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Persona: Simulacrum - IC Thread


MRDRHAWK
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As soon as Eliana hit the ground floor and made a dash for the gap between the residences, she stopped hearing the steps of her friends. As soon as she turned, she saw nobody. ...what? There was... just silence, as if nobody had gone there. But... they were coming here, I can't have misheard it, I'm sure. What was disconcerting was that there was no sound coming from elsewhere --not from the group of four that came downstairs before her, for sure.

There was just a mirror.

"Aoi? Akane? Kazumi?" Eliana repeated, and turned around again and again, trying to receive any response. Unfortunately she was met with the same silence that greeted her there. Just this mirror... It was not only out of place, it's as if it held its own uncanny aura. What have you done, you little thing? Reluctantly, she passed her fingers through its surface. Nothing. It was just a common mirror, for her, with a hard, cold surface. This... this is related to that Ersatz thing, right? What are you hiding, mirrors?

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The voice seemed sated, for only a low "Hmm..." could be heard as the group began to explain themselves. So, they were not involved in the recent surge of people arriving here... perhaps they could be of use? No, they did not possess the power... but there was one dormant within each of them. A test, then, to awaken them to what lies beyond the looking glass.

"Sons and daughters of man, if what you say is true, your convictions will show themselves here and now." With that declaration, a group of blob-like creatures with light blue masks adorned with the Roman numeal "I" began slowly lurching towards the quartet, what little mental capacity they had focused on consuming the unfamiliar beings before them.

If they are to be of any use to me, they will awaken here and now. If they fail, their hopes will be destroyed as with all the others trapped within this realm...

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Ichirou, in the midst of his denial, slowly became aware of... things... surrounding him. Opening his eyes, he almost screamed as he saw the indescribable monsters advanced.

"This... is just a nightmare..." Ichirou stammered. "It h-has to be...".

The thing closest to him raised an appendage and swung it towards his leg. Letting out a panicked yell, Ichirou moved his leg out of the way just in time and kicked the monster in it's formless face, knocking it back a few paces.

..Only to realize that such an action did nothing to dissuade the beast, as it shrugged off the attack and continued it's way towards its attacker, bubbling with an otherworldly gurgle.

Wh-what do I do!?! Do I run and leave everyone behind? I can't do that!!

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Clayton furrowed his brow. He had remembered hearing rumblings about a creepy church that may or may not be involved with the freaky goings on, but having no interest in religious matters (beyond the one time his momma brought him and his siblings to the synagogue a long time before they ever moved to Japan, and even then he barely remembered the experience) he never really investigated it.

"I'm not too sure where it is... I think I heard that it was in the vicinity of the school though." He said with an air of uncertainty, "We could always go check it out sometime if you want."

He wasn't sure why he added that last part. Maybe his curiosity was beating out his sense of self preservation.

Oh well. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back I suppose...

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"Wh-What!? Convictions!? What the fuck are you talking--" Whoever this voice was made their intentions clear instantly, as four shadowy creatures appeared and made to attack them all. Aoi froze, staring the monsters down, as the crawled towards them. What do I do what do I do do I hit them how do I fight this what do I do help someone help!! She screamed silently in her mind, as Ichirou was attacked by one of them, just barely managing to avoid a claw. But Aoi wasn't so lucky, as she couldn't move, staring one down and taking a thick fist to her gut, which send her sprawling a few feet away. She coughed, and coughed up blood, staring wide eyed at the shock of it all.

This. This is real. This is all real. We're going to die here, aren't we? This is how I die... I've spent my whole life fighting, doing nothing, making enemies... And now I'm going to die, here...

"Human. If you wish to survive, then call my name..."

Aoi started to pick herself up. Wh... What? Who...

"Call my name, and borrow my strength... It is the only way thou shalt survive this encounter."

Y-Your name? I'm going crazy... What is even happening... She staggered to her feet, and stared down the creatures once again.

"You must call it now! This is thine only chance!"

"P... Per... Sona..." she mumbled, entirely subconsciously. A blue card appeared in front of her, and on instinct alone, she slowly reached out to clutch it, crushing the card in her hand. A blue flame surrounded her, and she felt... Power. She felt strong. Way stronger than she'd ever felt before. It actually made her smile.

"Thou art I, and I am thou... Harness my power, for I am Setanta, of the Emperor Arcana!"

Aoi was still shaking, but it felt alright now... She took a fighting stance, and swung out at one of the creature, an invisible force sending it back. Moments later, a being, glowing within that same flame appeared above her, brandishing a spear, ready to strike.

I... This... This is mine? This is... This is amazing!

Edited by I have opinions
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Surrounded on all sides by the creatures, Ichirou was running out of plausible options. Am... am I really gonna die here!? My mom and dad won't know what happened to me... Nor will anyone else... Schwarz.... Guru...

Con... Convic... A solitary word began to surface in Ichirou's mind... Conviction! The voice said... I need conviction... With no other option, Ichirou summoned his willpower and stood firm. I won't... run away... Not ever...!

SUMMON... ME... another voice began to surface in his mind - but the source of which was foreign to Ichirou: it was like someone, or something, speaking directly into his mind....a word... Per... Perso...

"...Persona." Ichirou uttered, opening his eyes. A card rotated slowly in front of him. Instinctively, he grabbed it...

Now!

A rush of sensations crawled up his arm and entered his consciousness. The rush of power made it clear. He knew what he must do now.

"Thou art I, and I art thou... I am Kinmamon, the isolated warrior of the Tower Arcana, and your strength made manifest!"

Ichirou willed with all his might the power to fight against his assailants.

A blue blast shot from an unseen force met one of the monsters, which then crystallized into a frozen statue... and was promptly smashed to powder by a red and blue streak rushing in from overhead.

Is this... the power of my spirit!?

Standing in awe of the being in front of him, Ichirou noticed some more of the freaks moving closer. I won't... die here...! He swung his arm in a swift motion and immediately one of them was skewered. As the monster slowly dissolved to nothing, Ichirou focused his attention on the remaining 'shadows'.

Time to finish the job.

Edited by FrostyFireMage
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"Where is this...?" Kazumi muttered, not daring to raise his voice above the volume of a whisper. One minute he was outside of his apartment building, and the next... he wasn't sure. It just seemed like they'd been surrounded by mirrors, with no exit in sight. As if that wasn't weird enough, a voice came from an indiscernible source, asking what they were doing here. How am I supposed to know? Everything went to shit after they touched the mirror.


And then he started talking about... proving their convictions? Before he had any time to think about it, four shadowy forms had appeared surrounding them, advancing slowly towards them. At this point, he had almost forgotten the others were there. A sense of dread was overwhelming him, as the shadows advanced upon them. He'd done some stupid stuff before, but he'd never gotten himself into this kind of danger before. He wasn't sure that anyone had, to be honest. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ichirou launch a kick at the creature, and pushed it back. But that was all it did. It was buying time, and this couldn't last for long...


Human. Your time grows short. Another voice echoed in his mind, as Kazumi gritted his teeth and copied the other boy, flinging a kick at the nearest creature.


Don't you think I know that!? He snarled back. He knew it all too well - and he'd done nothing with his life up till now. The dark blob seemed to anticipate his movements, shrinking down to the ground, allowing his kick to soar overhead. Is this really hopeless? A claw connected with his left ankle, striking without mercy and causing him to reel back in pain.


Should you wish to defy your fate, you must call upon my power." Despite the situation, the voice was calm, and almost soothing to his ears. But this was no time to relax. The monster was advancing on him again, getting ready to finish the job.


How do I do that? And what are you? Who are you?" He was panicking. There were so many questions he had to ask, but he only had a matter of seconds before the shadow was upon him again.


That, dear human, is something you already know. That hardly counted as an answer. When his life was in mortal danger, the last thing he wanted to hear was a riddle. But somehow, he felt like he already knew the answer. So when the card appeared in front of him, he knew what he needed to do it.


Your name is... "Persona!" he cried out, crushing the card. Seconds later, he was engulfed by a burning, blue flame. But it didn't hurt. The monster which had been about to take another swing at him stopped in tracks, and Kazumi swore that he could sense it's fear.


Rising from the flame was a woman dressed in red, and over the top of it she was wearing a strange kind of... cape? While she wore no shoes, some kind of strange, golden headgear sat on top of her half-blonde, half-purple hair. He had never seen a stranger looking person in his life - it looked like something straight from a movie, and yet he could not deny her existence.


"Thou art I, and I art thou... I am Lachesis of the Fortune Arcana, and I grant you my power!" Kazumi's panicked face turned into a grin. The flames had dispersed now, and the shadowy creature seemed a little braver for it. This time however, he was prepared. "Lachesis!" His guardian understood what he asked her to do, even if Kazumi didn't quite get it himself, and gust of wind erupted from beneath the attacker, sending it flying up into the air and landing with a splat, before dissolving into nothingness.


So this is my power... he thought to himself, panting. Maybe things would turn out okay after all - after they'd dealt with the rest of the monsters, of course.

Edited by SB.
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Maybe this was just what Akane needed, in the end. With these strange creatures approaching, intent clear, she actually managed to loosen up. If a brawl was what they wanted, then that was no problem... word games were tough at times but fighting was simple. Without hesitation, and with her mind clear, Akane reached into her bag, pulled out her gun, a Walther P38, and a shot rang out, striking one of the strange creatures square in it's mask, center of the face. Well, seems that wasn't working...

"Persona." Absolute calm. Panic was useless, after all, and whatever this nagging feeling in her head was, it was insistent.

'Thou art I... and I am thou... call my name, and strike them down.' A deep, bold voice. Strong, rigid, tough... Akane smirked. Like hell this wasn't strange, but it... it just felt damn right... crushing the strange floating card the appeared before her with ease, the fireworks began.

"Give 'em hell, Aeshma!" Akane cried out, instinctually slamming her heel down onto the floor. As she did so, a burst of energy came forth from the impact, reaving all of the strange creatures that had come near to her. She couldn't even feel her wound, anymore, as she looked up at the materializing figure, a gargantuan skeletal figure, a veritable titan, a smile creaking onto it's skull, the bone itself moving to accommodate, a long bone tail swinging behind it, as if waiting to impale whatever grew too close..

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The entity that seemed to be controlling the world was surprised by the turn of events, albeit pleasantly so. These humans had awakened to their true selves much faster than he had anticipated, and seemed to be passing the test set out before them with flying colours. Perhaps they could be of use...

"Sons and daughters of man, you are a truly impressive group. Your awakening was just as I had hoped. Now, I must now ask you to use that to save those trapped in this world." The voice boomed out as the last of the Shadows were destroyed. Not far from where the Shadows formed, the unconscious form of a young girl was splayed across the floor - the form of one Kiyomi Shijima, the girl who had just been thrown in earlier.

Beside her was another body, that of a somewhat young male in a suit. However, he was quite pale and seemed to be not only awake, but shivering, and muttering something under his breath. Could that be the early signs of Ersatz Syndrome? In any event, the group must now decide what to do.

"Sons and daughters of man, if your hearts are true and your intentions pure, you will grant these people a second chance at living." As the voice boomed, a strange blue door popped up to the side of where the group started. "Bring them through that door, the being on the other side should be able to take care of the rest."

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Aoi couldn't stop smiling. The creatures were knocked away, one by one, by whatever spectral presence now stood beside each of them. This was like a video game... But, it was real! And it felt incredible! She was smiling, she was exhilarated, and she could not stop shaking. She had to double take between this spectral warrior and everyone else's a few times, before it finally disappeared. She could still feel something different, though there was no explaining what it was. This is just... Power. Pure power. And it's mine... All of us, we... I don't know what brought this on, but hot damn it's fantastic! It took her a moment to calm down, but a few clenches of her fists, and she was back to breathing normally, though still excited as all get out.

The voice, not the one in her head, but the one in the room, spoke again. Save everyone? Trapped in this world? "Hey, what d'you..." It became clear what the voice meant, as the girl who had been shoved in earlier appeared near where their shadowy foes had been defeated. "Oh! Hey!" But there was also another man, someone she didn't recognize in the least. He didn't seem to be doing so well. "So, like, you just mean, save the people that get thrown in here?" That seems easy enough... But-- "ah, hey! How do we know when someone gets put in here?" That seemed like a fairly important question.

As for now, though, Aoi came over to the unconscious Kiyomi and hoisted her onto her back, giving the suit guy a once over. "Hey, you okay? Can you walk?" He seemed really shaken, but Aoi didn't really know how to play counselor, so if he wasn't okay she didn't wanna say something stupid.

Edited by I have opinions
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Well, at least it was over for the time being, Akane noted to herself with a sigh, as the spectral figure continued to loom over her. Aeshma, Aeshma... she had heard that name before, but couldn't recall where or when. Whatever it was, it seemed to be intent on assisting her, so that was good. Slipping her gun away, the senior student collapsed to her knees, clutching her wound. The adrenaline began to fade, and the pain re-surged.

"So, whatever you are, voice... thing. If we're gonna be given these things, expected to save people, all that jazz, any chance you've got some sorta crazy medicine or some shit on hand, to close this goddamn wound?" Akane asked, clearly not very enthused due to rather obvious circumstances.

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"You up for searching that place? You're pretty brave" he said astonished. Man, well this was surprising, he didn't take Clayton for the daredevil type but hey people are full of surprises right? In the moment Retsuya was overcome with a strange sense of determination and curiosity. One feeling he had barely felt for a long time. "Want to go there next week?" He asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

The church of Ameno-Koyane... what kind of deity was that? He knew the various Shinto spirits that resided in Japan but not all and that name always drew in blanks. Benevolent or tyrannical and how would they be related to the recent victims of the Ersatz Syndrome. That slight glint in his eye told it all. He'd do it no matter what and get some info on the mysterious church.

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Oh Clayon old boy whatever have you gotten yourself into, Clayton's survival instincts chided him, do you not remember that this is the spooky church related to that weird, unexplainable and probably very dangerous phenomenon? No? Ok, you do what you want then.

"Sure", Clayton said, overwhelmed with a very uncharacteristic will to get to the bottom of this. Maybe it was an excuse to finally form a friendship closer than a mutual acquaintanceship, or maybe it was fate, but Clayton really wanted to help Retsuya get to the bottom of this... "What kind of church do you think it is? I'm not really familiar with any of the local religious customs but that name seems especially foreign to me."

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"Hold on a second." Kazumi wasn't convinced that the voice was trustworthy, even if Aoi had already rushed off to do what it said. "You were the one who sent those monsters to attack us, weren't you?" He glanced over at Akane. "Yeah, if you're really on our side then you should do something about her leg, or my..." He trailed off, a look of bewilderment on his face. He was going to mention his ankle, which one of the creatures has taken a swipe at earlier, but then he realised that at some point between summoning Lachesis and now, it had stopped hurting altogether. When he went to inspect the wound, he found that it had vanished altogether.


Did the voice do it? No, it can't have done... If they had been responsible for healing him, why would they have ignored Akane's wounds, which appeared to be much more serious. Then I guess my Persona did it? It was the only way that made sense (well, in the context of the situation anyway) so maybe he could do more with it.


"Let me try something." he told Akane. He was just about to wonder how to get the card to come back when it appeared, and a small smile formed on his face. "Persona." Lachesis reemerged, and without waiting for a command, turned it's attention to Akane. A small, purple orb appeared right next to her, expanding slightly before dissolving into nothingness - and his persona with it. "Well..." It was the moment of truth. "Did that do anything?" Hopefully - or else he would probably look like an idiot.

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Kazumi summoned his persona, as she had taken to calling them, since it seemed to be a growing trend in their summoning to say as such, and with a flash of light, within an instant, the pain was gone. She... hadn't actually expected that to happen when she had said it. Scrambling to remove the towel that she had used to keep it under pressure, Akane's wound was gone... not just healed over either, the bullet hole itself was gone, the only traces of it ever having happened the now-drying blood lingering on her skin.

"How,,, in the hell?"

Edited by Ether
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Did he have any possible lead or info then the answer "I've only been in this city for two years and I'm a Catholic so whatever this Ameno-Koyane deity is or what it's church does is a complete mystery to me." Retsuya clarified. Hopefully his religion wouldn't put a damper on their current relationship since he knew well enough some people shun others just for being different. Those things were irrelevant, it made things simpler but respect was the key element in any friendship but not everyone felt that way.

"We might need to ask the people or some students for what usually happens around here and I think I know who we can start with." Retsuya pondered out loud. He knew he still had to keep an eye on that rooftop just in case the students get rowdy and violent again. Blackmail could work, he did have access to the rooftop key and could just get all the info he needed from Yuu about the incident. This of course would be a last resort because only when peaceful negotiations fail should one resort to more underhanded tactics.

Edited by almi23
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The voice seemed to be contemplating Aoi's question - the trouble was, they didn't have an answer handy. Only so much a disembodied voice could do for these children of man, after all. "I'm afraid I have nothing for you... that will be a trial in of itself for you." The voice was ready to answer the other girl's question, but one of her male companions used the Dia spell to heal her wounds and seemingly shut her up for the time being.

Meanwhile, Kiyomi somewhat stirred, but made no effort to speak or to even open her eyes. Saburo, meanwhile, shuddered and backed away from Aoi swiftly and without warning. "S-Stay away...! You're not going to save me from anything...! You'll just make my life worse!" He cried out, clutching his head in pain. Perhaps if he were a bit more... sedated, he would be willing to go with the group, but that wasn't an option right now.

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"Nothing!? Well, gee, thanks!" Aoi hadn't considered Kazumi's point until he made it, but this voice suddenly didn't seem very friendly. She was about to make towards helping the man, but he scurried away faster than she could imagine, leaving her a bit stunned. Wh... He's definitely not okay... What... What am I supposed to do? Not actually being able to figure out an answer, she decided to go and ask the other three if they had any idea, just in time to watch Kazumi heal Akane's wound entirely. "Wha... Whoa! That's amazing! You can do that!? Hey, hey, heal me next! One of those things punched me and it kinda hurt. That's crazy!"

Of course, there were still other matters to attend to. "Oh, uh, that guy over there, I dunno what's up with him, but he won't come near me... I didn't threaten him or nothin', he just seems really spooked. Any idea of what to do?" Oh, right. "And, uh, a-are you okay now, Akane? You were bleeding pretty badly..." Whatever secret she was hiding from what happened at lunch was definitely a dangerous one.

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"I'm fine. The wound is closed, so unless this is a stop gap and it re-opens once we get out of here, no problems... as for him, I've got no idea." Akane replied, looking over the spooked man. Usually her answer to such a conundrum would be to knock the guy out, but that might not be the best option here. She'd at least wait for other ideas.

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With the confusion and adrenaline now wearing off, as well as the last of the creatures being eradicated, Ichirou reviewed the recent happenings in his mind. "So we entered a mirror, somehow... Got jumped by inky freaks... and somehow gained supernatural power which we used to fight them off...?" Ichirou rubbed his head. "This is crazy... but in a good way." He concluded, while watching Kazumi envelop that Akane girl in a soft light. But still... he won. He was tired, he was hurting... But still, he was alive.

Kazumi's recent words, however, triggered a new train of thought in Ichirou. Wait a second... didn't that voice say that these powers and Ersatz were linked? And what was that voice playing at, making us fight for our lives like that!? Ichirou couldn't help but feel a sudden twinge of anger at these thoughts - he didn't appreciate having his life put in jeopardy. "Hey... voice!? Was putting us in such a life-or-death situation really necessary? ...And how do we know this isn't just some plot you have planned to... blame us for this Ersatz business that's been going around!?" He didn't really expect an answer, but it felt good to question his motives.

"Also... some of that... healing dealio would be appreciated, Kaz." Ichirou sighed, wiping sweat off his brow. Speaking of the captives here, he had no idea what to do. Should they just wait until they calmed down or try and talk some sense into them? They didn't seem to be in the right frame of mind.

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"Alright, good, good..." It was a good thing that this power her brother suddenly had was so useful, but she also hoped it didn't just wear off once they were out. That'd be really awkward, and really frightening, to see a wound just re-open like that and have blood just start pouring out. Aoi shuddered at the thought. It was reassuring, though, to know that she wasn't the only one who had zero idea of what to do with their frightened rescue-y. Made her feel a bit less inept, even if the others didn't know what to do for different reasons. "Well, uh... I've got the girl, so whenever we all want to collect the scaredy cat and go through that door, we can, I guess." She was still mad at that voice, but she didn't feel she'd get anything else out of it. She sighed.

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Kazumi summoned Lachesis twice more to heal Aoi and Ichirou (although he wasn't even sure if the latter was injured) and then sighed. He felt slightly drained after all of the casting, even if he wasn't the one actually doing anything. "I dunno what to do with that guy." he admitted. "I don't think that trying to heal him would work out anyway..."

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Aoi felt that magic wash right over her (because really, is there anything else you could call it, but magic?) and she sighed a happy sigh, turning towards the scared man again. "Well, uh, if no one wants to try and talk him into coming with us, someone wanna just, like, knock him out so we can get him through this door, or somethin'? I mean... I'd rather not, but... If someone wants to take this girl off of me, I can do it." She really didn't want to hit someone who didn't deserve it, but if that's what it was gonna take to get him outta the room, then it's what would have to be done.

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Clayton nodded. This was an arduous task he had taken into hand, he only hoped he could complete it. "It's a long shot, but I figure I could ask the people over at work if they know anything..."

SHIT THE PEOPLE AT WORK!

He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket, his heart sinking slightly as he saw the time (and the amount of text messages he had received). He was supposed to have reported to his boss an hour ago and help set up some finishing touches on Haru's... interesting exhibit. He would have to cram so hard.

"S-So sorry," He said as he bolted up from his seat, "I have to g-go. I'm late and if I don't get going now I'm going to anger a very t-temperamental gentleman armed to the teeth with heavy sculptures of... uh... well..." He caught himself before he blurted something horribly rude in the middle of the restaurant. "I'll uh, see you tomorrow at the school Restuya!"

With a final quick wave he rushed out the door, hoping to whatever god was listening that he would not meet his end by getting clubbed to death by a great plaster phallus.

Edited by scolipede
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