Staring up at the legions of black wings that poured from the mockery of his own face, Tetsuo certainly felt the iron grip of fear coil itself around his heart. It was difficult to stare at Nyarlathotep too closely; if he focused his eyes on any one spot of the mask's surface, he saw his own contorted reflection being torn apart by a throng of shadowy hands. And even when did manage to avert his eyes, there was no escaping the wretched noises that wormed their way in between his ears. The air was rife with an undercurrent of tortured shrieks that sounded too much like his friends for comfort.

He stumbled backwards, struggling to maintain his concentration. Yoko appeared to be having similar trouble. She was doubled over next to him, her hands clamped to her ears.

"Ghhh! Stop! I can't-!" she groaned, dropping to her knees as her mace fell to the floor with a dull clang.

"Hey, c'mon! Get a hold of yourselves!"

Hayate and Koharu reached down and helped Tetsuo and Yoko upright again.

"It's okay…I'm alright…I can do this," Tetsuo groaned, and gave his head a quick shake. He could still see those horrible images burned into the inside of his eyelids.

Shibutani and Mariko summoned Bors and Nyneve to hold Nyarlathotep at bay. The two Personas unleashed a barrage of spear thrusts and lightning bolts at the mask's eyes and mouth, but every time it looked like they were about to connect, a thick cloud of black monarchs hid him from sight, and their attacks hit thin air.

"What's this now? Making your cognitions fight for you? Is that how you've been mitigating my influence?"

A deafening roar issued from the mask's mouth. Lengths of ghostly chains erupted from the ground and wound themselves tightly around Tetsuo's cognitive friends.

"Perhaps I should have expected you to rely on them. But no matter - it's a mistake I won't make again. From here on out, you fight your own battles."

Nyarlathotep's jaw slammed shut, and a shockwave rent the air. Hayate, Koharu, Shibutani, and Mariko let out a short cry and burst into plumes of purple smoke as the chains constricted and tore through their bodies.

"NO!" shouted Tetsuo.

He turned his focus inward, trying to see if he could call them back, but it was like casting about for a match in a pitch-black room. Panic was swiftly setting in, muddling his thoughts and making his pulse race. Nyarlathotep laughed, high and cold.

"What are you so upset about? We can always remake them." He then turned his burning gaze on Yoko. "Now…the uninvited guest."

Yoko, her face pale as a sheet and slick with sweat, took ahold of Tetsuo's arm to steady herself and tore her mask off.

"C'mon, Guinevere!"

She bludgeoned an incoming tendril aside with a swing of her mace, and Guinevere unleashed a jet of fire at Nyarlathotep's mouth in return. But once again, the black monarchs intervened. They flocked to their master, snuffing out the flames like a thick blanket without leaving even a wisp of smoke in their wake. Grimacing, Yoko commanded Guinevere to try again and again, but nothing seemed to be able to penetrate Nyarlathotep's winged cloak.

Frustrated, Yoko relented for a moment. Sensing an opening, Nyarlathotep's mouth opened wide and another tendril shot out. It shuddered, then morphed into the shape of a spear as it sought to bury itself between her ribs.

The sight sparked Tetsuo's addled brain back into action. He sprang forward and narrowly tackled her aside, feeling the tip of the spear slice across the small of his back as they fell. A groan dribbled out of his mouth as he rolled off of her. There was a sharp pain blossoming across his skin as he hurried to get back on his feet again.

"Come now, Tetsuo. You're going to make it awfully hard to keep you in one piece if you keep getting in the way like this."

"Piss off," Tetsuo growled under his breath.

He tried summoning Launcelot so he could take a shot at Nyarlathotep, but found his mind so choked with haze that he couldn't even sense his Persona's presence at all. It was as if the gaping void that surrounded them had wriggled into his soul and expanded like a balloon, filling each and every corner of his mind with numbing emptiness.

Yoko stared at the cut on his back. "Tetsuo...! Are you gonna be okay?"

Tetsuo tried putting on what he hoped was a brave face. "We're gonna be in a lot worse shape if we can't figure out how to fight back. I…I can't summon Launcelot at all."

"I don't know that it'd do much good anyways - everything we've tried just slides right off. It's like we can't even touch this thing." She took in a deep breath and swallowed. "Listen, I don't wanna panic, but what are we supposed to do here? I mean, how are we supposed to fight something we can barely look at?"

Then, a voice cut through their thoughts.

[The two of you ran off to kill a demon, and neither of you thought to come up with a strategy? What did I expect?]

A gleaming ball of light screamed by overhead, leaving a glowing trail in its wake. As it approached Nyarlathotep, several smaller glittering objects split off of the main body and dove at him, embedding their pointed tips into the mask's surface like a host of tiny darts. The air strobed a brilliant shade of turquoise, and the demon snarled as the drones discharged their payload, immolating the shroud of black monarchs instantly.

"Pellinore?! Gin?"

The two of them whipped around to catch sight of the white-haired boy dashing up alongside them.

"Don't get too excited. He's way too strong for me to do anything but suppress his aura," he grunted, and Tetsuo could tell from the strain creasing his forehead and violent, flashing red displays on his visor that he meant it. But it was working - the screaming had gone silent, and all Tetsuo could see in the enemy's polished surface now was his own reflection.

"I knew you'd come around!" grinned Tetsuo before another thought struck him. "Hold on, what about Rin?"

"She told me to quit worrying about her and get my ass down here...so I did. Besides, it didn't sit right with me to let this monster off the hook for what he did." Gin replied through heavily gritted teeth. "Now knock it off with the chit-chat and figure out how to destroy this thing! I can't hold him back forever!"

"All right…here goes nothing. PERSONA!" Tetsuo cried out. But yet again, nothing answered his call.

Nyarlathotep's lips twisted into a demented grin.

"Has it sunk in yet? This resolve of yours is a farce. I hold your heart in my hands, Tetsuo. I know what you truly yearn for." He leaned towards him. His mouth hung slightly ajar, and wisps of smoke drooled out. "So long as you still desire to remain in this world, you cannot harm me in any way that matters."

Tetsuo's temples throbbed, and he ground his teeth together so tightly that it felt like they might shatter. Harder and harder he strained, seeking in vain to latch onto one of his Personas - any of them.

"You're full of it…I-I don't need you."

Nyarlathotep's eyelids narrowed. "Is that so? I wonder if that's true."

The mask's jaw unhinged, and from the murk within, two whiplike appendages shot out and wrapped themselves around Tetsuo's torso.

"Tetsuo!" Yoko cried out. She and Guinevere leapt towards him, but before she could conjure a lick of flame, the tendrils yanked him bodily towards Nyarlathotep's waiting maw. The last thing he remembered before the darkness swallowed him whole was the sound of the Shadow's mouth slamming shut behind him.

• • • • •

As quickly as it had been taken from him, his consciousness returned. Dazed, Tetsuo took a couple tentative steps forward and felt around. The floor beneath his feet gave off the gentle squeals of somewhat rotted wood.

Somewhere far overhead, a bright spotlight flickered on, illuminating him in a neat yellow circle. Tetsuo dropped into a ready stance, expecting something to come leaping out at him, but halted as he discovered that he couldn't drop his hands below his waist. There was a strange resistance, like something was pulling his arms in the opposite direction. He shifted his weight ever so slightly, and he saw them glint in the light - a set of fine, taut wires extending from his wrists, rising up, up, up into the darkness overhead.

Then, a mighty tug yanked his arms up over his head and nearly dislocated them from their sockets. He thrashed about uselessly as the wires hoisted him off of the floor, and a host of unseen voices snickered cruelly at his efforts. Finally, he stopped ascending, and two giant faces emerged from the gloom.

"Lookit 'im squirm," growled Chikara.

"You ought to know your place," Taishi sneered.

Then, a third face appeared between them, and Tetsuo's throat tightened.

"All you had to do was do as you're told. How many lessons do you need?"

Souichiro lifted Tetsuo up to eye level, and as he drew near, the older boy's face grew grotesque and mottled, much like Mordred's had been, with wild eyes and a wicked smile that was far too wide for his jawline. Souichiro scoffed.

"What, you're not still mad about the guitar, are you? Well that won't do. Friends shouldn't be upset with each other. How about you take a swing to make things even?"

Tauntingly, the wires brought Tetsuo even closer until he could practically see his own pitiful reflection in Souichiro's pupils.

"Go on, then. Give me your best shot."

Seeing himself dangling there helplessly filled him with hot, embarrassed fury, and he couldn't help but take the bait.

He cocked his fist back, ready to drive it right into one of Souichiro's eyes when he felt the wires tug again. His stomach leapt into his throat as he was pulled back into the air, followed by the sensation of weightlessness as the lines went slack. Then, suddenly, he was screaming towards the floor, dragged along by an invisible roller coaster without brakes. The tiny circle of light grew larger and larger as he raced towards it and then -

CRUNCH

His limbs went numb and he crumpled like a ragdoll. Pain exploded all over his body like the fireworks that swam in front of his vision. As his sight began to clear, a host of indistinct, leering faces joined Chikara, Taishi, and Souichiro's. He wasn't sure if it was the ringing in his ears twisting itself into some crude imitation of melody, but it almost sounded as if twisted, broken music was drifting in from somewhere in the distance.

"Dipshit!" Souichiro crowed. Tetsuo felt himself being dragged upright, and the wires guided his limbs into an awkward, shambling dance. A burst of laughter went up from the crowd.

"What do you think is gonna happen if you come back, huh? Nobody's gonna expel me - my family'll see to that. It'll be just you and me again, Katsuji…and you'd better believe we've got some unfinished business."

Taishi and Chikara took turns striking him in the stomach as Souichiro presented him to them like a punching bag. Tetsuo desperately tried to wriggle out of the way, but the strings held him firmly in place. As the blows came raining down, he could feel his strength ebb, and his body went slack. Meanwhile, the laughter of the onlookers had erupted into a round of gleeful hooting and hollering.

"By the time we're through with you, you'll wish you'd offed yourself properly."

Once the other two had had their fill of pummeling him, Souichiro swung Tetsuo back in front of his face. This time, he could do little more than sway there limply as the student council president flicked his forehead with a giant finger. Despair began to edge into his thoughts and numb the anger that coursed through his veins.

He had a point. He wasn't going to go away. Would anyone really take my word over his? Tetsuo wondered grimly.

[What does it matter?]

"Ughhh…Shigesato?" Tetsuo muttered.

"Eh? If you've got something to say, then speak up!" Souichiro spat.

[In a world where the unjust prey upon the weak without consequence, one of the few things they cannot rob you of is your spirit. Do you truly intend to give them the satisfaction of your surrender?]

Deep within the darkened recesses of Tetsuo's addled mind, the barest sliver of light began to pierce through the fog, beckoning him forward.

"No, but…I don't even know how I'd begin to fight back. Everything I ever tried just made things worse."

[To persist is to retaliate! Every day you refuse to die is a thumb in the enemy's eye!]

The light intensified and the pain he felt began to ebb as an invigorating warmth washed over him. There, at the heart of it, was Bors astride his steel chariot, bathed in a fountain of blue flame. He extended a massive mailed hand, and when Tetsuo took it, his heart was set ablaze. He remembered the courage he had felt when he faced off with the Yatabuya, even when the odds were grim.

[It will not be quick, and it will not be simple, but know that there is no terror you must face alone. Now, let us forge a new pact - one in which even the weak may have the strength to take Justice into their own hands!]

Bors let out a tremendous bellow, and was enveloped by a shimmering aura.

I am thou, and thou art I!

Thou hast formed an indomitable bond

Unfettering the shackles that bind thine heart

Let the wicked know that Justice shall be done

And no longer shall the meek suffer the shame of iniquity!

Tetsuo's eyes flew open. With one deft motion, he yanked his arms across his chest, snapping the wires and sending him tumbling to the stage floor.

"PERSONA! COME, GAWAIN!"

The dingy theater exploded with a harsh blue light, and Tetsuo's transformed Persona emerged from a pillar of flame. Clad in thick plate metal armor, Gawain now resembled a mobile fortress more than he did a knight. The chariot was now gone, replaced by a pair of weighty-looking treads supporting a towering two-tiered turret. An imposing pavise shield had been bolted to the front, bent in half in such a way that reminded Tetsuo a little of a snowplow.

"So that's your plan?" said Souichiro, but this time, he spoke with Nyarlathotep's voice. "You'll grin and bear it, and hope we get bored? Who would choose to endure that? You know this world is the only place you can actually be rid of us."

"Yeah. I can't disagree. But guys like Souichiro only do what they do because they think they can get away with it. The instant you push back against them, even a little, they start to worry that they aren't as bulletproof as they think they are. That's why he went after me so hard - as long as I was more afraid of him than he was of me, he wouldn't have to face any consequences. My mistake wasn't standing up to him - it was choosing not to keep standing up to him. So I'll go back. And when I see him again, I'll be ready."

"Now, Gawain! Fire at will!"

The pavise split open at the middle, and the two halves of the shield slid aside to reveal a wide opening. An enormous cannon telescoped out and dropped into position with such force that the entire tank shook. A deep, low thrum issued from the depths of the cannon, and Gawain began to shine with a radiant light that spilled out from the gaps between the armored plates. Then, the light concentrated itself into the end of the barrel, and the thrumming ceased.

A beat passed, and the cannon erupted, bathing everything in a dazzling glow that disintegrated the sneering Shadows into a fine ash in a matter of seconds. Tetsuo threw his arms up over his face to protect his vision, and when the light had finally faded, he was surrounded by darkness again, and Gawain was gone. However, his voice still rang in his ears.

[I will go and protect the others. No matter what awaits you, face it with your head held high. As long as you retain your sense of self, the enemy cannot break you.]

• • • • •

"Get back!"

Yoko swung her mace at a tendril that had gotten a little too close to Gin for comfort, smacking it to the ground where it burst into a small clump of black monarchs. However, they quickly reformed and redoubled their attack, morphing themselves into an ever-shifting flurry of weapons. They were a sword one moment, then an axe, then a barrage of javelins that rained down upon her faster than she could swat them away.

Guinevere threw up a wall of flame, and the javelins sizzled harmlessly as they went up like tinder. Yoko breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Gin shout.

"Hey! Heads up!"

Nyarlathotep's mouth opened wide, unleashing a torrent of dark, rustling wings. The insects swarmed around them in a thick cloud, obscuring Gin and Yoko from each other's vision. A cloying, nauseous scent began to fill their nostrils. It made Yoko's head swim, and she tasted bile in the back of her throat. She wondered if it was some kind of poison.

"Don't - ghhk - breathe in!" she coughed in the direction she last saw Gin, but she realized that opening her mouth was a mistake as one of the butterflies darted in, forcing her to choke and spit it out. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she noticed her lips and tongue were numb where the butterfly had touched them.

She briefly considered wiping them out with St. Elmo's Fire, but Gin was somewhere close by, and she'd be attacking blindly. Her head was spinning now, and she very nearly collapsed to the ground when a blinding azure light split her vision.

Gawain materialized in a burst of flame and the sound of shattering glass. He wasted no time charging into the fray, parting the legion of black monarchs with the ridge of its pavise.

[Over here!] the Persona called out, and the two of them stumbled into the shelter of his massive bulk. Once they were clear of the butterflies, the sedative effect of their touch began to wear off. Gin squinted at the behemoth above him.

"Is this one of Tetsuo's Personas?" he shouted. Ordinarily, he'd have run a scan, but he was still plenty preoccupied with keeping Pellinore's drones anchored to Nyarlathotep.

"It kinda looks like Bors, but…bigger," said Yoko. "Wait. Does that mean Tetsuo's okay? What's going on in there?"

[The enemy is attempting to break his will. I wouldn't worry, though - I believe Nyarlathotep will find it more difficult than he anticipated. For now, we must support him as much as we are able to from here. We'll shatter the foe's defenses from the inside and out!]

With that, Gawain's cannon emerged from its housing and began to rumble as it gathered energy. An earsplitting BANG tore through the air, and a shell of pure light ripped out of the barrel. Any monarchs that still remained evaporated in the luminous trail it left in its wake, and it struck Nyarlathotep square between the eyes, where it detonated with a series of ringed shockwaves. The Shadow's irises flickered as it recoiled.

"What the…did it actually feel that?" Gin remarked. There might have been a hairline fracture running from the mask's temple to the bridge of its nose, but it was difficult to tell in the dim light.

Yoko readjusted her grip on her mace. "If Tetsuo's doing his best to fight back in there, then we've gotta hold things down out here! We just need to believe that he'll pull through…"

• • • • •

Ding-dong-dong-ding…

The bell's familiar chime rang from the PA system to herald the end of classes, and Room 2-B buzzed with the sound of rustling and rummaging as the students reached for their bags and headed for the door.

Tetsuo awoke with a start. He couldn't believe he'd fallen asleep in class and no one had said anything. He leaned over to grab his bag and…something…else? He paused. Whatever he thought he had brought, it wasn't there, and he couldn't think of what it might have been, so he dismissed it from his mind. Instead, he swiveled around in his seat to ask Hayate what his afterschool plans were.

"H-Huh? What am I doing?" He sounded mildly perplexed that Tetsuo had asked. "I…I mean, wh-why are you asking?"

Now it was Tetsuo's turn to be confused.

"What do you mean? We normally hang out after school. Is there something else going on?"

Hayate's reaction was minor; so small, in fact, that it was barely perceptible - the tiniest twitch in the corner of his eye - but to Tetsuo, it felt like a slap in the face.

"Sorry, maybe you're thinkin' of someone else. I don't even think we've spoken before, man."

He stood up a little too quickly and hastily slung his bag over his shoulder.

"I'm, uh, gonna go. See ya tomorrow," he said without meeting Tetsuo's eyes, and hurried from the classroom, leaving Tetsuo sitting alone and befuddled.

What in the world was that all about? Hayate could be a little tactless, but he'd never been that unpleasant. Maybe Koharu would know what's going on, he reasoned.

It was a short walk from his class to Koharu's, but the reactions he got on the way only unsettled him further. Many of them behaved like Hayate did, with small, subtle facial tics that spoke to a deeper sense of discomfort. But others went so far as to visibly step aside as he passed, and shot him poorly concealed looks that ranged from pity to disgust. Before he entered Koharu's classroom, he stepped into the boys' restroom to examine himself in the mirror. There weren't any blemishes or other such peculiarities present (not that he could see, anyways), although he figured he might have felt better if there had been any. At least that would have offered some kind of explanation.

When he poked his head into 2-A, the only person still left in the room was a single boy - probably the class rep - who was tapping the contents of the dustpan in his hand into the wastebasket. He glanced up at the sound of the door, and when he saw Tetsuo, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

"Can I help you?" he asked in the way that people do when they have no intention of being helpful.

Tetsuo tried to ignore it. "I was just looking for Shimizu-kun."

"Oh. Yeah, I dunno. Probably went home with Hirada-kun," he said, then added hastily, "So I wouldn't bother if I were you."

Tetsuo felt his cheeks redden with indignation. "That's not what this is about. I was only asking a question. We're friends. That's all."

"Huh. News to me," the class rep scoffed before quickly gathering his things and leaving out of the opposite door.

Doubts gnawed at the back of Tetsuo's mind as he wandered through the halls, avoiding eye contact with people who were also doing their best to avoid his. It was one thing for perfect strangers to act like this, but for his friends…? He hadn't done anything to warrant this kind of treatment, at least, not to his knowledge.

Then, up ahead near the shoe lockers, a pompadour rose up out of the crowd accompanied by a booming voice that urged the students loitering at the entrance to keep things moving. Tetsuo chewed nervously at his bottom lip. If anything was going on, he knew he could trust Shibutani to be honest with him.

"H-Hey! Shigesato!" he called out. He hated how nervous he sounded. "Do you have a minute?"

Shibutani found him in the crowd, and to Tetsuo's dismay, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You mean 'Shibutani-senpai.' Please keep in mind that I am your senior, um…"

He trailed off as though he'd forgotten Tetsuo's name, and Tetsuo just about wanted to scream.

"Katsuji," he said flatly. "Tetsuo Katsuji. C'mon, senpai, you know who I am, why is everybody doing this?"

"My apologies, Katsuji-kun, but I haven't the time nor the ability to solve whatever sort of social conundrum you've gotten into this time. I'll echo the principal's advice - if you're having difficulties with another student, please make an effort to speak with them directly first."

Tetsuo couldn't keep the exasperation out of his voice anymore.

"No, senpai, you don't get it! We're friends; why are you acting like we aren't? We know each other! We fought…"

The thought died in his throat as the words got lost on the way from his brain to his mouth. He felt like he was on the cusp of recalling something vitally important.

"We fought…?" Shibutani echoed. "I'm not sure I follow. But aside from that, I'm…pleased to hear that you think of me as a friend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a duty to return to."

With that, he turned his back, effectively ending the conversation.

Stunned, Tetsuo took a step backwards, and ran. He felt sick to his stomach, and the hallways were spinning around him. He ran and ran without direction, letting his feet carry him, until he finally found himself standing outside the art room in the old school building. The gentle sound of guitar strings being idly plucked drifted from within, but when Tetsuo threw the door open, the player was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was only a solitary boy, sitting in a wheelchair and gazing out the open window.

"Oh, h-hi, Tetsuo. You look upset. S-Something happen?" asked Nisekao.

"I-I don't know. Everyone's acting really strangely, like…like…"

He gesticulated wildly in frustration as his mind attempted to finish the thought. The nagging, insistent sense of forgetfulness was growing stronger and stronger.

"...Like they don't remember everything you've been through together? Like they don't know you at all?" said Nisekao coldly, without a trace of his stutter. A disarming smile spread across his lips. "Th-that sounds upsetting. B-But that's what you want, r-right?"

With that one last push, realization dawned on him. He suddenly recalled where he was, and what was happening. He glared across the room at the creature wearing his face.

"You're saying this is what it'll be like? Is that the point you're trying to make here?"

Nisekao chuckled. "Are you implying that I'm trying to mislead you? Why would I need to do that? You have your memories back. You remember what it was like. Before I made you a Shadow, that is."

"I'm not the same person anymore."

"You're right! In this world, you're not. But strip away that strength, confidence, and even those good looks I lent you, and what are you left with?"

Nisekao snapped his fingers and Tetsuo's legs went numb. With a strangled cry, he lurched forward and tumbled to the floor in a heap. Leaning over, Nisekao grabbed an empty picture frame and leered through it as he held it up to Tetsuo's face as though it were a mirror.

"Well, you get the picture."

As he stared up at Nisekao through the frame, Tetsuo realized that the other boy seemed to be rising. No, he realized, it wasn't that Nisekao was rising - he was sinking. He turned his gaze downwards, only to discover that he was being pulled into the old, rotted floorboards. The rapidly darkening wood had taken on a viscous quality that was sucking him deeper and deeper into a widening pit. It quickly devoured his calves, then his thighs, working all the way up to his waist.

The faces of his classmates joined Nisekao's around the edge of the pit, watching him flail about with impassive expressions.

"H-Hayate…Shigesato…c'mon…help me outta here!"

Tetsuo groped for the rim, but not a single person extended their hand to meet his. His fingers couldn't find purchase, and passed through the wood like sand. Nisekao smirked.

"It's time to be honest with yourself. If you return, you'll be on your own again. After all, they couldn't even be bothered to help you when you were really in trouble. If they wouldn't do that, what makes you think anyone would reach out to you of their own free will?"

Tetsuo was in up to his neck now. One by one, the onlookers began to wander away, bored. The weight of the substance that engulfed him had become crushing, and he could barely squeeze out a squeak of protest as they turned their backs. Hayate lingered a moment, but with a small shake of his head, he too, walked away.

Please don't leave me alone, Tetsuo thought. The murk had risen past his lips. I can't do this by myself.

"Sorry, Tetsuo, but the truth of the matter is that no one ever really cared about you all that much," said Nisekao, but the miasma was getting into Tetsuo's ears, and he sounded very, very far away.

He strained to keep his nose and mouth above the surface of the pit, but the weight that pressed in on him from all sides was too much to bear. Little by little, the rest of his body lost feeling as well, until eventually, exhaustion and despair got the better of him. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to slip beneath the surface and out of sight.

[You don't seriously believe the stuff he's telling you, do you?]

Tetsuo blinked lazily at the sound of Koharu's voice, though he couldn't see a thing amidst the darkness.

I know what he's doing, but…I still can't deny what he's saying. No one ever really did reach out to me, and it's terrifying to think that you're unwanted.

[And how do you know that's how they felt? Is that something they told you, or something you made up?]

That's not something people say out loud. Sometimes their actions say enough.

[Yeah, and so do yours! Sure, it's easy and comfortable to be alone. You don't have to be judged by anyone else. But if that's all you ever do, others are going to think that's all you want. Or maybe even that you don't want to be around them. Your fear keeps feeding the beast…until it's big enough to devour you, too.]

A tiny blue ember flickered to life before his eyes, pushing back the encroaching shadow ever so slightly. Tetsuo took it, and cupped it in his palms.

Would it be too late for me to change that?

[Never. The world is waiting for you to give it a chance to see who you really are. And even if it's not Hayate, Shigesato, or Koharu, someone will accept you if you give them the opportunity. You only need to master your fear, and refuse to let it have power over you.]

A heady warmth entered Tetsuo's body, bringing sensation back to his numbed limbs and filling his heart with a steadfast conviction. The ember erupted into a roaring blaze, and at its center hung Le Fay. She adjusted her mantle of dragon bones and stared proudly into his eyes.

[There's nothing more to be gained from the false comfort of solitude. Even the Hermit must re-enter the world to appreciate what he's learned. Let us forge a new pact, and show the world your transformation!]

Le Fay flung open her tome, illuminating her upturned face with a ghostly light, and chanted:

I am thou, and thou art I!

Thou hast formed an indomitable bond

Unfettering the shackles that bind thine heart

Behold! The arcane wisdom of the Hermit,

That which bends shadow to thine will, and reveals the truth of the world!

An ethereal glow flooded the formless void, and the oppressive weight that immobilized Tetsuo's body lifted at once. He turned his gaze upwards, towards the surface of the pit, which appeared as a glassy circle through which he could only see vague, blurry shapes and colors.

"All right then," he said to himself, "let's get outta here! COME! RAGNELLE!"

The light dimmed, and Le Fay's new form emerged from the shadows. She appeared as two women seemingly stitched together down the middle from head to waist. On one side, an ancient stooped crone with a leathery, skeletal face draped in a filthy gray shawl. On the other, a ravishing young woman with fiery hair clothed in a matching satin robe. Beneath her pointed, crimson masquerade mask, a single red eye roved about in the darkness.

Ragnelle threw her arms wide, and the darkness surrounding them began to rumble. Tetsuo lost his balance as something surged up from beneath him. He caught hold of something cold and smooth, and then he was racing, up, up, up -

He crested the surface of the pit in a rush of color and sound, and he could finally see clearly what he'd grabbed hold of - he was straddling the neck of a monstrous skeletal dragon. Tetsuo looked down. Its ribcage was filled with writhing, moaning specters.

Nisekao stared up at him, bewildered and furious.

"What are you...? You can't be serious. You know no one understands you like I do," he said in Nyarlathotep's voice.

"Like you do? That's an awfully low bar you've set - I think I'll be alright. Now, Ragnelle! Consume him!"

Ragnelle extended a bony finger towards Nisekao, and the dragon took in a deep, rattling breath that shook the bones beneath Tetsuo's legs. The ball of spirits within swelled, growing larger and larger until they encompassed the dragon's skeleton like a seething, spectral hide. They roiled and squirmed so violently that Tetsuo lost his grip and slid down the beast's side onto the dusty floor. Craning his neck upwards, he watched as the dragon arched its neck and spewed out a jet of black flames. The Shadow barely had the opportunity to let out a terse yelp before the blaze swallowed him completely.

The dragon let out a mighty roar, sweeping its tongue of flame back and forth across the room, setting everything in its path alight. Unable to withstand the fire's appetite, the old school building began to disintegrate, and beyond the crumbling walls, only another endless void awaited them.

Ragnelle turned to Tetsuo, and placed a gentle hand on his head.

[Can you feel it? He's getting desperate. All you need to do is hold on for a little longer. I will join the others to help free you. Just remember - you are not alone.]

• • • • •

Gin flinched.

Another volley of razor-sharp tendrils caromed off the edge of Gawain's shield and buried themselves just a few meters away from where he and Yoko were hunkered down behind the Persona's immense frame, causing his concentration to waver. Almost instantly, he could feel Nyarlathotep slither into his head via his link with Pellinore, filling his thoughts with images of his sister's body, skewered through the neck. Slamming his eyes shut tight, he held on for dear life, trying his hardest to block out the swarm of horrific visions with his own memories of Rin until he regained control, and his connection with the drones stabilized again.

Yoko shot him a concerned glance.

"You don't look so good. Are you sure you don't wanna back off for a bit? We're not making much progress right now."

She had a point. Outside of Gawain's initial strike, very little of what they'd tried afterwards had had much of an effect on their foe. For a while, they'd been at a stalemate of sorts, trading glancing blows from behind their near-impenetrable shields.

"No," said Gin. He wiped his brow with the edge of his collar, but it was streaming with sweat again within seconds. "If I disengage, we lose our minds. We wouldn't even get a second chance."

He ground his teeth together to stop them from chattering.

"I can handle this. You just focus on finding an opening. Worse comes to worse, you might have to see if you can go in there after him."

Yoko grimaced, but said nothing. Given their current situation, she was having trouble thinking of an alternative solution herself.

Just then, an eerie screech cut through the sounds of whipping limbs and cannonfire. A host of spirits rushed across the polished stone, whipping themselves into a twister of wailing smoke. Ragnelle emerged from the tempest in a burst of blue flame, coming to stand next to Gawain.

[Good work, Gawain. Is everyone still safe?]

[Naturally. I'm nothing if not resilient. Still, we may not be able to withstand the enemy's onslaught for much longer.]

[Then let us take the offensive!]

Ragnelle's eye swiveled madly in its socket, rattling about so quickly that it seemed like there were dozens of red pupils burning in the darkness beneath her mask. With a clap of her hands, an enormous portal yawned wide beneath Nyarlathotep. The ground trembled, and then, like a shark cresting the ocean's surface, the great skull of the phantom dragon burst forth with its jaws splayed wide. It hung there for a moment with Nyarlathotep caught precariously between the rows of giant teeth before it snapped them shut like a bear trap and exploded in a rush of howling specters.

Nyarlathotep reeled back, and this time, there could be no doubt that the Shadow's stony face was twisted in pain. What was more, there was now a very visible crack spidering its way across the middle of the mask from which wisps of sickly purple smoke were trickling out.

"Another one," breathed Gin in disbelief. "This might not be so impossible after all..."

"C'mon, Tetsuo…" whispered Yoko under her breath. "Just a little more…we're counting on you."

• • • • •

Again, Tetsuo's eyes shot open, and he bolted upright. This time, he was at home, in bed. Gentle sunlight streamed in through the window, accompanied by the sound of idle birdsong and the faraway hum of the morning rush downtown. From downstairs, he could hear snippets of a muffled conversation. Tetsuo's eyes narrowed, and he swallowed hard.

Mom and Dad. Of course he would.

He let himself fall back against the mattress and shut his eyes. Like this, it was easy to imagine that it was just another lazy Sunday morning. He could wander downstairs, have breakfast with his parents, and pretend nothing was wrong. But he glanced over at the empty corner near the door where he usually kept his guitar, and the urge left him. With a wince and a deep, exhausted sigh, he pushed himself out of bed, and with no small amount of trepidation, crept downstairs.

He hesitated briefly at the foot of the stairs to steel his nerves once more, but when he rounded the corner into the kitchen, he found it empty. The table was bare and spotless, all three chairs were neatly pushed in, and there was no other hint that anyone had ever been there save for the faintest hint of voices lingering in the air; melancholy, taunting. His eye twitched.

"What is this?" Tetsuo said, his voice filling the room. "Are we gonna do this or not?"

But no one responded.

Perturbed, Tetsuo set about turning the house inside out, looking for any sign of his parents' presence, but in each room he found the same thing: tidy, unlived spaces bereft of any belongings save furniture. The place was a dead, empty shell, yet the persistent whispering that brushed against his ear and led him from room to room suggested otherwise. By the time he had finished searching, his patience was thin, and his anxiety had peaked.

"What's this one supposed to mean, huh?" he shouted, kicking over an empty chair. "Show 'em to me already! Let's get this over with!"

Again, nothing but whispers. The way they teased him sent him into a full blown panic.

"Ghh…dammit! Quit fucking with me!"

He grabbed the closest thing at hand - his father's favorite pan - and hurled it across the kitchen and through the living room. It struck the back door with a dull clang, knocking it off its track and into the backyard.

He stood stock still, staring at the result of his outburst in disbelief.

What am I doing? he thought to himself. Is this how he wants me to react?

However, before he could explore that thought much further, something out in the backyard seized his attention. It yanked him forward on an invisible leash, through the living room, past the toppled door, and across the tiny, well-kept lawn until he was standing right in front of it.

A little patch of grass. About two square meters in size. A bit greener than the rest.

Right next to the other one.

Tetsuo's mind made the connection with disturbing ease, and his hands immediately flew to the sides of his head as though he could squeeze the idea from it. But the more he tried to shake it, the tighter it clung, playing out scenario after vivid scenario in his imagination until he was kneeling on the lawn watching the soil greedily suck up his tears.

He sat there like for a long time, waiting. Waiting for his rational self to convince him that the future he was envisioning was unreasonable. Or perhaps, as he ashamedly admitted to himself, waiting for the touch of his parents' hands on his shoulder, just so he could see them again.

But nothing happened. Even the whispers had gone. This time, he was truly alone - with his most efficient tormentor. But just when he thought he could barely stand to be in that lifeless place for even another second, a voice from deep within finally cut through the doubt and panic:

[You look like you're in a rough place, buddy.]

Hayate's voice startled him so badly that he sprung back onto his rear end.

"What the…oh. It's you," he said once he realized what was happening.

"I'm here as well," came a girl's voice from the porch. Mariko was standing in the broken door frame. She crossed the lawn, and took one of Tetsuo's hands in hers. Her eyes briefly flitted between his and the twin patches of earth. He blinked, and Nanako Dojima looked up at him sadly.

"You don't want to lose her, too, right?"

Tetsuo nodded.

"No. Of course I don't. But if she doesn't confess, that won't be fair to you. Goddamn it-" he slammed a fist into the dirt "-it's not fair to me, either! Mom's all I've got left! If she goes to prison, I might never see her again."

[If only every story could have a happy ending for everyone, huh?]

"But this isn't one of them," added Nanako.

[So what now?]

"I know I can't stay in Cloud Nine," Tetsuo answered. "I've made up my mind on that. It's just…it's one thing to say I can make it by myself…but another to actually believe it. Losing Dad was hard enough. I don't want to feel that way again."

Tetsuo wiped the tears from his eyes, and Mariko was there again.

"Nobody should have to lose the people they love. But sometimes, the only way to move forward is to get hurt. Otherwise, you're stuck carrying that pain forever."

[But you don't need us to tell you that, right? We're a part of you, after all. If you weren't strong enough to do this, we wouldn't exist.]

Tetsuo rose to his feet and stared down at his father's grave. It wasn't the resting place someone like him deserved. Instead of a monument to the man he loved and admired, it had been nothing but a reminder of the terrible secret he and his mother had been keeping for years. Mariko and Hayate were right. It was time to move on, if not only for his own peace of mind, but for the sake of his father's memory, too.

Tetsuo breathed deeply. For the first time in a while, his head felt light and clear. There was still unease in his heart, certainly, but it was distant, smaller. As his resolve came rushing back, it ignited a fire in his heart, and Kay emerged, wreathed in blue light.

[You've been held back by uncertainty for so long. It's trained you to mistrust yourself and your ability to believe in a hopeful future. The time has come to shed those doubts and meet tomorrow with your head held high! Forge a new pact with me, and our will shall overcome any trial!]

Kay threw his four arms wide, and the light swallowed him up.

I am thou, and thou art I!

Thou hast formed an indomitable bond

Unfettering the shackles that bind thine heart

You, whom within dwells the indomitable will of the Magician,

Awaken to thine true strength, through which all things are possible!

A harsh chill passed through the air, covering the grass with a thick layer of frost and forming icicles along the eaves of the roof. But to Tetsuo, it was an invigorating breath of life. Every part of his being felt as if it was being forced awake, and energy surged through him from his heart to his fingertips.

He took one last look back at the place where his father lay before gritting his teeth and turning away. Then, he threw his head back, and let out a wild shout.

"PERSONA! COME, MERLIN!"

A spire of deep-blue flames sprang up before him with a resounding crack that echoed throughout the yard, framing the silhouette of a tall, humanesque figure. The embers burnt out quickly, and Merlin came forth to stand before Tetsuo. He looked up into the face of a steely blue mask, one that was neither young nor old, soft nor weathered by time, with lips pressed into a line that contained the barest hint of a knowing smile. A flowing cobalt cloak patterned with constellations flared out behind him, draped across the shoulders of four shimmering, ghostly arms in which he held aloft a chalice, pentacle, wand, and knife.

The ground beneath their feet shuddered, and the air oscillated dangerously with what Tetsuo could only describe as a wave of malicious intent. Merlin scoffed.

[Ahh. He's realized the predicament he's in. With our strength restored, we're in a prime position to land a devastating blow at the very core of his being! Quickly! We must strike before he releases you himself!]

Tetsuo nodded. Free of the fog that had muddled his senses and severed his link with his Personas, he could feel just how small this pocket in space and time was. He reached out with his sixth sense, traced its edges, and found the invisible seam that separated this nightmare from Monado Mandala.

"There we are," he muttered to himself, and stood aside.

His Persona thrust its fingertips forward as though searching for the edges of a set of heavy doors, and pushed. A thin crack split open in midair, no wider than a pencil. The ground rumbled again, more violently this time. Merlin leaned forward, channeling his power into his arms. The temperature plummeted, and a vein of ice crystals sprung up along the edges of the gap, forcing the seam wider and wider as they expanded until it was large enough to fit through.

[Follow me!] Merlin exclaimed. [We're breaking out!]

Then, with Tetsuo and Mariko in tow, Merlin raised his arms in front of his face, and charged into the breach.