"TO ME! Pellinore!"
Blistering energy surges through the air, nearly taking the ground out from under you. Gin has become a demon bathed in blue, his face bloodied where he tore off the mask. He fixes you with a fiercely determined stare as his Persona materializes beside him. It's taken on a new form, its evolution seemingly induced by its master abandoning his restraint. Whereas Percival retained some semblance of a human form, Pellinore is entirely sleek and machine-like, its frame reminiscent of a huge hawk with its wings pinned back in an eternal dive, kept aloft by jet thrusters that fill the air with a turbulent roar. Five smaller, conical drones erratically zip about the main body like wasps, but the way they keep their points trained on you reminds you more of hunting dogs straining against their leash.
"There. No need to hold back anymore," he mutters, wiping the blood from his eyes.
Mom puts a hand on your shoulder and gently pushes you back. Meeting Gin's ferocity with her own, her body erupts in a corona of purple smoke, and half of the white, crown-shaped mask of the Empress takes shape upon her face.
"Get behind me, Tetsuo. I can't fight well, but I can hold him off so you can escape."
"Absolutely not," you protest, your chest tight and hot with indignation. "I won't let him take you from me. I can handle him, trust me."
For a moment, Mom's expression softens as she looks at you with boundless love.
"Together, then. As long as you stay close, I'll make sure he doesn't lay a finger on you. Can you promise me that much?"
"Of course. Now let's settle this."
Gin's mouth creases into a sneer.
"Pellinore, open fire."
With little more warning than that, two panels on Pellinore's wings slide open to reveal gleaming silver barrels. Its drones assemble themselves into a tight ring around the main body, and their pointed noses slide open to reveal more artillery. With a loud whirring, they spin up like the barrel of a minigun, faster and faster until the muzzles flash, releasing a hailstorm of bullets.
Without hesitation, Mom throws up another barrier, and the entire yard rings with the ceaseless snare drum beat of the bullets as they rattle against it and ricochet off in dozens of different directions, riddling the slump block walls that surround the yard with holes. Clenching her jaw tightly, she pushes forward against the riotous gunshots with you closely behind, drawing closer and closer to Gin and Pellinore until it's no longer safe for him to keep shooting.
"Cease fire!" shouts Gin over the noise. Pellinore's barrels go quiet, the drones spin down and disperse, and you have your opening. Mom drops her shield, and you lunge at your former teammate in a flash of blue.
"KAY!"
The Persona heeds your call, and in one swift motion, he pins Pellinore to the ground with two of his thick, powerful arms and swipes at Gin with the others. However, Gin reacts just quickly enough to backstep out of Kay's reach.
"Pellinore, deploy the flash bombs!"
The drones let out a high-pitched whine, and the yard explodes into a flood of white light, forcing you and Kay to throw up your arms and release Gin's Persona.
"I see. The others really were just cognitions…those were your Personas all along," he says to himself while you rub spots from your eyes. "Not that it matters. You're still just a couple of Shadows – I'll crush you all the same!"
Pellinore shoots through the fading glare, and again, Mom leaps in front of you to parry the strike. Bouncing off her shield, Pellinore swoops back around before surrounding itself in nuclear energy and dropping into another divebomb. The collision results in an explosion that rips through the air with a deafening howl and bathes the yard in a harsh blue glow, but Mom continues to hold firm.
Over and over again, Pellinore streaks through the air, pummeling the barrier with blow after blow to no avail. Mom stands tall against the onslaught, her slender frame sending off plumes of dark smoke like a bonfire, but the effort isn't without its cost. Each time Pellinore throws itself at her, her limbs shake a little more, her knees begin to buckle, and her feet sink into the soft earth. You can't let Gin impose his will like this without fighting back. It's time to send a message.
Pellinore wheels around for another run. Once it goes into its dive, it's a perfect target.
"Give me a clear shot," you tell Mom. A look of concern passes across her face, but she ultimately lowers the barrier.
"Perfect. Come! Bors!"
The enormous Persona screeches up alongside you, leveling his lance at the enemy barreling towards you.
"Take aim!"
The weapon unfurls, and a radiant gleam wells up from within.
"Bring it down!"
Gin's eyes go wide.
"Pull up!" he shouts, gesticulating wildly at Pellinore.
A spear of light fires from the barrel of Bors's lance, cleaving the sky in two. Pellinore's moving too fast to abort its dive, but its drones gather beneath one wing and boost, tilting it just enough to avoid taking the blast head-on. The beam clips its side, and Pellinore careens to the ground, damaged, but intact.
Gin winces and clutches his side. The spot Bors struck was close to where he'd been wounded by Taishi. However, he pulls himself upright again, and you can practically see the gears turning in his head as he fixes his burning gaze on Mom.
"Dammit…that barrier's a problem," he grunts to himself as Pellinore pulls itself aloft alongside him.
The last thing you want is to give Gin enough time to come up with a plan, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to press your advantage. You hop into Bors's chariot and wave Mom in beside you.
"Now! Run him down!"
The giant knight lowers his lance, and the chariot races headlong towards your foe. Pellinore's drones light up, readying themselves to blind you again, but Mom raises her shield and blocks the flash before it goes off. Unable to stop you, Gin has to throw himself aside to avoid getting run over, and Mom's shield catches him in the side. Bors hurtles past him, crashing through the house, out the front door, and into the street before coming to a halt.
You and Mom stumble off the chariot, brushing dust and debris from your hair and shoulders as you attempt to regain your footing after the impact. The two of you watch the hole in the house carefully for any sign of Gin, but the thick cloud of grey dust hanging over the scene makes it difficult discern anything more than hazy shapes within.
Your fingers twitch. He has to be in there somewhere. You could end it right here if you wanted to, but a drop of lingering doubt keeps you from issuing the command.
He Rin's brother. What would she think?
She would have to understand, right? You've both been treated poorly by fate in the real world. What right does Gin have to force you to return? He made his choice the moment he turned on you.
The memories you've made, all of your friends, this body…you can't give that up just to go back to square one. You can't go back. It's unacceptable. Unacceptable. Unacceptable.
"LE FAY! FINISH HIM!"
The sorceress appears in a whorl of blue flame and thrusts her arms to the sky. Her spellbook emits a hellish red light, and the ground rumbles ominously. An X-shaped fissure opens before you, spewing a horde of violent lost souls towards the heavens, consuming what remains of the house with a frenzied roar.
Transfixed, you stare at the curse as it blazes, bathing your upturned face in a crimson glow. Suddenly, your chest feels very heavy as the weight of what you've done sets in. Then, near the apex of the wall of specters high above, there's a glint of light.
Pellinore drops out of the sky like a meteor with Gin clinging to its back, the two of them bristling with nuclear fury so potent that the air hums with it. Even at such a great distance, you can feel the scorn in Gin's eyes boring holes into your heart, his lips peeled back in a wild grin.
"This is it, Tetsuo! The next time we meet, it'll be back in the real world! Pellinore, prepare the Demon Core!"
A panel on Pellinore's underside slides open to reveal a pulsing little ball of energy. It throbs menacingly once it hits the open air, sending a wave of heat across your body and a chill down your spine.
"Don't you dare harm my son!" Mom cries out. She steps forward, and with a few deft motions of her hands, she weaves a tremendous wall of magic, a blockade of revolving sigils that unfold like flower petals, dwarfing her in size and illuminating the entire block in its brilliance. Its magnificence reassures you that whatever Gin's capable of, nothing could pierce a shield like this.
Gin, however, doesn't look deterred in the least. With little more than a few seconds separating him and Mom's shield, he straightens up and leaps off of his Persona.
"Do it now! Nuke Break!"
By the time you notice the drones latched onto her back, it's too late.
Your heart plummets. When did he have the opportunity? Was it when Mom struck him during Bors's charge? Crackling with power, the drones dig their pointed beaks into her, discharging a surge of energy into her flesh. Mom shrieks in pain, and the shield crumbles into a million shards of light. With nothing standing between it and its target, Pellinore picks up speed. Cradling the Demon Core close to its body, it closes the distance in an instant, and punches through Mom's torso like she isn't even there.
The next few seconds seemingly unfold in slow motion.
An anguished scream claws its way out of your lungs.
"You bastard!"
Acting on pure instinct, you summon Kay, and he plucks Pellinore out of the air like a catcher snagging a stray pitch. The insane heat coming off of the Demon Core is almost indescribable, searing both yours and Kay's hand alike. Despite the excruciating pain, Kay flips the Persona around in his hand, winds up, and launches Pellinore back at Gin like a dart.
This time, his reactions can't save him. Pellinore collides with him at top speed. For a moment, everything goes deathly silent, as though all sound has been sucked into the Demon Core itself. Then, with a deafening BANG, your vision is consumed by a violent, blue light. You drop to your knees and tuck your head under your arms as the world howls around you, only venturing to uncurl yourself once you can no longer see the glow of the explosion through your eyelids.
Immediately, you race over to Mom's prone form. Purple embers sputter from the hole in her chest, and the shards of her mask are strewn across the asphalt around her. Still, as you ease her head into your laps and cradle her in your arms, her golden eyes find yours.
"Tetsuo…" she gasps. Your jaw clenches, and hot tears begin to stream down your face. Her hand reaches out for your cheek, but doesn't quite make it. "Ah…you're okay."
"It's all right, Mom. Everything's going to be fine. I-I can fix this – I can do anything! Just stay with me!"
The smile she gives you pierces you straight through the heart.
"It's all right…you don't need to do anything. Just being able to do something right for once is more than enough. Please, Tetsuo…whatever you do…do what makes you happy. That's all I ever wanted…"
Her voice trails off, and the edges of her body begin to crumble into wisps of black smoke.
"No," you stammer, pulling her body even tighter against you as if it would help keep her there. "No no no no, you can't leave me! Not here, too! Nyneve! Bring her back! Bring her back!"
But despite your summons, Nyneve doesn't answer. This can't be happening. Not now. Why won't she respond to you?
"Mariko! Nyneve!" you bawl, "I command you to obey me! I'm your master, dammit!" you cry out, but to no avail. Mom's Shadow disintegrates in your arms, leaving nothing behind but the wingbeats of butterflies. Empty, your arms drop limply to your sides.
Distraught, you remain like that for a while, staring blankly into the cloudy sky as Mom's Cloud falls apart. Even here, the things you love keep getting taken away from you. If you're supposed to be the one in control of this world, then why does it still feel like everything is falling apart?
The answer to your unspoken question comes from the sound of something stirring farther down the street. A battered figure draped in the tattered remains of a lab coat pulls itself from the blasted-out remains of an apartment complex, bloodied and broken, but alive. Unsteadily, he lurches a few steps towards you before his legs give out and he collapses into a fit of coughing and hacking.
"GIN!"
Filled with blinding rage, you leap to your feet and sprint towards him at full tilt, only to be stopped immediately by the appearance of an angel in the road. Her appearance is striking, like a mannequin fashioned from panes of stained glass depicting a woman of intense beauty. A great flame burns within her transparent flesh, illuminating her surroundings with beams of flickering, colored light. She raises a hand, and a scorching ray of fire cuts across the street, raising a wall of searing hot flames between you and Gin. It's a spell you've seen before.
"That's enough."
Yoko steps into view on the opposite side of the wall. Her uniform is also gone, replaced by a stark white jumpsuit with a blue-fringed shawl draped across her shoulders.
"…Thank you, Guinevere," she says to her Persona, who responds with a short bow. She vanishes, and a mask resembling a pair of triangular sunglasses appears across the bridge of Yoko's nose. She then turns to her partner.
"Gin, you idiot. What were you thinking? The Doctor told us that we're not supposed to engage."
She reaches out a hand, pulls him upright and drapes his limp frame over her shoulders. Gin coughs up a gob of something dark and sticky, and fixes you with a dark stare.
"Forget Isshiki. Don't you think we're past the point of following her advice? What we've been doing hasn't worked."
Yoko sighs in frustration.
"Gin, please. We can still-"
"Still what? Keep fighting Shadows, and hope that the next one will be the source of the distortions? It doesn't matter how many of the damned things we kill, he just makes another one! We're past the point of no return, Yoko. He doesn't want this dream to end."
He wriggles weakly in her grasp, but Yoko refuses to let him go.
"Just give me some medicine, and I'll be good to go again. I almost had him, Yoko! With the two of us together, we could do it!"
Although Yoko's expression is obscured by her mask, you can still read the disappointment in the thin line of her pursed lips.
"No. For now, I'm taking you back to Rin and getting you patched up. Again. She thinks she's figured something out, so we'll hear what she has to say, and decide what to do from there." She shoots you a pained look. "Whatever that ends up being."
Gin scoffs, but doesn't have enough fight left in him to protest any further. They turn to leave, and hot fingers of resentment and betrayal claw at your chest. You wish you could burst through the burning barricade and force them to answer for their actions, but the most you can do is uselessly call out after them.
"Yoko!"
She stops, and glances back over her shoulder.
"Why are you doing this to me? I don't want to go back to the way things were before! What do you think I came here to escape in the first place?!"
"This isn't easy for me, either," she says without meeting your eyes. It makes you angry, to see her face so full of pity. "After everything we've been through with you, I knew this moment would hurt. But Gin, Rin, and I – we don't belong here in this world of yours. We've tried everything we could to get you to wake up naturally, but it's like Gin said: you've dug yourself in so deep."
You can hardly believe what you're hearing.
"Wh-What do you mean, 'you don't belong?' Of course you do! Y-You're my friends! It wouldn't be so bad to stay here with me and the others, would it?"
You snap your fingers, and Hayate, Koharu, and Shibutani materialize beside you, broad grins plastered across their faces. The corners of your own lips pull back in what you hope is a reassuring smile.
Yoko winces.
She inhales deeply, then finally meets your stare with one of her own.
"I don't want to give up on you, Tetsuo, and neither does Rin. But we can't spend the rest of our lives here. One way or another, all this has to come to an end. I just want you to be prepared for what that means."
With that, she turns her back, and the two of them hobble off down the street. Once they're out of the sight, the wall of flames disperses, and the snow begins to fall again.
Drained, you drop to your knees, and your friends disappear in puffs of smoke. Somehow, you've ended up back where you started – scared, alone, and unsure of what to do. Nowhere seems safe from Nightmare now, not even home. You need somewhere safe, somewhere you can work through what you've learned, and figure out what to do next.
As if answering your prayers, your phone buzzes in your pocket. It's a message from the one person you know you can still rely on, perhaps the one person who could still possibly help you make sense of what's going on.
[Toshima General. Room 485. We have much to discuss. -Nisekao]
