Persona - Mask of Origins

"Zain?! No, it couldn't be.....My mind is playing tricks on me now. I really am going crazy."

 

"Yuki...I'm so sorry. If I could, I'd take it all back. I think I'd rather have become a shadow than a crystal. But I chose this...please don't cry over me..." The remaments of his voice echoed in Yuki's head. Nicholi slumped into the room, holding a sliver of the crystal Zain had left behind. "I thought...you would want to know what a few of his last thoughts were toward you." Nicholi awaited scolding. He knew very well Yuki didn't like him and still he persisted.

 

Yuki got off the bed.

"Zain's right. I shouldn't be sitting around here moping like this. Thanks, Nicholi."

 

Nicholi bowed his head, "You're welcome. Bart...uh, Zain spoke only from his heart. I see that now. Miss Yuki...Zain's memories live on in what's left of the shards of crystal. Extracting them is easy if you should wish to listen to more of his conversations. Perhaps you might find something interesting in them."

 

"Why not, I have nothing else to do today."

 

Nicholi nodded and lightly squeezed the crystal shard. A light breeze brushed them and Zain's voice came again, "If I do this for you...you'll leave her alone? You won't involve her in your damn issues?" "Promise....you have my word, Zain. A Deathchild's word is as good as gold." "Yeah, well right now, your words are as good as dirt to me. Just leave Yuki alone. She will kill you if you even try things, and if she doesn't I will." There was a long pause before he spoke again, "So, the injections keep coming then. I shouldn't have to worry I'll die in pain, will I?" "No, you'll be fine. As peacefull as a crystal can be. Though...you won't remember your 'sister' or the others." It faded away with another long silence and Nicholi stared at the crystal, "That's odd..."

 

"I should have killed him when I had the chance. How could I have let him do that to Zain?"

 

"Well he's dead now. If that consoles you at all. I killed him myself moments before I came to you. I figured Daieko had something to do with Zain's odd demise. He was all too willing to keep going back there. I wonder what kind of injections he was giving him. Too bad this thing can't be forced to give an image." he said holding the shard up to the light.

 

"I still don't understand why Zain subjected himself to that. He knew I could handle myself, so why did he go through with it?"

 

"Perhaps he was worried you'd disapprove. A thousand different possible reasons come to mind, Yuki, yet there isn't a person alive who could tell us the truth." Nicholi was starting to regret killing Daieko so soon.

 

"What's done is done, I suppose. Guess I'll go get some training done."

 

Nicholi watched her go and went in search of Ari. He found her fixing a poorly made noose in Zain's room, "Ari, what are you doing?" "Ari's going to hang Ari's self to be with Zain-Sensei. Ari misses him too much to live." Nicholi sighed and watched her tip back the chair and the noose broke, dropping her to the floor, "Ari, you can't die so easily. Your workmanship skills suck and you...are a rare shadow. One who will not die so easily. Now go hang out with Yuki. Keep her safe." Ari regretably followed Yuki and sulked in the any shadow she could find to hide in.

 

Yuki started her training. Her power shifted more to darkness as time went on.

 

Ari commented shyly, "Ari sees Yuki-san is upset about Zain-Sensei too. Ari thinks Zain-Sensei should not have left." Ari seemed to always talk about herself in the third person. Nicholi observed this easily and sat in the corner of Toji's lab with him and commented on it. "I'm not sure if Ari can say "I" or not. She refuses to see herself as a person and rather as a thing. She even tried to kill herself. I'm not sure if that's also something wrong with her genetic code or not. I know one thing for certain...her magic code isn't right. A shadow like her could potentially kill a person in one playful hit. I suppose that's why father took her with him when he escaped."

 

"That's always something we can fix." Toji said.

"Of course I'm upset. He was my brother, the only family I had, and I had to sit there and watch him die, as there was no way I could save him." Yuki said.

 

Nicholi curiously glanced at him, "I didn't realize you suddenly knew how to rewrite magic codes. Fear not, I know someone who can. He should be very familiar to you and Yuki. I'd like the both of you to come with me."

Ari sulked back into her corner, "Nicholi-sama says Zain-Sensei isn't dead at all...Ari, doesn't understand."

 

"Fine, lead the way."

 

Nicholi stood, "Yuki comes too. She'll want to see this." He stepped outside and pulled a sharp dagger from his pocket, etching markings into the ground. "When dust returns to the earth, and crystallis is no longer required to save the ones with a destiny entwined by fear...let hell shine loose and those who matter see into your world." He looked up at the sky and smiled briefly, "Is that alright with you Orphan?"

 

Yuki walked in the house.

"Good timing, Yuki."

 

Nicholi stepped back from his circle of marks he'd made and watched as a bright flare errupted in the circle and an almost identical purple circle rose from it. "Good. Thank you Orphan, you won't be disappointed by your visitors. C'mon, Toji, Yuki! It's time..."