... More like a beacon, I guess? In more than one way, too.
[ the projection glitches, like a stuttering video. minako suddenly dreads where this is going, face paling as she turns her attention to tartarus. in a moment they're atop the tower--where else could they be, with parts of the cloud layer visible around the circular stage? the moon hangs even more impossibly, seeming to be in front of the higher clouds. four figures--another minako and three others harder to pick out, glitching in the projection--are maneuvering against a towering, multi-winged figure with a blank face like a comedy mask. ]
No, no, no, no...
[ they don't seem to pay either of them any heed. the boss speaks, with a warped and multifold voice. ]
The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
[She's in awe... and is suitably terrified. But everything is okay so long as Minako is doing okay, right? Expecting to see the same confidence as always, Makoto looks to her side... only to see that Minako is definitely NOT okay.]
[She is transfixed, but... no. No, this isn't right. No one should have to reveal what they didn't want to.]
[Like lightning Makoto is right in front of Minako. Her hands clasp her arms and she looks her dead in the eyes.]
Minako-chan! Minako-chan, look at me! How do we stop this?
[She wanted to end it forcibly. It would be easy, to just pluck off the ear clasp from her. But what if that caused more harm? She needed to make sure that she was safe, first and foremost...]
[ she snaps out of her reverie and stops staring wide-eyed at nyx's avatar, to look at makoto. ]
It's--we could get them to turn it off, maybe, but--
[ minako exhales, then draws in a deep breath, grasping to try to return that physical contact a bit to reassure makoto in return. and wow ok the projected version of herself is definitely just using her evoker right there, huh. cool. that's a whole other conversation she doesn't want to have. ]
Maybe it's better if you guys know what happened...? This isn't going to hurt us, it's not real.
[ another glitch, jumping much further forward than before. nyx speaks again, raising its train car sized sword mid-spiel. ]
The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate. Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yet the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed... Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you.
[Makoto appreciates the resolution in Minako's eyes and gives her a confident nod. With that cleared up she turns around to face t his... thing... Okay, what is it that they were seeing here?]
[A being...? Or was it a God? The memories were coming to her of facing the Holy Grail. Whatever that entity was, it was a powerful manifestation, and the four that were facing it was struggling to keep it contained.]
[Though she doesn't really remember much, she could practically feel the shift in the arcana. The previous iterations that it was facing at first were only a fragmented piece of its true power. This, its most current form, was not as flamboyant as its first -- the Magician -- buts attacks were more honed, more keen to strike and more sweeping in effect. Yet despite the danger it was presenting, Makoto didn't sense that it particularly desired to fight. No, the four figures were standing in defiance. If anything, they were standing in its way.]
What would happen if it is able to get down from this tower?
[Her eyes did not move as she asked the girl standing next to her the question.]
Wrong question, Makoto-chan--it's not trying to. It was right where it wanted to be. It was... I don't know, toying with us? There wasn't any beating Nyx, that's not even the main body.
[ she swallows, eyes hard as she looks at a memory of what had once been a close friend, trying to bring the end of everything--casting brutal waves of magic one moment, shielding itself the next. ]
[ there's a hard look on minako's face as she watches. eventually, it goes down. some voices--"did we do it?"--but.
it starts to float upwards in the sky. ]
Such a pity... You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all your will... If more people were like you, then perhaps the Fall could have been prevented... ...but it's too late now.
[ the warped, impossibly prominent full moon starts to crack. peel. beneath its surface, a massive red eye stares down towards tartarus. towards the earth. the avatar reaches out towards the eye with a beam of light, before ascending to join it. ]
Down there, all of those people who weren't aware of the Dark Hour... the coffins were being undone. They were seeing this, and... a lot of them had wanted it.
[She's seen this before... not this scene, certainly, but she had seen the resignation within the hearts of humanity. Their lives were so distorted, so broken, that they could not see the world as it truly was. That the skyline rose with broken bones and blood raining from the sky.]
This was... different. But I've been worried about some of what Joker's told me...
[ that gets minako's attention, and she rubs at makoto's upper back, pulling her a little closer. there's a crushing psychic weight that seems to bear down on the projection of sees, along with the distant noises of screaming and utter chaos from the city below.
the scene glitches forward again. blue walls. blue everything, save for the checkerboard floor and gold accents here and there. the velvet room. (the accompanying aria and piano cut in like a needle skipping a groove.) a large elevator this time, judging from the shifting light and the huge doors that seem to serve as the far wall. in front of it, there's a desk where igor sits--hands folded as ever, with a glowing tarot card spinning in front of him-- with a woman standing near him who appears similar to lavenza, but older, with a bob cut and a sleeveless blue dress.
the projection of minako sits before the desk, in a chair whose back matches orpheus's lyre. ]
Yeah! I'm surprised you know it...? None of my teammates ever came here.
[ igor speaks. not yaldabaoth's voice--it's the real one, the same old man the phantom thieves met before the final battle.
i never dreamed of seeing that card with my own eyes... this is indeed a surprise. behold the last power you and i shall unveil... it is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. it may be possible now, with this newfound power... you may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. what you have in your hands is the power of the Universe... nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now.]
[Makoto looked at this and nodded. She understood now. This was the pivotal moment -- the last stand where an alleged god would be utterly defeated by the will of humanity. After all, Joker mentioned that all the other Persona users were in their past. The fact that there were no green cityscapes and red coffins was the surest indication that the entity -- this Nyx -- was not able to succeed.]
[Like Satanael came to defeat Yaldabaoth and save Christmas, something amazing is about to happen.]
[ minako's expression keeps a forced impassiveness.
the attendant standing near the wall speaks, looking to the projected minako: we will soon reach your destination.
igor nods. it seems that, in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card. ...you must accept your destiny. our contract has been fulfilled... i have completed my role as well.
...you were truly a remarkable guest.
the elevator stops. the doors open, an almost blinding light pouring from the wall--and then the projection is back on tartarus's peak. the past minako manages to get to her feet, looking up towards nyx and the moon. (the current minako very much isn't looking at any of this anymore.) a glowing light envelops her, and she looks back to her teammates--all of them on the roof now, not just those who had participated in the main part of the battle--and just says one word: live. her feet lift off the surface, and she begins floating upwards, letting her evoker slip from her hand and clatter in front of one of them.
how... can you move...!?
minako...! wait... are you going to go alone!?
don't go!
no way... why!?
dammit... why the hell can't we stand up!?
wait... please... we've been through too much together...!
urgh... dammit!
i said, WAIT! come back, you idiot!
she doesn't stop. just continues rising towards the descending moon. ]
[Makoto looks up at the ascent quietly, soberly. She gets it. She knows what she's seeing now. There were two members of the Persona group that died. The first was Akechi. She had witnessed the final moments and watched on helplessly.]
[This is the second. This happened, didn't it? For the good of everyone, this happened.]
[The most respectful thing she could do was watch.]
[ minako's turned away from all of this--stepped away from makoto too.
she finally takes off the transmitter before things can progress further, not really caring if there might be an unforeseen effect. the images around them flicker out. the rest of what happened is too personal to show. ]
I entered the main body, and gave up my soul to seal Nyx away. Destroyed her physical form, too, I think. I realized people weren't going to stop wanting death and calling her--she wasn't evil, just... answering people's will. And she couldn't be beaten, either, so...
[ she laughs--a slightly forced thing--still not looking at her. ]
One girl for everyone on the planet. Not a bad trade, right, Makoto-chan?
[Despite herself, Makoto raised her wrist to wipe at her eyes. She understood what she did. She understood what she must have felt... is still feeling. She could imagine an ever-present, ever-knowing weight that this is the way that she was going to die. But what could she say? This wasn't an event that was happening, or going to happen. This was what happened. An immutable fact of the past that continues from the beginning of history to the point when a young woman decided to step up for the good of all.]
Y-You're very strong, Minako-chan, I-
[There's a blip and the sound of the system firing up. [RECONSTRUCTION INITIATED]. Makoto glanced around in confusion, unsure of what is to come.]
[They didn't have to wait long. A red carpet form, rising up in to a tiered dais leading up to a decorative casket. Set to the side -- the grieving family -- only two. One was a stern woman with shimmering grey hair and a stern expression. The second was small and mousey in comparison: a younger Makoto.]
Oh... [The current one, the real one, eyes droop. Right. She was given her own one of these, huh...]
[ minako takes a step back, before taking all of this in. it's... pretty clear what makoto's remembering, and even after everything she just shared, it feels like an intrusion. but-- ]
... One of your parents? [ she asks the question softly, eyes on the casket.
[Makoto couldn't watch and drifted her eyes away from the scene.]
Yeah... my... dad...
[Just as she was about to choke out more words, a couple entered in. The memory of Makoto's eyes drift up to them sadly while the stern woman kept her intent gaze.]
We just wanted to let you know we're sorry for your loss. He was an honorable police officer.
He was trying to help the prostitution and trafficking ring. He's a hero. You two should be really proud.
[The memory of Makoto muttered for the dozenth time. 'Thank you. He will be missed.' The older woman's hand folded across her chest and gripped the other arm. She did not seem to accept the praise. As the two left, they turned toward each other. Their tone was trying to be a whisper, but the sitting women could easily hear them.]
A teenager and a young woman, right? That's going to be tough...
He really left them quite the burden... but the older one just became a public prosecutor, right? I wouldn't feel too bad for them, really...
[The knuckles of the older girl whitened as her grip tightened around her arm.]
[ okay, she can't look at this anymore. minako closes the distance she'd placed between herself and makoto, resting her hands on her shoulders. ]
Makoto-chan, you don't have to show me this if you don't want to. I'm not going to judge or anything, I lost my parents too, just-- [ she squeezes, looking down. what the room is showing is so intensely personal. ]
Try to think of something else, or just--take the thing off?
[Her eyes focus on Minako. Yeah, that's right. She did that too, didn't she. Acknowledgement in her eyes, she reached for the device to take it off.]
['He was a hero. He died trying to save people. He did the right thing, right?' The memory asked. The other woman looked down at her, fire in her eyes that softened at the sight of the younger sister. 'I like to think so.' She finally said. 'But now's not the time to think of that... No matter what happens...']
...we'll always be there to help each other.
[With the faintest of smiles, she reaches for her device and plucks it off. Instantly the room returns to the way it was just a second ago.]
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no subject
[ the projection glitches, like a stuttering video. minako suddenly dreads where this is going, face paling as she turns her attention to tartarus. in a moment they're atop the tower--where else could they be, with parts of the cloud layer visible around the circular stage? the moon hangs even more impossibly, seeming to be in front of the higher clouds. four figures--another minako and three others harder to pick out, glitching in the projection--are maneuvering against a towering, multi-winged figure with a blank face like a comedy mask. ]
No, no, no, no...
[ they don't seem to pay either of them any heed. the boss speaks, with a warped and multifold voice. ]
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.
Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
no subject
Minako-chan...? What is going on...?
no subject
[ nyx continues its spiel, heedless. ]
[ a glowing and spinning tarot card descends in front of the boss's face. the magician. a girl's voice speaks up, similar to how oracle's might. ]
Nyx's Arcana changed to The Magician!? Be careful, its properties have changed!
[ another glitch, more of the projection skipping forward. ]
The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom.
[ another card descends: the high priestess. ]
no subject
[She is transfixed, but... no. No, this isn't right. No one should have to reveal what they didn't want to.]
[Like lightning Makoto is right in front of Minako. Her hands clasp her arms and she looks her dead in the eyes.]
Minako-chan! Minako-chan, look at me! How do we stop this?
[She wanted to end it forcibly. It would be easy, to just pluck off the ear clasp from her. But what if that caused more harm? She needed to make sure that she was safe, first and foremost...]
no subject
It's--we could get them to turn it off, maybe, but--
[ minako exhales, then draws in a deep breath, grasping to try to return that physical contact a bit to reassure makoto in return. and wow ok the projected version of herself is definitely just using her evoker right there, huh. cool. that's a whole other conversation she doesn't want to have. ]
Maybe it's better if you guys know what happened...? This isn't going to hurt us, it's not real.
[ another glitch, jumping much further forward than before. nyx speaks again, raising its train car sized sword mid-spiel. ]
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.
Yet the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you.
no subject
[A being...? Or was it a God? The memories were coming to her of facing the Holy Grail. Whatever that entity was, it was a powerful manifestation, and the four that were facing it was struggling to keep it contained.]
[Though she doesn't really remember much, she could practically feel the shift in the arcana. The previous iterations that it was facing at first were only a fragmented piece of its true power. This, its most current form, was not as flamboyant as its first -- the Magician -- buts attacks were more honed, more keen to strike and more sweeping in effect. Yet despite the danger it was presenting, Makoto didn't sense that it particularly desired to fight. No, the four figures were standing in defiance. If anything, they were standing in its way.]
What would happen if it is able to get down from this tower?
[Her eyes did not move as she asked the girl standing next to her the question.]
no subject
[ she swallows, eyes hard as she looks at a memory of what had once been a close friend, trying to bring the end of everything--casting brutal waves of magic one moment, shielding itself the next. ]
Nyx was here because humans called her.
no subject
[She has nothing to say. Nothing she COULD say.]
[The only thing she could do is watch. Watch and know that somehow, someway, this event will end.]
[She does not expect this to end well.]
no subject
it starts to float upwards in the sky. ]
You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all your will...
If more people were like you, then perhaps the Fall could have been prevented...
...but it's too late now.
[ the warped, impossibly prominent full moon starts to crack. peel. beneath its surface, a massive red eye stares down towards tartarus. towards the earth. the avatar reaches out towards the eye with a beam of light, before ascending to join it. ]
Down there, all of those people who weren't aware of the Dark Hour... the coffins were being undone. They were seeing this, and... a lot of them had wanted it.
no subject
[She's seen this before... not this scene, certainly, but she had seen the resignation within the hearts of humanity. Their lives were so distorted, so broken, that they could not see the world as it truly was. That the skyline rose with broken bones and blood raining from the sky.]
It wasn't enough... once... wasn't enough...
...how many times... will it come to this?
no subject
[ that gets minako's attention, and she rubs at makoto's upper back, pulling her a little closer. there's a crushing psychic weight that seems to bear down on the projection of sees, along with the distant noises of screaming and utter chaos from the city below.
the scene glitches forward again. blue walls. blue everything, save for the checkerboard floor and gold accents here and there. the velvet room. (the accompanying aria and piano cut in like a needle skipping a groove.) a large elevator this time, judging from the shifting light and the huge doors that seem to serve as the far wall. in front of it, there's a desk where igor sits--hands folded as ever, with a glowing tarot card spinning in front of him-- with a woman standing near him who appears similar to lavenza, but older, with a bob cut and a sleeveless blue dress.
the projection of minako sits before the desk, in a chair whose back matches orpheus's lyre. ]
no subject
This place. [She knows this place.]
Is... the Velvet Room?
[But not like the one she knew.]
no subject
Yeah! I'm surprised you know it...? None of my teammates ever came here.
[ igor speaks. not yaldabaoth's voice--it's the real one, the same old man the phantom thieves met before the final battle.
i never dreamed of seeing that card with my own eyes... this is indeed a surprise. behold the last power you and i shall unveil... it is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. it may be possible now, with this newfound power... you may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. what you have in your hands is the power of the Universe... nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now. ]
no subject
[Like Satanael came to defeat Yaldabaoth and save Christmas, something amazing is about to happen.]
no subject
the attendant standing near the wall speaks, looking to the projected minako: we will soon reach your destination.
igor nods. it seems that, in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card. ...you must accept your destiny. our contract has been fulfilled... i have completed my role as well.
...you were truly a remarkable guest.
the elevator stops. the doors open, an almost blinding light pouring from the wall--and then the projection is back on tartarus's peak. the past minako manages to get to her feet, looking up towards nyx and the moon. (the current minako very much isn't looking at any of this anymore.) a glowing light envelops her, and she looks back to her teammates--all of them on the roof now, not just those who had participated in the main part of the battle--and just says one word: live. her feet lift off the surface, and she begins floating upwards, letting her evoker slip from her hand and clatter in front of one of them.
i said, WAIT! come back, you idiot!
she doesn't stop. just continues rising towards the descending moon. ]
no subject
[This is the second. This happened, didn't it? For the good of everyone, this happened.]
[The most respectful thing she could do was watch.]
no subject
she finally takes off the transmitter before things can progress further, not really caring if there might be an unforeseen effect. the images around them flicker out. the rest of what happened is too personal to show. ]
I entered the main body, and gave up my soul to seal Nyx away. Destroyed her physical form, too, I think. I realized people weren't going to stop wanting death and calling her--she wasn't evil, just... answering people's will. And she couldn't be beaten, either, so...
[ she laughs--a slightly forced thing--still not looking at her. ]
One girl for everyone on the planet. Not a bad trade, right, Makoto-chan?
no subject
Y-You're very strong, Minako-chan, I-
[There's a blip and the sound of the system firing up. [RECONSTRUCTION INITIATED]. Makoto glanced around in confusion, unsure of what is to come.]
[They didn't have to wait long. A red carpet form, rising up in to a tiered dais leading up to a decorative casket. Set to the side -- the grieving family -- only two. One was a stern woman with shimmering grey hair and a stern expression. The second was small and mousey in comparison: a younger Makoto.]
Oh... [The current one, the real one, eyes droop. Right. She was given her own one of these, huh...]
no subject
... One of your parents? [ she asks the question softly, eyes on the casket.
why is this so common for them? ]
no subject
Yeah... my... dad...
[Just as she was about to choke out more words, a couple entered in. The memory of Makoto's eyes drift up to them sadly while the stern woman kept her intent gaze.]
We just wanted to let you know we're sorry for your loss. He was an honorable police officer.
He was trying to help the prostitution and trafficking ring. He's a hero. You two should be really proud.
[The memory of Makoto muttered for the dozenth time. 'Thank you. He will be missed.' The older woman's hand folded across her chest and gripped the other arm. She did not seem to accept the praise. As the two left, they turned toward each other. Their tone was trying to be a whisper, but the sitting women could easily hear them.]
A teenager and a young woman, right? That's going to be tough...
He really left them quite the burden... but the older one just became a public prosecutor, right? I wouldn't feel too bad for them, really...
[The knuckles of the older girl whitened as her grip tightened around her arm.]
no subject
Makoto-chan, you don't have to show me this if you don't want to. I'm not going to judge or anything, I lost my parents too, just-- [ she squeezes, looking down. what the room is showing is so intensely personal. ]
Try to think of something else, or just--take the thing off?
no subject
['He was a hero. He died trying to save people. He did the right thing, right?' The memory asked. The other woman looked down at her, fire in her eyes that softened at the sight of the younger sister. 'I like to think so.' She finally said. 'But now's not the time to think of that... No matter what happens...']
...we'll always be there to help each other.
[With the faintest of smiles, she reaches for her device and plucks it off. Instantly the room returns to the way it was just a second ago.]