Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Mar 7, 2014 1:46:09 GMT -5
Everything had started as just another ordinary exploration. With bitter feelings left over form her last time in the museum, Jaelyn had returned to set parts of it on fire. "Priceless" abstract art was her target of choice, and she had wasted no time lighting the worst pieces of it she could find on fire. The gallery was now filled with smoke, with flames rising up the walls. And Jaelyn stood in the middle of it all, an expression of grim amusement on her face. If the last time she had been present was any indication, some of them could have even been shadows that never got a chance to fly off the wall and attack her before starting to burn. Ahh, it was a good day.
Then, a chill ran down Jaelyn's back. Her eyes immediately snapped toward the exits of the gallery, searching for anything approaching. She didn't see anything, but the sense of unease slowly grew. She knew this feeling. It was one she had only experienced once in the last two years. Fear. She didn't even know what it was she was supposed to be scared of, but it was undeniably there, steadily growing with each passing second. And then, finally, she heard it. Slow, steady footsteps, coming closer and closer. And a voice accompanying them whispered directly into her head.
"Come back to me, Jae."
"Ohhh, shit," Jaelyn said. She stepped back away from the nearest doorway, reaching for one of her concealed knives. Six of them in all were concealed underneath her dress, in easy to hide (if occasionally embarrassing) locations. As she drew it, she drew her evoker as well, just in time for the source of the footsteps to round the corner.
The face she knew was nothing like what she saw, but there was no doubt it was the same one. Instead of gaunt and starved, it was young and full of life, with golden eyes in place of blue ones. A scar ran across it, just barely missing one eye. Long, black, flowing hair just slightly caked in blood around the edges. A body to die for. A purple dress that showed more leg than even Jaelyn was comfortable with, but no shoes of any sort. A small armory's worth of knives loosely hanging around her waist as though floating. And an all too familiar voice, once again calling out for her. Jaelyn knew this appearance well. It was her mother, Minerva Callahan. Not her mother as Jaelyn knew her, but when she was young, beautiful, and deadly. The Minerva that Jaelyn had always secretly wanted to see, even if the very thought terrified her.
But it was also the shadow that nearly killed her a couple months ago.
"Don't try to run. You can't escape your past," the shadow whispered again, raising one arm. As though it were perfectly natural for a person to use magic, a cloud of darkness spread out from the shadow's hand, engulfing Jaelyn in an instant. Immediately, all light surrounding her, even the fire spreading up the walls, vanished. Pain exploded all across her body, as though she was being stabbed from all sides. She shakily raised her evoker to her head, trying to summon her Persona as she had miraculously done the first time she encountered this shadow, but it wouldn't come. No matter how many times she squeezed the trigger, Andras wouldn't appear. Finally, she gave up and charged straight at where the shadow had been before she lost her sight, karambit drawn back and ready to strike. As she collided with something in front of her she thrust the weapon forward, driving the knife into whatever had impeded her progress.
The darkness faded, and the shadow staggered away from Jaelyn, now bleeding a dense black liquid from her stomach. The whispering voices continued, but Jaelyn tried desperately to shut them out. They were just making things worse. If she could just ignore them, she could focus enough to summon her Persona.
As she thought this, she felt a second intense chill seize her body. A blast of freezing wind blew across the room, putting out all the fires Jaelyn had lit and encasing the previously burning paintings in ice. Again, Jaelyn felt like she was being stabbed from all directions, but this time the chill of especially cold winters accompanied it. She fell to her knees, then dropped both her knife and evoker and clamped her arms around herself, desperate to warm herself even the slightest bit. The shadow's whispers continued, and this time Jaelyn failed to shut them out. "Join with me. You were once part of me, and are me. Now, return."
"I...am...not...you," Jaelyn managed to hiss out, taking her hands off her arms and shakily reaching down to take up her discarded weapons. Trembling hands grasped her knife and evoker, and she slowly rose back to her feet. "I am not my mother," she managed to get out, her voice a little steadier despite the cold. "And neither...are you."
The last time she had encountered this shadow, she had only barely survived long enough to escape. But she was stronger now. Surely it was enough for her to hold her ground. So why couldn't she do anything?
No...it wasn't enough. She needed more power still.
Then, a chill ran down Jaelyn's back. Her eyes immediately snapped toward the exits of the gallery, searching for anything approaching. She didn't see anything, but the sense of unease slowly grew. She knew this feeling. It was one she had only experienced once in the last two years. Fear. She didn't even know what it was she was supposed to be scared of, but it was undeniably there, steadily growing with each passing second. And then, finally, she heard it. Slow, steady footsteps, coming closer and closer. And a voice accompanying them whispered directly into her head.
"Come back to me, Jae."
"Ohhh, shit," Jaelyn said. She stepped back away from the nearest doorway, reaching for one of her concealed knives. Six of them in all were concealed underneath her dress, in easy to hide (if occasionally embarrassing) locations. As she drew it, she drew her evoker as well, just in time for the source of the footsteps to round the corner.
The face she knew was nothing like what she saw, but there was no doubt it was the same one. Instead of gaunt and starved, it was young and full of life, with golden eyes in place of blue ones. A scar ran across it, just barely missing one eye. Long, black, flowing hair just slightly caked in blood around the edges. A body to die for. A purple dress that showed more leg than even Jaelyn was comfortable with, but no shoes of any sort. A small armory's worth of knives loosely hanging around her waist as though floating. And an all too familiar voice, once again calling out for her. Jaelyn knew this appearance well. It was her mother, Minerva Callahan. Not her mother as Jaelyn knew her, but when she was young, beautiful, and deadly. The Minerva that Jaelyn had always secretly wanted to see, even if the very thought terrified her.
But it was also the shadow that nearly killed her a couple months ago.
{}
"A moderately powerful dark attack that reduces the target's visibility to zero for one turn."
"A moderately powerful dark attack that reduces the target's visibility to zero for one turn."
"Don't try to run. You can't escape your past," the shadow whispered again, raising one arm. As though it were perfectly natural for a person to use magic, a cloud of darkness spread out from the shadow's hand, engulfing Jaelyn in an instant. Immediately, all light surrounding her, even the fire spreading up the walls, vanished. Pain exploded all across her body, as though she was being stabbed from all sides. She shakily raised her evoker to her head, trying to summon her Persona as she had miraculously done the first time she encountered this shadow, but it wouldn't come. No matter how many times she squeezed the trigger, Andras wouldn't appear. Finally, she gave up and charged straight at where the shadow had been before she lost her sight, karambit drawn back and ready to strike. As she collided with something in front of her she thrust the weapon forward, driving the knife into whatever had impeded her progress.
The darkness faded, and the shadow staggered away from Jaelyn, now bleeding a dense black liquid from her stomach. The whispering voices continued, but Jaelyn tried desperately to shut them out. They were just making things worse. If she could just ignore them, she could focus enough to summon her Persona.
{}
"A blast of ice of major strength. Hits multiple targets."
"A blast of ice of major strength. Hits multiple targets."
As she thought this, she felt a second intense chill seize her body. A blast of freezing wind blew across the room, putting out all the fires Jaelyn had lit and encasing the previously burning paintings in ice. Again, Jaelyn felt like she was being stabbed from all directions, but this time the chill of especially cold winters accompanied it. She fell to her knees, then dropped both her knife and evoker and clamped her arms around herself, desperate to warm herself even the slightest bit. The shadow's whispers continued, and this time Jaelyn failed to shut them out. "Join with me. You were once part of me, and are me. Now, return."
"I...am...not...you," Jaelyn managed to hiss out, taking her hands off her arms and shakily reaching down to take up her discarded weapons. Trembling hands grasped her knife and evoker, and she slowly rose back to her feet. "I am not my mother," she managed to get out, her voice a little steadier despite the cold. "And neither...are you."
The last time she had encountered this shadow, she had only barely survived long enough to escape. But she was stronger now. Surely it was enough for her to hold her ground. So why couldn't she do anything?
No...it wasn't enough. She needed more power still.