Chapter 1 - The Yellow Sign

Josephine took off as soon as she saw those piercing golden eyes staring at her. She ran through the sidewalk, leaving other people confused as to why she was so frightened. They couldn't see the shadowy phantoms that crept toward her. They were still locked onto her, oozing through the buildings and road in a ruthless pursuit. She stopped in her tracks as one cut her off. It rose in front of her, heaving its body out of the ground. Josephine stood there, her eyes wide as it staggered toward her and reached its hand for her.

Once its fingers touched her, coldness instantly permeated her body, causing her to collapse on the ground and scream. She curled up with her back against the wall, her eyes wide with terror. Her mind lingered on that awful sensation which froze and burned her simultaneously.

"Jo!"

Someone called out to her, but Josephine was still afraid of the umbral creatures that haunted her. Her eyes were clenched shut. She hated looking at their maddening visages.

"Jo, are you okay?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and recoiled away from the touch, momentarily letting her eyes open. She calmed down once she saw her sister's face which was full of worry.

"Vi, I…"

Josephine fell silent for a moment.

"You saw them again, didn't you?" Viola said.

"Yeah, I-I did."

Viola helped Josephine, who still shivered from the phantom's touch, up to her feet. Josephine saw no other phantoms as the two of them walked home.

"Just relax, Jo," Viola began, "those things you keep seeing aren't really there."

"They are real!" Josephine shouted, "I felt one of them touch me! It was not a dream!"

"I said relax!"

The two sisters stared at each other in a tense silence, not saying a word. Viola was right: this was the third time she'd seen the phantoms recently. Her running out of school in a panic would surely have caused a scene, she thought. Viola had to have chased after her.

Josephine shuddered at what the other students might say about her as the two of them continued to walk home.

On all accounts, the two were as close as siblings could be: they loved each other's company and there was practically nothing that they wouldn't do together, whether it be drawing (which Josephine enjoyed), homework, or anything in between. Josephine was the younger of the two and stood at 5' 2", whilst Viola stood a foot taller and two years older. Both had black hair, which Viola preferred to have longer than her sister's. Viola preferred to wear orange, which contrasted with Josephine's blue wardrobe. Where Josephine kept to herself, Viola made numerous friends, including a brunette named Maisie who sometimes came over to her house. However, Josephine hadn't seen Maisie as of late due to the fact that she was experiencing mental problems.

"I should ask Vi about Maisie soon," Josephine thought to herself.

As soon as they got home, Josephine sat on the living room couch and stared at the floor. She took a deep breath.

"Vi… I'm sorry, but… I just… I don't know how to explain it…"

"I get it, Jo," Viola said, sitting next to her. "I understand you're having a hard time with those hallucinations. But just remember that nothing bad can come from them." Viola paused for a second. "Oh, and… I'm sorry for getting angry at you earlier. I didn't expect you to just dash out of the front doors like that."

"I-it's fine. Thanks, Vi."

Viola nodded and left Josephine alone to calm herself down while she began to take care of her chores. Josephine couldn't help but ponder the appearance of the phantoms. Tall, lanky, and yet having a boundary not unlike that of a cloud of fog. The worst part about them were their eyes: their color, a maddening shade of yellow, drove her crazy. Josephine couldn't afford to ruminate on that color any longer, and thus she began doing her homework as well.

She ended up doing her homework together with Viola, which thankfully made her forget about the phantoms. Hearing Viola laugh as Josephine struggled with her English assignment was the most relieving thing that she heard all day.

Just as they finished, the sound of a car parking next to the house was heard.

"She's home already?" Josephine asked.

Viola peered out of her bedroom window. Sure enough, their mother Claire's car had arrived.

"So early…" Viola said.

The two of them greeted their mom once she came home. As she opened the door, they saw that despite returning home early, she was twice as tired as usual. Claire struggled to keep her eyes open as she returned their greeting.

"Why do you look so tired?" Josephine asked.

A look of revulsion instantly formed on Claire's face.

"Work," she bluntly stated. "I somehow got so much to do there today."

Claire stumbled over to the couch and plopped on top of it. She yawned, her body tempted to lie down and fall asleep.

Due to their mother's exhaustion, the two sisters made dinner for all of them. The table was in complete silence, which Josephine found unusual. Her mother was tired from work, but Viola was extremely lively when it came to conversation. She always found something interesting that happened at school to tell them, but it seemed that Viola wasn't in the mood to gossip, especially after what happened during dismissal. Josephine idly gazed at the dining room window, which showed a nighttime view of the street.

Her eyes caught view of something strange on one of the neighbors' trees. A glowing sigil, angular in design and shining with a pale yellow hue. As soon as she blinked, it was gone.

"I must be seeing things…" Josephine thought as she continued eating in silence. However, it was soon broken by Claire.

"Viola, did anything interesting happen today?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Viola began, her face pensive. "Josephine ran out of the school today."

"Dammit, Vi!" Josephine thought to herself. "You didn't have to mention that!"

"Really?" Claire said. Her and Josephine's eyes locked together. "You didn't happen to see the phantoms today, right?"

"I did," Josephine replied after a moment of silence.

Claire frowned at her daughter's answer. "You've been taking your medicine, though, haven't you?"

"Every morning and every night."

Claire sighed. "If it gets worse, just let me know."

Josephine nodded, her heart sinking as she continued eating.

After some thankfully light-hearted conversation, the three of them retreated to their bedrooms for the night. For Josephine, that meant finally being able to draw something to unwind. Her sketchbook was laid out on her table, showing a blank page that was waiting to be made into her next project.

Josephine browsed on her phone to search for reference images. She opened several tabs of images of coelacanths; it was a long time since she'd drawn one. She eagerly picked up one of her pencils and began to sketch the fish. The speed at which the drawing progressed amazed her. Everything came out beautifully, from the scales to the fins and even the background, which she used blue colored pencils for. Admittedly, she used her artistic license to add vibrant coral to the middle and foregrounds, but that only added to the piece in her eyes. The Yellow Sign encasing the coelacanth was by far the most crowning-

"What the?!"

Josephine stumbled back in horror as she scrutinized her drawing. Sure enough, the sigil she saw during dinner was displayed proudly behind the coelacanth.

"How did…" Josephine muttered to herself. "How did this get so much detail… and why is it here? And… how do I know that symbol's name?"

"Jo, you okay?" Viola said from behind her door, interrupting her train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm just drawing!" She replied.

Before she could say anything else, Viola entered with a curious "Can I see it?" as she approached her sketchbook.

Viola admired her sister's work, smiling to her and asking: "What is that?"

"Oh, that?" Josephine replied. "That's a coelacanth!"

"No, the yellow thing behind it!"

"Oh… that… just came to me…"

"Really? It looks so intricate, though."

Josephine stood in silence as Viola looked at the Yellow Sign. Something about it made Viola stand on edge. What appeared to be a flash of realization hit her before Josephine impulsively closed the sketchbook before her eyes.

"Hey, what's up?" Viola asked, sounding a bit frustrated that she couldn't look at the drawing anymore. "Are you still anxious after… you know?"

"No," Josephine asserted, standing defensively next to her sketchbook.

"Well, if you say so. That symbol was pretty weird, but that drawing is still nice!"

Viola exited the room with a smile as Josephine was left to ponder how the drawing turned out as it did. She couldn't help but ponder the symbol in her mind, trying to dig out a meaning that eluded her.

"That yellow…" Josephine whispered to herself. "It's the same yellow that I saw on those phantoms."

She shuddered at what she said. It couldn't have been possible, but it was. She opened up her sketchbook to the page she'd just drawn on. She saw that the yellow she used was identical to that of the phantoms' eyes.

Josephine closed the book in a panic. She steadied her breathing as she sat down on her bed. She looked around nervously, seeing if anything strange was in her room. There was nothing.

She let out a sigh of relief, then changed into her pyjamas. After getting ready for bed, she took one violet pill from a bottle she kept on her nightstand. She made a mental note not to forget to take one tomorrow morning.

"Good luck for me tomorrow," Josephine thought as she peacefully drifted off to sleep.

---

As soon as she had fallen asleep, Josephine found herself in an odd place. She stood under a gazebo which had light shining through prismatic glass above. A mass of yellow butterflies swirled around her, shimmering in the light.

"That awful color…" Josephine thought.

She took a few steps around its perimeter, admiring the beauty of whatever this place was. The warmth, the lavender scent, everything felt as real as the waking world.

The butterflies soon spiraled inward, coalescing in a central mass that shimmered and morphed into a man. He wore all black, save for a butterfly-themed mask which was white as marble. He took a short bow, then spoke to her.

"Welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Philemon, a dweller between dream and reality. Have you forgotten me?" "Forgotten?!" Josephine exclaimed.

Philemon's question bewildered her. Although his voice was soothing, she couldn't help but feel off about Philemon. "Forgotten me…" The words repeated in her head a thousand times.

"I see…" Philemon said. "Can you state your name?"

After a moment's hesitation, she replied: "Josephine Seabrook."

Philemon nodded. "Splendid. You still possess the strength of will needed to hold true to your self in this domain. You must remember the power you hold within you, the power to summon both the gods and demons you harbor: the power of Persona."

That last word rang a bell in Josephine's mind, but she couldn't quite place her finger on when she heard it. The memory of that word felt distant.

"Your city has already begun its descent into madness," Philemon continued. "I have summoned you here because you have seen the sign that will bring about misfortune."

An image of the Yellow Sign flashed in Josephine's mind.

"It is now time for you to return to your time and place. Go, and with your Personas, prevent your home from becoming a pallid shell of itself."

---

"Jo!"

Josephine shot out of bed with a start. Viola stood in front of her.

"Whoops! Sorry for scaring you!" Viola said. "School is gonna start in half an hour, though, so you should get ready!"

"What?!"

Josephine didn't have time to process the dream she had last night in the rush to get ready for school. After hastily sorting herself out for the day ahead, the two sisters left home, waving goodbye to their mother and wishing her a better day than yesterday.

"Jo, your hair is still messy."

"I know! I'll sort it out!"

Josephine groomed her hair as she looked at the road ahead. A few other students were making their way to the building ahead: Bridgepoint High, a granite edifice that proudly stood for the past fifty years. Josephine still felt a bit uncomfortable despite having started school there two weeks ago. The fact was that she still felt out of place, especially with the atmosphere that had brewed there.

That was when she remembered Maisie. She'd meant to ask about her yesterday, but now was a good time.

"Vi… uh… is Maisie doing okay?" she asked.

Viola let out a sigh, a melancholic expression forming on her face.

"Nope," Viola said. "She's as mad as ever. I've been visiting her as much as I can, but… but…"

Viola hesitated to speak further.

"What's wrong?" Josephine asked.

"She's been taken in to a mental health facility. The docs there are gonna try to get her back to normal, but I'm not sure how long it'll take." Josephine was shocked at the news.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I'm still trying to process it all. Her parents told me when I came to visit the day before yesterday. She'd apparently had an outburst some time prior, so they had her taken in involuntarily."

Viola paused for another moment, letting the news sink in for Josephine.

"I just… can't handle the fact that she changed like that, and so suddenly, too."

She let out a plaintive sigh.

"Vi, don't worry. I'm sure everything will turn out okay in the end," Josephine said, trying to comfort her sister.

"I want to think that, Jo, I really do! But when all Maisie would ever talk about is yellow this, yellow that, yellow everything… it got depressing."

"Yellow?" Josephine said in disbelief.

"Yeah," Viola said. "It was so repetitive. 'Did you see the Yellow Sign yet? Did you see the Yellow Sign yet?' She'd ask me that so many times, and I always said…"

Viola paused, her face growing paler. Her grip on Josephine's hand tightened.

"Jo…" Viola said. "That thing you drew yesterday… why is it…"

The two walked together in silence as they approached the school's front door. Students entered, no doubt rushing to their first period classes.

"I need to take my mind off of that thing," Viola said. "I'll see you after class."

Josephine's heart sank as they went off their separate ways, with her heading to English class. She overheard conversations as she walked through the locker-lined hallways. Rumors about people wandering the streets at night and going mad before being brought into custody were still circulating through the student body, just as they were on the first day of school. In this brief moment before classes started, Philemon's message came to mind.

"This couldn't be the madness that he warned me about, could it?" she thought. "And what about the Yellow Sign?"

She pondered about those questions as she reached her classroom.

Instantly, a blonde girl sitting at the front of the class jumped up and ran over to Josephine.

"Jo! You're here!" she said.

"Elly, you don't need to freak out over me."

"You were being late!"

"I just slept a lot!"

"Okay, and why do you look so pale?"

"Pale?" Josephine asked.

Josephine didn't want to speak about what happened with her sister, so she instead deflected.

"I might not have gone outside in a bit, maybe," she said.

"Okay, then…" Elly said. "You look like you just saw a ghost or something."

"Nothing's worrying me, Elly. Anyways, how were things yesterday?"

The two friends talked for the remaining minutes before classes started, with Josephine steering the conversation away from the rumors at every turn. She thanked the stars for her English teacher entering just as Elly was about to ask another question.

As the teacher lectured on and on about The Catcher in the Rye, Josephine couldn't help but be distracted by thoughts about the dream she had last night.

---

Josephine was relieved that school was finally over. The news about Maisie's institutionalization had spread like the plague across the school, and as Viola's younger sister, she was asked many questions about her. The volume of questions she received left her exhausted. She didn't dare mention anything about what she said, and especially not the Yellow Sign. She had already come to the conclusion that the abominable sigil was never meant to be seen by any person, so she spared them the misfortune of hearing about it.

What was less relieving was the frenzied look on Viola's face which Josephine saw as she was about to leave.

"Jo," Viola yelled, exasperated, "I can't stop!"

"Can't stop what?"

"Thinking about the Yellow Sign! It completely occupied my brain today, and I wasn't able to take notes in class! How did you know about that thing?"

"Like I said, it just came to me."

"How?!"

Every student within earshot stared at the pair.

"Vi, let's go," Josephine said, dragging Viola with her.

Viola was even paler than when she talked with her that morning, which made Josephine distraught. Once they left the school grounds, Viola began ranting about the symbol, about its radiance, splendor, and awesome form. The repetitive and incoherent rant slowly gave way to gibberish, with Viola carrying the same distorted smile all the way home.

"Okay, this has to be the madness Philemon was talking about in that dream," Josephine thought to herself as dread poured into her from Viola's speech. "But how can I stop Viola from going crazy when she is already?"

As soon as Josephine brought Viola home, she made sure to brew her some Earl Grey tea, something that never failed to soothe her sister. She gave a cup of it to Viola, who then took a sip. Her pallid complexion gave way to her normal lively self. She looked around, bewildered at where she was. "Jo… what happened? I remember walking to school this morning but…"

She checked the time on her phone, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Classes are over? But… how?"

"Yeah," Josephine replied. "I just brought you home."

"Y-you did? It all feels so hazy. Like I did go to class today but don't remember anything."

Josephine's heart sank.

"Just make sure to drink that tea often, please?"

"Alright…" Viola said, betraying a hint of concern.

Josephine ran upstairs and sat on her bed, having slammed the door shut.

"It's my fault…" she told herself. "It's my fault that she saw that damn sign…"

Her hands trembled.

"And now she's going crazy, just like her friend…"

In a split second, she decided that she had to fix this, somehow. There was no way that she'd have Viola suffer the same fate as Maisie. Not if there was something she could do about it.

Her mind wandered back to Philemon's message.

"Remember the power I have within me, huh…" she whispered to herself.

She looked out of her bedroom window, staring at the city skyline ahead. In the center was the gray monolith owned by a subsidiary of some Japanese conglomerate she hadn't bothered to look into. A large K-shaped logo sat atop the building. Josephine looked at it for some time; it was where her mother worked, after all. What was done there was outside the scope of her knowledge due to the fact that Claire was strict in terms of not telling outsiders anything.

"No, mom definitely can't solve this…" Josephine reasoned.

She pondered what to do as she stared at the skyline for a few more moments.

"Remember… remember…" she whispered, repeating the words from her dream.

A sudden burst of light interrupted her meditation. She looked down and saw an ornate circular pattern glowing on the floor of her bedroom. A dotted path emanated from it which beckoned Josephine downstairs.

Without any other leads, she began to follow it.

The path ended up leading outside her house. Josephine made an excuse to Viola about wanting to take a walk alone. She made sure to text her mother that too, and with her approval (albeit with the caveat that she had to return by nightfall), she ventured outside.

The path followed the sidewalk leading to school until it took a left turn past some three-story buildings. Another left turn led her to a secluded alley between two of them, with the path stopping in front of a peculiar piece of graffiti.

Josephine stepped closer to it. Otherworldly symbols coated the brick wall, with them forming the shape of a grand set of double doors. Her hand moved towards one of the "handles" by what felt like a magnetic pull. Once it made contact with the wall, her hand sunk into it. The wall rippled around her hand.

"What is this?" she muttered.

Before she had the time to think further, a force sucked her into the wall, and she disappeared from the real world without a trace.

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Chapter 2 - A Lost and Dim World

Josephine stood up, wiping off the black sand which found itself all over her sunfish-themed shirt. The sky of wherever she was immediately transfixed her. It was a sickly shade of yellow, with black stars dotting it. Twin suns as dark as the rest of the stars hung over the horizon. In the distance, a tower rose up past the clouds. The moon passed in front of it.

"What the heck…"

Captivated by the scenery, Josephine wandered towards the tower and the city surrounding it. She passed by fragmentary ruins with graffiti written in an incomprehensible script, petrified faces sticking out of the sand, and lakes whose waters resembled an opaque mist.

Her trance was interrupted by a collision with an onyx wall, before which stood two guards. Josephine let out a scream as she laid eyes on their faces: black, with a singular golden eye radiating a glow of the same color. The phantoms which haunted Josephine so much guarded the iron gate behind them. Their misty forms lumbered toward the terrified girl as the iron sculpture of a dragon watched from the top of the gate.

In an instant, she pushed through the guards and flung the gates open before the phantoms had a chance to react. She rushed past the three-decker houses which lined the street, the phantoms relentlessly pursuing her. After taking a sharp right turn, Josephine plowed into a large hotel, falling on the carpeted floor with a thud. Shadowy figures looked at her with perplexed expressions as she stood up, their yellow eyes bearing the same awful hue as that of the phantoms'.

"Welcome to the Midnight Sanctum," the receptionist said. "May I help you?"

Josephine staggered to the receptionist's table, frantically glancing to each side in case the phantoms were catching up to her. Just like the other "people" in the lobby, she was made out of obsidian which shone under the fluorescent lights and possessed those same yellow eyes. When the receptionist looked closely at Josephine's face, she remembered something:

"Ah, it seems there was already a reservation for you," she said. "Go to room 307. You have someone waiting for you."

She handed the confused teenager a key to the room before she walked through the floral wallpaper of the hotel, disappearing into nowhere.

"What the hell is this place?" she whispered to herself as she climbed the stairs to the third floor. An entire city located on the other side of a back alley wall would be an unbelievable sight to anyone, let alone one where the stars were as black as night.

The third-floor hallway itself spiraled, defying the laws of architecture as it curved like a helix. Josephine walked on the path until she reached a door with a placard reading:

307

Her hand trembled as she inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

The sight that greeted her as she entered the room was that of Maisie sitting on the bed. Her face, framed by her long brown hair, was a pasty white and bore a maniacal smile which reminded Josephine of the one Viola had when she ranted about the Yellow Sign. Her uncanny yellow eyes fixated on Josephine's as she stood up, revealing a black mist which cascaded down her body.

"Maisie?" Josephine gasped. "But I thought you were…"

"Welcome!" 'Maisie' exclaimed as she approached Josephine. "I take it that you were invited here, too?"

"No, I wasn't…"

"Why are you here then? Only those who've seen the Yellow Sign can come here, and you definitely fit the bill."

'Maisie' produced a copy of Josephine's drawing of the coelacanth and the Yellow Sign from her jacket pocket and showed it to her. Josephine took a step back as she saw the impossible object.

"How did you get that?" she shouted.

"It's a secret," 'Maisie' playfully replied, continuing to approach her. "Maybe you should take a nap. You look like you're freaked out."

'Maisie' gestured towards the bed, and a frigid chill spread through Josephine's body as two people dragged her towards the bed.

As soon as Josephine saw the phantoms on both sides, she screamed and thrashed against them futilely as they shoved her on the bed.

"What the hell is this?! Let me out! Let me go!"

"Josephine. Take a nap," 'Maisie' demanded. "You wouldn't want your sister seeing you so worried, right?"

"Don't say another word about her!" Josephine shouted, her mouth trembling at the sight of her and the phantoms she continued to struggle against.

"That's right. Just go to sleep. The beds here make it quite refreshing, you know?"

Josephine continued to thrash against the phantoms, but their grasp proved to be too strong for her to overcome. That familiar coldness seeped through her body, causing her motions to gradually become subdued. All she could do was look into the phantoms' singular eyes with an expression made from pure terror.

"Is this it?" Josephine thought to herself. "Is this how it all ends..?"

She stared at 'Maisie' and the two phantoms as they tucked her under the cold blanket and restrained her.

"Vi… I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"You don't have to be."

Josephine's own voice speaking back to her startled her. Her eyes moved in a frenetic motion as she searched for the one who spoke like her.

"You've already taken a step closer to freeing her," the other self said. "You just have to remember your resolve."

"Remember…"

The word echoed inside her head. A similar message had been said by Philemon in that dream, and her other self reminded her of it.

She felt an inner force spring from the font of her heart, a warm feeling which pushed against the frigidity of the phantoms' grasp. She fought against their iron grip to push herself off of the bed, smiling at 'Maisie' with a radiant confidence. There was one word she had to invoke.

"Per… so… na!"

As soon as she uttered the last syllable, a pillar of blue light shot out of her chest and its force knocked the phantoms and 'Maisie' against the walls. She lifted herself off of the table as the light condensed into a feminine figure dressed in black which floated behind her. It brandished one of many long paintbrushes it had on its belt.

"Artemisia… let's do this!" Josephine uttered on instinct.

As Josephine fought off her attackers, uttering incantations resulting in torrents of water battering the phantoms and 'Maisie,' she felt the warm feeling of her other self - her Persona - running through her. She channeled the energy into it, commanding it to slash the phantoms with blades extending from the various paintbrushes and foamy waves dissolving their black foggy forms into nothing.

When she was finally relieved of the frenzy that consumed her, Josephine loomed over 'Maisie,' who now lied prostrate and had her normal green eyes. She felt a heaviness in her hands: she held a rapier that appeared in her grasp.

"No! D-don't hurt me! Please!" 'Maisie' said as Josephine staggered over to her.

"Maisie… I don't want to do that. I just want you to go back to your normal self."

"Normal? This is normal!"

"No! Look around you! Look at the black stars in the sky, the yellow fog, the misty lake! Is that normal?"

'Maisie' stood up and looked in the mirror. She let out a gasp and covered her mouth as her body slowly sank into the ground, leaving a black residue that evaporated shortly after.

A sudden fatigue dropped onto Josephine as she looked in the mirror and observed her Baroque outfit. Despite its tightness, she was free, and glad that her face was no longer pale.

---

Maisie awoke and jumped off of the firm mattress she laid on. She trembled as she struggled to remember what had happened over the past two weeks.

"What the heck is this place? This isn't my room!" Maisie exclaimed as she walked to one of the plain white walls.

She noticed the white jumpsuit she had on. Her eyes widened.

"And this isn't my outfit either!" she shouted.

Just then, the memories of that eternally long dream washed over her like a tsunami. The Yellow Sign, the black stars of Carcosa and the idyllic shores of Lake Hali were etched into her memories. As soon as she realized that the world which seamlessly blended into her waking life was distinct from that, she grew worried. But most concerning of all was the sight of Viola's younger sister commanding her to 'return to her normal self' after a stay in the luxurious Midnight Sanctum.

"Was… was that not a dream?" Maisie asked herself. "Was Carcosa not real?"

A sudden realization caused her to run up to the door and pound on it repeatedly.

"Let me out!" she screamed to the outside! Her cries repeated endlessly, echoing through the hallway. "I'm not mad anymore! I did something terrible! Just let me out!"

---

"Ms. Seabrook?"

Claire was surprised to see Mr. Carl Sherman at this hour, especially with the cases of hysteria trending up these past two months.

"Aren't you supposed to be sorting out the latest batch of patients?" she asked.

"Yes, but one of them…"

"One of them what?"

"One of them is now lucid."

Lucid. The word hung in the air for a tense moment.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, ma'am. I've got the report for you."

Sherman slid a docket on Claire's desk. As soon as it touched the mahogany, Claire opened it.

"Maisie Bishop…"

"That's your older daughter's friend, isn't it?"

"I-it is!"

Claire read the report, holding the paper close to her face.

"Just as we suspected. The meme got to her," she mused. "But if her testimony is to be believed…"

Claire's face took on a grave expression.

---

Josephine ran through the streets of the mysterious city in search of an exit. More phantoms pursued her as she took every conceivable turn to no avail, until she laid sight upon a glowing blue door. Once she saw it she opened it and dove into the room, the door closing as the phantoms sunk back into the walls.

Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major played as Josephine looked around the modest studio, which was coated from ceiling to floor in a vibrant blue velvet. A blindfolded pianist sat at the far corner accompanied by a tall woman who could pass as an opera singer. She was silent.

The person who caught her eyes, however, was a bizarre old man with an unusually long nose. His lanky arms shifted slightly as his unflinching smile made itself known to Josephine.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young lady," he said. "I am Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." Josephine cautiously approached the old man as he looked at her.

"I have been expecting you for a long time; Master Philemon has told me about you."

"You know him?"

"I do indeed. I have been assigned to guide you along your journey and nurture this power you have rediscovered."

Igor adjusted his posture.

"Hm… I see that Artemisia is how your psyche chose to show itself… a different Artemisia, too. Very interesting."

Before Josephine could ask what he meant by 'different,' Igor continued.

"You likely wonder why this other world exists and why insanity has begun to enter your town. You are unfortunately unable to answer those questions at this moment, but you will uncover the mystery in time."

A blonde woman with long hair and a dress colored in the same shade of blue as the Velvet Room opened a door from behind Igor and entered. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as soon as she laid eyes on Josephine.

"This is Genevieve, an attendant of this Velvet Room."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Genevieve said with a cheerful tone.

"We will help you nuture your power in the future. But that shall wait for until we meet again!" Igor stated.

---

The next thing Josephine knew, she stood on the outskirts of the city just outside the gate with the iron dragon overlooking it.

"Argh… I had so many questions for that guy!" Josephine muttered as she went back from where she came.

The black desert was filled with peculiar structures. Josephine found her eyes drifting to a golden gyroscope-shaped one in the distance, with bands of metal spinning around its center at an impossible speed. The lakes and ponds that dotted the landscape were full of a yellow fog which washed on the shore just like water.

After a short moment, Josephine found a door-shaped graffiti similar to the one she found on her walk. She put her hand on it, and it sunk into the obsidian wall, pulling her in.

Luckily, she popped back out in the alleyway she had found herself in before entering that other world. She stood there for a moment, processing what she had witnessed there. Her clothes had also somehow returned to that which she wore before uncovering her Persona.

"I've had enough weirdness for today," she thought as she walked back home.

However, thoughts about what happened continued to swirl in her head for the rest of the night.

Back to top

Chapter 3 - The Return

"Jo! I'm so happy!" Viola said, standing in front of a mirror that was magnetically attached to her locker. "Maisie's back!"

"She is?"

"Yeah! Apparently the docs said she snapped out of whatever it was that she suffered from."

"It's odd, though. None of the other people who've suffered the malaise have even showed signs of a recovery yet," Josephine pointed out.

"Oh, don't get started on that BS."

Viola brushed her hair, focusing on one particular strand that refused to go straight along with the rest of it.

"You might want to get to class now. If you spend one more minute adjusting your hair, you might be late."

"Oh, shut up! I need my hair to look perfect!"

Josephine responded by shoving a bottle of Viola's tea in her face. Without hesitation, Viola took the bottle from her hand and took a swig out of it, her face restoring itself to its proper hue.

"Augh… I feel like I have a migraine or something. What period is it again?" Viola asked, placing her hand on her forehead.

"About a couple minutes until first period," Josephine answered.

"What?! Already! But I swore I was looking at the mirror in my room…"

"Just remember to drink some of that if you're feeling strange, Vi," Josephine said, gesturing to the bottle of tea she had smuggled from home for her.

"Right, right. No need to remind me."

The two of them went to their respective classes. In the two days since Josephine's excursion in the other world, Viola was steadily growing obsessed with her appearance. It wasn't unusual for her to browse for the most stylish outfits she could find; Josephine had gotten a pink and white striped sweater as a birthday gift for her this past summer. That shirt happened to be the one Viola was wearing today. While the good news of Maisie's recovery was welcome, anxiety was still ubiquitous in Bridgepoint. The malaise, as it had been dubbed, showed no signs of slowing down. Stories of individuals becoming fixated on one singular aspect of their life turning into shambling pale shells of their former selves was regular front-page news in the city's newspaper. What perplexed Josephine however, was the complete absence of interviews or any other flavor to them: the stories could always be summarized as: 'Person gets ill with the malaise, sent to the mental hospital.'

The first four periods of the day flew by while Josephine found herself thinking about the city behind the wall and the events leading up to her discovering it. She exited her history class of the day deep in thought.

"The Yellow Sign… could it be behind all this?"

"That is a valid assumption," she heard her other self say.

"Artemisia?"

"Yes, that is me. Think of me as your inner voice."

Great. Now she had another her to deal with.

Before she could ponder more, Josephine bumped into another student, causing her to drop a box full of books which scattered all over the floor.

"Ah! I'm sorry," Josephine said, scrambling to grab all the books.

"No, it's fine!" the other girl said. When Josephine saw her, the spitting image of Maisie became visible.

"Wh-Maisie?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Maisie and Josephine eventually put back the books back into their box, and the two of them began walking to the cafeteria together. Josephine noted the large proportion of tarot and occult-themed books that Maisie had on her.

"I was waiting to speak to you, actually," Maisie said.

"Really? What about?"

Maisie leaned close to Josephine's ear and whispered to her:

"The Yellow Sign."

Josephine's blood ran cold as soon as that name was uttered.

"Maisie, do not speak of that thing here."

"I know. That's why I whispered it to you. You remember what happened to me, right?"

"Yeah, you were in that psych ward."

"Well, I think I know how the malaise works, and also that I got it somehow. It's all to do with the symbol that shall not be named. If you hear about it and see it, chances are that you'll be consumed by some activity or thing. In my case…"

Maisie looked down at her box of books.

"My room was full of weird occult stuff. Not that I hate it; I am in the Occult Research Club, but I grew attached to those books after seeing the symbol that shall not be named. I can't remember much after that, but I think my room was a total mess after a while. Books were scattered everywhere and that symbol was all over my walls. Thank goodness that they cleaned that up. As for these, I'm gonna donate them to the school library or some other place."

"Anyways, the reason that I brought the symbol that shall not be named up is because…"

Maisie hesitated.

"It's because I told your sister about it."

"No. It's my fault for showing it to her. I drew something with that thing in it."

"You what?!"

"I saw it outside the window one night while I was eating. When I decided to draw something, the thing just… appeared! I don't know how it happened, but…"

The two girls' faces were pale as they entered the cafeteria. Both looked serious. They sat together in a table in silence. Only the conversations of other students were heard between the two.

"I…"

Before Josephine could speak any more, she put her head in her elbows and started breathing heavily.

"It's… it's my fault! It's my fault that Vi's going crazy I swear! It's… It's… It's…"

"Josephine, it's not-"

"Shut up! It's my fault that she's going to go insane, and I have to fix it!"

Her index finger, which was pointed at Maisie, trembled as she glared at her.

Both of the girls felt helpless as they returned back to eating lunch.

---

After excusing herself outside, Josephine found her way back to the alleyway that held the graffiti of the double doors. She stared at them.

"If I'm gonna save Vi, I'll have to do it now," she whispered to herself.

Before she could enter, an interloper appeared.

"Josephine? What are you doing here?" Maisie asked.

"Maisie!?"

Her appearance caught her completely off guard. She fell on the floor and Maisie ran over and helped her stand up.

"Sorry for scaring you," Maisie said. "But why are you here?"

"I don't know," Josephine lied. "I just needed some time outside."

"Yeah, I get that."

The two of them leaned on the wall opposite the double doors.

Maisie fidgeted with her keychain as she and Josephine looked at each other warily. Josephine hid the fact that a whole other world was on the other side of the double doors, not wanting to bring Maisie into this mess.

"You know, I dreamt about this place while I was obsessed with those books," Maisie said.

"You were?"

"Yeah. I had a lot of strange dreams. I was near a lake, in a hotel…"

Maisie's voice trailed off. She was hesitant to speak further or do anything else.

However, the two were soon holding hands, their legs autonomously guiding them to the double doors. They soon plunged into the wall, vanishing from Bridgepoint.

---

"Maisie, I can expla-"

"No, you don't! I dreamt about this place too! Look, you can see Lake Hali in the distance."

Maisie pointed to a large lake brimming with yellow mist.

"Hali?" Josephine asked.

"Yeah! We're in Carcosa right now. And… those clothes… that sword…"

Maisie took a couple steps closer to Josephine, inspecting her ensemble.

"You look like you stepped out of the 1600s or something. But there's one thing about this outfit that's vexing me."

"What?"

"When I was dreaming about the hotel, you were holding that sword and wearing this exact outfit. That was the last strange dream I had. It was scary, though. You telling me to return to normal freaked me out when I regained my senses."

Josephine recalled seeing the distorted version of Maisie during her first time in this strange world, or 'Carcosa,' as Maisie called it. Her summary of that dream matched up with her visit to the hotel perfectly.

"Is something wrong? Why do you look so anxious?"

"Yeah… it's because this isn't my first time here. I went to some hotel and saw you… or rather, some weird version of you or something? I told that you that it should return to normal."

"No way…"

The two girls walked to the city in the distance as the gears in their brains turned.

"I can't believe an entrance to this place exists in the real world…"

Maisie looked up in wonder at the yellow sky.

"Maisie, you might want to be careful. There are dangerous monsters here."

"Oh… I think I know what you mean. I dreamt that some weird ghosts or something restrained you to a bed in the room I was staying. You managed to kick their butts, though. It was incredible."

"That… that's because of my Persona."

"Persona?"

"It's like a part of myself I can use to push my way through ordeals like that. That's how I beat those monsters."

"I see…"

Maisie paused for a moment.

"Josephine, you don't think that Viola is in this world, right?"

"That's exactly what I think. I've come here to save her. Based on what you've told me, I think her dream-self or whatever is here."

Josephine and Maisie walked through the iron gates and into the city. The Midnight Sanctum was in the same place as last time, though it was closed for the day. What caught Josephine's eye was a glowing skyscraper that stretched out to the sulfur-colored clouds hanging above. It looked decadent compared to the coal-colored buildings surrounding it; pink, purple and green lights constantly shone out of it. A neon sign plastered on the side of the building proudly stated:

"That's…"

"Yeah… I think Viola's here. Definitely," Josephine asserted.

They entered the salon and were immediately bombarded by the pastel-colored interior and rows upon rows of chairs and mirrors.

"Welcome to the Seabrook Beauty Salon," a receptionist chimed in a sing-song voice, "can I help you?"

Josephine looked around at the salon in disgust.

"God, to think that my sister would ever think of something so gaudy…" Josephine blurted out.

Maisie, meanwhile, was stunned at the colors on display.

"This was definitely not here while I was dreaming," she said. "What 's the meaning of this, anyway?"

"My sister's been splitting hairs over her looks lately. Maybe this is a manifestation of that?" Josephine conjectured.

"That's totally right!" A haughty yet familiar voice stated.

From a flight of stairs descended a girl dressed in one of the most stylish yet abhorrent outfits Josephine ever saw. She possessed maddening yellow eyes and a straight haircut which was trimmed and combed to perfection. It was Viola.

"You think that this place is so ugly, is that right?!" 'Viola' said to Josephine. "You're sorely mistaken! I've made this place the most beautiful in all of Carcosa!"

The distorted Viola looked into a mirror and admired her face before leaving it, causing the mirror to explode into a million pieces. The shrapnel gracefully floated behind her like glitter.

"Maisie, get back," Josephine commanded, readying her sword as the distorted Viola drifted closer.

"Holy shit… she looks like some supervillain that went to a fashion show or something…"

"Maisie! How dare you!" Viola shouted. "If I recall correctly, you and my sister were the ones who introduced me to this beautiful brand of cosmetics!"

The distorted Viola produced a compact from her purse which was made from a black rock. It bore the Yellow Sign. A group of followers emerged from the rest of the mirrors, drooping down and leaving a slimy black ooze. From that ooze came balls coated in yellow spirals with a singular pair of lips which licked themselves in anticipation.

"I'm the most beautiful I've ever been, and this is how you repay me!? Treating me like some abomination?!"

"Viola! Stop!" Josephine shouted. "This isn't you! This isn't you!"

Her rapier trembled in her hands.

"Au contraire, ma sœur. This is the most me I've ever felt in my life!"

The shadows surrounded Josephine and Maisie as they closed in on them.

"Holy shit…" Maisie gasped. "This looks bad!"

"It is bad… for you!" the distorted Viola explained. "If you two are going to be such naysayers, you might as well not exist in this salon! Dispose of them, my fans!"

The shadows licked their lips again, preparing to feast on the two girls. Viola walked up the stairs as Josephine invoked her Persona.

"Artemisia! Aqua!"

A pillar of water exploded from the ground and skewered one of the shadows, turning it into a black mist. Josephine lunged and thrust her rapier at another, piercing it over and over again until its black blood cascaded from its body, causing it to deflate and fall to the ground.

"Holy shit! This is amazing!" Maisie thought as she was dazzled by the scene unfolding before her. But a shadow approaching her was something she was oblivious to until it was nearly too late.

A gigantic tongue licked the air in front of her as Maisie crawled away from one of the floating mouths.

"Josephine! Help!"

Josephine twirled around and ran over to Maisie's aid. If it weren't for one of the shadows spitting a fireball at her and sending Josephine flying, she would have made it.

Maisie stared at the floating mouth in horror as it floated toward her. Josephine tried to scramble to her feet, but another fireball made her fall to the ground face-first.

"Josephine! Are you okay?!"

No response. Her limbs quivered as she tried to lift herself from the floor to no avail. The floating mouth-balls were salivating at Maisie, hovering towards her like a pack of wolves.

"S-stay back…" Maisie pleaded. "Don't eat me!"

She scooted herself into a corner.

"Shit… there's nowhere to run now… shitshitshitshitshit…"

"But you can't just have your story end here. Isn't that right, darling?"

Maisie looked around in confusion. Who was it that spoke in her own voice?

"I am you," it answered. "The part of you who stays true to yourself. You won't let your friend die… right, darling?"

"Hell no."

"Then call upon me, and we shall write our legend today."

Maisie looked at Josephine with determination.

"Yes… Sappho!"

A column of blue light shot out from Maisie's chest, causing the shadows surrounding her to be buffeted by the expulsion of energy. It coalesced into a woman holding a lyre who was colored similarly to the pottery of ancient Greece.

"Dia!"

Maisie's Persona strummed its lyre, sending green musical notes to Josephine.

As soon as she felt the revitalizing force, Josephine sprang into action and thrust her rapier at the shadow closest to Maisie, with Maisie following that up with icy winds that cut into the others.

Although they were outnumbered, the shadows were slowly picked off by the duo's Personas. When the final shadow dissolved into nothingness, Maisie collapsed against the wall of the salon, which had become a total wreck.

"Maisie!"

Josephine ran over to her aid, bending down to the exhausted Maisie's level.

"Oh my god…" Maisie yawned. "That was… that was something."

"Could it be because of your Persona?"

"My Persona? I don- oh, right, yeah… I was in such a frenzy when she awoke. I feel like I could nod off any minute now."

"Let's go home. I don't want anything else trying to eat you."

"Yeah…" Maisie yawned again. "That'd be great."

Josephine carried Maisie out of the black city and all the way to her house. Even if she was unable to save Viola today, she now had a friend who had the same power that she possessed.

---

The moment Josephine fell asleep was the moment she found herself back in the Velvet Room. She was sat opposite Igor and Genevieve.

"And so, we meet again," Igor said, brimming with pride as the Sonata Pathétique played in the background.

"H-how did I get here?" Josephine asked.

"The Velvet Room is a place between dream and reality, mind and matter; you are fast asleep in the real world."

"So this is a dream… got it. Why did you bring me here?"

"We are pleased to see that you have begun to foster the bonds between yourself and the many others that will soon enter your life," Genevieve stated.

"Your power will be enriched by these bonds," Igor added. "As you involve yourself with others, they will gradually develop and amplify your power. You may even see different aspects of yourself in them. Think of it as a mirror."

"Please remember this. The next time we meet, it shall be of your own accord."

Igor handed her a glowing key which had an ornate V engraved into it.

But before Josephine could ask another question, the Velvet Room faded away.

Back to top

Chapter 4 - Clock Tower

Ever since the encounter with the distorted Viola, Maisie and Josephine were exhausted. While Maisie focused on her studies, Josephine made sure that Viola didn't stand out too much with her behavior. She was thankful that her mother didn't suspect Viola had the malaise just yet, but her anxiety was high even with that respite. It was for this reason that Josephine accepted an invitation from Elly to visit Chestnut Park together.

The two walked together on a promenade by the small pond at its center.

"Man, it's a shame that it's almost fall," Elly said.

"I know. The pond feels a lot more empty around fall. That's what I like about it: there're a lot of animals here when it's not cold," Josephine replied.

They encountered a fork in the road, choosing to follow the one that continued along the pond's perimeter.

"Look at the fish there," Josephine said, pointing to a school of them that swam by the edge of the pond. "I can't help but like the way those little guys move around."

"Yeah, you don't need to tell me twice."

"Sorry, but I can't help myself!"

The two of them laughed.

"So, what's up lately?" Josephine asked.

"Nothing, actually. Same old, same old. It's getting so boring."

"I feel you. Your arm doing okay?"

"I… yeah, it's fine. I haven't been using it much."

Elly felt that arm just to be sure.

"Man, I wish I knew how I got that injury. I should've remembered how and when that happened but… the memory is all hazy."

"You shouldn't worry about it that much. What's done is done, and you just have to live with it."

"Fair point, but still…"

Elly was deep in thought as the two of them approached the clock tower overlooking the part. The century-old brick edifice loomed over the trees as its clock sat motionless at the six-o-clock position.

"You know, rumor has it that a ghost is haunting that tower," Elly remarked. "Something to do with some watchmaker dying at the top. But that's just a legend."

"Sounds like something Maisie would be into," Josephine added.

"Oh, speaking of Maisie, how is she?"

"She's doing great, actually. We've actually become friends, kinda."

"Nice, nice! I'm glad she's back to normal. At least there's some sort of hope with all this malaise crap going on."

"Elly!"

A student ran over to the two girls. The brown-haired boy greeted Elly while trying to put on his least awkward smile.

"You've decided whether you wanna join Lit Club yet?"

"No," Elly said with a hint of irritation. "Not yet."

"Aw… well, let me know if you want in!"

With that, the boy sped off.

"Who was that kid?" Josephine asked.

"That… was Desmond. Ever since I showed interest in the Literature Club, he's been all over me and trying to get me to join. He's been so annoying."

Elly sighed.

"Seriously, can't he just understand that he doesn't need to ask me about that every five minutes?"

"Mhm."

The two of them looked up at the clock tower.

"Why hasn't anyone fixed that thing?" Josephine asked.

"I dunno."

They stared at the clock tower for a few more moments before continuing their walk.

—

"That was a nice walk," Josephine said.

"Yeah. Getting some fresh air is a great way to destress."

"The butterflies were nice too."

"Oh, yeah! I wish I could fly like them. I'd be like a fairy without a care in the world!"

"It would be nice, but…" Josephine did not need to speak on it further.

Elly sighed.

"Yeah… It's a bummer."

"Well, I hope you have a good evening!"

"You too, Elly," Josephine replied as the two parted ways.

"A fairy, huh…" she thought as she walked home.

The crisp autumn air formed a pleasant breeze around her as the sun came closer to setting.

Perhaps this reprieve from the other world made her more carefree.

"Tee-hee!"

She heard a giggle within herself.

"What the-"

She looked around for the source of the noise, but there was nobody.

"That is another facet of our psyche," she heard Artemisia say.

"Yup! I'm Pixie! I hope we get along, tee-hee!"

"You feel kinda… light," Josephine thought.

"That is to be expected," Artemisia replied. "Different masks have different weights. Some are heavier than others, but all of them together make us."

Josephine nodded as she walked home.

—

Momiji and Mr. Sherman walked through Bridgepoint, approaching the park located at the city center. She had arrived here only a few days ago as part of a foreign exchange student program, though she wished it were under different circumstances.

Her brown hair was done in a straight haircut, and she wore a crescent-shaped hair clip on it. She wore formal-looking attire which was brown and black.

"And this," Mr. Sherman said, "is Chestnut Park."

The park itself was lit only by the shine of the moon above. The autumn leaves which Momiji was named after had started to form on the trees.

"I don't go out here often, but it's a popular spot for people your age to hang out," Mr. Sherman added. "Maybe you and Rexhina could talk together here sometimes."

"Perhaps," Momiji said in her calm voice.

I encourage you to, actually. School can put a lot of stress on people, y'know. Just remember to not talk about the mission to anyone. Not even Rexhina."

"Of course. Speaking of which, we should discuss it soon."

"That was the next thing I was gonna do," Mr. Sherman explained. "Our tour of Bridgepoint is pretty much over, after all."

Momiji nodded, passing a glance at the clock tower as they returned to Sherman's house.

—

Mr. Sherman and Momiji sat at a table together. A variety of documents which bore the Kirijo Group logo were spread all over it.

"Remember that this is a secret between you, me, and the liaison I have to Japan," Mr. Sherman began. "Under no circumstances should you speak of this to anyone, especially Claire Seabrook."

Momiji nodded.

"Good. Now, since you have the potential of…" Mr. Sherman paused, searching for the word on the tip of his tongue.

"Persona," Momiji finished.

"Right, that. We'll have you explore the other world and gather intel on it. Based on data we've collected here, the bout of hysteria that's been going on here and that other world is connected. See if you can find anything that points to any of the patients we have at our mental health ward. You'll be given a binder that you can take notes in; electronics that aren't designed to work in the other world malfunction. We have a Gate in a warehouse where you'll be entering the other world from. I'll be located topside and will communicate with you periodically during an expedition. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Momiji said.

"Good. Tell me when you're ready for an expedition, and we'll set things up for you."

Momiji nodded.

"That's about all I have to tell you for now," Mr. Sherman said. "One more thing, though: remember to balance out your normal life with the mission."

"Right."

"Well, in that case, we should relax for a bit. I'll make you a bite to eat."

—

Momiji tried to sleep to no avail. Ever since encountering the 'other world,' as Mr. Sherman put it, her life had been a chaotic whirlwind. Encountering an employee of the Kirijo Group right after exiting through the gateway she'd found didn't help things either. After a few tests and a flurry of documents she signed, she'd earned a spot in the Group's foreign exchange program. At least, that was the guise that the Group used to put her in Bridgeport.

"Stupid mission…" she thought as she stared at the blank walls of her room.

None of her friends and family knew the true purpose of her stay in America, and while she was glad that that was the case, she still yearned for her home. Despite her feelings, she still maintained the calm facade that had carried her through life so far.

She took out her phone one last time to see if her friends had sent her anything. Nothing: no new texts since the afternoon.

She put her phone back to charge on her nightstand. Tomorrow was her first day in a foreign school, after all.

—

"Hey, Jo!" Elly said as they both entered their homeroom together. "Today's the first day that the exchange students are coming!"

"Oh yeah," Josephine replied. "I forgot about that. I wonder what they're like."

"Well, two exchange students are coming to school today," Elly added as the two of them sat in their seats. "One's Albanian, and the other is Japanese. They're participating in a program sponsored by one of those big tech companies."

"Right, right," Josephine said. "It's pretty interesting, you know. Like, why come to this school of all places? I get that our state has good education and all, but this school isn't that notable, right?"

"I mean… kinda? I've heard that some famous inventor graduated from here."

As the two friends debated about the fame of their school, their homeroom teacher interrupted.

"Attention, class!" Mr. Holloway declared. "We're having a new student join us for the rest of the year. Please welcome Momiji Eguchi."

The student in question entered the classroom. The first thing that Josephine noticed about her was her tranquility: her expression was neutral and she appeared to be well-put together.

"It's nice to meet you," Momiji said. She bowed courteously in front of the class.

"Now then, your seat is over there," Mr. Holloway told Momiji, pointing to a vacant desk behind Elly.

Elly turned to Momiji as the latter took her seat.

"Hey," Elly whispered, "if you want any help, lemme know. Mr. Holloway's class can be pretty-"

"I can assure you that I'll be fine," Momiji responded. Her voice felt frigid in Elly's ears.

"Well okay, then."

Elly turned back to Josephine with a despondent look on her face and sighed.

"Man, I expected her to be a bit more friendly," Elly murmured.

"Don't worry too much," Josephine replied, "I'm sure she's great with classwork. She is an international student."

"Yeah but…"

"Now then!" Mr. Holloway's voice ended the conversation. "Today we'll be discussing the chapters you read for homework…"

The lecture about The Catcher in the Rye began. As Elly began to drift away from the lecture, Momiji stared attentively at the whiteboard, flipping through her note-filled copy of the book as the discussion flowed.

—

Momiji and Rexhina sat together during lunchtime. Since they were in this program together, they shared a bond together; Momiji's anxiety, however, kept her in her cool outer shell.

"How is everything so far?" Rexhina asked.

"This town is… quaint," Momiji responded. "It's certainly a breath of fresh air compared to where I lived back home."

"I can understand that. You came from one of the big cities, right?"

"Sapporo, to be precise."

"Oh?"

"It's in the northernmost prefecture," Momiji clarified.

"I see… It gets really cold up there, doesn't it?"

"It does."

"Hey!!!"

Elly rushed over to the two girls, taking her seat right next to Momiji.

"And you are?" Momiji asked.

"Oh, come on! Don't you recognize me? We share the same class together!"

"Ah. I remember. I don't think you introduced yourself to me by name, however."

"Well, I'm Elly! It's nice to meet you, Momiji!"

Elly's cheery demeanor annoyed Momiji, but this did not register on her expression. Instead, Momiji was as stoic as ever.

"It is nice to meet you too," she replied, betraying no hint of emotion.

Elly noticed Rexhina, who fidgeted around with her dirty blonde hair for a moment.

"This is Rexhina, the other exchange student," Momiji explained.

"Nice to see you!" Rexhina said.

As the three of them talked about school together, Momiji hid her anxiety about her mission as best she could. However, her thoughts still lingered on the black stars that she had seen dotting the yellow sky, of the distant tower with its bulbous end looming over even the moon, and of the misty lake and the vermillion stones which laid underneath its nonexistent waters.

But the one image that was forever etched into her memories was that of the golden bull.

"Momiji?"

"Gah!"

Momiji recoiled back, having been deep in thought for what felt like hours.

"Is something wrong?" Elly asked. "You looked kinda scared."

"It's nothing," Momiji stated, her expression returning to her unflinching mask.

"Okay… Well, like I said, I've got your back if you need help with anything!"

"And just as I told you before, I will be fine."

"Don't be rude, Momo!" Rexhina said.

"I was simply telling her the truth. And don't call me that, please."

"Okay. But at least exchange numbers or something!"

Momiji begrudgingly accepted Rexhina's proposal despite Elly having not left the best impression on her. She did feel a bit of guilt over what she'd said, after all.

After that, their lunch block ended, so they all went to their separate classes. As Momiji navigated through the hallways, her thoughts lingered on home.

This town wasn't the fresh breath of air compared to her native Sapporo. She missed the vibrant scene, the snow, and most of all, her friends. Neither they nor Rexhina knew of her reason for being here, which gave her the most anxiety of all: that of the other world which she had so foolishly plunged into one summer afternoon.

—

Momiji sat on a bench in front of the clock tower. Mr. Sherman had agreed to let her out alone despite the malaise that had befallen Bridgeport. He had explained that the Kirijo Group was working closely with authorities to maintain public safety quite successfully, but Momiji did not put much trust into that.

What mattered was that it was six at night, which translated to it being eight in the morning back home. She took out her phone and texted her mother.

Momiji was breathing quickly now. Did she ruin her friendship with that blonde girl? Elly was so cheerful, but every time she spoke to her, Momiji spurned her.

She looked up at the clock tower, its hand still stuck at the six-o-clock position.

"They say that broken clocks are right twice a day here," Momiji thought.

As if fate had commanded it, Momiji got a text from Elly.

Back to top

Chapter 5 - The Other Side of the Pond

Mr. Sherman dropped off Momiji at Elly's house. The pleasant autumn days had proven refreshing for Momiji after all that had happened.

"Alright, I'll be back for you in a couple of hours," Mr. Sherman said.

Momiji nodded back to him after exiting from his car.

"Have a good time there," he added, closing the window. His car then lurched forward and drove away.

Elly's house was made in the style of suburban architecture that Momiji had grown familiar with ever since arriving in America. She also found it surprising that the houses in her neighborhood were spaced closely together. After a moment of contemplation, she walked up the set of stairs leading to the front door and knocked. Instantly, the door flew open, revealing Elly sporting a wide smile.

"Momiji!" Elly exclaimed, "Welcome to my house!"

"Hello," Momiji replied as Elly guided her inside.

The interior was modestly furnished. Elly guided Momiji to the living room where a girl dressed in blue sat. The girl stood up from the couch and smiled at Elly.

"Oh hey," the girl said, "isn't that…"

"Yeah, this is Momiji!" Elly replied.

The girl walked over to the two of them and reached her hand out to Momiji.

"I'm Josephine," the girl explained. "We're in the same English class together!"

As soon as they shook hands, Momiji felt a strange magnetism surrounding her. There was something about this girl that she couldn't put her finger on that felt so… familiar.

"Probably just the stress getting to me again…" Momiji thought.

"It's nice to meet you, Josephine," she said.

The three of them sat together on the couch.

"So how's this place been treating you, Momiji?" Elly asked.

"It's been fine. Nothing weird has happened to me so far."

"Oh, thank goodness! I was kinda worried since the town is… you know…"

"Don't mention that, Elly!" Josephine interjected. "I'm tired of hearing about that freaky stuff."

"I don't mind it personally," Momiji responded.

"Okay… anyways, school hasn't been hard for you, right?"

"I've been performing well."

"Oh, awesome! Mr. Holloway's class is kinda hard for me."

Elly frowned. "God, why are they making us read that book…"

"There has to be a reason for it," Momiji suggested. "It is a classic, from what I've heard."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make me want to read it more. I'd rather read whatever I want to read, y'know?"

"That does not change the fact that you still have to, though."

Elly sighed in frustration. "Yeah, you're right, Momo."

"Please don't call me that," Momiji said, stifling her irritation.

Although Momiji still felt a bit guilty for what she did to Elly that day, she still found her annoying. This was despite Momiji having hung out with her at school for the past few days. Momiji chalked it up to her enthusiasm. She hated whenever Elly gushed over whatever she wanted, whether that be a show or some video. Then again, she always listened to Kei when…

Momiji internally shook her head. "No, no," she thought. "Elly's just like that. It isn't me."

Her train of thought was interrupted by Elly's mother coming downstairs.

"Oh, I see your friends are here!" She said. She glanced at Momiji. "Who might you be?" She asked.

"I'm Momiji Eguchi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Momiji bowed slightly from her seat.

"Ah, you're the exchange student Elly's been talking about. She's been talking about you a lot lately."

Elly's mother nodded at the girls as she walked to the kitchen.

"Elly, would you please?" she asked.

Elly's face lit up with excitement.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, going with her mother.

As they began working in the kitchen, Josephine smiled at Momiji.

"You're gonna love the food that they're cooking," she said. "It's awesome!"

"What kind of food is it?"

"Pasta!"

Josephine's eyes glowed with excitement at the thought of the food.

"Elly and her mom make some really good pasta," she continued. "I haven't had it in a while, actually. You're gonna love it!"

Josephine nudged Momiji a bit, causing her to scooch away from her a little in response. Momiji nodded as she took out her phone.

"How long will it take?" Momiji asked.

"About half an hour at most."

They fell silent as Momiji passed the time by using her phone. It was an older model of iPhone that she'd put in a chrysanthemum-themed case. The white flowers contrasted perfectly with the red casing, something that she found pleasant against the backdrop of her being in this country. She checked to see if the wallpaper still displayed the art of the alleyway Kei had drawn just before she left her home, and it was.

As she played Monument Valley for the umpteenth time, her mind wandered back to that fateful day. She'd been walking home alone that day when, in the corner of her eye, she saw a door painted on a wall with a dragon perched atop it. Despite her wanting to walk past the strange graffiti, something about it compelled her to walk into it. It felt like a magnet… almost like…

She passed a glance over at Josephine, who was also using her phone. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her as she felt that same feeling that washed over her all those months ago.

"It can't be her," she thought to herself. "It's just not possible, isn't it?"

She resumed playing her game. The twisting structures and waterfalls within it reminded her of… The Place. That's what she called it, anyway. It had a more ominous atmosphere than the ruins that were displayed on her phone, but it twisted in a similar way. Once she'd gone down a staircase and through the yellow fog, she walked through obsidian paths that swirled around towers like whirlpools. More staircases punctured them and reached down to the ground, where rivers of molten brimstone flowed into a sea of neurons that pulsed with electricity.

The next thing she knew, a banshee flew towards her, its oily wings preparing to embrace her and its white mask oozing with a black substance. That was when…

"Momiji!"

Momiji let out a shriek as she saw Elly and Josephine looking at her.

"Hey, what's up?" Elly asked. "You don't look too good."

"It's nothing," Momiji responded. "I was just… deep in thought."

"Seriously?" Josephine asked. "You sure you're fine? It almost looked like you're upset about something."

"I am sure."

"Okay. Anyways, it's pasta time!"

"Already?" Momiji asked.

"Um, yeah! We came here to tell you!"

The girls sat around the dining table where bowls of pasta had been neatly laid out. Long thin noodles coated in marinara sauce filled the bowl, topped with a sprinkling of basil. A hint of spiciness wafted through the air. Momiji stared at the meal dubiously.

"Momiji? What's up?" Elly asked.

"This reminds me of food I ate back home," Momiji explained, "But… I, uh…"

"Don't be nervous," Elly's mother said, "try it!"

"Mhm," Josephine added, already eating some of the pasta. She gulped it down. "It's really good!"

Momiji got ahold of part of her portion, wrapping it around her fork. She deliberately brought the pasta closer to her mouth, inspecting it for any aberrations. She stuck her tongue out and it made contact with the meal. Instantly, she felt the spiciness in the air flowing across her tongue which she regarded with curiosity. She then ate the portion in full, her teeth dragging it off of the fork. She chewed on it, inspecting the way the noodles broke with each chewing of her mouth.

"This isn't bad, actually," she whispered to herself before taking a sip of water. "I can't say I like the spiciness that much, though."

Elly chuckled. "That's my fault," she said, smiling. "I really like spicy things."

"True!" Josephine added.

As the girls ate, the topic of conversation eventually landed on Momiji and her life before her arrival in America.

"So, Momiji, what brought you here?" asked Josephine.

"I was curious about this country and was lucky enough to be nominated for an exchange program. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to come here."

This was a bold-faced lie, but she hid her intent behind her neutral expression.

"Oh wow! What kind of program?" Elly asked. Josephine leaned a bit closer, curious to hear her answer.

"One focused on STEM students wishing to study abroad. It's sponsored by the Kirijo Group."

"Kirijo, huh…" Josephine muttered, her face deep in thought. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"The group has been expanding operations internationally as of late," Momiji responded. "Perhaps you've heard about some electronics they're selling here?"

"No… no, that's not it. I just can't put my finger on it…"

"Well, anyways," Elly interjected, "what's it like back across the pond? You know, in Japan?"

"Hmm… well, I think it's stricter back home than here. But only slightly. I have a couple friends over there that I have," she began, trying to hide her homesickness. "We're very close with each other. Kei especially, I just, I…"

Momiji pondered on what she would say next as she ate. Every thought of Kei brought her closer to ranting about how much she missed her and how much she wanted to come back home just to see her. They'd been friends since childhood, with Kei acting like the sister Momiji never had.

"What's wrong?" Josephine asked.

"Nothing," Momiji bluntly stated. "It's just that me and Kei are really close friends."

"I see… You looked really upset for a second there."

"I'm not."

"Okay, then…"

"Anyways… Sapporo is a nice city. I lived there before coming here, actually. There's a snow festival that's held every year that I sometimes go to. The sculptures there are nice, especially in person."

"Really? Maybe I should go there…" Josephine mused. Elly nodded alongside her.

"You should," Momiji added.

"Definitely!" Josephine declared.

Momiji giggled. "I just have to keep this going, and then I'll be free," she thought. Interacting with these two was exhausting, but she wasn't about to show it. Her expression remained as neutral as ever. That was when she remembered about tomorrow. Foolishly, she'd informed Mr. Sherman that Saturday would be the perfect day for her first expedition into The Place… The memories flashed by her one more time as she–

"Momiji? You look upset again," Josephine said to her. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Momiji once again stated, her face instantly returning to its pristine expression.

"You can always talk to us if anything's bothering you, you know?" Elly added. "It's not like we'll judge you."

"Yes," Elly's mother said. "It's better to let your emotions out than to hide them behind a mask."

"Mhm," Elly said as she ate some more pasta.

"I'm not upset about anything," Momiji assured.

"Okay…" Josephine said.

Momiji looked at her closely. She felt that magnetism again, drawing her towards Josephine as if she were a leaf riding a whirlpool's current. It reminded her of The Place. Too much. She looked at her bowl of pasta and saw instead the rolling mist of The Place. The cloud-waves broke on the bowl's perimeter, flowing up and then down it like fog. And yet… there just had to be water there, right? She hadn't drank a sip of water in a bit, and the spiciness of the pasta left her tongue begging for relief.

She looked up from the bowl, seeing the outside tinged with a bright yellow which illuminated the room. She took out her phone for a moment, looking at its wallpaper. It displayed that drawing which found its way onto her phone the morning after she met Elly: a strange fish with a yellow sigil illuminating it from behind.

"Dammit, have to get that changed… again." she thought.

However, her need for water came first. As Elly and Josephine considered what to talk about next, she plunged her face into the bowl, imbibing the water as fast as she could. She felt its refreshing warmth flow through her as she gulped it down, but alas, all good things had to come to an end, and this was the case for the pool of water inside.

As she let out a sigh of relief and looked up from the bowl, Elly, her mother and Josephine all looked at her strangely.

"Um… Momiji… did you just…" Josephine said, trying to hold back her confusion.

"Did you just devour your entire pasta bowl like that?!" Elly exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Momiji asked.

"Look at yourself! Your face is covered in pasta sauce!"

"What?"

Confused, Momiji used her phone screen as a makeshift mirror. Sure enough, the marinara sauce was strewn about her face. Her expression shifted to that of horror and embarrassment as she looked back at the two girls.

"I… I didn't… I was just drinking water…" Momiji stammered as Josephine and Elly held back their laughter.

"Come on," Elly's mother said. "You can wash your face in the sink over there."

Elly's mother helped Momiji clean herself as Josephine and Elly ate the remainder of their pasta. The mortified girl sat back down on the table soon after, taking a large swig of her water.

"I'm… sorry about that," Momiji said. Her face felt red hot.

"It's fine, Momiji!" Josephine replied. "We're not gonna bully you over this!"

"But I-I-"

"Don't worry!" Elly added. "I mean, you must've found the pasta pretty good if you ate it that fast."

All of the people at the table laughed, Momiji especially. It was absurd, having devoured the entire bowl whilst perceiving it to be full of water. She wouldn't tell any of them about The Place, however. Nobody deserved to know about what she saw except Mr. Sherman.

"Seriously, though," Elly began. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I am…" Momiji answered.

"C'mon, we should talk…" Elly insisted.

Momiji sighed.

—

After dinner was finished, the three girls spent their remaining time together in Elly's room. Momiji sat on her bed next to Elly while Josephine stood nearby.

"Momiji, you've kinda been worrying me ever since we met," Elly said. "You always look… expressionless, that's the word. But I kinda worry about you now, especially after our dinner talk. What's up?"

"I… um…"

Momiji struggled to construct an answer. On one end, there was her longing for Kei and Aya, and how she was ruthlessly torn away from them by the Kirijo Group's agenda regarding… The Place. She saw it during that conversation, that was for sure. The unmistakable mist that permeated the fogbound world was present during the pasta incident. She couldn't tell them that. Instead, she–

"I just miss my friends!" She blurted out. "Ever since I left home I can't stop thinking about them! I've always been worrying about them and I haven't got a text from them and I and I… I…"

"Calm down, Momiji…" Elly said, "It's okay to be homesick. If I were you, I'd feel something similar."

Momiji breathed heavily as she attempted to rein in her words, but they kept flowing out of her like a waterfall.

"And then there are the dreams, those damn dreams I have every night!"

"What the hell am I saying?" Momiji thought, "What's my mouth doing?"

Josephine and Elly stared at her with expressions of concern as she ranted.

"I dream about that place, that place where black stars hang in the night sky, where a tower reaches for them and goes past the moon… and then, and then…"

She recalled a mummy-like figure, something which she hadn't seen and yet had witnessed simultaneously.

"There was this man wrapped in scalloped cloth who was looking at me… I hated the fabric, it looked moldy all over. And the eyes, those damn eyes!"

Momiji plowed her face into a pillow as Josephine ran over to her side.

"Momiji! Is that true?" Josephine asked.

"All of it! All of it! All of it! All of it!"

Momiji repeated those three words until her voice grew hoarse and tired. She pushed herself up, her expression weary.

"I'm so sorry about that, I couldn't help myself," Momiji said.

"No, it's fine!" Josephine said. "You need an outlet for these emotions!"

"I guess that's true…"

Momiji calmed herself with steady breathing, with Josephine and Elly comforting her.

"I'm fine… I'm fine…" she said after a while, standing back up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Elly said. "If you're feeling sad, don't hesitate to talk to me. That's what friends are for, you know?"

"Heheh…"

"Elly, can I have a second with her?" Josephine asked.

"Um, sure…" Elly said.

She left her bedroom, leaving Josephine and Momiji alone together.

"About those dreams you've been having… how long have you been having them?" Josephine asked.

"Um… I think… yeah, I've been having them since the middle of summer."

"Uh huh… and is the sky yellow in them?"

"Yes! How did you know?" Momiji asked.

"I've had a couple dreams like that myself, actually. They're pretty scary."

"Yeah… they are…"

"Sorry for keeping you here, I just needed to ask you those couple questions."

"It's fine."

Momiji's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw a text from Mr. Sherman.

"Oh… Looks like I have to go in a couple minutes," she said.

"What timing!" Josephine said. "It was nice hanging out with you, Momiji. Let's see each other again sometime soon, okay?"

Momiji hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah…" Momiji said before leaving the room.

However, just as she left the room, carrying her phone in her hand. Momiji's phone turned on, displaying to Josephine the wallpaper. Josephine's expression sank as she saw the drawing on it. Her drawing.

Back to top

Chapter 6 - Benthos

Momiji and Mr. Sherman entered a warehouse located near the river that wound its way around the edge of Bridgepoint. The interior was a vast chamber full of cables of all sizes that slithered across the floor. Across from them was a walled section which displayed a bright hazard sign labeled:

The warehouse itself was empty and dim, with only a couple open skylights providing any notable illumination. When they reached the walled section, Mr. Sherman produced a keycard from one of his pockets and swiped it through a padlock. With an abrasive chirp, the door unlocked, Mr. Sherman opened the door, gesturing for Momiji to enter.

Momiji emerged into a small room lined with computers and other strange machinery. Two rifles were mounted on the right wall. On the far side of the room was painted a familiar graffiti: the spitting image of that door she'd seen on that fateful day.

"What… is this place?" Momiji asked.

"Oh, this? This is a company warehouse. We hadn't used it for a few years, but that all changed when the malaise hit. That graffiti there?" He motioned over to the door-shaped drawing. "We've been hunting it down wherever it appears. It was a stroke of luck that one managed to show up here. As soon as we found it, we refurbished the place and have been doing research on that other world ever since."

"So this is my point of entry, then?"

"Exactly."

Momiji leaned against a wall as Mr. Sherman fiddled with the computers. He muttered to himself in frustration as the machines booted up. As he tinkered with them, the door opened and a woman who looked a bit younger than Mr. Sherman entered. She flicked her auburn hair to the side as she saw Momiji.

"So, you're the kid they brought over here…" the woman said.

Mr. Sherman stood up once she heard her voice. "Gabbie, thank god you're here! The computer's taking its sweet time booting up."

The woman sighed. "Don't worry about it. It'll work eventually. Anyways…"

She turned back to Momiji. "I'm Gabriella Springer," she said. "I work here as a technical assistant for the project we've got going on here. You're Momiji, right?"

"I am. It's nice to meet you."

Momiji reflexively bowed, causing Gabriella to grin slightly.

"No need for courtesy," she said. "Carl's already told me about your 'awakening.'"

"Yup, I have."

"Seems like the people in the senior branch must really trust you since they bothered sending you out here, kid."

"Do they?" The remark didn't surprise Momiji, but the weight that it put on her was burdensome.

"It seems like it," Gabriella replied. "I can't get into the heads of whoever it was from the Japanese branch that sent you here, but they should've known what they were doing."

"I see."

Momiji stared at the door. It called for her, beckoning her to enter it once again despite her heart's pleas. Mr. Sherman handed her a binder and pen along with an earpiece.

"This is to help you communicate with us on the other side," Mr. Sherman explained as he handed the earpiece over to her. "It'll also display your location to us. If you get in trouble, just give me a shout." He gazed at the rifles with a serious look. "I'll come running and blast those monsters to hell."

"Yes, sir."

She put on the earpiece while inching towards the door. Her heart thumped in her chest, her hands clenched tightly and her brain ran through the memories of her first encounter with that bleak realm.

"Good luck, Momiji," Mr. Sherman said as she was about to enter. He gazed at the concrete floor beneath him as he hoped for her safe return.

—

The familiar acridity of the other side greeted Momiji as she stepped out of the gate. Ruined walls surrounded her on three sides and a derelict machine with a Kirijo Group logo sat abandoned to her left. The vast black desert expanded on all sides. Momiji stared up and up at the tower that pierced the yellow sky above her.

"Damn… that thing is a lot closer than when I first saw it…" she thought aloud.

"Momiji?"

The sound of Mr. Sherman's voice coming from the earpiece startled the girl.

"Momiji, can you hear me?"

"Yes, yes I can," she replied.

"Thank god. You see anything interesting yet?"

"There's a machine that seems like it was made by the Kirijo Group. It looks destroyed."

"Hmm…"

Mr. Sherman took another moment to respond.

"Pretty sure that was left here by us a few years ago."

"I see."

"Anyways, just be careful. Be ready to whip out your Persona at any time."

"Yes, sir."

Momiji proceeded out of the ruin after noting down and making a sketch of the machine, trying in vain to imitate her friend's style. She climbed a dune of black sand and stood atop it, viewing the area. Surrounding the base of a tower was a city, and surrounding that was what resembled a lake of translucent mist. A chasm was visible through it, its bottom made of a red stone with a purple material that pulsated with light.

A strange whirring caught her attention. To her left was a strange structure. Circular bands of gold gyrated about imaginary axes which themselves seemed to spin on their own. Each time the edge of one of the bands faced her, the whirring grew in intensity. The spinning structure mesmerized her, and she soon found her legs guiding her towards it.

A metallic odor permeated the area, growing more noticeable as she approached the strange edifice. The whirring swelled as Momiji heard her boots strike hard ground. Glassy obsidian reflected the yellow sky above, and a puddle of neurons buzzed with activity. The way the electric signals jumped from axon to dendrite enthralled Momiji. She reached out to touch it, but an electric shock reached back, shocking her and knocking her down to the ground.

After recovering from the shock, Momiji jotted down in her binder: "Note to self: don't touch the purple stuff – it's electric."

The itching of her clothing caught her attention. Momiji wore a parka and warm pants, and a belt strapped to her waist carried a katana. She recognized them: this was what she wore after meeting with her other self. Even if this outfit was uncomfortable, that was just how her other self was displayed on the outside.

She wrote about the structure and appended a drawing of it to her notes before closing the distance between it and her. Large stalagmites stood next to a circular wall. Strange etchings became visible on the opalescent crystals as Momiji went to inspect them. She peered closely at one and found that every square centimeter of the stalagmite was covered with the Kirijo Group's logo.

"Sherman?"

"Yes?"

"Um… I just found a huge stalagmite. It's covered with the company logo."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Odd. We've never seen anything like what you're telling us, not even in the records we managed to get ahold of."

"I see. Anyways, I'm by a strange structure right now."

The whirring became audible on the other end as a large gold band swept past Momiji.

"It almost looks like a gyroscope. I'm entering it now."

"Okay. Let us know what you find."

Momiji turned to a door that sat by the stalagmites. She opened it, and a spiral of black on white appeared, dragging her into it.

—

The structure's interior was no less odd than its exterior. The gold bands circled above her as a clock ticked in the background. Statues of angels made from obsidian encircled the checkerboard tiling, rising to meet the baroque clock tower which displayed a time of six o' clock. A mountain of pocket watches and other timepieces was piled next to it, all of which showed the same time.

Shadowy figures lied prostrate around the floor, sobbing at the statues.

"Structure's interior is strange. Shadows seem to be mourning by the statues. But for what?" Momiji noted. She sketched one of the shadows and statues together before noticing an inscription on the statue's arm:

Momiji jotted it in her binder before proceeding to the center of the structure. A pedestal sat there, holding a stone tablet containing a list of what seemed to be titles of sculptures:

As she jotted the titles in her binder, something drew her to the one titled "DELIRIVM TOCII." She didn't know why, but it beckoned her. Suddenly, the title glowed a bright yellow, with the circular platform surrounding the pedestal being surrounded by light of that same color. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of another statue. Unlike all the others, this one was larger and more angular in style. It held a spear and hovered over a set of vertebrae.

A shadow limped towards her, holding a magnifying glass which had an amber lens. It had a pasty complexion and a perpetually mournful expression.

"You're here for the exhibition, yes?" It asked in a languid tone.

"I… um… exhibition?"

"Yes, the exhibition… the exhibition of dreams sent here to rot… the dreams of our ambassador…"

"Ambassador? What do you-"

"Oh, surely you know…"

The shadow crossed its arms and looked down at the ground.

"Come on, now. Look through this and you'll see a fragment of the ambassador's long-lost dreams…"

The shadow held the magnifying glass up to Momiji's eyes. Her soul was sent through the lens, entering a red vortex which brought her to a vision of the city of Tokyo. The sky was blue at first, before suddenly changing to a blood-red color. The next thing she knew, she stood in the midst of Shibuya Crossing, seeing that same transition along with the emergence of bones winding their way higher and higher, climbing up buildings as they did. It started raining, viscous and dark water coating the streets. And yet, despite it all, nobody minded.

She was brought into a building next, where an explosion rocked the facility. She turned around, recognizing the Kirijo Group logo just before a spine emerged from the wall as if it was water. The dark water coated the laboratory floor as scientists ran, flames slowly engulfing the building.

Momiji was then dragged back through the vortex before her soul plopped back into her body. The shadow had put down the magnifying glass and was now staring at her, its pasty and pallid face contorted into a plaintive expression.

"Have you seen it? The fragment of a vision bitterly lost?"

Momiji looked at the hunchback with confusion.

"I don't understand what you mean," she replied.

The shadow sighed, looking at the angel with reverence.

"You will eventually, I suppose. Come back in an hour and you may see more."

—

Momiji walked out of the structure without remembering how she got there. As soon as she realized where she was, she ran back to the door only to find that it was locked. After failing to open it, she wrote down as much of the vision she'd seen as possible. She walked away from the structure with a nagging sense that whatever she had seen was important.

—

At last, Momiji had reached the edge of the lake. She recognized the black stairs descending into the mist from her first visit here and walked down them. Her nerves tingled as each of her steps echoed through the vast cavern that surrounded her. As she proceeded further, the path she tread through grew more distorted, spiraling around its center before reaching a tower and wrapping around it.

Momiji descended the staircase, reaching the lakebed. A red stone constituted the ground which felt warm to the touch. Black rocks dotted the landscape, occasionally displaying patterns reminiscent of abstract faces. She picked one up and drew it in her binder. The smell of sulfur permeated the area.

As she walked past a tower, a sudden high-pitched roar echoed around her. She ran in its direction, taking cover behind a nearby tower. Peering next to the wall, she saw a golden object with chains coming out of it. She crept out of cover and ventured closer to the object. To her shock, it was the golden bull!

Its head writhed in agony as it continued to bellow out indescribable sounds. Many harpoons had pierced its body, and its furnace had long since been put out. Hastily, she wrote down notes about the shadow, how she'd first encountered it and a sketch of the monster as it was now.

"What the hell…" she wondered aloud as she stared at the fallen menace.

Another shadow walked from behind it, holding a harpoon gun. It turned to her, its long straight hair catching the wind. It was her!

Momiji staggered back a few steps before her legs froze. She tried in vain to move them again, but they were fastened to the ground.

"Nuh uh uh! Can't have you running away again!" The other Momiji said to her as she crept closer.

"A-again? What are you-"

"Shush! You're still trying to run away even now!"

The other Momiji's yellow eyes pierced through her soul like spears.

"First, you tried to run away from this place, but look at where you are now! You've been forced to come back here! Isn't that swell!"

The other Momiji's sassiness irritated her.

"No! No it isn't! I never wanted to-"

"Then why'd you come all this way? To see me? Awww~"

The other Momiji faux-grinned at her.

"No! I just need to-"

"Oh, jeez! What a hypocrite! Even though you desperately don't want to be here, you still 'needed' to come here! You even scheduled today's little jaunt in this place."

Momiji snarled at her shadow self as it circled around her.

"Even on the other side, you still want to run away from people, but can't! Remember yesterday? It was you who accepted that invitation to that annoying girl's house! You just felt so guilty after being just a little bit rude with her. Let's face it: the only people you care about are Kei and Aya. That's it! You give zero shits about anyone in this shitty little place called America!"

"S-stop it! Shut up!"

"Oh, come on! This is what you've always thought, right?"

Momiji desperately tried to calm herself. She had to fight off this impostor, and she knew exactly how. She glared at her shadow self and called upon her Persona.

"Yuki-onna!"

A pale figure manifested behind her, wreathed in bleached robes and staring down Momiji's shadow. However, it only laughed at the display.

"Oh my god!" It exclaimed mockingly. "You still think that façade will keep others away? It already failed with that Elly girl!"

"This is my true self," Momiji replied, displaying an air of calmness despite her inner terror. "And I will strike you down!"

"Actually, I'll strike you down first!"

Momiji's impostor fired its harpoon gun at her Persona, piercing it and causing it to shatter into a million shards of ice. Momiji howled in agony as she clutched her heart and collapsed onto the ground. Quickly, she tapped on her earpiece and shouted into it.

"Sherman! Sherman! Help!"

"What? What is it, Momiji?!"

Momiji's shadow ran closer to her.

"It's a shadow! I need help!"

"What?! I'll come over there, right now!"

"Aw… look at you! You're actually calling for someone else! Incredible," Momiji's shadow said.

Momiji stood up and attempted to invoke her Persona again, but instead invoked a massive headache that caused her to collapse once more.

"Your mask is broken. There's nothing you can do about it anymore."

Momiji staggered back up as her impostor fired her harpoon gun at her, the projectile whizzing an inch away from her ear. That was when she started running. She ran up the stairs, away from the lake, and past the gyroscope-looking structure for what felt like an eternity as her shadow pursued her, its harpoon reaching out and striking the ground every step of the way.

As soon as she saw the familiar face of Mr. Sherman coming towards her, Momiji ran faster. As soon as he saw the shadow pursuing her, Sherman aimed his rifle at it.

"Come on!" Sherman shouted to Momiji.

"Oh! Who's this?" Momiji's shadow said as it approached Mr. Sherman.

Just as Momiji ran past him, Mr. Sherman fired his rifle at Momiji's shadow. However, it was Momiji herself who felt the bullets pierce through her skin, causing her to scream and collapse onto the ground.

"What the hell!?" Mr. Sherman yelled as he went to Momiji's aid.

"Remember this, you idiot…" Momiji's shadow said. "I'm Momiji. The real one. The true one."

"The hell do you mean?" Sherman countered. "You're just an impostor!"

"Are you sure about that? I do hate your guts, by the way."

"What are you tryin' to do here?" he asked.

"To show you the truth. All of it."

The impostor laughed as it sank back into the ground.

"I'll be there. Always~" it taunted.

Momiji laid on the ground, making no effort to move or stand. Sherman helped her up, checking for any injuries.

"Hm… no bleeding…" He said as he inspected the broken Momiji. "You're not hurt physically, right?"

Momiji shook her head.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here."

Thus Sherman carried her back to the real world, picking up her binder and pen.

—

"Oh my god…" Gabriella said as Mr. Sherman returned with Momiji. "What the hell happened out there?"

"Some impostor Momiji attacked her," Sherman replied. "My rifle did jack against it. Seemed like the bullets hurt her more than it did to the shadow."

"Impostor…" Gabriella said, mulling over the thought.

Mr. Sherman put Momiji down next to a wall, letting her lean onto it for support.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I…"

Momiji struggled to formulate a response. She nodded to Mr. Sherman as he gave the binder to Gabriella.

"You did good work out there, Momiji," Gabriella said as she flipped through the binder.

Momiji nodded as she wept. Even when her eyes were closed, she still saw her shadow self mocking her, laughing at her. Her body still ached from the pain inflicted on her in the other world.

Gabriella stared at the notes Momiji had written down. "Interesting stuff…" she whispered to herself. "And this vision…"

She gestured for Mr. Sherman to look at the notes. Sherman nodded as he read Momiji's account.

"Could it be connected to that incident? You know, the one Claire refuses to discuss?"

"It might," Gabriella replied, "but it's too vague to tell."

Sherman walked over to Momiji.

"C'mon, you've done enough work today. You should rest."

—

Momiji was getting ready to sleep. Mr. Sherman had treated her to an especially good dinner tonight, no doubt to compensate for today's events. Momiji was still shaken from the encounter with her other self, but she tried to push thoughts of it to the back of her mind. As she finished brushing her teeth, she looked at the mirror to make sure her hair was neat.

Her shadow self greeted her instead.

"Hello!" it said.

"You…"

Momiji backed away from the mirror.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing. Just checkin' in on you. You're still clinging to that façade of yours. Or trying to, at least. Man, that was pathetic. You think a glass woman would be your inner self? I expected something less fragile."

"Stop…"

"A mask is a peculiar thing, isn't it. You put it on, and nobody knows your true face. But…"

The shadow smiled.

"Once it breaks, everyone knows what you're truly like. That annoying brat and her friend already know about the worried and anxious girl you actually are. Just face it. Let go of your mask and show them your true feelings."

"No… Stop it!"

Momiji ran out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, slamming shut the door behind her. Before going to bed, she checked her texts one last time. To her amazement, there was one from Kei!

As soon as she sent that text, she heard herself — no, her shadow — speak in her mind.

"Oh my god! Not even Kei's seeing your true self anymore? Pathetic."

She pushed the shadow's remarks away from her as she conversed with Kei via text. Even in the safety of her bed, Momiji was persecuted by none other than herself.

Even after she collapsed onto her bed and covered her ears, she still heard her shadow mock her. Her dreams were of no respite to her either.

Back to top

Chapter 7 - Queen

"Josephine! Does this outfit look good?"

Viola wore a green and white striped turtleneck along with some jeans. Josephine quickly affirmed her choice of clothing for the day.

"Are you sure? I can't go one day without looking my best!"

Josephine sighed.

"You're still at it with this beauty queen stuff?"

"I am the queen of the school!" Viola asserted. "I have the most captivating visage, the most splendid appearance, the most-"

"Calm down, Viola… there's only so much time until we have to go to class!"

"Oh! Excuse me, then. I have no need to spend as much time as is necessary to perfect myself, now do I?" she retorted sarcastically.

Josephine dragged Viola out of her room and downstairs. Claire had gone to work early.

"I was going to fix my hair!" Viola shouted, attempting to fix a single stray strand of it.

"Vi, you're not acting like you," Josephine replied. "Just calm down and get over it!"

Josephine grabbed a bottle of tea and attempted to give it to Viola who shooed it away.

"I do not need the drinks that a commoner would enjoy!" She exclaimed. "Get that dirty bottle out of my sight! As the queen of the school, I command it!"

Josephine frowned at Viola. Ever since she'd inadvertently shown that sigil to Viola, her psyche was more and more dominated by the 'beauty queen' mask that she crafted. More and more did that mask resist any attempt of Josephine to banish it.

"I'll have to smuggle this thing again," Josephine thought as she put the tea in her backpack.

As she waited for Viola to finally get ready, she thought of that day when she first emerged in Carcosa. The black desert and city was still fresh in her mind, but more importantly the salon that the other Viola occupied. That other Viola was just as haughty and arrogant as the real Viola was now. Her mind drifted next to when she encountered the other Maisie.

"I have to save Vi," Josephine thought to herself. There was no reason to think otherwise: she had freed Maisie from that strange place.

—

Once school began, chaos immediately flared. Rumors about the most beautiful girl in school spread like wildfire. As soon as second period ended, Maisie ran up to Josephine.

"Jo!"

"Maisie? What's up?"

"It's Viola… something's happened with her!"

"W-what?"

"C'mon!"

Maisie brought Josephine to a hallway crowded with girls. At its center was the proud Viola, surrounded by doting adorers who pelted her with all sorts of complements. Some teachers attempted to calm the crowd down, but to no avail.

"What the…" Josephine gasped.

The scene before her stupefied her. Viola's arrogant smirk as she thanked each and every one of the girls surrounding her made Josephine feel helpless. The crowd of girls morphed into a procession that surrounded the prideful 'queen.'

"I am the rightful ruler of this school!" Viola stated. "Nobody rivals me in beauty."

The crowd murmured "All hail the queen!" and "Long live the queen!" just as a girl walked up to Viola in protest. Maisie put a hand on Josephine's shoulder as the girl began to speak.

"Hey!" The brown-haired student said. "Can you guys, like, clear out the hallway?"

"Oh?" Viola responded. "Who might you be?"

She smirked as the girls began to surround the lone student.

"That doesn't matter! Just move out of the way of everyone!"

"Mmm… how about you give me your name, please?"

"What? Why should I-"

"Name!" the crowd murmured in unison. The amount of voices speaking synchronously caused Maisie and Josephine to tremble. The lone student backed away from the self-proclaimed monarch before saying "U-um… Sadie."

"Full name!" The crowd murmured again.

"S-Sadie… Rivers."

The crowd stared at Sadie with disgust as Viola took one step closer to her.

"Sadie Rivers," Viola said. "Why do you want me to move?"

"B-because it's… inconvenient for the other students and teachers and stuff…" she nervously answered.

"I see…"

Viola's intonation carried with it a domineering anger.

"Do you want to see a secret?"

"N-no! J-just move out of the way!"

"As the queen of the school, I dictate otherwise."

When Viola took out her phone and displayed its wallpaper to Sadie, Maisie held Josephine back as they saw it.

"No! It can't be!" Josephine exclaimed as she beheld her drawing. "That's…"

Maisie and Josephine were helpless to do anything as Sadie was hypnotized by the Yellow Sign. The rest of the crowd was equally as mesmerized by the otherworldly sigil.

"By this sign, I have conquered this school," Viola declared, still holding up her phone. "Now you will treat me with the respect I deserve."

Sadie's mouth trembled as she resisted submitting to the 'queen's' rule. Her limbs shook as they attempted to make her kowtow to Viola. It was only a matter of seconds before she dropped to the floor, however.

"A-all hail the queen!" she exclaimed in a shaky voice.

"All hail the queen!" The rest of the girls spoke. The phrase was repeated over and over again as the girls, Sadie among them, began to crowd around Viola, trying to get closer to the girl. Viola enjoyed every second of her subjects' attention.

Fearing for her safety, Josephine launched herself into the crowd in an attempt to extract her.

"Jo! Don't go!" Maisie shouted. But it was too late.

Josephine shoved her way through the throng of girls surrounding Viola, and saw that some of them were grabbing at her hair and clothes.

"So beautiful…" one girl mumbled.

"I must… I must have it…" another said.

"So beautiful! She's mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

They pulled Viola in all directions as she basked in her perceived glory. But, for one moment, Josephine saw a glimpse of fear in Viola's eyes which was quickly put out by her beauty queen act. As other girls shoved Josephine away from their idol, she clamored for her and finally grabbed Viola's hand.

"Vi! Quick!"

Before she could react, Viola pushed herself away from the crowd who now shouted in anger.

"Give her back!"

"She's our queen!"

"I don't want to lose you!"

Despite all the students reaching out for Viola, Josephine managed to keep them at bay and took her out of the crowd. However, it eyed her hungrily, and just as soon as Viola had been taken from it did it want to take her back.

Josephine ran down the hallway with Maisie in hot pursuit.

"Jo! Where are we gonna go?!" Maisie shouted.

"I-I dunno!"

"My subjects will always know where to find me, so don't worry!" Viola responded as she groomed her hair.

Josephine shot an irritated glance at her sister as they continued running. Teachers and other students looked at them with concern before being mortified by the mob that was just behind them.

Soon, they reached a four-way intersection in the corridors. Josephine spotted a door to a classroom close by on her left.

"This way!" She shouted at Maisie.

Josephine and Maisie dove into it, taking Viola with them as they slammed shut the door behind them. A group of students and their teacher, concern in their eyes, stared at the group. Only seconds later did they hear the trampling of footsteps as the mob of girls calling for their queen run past the door.

The teacher, who Josephine recognized as her biology teacher, went up to the three of them.

"What is going on out there?" She asked.

"Long story," Josephine replied, "but… those girls are after her."

She gestured to her sister, who sat next to her with a smug grin.

"I see…"

The teacher looked at Josephine with disbelief. The trampling, less intense, started up once more.

"Where is she?"

"Where is our queen?"

"I'll be lost without the queen!"

The angry and frustrated yelling of girls, although muffled, was still audible inside the classroom. The teacher, mortified, understood what had gone so terribly awry.

"Stay over there," the teacher commanded, pointing to the lockdown corner. "I'm calling the principal."

Josephine, Maisie, and Viola, walked there and sat next to each other.

"C'mon, Vi, drink this!" Josephine said, bringing the bottle of tea to Viola's face. Viola shooed it away several times before Josephine forced it into her mouth. After a couple gulps, Viola became woozy, nearly falling into unconsciousness. She held her head up as she seemingly awoke from a deep sleep.

"Oh my god… what happened?" Viola asked as she wearily looked around the room.

"Vi!" Josephine exclaimed. "You're back!"

"Back? What do you mean? It's Friday, isn't it?"

"No, it's Monday!"

"H-Whaaat?"

Viola was at a loss for words after hearing what Josephine had said. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over her as she clenched her heart.

"I-It can't be Monday! I swear!"

"But it is."

"How? Oh my god…"

Viola held her head up again.

"My head, it hurts…"

"You'll be fine, Vi," Josephine assured.

"My queen! Where is my queen!" A girl shouted from outside the classroom.

The three of them sat in silence for a few more moments before the teacher came back to inform them.

"It's getting bad out there. Those students are running amok all over the place and other faculty are unable to stop them!"

"W-what?!"

"It's looking like we might have to cancel school with the amount of disruption they're causing. A few officers might be sent here to deal with them."

She looked at Viola.

"Just be careful," she said.

"W-why is that?"

"Don't you know?" Maisie responded. "There's a mob of girls out looking for you!"

"W-what!? I-I… huh?"

Viola, again, was at a loss for words.

The teacher walked back to her desk, and after a few minutes, an announcement blared from the intercom.

"Attention, students and faculty. Due to unforeseen circumstances, school will be cancelled from here on. Please wait for your bus and remain calm."

The other students, some confused and others overjoyed at the early end of the day, began waiting in anticipation.

"It's that bad..?" Viola whispered. "Is it because of the malaise?"

Maisie and Josephine nodded as they thought about how to sneak out undetected.

"Since me and Vi are walkers, we'd wanna get out ASAP," Josephine said. "So…"

"Yeah. Let's go. I'll tell my mom I'm at your place once we're there," Maisie added.

Maisie, Viola, and Josephine peered out of the classroom door to check for anyone who was searching for Viola. Thankfully, the hallways were mostly empty, save for a few boys and non-mesmerized girls.

"Why me, though?" Viola asked as they crept through the hallways. "Why are they after me of all people?"

"They were saying you were their queen," Maisie said.

"Queen, huh? I feel like… I've been dreaming about that," Viola replied.

"Hey, which way is the fastest to the exit?" Josephine asked.

"Uh… that way!" Maisie said, pointing down a poster-lined corridor.

They headed in that direction, eyes peeled for any of the hypnotized girls. The corridor was silent save for the sounds of their footsteps. Several lockers looked as if they had been dented with brute force, and some of the posters had been ripped apart. The three girls were tense; at any moment, one of them could see Viola and immediately lunge for her, drawing the attention of all the others.

It was not until they reached the lobby that they saw them. All of them. Once they saw Viola, they immediately yelled in adoration and closed in on Viola.

"Vi, run!" Josephine shouted.

Before Viola could process what was happening, Josephine was dragging her through the scattered crowd of girls who continuously praised her beauty.

"My queen!"

"Please! Don't leave us!"

"I need to see your beauty!"

They pushed their way through the front doors of the school and ran out onto the streets. A moment later, the mob poured out and came after them.

"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! What are we gonna do?!" Maisie said.

"There's one way out of this I can think of!" Josephine replied.

"What is it?"

"We go in there."

"There? What do you mean?"

"You know where! That other place, with the stars and yellow sky!"

"Josephine, are you kidding me? We can't possibly let Viola go in there! She's gonna be a goner!"

"But if we go in there, there's a chance we might stop this!"

Maisie considered the possibility for a few moments. The alleyway with the strange door came into view.

"Fine!" Maisie shouted. "Let's see what happens!"

They darted into the alleyway, dragging Viola into the wall with them. The mob ran past it in search of their queen who had now vanished into Carcosa.

Back to top

Chapter 8 - Tempus Fugit

"What… is this?" Viola said, taking in the black desert surrounding her. Her eyes next fell upon Jo and Maisie's outfits.

"Hey! Your clothes! What's happened to them?"

It was then that Josephine first noticed Maisie's outfit. Instead of her cat-themed shirt, she wore a blue and red chiton that stopped just before her ankles.

"This just happens," Josephine said.

"B-but what the heck is this place?!" Viola shouted, spreading her arms out and gesturing to the surroundings.

"I don't know. But we think it's got something to do with… whatever just happened."

"What?! This and… huh?"

"Just…"

Josephine looked at the city in the distance. The salon where the shadowy Viola resided towered over the city along with the other buildings, casting its pastel colors onto its surroundings.

"Follow me," Josephine commanded as she took Viola to the city.

As the city grew closer, it began to drizzle. The frigid rain landed atop the girls, and while Josephine and Maisie felt nothing, Viola began to shiver. Such was the coldness of the rain that she had put her hands under her sleeves by the time they reached the city gate.

"Wait… this place–" Viola interrupted herself as she pondered the Victorian architecture. "I've dreamed about this place!"

Viola was astonished at her ability to recognize every detail of the city as they proceeded down its streets. She pointed out cafés, boutiques and various other shops as they walked, all the while becoming more jovial. Other shadows shuffled past them and ignored the three girls.

"Vi… aren't you at least a little creeped out by this?" Josephine asked.

"I- yeah, I am, but… Honestly, it's so interesting to see my dreams like this."

"Okay, that does sound kind of cool in some cases," Maisie added. "But… something's always felt off about this place for me."

"Oh, come on! You've always been into this occult stuff! You know you'd take a chance to do that no matter what!"

Maisie sighed. "Ok, you got me," she said, grinning. "But still, look around."

Viola stared up at the tower. Her jaw dropped in shock.

"Does that thing… go past the moon? And why are the stars and everything all black?"

"We don't know," Josephine said.

"You can call that dream logic, Vi," Maisie joked.

The girls laughed as they passed by a general store.

As the twin black suns hung over them, a shrill voice echoed through the streets.

"Queen!" It said, "my queen!"

A shadow crawled out from a narrow space between buildings. Its pale face, cracked as if it were marble, eyed Viola with a hungry gaze. Its skin dripped to the floor like tar. Viola froze in terror at the monster.

"Okay, I take what I said back! What is that thing!?" She shouted.

The monster's mask sloughed off, breaking on impact as its true face was revealed. Its long hair obscured the lamprey-like mouth it was shouting from.

"My queen! Your beauty… unmatched! Notice me!"

It crawled on all fours, its long claws scratching the cobbled pavement as it ran towards Viola.

"Persona! Aqua!" Josephine shouted as she summoned Artemisia.

It waved its paintbrush in the air and a torrent of water emerged from underneath the creature, blasting its tarry body. It collapsed for only a moment before heaving itself up and continuing its assault.

"What the heck!?" Viola screamed. "What did you do?!"

"Just get away from that thing!" Maisie said.

Viola ducked behind an alleyway as Josephine thrust her rapier into the creature. The liquid flesh of the creature parted perfectly around its needle-like form, leaving it unaffected by Josephine's attack. It swiped at Josephine, causing her to jump away from it as Maisie prepared to join the fight.

"Don't keep me away from my quueeeeennn!" the shadow uttered, spitting out black bile.

"Sappho! Bufu!" Maisie shouted.

Her persona strummed its lyre, causing a myriad of icicles to manifest above and pelt the shadow. It roared, but otherwise remained unscarred.

"Our Personas aren't doing anything to this thing!" Maisie said as she thrust her spear into the creature.

"W-what!? Then how are we-"

It slashed at Josephine with its dagger-like claws, nearly touching her skin as it cleaved through the fabric of her dress.

"Give her back…" it hissed. "Give my queen back to me…"

As it gazed at Viola and salivated with black bile, a familiar voice spoke to Josephine.

"Hey!" Pixie said. "Give me a try! I can beat that thing no problem!"

Of course. Josephine had forgotten that she'd manifested Pixie almost a week ago. Now it was finally time to see what Igor meant by different aspects of herself.

"Pixie! Zio!"

A fairy clad in blue fluttered above Josephine, extending its palm towards the creature. A bolt of lightning shot out of it and struck the creature, causing it to roar again. This time, however, the tar comprising its body solidified, causing the creature to shudder with each movement it made. It gurgled out more black bile as Maisie hit it with its spear over and over again, making it crack and fall apart into dust.

"Wh-what the…" Viola gasped as she walked to the two girls. They looked at her anxiously before she exclaimed: "That was awesome! What was that magic you used?"

"It's our Personas," Josephine said. "They're why we can fight those things."

"Shadows," Maisie corrected. "They're called shadows."

"Yeah. What she said."

"But, Josephine," Maisie interjected. "Was that… another Persona you just used?"

"Yeah, it was."

"What?! That's awesome!"

"Just hold on a second, Maisie."

Josephine looked at the sky. The tell-tale lights from the salon illuminated the fog above. She turned to Viola with a determined look on her face.

"Follow me."

The three of them tread forward.

—

Carl Sherman ran through the building's hallways as soon as he heard of the outbreak of hysteria at Bridgepoint High. The scale of it was unprecedented. He banged on Claire's office door, with the head researcher opening it instantly.

"Carl?" Claire asked. "Is everything alright?"

"No! We got word from Bridgepoint High about a sudden hysteria that's taken over some students there!"

"What?! How many people is it?"

"It's at least in the double digits, I'd wager. We've just started coordinating with the police to contain it."

"Good! Keep me updated on whatever's happening out there."

"Will do, ma'am!"

Carl left Claire's office, heading down a hallway where technicians and other researchers walked to and fro, no doubt in a state of confusion. Claire picked up her phone and called Josephine.

After a moment of waiting, only a voicemail came up.

"Dammit… of all times, why now?" Claire muttered to herself.

—

Josephine brought Viola and Maisie before the salon. The multicolored spotlights constantly moved about, illuminating different sections of the mist and city surrounding it. The pastel colors that the building was covered in contrasted with the jet black stone that comprised the rest of the structures around it.

"Jo? What's this… why does it—"

"This is where we'll end this," Viola's sister interrupted. "I-I think it is, at least."

"You think?" Maisie asked.

"Well… I just have a hunch…"

The salon doors suddenly opened, revealing a throng of shadows staring at Viola with their yellow eyes.

"Is that…"

"Yes… it is…"

"Queen… our queen!"

The shadows poured out of the building, surrounding the trio. One of them approached Viola with an outstretched hand.

"My queen…" it said, stepping towards Viola who backed away in response, "please… please…"

The shadow hyperventilated, falling to the ground. It whimpered as it tried to form a coherent sentence.

"W-what the heck… what is this what is this what is this?" Viola gasped.

Josephine gripped Viola's hand. This incensed the other shadows, who crept closer.

"No… my queen…!"

"Don't take her away… her beauty… I need… I need…"

"She's gorgeous… why would you take her from us…?"

The shadows reached for Viola, encircling the three girls who got packed closer and closer together. Josephine felt light-headed as they surrounded her. So many of them were there… and there was so little space. She struggled to stand upright as the incessant murmuring and begging of the shadows for Viola continued. Then…

"Stop!" Viola shouted.

Instantly, the shadows backed away.

"S-stay away from me! I don't know what you are, but leave us alone!"

They retreated into the salon. Noticing Josephine's discomfort, Viola supported her.

"Are you ok?" Viola asked.

"Y-yeah… It's just…"

"Mhm. Your claustrophobia."

Josephine nodded.

"But still… those things creeped me the heck out. Like, why were they calling me queen or whatever?"

"I think I have an idea. But we have to go in there to make sure."

The three girls entered the salon. Every shadow — the receptionist, the clients — gazed at Viola as soon as she entered.

"Greetings, queen," the receptionist said to her. "Would you like a new makeover?"

"I, uh… no?" Viola replied.

"Oh, there's no need for hesitation," the receptionist responded as the three walked through the salon. "We'll do one straight away, free of charge!"

"Sorry, but I don't need one right now."

"Oh, nonsense!"

The receptionist walked up to Viola, standing inches away from her face. It studied her as if she were a specimen being dissected.

"You can't be going around with that ugly hairstyle of yours! We should fix that right away!"

"Hey, let me—"

The receptionist dragged Viola to an empty seat where a stylist waited. The multi-armed shadow pulled out a comb, scissors, perfume and brush, ready to use them.

"Let her go!" Josephine shouted, running towards Viola. The receptionist blocked her.

"It's in your best interest to stay away from our queen for the moment, dear."

"But she's my sister!"

"Sister or not, she wants this deep down."

The stylist pivoted Viola's chair such that her face reflected back at her in the mirror.

"What would you like today, my queen?" The stylist asked Viola in its melodic voice.

"I-I told you already, I don't need—"

"Didn't you consider having a ponytail the other day?"

"H-How did you know that?"

"I'll get it done for you straight away!"

The stylist motioned her hands around Viola's head, snapping its scissors and grooming her hair with such rapidity that Josephine and Maisie were unable to see its motions in detail. With a final swish of its brush, the stylist presented Viola its handiwork. Viola's hair shone brighter than usual, and the ponytail the stylist had made with it indicated that it somehow lengthened her hair. Viola was astonished at the sight.

"Do you like it?" The stylist asked, pleased with the result.

"I, uh… how did you do tha—"

"Good!"

The stylist hummed a tune to itself as it stood Viola up and brought her upstairs. Josephine and Maisie pursued her, but the receptionist once again blocked them.

"Let us up!" Josephine shouted.

The receptionist shook its head.

"Absolutely not. Our queen shall not be disturbed while she has her makeover."

Josephine brandished her rapier, pointing it at the receptionist. Her hands shook as she glared at the shadow.

"Let. Us. Through!" She exclaimed.

The receptionist produced a gun from one of its pockets and shot Josephine in the arm. Josephine howled in pain as Maisie threw her spear at the shadow, the weapon piercing through its body.

"Dia!"

Maisie's Persona strummed its lyre once more, causing a beam of green light to shine onto Josephine's arm. The bullet wound immediately closed, its pain dulling. The receptionist pulled the spear out of its body, but before it could react, Josephine let out a flurry of attacks on it, crippling it instantly. As it crumpled to the ground and dissolved, she ran upstairs.

"Josephine, wait up!" Maisie shouted as she pursued her.

"…and done!" The stylist said, having given a new set of makeup and clothes to Viola. "You're now all set!"

"W-why… why did you do this to me…?" Viola asked, staring at the red lipstick that the stylist had put on her.

Just as Josephine came upstairs, a familiar chuckle echoed through the dressing room.

"Because you'd be an ugly POS otherwise," Viola's voice stated.

"What… what the fu—"

Viola was left speechless as she beheld herself — her shadow — appear before her. Her dress, hairstyle, everything… it was perfect.

"Look at you. Even now you're still ugly. Admit it: this," Viola's shadow spun around, "is your ideal self. Nothing compared to whatever you've got put on there."

The stylist quivered as Josephine and Maisie came to Viola's side.

"I—"

"You understand, right? I'm the real you, unlike the rotten shell of a body you inhabit."

Viola froze in terror as she contemplated what her shadow said to her. Josephine laid a hand on her shoulder, standing defensively in front of her.

"The only thing that matters is beauty, plain and simple. Nothing, not your sister, nor your friend, matters. Beauty is the only metric worth valuing."

Viola's body trembled as she stood up from the chair, stepping towards her shadow until she was only inches away from its face.

"Vi, what are you doing?" Maisie asked, her voice full of worry.

Viola turned around and faced Maisie and Josephine. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Y-yeah…" she began. "Sometimes… I do feel like that. I just get s-so… jealous…"

Her face drooped down, a mixture of embarrassment and sadness.

"A-and I… I just… feel so awful. So awful because I can't—"

A tear ran down her face.

"I can't… be like that."

Viola fell to the floor, causing Josephine and Maisie to run by her side. Viola's shadow looked down at her doppelgänger contentedly. It dissolved into a white powder that scattered in the air. The stylist, too, disappeared into aether.

The white powder settled onto Viola, causing her clothes to morph into a white suit which had frills all over it. A hammer materialized on her back, weighing nothing to her. She noticed neither of these things, for she sobbed while Josephine and Maisie comforted her.

"Vi… are you… okay?" Josephine asked.

"I… I think I'll be fine," Viola replied. She looked up at the two of them with an awkward smile on her face. "Sorry you had to hear that. I-I couldn't help myself."

"It's fine, Vi!" Josephine said. "You can't just keep these sorts of things to yourself!"

Viola laughed. "I-I guess you're right."

"I'm glad to hear that," Maisie said.

"And… wait…"

Viola closed her eyes for a moment. Josephine felt something tug at her Persona. It was her sister's, no doubt. That familiar comfort was unmistakable.

"Is this… how it feels to have a Persona?"

"Yeah," Josephine said. "So you have one, too…"

"Mhm…" Viola nodded.

Maisie interjected. "Hey, um… should we go home now?"

"Shoot!" Josephine shouted. "You're right!"

Josephine helped Viola up, the three of them heading downstairs afterwards. As they entered the lobby, the shadows were awestruck by Viola, who was terrified once again.

"Queen…" one muttered. "My queen…! Let me see your—"

"Stop!" Viola shouted. "Stop! Stop! Stop! I've had it with you wanting to be like me! Just… go away!"

A flash of realization swept across the crowd. One by one, they dissipated, leaving behind black puddles that quickly evaporated.

"What… what just happened?" Viola asked.

"I don't know," Josephine replied. "Let's get out of here."

The trio exited the salon, heading out of the city. As a black sun emerged from behind the great tower, the pastel colors that once graced the building became muted. The neon sign fell apart and dissolved. What was once a remarkable edifice now blended with everything around it.

—

A rabid student accosted Momiji and Rexhina in front of the clock tower.

"Admit it!" the girl shouted, frothing at the mouth. "You want to be like her! To be like the queen! The queen! The queen!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Rexhina shouted. "Just stay away from Momiji, dammit!"

Momiji hid behind her fellow exchange student as she blocked the hysterical girl from reaching her. Ever since she'd exited the bathroom and became unlucky enough to be mistaken for this so-called ‘beauty queen,' she'd been pursued relentlessly by this girl. She thanked the stars for Rexhina noticing the commotion.

But then, she heard it. Faintly at first, but it grew louder with each passing second. A ticking noise.

The rabid girl suddenly became hypnotized, her arms jerking unnaturally to a resting position. She stared up at the clock tower.

"What…" Rexhina gasped. "Are you okay?"

"All glory to the ambassador," the girl said in a monotone voice. "All falls before the ambassador. All light bends before him. All power emanates from him. All glory."

The girl's nose began to bleed. A crooked grin spread across her face as she collapsed and fell unconscious. The ticking noise grew louder and louder until it was the only thing Momiji could hear. She covered her ears and screamed for it to stop. She felt the clock's hour hand quiver, the rusted gears hailing from centuries past struggling to turn inside.

Rexhina knelt to Momiji's sign, but Momiji only saw words being mouthed before, with a sickening snap, the clock changed to seven o' clock.

At that moment, a low-pitched sound blared through Bridgepoint. The blowing of a great horn echoed across the town. From the regional Kirijo headquarters to the recently vacated high school, not a soul was present in the town who didn't hear it. It echoed seven times, each repetition more dreadful than the last.

Momiji saw ephemeral visions of The Place: a gate with a gargoyle perched atop it, a stone path with a torii gate overhead, and a door waiting for her to open it. It wasn't until she heard Rexhina calling her name that she realized her eyes had clenched shut.

—

Claire read the hastily written report with a fatigued expression. Sure, the sudden hysteria at Bridgepoint was a disaster, but the horn? The police department had been inundated with calls from residents all over the city. Worse still was the fact that not only had the old clock tower inexplicably changed its reading, but that every student afflicted with the malaise spoke of an ‘ambassador' before falling unconscious.

Everything had fallen apart, with her only reprieve being that her daughters had informed her that they were safe.

"Sherman," Claire said, looking up at him with a serious gaze. "We need to get to the bottom of whatever just happened."

"Agreed," he replied. "The drones are almost ready for deployment on the other side. With them, we'll no doubt have more data ready for us to analyze."

"Good."

"As for the other students," Sherman added, "they'll recover; only minor blood loss has been reported. We'll interview and amnesticize each of them once they do."

"Very good. Do you have anything else to inform me of?"

"No, ma'am."

"Okay. You may leave."

Sherman left Claire's office, leaving the head researcher to ponder. She stared at the ceiling and asked herself: "Just who is this ambassador?"

—

"Did you two hear that strange sound?" Claire asked.

"What sound?" Josephine asked. She looked at her mother with a confused expression.

"It was a horn," Claire explained. "It echoed through the town seven times. There wasn't anyone who didn't hear it."

"Uh… I don't think so?" Viola said.

"Me neither," Josephine added.

"Really? But… how?"

Josephine shrugged.

"Well… just be careful, okay? With the malaise around, and with this happening, anything is possible. I'm just glad you're safe."

"Mhm. Sorry for not texting you earlier," Josephine said.

"It's fine. Just respond to me as soon as you can… wait, there's just one more thing. Viola?"

"Yeah?"

"You changed your hairstyle today, didn't you?"

"I… yeah, I did," Viola said, slightly embarrassed.

"Huh… I see. It looks pretty good on you!"

Viola laughed awkwardly. "T-thanks, mom."

"I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Her daughters nodded as Claire headed upstairs. The fact that Viola decided to don a ponytail today of all days was a bit odd, but not particularly concerning. However, she was perplexed by her daughters' accounts of the day. Out of all the people in Bridgepoint, why would her two children be the only ones to not hear that baleful horn? A dreadful possibility entered her thoughts.

"No!" Claire thought as she sat on her bed. "That's impossible! I made sure, I took every precaution, I made sure that—"

She stared breathless at the ceiling before calming herself down. After all, her daughters were safe. That was the most important thing.

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Chapter 9 - Interrogation

As Josephine sat on her bed, she reflected on all that had happened. Of course, there was the fact that she succeeded in saving her sister from the madness of the Yellow Sign. This had invigorated the girl's spirit. There was also the fact that Viola now had a Persona. She hadn't used it yet, but Josephine was curious to see it. Then her eyes fell upon the bottle of pills that sat on her nightstand.

For as long as she could remember, her mother had been giving this medicine to her. She'd claimed that they were to help with a disorder she had. They weren't particularly bitter either… not until she awakened to her Persona. That was when their taste resembled a cross between sulfur and wormwood more and more. Despite this, she gulped them down each time she had to take one.

Now that it was bedtime, her nightly dose awaited her. Hesitantly, she took one of the violet capsules and brought it to her mouth. As soon as her taste buds contacted it, the sensation of burning smoke filled her nostrils and mouth and she spat it out. She fell to the floor, seeing a sea of flames engulf her surroundings. The fire leapt at her, causing her to recoil slightly.

"What are you sitting there for?"

"Go on, you've already been tainted!"

A flurry of voices shouted at her from all directions, sounding just like her Persona's. Josephine covered her ears as she laid on the floor.

"What difference does it make?"

"You can't possibly forget now!"

"Your fate is sealed."

The voices faded away as Josephine's surroundings returned to normal. Her room was intact, no charred remains of anything within it. Still shaken, she looked at the violet pill once more.

"Don't!" she heard Artemisia cry. "Don't!"

"But why?" Josephine asked.

"You can't forget… you can't forget… you can't forget…"

Artemisia repeated that sentence in her mind over and over again. Josephine tried jogging her memory, but couldn't find anything related to anything Persona-related. The sound of windows breaking filled her ears at that moment, causing her to jump. No glass had broken around her.

She thought about her past memories again, searching for whatever Artemisia was talking about, but… there was a gap. A chasm within her mind where memories should have been. The realization dawned on her that she couldn't remember anything from before she was ten… not anymore.

She desperately searched for them again. Memories of the time she and Viola …went where? There had to be something, somewhere! There was that time she and her family had… no, there wasn't anything!

"Don't forget! Don't forget! Don't forget!"

Artemisia shouted incessantly. Josephine grabbed the pill and threw it out of the window, not wanting to taste those awful things again. She turned her bedroom lights off and went to bed, her Persona still begging her to not forget…

—

The nightmare happened again.

A burning building surrounded her, smoke covering the ceiling. People ran around, clamoring for a way out. Josephine's body felt like lead and she walked with a slow, lumbering gait. A person, a lab technician, laid eyes on her and screamed in horror. She pointed at them and the person burst into flames, letting out an unearthly shriek.

She also wanted to scream and run away from the fire, but she continued to lumber forward. More and more people combusted by her hand while she internally begged for her body to stop.

She screamed and shouted and begged into the void and—

"Josephine!"

She woke up. Claire was by her bedside with a look of concern.

"Josephine, are you okay?" her mother asked.

"I… I just had that dream again," Josephine replied.

Claire's expression changed to one of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness it was only a dream. The way you were screaming… it felt like you were in danger."

"I was screaming?"

"Yes! You were shouting about fire."

"Oh… I'm sorry I worried you, mom."

"No, it's fine. I'll always be there for you, Jo."

Josephine looked at the clock by her bedside. It read a quarter before six. She stretched her arms out and slowly sat up. Claire chuckled.

"You want to start off early this morning, don't you?"

Josephine nodded, smiling.

—

After faking the consumption of her morning dose, the school day began. The atmosphere was gloomier than usual, with students exchanging hushed whispers about the horn they heard reverberate through the town as well as the beauty queen. The person that caught her eye the most, however, was Momiji.

She'd been worried about her since that Saturday she was with her and Elly, but the sheer amount of exhaustion on her face raised alarm bells. The exchange student was also searching for something, her eyes darting about the room even when sitting down. Both she and Elly asked her what was up, but Momiji dismissed their concerns, only claiming that she didn't get enough sleep last night.

Josephine knew better, though. Ever since she saw her drawing of the Yellow Sign on Momiji's phone's wallpaper, she had a hunch that something could go terribly wrong with her. Perhaps this was it. As English class drifted on, she closed her eyes for a moment, pretending to think deeply about whatever Mr. Holloway was lecturing about this time. She saw a flash of light behind her eyes and opened it. The same sign she saw just before she encountered the graffiti spun under her. This time, the dotted path emanating from it led directly to Momiji's seat. The sign under her, however, was different. A golden circle full of Yellow Signs sat there, with a clock face above it displaying the seven o' clock position.

"Just like what the clock tower at Chestnut Park is displaying…" Josephine thought to herself.

Momiji glared at her, causing Josephine to turn back around. This only served to deepen Josephine's worry.

—

"What?!"

Maisie and Viola stared in disbelief after Josephine had relayed to her what she'd seen regarding Momiji.

"Yeah," she said. "I think she's in danger. Based on what happened with you two after you saw that symbol, I can't help but worry about her."

"Are you kidding me, Jo?" Viola responded. "We've gotta do something—"

"Shh-shh-shh! Not so loud!" Josephine whispered.

People in the school's lobby moved out, ready to board their bus as they went home for the day. Their conversations were indecipherable, blending in with each other as they occurred simultaneously. Luckily, none of them paid the trio much mind.

"So," Viola continued, "I was thinking that we could maybe go back in there tonight if that works?"

"I dunno," Maisie said. "After yesterday and what happened with me, my mom's been really worried about me."

Viola sighed. "Just give us a day that works…"

Before Maisie could answer, an announcement blared through the school's PA system.

"Viola Seabrook, please report to the principal's office," it stated, repeating another time.

"Vi, what did you do?" Maisie asked with a smirk on her face.

"I-I didn't do anything!" Viola countered. "I swear!"

Viola sulked and went to the principal's office, leaving Josephine and Maisie by themselves.

"Maisie, just one more thing before I go home. We should really make a group chat for this stuff. I can invite Viola in after she comes home."

"Yeah! Definitely!" Maisie exclaimed.

The two of them exchanged numbers before going their separate ways. As Josephine exited the school, she wondered why Viola was brought to the principal. Only one reason came to mind: the beauty queen incident.

—

Viola waited in the principal's office for what felt like hours. The principal, a severe-looking yet cordial man, had told her that he would bring an officer over to speak with her in private. Viola wondered why this conversation was only meant to be between the two of them; if she was in trouble, then the principal surely would have wanted to converse with her straight away.

As she stared up at the ceiling, her legs rocking back and forth while she sat on the office chair, her thoughts returned to the other world. Even after Josephine and Maisie had told her about the events that happened there as well as seeing it with her own eyes, it all still seemed unbelievable. The malaise was strange, but it being an outbreak of hysteria was an easy explanation to swallow. Adding a whole other world that seemed to be connected to it on top of that was too much, however.

Yet Viola accepted it as real. She had to: the evidence was overwhelming. Her mind filled with worry for Momiji as she replayed her jumbled memories of the past two weeks in her head. If that was happening to Momiji as her sister had claimed, she had to act now.

Suddenly, the door opened behind her. A female officer walked in the room, sitting opposite Viola. She had black hair done in a boyish style and wore rectangular glasses. Her black eyes gazed at Viola with curiosity.

"Greetings," the woman said, her voice carrying a slight accent, "you're Viola Seabrook, right?"

"Yeah, I am," Viola replied. She squinted, attempting to recognize the stranger. "I haven't seen you around, though."

The woman nodded. "That's to be expected. My name is Rin Okazaki. I'm here to investigate the events that happened at this school yesterday."

"That name…" Viola thought as she shook her hand. She spoke: "You're from somewhere else, right?"

"Yes," Okazaki replied. "I've come here from overseas."

"Overseas? But why?" Viola asked, surprised.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that. However, I will have to ask you a few questions. Please be as honest as possible with me. Are you ready?"

After a few moments, Viola answered affirmatively.

"Good. First: what can you remember within the past week or so?"

Viola's heart sank. "Shoot… I can't remember a thing," she thought. "It's like my dreams were mashed together with my real life."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to put together a coherent narrative. Viola frowned as she answered: "Not much. It's, like, all jumbled. My perception of time was all messed up."

Okazaki jotted down some notes as she nodded. "I see. Can you tell me more about your perception of time?"

Viola let out a sigh as she continued. "It's like… one moment I remember it was Friday, and the next moment my sister is telling me that it's Monday. I think… yeah, that had to be yesterday."

"Please, explain as much as you can about yesterday," Okazaki requested.

"Oh goodness… Yesterday there was apparently a huge mob of girls after me. They were crazy enough that the rest of the school day was cancelled. My sister and my friend got me out of there safely, though. We spent the rest of the day at home. I just can't remember what I did to make that happen."

Viola let out a slight sigh of relief as she finished her explanation. She wasn't about to tell anyone else, much less a stranger, about the other world.

"Hmm…"

Okazaki finished writing down more notes.

"Do you recall anything about a so-called beauty queen at your school?"

"I— no… actually, I think some of the girls were calling me a queen? I was so confused during school yesterday, so I'm sorry if I don't remember much."

"That's fine, Viola," Okazaki said. "Now, do you remember anything about your dreams during the past week?"

"No. Like I said, my memory of that time is kinda foggy."

"Do you recall seeing black stars dotting a yellow sky?"

"Wha—"

The question caught Viola off guard. She'd seen that sky when she went to the other world with Josephine and Maisie, but now that Okazaki had said that, she recalled seeing that sky before that, too.

"I… how did you know?" Viola asked.

"People that have recovered from the malaise have experienced something similar. In addition to that, do you recall seeing an unusual symbol?"

Viola knew what she meant by that. She meant the Sign, and only the sign. Her expression shifted from melancholic surprise to fearful anger.

"Why do you know about that?!" Viola shouted. "You shouldn't've… you shouldn't've looked at it!"

"Viola, calm down!" Okazaki said. "We'll be fine. I'll be fine. It's not here with us."

"You shouldn't've seen it! You'll… you'll…"

Viola grew dizzy and held her head above the desk, breathing quickly.

"In and out," Viola told herself as she moderated her breathing. "In and out."

"Are you okay?" Okazaki asked as Viola recovered.

"Yeah… I think I'm fine," Viola said. "Just… please be careful."

"We'll be fine," Okazaki assured. "Anyways, that's all the questions I have for you today. Please, take this and ingest it."

Okazaki slid a white pill over to Viola, who took it. As she examined the pill, an instinct that she'd never felt before caused her hair to stand on end. She passed a glance at Okazaki. Something about her felt off. Her Persona seemed to reach out towards Okazaki, trying to signal to her that this stranger mattered in some way. After a moment, however, Viola chose to eat the pill. The capsule was incredibly bitter. She almost gagged as she forced herself to swallow it.

She heard someone, herself, shouting at her. It was her Persona, pleading with her to not forget, but she didn't know what. She looked at Okazaki as the voice of her other self subsided.

"Oh my god… what is that?" Viola asked.

"This should help with your mental state," Okazaki replied. "You may go home now. Thank you for answering my questions."

"N-no problem," Viola said, still reeling from the bitterness that lingered in her mouth.

She left the principal's office, leaving a satisfied Okazaki to conduct her next move.

—

Two people entered Claire's office: a brown-haired man in his mid-30s and a Japanese woman who was nearing her 30s herself. Claire looked up at them expectantly.

"You're those two that the main branch sent to help with the malaise, aren't you?" The head researcher asked.

"Yes," the woman replied. "I'm Rin Okazaki, and this is my partner, Allan Geller."

"Claire Seabrook. It's nice to finally see you two in person."

"A pleasure to meet you, too," Geller said.

They shook hands with Claire.

"As you know," Geller explained, "we're here on behalf of the Shadow Ops. We'll be conducting occasional excursions into the other world you've been studying starting tomorrow."

"Yes, that's great," Claire replied. "We've been relying on just unmanned excursions for far too long."

"I see," Okazaki said. "I look forward to our work in there. But before that, I also need to mention that I helped with the investigation into yesterday's incident today."

"You have?" Claire asked in surprise.

"Yes. I interviewed the girl who instigated the entire thing."

"Who was she?" Claire asked.

"Her name is Viola Seabrook."

"Viola?!" Claire shouted. "Viola was involved with that?!"

"Yes. She's your daughter, isn't she?" Okazaki asked.

Claire nodded, her hands clasped together.

"You don't need to worry about her. I administered amnestics to her after my interview with her."

"Oh, thank god!" Claire exclaimed. "Thank you so much for doing that."

"You're welcome. During my interview with her, I noticed some of the same things that students who recovered from the hysteria yesterday had experienced: jumbled memories, a warped perception of time, and dreams about the other world. She also saw the cognitohazard, of course."

Claire nodded as Okazaki spoke.

"However, I did notice one unusual thing about her."

Claire was back on edge. She stared at Okazaki in anticipation as she asked her "What?"

"You know that we Persona users have a sixth sense that allows us to detect other Persona users, right?"

"Yes…" Claire said.

"That sense was drawing me to Viola," Okazaki added.

"Are you serious?" Claire asked. "Oh my god… as if it couldn't get any worse…"

"You shouldn't worry too much. The amnestics alone should keep her out of trouble."

"I hope so," Claire said. "I hope so."

—

"Jo! I'm home!" Viola exclaimed as she opened the door. Josephine rushed downstairs to greet her.

"Vi!!!"

The sisters shared a hug with each other.

"What happened with you?" Josephine asked.

"Some weird officer interviewed me about yesterday. I don't know why but there was something peculiar about that gal."

"Weird officer?"

"She was Japanese, I think… Oh, yeah! Her name was Rin. But, yeah, there was something odd about her."

"Odd?"

"She knows a lot about the other world, but what caught my attention was that my Persona felt that there was something within her… almost like…"

Viola focused on Josephine for a moment. Both of them felt the same: drawn to each other by the shared commonality of possessing a living manifestation of their subconscious.

"Jo! You feel that, right?"

"I do! It's like our Personas are reaching out to each other."

"I felt the exact same way with that officer."

"You what?!"

"Yeah… something odd is definitely happening. She also gave me a strange pill that she had me take. The taste was horrible! After I took it, my Persona was shouting at me to ‘not forget' over and over again."

"R-really?"

"Yeah!"

"That's weird…"

"Huh? Why?"

"You know the medicine mom's been giving me, right?"

"Uh… Oh, yeah! The antipsychotics, right?"

"Well, when I took one recently my Persona said the exact same thing!"

"The not forgetting stuff?"

"Yeah!"

"What?! That's so strange…"

"They became incredibly bitter too. Before everything that's happened they tasted like nothing."

"Whaaat…"

Viola and Josephine were lost in thought. The similar experiences that they had told the two that the medicines that they took might be connected. But in what way, they had no idea.

"Something seriously strange is happening here, Jo. We should go to the other world as soon as possible."

"Mhm. Let's chat together with Maisie. I'll add you to the group chat."

The two of them nodded and went upstairs after a moment, ready to share their experiences in the group chat they had made.

—

"Momiji, I got some news," Sherman said as he and Momiji sat down together. "Apparently, they decided to send a couple more Persona users here to explore the other world. This'll complicate things significantly."

Momiji nodded, remembering that she was sent here undercover.

"My liaison has been notified of this just today. He's not particularly happy about it, but understands that we've gotta work around this situation. Those two are no doubt gonna go through the same Gate you went through, so we'll have to schedule around them. In the meantime, just sit tight. We'll figure out a way to deal with your impostor."

"...Okay," Momiji said after a long moment.

"That's all I wanted to tell you. I'm goin' to bed."

They left for their bedrooms. As Momiji sat down on her bed, her shadow appeared in the blink of an eye. Momiji covered herself with her blanket, but still saw her shadow through it.

"Still committed to the mission, I see…" it said. "For someone who holds an awful lot of hatred towards that man, that's pretty commendable."

"Shut up…" Momiji pleaded as she covered her ears.

"No, I won't!" Momiji's shadow continued. "I'm you, remember? I'm your thoughts, your true self. I can't be shut up."

"Please…"

Momiji tossed and turned in her bed, her eyes failing to not see her shadow.

"You want to go home! You want to go home so much! You want to see your true friends and family so bad! So why, why on earth would you still commit to this stupid mission?"

"Stop!"

Momiji shouted as she jolted upright. Her shadow still stood there, bearing a cocky grin.

"No."

As Momiji tried in vain to fall asleep, her shadow tormented her with her innermost thoughts and secrets. She rolled onto the floor after a while, dragging her blanket and pillows with her.

She sat up, gazing at her shadow which was backlit by the stars above.

"Stop… stop… I just want to sleep…"

"I won't. You need to go home."

"I know…" Momiji said. "But please… I can't deal with this anymore! Just let me sleep!"

Her shadow loomed over her.

"No, never."

It stared through her bedroom window. It smiled.

"I think your one-way ticket to paradise is just about here," it said.

The window broke, her shadow now standing behind her and dragging Momiji upright. Before her stood a masked man wearing a black cloak. His mask was made of cast iron and had an ouroboros engraved on its perimeter which encircled a crooked smile.

The masked man's cold grasp enveloped Momiji as she screamed, pleading for Sherman to rescue her.

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Chapter 10

WIP

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