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 Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:00 pm
 Rednal Ak'ThiasAnd stay out.Yup, that was his Persona, all right. He... really wasn't sure what had gone on between her and their enemy, and a few parts of him suggested that, really, he didn't want to know either. But the important thing was that they were still here, still standing, and they had defeated their enemy. Chances were, of course, that before long it would be back to the routine of getting his butt handed to him whenever his allies weren't around, for darkness liked to grow stronger the more light was cast. But that darkness could still be beaten, and his body ached very thoroughly, but he had survived the onslought of madness and, one more night, would be returning home to those he cared for. Still... what was this sense of loss? The feeling of having given up happiness and power, and all the things he wanted? Or maybe that was just their enemy's style; to act in such a way that even in victory, he could plant tiny seeds of doubt. Hmph. I won't let it happen that easily. If you ever try to reach into my soul, you know what will be waiting. He shook his head a bit and looked up towards the sky. "...I think I understand what she was talking about now. What it means to put everything you are into standing against the darkness." It had very nearly broken him completely. He was just a human, and no legend on his own, and yet he had stood up against a darkness so vast, so powerful, so Other that it defied human comprehension. These were the kinds of threats that the world faced, and it was people like his friends... and especially people like Soji... who protected everyone else. All of Inaba, maybe even all of Japan had benefited from their actions this night. So why... why did he just want to curl up in the corner and cry? Still, his friends were watching, and it would be terribly uncool to be a downer about their victory. Many thoughts and emotions got shoved to the back of his mind as he crossed his arms and looked towards where the body of their foe had been. "Well!" he said, much more confidently. "That was fun. Can we do it again?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:26 pm
Dan Sekohara 
It was over... Dan's body was intact the many waves of healing were more than enough to close the wounds that Kabuto and his zombies had caused but his mind was still battered. Their enemies were retreating and the intense sounds of battle from the top of the tower had stopped but... The realization that they had won was not enough to rivive his spirits. The fire that burned hottest burned quickest and the fire in Dan's heart had burned away the convictions, to bring himself back he would need more than just knowledge of victory. He would need to see that those who had gone up to do battle with whatever laid beyond had survived. Dan lifted his giant hammer over his shoulder and slung it back across his back and ran off towards the stairs to the top.
"SOJI!" He called still not able to see the top of the tower. He was calling desperately for an answer to see maybe a moment earlier that his leader had survived the fight. As Dan's head crested the top of the stairs the first thing he saw was his leader standing victorious in the center of the obsidian floor. "Soji!" He called with a look of pure joy on his face as he ran over. There was no evil around so he could tell that if nothing else Soji and the others in the advanced team had beaten the darkness back to whatever hole it had crawled up from in the first place. Dan opened his mouth again to speak but couldn't find the words to express the relief he felt at this moment. "We did it..." Was all that slipped out of his mouth as the extreme relief washed over him. "IT'S OVER!!" He yelled raising his hands in victory.
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Fashionable Businesswoman
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 6:51 pm
 Amelia M. Heartilly & Chie Satonaka  "Is it...?" Chie panted out with her armor starting to shred off of her, the power lifting and hiding away back inside. Amelia looked over towards the short-haired girl then back around to their surroundings as she watched the shadows that are the BM's to retreat and disperse. The girl with violet-eyes quirked a brow before she sighed out some, holding herself up before looking to the others. Chie started to grin form ear to ear, and suddenly went over to Yosuke to roughly nudge him over with a heartfelt laughter. Soon sprinting off after Dan, dragging Yosuke's arm along with her, Chie traveled to try and make it to the top of the tower. "Soji!!" she called out. Amelia blinked, still wondering if it was true, wondering if it truly was... Chie turned her head over towards the others then waved them over. "Come on! Soji's waiting for us, what are you doing just standing there?!" She gave them all a thumbs up before she went off, wanting to make it to the top. "It's... really...?" Amelia muttered to herself, but then perked her ehad and suddenly turned to look over towards Minori. "..." it was then that the dark-haired girl suddenly started to grin before she went to take Minori's hand and smiled brightly over towards her. "What are we waiting for?" She said with a shine in her eyes, tugging for the both of them to run and catch up. "They're waiting!" Up and up the remaining team went, the very top being their destination, reuniting with their leader being their goal. To be whole again. To celebrate. "Soji!" Chie called out, and soon Soji would suddenly feel himself be tackled into a hug, the kung-fu lover nearly going into tears. "It's over! It's over right?!" she cheered out, pulling away with a bright smile on her face as she rubbed one of her eyes with the palm of her hand, wanting to get rid of the tears before they started to pour out. But who could blame her? Being overwhelmed with emotion, she just couldn't help herself when she saw the all of them alright, every one of them standing with a shine of victory and relief that it was just all over.Soji would feel a nudge on him, Amelia smirking over at him before a grin started to slowly form.
"You never cease to amaze me..." She placed a hand on her hip, feeling that relief, seeing that ease in his smile... "... But you weren't alone in this..." she looked over to the others, and saw that they were all holding relieved faces. All of them... Even she was giving out a long exhale of breath and laughed out. "We all did it!" It almost felt unreal, even know it was still unbelievable to think that it was ll over for them. Amelia grinned over to Minori and over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Chie didn't want to end it either, she was already hugging onto Yukiko so tightly with a excited laughter, jumping a bit before throwing her fist up into the air, giving out a 'whoop!' in victory. Seeing everyone like this.. it.. was just so peaceful. A breath left the violet-eyed girl, rubbing her eyes some with a grin, before she leaned herself on Minori. This was... "We..." she stared, laughing softly before she rubbed another tear away from her eyes then sniffed, still holding that smile on her. "We've come a long way, haven't we?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 7:16 pm
  Faustus Necromonium, the Trappish Junior and Kusuri Keiraku, the violent JuniorAs the others denied the illusion, and the crawling Chaos was defeated, Faust couldn't help but be the slightest bit dissapointed he didn't get to fight some more, but he was glad. It was finally over.
And though the Serpent of lore made some rather disturbing remarks and gestures, it seemed they had claimed victory once more.
"Yessssss!" Faust called, excited as he jumped in the air, as some steps could be heard, and a familiar figure stood, looking a little worn.."Hey Faust, you didn't go dying on me now didja?" Kusuri called as she started towards her green haired lover, grabbing him in a headlock and giving him a firm noogie.
The two of them laughed, relieved to know that the other was okay, and they cheered with each other happily.Faust looked over at Rednal, as he cracked his knuckles a bit.
"I could go for another round myself." he called, confidently. "I'm still all fired up."
He'd had one Hell of a night with Kusuri, and if anything, the two deserved a rest after dealing with the fighting they'd been taking part of tonight.
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 10:02 pm
Soji Seta, Investigation Team Leader, and Rise Kujikawa, Investigation Team Idol  It was over...that was what he said to them.
Literally, he knew that it couldn't be the very end, couldn't be the end of the adventures of their team with threats still lingering around the corners, with a cunning, fox-eyed tactician like Motonari Mori still sitting on the throne in Tokyo and turning his eyes onto one of their friends to make her his own. Hetero in his new incarnation would be somewhere out there for the team to find and overcome, whether he was stronger or weaker than ever as he was now, and his followers were still going to be potent threats when the time came. Raiden would be a blade in the dark, a stalker they would have to follow to the corners of the town and beyond in order to defeat him finally...they might have to search every corner of the television world in order to find him. Yoshizo was still a broken boy as well, a wound upon his soul that they would have to find and cleanse in some fashion, washing away the muck of the world that weighed on him like dirt, heaped and compounded into some sort of fossilized thing, forged over hundreds of thousands of years. He knew that they might not be able to save the souls inside of those bodies, that they might not be as lucky as they were in purging Tatsuya Suou and Naoya Toudou, that those who had been special in their own way...but then, they had to live on now with the guilt of what the Crawling Chaos had done through them, that they had given in to the impossible temptations. Maybe it was better to die...but Soji had always thought it better to live and atone, so they would hereafter. He saw the latter of the two still unconscious upon the floor of the Tower and knew that they were going to have to see him again when he woke up, that they would have to explain in some cases what he had done to people, to them, to their friends. He would know much but the weight of what they told him would likely crush him, turn him into something different than he ever would have been without this darkness, this taint inside of his mind. You could cleanse the darkness, Soji had learned over time, but no matter how spotless you scrubbed it, there was on immutable truth about the power of the Fool and the rest of the things that those who were like him faced. Win, lose...live or die...there was no going back. You could never, ever go back. Not in this life. And even if you passed on...there was always a price to pay for the power to change the world. Always a price. He knew it, even if he didn't feel it just yet, it was an ever-present worry growing inside of his mind, a feeling in his bones that was shaking him, weakening him...his clouded eyes were even grayer than usual as he greeted his friends one-by-one, making their way to the top of the tower to celebrate the end of their long journey. It was a great tension falling from their shoulders, a black pall that was passing beyond their sight. In the sky above none of the oddities mattered when he thought of what they had achieved together; no darkness would last forever, all bad things would pass. He could say for certain that everything was going to be all right. It was the promise that he had made with the man in the butterfly mask, the deal that had been struck.
Even if he was gone...everything was going to be all right.
He could feel the power that he had been wielding in the fight already slipping from his body, abandoning him as he dismissed it and returned to his normal form, and now that his friends were coming to greet him he stood before them on increasingly shaky legs, a consciousness that wasn't built to endure this sort of power wanting to fade with each moment that passed. He stood form in spite, smiling brightly as Rednal made his way towards the center of the group with a strong facade that Soji was sure everyone could see through at once. Not that Rednal wasn't strong...he had proven far and away that what looked like a frail body was capable of feats of endurance and will that a normal person couldn't even begin to imagine. He burned with an intense magical power, a sense of justice that was unshakeable, and not even the twisted words of the Crawling Chaos had been able to free him utterly from his senses. Still, there was more to it than that...it hadn't been easy, nor had the battle, and there was an exhaustion that permeated Rednal like a man at the end of a marathon. Soji could see that the sweat on his brow was thick, almost as much as the crystalline rivers that flowed down his forehead right now. He didn't notice when his own breaths began to grow so labored that it was tough to keep his mouth locked into the smile that reflected the relief in his heart. Soji couldn't help but remember the very first time he had met Rednal, the misunderstanding with the fake Yukiko on the top of the school building...he was glad that they had cleared the air, that their suspicions about Yukiko had been proven right and that the girl who had persecuted him was a fake. He didn't feel satisfied knowing what happened to Yukiko, of course, but...he was glad that they had gotten to know the gray-haired Junior with his dry wit and nuclear arsenal. He was one of them...just the way that Faust had become one of them in the time that he knew them. Very dear was the memory of his talk with Faust on the beaches of Yakushima, the walk that they had when he had told Faust for the first time about his parents and listened to some of his underclassman's insecurities. Faust was a complicated person, a heart practically begging for a chance to let you in, and yet so few people had accepted the invitation before this year it was an incredible shame. He had proven to be stout, though, even with all his idiosyncrasies and quirks, and his sense of duty to protect the people that he cared for made him as manly a person as he had ever known. That was all that mattered to him...just as it was all that mattered to Kusuri, the violet-haired fireplug that they had rescued from the Shrine more than a month ago. She had been fighting against insecurities of her own, about her scars, about her attitude, and yet Faust and eventually the others had found their own way into her heart past those barriers. Her scars had become a source of strength now...a motivating factor to prove wrong those who doubted her, but she would have never had the chance if it wasn't for Faust and the rest of them. Now she was here, having survived the melee below with the Messenger and Messiahs, risen like an angered goddess to greet them at the top and celebrate a much-earned victory. So much strength lay beneath that uncovered eye of hers...and in those well-trained arms. He hoped that they were strong enough to hold onto that dark, green-haired trap forever...no, not dark? When had his vision began to...?
Ah, his eyes blinked and they were a little clear again, and there were Yukiko and Chie together as they always seemed to be...no, that was Chie rushing past her to slam him into a powerful hug that shook him and hurt more than he cared to admit. It didn't matter...and he didn't miss Yukiko's small smile over the energetic girl's shoulder. They were...such an incredible pair of people, able to lean on one another when they needed it and yet be fully independent in their minds and lives. He could see Chie now, sweating from her exertions but still not winded, still bouncing and ready to fight another twelve rounds if they needed to fight them. How many times had they trained together on the Samegawa Riverbed? He couldn't count...but just like that day with the bullies near Aiya's he could imagine her staring down Teros and Kazuma and daring them to hit her, welcoming the pain if it would prevent them from hurting her friends. And Yukiko, the beautiful heiress...the two of them had been amongst the first to greet him in this new town, together...they walked home with him on the day that Mayumi Yamano died and they met Adachi. He couldn't...quite see the face of the homicidal man in his memories, but he could see clearly that day by the riverbed when Yukiko had been in her kimono, worried, the night she was taken into the television. She was like every movie cliche, every gorgeous actress in films wanted to look like...only she hadn't been on a set or under direction, that was just her, the natural beauty and elegance she commanded. And now she had protected the town she realized she loved...Chie and Yukiko, along with the rest of them. He wanted to go see them again so badly...to stay at the Inn and rest in the hot springs. To see them both smiling in yukata...he wanted to see Rise in one too, didn't he? Rise...she was beaming and happy and he smiled for her with an honest light inside of his heart. He had chosen this path so that he could protect her and people like she and his friends, so that he could preserve this little precious corner of happiness, this town that he shared with her and all of the others. He had been everywhere in this town with her, together atop the Hill listening to her problems, walking through the streets of the town, standing together in the halls of the school. They had gone together into the television and climbed to the very heights of Tartarus together and...now they were here, at the end of the journey. But his wasn't the end for them, was it? He wanted to go with her to a premiere for a movie, to fight off rabid fanboys and hide out with her in the Marukyu Tofu Shop when she became bigger than Aya Hirano and sold more albums. She was so talented, so bright, she didn't even realize how special she was...to him, to her fans. There was time now, right? His limbs were beginning to feel heavy as more made their way to the top of the Tower and greeted them. Dan was with them, stalwart Dan Sekohara, a hero now in both name and actions. To swear your life to the code of justice was one thing, but to live every second of every day defending your way of life in the way that Dan did was something special. It was something that even Soji would have to admit he couldn't do. Still, that was what made their friend special in his own way. And now with the threat of Nyarlathotep gone, he would have the chance to do so much more with his powers and the confidence that all of this had given him. Maybe one day they really would be giving him the key to the city, to the Incredible Dan Man!, for contributions to society. He hoped he was still around to see it. He hoped that he would still be living in this place, in Inaba. For many years to come...
And then there were the others, of course. Zeo...he only hoped that he could manage to stay out of prison and somehow manage to continue to Houdini his way out of all the different plans Mitsuru likely put out to stop his reckless spending. He was certainly a troublemaker in his own right, but he never seemed to go too far, always reigning it in and proving himself to be dependable in the moments when they really needed him the most. Maybe he'd even find a girlfriend one day, settle down, and...no, that wasn't like him at all. That was much more of a Kanji thing, settling down, becoming something of a good husband who could put bread on the table and scare the bejeezus out of his daughter's boyfriends with a single glance. He could imagine Naoto's scolding glance as she had to 'gently' remind her husband that their daughter was eighteen and now perfectly capable of choosing her own dates...but not without casually flashing the revolver tucked into the waist of her pants to the increasingly-frightened boy. He remembered the case of the Phantom Thief together with her...helping Kanji come to accept that his talents were just that...talents. And not some girlie hobby that was holding him back. Together, he and Kanji had discovered that Kanji was more of a man with a sewing needle than most men in the world could be with a chainsaw. Well, maybe not a chainsaw, but an axe at the...no, no a chainsaw. He laughed under his breath at the two of them in celebration, and when he saw Teddie there were no words that needed to be exchanged. Together they had found their purpose, and in a way, they were always linked in friendship, one that couldn't be broken. It was the same way with Leon, the three of them with their walks to school together...he remembered Leon on the stage of a cross-dressing pageant that he had wisely avoided and the beating that he had received for his little stunt. And he remembered the fiery determination with which he had fought to save their friends most of all. His own chance to be a hero...he had always wanted it, just like Yosuke, actually. They had a lot in common in that respect...but when it come to his best friend, there was no doubt who earned the moniker. Seeing his longtime battle 'Partner', he couldn't help but feel the weight of it all coming down on his shoulders. Or maybe that was just the exhaustion, suddenly heavy, and...his eyes drifted to the floor but he snapped them back up. He had been thinking about Yosuke, and...then...Minori? Ah, his new 'Sis'...he was so proud of her for fighting until the very end, even knowing who their enemy would be. She was such a great influence on Nanako...and...also Amelia. He hoped that girl could stay out of trouble for once...away from bad men with sexy eyes...maybe Minori and her could spend more time together and...become like sisters, and...
...And...
...And why was he thinking about so much of this in the past tense...? He had...it wasn't supposed to be this soon, was it? And he hadn't exactly said that he was giving...though he understood in the back of his mind the price all along...right?... High over their heads the sky was still a pasty green, golden moon shining but no sounds could be heard but their celebrations together. All of his precious friends, their voices were surrounding him, enveloping him...somewhere inside of his heart, he just felt...warm. Like this was...this was where he was going all along.
...He barely noticed when his vision swam and his knees failed, sinking him to the floor of Tartarus in a hunch over heap, his breath deep and labored now, blood that had stained half of his face flaking away with thick rivers of sweat that trailed down his body. He had hoped to see the sun again when it was all over, to stand under it and look out over the town as it went down slowly from the Hilltop...arm-in-arm with his friends, standing proudly to see with their own eyes what they had protected. Only it was sickly green instead...why green? Oh, that's right, the Dark Hour...
...Right...wait...
The Dark Hour?
"The sky!" he coughed, weakened body suddenly springing to life as he waded through the bodies that rushed to him, concerned, stumbling on unsteady legs towards he edge of the tower even as threads of his energy seemed to be stolen away, bit-by-bit...his unfocused, gray eyes were clouded and pained, desperation swimming somewhere beneath the surface...there was something he had to see! This couldn't be right...the Dark Hour didn't occur in the Television! It was...hadn't they...?! He reached the edge of the Tower of Demise and stopped just shy of the impossibly high drop, hand clenching tightly over his chest as he drew shorter and shorter of breath.
And before his eyes he could see it, far, far below so that the buildings themselves were like some sort of a miniature scale model...but he knew that sight by heart, almost every building by name. His stomach dropped deep into the pit of his stomach and he was filled with a despair so deep and complete that he could barely contain it. And his failing heart nearly stopped inside of his chest.
Tartarus...the Tower of Demise...stood reaching like a spike of rich, dark emerald high into the skyline over the foggy town of Inaba.
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"And lo, does the clock strike midnight. Ever the slow one...but it looks like the cat's finally out of the bag."
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He was wide-eyed and exhausted as he looked out across the horizon to see the town far below, mired in mist beneath a green sky and a golden moon. But that voice behind him made him chillier than all the rest. All the fog in the world couldn't have made his hair stand any straighter, his blood any colder, his heartbeat any quicker. It froze him like winter, his rickety body not needing to turn an inch to recognize the sound. It sounded like it was coming out of a stereo, all echoing and monstrous, but he couldn't mistake that voice from anywhere. He turned but he didn't need to. His knees barely held, shaking, just long enough for his body to turn and his head along with it, clouded eyes falling upon its owner.
He didn't need anybody to tell him to whom that voice belonged. It was...
"You...
Him.
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"That's right. Me. Though technically, you. But not for very much longer," the familiar voice pierced the air, and as each of the team slowly turned to face its owner their eyes would fall upon a sight that would shock them just as strongly as their leader. It was...it was impossible! And yet it made perfect sense when you thought about it. There was only one person amongst them who hadn't faced it in some fashion, who hadn't been taken into the television or next in-line to be drawn inside of her. He was the one person whose other half had never been seen, never spoken to or of, and it was such an unfathomable thing that it should even exist that they hadn't even considered it in their most hushed of whispers. It was the possibility they never spoke about even amongst themselves. A worst-case scenario. Much more than they could have ever imagined. It was fear come to life, magic all through him and all the possibilities of the world of the television together in a single humanoid body. It was a black uniform and a tall, lean frame. Two swords sheathed at the sides and hands that knew as well as anyone how to wield them. It was silver hair, a confident smirk that bred absolute belief in those who saw it.
And it was golden, yellow eyes.
"It can't..be..." Soji's wavering voice filled the air, trying to deny what was before their eyes, trying to gather up the strength that he had left inside of him despite his fading power to face what lay before them. His own body, his own self, the other side of him that had emerged from the shadows and the carnage atop the Tower of Demise itself as though it had been waiting for him all of this time to reach it. It was the hand, attached to the body that had been hidden in all of the scenes that he had seen in the Data Dungeon World. It was the lingering malice, the voice inside of his head that wouldn't quit whispering that drowned out all the others and pressed him to continue what he was doing just a little further, just a little longer. He tried to block it out and say that it couldn't be true, but that voice, that denial came out sounding softer and less certain than the Senior had ever seemed in all the time his friends knew him. And he knew, they knew, that even if they tried to deny it that it wasn't going to avail them. No, they knew the score far to well to think that things would change for them now. He bit down on his teeth and swallowed hard, trying not to show how hard he was breathing as though his other self wouldn't notice. It seemed to smirk in admonishment but it didn't say anything as its eyes locked with his and he stumbled forward, from the edge of the tower to the front of his group of friends. This was his fight...his demon. And nobody knew how dangerous and how much trouble that meant better than him. "Fine," he spat as the shadow looked down on him with a self-confident grin, amused and mocking, but with a dangerous edge, like a cat playing with a mouse but slowly losing interest, and Soji couldn't admit that it made him just a little bit frightened, "You're me, I'm you. I know...no, I always knew you existed. Say what you want...I accept that. That's what this is all about, that's how it works, right?" He bit out the words painfully, fearful of what it might say, of what thoughts it might put out there, but he knew that there was no use in denying this thing that wore his face. Shadows were another side of them, one they had to accept. And if he had that side to him, then he would deal with it once they go out of here...once they got home. Instead of accepting it or stepping backward, turning into a persona or a monster, however, the thing wearing his face only laughed and smirked condescendingly, looking down at his slumped form with a self-satisfied expression.
"Not for us. You and I both know that the rules went out the window for the two of us a long time ago," the voice came like a dark stereo bleating across the way, filling the air with a deep, rumbling echo that pounded in their ears and stole away their heart bit-by-bit, the opposite of the hope that their leader inspired, he was the incarnation of despair, "I'm not a problem that you can just will away. I'm much bigger than that. In fact, I'm the biggest problem you're ever going to face." He smirked widely and suddenly, like a series of scenes flashing before their eyes, they could see in place of his body any number of images...a black-coated warrior god, a woman with long gray hair and white robes, a white-coated warrior, and at last a silver-haired warrior with a black jacket and golden eyes once more...a montage of all the powers that their leader had wielded over time blended into one short series of instants, as if it were simply taunting them with the knowledge of the power that their leader held... "That's right," it taunted with a small smirk, a growing confidence and an aura of power that boomed from the top of Tartarus far down into the town below, stretching out across the sky like a pillar of evil, "I'm you. Which means that every single ounce of strength you gained...I have. You see, Izanami got it all wrong when she messed with me. I was the pinnacle of human potential...for good, and evil. My power is like the number zero...well, at least they got the infinite possibilities part right. Isn't that what the long-nosed freak and his blue-haired pet told me? The power of the Fool...the power of the World...I can do anything with the power of my friends supporting me. I can do anything I want."
"Shut up..." Soji grit his teeth as one of his eyes scrunched shut, his energy still fading, still failing him, "...I know...all that already. I'm strong...because of my friends..."
"That's a bunch of bullshit!" a harsh voice pierced the night suddenly, silencing his lighter half with the sharpness of his tone, "The power of friendship? 'We did it together.' You don't really believe any of that at all, do you? Oh, I believe that my friends are strong, and that they give me power when I ask for it. But really...if they're so strong, why can't one of them do it? Why can't Rednal be the one who takes down Izanami? Why doesn't Faust have the power of the Fool? Why can't Kanji strike down Nyarlathotep without dying twice and getting picked up by...you guessed it!...me? I'll tell you why..." Soji winced and took a step back as the shadow kept talking, and with each little step that the Senior began to wilt his opposite number seemed to grow in his ominous strength, dark and terrible, haughty and mighty and tearing down the preconceptions that they had about their 'infallible' leader brick by brick. He was always so gracious, so humble, he believed in his friends when even they hadn't believed in themselves, and he had helped them bring to the forefront of their personalities the type of person that they wanted to be, deep in their hearts. He had fought with them when he defeated their enemies, he...he...? His eyes widened slightly... "You get it, right? You are me," it continued, coaxing his mind along as things began to dawn, "I'm special! I am the leader of this team...I'm the Hero! When the shadows are in a frenzy, it's up to me to finish things. When my friends are having self-esteem issues or failing at their everyday lives, it's up to me to set them straight. And when I'm too exhausted to continue, when I'm just plain sick of everything and the world's still going to Hell, it's up to me to get myself up and save the day again. Always." He paused as Soji seemed to sink before him, a wild and excited, powerful look in the face of the silver-haired shadow that loomed before them.
"I. Am. A. God!" it shouted proudly, delightedly, the sky overhead seeming to rumble with the very words that he spoke as though it were on cue.
"No...you're not," Soji choked desperately, unable to find the words, "I'm not...!"
"Don't pretend and put on this face for me! I'm you, and I know the truth about you. After all, what else would you call someone who controls a god to beat up a god, while leading a team of superheroes that you practically created? I mean, come on...I just purified a demon and then killed the very incarnation of chaos. No matter how you try to justify it, no matter how you try to rationalize it away, you can't hide from the fact that you are not the same as the people around you! And to be blunt? I'm sick of pretending. I'm sick of acting like I'm leading a team when really, they're just following me, looking to me, always counting on me when things go bad! ...That's how you really feel, right? You don't want any of this power! You know that you're different and you still just want to crawl back into your little home, curl up on your little couch, and go to bed at night still thinking you're just a normal person just like everybody else! Only...every time the moon turns full? Every time the town fills with fog? Every single time you wake up in the morning and sense something different in the world around you, you can already feel the power stirring inside, can't you? Telling you to solve things...to fix it. Because no matter what you tell yourself or how normal you pretend to be you can't escape from the fact that you can fix it! You have the power! ...Only you don't want it?!"
"Sorry, me...but I'm not letting you play human any longer. Because even if you don't want to admit that you have this power," it taunted seriously, before adding in stern, pointed words, "...but I do!"
It was a pointed phrase...you don't, but I do...? It didn't...make any sense, did it? If they were the same person, wouldn't they...?
"You look confused...didn't I already say it? We're so far beyond the rules, I can't even remember when we passed the sign," the shadow continued, amused as it tore down the leader more and more before continuing on, "Infinite possibilities...like your dark side growing as a counterbalance to your own strength. Though that's not unusual, really. You remember the story about the Abyss of Time, don't you? It was the negative side of the disappearance of Tartarus two years ago...you see, I'm kind of like that. You're the positive power...I'm the negative. But that's just the basics. If you want to get more complex, then let's compare notes...for example! Teammates...you've got your Investigation Team...and I've got my Messiahs and Messengers. Yours can fuse with personae...mine can fuse with shadows. You were able to convince gods like Izanami to work under your command...and I convinced devils like Nyarlathotep and his already-tainted puppets...though it was me who fed them their first shadows, of course. You can bring people into the television...I can bring shadows out. ...Getting the picture? Or do you need a look at the view for a reminder?" Soji's eyes widened...was it...could this really...?
"Right again...I am sharp, aren't I?" he taunted, "...you and your friends tried to purify the TV World. And I...dirtied...yours."
"No...I didn't...I don't want..." the Senior stammered, his confidence lost, his mind being shaken...his eyes were wide and his voice was wavering, his body seeming to shrink, but the reaction didn't seem to amuse this time, only anger his shadow.
"No, you don't, and that's why I can't accept you! You could have done all of this! Ruled the Television World, fused it with the real one, called out this tower and ruled it all with the power that you have! You could have lived like the gods that we are! But you...are so damned attached to that disgusting humanity of yours that you're scared of your power! You're like a lion posing as a house cat! You can't accept that you're something greater, so you cling to ideas like 'teamwork', 'friendship', and all of these things can't hide you from the fact that through everything, deep in the corners of your mind, you've always felt like you were alone...even with them. Isolated, different, special...oh, don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about. Should I remind you?" he asked with a sneer, and then suddenly, his face seemed to change from that to someone else...someone amongst his friends. "I can't fight like you can. You're our leader," suddenly came the voice of Yosuke from this thing, then it changed again into a little blond, "you're incredible, Sensei!" And then one-by-one it changed into each of his friends, each of their voices reflecting words they had spoken in reverence to his skills, his power, recognizing that his place amongst their friends was different, on a whole different level than their own. It would have been an ego booster to anyone listening in a different context...but in this case, it sounded like dark drums inside of the Senior's heart. Finally, there were two voices in the end...two faces that he held the most precious of all his friends. Dark black hair, red clothes, onyx eyes. "I love you..." followed by orange hair, amber eyes, a winning smile, "Senpai, I love you."
And then it was himself again, and Soji's knees were trembling...and his shadow was laughing.
"Oh, don't even get me started on them. You're so weak you can't even just come out and say it..." he left a moment for a pause and relished the look of pure fear and despair that came onto the face of their team's leader...and his orange-haired girlfriend as well, "...you're in love with both of them! Oh, you're committed to one...but no matter what, you just can't make yourself forget about that sweet heiress of yours, can you? And why not? They both are desperately in love with you! They both want to be together with you, and you cling to their affection in turn like a complete lifeline! You're terrified to say anything to either of them and write them off, because you're terrified of letting either of them know how desperately you need them! But why should you even care?! You're the hero! Why don't you just have the guts to come out and admit that you don't want to lose either one of them?! Oh I know...you're just too afraid to admit that you don't cling to the same flimsy ideals of 'one true love' that they do! You're afraid that if you do, you'll lose them! In fact, you're so deep in self-hatred because of all of the things you can't accept, that you're not sure you even deserve to keep them! Just admit it! You're-"
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"That's ENOUGH!" a roar erupted suddenly from the silver-haired boy as blue power crackled to life all around him...his white coat forming over his body, a half-broken mask over one eye, and before his teammates could reach out to him he was across the distance between the two and his twin swords were drawn out into the air over his head...a flash of white and blue and he was behind the golden-eyed doppleganger with rage in his heart and his spirit practically flickering, dying away before their eyes...but as he struck down towards his enemy there was a flash...not of blue, but of red. Black flowed and steel clanged together against steel, twin swords blocked by one large one...it was the same blade that Izanagi had used in his original form, long and strange, entirely unique to himself. And with a smirk and a thrust, he sent the Senior backflipping to his feet atop the Tower where he landed on unsteady footing...recovering, desperately...only the red flash was faster and before him now, too close, his weapon aimed forward and thrust in one long heartbeat that thrummed inside of his ears and then...
Blood splattered onto the onyx floor of Tartarus...sharp pain pierced the center of his stomach, and a great heave felt him lifted into the air by some lever injected into his stomach and tossed to the floor near the edge of the tower. And there, looming over him where he struggled with the last of his strength to get back to his feet, was the Shadow...black coat with red lining, a mask that was complete with golden eyes peering down at him condescendingly. It was his own shadow, transformed...this was Izanagi (Reborn), only...it wasn't...?
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"That deal you made with Igor...it has a price, doesn't it?"
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He was desperate now...wheezing softly...every bone in his body and muscle fiber was spent, wasted, broken, devoid of strength. His magic was leaving him, his white clothes barely stayed upon his body. For how long had he fought this war now and been unable to win? How many foes did he have to fight in order to earn his freedom from all of this vicious cycle? Did he have to really defeat himself in order to win? Did he have to...did he have to die? Man, the price of freedom sure was steep...he wasn't sure...he wanted to pay it anymore. No... 'I have to...' he grit his teeth and stood once more, against all odds, against all reason and hope and all the logic in the world he stood...arms shaking...knees shaking...he was so close to the edge now. But his shadow was right. There HAD been a price. And it was far too steep...'Still, I...' he struggled, unable to look at his team...unable to look at Rise, or Yukiko...and if there were tears that had finally broken free, that had been unleashed after all the build-up and all the time that he had spent together with his friends as the strong one, trying to be their leader, their hero, their guide, it was all breaking like a great dam that had felt far too much pressure for far too long. He wasn't any of that...not really. And yet...
"I...I will...not..." he choked as he stood, blood spilling out of the front of his jacket as he tried to stand, wanting to stand up...to win...just one more time before the end...'to free them...from all of this. That was...my promise...' "I'm...not perfect..." his words were sharp and self-loathing, blood spilling out of the corner of his lips, "never...but I..." He raised his weapons with shaking arms... "I will...still...no matter what...protect...them." He was in a stance again at last...he rose to face the enemy...and his eyes were crystal, pained, physically and emotionally...but before this impossible, endless tide of darkness, he stood one last time to hold it back for his friends. To be that man they wanted him to be. The Great Soji Seta...
"I...love them.."
"Still trying to do things your own way...to play the hero. That is you, isn't it? I admire that," the shadow teased as he raised his weapon and smirked, 'but you still don't understand anything. ...If you did, you wouldn't be losing. We wouldn't be fighting. You and I would be one and the same, the way we are and were meant to be...and the two of us together would be the ones standing at the top of this Tower waiting for the end, waiting for a chance to become something new...something which transcends life and death itself! Beyond Gods! That's our destiny...but you just can't see it!" He sighed and lowered his weapon, bitter disappointment curling the corner of his lips as he matched his true self's pose for one last strike. "Keep hold of your shield," it taunted finally, "at least death is a human experience, I suppose."
No more words were exchanged between them, only blows...one, to be exact. White made to move but black was faster, shooting across the distance to his fallen foe near the edge of the tower, his large sword swinging down in a smooth arc towards the team leader's shoulder. There was a thump...a clang...and then a rip...blood splattered onto the floor of the tower in a crimson rain thereafter. ...The blood was from a body, human, the blood dripping in a thick river to the floor from a wound ripped in the flesh. To the floor a sword shattered and fell as the weapon clove through it, rendering it to useless scrap metal...all were easily explained and half-expected. But the thump...
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He hadn't remembered much, but he knew what was going on when he woke up and saw the two figures standing there opposite one another, their weapons drawn and ready to strike. It was a long-suppressed instinct to stand and run, to do the right thing for a change, to try and save someone who was worthy of saving from the darkness rather than lure them into it. If he was to atone, he supposed this was a good start...and the sword in his hand had been drawn faster than he could even remember it having been there. He didn't remember well the clash or the shattering of his blade, and he didn't particularly care when the weapon of the dark shadow ripped into his shoulder and got stuck, his hands ditching the hilt to wrap around the sword arm of the shadow and hold him in place...but what he did remember was seeing the white-clad form that he had bumped out of the way stumbling towards the edge of the tower, more limp and bloody than he remembered, moving closer, closer...
He remembered the vacant look in the silver-haired boy's eyes as he fell backward over the side of the tower. Down far, far over the edge...towards the mists below.
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It was like watching a bad horror film...reaching out for him, rushing over towards the side. The sight of that man bumping him away from the killing blow, his body lurching towards the edge. She couldn't reach him, she tried, her eyes were already crying...Senpai had...thought those things? He hadn't said anything, but...but...even so! She was running for him as his knees gave and he tumbled, out of sight, out of her life, out of the world?! She couldn't fathom it and crumpled near the edge just as he fell out of sight...the voice that had moved millions piercing the sky with a horrid, heart-rending cry, tears streaking the fairest of faces.
"SENPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIII!!!!!"
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"Can you hear them?"
...
"Can you...?"
...
"..."
...
"You were...a most remarkable guest..."
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It was like a pleasant sense of vertigo...or maybe just letting it all go. He had tumbled over the edge but he barely felt anything anymore, the weightless feeling of the sky slipping away above him, the wind over his face cool, soft...he couldn't hear or speak as he fell, time and life were slipping out of him. Was this...the price that he was meant to pay? It was the end...the end of...what? Everything? No...he hadn't done it...yet. His friends...they weren't...
His eyes were fading, his hands folded over the wound on his chest and he felt all thought slipping away. Only one remained. 'Protect them...protect them...' his mind repeated, 'save them...'
Suddenly, as the clouds passed through him his body seemed to glow white. His eyes closed, his labored breathing slowed and came to what looked like a stop. And his white armor was gone, with the light it formed into a white ball that gathered at his chest and then shot up in a stream towards the top of the tower. His lips curled into a serene smile...
'Yeah, that was...' his thoughts slipped away, '...maybe in the end...I was...a...'
...
'...'
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White light streaked up from the bottom of the tower and up towards the top of the emerald spike. Curling, twisting around, it arched over the top of the onyx stage for the final battle and shot across the field even as the two remaining leaders remained deadlocked. It split at once at the top, one falling over the edge of the precipice and down in many spots into the town below with the other in the center of the team of friends, and then in the center of the team of friends the second ball split again. Shooting in every direction, it rocketed straight into the hands of each of them...white light with a comfortable, familiar feel. These were...weapons, weren't they? Strange, empty...but with potential, right? That's how the felt...that's how they were, but...
...But where had they come from?...
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It was too late! He should have known! He remembered too late! He had seen the tower rise in the distance of the town's skyline and everything had rushed back to him in a blur! He remembered the initiation, the hand, the face that had handed him his first shadow and the way that Simon had held him...silver hair, golden eyes! It was him! Soji Seta, but not him...his shadow! It hadn't taken any thought for him to shift from Tatsuya Suou into the suit that he had forged in the Television, and he had only narrowly escaped it before this fiasco locked it down. Now he was soaring to the top of the tower but something felt off. He reached the precipice and there was the Investigation Team without their leader...and there, deadlocked with the shadow that he remembered was Simon Kongo...no...Naoya Toudou...he landed instantly next to the team and reached into a compartment in the suit and pulled out some gems, passing them around.
'LISTEN!" he cried out in that desperate moment, his commanding tone sounding altogether so much like their own leader that they would be forced to listen, "You can't stay here any longer! If you stand here, you die! Use those gems and escape to the bottom, then go to the Samegawa Floodplain and wait there for me! I'll go get the girl! ...Just trust me! This isn't a fight you can win right now without Seta!" It was all he could do and they had no time. The Dark Hour was going to end soon and he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. If the place changed while they were still atop it, they might get stuck inside...or worst, they might be tossed off and land to their death on the ground below. He didn't know! But he couldn't let them try it! This battle had to wait...there was nothing anybody could do right now except run! He hoped they listened...but he had no time to waste! They were down to seconds! And so he shot across the field and landed next to the red-haired girl, crying hysterically, and he lifted her into his arms and without waiting, shot up from the Tower and down off the side towards the town below.
...
The last thing he saw as he looked back were Naoya and the shadow still locked together, struggling with all they had against one another...and the Tower suddenly springing to life and shifting before their eyes, changing, reducing itself back into a recognizable form to anybody in the town of Inaba just as the sky turned black and the moon was white once more.
...
It was the Junes Building...
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Less than a minute later he was lowering himself onto the grass at the Floodplain, Tartarus was gone. It as no longer the Dark Hour.
The crying girl leaped from his arms and ran down towards the running waters, collapsing to her knees by the Samegawa River where she wailed into the night. Tatsuya prayed that nobody came along to ask questions.
"What the Hell happened up there?" he muttered to himself in the darkness, feeling a sickly, ominous feeling cloud his mind as he looked over towards the sky where the tower had just been.
'If something happened to Soji up there...and that thing just won...?' he thought darkly, breath unusually visible in the summer night air, 'then God help us all...' Quote: The Investigation Team uses the [Gems] to escape Tartarus! Tatsuya Suou has asked everyone to meet at the Samegawa Floodplain!
The Dark Hour Has Ended! Loot Report! Investigation Team Receives: [??? - Weapon!]
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:58 pm
Dan Sekohara
Dan's smile was infectious, the pureness of his joy, the undeniable energy that even his battered mind was able to conjure. All of it emanated off of the white haired senior. Their battle was over, they didn't have to come to the heart of darkness ever again, they wouldn't have to sacrifice anything they weren't ready to give up. Dan's joyful eyes passed to each of his friends, his teammates, his partners; the white haired hero's eyes didn't linger on any of his teammates as long as they remained with their glorious leader Soji Seta who had lead them to the victory they received today. Dan looked up at the moon, it would be the last time he saw this moon... the last time he would ever have to stand and thank every god he knew of that they had survived. As Dan returned his eyes to Soji he caught the silverette's eyes for just a moment. Between their gaze he could feel the intense energy of their unbreakable bond linking the space between them. Soundlessly Dan nodded and lipped the words silently hoping to share just this one moment with his friend. "Thank You." The words were silent but were filled with every memory he had with his leader, that first day at the play auditions, then aiya's... then the hot spring. Laced into those happy memories were filled the bittersweet ones; the day he gained his power's Dan had died for the first time and Soji reached out to save his life and give him power, and then... Not half an hour before Dan had been ready to walk into the oblivion of Hades but it was with Soji's strength that he turned away from the darkness and returned. Whether it was seconds or hours the locked eyes of the two heroes soon broke.
Dan's mind turned to what he would do for the night, for sure he had earned a night to sleep off his wounds and get away from the world. Maybe he would even take a week off... go visit Daigo an- The dreams of his break were cut short. Soji's voice cracked the silence and his concerned call drew the white haired hero's eyes to the sky. The dark hour... they were still in the dark hour? Dan knew what this meant, but his heart could barely stand the thought. Their fight wasn't over... something was still holding this darkness to the world. The white haired hero grabbed the giant hammer which was strung across his back and swung it down infront of him. No...more. Dan hadn't missed the signs, Soji seemed weaker than usual but he had written it off as exhaustion, but... The silverette was beaten, broken, bloodied, he shouldn't have had to fight again and the white haired hero would stand infront of him to take the blows. What the Dan saw however stopeed his train of thought. Standing across from Soji was... Soji.
For a long tense moment Dan neither moved nor breathed. He had heard from the others what shadows were, but he had never had to face his own and... Soji had never had to face his but apparently that didn't mean that it never existed. The words were sharp from the Shadow version of his glorious leader and no matter what Soji had to say the shadow seemed to have his responses reader. The words cut the darkness like a sword and as much as each word seemed to break the team leader's heart wounds equally as large were made upon his own heart. This was their leaders true desires... his true feelings? Dan watched in horror as the creature screamed out against his teammates weakness compared to the power that Soji wielded. Dan's massive heart could barely manage the strain as tears were brought to his eyes. The tears were thick, heavy, hot and rolled down Dan's cheeks like rain as Soji was berated by the embodiment of his darkest desire. The white haired hero's throat locked up tight, he looked for words anything he could yell or any attack he could send to stop the shadow's lies... to stop its fell mouth from spreading its poison any more than it already had. Dan could do nothing to stop it however and the shadow began to yell out against the one's Soji loved most of all. Yukiko and Rise... The flow of Dan's tears was slowly stemmed and all that was left was skin hot with emotion, and salty cheeks.
His eyes were barely dried when the flash of blue power pierced his mind. He knew what it meant. The Dan Hammer clattered to the floor as the white haired hero reached out to try and grab Soji, pull him back keep this from happening but he couldn't. "Soji no!" His words were not quick enough and just like his tears the hero's heart dropped deep into his stomach. There was nothing he could do... he couldn't stop him. The hopelessness permeated every ounce of his being as Soji clashed into his other self. The initial clash was fast and violent but the results were clear... The shadow had struck a blow that to anyone else would have been fatal and as Dan's eyes took in the scene he yelled out in fear. "Please don't do it... just stay down." Dan dropped to a knee and begged to any spirit to stop this...to whisk Soji away... to keep him safe and let him sit this one out. His prayers could not be answered however and the hero that he was Soji, by force of will alone, brought himself to his feet and put himself between the shadow and his friends. Dan forced himself to his feet behind his leader with a look of pure despair on his face. His hammer was gripped tight in his hand at the ready as he stood up again. By the time he was ready the last charge was already forward and Soji was...
Soji hadn't won the battle, nor had he lost the final charge but was knocked aside by another. Soji was knocked away and went. Dan's eyes widened as he saw where Soji was going and dashed forward the heavy Dan Hammer landing with a clang back on the obsidian floor as he tried to coax every ounce of speed. He wasn't fast enough. Dan's eyes watched lifelessly, as Soji fell off the tower just out of reach. The heroic fire... any heroic fire that had ever existed in Dan's eyes seemed more dead than anyone's heart could ever feel. His blood was cold and not even the blood stopping shriek of rise could rouse a look of any emotion from Dan's face. He was in shock: his leader, his teacher... his friend was gone... Gone? He couldn't be just couldn't be... But deep down dan knew what had happened and knew he had been too weak... too slow to stop it.
Dan stood motionless on the edge of the tower the fire of his heart snuffed out for ever...darker now than any triste with death had ever made it. No tears... no shaking... no life. Nothing seemed to rouse Dan from his shock. Even as the white light surrounded his hand and became something different... something empty and new. It was light... lighter than it should have been. The new hammer in his hand glowed with white power but his eyes, nor heart show any signs of life or energy. Dan simply dropped to his knees as the realization hit him. "he...he..." The white haired hero couldn't call the words... he couldn't conceive of what had happened. And just then... as Dan knelt in a state of pure shock someone knew came burning out of the skies. The hero didn't even look up. "Soji-san..." Dan's words fumbled again as he couldn't find words for what happened. He took the gem with little resistance and just continued to stare lifelessly forward trying to come to grips with what he had just seen. All at once Dan's mind registered the strangers words... no they couldn't win without Seta... what could they do without seta. Dan looked one last time at the shadow. "Soji..." The name barely left Dan's lips before he passed his energy into the gem and in a brilliant flash the white haired hero was gone.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 2:03 pm
Quote: Tartarus - [6/27 - Dark Hour]
Many days have passed since that night not so very long ago. And in the days that have passed, the tower has appeared nightly...but its new master, the Shadow of the Investigation Team's lost leader Soji, has not come out openly and appeared before them. However tonight, by his will there is a call set out across the city to those who were touched by the white light of his counterpart, drawing them in to his den once more. The Call has been heard...and it cannot be ignored.
Tonight, the Shadow emerges once more to breathe darkness into a new group of followers...as the clouds eclipse the moon above, the long Hour begins...
THE LAST CALL HAS BEGUN!
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:08 pm
Shadow Soji
[Tartarus - Floor 1/Lobby] Time had passed from the moment of his invitation to the moment of arrival, and now he stood atop the stairs in the very first level of the Tower of Demise, Tartarus's Lobby, with his golden eyes peering down at the menagerie of faces that were pouring in, surrounding him in response to his call. He knew that they would never be able to resist the temptation that he afforded them, the offer to become truly a part of this supernatural world into which they had been thrust, and to understand the reason why they had received these strange powers. Humans always were done in by their never-ending quest for knowledge. They could not resist the lure of what was shown to them but never explained, they would always seek out answers...even if those answers would lead them to ruin. It was the very nature of the place where he had been born, inside the television, the realm where answers about who you were and what you had to hide could be found, but in doing so, it would also be your undoing if there were not others there to save you from your own self. And this was hardly any different from that, though he had no intention of destroying those who came and offered themselves to his leadership willingly; his was a job in the making, pawns were necessary in order to achieve his ends. That was why he was wasting time on humans, not out of a care or a desire to see any of them survive what he had coming on the horizon, but simply so that he could use them like tools, the opposite of the teamwork that his 'light' side found to be so precious. Like sheep they were gathering at his beckoning, they came like moths to a flame, searching for answers that they now believed only he could give to them. He stood overlooking them like some sort of a savior, and they looked to him like he was one. The irony was not lost upon him, his lips curling into a smile that might have seemed devilish if they weren't so blinded by their need for answers. Each and every one of them inched closer to their own demise, to falling under his spell, and he was determined to have them...or erase them with the last remnants of that tattered, useless relic of a team tonight.
At his side stood Kenta, the guardian of the first door of Tartarus for the night and the one who would start the party when the Investigation Team's foolish members inevitably arrived. He had no doubts that he would provide little challenge to the stronger ones if they decided to team up on him, but...there was something coming yet that gave him confidence things would go quite differently. One little x-factor that everyone seemed content to ignore until now, as though she hadn't been one of their most key players for so very long. He could practically sense the approach now...and so without any further adieu he spread his arms and looked down upon his flock like the glorious shepherd. And when he spoke his voice was clear and confident as the Investigation Team's leader had once been. Adding perhaps one more hint of insult upon the injuries both past...and present.
"Everyone...I want to thank you for coming here tonight, for trusting your instincts and myself enough to join me. I promise you that the answers you have sought since that Dark Hour 8 weeks ago are here, and I have them. Because as I told you before...the one who gave you that power was me," he explained smoothly as he took a few steps to the side of the top of the staircase, hand occasionally touching at the hilt of a long blade resting at his side, "Some of you may recognize me...some of you may have heard of me...some of you may have even met me before. I am Soji Seta, your former classmate...I say former, because I, like you, am called to serve a higher purpose. Certainly I don't need to tell you the specifics, but look around you! This strange hour of the night...is called the Dark Hour, a time between Midnight and 12:01 in which the supernatural comes to life. Where you are standing now is called Tartarus, and it is the base from which all of our operations and all of our deeds must be done. It is a den for powerful creatures, things such as ourselves. And you...the power that now dwells inside each of you...that is called 'Persona'. It is the power of your soul given manifest, a power given so that you can use it for a purpose. And I am here to tell you that purpose." His lips smirked, arms spreading wide as he looked down upon them, seeming suddenly much greater and more powerful than before, a dark aura surrounding him once more.
"We...are the Black Messiahs. Given access to the power of our souls for a single purpose; to salvage this rotting world, this evil, war-torn existence full of death, despair, and hatred, and return it to a state in which all men are equal...all evils reduced to nothing...and mankind, those of you who stand together with us, will be all that emerges from this darkness at the top of a new world order," the shadow cajoled them smoothly, smirking as he suddenly transformed before their very eyes, a black coat and a long sword in his hands and an aura of power that was enough to bring them to their very knees, "What you have been given...is the gift of evolution. We are the next phase of mankind. ...And it rests on our shoulders to eliminate all vestiges of the last. A dark task, but a necessary one...so that we, as humans, can become closer to Gods." Suddenly, there was a shift in the air, something treacherous...something promising dark things and power and all that they could have wanted and feared in a single instant. His blade lowered in their direction...
"Now then...I will only ask you once," he smirked as his eyes glowed down at those kneeling pawns at his feet, "The changes are coming, our dominion is inevitable. I have given you these gifts so that you might join me in the new world, together. You will become my allies, protected under my wing, brothers and sisters to those who stand beside you. The question stands...will you, or will you not...join me?"
"I will afford you ten seconds to make up your mind...the New World waits for no one." Quote: The Choice Has Come at Last!
Those who were touched by the white light have heard the plea of Shadow Soji and now stand before him in all his power and glory. His hand is extended to you, but only this once...only you can decide the path you will take with the power of persona that you have been given! Will you join him and his Black Messiahs in seeking to rewrite the world and eliminate its evils as he sees fit? Or will you stand with the world as-is, refuse the absolute rule and dominance of the Messiahs, and pray that you will not be destroyed for your response?
Choose wisely...you cannot go back once you have made your decision!
- I will join you, Master, and safeguard mankind's evolution into the New World!
- Humans are not as bad as you say they are! This world can still be saved! I refuse!
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Fashionable Businesswoman
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:58 pm
This wasn't expected. This wasn't something that she predicted. This was... just marvelous. At first one would think that seeing the darkness and the coffins in the street would be terrified by the horrific scenery. No, instead this young woman found herself being fascinated and curious at such things. What were they? Why has the world suddenly changed around her? So alluring the oddity was, so very interesting... just like the smooth voice which brought her here, the long-haired and rich beauty wrapping her arms around herself as chills went through her shoulders pleasantly with how this young man spoke, Soji Seta. She wasn't sure if this feeling was from his words, or the very aura that he has given off. All she knew was that she wanted it, and oh what some wonderful glee she felt when she was told that she, too, has this power. This power.. this Persona. Oh, how her heart was beginning to race, beginning to pound with anticipation to step forward. Here stood a woman with such vanity and pride in her eyes, she knew for a fact that now is the time to grasp what was unleashed within herself, something to step forward and just make her life a little more wonderful.
A smile could only widen when she watched the young preacher before her transform with a blade and blackness, a soft tingle going through her fingers as her greed started to seep in. A realization that yes, she is special. Her rank in life has just gone a little higher now, her standing her being the proof of that. And this man, this giver of power, has shown her the gate that will show her just how the world should be and she could not wait to see for herself. What will be in store? What is this world? What can she bend and break? What can her power do? And what will she be able to take over? Just those curious thoughts were bringing about a larger wave of anticipation, and the normal ones who weren't here before this man just looked smaller and smaller in her mind. What do those little ones know anyway? With patience in herself running low, she soon stepped forward three steps and then placed a hand over her chest with a charming smile. "Aizawa, Yuriko... And I shall join you in this evolution of the New World." Quote:
Choose wisely...you cannot go back once you have made your decision!--> - I will join you, Master, and safeguard mankind's evolution into the New World! - Humans are not as bad as you say they are! This world can still be saved! I refuse!
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:34 pm
[Nekama Kobayashi]  Nekama wasn't alone, that much she was sure of, the faces around her barely registered as more than just another person who had been touched by the light. They were like her, they wanted answers about this strange power they had been given; the company was both comforting and frightening. Her eyes did not linger on those she stood with and eventually shifted to their speaker, to the man who had gathered them here, Soji Seta. He was an impressive being, she would give him that, but he seemed far away β an untouchable being if you will. His words carried around the room, no doubt due to the presence he carried, but the brunette did not feel moved by them. There was a darkness in Soji that grew as his speech continued; and each word he spoke seemed to grow heavier, Nekama shifted nervously with the weight of the words. There was almost a dizzying haze clouding her brain, a tired buzz in her ears as she tried to comprehend his idea.
No, it was all wrong, nothing in what was being said made any sense to Nekama β she couldn't stand by his side, couldn't fight in this group to destroy innocent people. This wasn't a cause she wanted to be a part of, she could never be a part of it. The white noise in the back of her mind seemed to die down some as she came to a decision. What he was speaking of was dark and cruel, what this group offered her was nothing but pain and sorrow, and there was nothing she could want from them except an end to their ways. Didn't humanity deserve another chance? Things could get better without such drastic measure, right? In her heart, she had to feel that things were not so bad or so far gone. A deep from creased her face as she backed away from the group, her eyes narrowing at him and at the girl who had accepted his offer. Nekama's choice became clear, if it hadn't been already; she was never meant to follow this group as her heart lied amongst hope for a better future. All those choices she had wished she'd made in the past had been to help others and to do good. With a firm shake of her head, the mute denied his offer; her body language was stiff and unwelcoming to the darkness and tainted power that had been offered to her. Quote:
Choose wisely...you cannot go back once you have made your decision!
- I will join you, Master, and safeguard mankind's evolution into the New World!
- Humans are not as bad as you say they are! This world can still be saved! I refuse!
The night is Deafening.
When the silenceis listening
Always denying the murmur
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:01 am
 ππ¦π΅ πππ©π©π’π« ββββββββ Nix had a lot of time to think since she first got that strange message. That man looked familiar to her for some reason but what he said was bizarre and was clearly a threat towards the members of the Investigation Team. He was making himself sound like a god and seemed to truly believe that. That didn't matter at the moment. This person was promising their deaths if they chose to enter the tower to save the people who were touched by the same light she was. He was planning on taking advantage of the people who didn't have the chance to meet people like Faust and Amelia.. They saved her life when they easily could've let the Black Messiahs just take her away. They instead chose to save her and tell her the truth about the Black Messiahs and how they operated.
So Nix had two choices.. Stay home where it was safe and let down the other team members who were most likely putting their lives on the line for the other awakened people.. Or go and join them in a fight that will most likely end in her demise? While the fear of death weighed heavily on her heart there was one thing that was clear. She had to do what was right. The power she had gave her the ability to save people, to prevent them from making a horrible mistake like joining the wrong people. So she grabbed the blade she got from Daidara, made sure she had the right equipment, and sneaked out of the house.
The new I Team member made a straight walk to the gates outside of the tall tower.. Nix knew better than to go charging in on her own. That shadowy figure was clearly stronger than she was. Going up against him on her own would mean the end for sure. Perhaps if she waited for the rest of the team they could over-power this trial and save lives.. "Please.. someone show up. I can't do this on my own.."
ββββββββ Ρ²n that day, my βeart crumbled in sΞΉβΡΠΈcΡ
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 4:40 am
 Yue Adomachi
"Unfortunate Junior Brother, Hermit's Philosopher, and Scrappy Protector" Yue stood now, not even sure when he made the decision to come here. It was more overwhelming than anything he'd experienced in his life before, he knew that much. This odd man with silver hair and strange golden eyes spoke, of saving the world with powers they were given. Salvation, a better world.
Nothing about this was right. Not to Yue. He didn't believe it, he didn't think this way. Humans had faults, they all did, but this wasn't the solution. It couldn't be. He frowned, shaking his head. "You must be insane...I'm...not going to do this." The young man said, faintly noting some of the others that denied it too. Would anything good come from denying the offer? Maybe in due time. But tonight, he had a feeling they were about to be met with a lot of trouble. All he could do was wait. And hope something happened.Quote: Choose wisely...you cannot go back once you have made your decision!- I will join you, Master, and safeguard mankind's evolution into the New World!
- Humans are not as bad as you say they are! This world can still be saved! I refuse!
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 6:06 am
Rednal Ak'ThiasThis... is going to be one of those nights. Rednal thought, shading his eyes a bit as he looked up at the tower. He was used to the Dark Hour, by now, and its relentless drain was barely noticeable; indeed, a fair bit of his attention was on looking at the entrance to the tower, where it was pretty much undoubtedly the case that less-than-fun things were going on, rather than on the energy-sapping pull of this time. And they were without their leader for charging in to face the darkness. Well, hopefully, at least enough of the original team was going to show up; the ones that had joined after him were talented and dedicated, but he had a feeling that wasn't going to be enough. I want... more power... he thought absently. Yeah, power enough to crush anyone who got in his way... but, failing that, he'd settle for lots and lots of friends. Quantity had a quality all its own, after all.  KisaA little further back from where others had gathered, another figure stared up at the tower. This time, at least, she'd felt something different about the tower, and seen people moving towards it. That meant... something was probably going on tonight. Was there a clue to be found here, in the hour that shouldn't have existed? Not that she minded the time itself; she actually felt better in environments that were oppressive to others. Her body was built for such zones, after all. But the feeling, like a gentle massage, took a distant second place to her concern about what this night would bring. Who, and why, was orchestrating all of this? And... Soji... was he at all connected? Patiently, the girl watched, her red eyes fixed on the tower ahead. Almost instinctively, the girl whispered one word. Tetraja. Couldn't be too careful. She'd learned that lesson well.
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