Shattered Justice (A Persona Quest)

The spear Ikutsuki-san hands you is... well, it's definitely a spear. You can see that much.

Strangely enough, however, that seems to be the only thing you can see about it. It's clearly a weapon, and you think you understand how to use it- pointy end goes into the thing you want to kill.
I mean, that's a very basic summary of how it works, but yes?
It's also completely black, and sort of fuzzy around the edges... like it's not wholly there. You reach out to take it in hand, figuring that you can't judge its worth as a weapon until you've held it yourself.

Well, okay, you're less holding it and more using it to stand, but that's not the point.

Immediately once you take it... something feels strange. The first word that comes to mind to describe it is 'sticky', but that's not really it at all. You can let go whenever you want.
Maybe if I were to add 'that'...
It's just that something about this spear-shaped piece of solidified void makes you not want to let go. You still do, of course, because you don't want to prove yourself irresponsible with a weapon within the first three minutes of actually getting it, but once you do... that feeling goes away. Like it was never there.

That might not be the best sign.

But you put it to the side for the moment, because you have more important things to focus on. Such as a bright red new armband, as well as...

"And, of course, we can't forget this." An Evoker. Completely smooth metal, a silver sheen... and, of course, the acronym SEES engraved on the side.

Despite what anyone else who was there says, you most certainly do not tightly hug it to your chest.
Ikutsuki-san has pictures. It's sort of pointless to deny it.
Other than that, very little of note occurs.

---

"So, you're another year older, huh?" That's how Nemi greets you when you arrive. It says a lot about how often this has been happening that neither of you question it at all.

"It's not just me, though," You point out. "I am thou, and thou art I... That makes this your birthday, too, Nemi. Even if I... don't really have anything to give you." It feels like you should though, if only because your Persona doesn't have friends to throw him a small party.

"I guess, but..." He seems uncertain for a moment, before producing an Evoker of his own, and looking it over in his hands. It's different from yours- scratches and dents litter its surface, the worst of which leaves the end of the barrel somewhat squished. Just at a glance, you can tell that it's seen a lot of use. You wonder if yours will look something like that, one day. "You're... probably going to be doing a lot of fighting with the others."

Well, yes. "That's sort of why we have this, isn't it?" You point out. The wristband on top of the dresser is faded and torn, but it serves your purposes well enough as a visual aid.

"You... you could say that." He pauses again, and then seems to come to a decision about something. "On a similar note... could you come with me, for a moment?" He goes over to the closet and opens the door, which still seems to peer into the abyss.

"Why?"

"It's... there's something I want to give you. Think of it like... a sort of birthday gift." Nemi sounds nervous as he says this, but you can't see any real problem with his words.

You follow him into the closet.

---

The closet is... the first word that comes to mind is 'dark'. Not the somewhat benign kind that still makes you sort of wary, but the darkness of Tartarus, complete with the moving figures off in the distance. "Are those...?"

"Lesser Shadows. They'll use Bless, or Lightning, or Psychic powers, but they probably won't attack you. And even if they do, well... they're weak enough for someone without a Persona to manage, so you should be fine." Somehow, that's not wholly reassuring. Nemi manifests a small light in his hand. "Follow me."

Of course you do. You don't think you really have a choice.

Nor do you go all that far in. Eventually, your Persona just reaches out of one of the nearby inky blobs, and it is enveloped in light, leaving nothing behind but a small package. "You should open this," He says, handing it to you.


[ ] Open it.

[ ] Don't open it.
-[ ] But keep it close.
-[ ] Give it back to Nemi.
-[ ] Destroy it.

Not questioning why Nemi would decide to give you something he had to kill a lesser Shadow to obtain, you carefully peel away the wrapping, leaving a small locked box in your hands, the key sitting on top of the lid. You can't help but think that it looks like the key to your old house- in fact, it's identical.

You don't think much of that, though. You've spent a lot of time in the real world turning that key over in your hand. Of course it's the one your mind goes to when it needs to lock something away.

For a moment, you consider shaking the box, but decide against it. For all you know, whatever's inside could be fragile, and you don't want to break your birthday present, even if you did get it from another side of yourself.

So, instead, you insert the key, turning it in the lock until you hear a soft click.

You open the box.

And it all-

Waking up in the Dark Hour, and seeing a powerful Shadow outside-

-Mom, confused, not in her coffin for once, as you try to give a rushed explanation-

-Flashes of lightning just outside, Zio spells-

-Everything being colder than it should have been, even for October-

-Cracks appearing in the windows, a hurry to get outside-

-Being pushed out the door just as the house collapses behind you-

-Blood, so much blood, even as you lay, dazed, just outside of the battlefield, body engulfed in your hoodie as you're begging Mom to just get up-

-Sanada-san, visibly injured, making his way to try and calm down-

Shinjiro-san.

Shinjiro-san, his eyes wide in horror, even as new wounds open on his body as a cost for Castor's rampage.

Shinjiro-san, refusing any sort of healing even from Polydeuces, no matter how much Sanada-san begs him to take it.

Shinjiro-san, who you rage at the instant your mind is put enough together to do so, and you're no longer at immediate risk of being trampled. Who you yell at until you're hoarse, until you pass out from exhaustion in the middle of the street.

This changes things.

The box is gone now. You don't know if you dropped it or if it faded once it was opened. With how badly your hands are shaking, it could be either. "W-why did you show me this?" You ask, wondering if it would be worth it to try and look like you haven't been crying.

Probably not. Nemi's had this entire time to notice.

He sighs. "...Because I'm the one who made you forget in the first place."

Well. Your world just really wants to keep turning itself upside-down, now, doesn't it? Shinjiro-san killed your mother, your Persona stole the memories... what's next, Koromaru learning how to summon a Persona?

...Actually, with Morgana hanging around, it wouldn't surprise you all that much. But still. "Why?"

"Because I was scared. He's suffered enough, he doesn't need you to make it worse by repeating my mistakes. You- you've seen what happens, when someone reminds him."

You have. Curled up on the couch, muttering apologies that you couldn't quite understand, no matter how hard you tried. Because you weren't allowed to understand. All from a simple discussion that it might be possible to lose control of a Persona.

"You really think that?" You're not sure if you're asking your future self, or the goddess of revenge that his current name signifies. Or if you'll even take the answer right away, because you clearly need to rethink your life a little.

"I know that. Shinjiro-san is... well, you know how nice he is, even if he doesn't show it to everyone. He likes taking care of people, and- and it destroyed him, what happened, to the point where-" He cuts himself off and shakes his head. "Well, okay, he technically didn't kill himself over it, but we all know that was his basic intention. And it might not have even happened, if I'd just remembered-" And now you're not the only one here who's crying.

You're not entirely sure what to think of that.

Then again, you don't really know what to think of anything, right now.

---

It's been a few days since your birthday. You still don't really know what to think of anything. So you've focused yourself entirely on school, and for the moment, it seems to be working out pretty well.
(Ken's Knowledge has increased to 3!)
At least, nobody's said anything about you acting strangely, which is good, though you're glad nothing has come up that needs you to summon Nemesis right now. You aren't entirely sure, but you don't think that would end well at the moment.

You also haven't really spoken to anyone in the past few days, but you think they all assume you're talking to other friends, so it all works out. Somewhat.

But weapon training starts this weekend, and you're well aware that you can't just not talk to anyone during that time.

So you should probably talk to someone about things. But who?



[ ] Maiko and Akira are generally uninvolved in all this, and you can't really tell them the full truth. Then again, you're not really ready to deal with the full truth, either, so at least it doesn't change anything.

[ ] Saito-san is an adult. Adults normally know how to deal with this kind of thing, right?

[ ] Lavenza is a very strange person. Maybe having that sort of viewpoint would be helpful?

[ ] Sanada-san was there, when everything happened. He also probably won't have a panic attack if you bring up the subject. Maybe.

[ ] Kirijo-san is probably the closest you can get to an impartial, informed figure here. That says a lot of things, none of them good.

[ ] You don't really know what to think of Shinjiro-san anymore. But... maybe it'd help if you talked to him. At the very least, you should probably let him know that you know.

[ ] ...On second thought, you really don't want to talk to anyone about this. Not until you've at least started to figure out what you think of it.