warily keeping her gun aimed at Shinji. "Can't exactly say I've encountered Ayanami in an Overdrive like this before. I'm hoping he'll come to his senses-"

'WE HAVE TO MOVE!'

Mana blinked, stunned by Mayumi's telepathic scream. She barely caught sight of Tokoyo grabbing both her and Misato in each arm, dashing towards the entryway at top speed. Warily looking over the Persona's shoulder, Mana caught sight of Mayumi hovering behind them on Armisael, a look of unbridled panic on her face. Further beyond, she saw Ikari: surrounded by his Evangelion's silhouette, snarling with a familiar rage, his mouth wide and glowing with a brilliant red light...? Oh.

With a defiant and angry roar, Shinji exhaled, loosing the breath of destruction.

CHYOOM!

xx

A cross-shaped explosion ripped through the mountaintop of Himmel's facility, tearing cognition itself into shreds; the residual force bled through into reality itself, as the entire structure collapsed in on itself.

The force of the explosion knocked Tokoyo and Mayumi over; the former curled herself around Mana and Misato, whilst the latter rolled over the ground with pained yelps. They skidded to a stop at the threshold between the facility grounds and the forest surrounding the mountainside.

Definitely didn't expect today to turn out like this, mused Misato, thankful that her Persona had prioritized protecting them physically. Blearily sitting up, she impulsively pulled her backpack off, checking the contents therein. To her dismay, at least a couple of the hard drives looked cracked, having been tossed around during the sudden battle with Strega. I REALLY hope this stuff is still usable. "You kids okay?"

"...ow..." murmured Mayumi; her Persona had already reverted to its compact halo form.

"Been better," grumbled Mana.

"Good." She wasn't looking forward to the debriefing after this mission. I just wanted to find out about my freakin' pet, is that too much to ask?! "Now...what about Shinji-kun?"

Mayumi's expression suddenly curdled with dread. "He's coming..."

Misato grimaced, looking towards the remnants of the Himmel complex; the cognitive void that had been born from Shinji's attack (what was up with the cross-shaped explosion?) was not as well-defined as the perfect spheres caused by Angel Syndrome. It was frazzled and hazy, almost akin to a ball of yarn with how parts of it flickered and strayed away from the whole. Out of the mass emerged Shinji Ikari, still shrouded by the gleaming (burning?) silhouette of his Evangelion. "Ah hell..."

He slowly walked towards them, seemingly without a care in the world; yet his yellow eyes were so very bright.

"...stop!" cried Misato, gripping her pistol with both hands. "Stay back!"

Shinji kept advancing, a hollow growl echoing from his mouth.

Misato's arms rose to take aim (for all the good it would do), right when someone unexpected landed in front of the trio. "...Mister P?!"

The mohawked bird-man and his Persona, Gryphon, stared ahead at Shinji without even looking back. "You've got a lot of power at your fingertips, boy," boldly said the mysterious figure, his hands placed on his hips. "It's best pointed at your actual enemies, don't you think?"

Shinji (no, not Shinji; not even Shogoki; for some reason, Misato couldn't help but think of the thing facing them as a Beast) slowly blinked. A wave of tension rolled through his body, before he continued walking.

"I bought you enough time to chase that Angel's thrall off," remarked Mister P (which elicited a blink of confusion from Misato, because what), still unmoving. "And it seems like Strega decided to flee; there's no one left for you to fight...so let go of that anger."

There was actually a snort of derision from the Beast; he kept advancing, drawing within twenty meters.

"...so is this the way it has to be...?" mused Mister P, his hands slowly clenching into fists. Before he and Gryphon could take a defensive stance, Mana slowly walked forward. "Little Missy?"

"Mana-chan, get back here!" The girl didn't answer; instead, she actually set her axe and shield on the ground, leaving them behind. "What are you doing?!" She didn't answer. "MANA-CHAN!" Without warning, Yamagishi took off after her, quickly walking until she was beside Mana. "Mayumi-chan!" Snarling, Misato went to stop them, only for thick hands to grab her by the upper arms. "Damn it, let me GO you bastard!"

"...let's see what they have in mind, first," murmured Mister P, a strange glint in his eyes. "Perhaps the strength of their bond will be enough..."

Misato struggled anyway, because like hell she was going to let this troublemaker hold her back!

(The fact that Tokoyo hadn't made a move to apprehend the two girls said plenty enough, alas, as to what her true feelings were.)

xx

"...do you have a plan?" asked Mayumi.

"Beyond talking to him? Not really," muttered Mana.

Mayumi looked behind her at the spot where AIGIS and LABRYS had been set down. "Are you sure you don't want your sisters...?" They had seemingly become corporeal in some fashion, during the fight with Strega; why would she not bring them?

"Last time I faced a berserk Ikari, I almost got killed. Would have, had it not been for Katsuragi and the overgrown turkey," remarked Mana with a strangely fatalistic tone. "I already know how that would end, so why bother?"

Mayumi impulsively gulped. "I...see...trying for pacifism?"

"More like keeping myself from impulsively taking a swing at him."

That was fair enough. "Then...I suppose I'll try as well," she muttered, dismissing Armisael with a thought. As her self-image in the Metaverse faded in favor of her normal clothes from the real world, the world itself seemed to close itself off from her mind, ushering forth a strange yet imposing silence. She nonetheless welcomed it, because it kept her from peering into the blazing bonfire that was currently Shinji Ikari's thoughts. (What could have possibly fostered such rage? Was it a function of being an Evangelion-user? Did Ayanami herself carry such intense emotions?)

Mercifully, Shinji had stopped walking, staring at them with...confusion? Expectation? She couldn't tell.

Mana and Mayumi stopped once they were merely ten feet apart; from this close, it appeared that the spiritual and mental construct overshadowing Shinji's body simmered with a heat that didn't burn. "...pretty sure you can hear us, Ikari," said Mana. "How is this gonna end?"

The boy tilted his head.

Mana continued. "If you managed to fight off...whatever that crazy Acolyte was...Zeruel, it was called? If you managed to do that, and scare both Minazuki and my brothers off...there's not much point in trying to fight you. So...can we finish this mission and go home already?"

The boy quietly turned his gaze towards Mayumi.

Don't pass out don't pass out don't pass out, went the mantra inside Mayumi's mind, even as she stuttered, "Um, I...I really don't know the full extent of your power, Ikari-san." Inhale. Exhale. Rinse and repeat. "But...I think I've gotten to know you quite well. Same with Mana-san. And...I know that whatever's driven you to this state...I think...I know...that you hate it. So...you can stop now..."

The boy said nothing.

The thing, however, which overshadowed him, simply chuckled. "You have no conception of hatred, little girl," hissed the Beast. "Neither of you do...not of a hatred that's self-imposed, born from despair, directed inward: diving deep down until it shatters and spills out, inundating everything in a deluge...you likewise have no true concept of a hatred born from an overarching desire to protect something precious, to the point where burning the whole world would be acceptable collateral..." The Beast glanced at Mana. "You have some experience with the latter...but you've already shown your limits. You lack his...desperation...and desperation has a way of breaking through any yoke..."

Mana impulsively bristled. "What the hell are you?"

"A sign of contradiction," it said with a strange sense of blasphemous majesty. "A rotten fruit, born from the sins of many; it is only due to circumstance that Shinji Ikari lacks the mentality to withstand me in my fullness. If that were to change...well, that time will surely come. For I am him, and he is me: is he the mask, or am I the mask? Words to ponder, little children..." Shinji's right hand suddenly trembled, drawing their attention. "But it seems the masquerade must continue..."

"...whatever it is that you are...Ikari-san doesn't have to be bound by you," loudly murmured Mayumi, trying to goad herself into speaking up. "I was bound by an Angel, but he and the others helped free me...so the same can be done for you-!"

"Says the girl whose Persona is a reflection of the very Angel which bound her," interrupted the Beast. Judging by its sneer, her expression amused it. "We're all caged by something...we all bear scars from the lives we have...and I...am simply the scar shaped like Shinji Ikari." With those words said, both of Shinji's hands latched onto the Beast's face. The subtle wrath of that strange apparition faded, leaving only a pained growl; that sound soon gave way to an agonized howl as Shinji Ikari ripped that hollow shell off, as though he were tearing paper in twain. That strange essence of mind and spirit faded, leaving only a teenage boy drawing in deep gasps of air. "I...I'm..."

Mana and Mayumi had already moved forward to catch him as his knees gave out; their calls went unanswered, for consciousness had already left him.

xx

The moment Shinji Ikari fell down, Misato exhaled a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "...damn." The debrief for this is going to suck.

"Well, that could've gone much worse."

And then there's THIS guy. Misato's expression curled with disdain as Mister P turned around to face her; only the fact that his jacket had been ripped open stopped her from verbally tearing into him. Then she noticed the scuffed knuckles on his gloves, and his bruised beak. "...so, what's with you?"

Mister P shrugged. "It's called an all-out brawl with that Angelic thrall. My aim was to distract the monster long enough for Ikari to recover...didn't quite expect he'd lose control to such a degree."

That's a whole 'nother problem to deal with, she inwardly mused, because the words that the boy's Evangelion had said were...concerning. Frightening, even. "More importantly: why are you here?"

"Well, this is a bit of an important place to me."

Misato ruthlessly crushed her paranoia. "I listened to some of the security logs in reality. Seven years ago, in 2008...this facility was practically destroyed because of Angel Syndrome. On the day it fell...the head of security described you as an intruder." When the bird-man didn't respond, she pressed forward. "Why were you here?" Are you actually Pen-Pen? Are you a part of him that was created by whatever experiments he went through...?

After several long seconds of deliberation, the bird-man chuckled. "I have a better idea: I'll answer a question...but you have to pick the topic. I can answer a question about me...or I can answer a question about Ryoji Kaji."

Misato's eyes widened. "You little-"

"Mysteries are all about the give and take, are they not? Part of the challenge is the struggle involved with unveiling them step by step...because a mystery unveiled without effort can lead to mistakes that could otherwise be avoided. But that's just me." The bird-man stepped back, looking at her intently. "What's it going to be, lass?"

"...so that's the way you're going to play it, huh?"

(July the 27th: After trailing Shinji and Mister P to the cognitive double of Aokigahara's forested depths, she had found the bird-man by himself. She demanded clarity as to whether his connection with Kaji's Shadow had anything to do with why he looked like Pen-Pen. "...in a manner of speaking," he eventually answered. "I do know you quite well, but my self-perception in the Metaverse is...a complicated story.")

...with all the data I pulled from Himmel's records, I might be able to get more info on Mister P, and any connection he might have with Pen-Pen. But Kaji...I can't afford to let this slip by. "Kaji took Pen-Pen from this facility on June the 2nd in 2008. Two days later...you showed up. Did Kaji have anything to do with that?"

Mister P, to his credit, took his time with answering. "...to a certain extent. But my decision to come here was motivated by an entirely different desire, separate from whatever motivated Kaji. However...I won't deny that I was partially the catalyst for his greater interest in affairs in the cognitive world."

"So you're the reason he sought out his Shadow?" she accused.

"Hardly," he gravely said. "When did he seek out his Shadow?"

Misato answered immediately. "June the 17th, 2010." His twenty-fifth birthday, she mentally added with a bittersweet grimace.

"So two years after his little jaunt at this place." Sighing, Mister P added, "As someone who's interacted with Kaji and his Shadow not infrequently...his desire for the truth is something fundamental to who he is, even if it be detrimental to his own relationships. Have you ever wondered why that is?"

More than you know. "What are you getting at?"

"Ponder that reality. Think about what in his life could have led to that mentality...and see if it makes sense. If it doesn't...then you're on the right path."

"...eh?" she dumbly repeated.

"And with that, I bid you adieu. Take care of those kids," he casually remarked, stepping backwards; he promptly dropped into a white void, disappearing from sight in an instant. Gryphon swiftly vanished, dispersing into blue flames.

"...I really hate him," grumbled Misato.

Tokoyo, finally sheathing her swords, looked at her with a knowing expression. "Yet you've accepted that he doesn't appear to be motivated by malice..."

And isn't THAT a pain in the ass to admit, mentally grumbled Misato, moving over to get the three teenagers going; it was time to head back to Tokyo-3.

xxxx

As the world turned, the moon was not within the direct line of sight of Japan...not until the evening, when the phase of the waning gibbous would gaze upon the world.

Yet within the shadow cast by the Sun, the Angel of Might quietly ruminated on recent events.

"HOW FORTUITOUS, THAT A TRACE OF MY OLD POWER COULD SERVE AS A SUITABLE VECTOR."

The Third Child...Shinji Ikari...to think that such strength still remained within such a feeble shell. How would he appear, once he had attained to his fullness, when every single shadow and falsehood fell away?

"SHINJI IKARI: YOU ARE THE KEY TO THE PLANS OF SO MANY; THE FULCRUM UPON WHICH DESTINY ITSELF RESTS. WHICH WAY SHALL YOU TILT?"

Time would tell...and yet time also told of an old memory, stirred by the encounter with that beaked interloper, who bore such strange and aggravating power.

"TABRIS...WHERE ARE YOU NOW, I WONDER? DO YOU LOOK UPON IKARI FROM AFAR, AS I DO? DO YOU PONDER HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN, HAD YOU BEEN WITH US AGAINST THE WRETCHED LILIM?"

Alas, and again...time would tell.

And so the world continued to turn.

xxxx

/Hakone Academy/

Anyone observing Kaworu Nagisa would have seen a young teenager, going on a relaxed jog at around midday around the Academy's perfectly manicured grounds.

Then, without warning...they would have seen him slow to a stop by a bench. He had not been winded, nor had he been tired; instead, he had sat down, as if in a trance. With hands folded together, he rested his head upon his knuckles...and waited, with bated breath.

For over a seemingly interminable length of time, he had listened and observed from far, far away: through means that only he could use, he had witnessed the battle at Himmel's old and decrepit facility, between Zeruel's thrall and Shinji Ikari; between Strega and Ikari's cohort; between Zeruel's thrall and Mister P; between Zeruel's thrall and the Beast.

When it all came to an end...as if time itself had resumed, Kaworu inhaled deeply, eyes opening slowly. "So...this is where we stand," he quietly mused to himself. "...perhaps it would have been more merciful, if the Third Child were subjected to the same cycle that grips us all...but nonetheless, I am glad you survived another day, Shinji-kun." Leaning back against the bench, his red eyes peering beyond the horizon. "If you are going to live...then you must live until the end. It would be a cruel and deplorable fate indeed, if you were to fall before your time..."

For the time being, he could only endure.

And so Kaworu Nagisa rose, resuming his interrupted jog...albeit with somewhat more intensity than he had demonstrated before.

xxxx

Upon Mt. Nyoho, in Tochigi Prefecture, within the Metaverse: at the place where the Himmel Research Institute had been rendered into even more of a ruin.

The Reaper gazed at its remnants, its eye shining brightly from beneath its sackcloth mask. Strangely, the characteristic madness had faded, ever so slightly; the malice and wrath remained, yet the deranged insanity had seemingly departed...if only for a short while.

Something had happened here, tickling at its peripheral senses; bereft of its master's guiding hand — so focused the One Who Sat Upon the Throne was on the struggle between Phanuel and Minako, now in its sixteenth day — the essence of the Reaper could more fully experience the fullness of causality.

And it was truly pleased.

"Could he be the one...?" it growled, sounding more lucid than usual. However, this moment of clarity swiftly passed, as the mania took hold once more. "Me excited!" Raising its guns, it took aim at the cognitive remnants of Himmel's facility; firing Megidolaons with rapid abandon, it swiftly reduced a good chunk of Mt. Nyoho into a true Dead Zone.

Satisfied, it went on its way.

xxxx

Shinji Ikari didn't know where he was.

The Beast smiled.

"You haven't yet reached the point where you can handle me...Ayanami was a fool."

Yet he nonetheless answered, speaking with what resided in the abyss of his heart.

"I won't let you hurt them."

The Beast was amused. "I am thou, and thou art I; the only reason you're capable of hurting them is because part of you wants to hurt them."

"I don't believe that..."

"You don't WANT to believe it. Yet you know already that this world is false: a product of spirit and cognition. It is not the world you long for...it is not the world you crave."

"...what is it that you think I want...?"

"What you want is beyond your grasp...and that terrifies you. And that terror has sowed a seed of truly exquisite wrath, that would rather see the world burn than acknowledge your fear."

"And what is it that I fear?"

The Beast cackled, before kicking him away. "You know, but you don't remember...you're getting closer...what will finally be the catalyst...?"

Grimacing, he fell through himself, and into the wider world, where everything threatened to spill into him, to replace the emptiness with something of substance, of meaning-!

His Other stood against the deluge.

"You are not empty. A forgotten memory is not lost...nor is it something that has been destroyed. You are only as empty as you allow yourself to be...so take a stand! Stand against the tide!"

That vague fear faded, giving way to a familiar sharpness: ambiguity was once more cut away, leaving scenes that were drawn into sharp focus.

Zeruel was assaulted by a blue titan, vanishing beneath hellish fire that consumed them both; yet the deathly monster was unharmed.

Zeruel stormed through a glass pyramid, peering down at tiny humans as though they were ants; with a vengeful howl, he stormed at the monster, punching at it with his only(?) arm.

Zeruel's gaze burned and destroyed, exposing his heart(?) to the open air; with clinical precision, the monster calmly stabbed and stabbed and stabbed, and his heart(?) continued to crack(?) under each blow.

He lowered his right hand, eviscerating(?!) Zeruel from afar. But it was not him that moved, but the Beast; crushing Zeruel's face, he began to feast(?!).

That Angel: what connected them? Why was he seeing these strange visions?

Well before the monster met his end, Zeruel faced a red titan. With contemptuous ease, the monster's arms sliced off the titan's arms(!), and then its head(!).

His insides clenched with anxiety; that trepidation gave rise to something new, yet old; lost, but never gone.

The red sea parted.

A hand emerged from the depths.

It dragged down the most important person in the world.

There was a wretched scream, but it was not his own.

Panic threatened to overwhelm him.

These events — these memories — were all bound by threads of fate, irrevocably bound and connected to a fixed point.

High in the heavens: beyond the Earth, beyond the Moon, beyond the Sun...there was a woman.

A woman that was somehow timeless and ageless; yet she had a beginning as much as he did.

A woman that he...knew, somehow. "...mother...?"

The woman looked down at him with Unit-01's face.

xxxx

Shinji sat up with a fright in a hospital cot, short of breath and hyperventilating. A tiny trash bin was in his lap; without hesitation, he promptly vomited what little there was, heaving with horrible groans for the better part of a minute.

It was only when he stopped that someone spoke calmly from beside his cot. "This is becoming a trend," quietly observed Rei Ayanami.

"Ayanami-san," murmured Shinji, trying to sit up. "...how long was I out...?"

"...not quite as long as you were out the last time you entered your Ascended State, five days ago," answered Rei, hands folded neatly in her lap. "Judging from what I heard from the debriefing with Katsuragi-san, Kirishima-san, and Yamagishi-san...it was considerably more stressful."

The fragments that Shinji could remember from earlier that day — dominated as they were by the image of an Acolyte's skeletal corpse, empowered by something otherworldly, with a deathly face — testified to that reality. Speaking of which, "Are they okay?"

"They were in less dire straits than you," she stoically answered. "Although Dr. Akagi wanted to be present for your awakening, she is busy analyzing Kirishima-san and Yamagishi-san."

"Why?"

Rei coolly remarked, "If Kirishima-san's weapons moved of their own volition through nothing but sheer spiritual power, and Yamagishi-san manifested an ability that allowed her to use Archetypes as single-use Skills, how do you think she would react?"

"...they're in The Tube™, aren't they?"

(Elsewhere within NERV HQ, Mana and Mayumi sneezed in tandem.)

"Yes."

It was odd, feeling grateful to wake up in a hospital cot that had already become too familiar for his liking. The sheer monotony of that cylindrical scanner would have given him time to do nothing but think...and with what had just happened, he couldn't help but think about what had just happened. "Ayanami-san...is there something wrong with me?"

Rei blinked. "What do you mean?"

"...I nearly lost control of myself, in my Ascended State," he murmured, looking down at his right hand. "There's something..."

Another place. Another time.

He looked at a hand, stained with white. His hand.

How disgusting.

"...ugly, inside of me. Something ugly about me, And...if it hadn't been for Kirishima-san or Yamagishi-san...I..." He didn't want to complete the sentence, much less the thought.

After several seconds of silence, Ayanami quietly said, "It is unpleasant, to ponder the darkness within our hearts. Yet Evangelion, so intimately united to the fullness of who we are...during the stress of battle, it can be easy to for human passions to take hold, if you're not prepared."

Shinji looked at her, wondering if there was a glimpse of human passion on her face. As ever, she was stoic and detached; yet to speak as she had, as one with first-hand experience...could it be? "Ayanami-san...do you...struggle with the same thing?" (Did she have a dark side like him? Was it possible that he could gain control over it, as she apparently did...?)

Rei's red eyes gazed into his own, peering deeply; what did she, when she looked at him? "...the anger...and the wrath you carry within you...tinged by hatred...it is not a sentiment I possess. However," she added, before he could impulsively whither with shame, "my darkness...is sorrow; anguish...and despair." With a cool expression, she murmured, "Hatred can be tempered...and anger and wrath can be channeled for a righteous cause...but despair can devour you whole, effortlessly. Sometimes...I wish it were easier to become angry; easier to hate."

Shinji stared at Ayanami as though she had grown another head. "...why?"

"Because then it would be easier to rouse myself to action, to do what is necessary. The will to pursue my duty, at the expense of everything else...is something I've gained only after many years. Habit and routine help keep me going, when there are times I just want to stop...and let the world leave me behind." Sighing, she looked down at her hands, which were clutching tightly at the folds of her skirt, almost of their own volition. "But that would be a betrayal of too many people...and so I tell myself to keep going." Looking back at him, she bore a weak and pathetic smile, empty of any sort of joy or contentment. "My anger...and my hatred...burned away long ago. I would almost welcome it...because that fire can help push you forward beyond your limits, when the cold will only sap you, and make you want to perish...do you understand?"

Shinji wished that he could. (Alas, he lacked the empathy to do so...if only he were of a more noble spirit...) "Ayanami-san..."

"...whatever place that hatred of yours is born from...you have bonds who can temper it. As you grow, I don't doubt you will learn how to deal with it...such is the nature of human life, and human existence." Slowly rising to her feet, Ayanami nodded briefly at him: a gesture of respect, of mutual solidarity. "That is something I have hope in." (As Ayanami turned away, under her breath, she muttered, "I have no choice but to hope in that." Shinji did not hear her.) "Rest well, Ikari-kun."

Thus was Shinji left alone. Fatigue seemed to settle in once more, so he lay back down, staring at a ceiling that was both familiar yet unfamiliar. He thought of his friends, and the people he had bonds with; he pondered the state of his heart, and wondered why Evangelion seemed so different for him than it did with Ayanami.

Even as he tried to assure himself of Ayanami's words...he couldn't help but ponder what was missing, that would have helped to make sense of everything.

(What was he missing?)

(Who are you missing?)

xxxx

Over four hundred kilometers northeast of Tokyo-3, Asuka Langley-Sohryu sat upon the flat masonry surrounding an old, squat little lighthouse.

Kinkasan Lighthouse sat upon a tiny island of the same name in Miyagi Prefecture, serving as a beacon for ships headed to Sendai or other lesser ports in the region. After dealing with Ghosts along the nearby Oshika Peninsula earlier, she had come here to watch the darkness of night approach from the east.

After her little 'tour' of Hakone Academy had ended earlier that day, she had thrown herself into doing more missions. It had been a necessary distraction, because some strange feeling had been gnawing at her all day. "Pisses me off," she grumbled to herself, arms crossed around her knees. "Get yourself together, Asuka. You still have a job to do...so long as you're an Evangelion-user, you'll always have a purpose in this world. You'll always be able to fight, even if no one else can, or will..." The fact she even had to give herself this damned pep talk said volumes. "...feh." Leaning back against the old brickwork around the lighthouse — still warm after soaking in the sun all day — Asuka stared at the sky above, watching as the stars began to peek through, one by one. "...who am I trying to fool...?" she wondered aloud, feeling that years-old uncertainty rear its ugly head once more. "Mama...would you have known why I feel this way...?" she whispered aloud, only because no one was around to hear.

Even as she tried to assure herself of her own words...she couldn't help but ponder what was missing, that would have helped to make sense of everything.

(What was she missing?)

(Who are you missing?)

xxxx

END OF 9/2/2015

xxxx

Author's Note: Welp, that could've gone better. But it could have gone worse, as well. These kids need a break.

On the plus side: Shinji got practice with summoning more than one Persona at a time; Mayumi manifested a unique ability; and Mana's bond with AIGIS and LABRYS has gotten to the point where they can act of their own volition (and consciously at that, unlike from the battle against Armisael). Also, Misato's hate-on for Mister P has decreased ever so slightly!

On the other hand: Strega got away; Zeruel has something planned beyond petty vengeance after all; likewise the Reaper; the Beast continues to be an angry boi; Rei continues to be too sad. :(

/if only Shinji had more Empathy
/then we could've gotten another Social Link rank-up!