towerofanimus | LABYRINTH

Moros retreated with little harm, and Jin replaced the Evoker in its holster. He was no stranger to dead and burnt bodies, and he worked over nonchalantly to investigate.

He kneeled down to check, and a cursory glance confirmed she was dead. Good.

Unfortunately his burning habit wasn't quite so beneficial for scavenging purposes-- something he realized a bit too late. But nevertheless, Jin grabbed the now singed backpack to see if there was anything still intact or usable. He doubted it, sadly, but it never hurt to try.

The silence was soon interrupted by Shinji's footsteps as he arrived on the scene. He barely saw Jin at the corner of his eye, and violently pushed him off of her, slamming him into the nearby wall as he held up her head.

Unlike Jin, it wasn't a quick glance. He checked her pulse.

Alive but...weak.

He didn't care if she might come back later.

He didn't care who was around and they saw him break down.

All he could do that moment was hold her burn hand and start crying.

Dammit, I am not losing you again!

"MINAKO!"

A weak, bloody cough leaves her lips. Her eyes crack open at his shout. Shinji. He came for her. Through the pain, she manages a small smile.

"I...hear you..."

This scene is all too familiar, and something in her eyes betrays how scared she is. Is this what her life is going to be? An endless cycle of death and revival? An endless cycle of failure and loss? She can't protect Shinji and the others like that. She can't. And yet she is slipping away already, with no other choice but to perpetuate the cycle.

It hurts.

"Shinji...give my naginata to her. D-don't let her be stupid like me." She squeezes his hand as well as she can, but there is none of her usual strength behind it. "And...I'm sorry..."

"Minako...." He leaned closer to her even more, hoping that body warmth would somehow help. His threw his coat over her and takes out his Evoker, to use a healing persona...but it's far too late. There is too much damage. He can feel the struggle of her lungs trying to keep her alive. "...no...not like this...I...I love y--"

Nothing. The heartbeat, weak before, is silenced.

"No...." his voice cracks, and he pulls her a little tighter, her lifeless body feeling like a rag down in his hands. His breathing is slow and raspy, as he struggles to keep the emotional torrent he is feeling from completely taking over. Without thinking, he runs his hands in her hair and removes her clasp, making fall down, before running his fingers to close her eyes. She always looked...prettier with her hair like that...she should look pretty when...

Losing someone close is always hard on a person, but for Shinji, it was losing that same person twice. After all that searching. After being ready to fight his own friends just for the ability to see her again. Just to see her one more time.

For a short while, he had. He had admitted some things that he never thought he'd be able to say in his life. He had learned how to feel. How to appreciate life. How to live. He had felt alive for the first time in his life.

He had learned how to love.

He looks at her again, unknowing if she'll be back. It's too far off of his mind. All he can hear is she's dead, over and over. Everything runs in his mind like a rapid fire and all that has happened leading to this. The anger that is suddenly building in his heart, threatening to overtake everything. It just needed a final trigger...

Jin slammed into the wall with an irritated grunt and a pain to his back, dropping the bag as he fell. He sat against the wall, nursing a headache that was forming for more reasons than one.

"Augh..." Now would've been best to beat a hasty retreat and get Chidori and Minato's attention, but Moros was having none of that. Moros didn't take so kindly to being knocked around in such a way; he wanted to get out again and it made Jin's head hurt.

Another grunt of pain, and he figured-- it was a good chance to take out some more competition at the least. It wasn't like he could spare the extra pills to calm him down. He hopped to his feet, grabbed his Evoker again and pulled the trigger, attacking with a Torrent Shot.

The attack hit him head on. Shinji felt something being cut open and tear away at his skin to the sinew. Was it his left arm or his right? It didn't really matter anymore, did it? He flinched, and gently put Minako down, using his coat to cover her.

The pain then hit him, and he could feel the blood running down his forehead and his arms. It was his left, the one not holding his axe. It hurt like hell too.

"You..." He didn't know how, but somehow Shinji was able to lift himself up and stand up. There were no more tears. She was gone, he couldn't do anything else but more forward. Only anger that it had happened at all. The target was right in front of him. Time slowed down. Everything was actually happening so quickly, but at that moment, Shinji felt as if nothing else moved. The rage building inside him, threatening to burst out.

Then, it did.

"YOU...FUCKING ASSHOLE!" The silence is cut wide open, as his voice no longer even sounded like him, but an enraged animal. In a half-daze he twisted his Evoker, and pulled it close to his head. That damn gun, created to bring him closer to death so the Personas can come forth...his thoughts were so clouded he wasn't even sure which one he wants to use on him...

All he wants right now, is to kill him for what he did.

There's nothing to hold him back.

Just him and Jin.

Dead. Dead. Dead. You want it all gone, don't you?

That voice. He hadn't heard it in a while.

He starts to laugh as his sanity slips and burns away. Of course. Of course at that moment, the others would be afraid, and they parted ways as He takes the central stage.

Shinjiro had been wondering when he'd show up again.

Pull it. Let him bear witness to my wraith. I will tear out his arms, rip his legs, gouge his eyes, rupture his lungs...

He looks at Jin again, Shinji's eyes barely visible from the blood-stained face, but they are more yellow than normal. His head is tilted lightly, locked in a look at him that can only be described as complete and utter hate mixed with pure insanity.

Pull the trigger.

He breathed in and out, feeling the mixture of sweat and blood.

PULL THE TRIGGER!

A grin again.

"Caaas....tor."

The gun fired.

If he ever wanted to see why Shinjiro had been taking pills and the fear he had felt eating away at his sanity since two years and a half ago when the Persona had completely unleashed...he was going to learn it now. The demon's laughter echoed as Castor's silhouette formed behind him, in a haze of blue, green and yellow.

He wasn't waiting for anything. Shinji was gone already, lost to the sea of negative emotions, almost a Shadow of himself. Castor was free. With a loud crack, the Persona used his hand to rip out the head of the lance lodged in his chest, as it formed into a long weapon, blood still dripping from the open wound. The demonic horse's eyes glowed red, lighting up the corridor.

Tell me human, have you ever felt true terror? You may not fear death, but let me show you, what it is like to be caught in unholy despair. To be in such pain you will beg for death. The Persona couldn't grin, it had no mouth. Yet, somehow, Jin could perhaps see it unleash an Evil Smile as it lounged at him, the lance aimed right for his stomach, with the horse's horn at his arm.

Castor wasn't going to kill him right away. Oh no. It was going to play around until he understood the concept of fear. In his mind. In his heart. That even Jin's own Persona would itself understood that terror as well.

Then, it would scream such a Ghastly Wail that there would be nothing left to do but fall over dead.

Shinjiro's yelling didn't faze him; Jin just stood, Evoker poised at the ready, watching, and waiting. But that laugh-- he recognized that kind of laugh. It was the kind of laugh he'd heard from handfuls of kids losing their minds, handfuls of people going mad with power-- Chidori, Minato, himself and Takaya. Insanity, despair, anger, hatred-- he knew the components all too well. Funny, to think how a High and Mighty member of SEES would sink to the same level of despair as them.

He didn't flinch when Castor appeared; subconciously, his knees sunk, his stance grew wider and his muscles tensed, but he wouldn't flinch. He wasn't going to be afraid of this guy, of some other guy's persona, or this "unholy despair" bullshit. He'd stopped buying that shtick a long time ago.

But Jin didn't even have time to pull the trigger of his Evoker-- Castor was coming and he was here, and the next moment all Jin could feel was pain. Seering, hot, pain. The lance had lodged straight through his torso. His mind stopped; the words caught in his throat as he coughed. Blood was pouring out. He felt numb. Adrenaline, maybe it was fear but-- the point was he wasn't thinking anymore. The blood was pouring out. He lost control. Moros would have none of that.

This time he couldn't even grunt in pain-- even that was too much work-- he couldn't even think straight and Moros simply would not have it. He wasn't going to die within some weak human that couldn't even defend himself and couldn't even contain him. He was weak because of his vessel, but he would force his way out before he died to this bastard. You could not teach Moros the meaning of despair.

Jin tried to sream-- the Ghastly Wail, the pain in his gut, the tearing at his mind-- but it was nothing but silence and gasps, as Moros materialized once more. He had no face, but there was nothing behind him but aggression. CASTOR

He didn't feel the need to dictate any further. His parts spun furiously, this time uleashing a torrent of ice-- not on Shinjiro, but on the other Persona himself.

Ken had heard the commotion, and raced forward, especially as he heard Shinjiro's yell. He turned the corner and stared at the scene in front of him. That sick glow, those red eyes of the horse... the monster that had killed his mother.

It was the same. And it shook him to the core and he wanted to cry again, but he couldn't.

One heartbeat.

Two.

Three, and he was running again, trying to get between Shinjiro and Jin. He couldn't get there before the first round of Jin's attack, but he could help shield Jin from others.

Nemesis pounded at his mind, and though he didn't have the same difficulty keeping her back as the others, he knew she wanted out. Ken pulled out his Evoker, pressing it to his forehead and pulling the trigger.

She burst forth, spinning in front of them, and cast a Diarama on Jin. Then, as fast as she could, she was off, buzzing like a saw towards Castor, a Cruel Attack aimed for the horse's head.

Ken was breathing hard. She was angry, and so was he. Retribution was so close, he could reach out and touch it. And death would come to his enemies far swifter than it would come to those he cared about if he had anything to say about it.

"Stop!" Minami shouted as she turned a corner onto the scene. Their group had gotten separated thanks to the monsters and a few other distractions and, somehow, Minami had fought through it all. It disturbed her, how fun it was to just fight and fight like she had been, but she kept it to herself.

The moment she heard the tail end of Castor's Wail she'd broken into a dead run, ignoring fights. Shinjiro lay that way and if Castor was out that meant big trouble. She summoned Jack Frost as she turned the corner, the small snowy jester prancing in the air around her, ready to fire off a Mabufu as she took in the scene before her.

Ken at another entrance, with Nemesis unleashed.

Her brother's friend pinned to a wall.

Shinjiro looking.... not himself, with Castor screaming for blood.

And her cousin, for lack of a better word, dead.

"Jack!" she shouted, pointing towards the two persona rushing at each other, "Stop them!"

With a cheerful heeho and the knowledge this might not work, Jack Frost went after the two, intending to use Mabufu to break them apart. Meanwhile, Minami would try to get to Jin. Titania couldn't heal him fully if he's still impaled, after all.

YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME?! The Persona almost mockingly let the full ice attack hit him, as it fizzled in and out of reality. The damage was done, and Shinji knelt down from some of the pain, but Castor didn't seem too fazed by it.

Then Nemesis. If only Shinji could have seen Ken. But his mind was too far gone currently. All he wanted was one person dead at any means possible. His Persona also came from a body of someone who was, normally, perfectly healthy now. Shinji didn't take any more pills. Maybe last year Castor could have been a pushover. Now there was nothing to hold it back, and it was fueled by Shinji's own mind.

Castor wasn't going to be selective. It moved backwards, removing his spear from Jin's chest, letting the blood flow more freely. He would need more healing, and fast.

You. You are nothing. The Cruel Attack from the other Persona bounced harmlessly off his chest. Enforced by the darkness of Shinji's heart, the Castor had transformed into something else, and was immune to physical attacks. He suddenly used both his hands and grabbed Nemesis blades as it passed to him.

It laughed again, his face opening up grotesquely, as it twisted into something more primal and animal-like. Now, it had a mouth, made from teared skin and fabric.

When IT laughed, Shinji did the same. It was completely unnerving.

Then, without warning, it used one arm to grab Nemesis' legs, and threw the Persona right into Moros. Now her blades were suddenly being used as a buzzsaw, and it was turning more into the Persona fighting each other. It turned around to feel the ice cold attack of Jack Frost, and, again, Shinji knelt in pain. It didn't seem to mind, even if the Persona's blond hair was now tinted with a greenish blood. A light surrounded it as Regenerate did its job, before raising its arms, and unleashing a Akasha Arts at both Nemesis and Moros, the attack itself twisted by the warped state of both Persona and User and far more deadly than normal.

Again, it turned around and looked at Jin. The horse's eyes were not not just glowing, but in flames.

There was nothing to it's rampaging insanity.

Nothing but Shinjiro himself, but all that was in his mind was cold-blooded murder. Revenge. REVENGE! He was only semi-consciousness of what was happening. When Minami came close, he raised an arm to block her, like a zombie, not even bothering to look into her eyes. But if she peered into his, the yellowish glow was getting more pronounced, and the blood was still dripping from his forehead.

When he spoke, it wasn't just him, but Castor speaking. A warped voice that echoed together as one.

S͂͂́̉̂t̿ͨå̿̆ͭͭ́̅ͩy̿̎ͪ͐ ́̊ͯ̓̏b̔ͯa͗͐č͌͐kͯͤ̎̀̒ͬ̾!͊ͨ͊̈͆ ͯ̄ͭH͌́͆̓ͩe̾̔̅͒͂ ͋̒ͪ͋k̑̅ͯͦͤi̅̅l̄̃lͥ͂ͪ͂̐ͥ̃̀̚ȅ̿ͪ̒ͫͩdͬͥ̽̃ͧ̓̂̑̽ ̑̑͌́hͮ̂e͑̆̇ͤr̀̅̔͛.̌̑͑̓ͮ ̌̌̌͑̂̃̾̚Hͥ̃͑̋̄̐̔E̐̿ͫ ͮ̏͌̌ḰIͩͫ̂ͤ͊̐͒ͩͦL̃͋L̓ͥ̎̅͆E̿̃ͨͣDͤͦ ͗̄ͬ͒̔̿̾̍̂Hͭ̊̓̆̋ͧͧ̉ĖR͒̃͆ͬ̋͂͂!ͫ̌̄̒ͫ Ḏͅo̟͓̭̝̙̥n̫͈'͙t̬ͅ ̲̺̱m̺̤̥̣͚̺a̱̝ͅk̭͍͇͉͔̬e͕̥̩͇͔̭͍̜ͅ ͖̠̦̝̰̗m̘̫̦͚̝͕e̫̪̗̞ ̹ḥ̖̺̟̼͚ͅu̯̫̘r͎̹͙̙̝t̗͎͇ ̬͇y̦̟̱͈o̠͔̟̝͎͚̳̝u̳͍̱͖̣̦̠͇.̰̪͉͎

The Diarama was little more than a momentary respite-- it was enough for Jin to collect a semblance of his mental bearings again, and readjust his askew glasses enough to notice that Ken was here. He must have followed him. Probably because Aragaki was here. And he had enough bearings to notice Minami-- He was pretty sure it was Minami. But when he saw her approach, he couldn't think to do more than stare. He wanted to tell her to back off, but he hardly got the chance or sense to say anything.

Moros took the Bufu attack with little more than what would appear to be a scoff for a normal person; Jin flinched, though Moros didn't care. The next thing he knew the spear was gone and Jin was finally able to let out a pathetic cry of pain. The blood was coming out faster. He was starting to feel more dizzy.

Another scream as Nemesis sawed into Moros-- green blood splashed out as even Moros gave in to screams of pain. Jin shakily brought one hand to his head, the other subconsciously trying to grab his wound, as if it would even dull the pain. Make him shut up make him go away--

He got his wish at least in that respect. Moros was too injured-- nearly sawed in half-- neither Jin's physical body nor his mind could stand the burden of the Nemesis' blades any more. It disappeared in a flurry of blue light, dripping that ghastly green blood. Jin couldn't do much more than stare at Castor head on at this point. If he died right now, so be it. The only thing straight in his head right now was that he wasn't going to give him the pleasure of being scared.

Ken let out a shout of pure anger and rage and sadness as Castor grabbed Nemesis and threw her at Moros. He saw as Moros was split nearly in two and he raced to put himself in front of Jin. He couldn't let Jin die. He couldn't let any of them die.

Another bang and Nemesis appeared once more to try another Diarama on Jin. Then slowly, very slowly, Ken looked up and stared into Castor's eyes.

("Oh, a monster, huh? Haha... There's no way that actually happened.")

And no one believed him.

("Look... it was an accident, plain and simple.")

They should have believed him.

Ken levels his spear at Castor, Nemesis flickering behind him. When he speaks, his voice is strangely calm, though there's an undercurrent of anger threatening to break through.

"You. You're the one who killed my mother - who left me without family. Until they found me. I won't let you take family from me again. I'd rather die myself than lose them!"

With a shout, Ken rushes at Castor - no summoning Nemesis, just throwing himself and his spear against the giant horse and rider.

"Stop it," Minami cried. This wasn't Shinjiro. This wasn't him at all. Was this what she'd been like, when Death had taken over? No. No. This was worse, far worse than that sense of utter peace had been. Shinjiro wasn't like this, didn't want this and Ken, he--

"Stop it!" she tries again, turning away from Jin as Nemesis was actually thrown. This was more brutal than she'd thought a persona fight could get. normally they only stayed out for a few seconds, but this?

Minami put herself in front of Shinjiro. It was stupid. So utterly stupid she could almost hear Yukari berating her for it, but she didn't care. This had to stop. Shinjiro would never forgive himself if he killed someone like this.

She couldn't.... even if he wasn't her own, she couldn't let him die like this.

"Shinjiro. Stop! Do you honestly think she would want you to be like this?!" she shouts at him. So what if he's speaking like that? So what if Ken and Jin have every reason to kill her? It should snap him out of it if she's in danger, hopefully. Minami might have hated Shinjiro's protective streak but she had to hope it would work for her this time around.

It was an excellent strategy, no matter how dangerous it was. Her voice reaches deep inside him, and the glow of Shinji's eyes dim. He coughs, once, twice. Minak---no it's Minami. Minako is dead. He was angry. He wanted someone dead.

"I..."

Everything is happening like a dream. He looks up, wiping away the blood and apart from Minami towering over him, he notices Ken running towards Castor.

"...No!"

No! No, no, no, no he never wanted this to happen. Just Jin he...he....He looks over at the other Strega member, with the wound, still fresh, but thankfully not bleeding as much as before. No. No his anger is different now that he's more lucid. While he wanted him dead before, he now realizes what is happening and hates himself for it.

It's happening again.

Just like that night.

Shinji doesn't want it to happen again, but it's already too late. The motions had been set in place, and now that Castor has a mouth, the words become clearer, its voice loud enough for those running close by to hear him. One hand grabs Ken as he runs towards him, the other throwing away his lance as Castor dangles him, upside down.

"I remember you, little one. That night when that small girl was killed and my other self wanted nothing more for me to destroy every shadow present. I relished in their deaths...and so did he, even if he would deny it. Your mother...was nothing more than collateral damage. He hated himself for what I had done, became nothing more than a phantom that clung to life waiting for you to grow and kill him for his crimes...he could not handle my true power, and thus tried to suppress me. But no more! I am finally free!"

"LET HIM GO!" Shinjiro manages to stand up, leaning unto Minami for support and yells at him, a hand on his head. Castor stops, and slowly turns around, chuckling as he dangles the poor boy like an insignificant chew-toy.

"And you think yourself able to stop me now, my other self? You never had true control over me. Do you not remember Sanada's own words to you when you joined SEES for the first time? You care too much for others. You try to act cool, but that is nothing more than a mask for you hide behind, unable to face your emotional instability. He feared for your health and for you. You just wanted to be a hero and save the lives of others. Because you cared. You were a battle genius. You thought you could save them all. Instead you doomed yourself and repeat this cycle of death." It pointed to where Minako's corpse lay. "You can't even save those you love."

Shinji stood silent at the Persona's verbal beatdown. He wants to tell him to shut up. But he knows. He knows deep inside that this is all true and he can't deny it. And he hates his own Persona for speaking the truth.

"Shall I rip this boy in two in front of you?"

"NO!" He moves back in front of Minami and stands facing of his own Persona, looking at him in the eyes. "I WON'T LET YOU HARM ANYONE ELSE!"

"A pointless boast, my other self. You cannot stop me."

Without thinking, Shinji yanks takes Minami's weapon from her hand, and points it at his heart.

"I'll end my own life if I have to!" Castor brushes him away, laughing.

"Pointless. Pointless! You understand nothing. Your death would change nothing. Go ahead and end your life, you fool. Then I shall be completely free.

Castor throws Ken away into a wall and leans closer so much that Shinji cool feel its breath, as the green blood splattered on him.

"After all...I am a Shadow...the True Self!"

He'd been wandering, axe still stained in blood as he walked onward, feeling the wild energy before hearing the shouts. It wasn't anything new to him, but after resting a friend's body against a wall as well-

Couldn't save... I couldn't save...

-he started running. Not from, but towards. There was a sinking feeling in his heart, and while he didn't have Teddie and Rise with him, there was no way in the nine paths of Yomi that he couldn't recognize the chill running down his spine that both caused a thrill and twinge of fear. As he ran, he could hear it- the sounds of a Shadow becoming manifest and the cries from the original. ...Was it because of this he was brought here, to act as the representative of a goddess and pull others from despair again? How could he though, when he couldn't even keep his own spirits up?

That's when he rounded the corner, seeing Castor stare down Shinjiro, sees Jin's somewhat-patched up abdominal injury, Minami trying act as a shield before being pushed away, Ken being thrown like a rag doll... and a dead Minako nearby. Yes, that would certainly do it.

"Aragaki-san!" Yu rushes over, feeling a sudden rush of power as he does so. 'The time hast come.'

"If you want to harm them further, you'll have to go through me." Comes the cold threat, of one who had seen this scenario eight too many times as he holds his axe in a defensive manner. This wasn't the kind of weapon he was used to, but he didn't need it for anything other than blocking now. He doesn't blink, doesn't flinch for a good moment until a wicked smile crosses his lips, seeing the card fall before him and glowing blank until just before it could fall in his grasp.

It's about time, me.

"Izanagi-no-Okami!" He crushes the card in his hand, the scream echoing as his True Persona came forth from the blue light surrounding him. Izanagi-no-Okami wastes no time in answering his call, spinning his white and gold naginata and casting Agidyne. He would deal with his own demons later. Right now, he had to help them all survive or everyone was going to lose it.

Also, that might have been Izanagi's fist aimed at Castor. Oops.

He'd become accustomed to the strange summoning powers that the rest of his party seemed to possess. Though the creatures they brought forth never ceased to be anything less than utterly fascinating whenever they were unleashed, England had grown used to their presences; after a point, his gratitude for his teammates' respective abilities went without saying. He'd probably not have gotten off his nasty encounters as well as he had without them around.

So, of course, when Minako had gotten separated from them and Shinjiro had gone to find her, England had done everything in his power to help Minami keep the way clear of enemies so that Shinjiro could give chase without being pursued. And, when Minami made a break for it too, he still trailed behind, so that she'd have minimal disruptions.

Of course, he was only human (for the time being anyways-- ha ha, wasn't that a laugh?) and with his body in the state that it was, he couldn't last for too long with no aid. Soon, England was forced onto the scene as well.

You couldn't have asked him to describe what he found upon turning the corner. The nation hadn't jumped in right away, choosing to linger in the shadows to give himself time to assess the situation (as it was, it was hard even to tell who was on what side). As soon as the silver-haired boy broke into the fight, England decided it was about time to make himself known and do his best to help diffuse the situation, however out of place he may have been in it.

He held his crossbow at the ready as he approached Shinjiro, aiming it squarely at Castor in case his words drew the Persona's attention. "Shinjiro," he began, his voice level. "I wouldn't advise that. There's still someone very important that you have to fight for. Killing yourself to fight the monster within shall do little to halt it if the monster has already been freed."

[OOC: We are going to split the thread into two parts. One where Strega comes in, grabs their dudes and get out / fight Castor a bit if you want, and one where the others calm Shinji down 8Ub]

"..." England's words seem to have hit him as well, and Shinjiro stays quiet as Agidyne hits Castor, and Shinji's own body bursts into flames, as he stands protectively over both him and Minami. He falls to the ground, unconscious. He needs aid, and quick. Only he can stop the rampaging demon.

But for now, Castor was finally, truly free. With a victorious laugh, it continues to morph and change, as the horse and its rider fuse together, forming additional legs and becoming a demonic terror that mirrors Shinji's own inner feelings along with the Shadow's desire to be free. To be alive.

It stops Izanagi's fist with one hand. Shinjiro's strength is his, and physical attacks are now completely useless, even for a persona as powerful as him.

"Is this all you have to offer me? Pathetic weakling. Castor's own confidence would be its own downfall. But it would obviously not give up without a fight. He took his own lance and attempted to plunge it into the Izanagi's chest.

He had been held up by all the monsters and bullshit and gotten taken back by them and now he was pissed as to why--he sees the commotion, felt it before he got here and it's pure pandemonium, he can hear it from around the corner, all that's gone on.

With everything else, Minato knows the only thing left is to let Thanatos and his full power out, then hope for the best. He was the only thing that could be a match for such an out of control Persona as Castor (he could feel it), and a man so far gone as Shinjiro. He only heard snippets of the conversations going on, the screams, the spells and brutality, but he didn't need to fully know what had happened to realize he had to do something.

(Thanatos, and he whispers in his head, running toward the screams and noises as quickly as he can, I need your strength, save them, help me, anything, please--)

And when he rounds the corner his eyes widen but he wastes no time because HE HAS NONE, Ken throwing himself on Castor, their Personas being used against one another, apparently Shinji had gone nuts, fuck fuck fuck Evoker to his head and he's breathing heavily--hesitating, just frozen by the sight of all the brutality that has happened before his eyes, and it isn't until now that he snaps out of it, managing to finally gain control of himself.

"STOP HIM!" Is the only cry given, emotional and worried and after three days he's starting to lose his grip but it's contained enough that the fragment of Death LISTENS for once to that willpower, revealing itself and launching its huge body at Castor, like the force of a freight train, in an attempt to distract it. Shinji wasn't the only one with a far too overpowered Persona and Minato would have hell to pay for this later, but he didn't care. He sectioned off his mind and wondered if it would be possible to call forth Samael, too, as he rushes over to Ken and worries about Jin as well, checking on them both.

"...Chidori was right behind me, we got split up... hang on--I'll--you'll be fine." It's like he's assuring himself, really.

For the first time in his life, he's afraid of losing people. He'd come to accept that people he cared for would die or he'd go before them. He'd seen death, after all, but seeing Jin in THIS state, Ken having been slammed against a wall, he just... it hit him hard, and right now he looked like nothing more than some kid afraid for his friends.

"No, we have to win, if we don't, there's bound to be consequences--" His breath hitches and he's just... picking Ken up gingerly because he needs to get them out of here and he moves toward Jin not daring to guess, but praying Chidori is right behind him.

LABYRINTH

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1/?

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Done

1/2

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1/2 I think

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1 - Strega Members Regroup Here and Head Out

most inopportune time to be on hiatus tbh but uh HI /enters fray???

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2 - Yu, Minami and England try to stop rampaging Shadows

...welp. does anyone have a Persona that knows Recarm/have a revival bead?

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