Robin: "I understand, and I will explain, it's just..." She sighs. "It's a lot. I'll tell you soon, I promise."
You eat breakfast with your aunt, help her clear the table, and leave for school. You try not to show what's on your mind, but you can tell your aunt can sense something is off with you. Thankfully she doesn't ask; maybe she doesn't want to pry.
Grey Springs - Outskirts
You feel weird walking to school, you have no idea how you're going to focus on classes with everything that's happened yesterday, and what you're planning on doing after school. You hear footsteps quicken behind you. Unlike yesterday, it's just a single set this time.
Julian
"Hey." He looks exhausted and doesn't look at you as he greets you. "Lets just try to get through this day, alright?"
You nod. You wonder if you look as tired as Julian does.
Julian
"Ezra's still asleep. Or comatose, I don't know. I don' think he moved one bit last night. But he's still breathing."He yawns.
"I'd know, I couldn't sleep so I checked like, a million times. At least he doesn't look like those possessions you see in movies. Where they get all sick looking, and stuff. He's just knocked out. And his hair is white... You got any idea why that might've happened...?"
You shake your head. You say you've heard once that it's something that happens to people who get frightened really badly, but you've never seen that happen in real life before.
Julian
"He did seem super freaked out before he passed out. Maybe that is what it is."You two walk in silence for a little bit, feeling like a pair of shuffling zombies.
Then Julian sighs. "Man, you know what, I don't even care if that bird's a demon. Solomon or whatever he's called. I just want Ezra back. It's my fault he joined the club. I shouldn't have been so pushy."
He ruffles a hand through his hair, messing it up, but he's too tired to try and fix it. "All for a girl I don't even know. She was ready to sacrifice us dude, how did I not see that?"
You say she seemed nice before, but that the last few days something seemed strange about her.
Julian
"When we were in there those two obviously knew what was going on. They just needed some guinea pigs to divert whatever lived in there away from them. Maybe they just needed a sacrifice or something crazy like that."He thinks for a moment.
"But I don't understand why they seemed so upset when one of us actually got possessed. That giant door appeared, I figure that must've been their goal, right? And then Leander completely noped out once Solomon got involved..."
He lets out a frustrated sigh.
"Fucking weirdos. Let's just try to get through the day, right?"
Afternoon - After School
You set out to the factory ruins after school. Julian texted you he got there an hour earlier. He told you Solomon isn't there yet. You're not sure what he expected, but think he might have gone over early out of guilt.After about a block of walking you notice footsteps behind you. When you turn around you see Robin, who jumps a little when you meet her eyes. She quickly walks up to you, her face is turning red slightly.
Robin
"I wasn't stalking you or anything. I'm just also going this way." She averts her eyes. "I was... contemplating whether I should greet you or not. I figure you're still mad at me."
Robin: "I know. That was pretty obvious yesterday..."
Robin: "So do I! He's important to me too. S-so, let's focus on that for now."
Robin
"I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt, I swear! But I thought there was safety in numbers, and besides, Leander didn't want to go anymore after the last time we tried in the ruins and we got transported to that place. He only agreed when he saw how serious I was about it, and if I could get more people involved. What I said yesterday..."She thinks for a moment, then takes a deep breath.
"It's true, I don't like how you guys look at me. Julian in particular. I thought you really wanted to join because you were interested in the group, but he's always been weird around me so when it turned out you were friends I got a little discouraged. So yeah, when Ezra got hurt I did wish it hadn't been him. That it'd been Julian... Or you. But I swear I'll do everything to make it right!"
she adds quickly. "I know all sigils off by heart, and I can draw a pretty good circle, even if it takes a few tries! We just need to find out who's possessing him and then we can save him!"
She sounds determined, but something tells you she's not confident her plan will work.
You arrive at the ruins while Robin is still rambling off her plan to you, when you find Julian isn't waiting alone; Temperance is with him. All of your ritual items are still there, untouched; the candles, the circle and symbols, and even the matches. No one must've been here after you left.
You arrive at the ruins while Robin is still rambling off her plan to you, when you find Julian isn't waiting alone; Temperance is with him. All of your ritual items are still there, untouched; the candles, the circle and symbols, and even the matches. No one must've been here after you left.
Temperance
"Oh, hello. Is this everyone?"
Julian
"Y-yes. As far as I know, anyway." His face is beet red. You wonder if anything happened before you and Robin got there.
Temperance
"Good. Solomon will join us soon."
Robin
"You're a Murphy girl!" she sounds shocked to see Temperance. "I-I'm sorry, I just... I've never seen anyone of your family by themselves. You seem to stick together a lot so I'm a little surprised," she adds sheepishly.
Temperance
"And you're a Kaminski girl. Well, the Kaminski girl now, I suppose." She gives Robin a gentle smile. Robin's expression seems to have clouded over a little.
You hear wings flap behind you, and Solomon lands on Temperance's shoulder.
Solomon
"You made it! Excellent. Let's find out what we're dealing with, then. If one of you could light all the candles again, that'd be great."
Nobody makes a move. You remember that Ezra was the one who lit the candles yesterday.
Solomon
"You're not going to get hurt, I'm with you today! Come on, you want to save Ezra, right?"
Finally Julian takes a deep breath and moves to the circle to start lighting the candles.
Julian
"It's finally starting to dawn on me we're taking orders from a talking magpie."
Temperance
"You can trust him, he's helped me before."
Julian
"No offense but I don't know if we can even trust you," he says as he mentally prepares himself to light the final candle.
Robin
"Isn't that your phone number on the wall over there? You don't seem too-"
But she's cut off by the abrupt change of your surroundings once all the candles are lit. The wall with the phone number and the rest of the ruins have disappeared.
You once again find yourself in front of the giant, shiny door.
You once again find yourself in front of the giant, shiny door.
Solomon
"Good. Let me have a look..."
Solomon has once again taken on his human form. You wonder if Leander was right when he called him a demon. You're a little hesitant to think more deeply about this; the uncomfortable truth is that you're not really sure what else he could be considering the circumstances.
Julian
"So what's with this door? It suddenly appeared yesterday and then Ezra fainted."
Solomon
"It's an entryway into another world. These doors are scattered everywhere around this earth, though they are more frequent in heavily populated areas. How do I explain this...It's like a mirror image of the surface world inside. Except there's no humans, only spirits and manifestations of people's thoughts and feelings."
He's inspecting the door as he speaks, as if he's gleaning what's behind it just from studying the woodgrains.
Robin
"So it's not demonic...?"
Solomon
He tuts."Hm, not exactly, but at the same time, it sort of is? What's behind a door like this depends on the surface it's connected to. Everything you can find in there is tied to people, however. So you'll find things people concern themselves with, and what they believe in or are worried about. So sometimes it's pretty similar to demonia."
Julian
"So how did Ezra get possessed, if it's not demons or whatever?"
Solomon
He turns around and looks at Julian with a mysterious smile."What is down here doesn't always want to stay down here. Sometimes it overflows into the surface world, especially if a sentiment or certain emotions get too strong. Other times prey from the surface readily presents itself, ready to be taken over and taken back to the surface. It'll clamp onto whoever is the easiest vessel. Ezra must've been the emptiest of you all."
He says this as if he's telling a funny story.
Julian
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ezra's super smart and cool and like, way more responsible than anyone I know. He's not empty!"
Robin
"What does empty even mean?"
Solomon
"You're not far off, Julian. It is related to the sense of self. So you might think the world of Ezra, but I guess he doesn't of himself." He turns back to the door. "Right, we're not gonna save him by standing around here. Get ready everyone, I'm opening the door."
The door groans deeply when Solomon opens it; you can feel it trembling through your bones. The light from inside the door briefly blinds you. When you open your eyes you once again feel something rush towards you.
Solomon
"Stand back! There's a straggler!"
Solomon has jumped in front of you and the others. Before him stands a gargantuan shadow, it's body mass rippling as if it's uncertain what form to take. In the middle of its visage sits a worn and beaten looking white mask, which is gazing down on Solomon.
Solomon
"I thought the ones that escaped yesterday would've been it, guess this one was a little late to the party. I'll deal with it."
He pulls a throwing knife out from under his cloak, but before he can act the shape swerves around him, directly at you. But before it can connect something from inside of you knocks it back.
Solomon
"Oh this is fantastic! You can awaken your Persona, Yon!"
Julian and Robin look on in stunned amazement, but Temperance starts walking towards you. She is holding something bulky and tattered looking in her arms.
You're too focused on the shape that has appeared in front of you to notice, however. It is hovering off the ground and giving off a red gleam; you feel strongly connected to it.
Then you feel someone embrace you from behind, and a cloak falls over your shoulders. The hood obscures your vision.
You're too focused on the shape that has appeared in front of you to notice, however. It is hovering off the ground and giving off a red gleam; you feel strongly connected to it.
Then you feel someone embrace you from behind, and a cloak falls over your shoulders. The hood obscures your vision.
Temperance
"Repeat its words, they will come to you."
And somehow you know she's right. You don't have to think, the words form in your mind as you touch the hand of the shape in front of you.
I am thou, thou art I...
When you finish the incantation, the cloak ripples around you as if hit by a sudden gust of wind. You tear it off your shoulders, and it disappears into the darkness.
I am thou, thou art I...
When you finish the incantation, the cloak ripples around you as if hit by a sudden gust of wind. You tear it off your shoulders, and it disappears into the darkness.
Contract Made - Abramelin, The Fool
Temperance has stepped back again, she's standing in front of Julian and Robin. She once again wears a peaceful smile.
Solomon
"Come on Yon, join me! I'll explain everything to you!"
[you'd get a battle tutorial here if this wasn't, u know. a written thing. And you beat the thing cos its a tutorial monster.]
Solomon
"Wow Yon, you're a natural. Okay, let's go!"
Julian
"W-wait! You can't just tell us to 'let's go' after all that! What the hell was that thing?"
Solomon
"It's Yon's Persona...? I just explained it all, weren't you listening?"
Robin
"I've never heard of something like that before..."
Solomon
"You'll get familiar with it soon enough. Both of you've got potential too!"
Julian
"T-to fight those things?"
Solomon
"I mean technically you don't have to, but if you have the potential, it'd be nice! Unless you want to see your town get swallowed up by spirits, I guess."
Julian
"WHAT?!"
Solomon
"This isn't just some fun journey into self discovery, Jude! Portals like this don't pop up for nothing. Something is brewing in this place... It's what drew me here to begin with."
Robin
"I knew it... I knew something was wrong here. I think it's been like that for a long time."
Solomon
"Let's put a pin into that for now, we've still got some work to do here. You see that door over there?"
A new door has appeared behind where the spirit was. It's smaller than the previous door, and has a window in the middle of it. It looks like orange sunlight is gleaming in through it; this door looks inviting. Like it might hold a warm summer's eve behind it.
Solomon
"That leads into your friend Ezra's soul. We should assess what's going on in that head of his while we're here. Check the damage."
Julian
"Are we safe to go in there...? I mean, you and Yon have weapons, but we've got nothing."
Solomon
He strikes a silly hero pose. "That's why me and Yon will protect you! Right Yon?"
Solomon: "Onward!"
Julian: "I feel so protected..."
Solomon: "That's the spirit!"
Julian: "I'm sticking with you."
Solomon: "Okay that's cool that you think that but they literally can't. They're coming with us so try to keep them alive, okay?"
You approach the door. When Solomon opens it, the warm summer light from inside blinds you temporarily.
When you open your eyes again, you're in a new place. You hear cicadas buzzing, the air is pleasantly warm and comforting, and it appears you're inside of a large stone house. The walls are a light colour and the wooden beams supporting the walls are a bright playful blue. There are large window-like holes in the walls here and there, each looking onto another vista, most tropical or forest-y.
The oddest thing however is that the floor seems to be covered in a thick layer of sand.
When you open your eyes again, you're in a new place. You hear cicadas buzzing, the air is pleasantly warm and comforting, and it appears you're inside of a large stone house. The walls are a light colour and the wooden beams supporting the walls are a bright playful blue. There are large window-like holes in the walls here and there, each looking onto another vista, most tropical or forest-y.
The oddest thing however is that the floor seems to be covered in a thick layer of sand.
Solomon
"Wow, seems like your friend's a pretty stable guy, outside of the whole being possessed right now thing. This is a nicer mind palace than I'm used to."
Robin
"Is that what that mind palace means? I thought it was a sort of technique detectives use."
Solomon
He shrugs. "Not quite, I guess. But it's a place inside of someone's head that represents them through memories that are formed into different locations we can explore, so I think that's close enough."
Julian
"Do we all have a place like this...?"
Solomon
"You do!" He pokes Julian in the chest. "Right here. Though I'd dread to see what yours looks like!" He laughs, then walks into the next room. "Now, let's go find these spirit squatters..."
Julian
"The hell was that supposed to mean...?"
Solomon
"I don't mean to alarm you guys, but it'd be good if you two unlock your Personas sooner rather than later. It's not looking great for Ezra..."
Robin
"What do you mean? What's wrong? How do we unlock them?"
Solomon
He looks back to her with a slight smile. "It's hard to tell without being able to see them, but I can sense there's a lot of spirits here. There's at least four separate ones I can sense, and I'm pretty confident there's more beyond that... If I had to guess, I'd say there's about five or six spirits possessing him right now."
Julian
"Okay, so... Let's go kill them then!"
Solomon
"It's not that easy. With just me and Yon that's gonna take a long time, if we can do it at all. We should take it one at a time."
Robin
"Is that why Ezra is in a coma? Because theres so many spirits inhabiting his body?"
Solomon
"Bingo. He should wake up when we've exorcised enough of them, though I can't guarantee he'll act like his old self until we get all of them out. But it'll be a start."
You enter a large room, similar to the ones before. You can hear the ocean rushing from outside the windows.
This room is colder than the ones before, and in front of you is yet another door. It looks very strange; like someone tried to hammer together a set of double doors but the two doors are part of a different set.
One half is made of a rich, dark coloured wood and covered in similar star and moon patterns as the door to the Occult club, while the other is plain and made of pine wood. There's a large wooden "J" hammered onto it, with little bears on either side holding it up.
This room is colder than the ones before, and in front of you is yet another door. It looks very strange; like someone tried to hammer together a set of double doors but the two doors are part of a different set.
One half is made of a rich, dark coloured wood and covered in similar star and moon patterns as the door to the Occult club, while the other is plain and made of pine wood. There's a large wooden "J" hammered onto it, with little bears on either side holding it up.
Julian
"Wait, that's my bedroom door! How can it be in here...?"
Solomon
"I've got an inkling... This is a bad sign however, we should be careful. You see how it's pretty much two separate doors? There's more than one spirit behind this one."He inspects the door a little more closely. "Judging from how poor the craftsmanship on it is, they don't get along, either... I wonder how they ended up sharing a space."
Robin
"Spirits can fight each other?"
Solomon
"Yes, of course! They're not so different from people, you know. They come from people, actually. So it only makes sense they can dislike or even hate each other." He grabs the doorhandle of the dark wooden door. "Alright, you guys ready to go in?"
You nod hesitantly. You feel a slight tug on your cape. When you turn to look, you see Temperance is clenching it in her fist, her darkened eyes focused on the door. She looks determined. Maybe she just joined your side to feel a little safer.
You weren't sure what to expect, but you were not prepared for what you find.
The environment has changed to a mess of disjointed walls and landscapes; much like the door that lead you here. In front of you stand Robin and Julian. They are yelling at each other.
The environment has changed to a mess of disjointed walls and landscapes; much like the door that lead you here. In front of you stand Robin and Julian. They are yelling at each other.
Other Julian
You tried to kill us! You're a psycho! All I wanted was your attention, what's wrong with you?
Julian
What? That's not me! What is that, is that an illusion...?
Solomon
"No, and it is you."
Julian
"What do you mean that's me?! I'd never say something stupid like that!"
Other Julian
"If you went out with me I'd get so much more respect from the other guys!"
Julian
"Oh my god Yon please kill him!"
Solomon
"Don't! That is you, Jude. And the other one is Robin."
Other Robin
"I can't believe Ezra got hurt instead of you. You're such a selfish little bastard. The world would be better off if all guys like you were dead!"
Robin
"I wouldn't put it that way..."
Julian
"You think the world would be better off without me?!"
Solomon
"Hey, her not denying her feelings is better than what you're doing."
Other Julian
"I'm going to lie and tell everyone at school you let me and Yon touch you! That the whole occult club is just a front so you can be a massive slut. You know they'll believe me!"
Other Robin
She lunged at the other Julian, knocking him to the ground. They grapple until she wraps her hands around other Julian's neck."You're worthless, you're WORTHLESS!"
You and your friends try to interfere, but Solomon stops you.
Solomon
"Let 'em at it. They can't kill each other. Well..." He turns to Robin, a smile tugging at his lips. "Surely you don't think you'd actually be capable of killing Julian."
Robin
"....I..." She casts her gaze down.
Julian
"Are you serious?!"
Solomon
"Oh come on now, don't you two start."
The other Robin let's out a sudden short shriek as she gets overpowered by the other Julian, who's twisted her arm above her head. He has pinned her to the ground before she can recover.
Other Julian
"You can't win this, you know you can't. Don't make me look bad in front of them!"
Robin
She points at the two Others. "See! You're just as bad as me!"
Julian
"That is NOT me! And I never said I would kill you, hell I'd never even try to hurt you!"
Robin
"You've already hurt me you idiot! God, you're so shallow!"
Solomon
He rolls his eyes. "Ugh okay you guys are clearly not ready for this." He lazily flicks one of his throwing knives in the direction of the Others, causing Other Julian to leap off Other Robin to avoid being hit. "We'll come back later."
Solomon snaps his fingers, and a small blue spark spreads from his hand into small cinders and glimmers that surround you. When you blink, you find outself outside the mind palace, back in the ruins. The sudden shift in light hurts your eyes, and you rapidly blink to adjust. Your clothes have gone back to normal.
Robin
"Whoa, how did you do that?"
Solomon
"I dunno. I just can. Let's call it magic."
Julian
"Should we be leaving those guys in there? Aren't they gonna kill each other?"
Solomon
"Nah, they feed off the two of you being in there with them. They're a part of you, so when you're not there, they're pretty much dormant. You guys gotta get your issues sorted out before confronting them again though, if you get into a fight for everything they hurl at each other we might up with some actual dead bodies."
Robin
"You said they are a part of us... How come they're inside of Ezra?"
Solomon
"It's kind of hard to explain. Ezra is close to both of you, which is probably why your spiritual manifestations within the other world attached to him. It's unfortunate they got stuck together."
Solomon
"No. His persona revealed itself without any trouble. I guess Yon's more comfortable with who he is than either of you are." Julian "What about Temperance, then? Does she have a Persona? Or one of those doubles in there...?"
Temperance
She shakes her head. "It's different for me."
Solomon
"She's a little different in general."He flies up into the air and lands on Temperance's shoulder.
"If you want to save Ezra, you two will have to look inward. In the meantime, me and Yon can train to get stronger, though I really don't think it's safe for us to try and go at it alone. So I implore you both, however much you might want to, please don't deny your feelings."
He suddenly takes flight again and flies at you, his wings beating air into your face. You shield your eyes, worried a feather might hit them. "Anyways! I need somewhere to stay. Temperance's dad is getting suspicious of the magpie outside her window and I don't like how he looks at me, I think he might try to shoot me soon. Can I stay at yours?"
Temperance
"Please?" You nod hesitantly. Since Solomon can turn into a bird you don't really understand why he wants to stay in a human home, but he's been helping you out so you don't want to deny his request.