[Mars leaps away from the giant boss monster, an almost superhuman jump carrying her at to the other end of the hallway. Leveling her bow she grits her teeth as she stares at the thing. It worms it's way further into the corridor, more stone crumbling away as it does. The sheer size of the thing reminds her of something out of a storybook, but it's definitely a lot more horrible than the pygmy monsters. There's an eldritch quality to it, and when she's surveying it for weak points, an acidic ichor dribbles from it's maw onto the floor, burning away more stone.
Ugh.]
That...sure is ugly. But you know what they say about big things?
[A determined look crosses his features, doing his best to look at this just like he would have any other Shadow that was more than just drones or something.]
The bigger they are, the harder they fall!
[And as if on cue, Susano-o flies forward, the blade floating around it removed and thrown at the horn that held the "king" of the castle. It severs the horn easily, and the monster bellows as the persona flies in to catch the cage before it slams violently into the ground.]
[He yells as magic erupts around the flaming weapons sailing towards the monster, wind that amplifies the fire surrounding it ten fold. It slams into the thing, the power from the attack exploding all around and seeming to eat away at the very essence of the ugly monstrosity in front of them. Pieces of it float away into pixels, which eventually dissipate into the air. Engulfed, it roars in pain before it ebbs away from the magical and divine power.
In time, it completely disappears, and Yosuke breathes out heavily.]
Right. [He runs over to the cage, opening it and letting the weird little king out, who thanks them both in some kind of gibberish as well. They don't have to return the king- he runs off and disappears when he hits a scripted despawn point.
Credits are accumulated into their accounts, and a screen pops up to tell them how much money they'd earned by going through this simulation, before everything dissolves into a black nothingness.
Moments later, Yosuke opens his eyes from inside the tube he'd stepped into to start ViViD, walking out and rolling a shoulder.]
Whew, I didn't know it was going to be that much work...
You actually had fun? [He too, in some way, enjoyed it also because it was definitely out of the realm of completely boring. But he wasn't sure if she would of had fun or not. It's good to hear she did, that his choice of bringing her here wasn't a total bust.]
Yeah, we can totally come back and do it again. When I'm not working at the grocery store.
[She made money. And it was surreal but she got a workout. Which matters a lot when you have a job that involves sitting down doing nothing.]
And yes, that sounds good. It's good training, in case something weird happens here. And there's a nice chain restaurant across the street, if you want to put your winnings to use with me?
Yeah, sure, that sounds awesome! [They could talk more there too, he thinks as he walks out of their little space and back into the lobby.]
I guess we should wait to talk more about stuff until we get there. [Some of it he doesn't want to discuss right in the middle of a busy place like the ViViD hub.]
[No probably at all. She clams up and marches right out with or without him, and doesn't say another word beyond smalltalk until they're seated in the back corner of what basically passes for an Applebees in Space and have ordered.]
Now, let's start at the beginning. What was that thing?
It's...a persona. It's a long story, but it's basically a power that was granted to me after I faced down and accepted my other self. The part of me that I'm not so proud of. It took this freaky shape, a Shadow- and tried to kill me.
I might not even be here if it weren't for my partner, he totally saved my ass. But that's what it is, when you get right down to it.
He came out of a world that was formed by human thought. We managed to find a way inside. [He wonders if she's going to think he's crazy.]
His name's Susano-o. He didn't start that way, he evolved or something. He's what you'd call my true power. [It didn't sound dumb saying it in front of Yu, but saying it in front of her feels weird. She wasn't there when it happened.]
[Time to change the subject, clearly.] W-What about you? I mean, you pulled off some really freaky stuff in there! What's with that, the girl you turned into didn't even look like you! And she wouldn't let me call you Rei!
[She actually has no trouble accepting that. At all. It's the sort of thing Ami would talk about, and the sort of thing that the Witches Five might try to employ. In short, something she'd heard about, and something that wasn't entirely ridiculous sounding.]
And you say Susano-o? So you draw power from the wind and storms, is that it?
[Or...something like that anyway?
And moving on, Rei holds up a finger to forestall questions.]
She nothing, it was me. I have a dual identity. That I'd appreciate if you'd keep secret. But...do you really want to know the whole story? It might be hard to swallow, and it's somewhat long.
[She seems willing to tell it, at least, but she wants to be certain.]
[He only nods at the question relating to wind and her request to keep her identity secret. That's exactly it about Susano-o, besides the physical strength of his persona.]
I got time! I mean, what else am I going to do? Chores? [Yosuke can't even keep his room tidy let alone do chores.] After what we went through in the TV world, I doubt there's anything you can tell me that's going to be too out there for me to believe.
[Going through a TV was already weird enough. What could possibly be weirder?]
You mean like, Earth's moon or something? Yeah, that's impossible. We've already had astronauts go up there and there isn't anything except dust and space.
[That is hard to believe. Because it's explored territory.]
You are seriously going to tell me that people lived up there, aren't you?
I am. A kingdom of magic and technology that spanned the entire solar system. I've been to the ruins, deep in the Sea of Serenity. Which was never explored by the Apollo missions, you know.
[And it was actually obscured at least partially by ancient enchantments.]
It was called the Silver Millennium, ruled by a wise and powerful queen, and it existed hundreds of thousands of years before the earliest civilizations on Earth. Do you follow so far?
Because in truth? It probably was the basis for a bedtime story, Yosuke-kun. And I'll tell the story like one.
[Setting down her drink, she takes a breath.]
And yes, it is strange, but it is the truth in my world at least. But there's a reason I'm bringing it up.
[Looking down, she shivers as memories start flooding back.]
There was a monster, like in all fairy tales. A powerful demon that lived in the sun grew jealous of the wise queen and her power, and manipulated a human sorceress on Earth into raising up the people there to attack and the Silver Millennium. The sorceress and the queen fought for days, with the princesses of each planet and the Prince of the Earth all taking part in the battle against the invaders. All of them were powerful, like gods of old, or ancient angels, and the attack was brutal, with many lives lost in the process.
In the end, though, the Prince's four guardians betrayed him, coerced by promises of power, and he was slain. The Princess of the Moon Kingdom took her own life in her grief. After that, things changed, and the princesses fought against the demon itself, managing to seal it away for a time before the Queen used her magic to make the cycle start over, reincarnating the princesses and the prince.
[A pause, because that was a lot of information, and she looks at him, waiting for a reaction or a question.]
[That was a lot. He listens the best he can, trying to piece it together. It's definitely a tale that would of been something like a myth or an ancient story that wasn't true, but it's coming from her. He thinks on it for a second, with what he knew of Rei and how he was asked to call her 'Mars' instead of Rei.]
So that's why you have a different name, isn't it. You said you were Mars when we were inside of the ViViD program. Are you saying that you're one of the princesses from that story? And what's up with this sorceress, did she get a bunch of normal people to attack that kingdom or something? How is that even possible?
[Plus all that other stuff about the princess committing suicide and all that. It's sad to hear.]
[She nods, smiling slyly as he gets it. That's exactly what she'd hoped.]
Right. That's absolutely right. I am the reincarnation of Princess Mars, the Goddess of Flame and War. [And that's the second time she's ever called herself a goddess.] I was reborn with the other princesses, and with the sorceress. Queen Beryl, she called herself.
And...how do you think she got a bunch of people to attack the moon? She did so with magic. Promises of power, dark enchantment, manipulating their leaders? That's how she did it.
[A beat, a shiver at the memory. She hated remembering those battles, the fear and death...all of that. It was like being haunted, she thought.]
Beryl is dead now, and the demon? Metallia? We destroyed her as well.
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Ugh.]
That...sure is ugly. But you know what they say about big things?
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The bigger they are, the harder they fall!
[And as if on cue, Susano-o flies forward, the blade floating around it removed and thrown at the horn that held the "king" of the castle. It severs the horn easily, and the monster bellows as the persona flies in to catch the cage before it slams violently into the ground.]
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Let's just end this. When I fire, you use some of your magic. We'll hit it with a combination and get this over with.
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[His arm raises and is held out in front of him, and his persona follows suit- so he's ready.]
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[The bow creaks as she draws it back...]
Now!
[Another flaming spear of light flies from her weapon, aiming right for the thing's mouth...]
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[He yells as magic erupts around the flaming weapons sailing towards the monster, wind that amplifies the fire surrounding it ten fold. It slams into the thing, the power from the attack exploding all around and seeming to eat away at the very essence of the ugly monstrosity in front of them. Pieces of it float away into pixels, which eventually dissipate into the air. Engulfed, it roars in pain before it ebbs away from the magical and divine power.
In time, it completely disappears, and Yosuke breathes out heavily.]
Hell yeah, that's what I call teamwork!
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YOU ARE WINNAR! AMAZING TEAMWORK!
[Which...draws a frown from the magical girl.]
Let's...get the king back and get out of here, yeah?
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Credits are accumulated into their accounts, and a screen pops up to tell them how much money they'd earned by going through this simulation, before everything dissolves into a black nothingness.
Moments later, Yosuke opens his eyes from inside the tube he'd stepped into to start ViViD, walking out and rolling a shoulder.]
Whew, I didn't know it was going to be that much work...
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That certainly was something. An interesting experience. And profitable, I suppose. It wasn't hard, anyway.
[They'd doubled their money, so that was something.]
I guess it could be something we do regularly, that was actually a lot more fun than I anticipated.
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Yeah, we can totally come back and do it again. When I'm not working at the grocery store.
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[She made money. And it was surreal but she got a workout. Which matters a lot when you have a job that involves sitting down doing nothing.]
And yes, that sounds good. It's good training, in case something weird happens here. And there's a nice chain restaurant across the street, if you want to put your winnings to use with me?
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I guess we should wait to talk more about stuff until we get there. [Some of it he doesn't want to discuss right in the middle of a busy place like the ViViD hub.]
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[No probably at all. She clams up and marches right out with or without him, and doesn't say another word beyond smalltalk until they're seated in the back corner of what basically passes for an Applebees in Space and have ordered.]
Now, let's start at the beginning. What was that thing?
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I might not even be here if it weren't for my partner, he totally saved my ass. But that's what it is, when you get right down to it.
[No point in hiding it anymore.]
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[Not that she doubts it. Eudial had tried something similar with her...]
And I'll add that it was impressive. What is it called?
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His name's Susano-o. He didn't start that way, he evolved or something. He's what you'd call my true power. [It didn't sound dumb saying it in front of Yu, but saying it in front of her feels weird. She wasn't there when it happened.]
[Time to change the subject, clearly.] W-What about you? I mean, you pulled off some really freaky stuff in there! What's with that, the girl you turned into didn't even look like you! And she wouldn't let me call you Rei!
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[She actually has no trouble accepting that. At all. It's the sort of thing Ami would talk about, and the sort of thing that the Witches Five might try to employ. In short, something she'd heard about, and something that wasn't entirely ridiculous sounding.]
And you say Susano-o? So you draw power from the wind and storms, is that it?
[Or...something like that anyway?
And moving on, Rei holds up a finger to forestall questions.]
She nothing, it was me. I have a dual identity. That I'd appreciate if you'd keep secret. But...do you really want to know the whole story? It might be hard to swallow, and it's somewhat long.
[She seems willing to tell it, at least, but she wants to be certain.]
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I got time! I mean, what else am I going to do? Chores? [Yosuke can't even keep his room tidy let alone do chores.] After what we went through in the TV world, I doubt there's anything you can tell me that's going to be too out there for me to believe.
[Going through a TV was already weird enough. What could possibly be weirder?]
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[Rei smiles and sips at her drink, pondering where exactly to start before just launching right into it.
With a question. Just to see how he reacts.]
What would you say if I told you that long, long ago there was a kingdom on the Moon?
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[That is hard to believe. Because it's explored territory.]
You are seriously going to tell me that people lived up there, aren't you?
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I am. A kingdom of magic and technology that spanned the entire solar system. I've been to the ruins, deep in the Sea of Serenity. Which was never explored by the Apollo missions, you know.
[And it was actually obscured at least partially by ancient enchantments.]
It was called the Silver Millennium, ruled by a wise and powerful queen, and it existed hundreds of thousands of years before the earliest civilizations on Earth. Do you follow so far?
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I mean, it's not that hard to believe since I totally watched you turn into that other girl, but come on. You gotta admit it's sorta strange.
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[Setting down her drink, she takes a breath.]
And yes, it is strange, but it is the truth in my world at least. But there's a reason I'm bringing it up.
[Looking down, she shivers as memories start flooding back.]
There was a monster, like in all fairy tales. A powerful demon that lived in the sun grew jealous of the wise queen and her power, and manipulated a human sorceress on Earth into raising up the people there to attack and the Silver Millennium. The sorceress and the queen fought for days, with the princesses of each planet and the Prince of the Earth all taking part in the battle against the invaders. All of them were powerful, like gods of old, or ancient angels, and the attack was brutal, with many lives lost in the process.
In the end, though, the Prince's four guardians betrayed him, coerced by promises of power, and he was slain. The Princess of the Moon Kingdom took her own life in her grief. After that, things changed, and the princesses fought against the demon itself, managing to seal it away for a time before the Queen used her magic to make the cycle start over, reincarnating the princesses and the prince.
[A pause, because that was a lot of information, and she looks at him, waiting for a reaction or a question.]
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So that's why you have a different name, isn't it. You said you were Mars when we were inside of the ViViD program. Are you saying that you're one of the princesses from that story? And what's up with this sorceress, did she get a bunch of normal people to attack that kingdom or something? How is that even possible?
[Plus all that other stuff about the princess committing suicide and all that. It's sad to hear.]
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Right. That's absolutely right. I am the reincarnation of Princess Mars, the Goddess of Flame and War. [And that's the second time she's ever called herself a goddess.] I was reborn with the other princesses, and with the sorceress. Queen Beryl, she called herself.
And...how do you think she got a bunch of people to attack the moon? She did so with magic. Promises of power, dark enchantment, manipulating their leaders? That's how she did it.
[A beat, a shiver at the memory. She hated remembering those battles, the fear and death...all of that. It was like being haunted, she thought.]
Beryl is dead now, and the demon? Metallia? We destroyed her as well.
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