[b]The High Priestess - Meredith Fong[/b]

If she were to compare herself and everybody else to superheroes, then it was obvious that there would be supervillains for them to fight, right? Or in other words, every hero needed to oppose a monster, an omen of the unnatural that needed to be defeated in order for the peaceful status quo to continue. Keeping something with bad juju around was just going to portent the downfall of everything that was "good", so that was why they had stepped up. Then that meant it was the reverse, didn't it? The aliens that called this strange, ethereal dreamworld home had chosen to infringe upon human lands by taking away those kids, so it was necessary for them to act.

A superhero didn't need a supervillain to fight. It was the supervillain that needed a superhero to defeat.

Grendel appeared before Beowulf, didn't he?

There wasn't any chance for the ragtag group of human folks she was with to fight those nasty-looking fellows though, thanks to the Dorm Mouse's intervention. Meredith didn't say it out loud, but she was definitely relieved about that. Her arms had tensed at their arrival, beads of sweat having run down her back at the sudden pressure they exuded. They frightened her. They were scary. She had wanted to run away, to go find somewhere to hide when thrown into a fight with these weird creatures.

Even though she wanted to do something to help save the kids.

That was why, when all she needed to do was deal with, like, the grunts of the lot, she was more confident.

Strangely confident.

They were monsters. Disgusting-looking creatures that should've - [i]would've[/i] inspired some sort of fear and loathing inside of her.

But they didn't.

Meredith breathed in, casually spinning the oar around in a hand.

Why was that?

Ah, because she knew exactly what she was going to do.

Exactly how things would pan out.

"[b]Persona, right?[/b]"

That feeling seemed unnatural, yet natural, at the same. It filled her like helium expanded out to give a balloon shape. It was reassuring, awe-inspiring, something that she could totally describe as power incarnate. And it was her. Or maybe not her. The entity that hissed deep beneath her skin was a familiar presence, but there was still something different to it.

Ah, that was right.

It wanted to be free.

——— It wanted to destroy.

And at that moment, she and it were of the same mind.

Of one goal.

"[b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_aYibUx1B8]Ennill, Rhiannon.[/url][/b]"

With the sound of flapping feathers, the inhuman being ripped detached itself from her body, emerging from Meredith in a single thunderclap of noise, like the hooves of a racehorse. Its crimson, eerily womanlike eyes glared down at the monsters that sought to destroy them.

[i][b]<She>[/b][/i] would return the favour first.

Black mist coalesced around [i][b]<her>[/b][/i]. Meredith swung her oar, striking an unfortunate beast. And the mist followed, rushing down the oar to envelop the Shadow in its cold, bitter embrace. It had no time to scream. The darkness crushed it in an instant, and soon, Meredith's eyes were sweeping across the battlefield, looking for the next foe.

"[b]Let's get along, Rhiannon.[/b]"