[B]School Side Plot[/B]

A flash of brilliant white. The odour of crackling ozone. Oberon's lightning lanced through the darkness, striking one of the formless shadows. An eerie shriek of pain as it dissipated. A most positive development, had it not illuminated their reality. More and more of the black, oozing phantoms moved to fill the gap. The mighty swing of Oichi's blade cut deeply into the muck. It seemed to disappear into nothing, but the glint of metal in the faint light ... and the agonising screams of the monsters ... were evidence of its presence. Inari's fire blazed away at its foes, but for every one charred into nothing, another emerged. Beside them, Bast's cat-of-nine-tails was equally as ineffective in stemming the tide; while it whipped apart the creatures with bloodless efficiency, they still came.

Unendingly.

Something rumbled through the shadows, a fleeting sound. A million eyes of gold blinked in unison. As if they had ... realised something.

The horde rushed forth. Tendrils of black. Ghostly arms. They sought to strike apart the assembled group of teenagers. An inhuman, incredible scream emerged from the dark mass. The blue butterflies rose up to meet them, forming a defensive barrier. Their protection was nothing before the shadows. They burst through, scattering powder and wings. And ... ignored the Persona users.

Completely.

Instead, a sea of black flooded over the defenseless Tomoda, engulfing him entirely in darkness. They oozed over his prone form, pulling him deeper and deeper into the mass, consuming his body inch by inch. A shudder ran through the shadows as the very last visible part of the boy some called Aloha-kun was ... [i]consumed[/i], a victim to the golden-eyed monsters that were swarming all over him, an unstoppable flood that had burst through the wall of butterflies to achieve its goal.

And then, as quickly as they had taken over the teenager, they pulled back.

Another shudder.

Tomoda's prone form seemed to float there in the void, unharmed. As if nothing had happened to him. As if the swarm had not consumed him.

The shadows shuddered again.

Something spasmed in the darkness.

They began to circle the assembled group, spasming. Twitching. Black tendrils lashing out and pulling back into the mass. Melting into one another. Guttural growls. Joining together ... fusing ... becoming one.

It was a sickening sight.

For a second, the world turned blindingly bright.

A sheer, endless void of white.

The butterflies seemed to cluster closer together, regrouping ... tensing almost in anticipation.

Tomoda stepped out of the light.

At least ... it looked like Tomoda.

It crackled like static.

Once.

Twice.

Its face shattered apart.


[right][i]ş̴̜̖̮̜̻̜̝̜͉̜̬᷿̜͖̜͎͎̜̓ͪ᷆̌̊̾̿̑͗ͬ͊͏̷̴̨̜̹͕̜̜̟͙̜͓̜̮̠̜̓̋̑͋̆͜͏̜̼̜̪̇͆̂ͨḩ̶̨̧̛̛̜͔̜᷂̜̳̗̜͚̜̜̜̳͔̜͓̟̜̜̥̜̳̩̜̲̜̟̜̜͎͙̜ͣ̽ͪ̓̾̏͛̓᷀᷉᷅̐ͫ̾ͪ̈᷾ͮ͗᷈͛̒̕͟͝k̷̸̨̜̠̱̼̜̰̜͍̜̤̜̝̜͚̜̜᷿̜᷂̳̜̣̜̠̜̜͇̜̞̖̜᷂͎̜͕̜ͮ̐̉̓᷄̀̃ͩ̄̉̿̐̐᷈̋͆̃ͣ͋̿͋᷾̃͡͡͝r̢̛̜͉̜̤̜̜̜̜̖᷊̜̜̖̜̗̜̼̜̩̜̜̜̝̜̲̜͈͊͒ͮ̐͒᷉͋̇͑᷀̄̎᷈ͫ̈̇᷅̊̓̆ͯͫ̒̽͆᷅̓͒̔ͣ͟͡͞͠ę̧̢̜̮̜᷿̜̖̜̜̜̺̜̜᷊̜̙͈̜̻̜̳̜᷿̜̞̜̪͓̜̬͈̜ͪ̿́̂ͩ̓͗᷄̍̓̅᷈͆̿̈́͊̊ͮ͒̔̈ͦ᷆ͣ̄ͭ̚͜͞ĕ̶̢̜᷿̜̳̣̜͓̜̜̣͕̜̜̪̜̜̪̜̝̜̜̜̜͓̜͍̜̟̜̥᷄̆̀́᷇͒̎̐̅᷇̐͒̋͆̌͊᷅̈́ͭ̌ͭ᷁̅̏̾ͨ͗ͣ̐͞ē̶̴̷̷̜̜̥̬̙̜͚̜̳̯̜̜̬̜̗̜̜̙̜͍̜̟̼̜̺̜̮̜̭̦̜̜ͫ᷁͋᷾ͤ͆ͧ͛͂͛̊̑̐̐ͫ̄̀̃̔ͫ̋ͣͬ̉͡͝e̷̷̡̛̘̜̜̭̖̜̘͍̜̺̜̜͎͎̜͖̜̜̜̜̜͈̳̜̜͔̜͔̻̜̬̜ͩ̉͌̍̊͒͊ͦͧ̄̎̉ͨ̊ͣ̇͆̉̑͒᷄̂͟͜͜͡͝ȩ̵̶̴̜̜͎̜̜̜̜͚̜̭̜͕̜̱̭̜̝̜̻̜̜̞̰̜͕̜̜͎͛̒̓̇̃̒̌᷅̊ͮ͛᷃̄̒᷅ͪͦͫ̑͒᷇ͤ̎̊̓̋̀ͭ͢͜͟Ȩ̶̷̡̛̜͍͈̜͓̜̜̤͎̜̦̜͈̣̜̦᷂̜͇̜̰͚̜̜̳̜͖̜̩͔̜̮̘̜͈̜̥̜̦̀͑᷈̐̃ͨ᷈̂ͪ̈̊̃̑͊̓͑̍̐̂͐ͨȍ̸̧̧̜̜̺̜̯̜̜̖̜̼̜̠̙̜̤̜̩̜̼̹̜̫̮̜͔̜͔̜̜̝̜̮̌ͦ̑͊̂̽͆ͭ̋̌̅᷃᷈̆̐́̽̂᷄̽̇̄̓ͯ̎͜͝ǫ̸̜͍̜̤̜̹̞̜̜̟̜̞̜͙̜̜̜̜̺̜̳̜̳̜̜̜͔̜͎͆ͫͭͤ᷾̅̉ͧ̄̊᷀̓͆̊͂̃ͣ̔᷆᷾̃̇᷈̂᷇͊͟͟͜͟͞͡o̴̢̜̻̜̱̜̜̻̞̜̼̜̩̜͍̜̱̜̜̞̥̜̮̥̜̞̜᷊̜̙̺̜̳̠̜̬ͦ᷄̊̾ͮ͊̊̉͂᷆ͭ̈̿̾̓̽̌ͯ̆ͤ̃͒͌͗͜͝ȍ̡̜̩̞̜̓ͩ͏̴̵̧̛̛̜̝̜̜͙̜̯̜̳̲̜᷿̜̜̹̜̜͚̜̦̭̜̜̩͍̜ͯ̉̅̉̆ͦͮ̐᷇᷄͗̈̓̔̅̿̐̽̅͂ͪ͘͠o̸̶̷̜̰͚̜̜̜͓̜̫͖̜̯̜᷊̝̜᷃ͬͭ́̀᷃͗̈́͗̇᷁͏̶̧̠̜̜̜̠̜̜᷿̹̜͉̒ͬ̽̑̉͗̓᷆͑͆͘͏̜̩̜̏̊̌̈́ō̶̵̜̯̫̜̜͖̜̜̜̜̩͓̜͙̜̺̜͕̰̜̜̼̜͉̜̹̜̪̜͎̜̱᷄̇̍ͬ᷁͑ͦ̄ͨ͋̍̐͋̆̿᷆̓ͤ̿̾̈ͥ̓̿ͧ͢͡͡[/i][/right]






A blue butterfly ripped itself free of the [i]thing[/i]'s face, flapping past the shattered remnants of the Tomoda shadow's face and slamming back into the original's body. And something felt ... right again. As if a problem had been resolved as quickly as it had appeared.

But the monster that had once worn Tomoda's face ... it still stood there.

Faceless.

A black void where a grinning expression would usually be.

The other shadows ... they were gone. They had combined into this ... Tomoda. This ... [i]thing[/i]. This monster.