Ch 50: Not Today

Facing their fears in Alexander's Persona, Amy and Serius struggle to bring him back. Can they defend his mind from Magus and give him another chance to defeat her?

            Running through the halls of the mysterious palace with no idea where she was going, Amy fled in absolute panic as shadowy specters pursued her. Having somehow been separated from Serius, alone and terrified, Amy shouted, “S-s-somebody help!” Glancing back to see the shadowy ghosts hot on her heels, Amy turned a corner without looking and found herself in a hall with a single door at the end. She quickly tried to open it, but it was locked. She continued to try and open the door, but as the ghosts were upon her she turned around and pressed herself against the door, closing her eyes with a scream. Then Reaper’s shard within her Insigne Memoriae shined bright and the ghosts disappeared. Opening her eyes slowly, Amy stammered, “W-what happened?” Reaper’s voice suddenly replied, “I got tired of your crying, so I dispelled them.” Turning red in embarrassment, Amy angrily said, “Why didn’t you do that before?!” Reaper simply answered, “You are my Master. If you had ordered it I would have done so immediately.” 

Hanging her head with a sigh, Amy muttered, “How was I supposed to know that?” Not letting it slide, Reaper replied, “You should have known your servant’s abilities. If you ever come across such illusions as these, which are not based on psychic abilities, I suggest you remember to call upon me.” Looking up in surprise, Amy said, “Illusions?” With a grumble, Reaper said, “Even I could sense they had no consciousness. Get a hold of yourself.” Getting irritated, Amy began to make her way back out the hall as she exclaimed, “Ghosts really scare me ok?! Who or what created those illusions anyway?” After a moment of thought, Reaper said, “I could not say. However, the rune circle from before was casting a spell over this palace. It is likely the source, and if it manifests your greatest fears, Lord Serius may encounter an illusion as well.”

            Reaching the top of the stairwell, as Serius stepped into the hall of the second floor, he called out, “Amy? Are you there?” There was only silence, and as he began his search, he thought to himself, “This is bad. I’ve searched almost the entire first floor, but I could not find her. We’re almost out of time…” Suddenly hearing footsteps coming towards him from ahead, Serius paused. In the faint blue light of the hall, a figure approached him, slowly drawing near. At last he could see who it was, and in a solemn, pained voice, Serius said, “Amanus…” A young mautauian man with white spiky hair and yellow snakelike eyes, Amanus wore a brown leather chestpiece and brown leather pants with red designs on them, brown leather gloves and boots, and a long black cape fastened around his neck with a golden clip that bore the crest of Mautau. His face, like his father’s, bore tattooed markings. Coming to a stop and staring back at Serius, Amanus said, “You never loved me…” 

Unshaken, almost as though he’d expected this, Serius quietly said, “That’s not true.” Quickly Amanus shouted, “Liar! You always hated me! You’ve always believed if it weren’t for me, Mom would still be alive! That’s why you never tried to be a father to me! That’s why you let me die!” Amanus formed his swords, which were identical to Grey’s Anima Weapon, and rushed at Serius as he shouted, “I’ll never forgive you!” Standing there calmly, as Amanus came at him, Serius merely said, “I know that I’ll never be forgiven. After all…” Serius did not flinch as the blade came at him, and as it passed through him harmlessly, Serius looked Amanus in the eyes and said, “My son, Amanus, is dead. The dead can never forgive you, nor do they return. What stands before me is nothing but an illusion, the same nightmare I face every time I think of the past. I will not let you stop me from rescuing my friend.” 

The illusion vanished, and having been watching these events unfold, Amy stepped up behind Serius and said, “Uh, are you ok Serius?” Glancing back at her, Serius said, “Where have you been?” Fidgeting nervously, Amy said, “I somehow ended up somewhere else when the lights went out. There were ghosts, and I went down a hall and got trapped because the door was locked, then Reaper-” Interrupting her explanation, Serius said, “A locked door?” Blinking in surprise, Amy said, “Yeah. I probably could have used telekinesis to unlock it, but I was scared…” Turning in the direction she came from, Serius said, “Quickly, we must go to this locked door. Alexander is most likely beyond it.”

            Standing before the locked door, Serius turned to Amy and said, “How long?” Raising her hand, Amy began to unlock the locked door with her psychic powers as she replied, “Five minutes. We might just make it…” There was a loud click as Amy finished, and the door swung open. Moving cautiously, Amy and Serius stepped through. On the other side of the door, they found themselves in a strange area that did not look like it belonged in a palace. From the door, a large bridge with no railing extended over to a huge circular platform floating in the middle of an endless darkness. In the center of the platform, resting upon one knee with his sword stuck in its mirrored floor, was Alexander. Amy and Serius quickly made their way across the bridge, and Amy called out, “Alexander!” Having been chanting a spell, Alexander looked up at them as they approached. Then hanging his head, Alexander said, “What are you doing here?” 

Unable to hide his irritation, Serius said, “What do you think we’re doing here? We have gone through much trouble to save you!” Staring at the shattered pieces of the mirrored floor that had been broken by his sword, Alexander said, “You’re too late. Magus’ hypnotic wave was too strong. I was on the brink of losing myself, so I sealed my mind within itself. My sanity is still slowly being eaten away, but it relieves the suffering…” Kneeling down, Amy said, “It will only be too late if you give up Alexander! I can help you, but you have to try for it to work!” Looking torn, Alexander got up and said, “I do not know if I have the strength Amy, I…” Suddenly hearing the sounds of skittering, Alexander trailed off. Amy rose as well, and together the three of them stared back towards the open door as the sound got louder. Glancing at Alexander, Serius said, “What is that sound? The enemy?” The hand holding his sword was shaking as Alexander said, “Yes. I’d sealed myself in here to hide from it, chanted a continuous spell to scare it off. It must have followed you… If it gets to me here as I am now, my mind will be destroyed…”

            Rushing towards the bridge to the platform, Serius shouted, “Help Alexander regain himself! I will hold it off!” Concerned for him, Amy shouted, “Wait, Serius!” Suddenly bursting through the open door poured a sea of black spiders. Forming his full Basilisk Armor, Serius raised his stone fists and unleashed sonic shockwaves at the horde of spiders, forcing them back along the bridge. Struggling to keep his voice steady, Alexander said, “Go Amy, take Serius with you and leave while you can!” Clenching her teeth in frustration, at last Amy could not bear it, and she slapped him across the face as she shouted, “You can’t give up here! Do you hear me?! Together Serius and I managed to use Persona to come all the way here! Serius even faced his fear that his son hated him, all to come save you!” Alexander’s sword clattered to the floor as he stared over at Serius in shock and whispered, “Serius…?” 

Suddenly Amy’s body began to fade, and with a look of terror she exclaimed, “No! Not now!” Glancing back at Serius, she saw him beginning to fade as well. Quickly taking hold of Alexander’s hand, Amy concentrated as she said, “You have to try Alexander! We’re out of time! Please, you still have to tell Grey! That’s why we’re going to Loralu, remember?! You have to come back!” Yet Amy’s hand vanished, and she could only watch with disbelief as the rest of her body disappeared as well. The spiders overtaking him, as Serius began to disappear as well, he shouted, “ALEXANDER!” Serius and Amy gone, Alexander was all alone as the spiders moved across the platform at him. Yet he calmly reached down and picked up his sword, dropping into a battle stance as the spiders rose up like a wave in the ocean. The wave of spiders came crashing down, covering the entirety of the platform, and Alexander disappeared beneath them.

            Trapped in the back of the passenger car by a legion of anomalies, Schmitt and Bella stood protecting the others, including Serius and Amy’s unconscious bodies. Holding his tazer pointed at one of the anomalies’ faces despite the fact that it was out of ammo, Schmitt glanced back at Bella and said, “Well, what now?” A bead of sweat rolling down her face, Bella said, “Thinking…” Suddenly the door to the first car opened and Gibolu stepped in. Looking around at the hole in the roof and all the broken windows, he exclaimed, “I daresay, just what is going on here?! Just look at my wondrous transport!” Turning its head around a full one hundred-eighty degrees like an owl, one of the anomalies stared back at him with its glowing red eyes. 

Withdrawing a deck of cards from within his coat, Gibolu said, “Hoho, so you ruffians dare to cross the ringmaster and magician of the amazing Gibolu’s Traveling Circus?! Well then have at me, you curs!” As the anomaly turned its body around to face Gibolu, Mana shouted, “Ringmaster, watch out!” But as the anomaly lunged, Gibolu drew a card from his deck with lightning speed and flung it at the anomaly’s head. One of the corners of the card stabbed into the anomaly’s face, and as it staggered away from him the card glowed. Suddenly both the card and the anomaly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. One of their allies soundly defeated, more of the anomalies turned to face Gibolu, but drawing more cards Gibolu began to fling them at the anomalies. Each card met its mark without fail, and the anomalies vanished in puffs of smoke.

            Staring in amazement, Saria blurted out, “A real magician!” Laughing a hearty laugh as he holstered his tazer, Schmitt said, “Well how bout that!” Sitting back in his chair, Rufus said, “Good grief, I thought we were done for…” Suddenly Ian leaped off the top of his hat onto the back of Amy’s seat and meowed. Amy was just starting to open her eyes, and quickly Rufus said, “Ah, they’re coming around guys!” Then Amy’s eyes went wide as she realized she was back in the transport, and covering her face with her hands, she began to cry. Rushing to her side, Saria said, “A-Amy? What’s wrong?” Opening his eyes as well, Serius said, “Alexander is…” Serius found he was unable to finish, but the others understood. Clenching his fists in anger, Schmitt said, “They’re gonna pay for this!” Solemnly, Bella said, “I shouldn’t have gotten you into this.” Bella started to walk back to her seat as Amy continued to cry, Saria and Mana looking on the brink of tears as well. Bolting up out of his seat, Rufus exclaimed, “I don’t believe it! There’s no way Alexander’s gonna go down that easily, right?! RIGHT?!” 

Grinning, as he struck a dramatic pose, Gibolu said, “Absolutely! Never give up my friends!” Wiping her eyes, Amy said, “But Alexander’s mind must have been destroyed. I didn’t have the chance to restore his strength before Persona wore off…” Waving a floating hand around, Gibolu said, “Perhaps, but then again…” Twisting his hand strangely, a flower appeared in Gibolu’s grasp as he said, “Not everything is always what it seems. You may think you failed to return his strength, but perhaps in some way your efforts alone were able to rouse his spirit! I do not claim to know myself, but having come to know you all in the brief time we’ve spent together, I feel there‘s a good chance that is indeed what happened.” Turning to Amy, Serius said, “He has a point. Before we give up, we must confirm whether Alexander has truly been lost.” With a nod, Amy closed her eyes and concentrated as she searched for Alexander’s consciousness. Suddenly her eyes burst open and she thought, “ALEXANDER!”

            Standing before a disbelieving Magus in the elevator room at Casa De Ala Morte, Alexander grinned as he replied to Amy, “I must thank both of you. Don’t worry, I’m not about to be bested a second time!” Watching as Alexander picked up his sword once more, Magus thought, “Not only did he use that rune covered hand to chant a barrier spell that protected his body this whole time, but he’s broken free from the spell I created with my most powerful hypnotic waves! What IS he?!” Leveling his sword at Magus, Alexander said, “I may disappear one day, but not today! Now, where were we?” Raising her own sword at him, the red crystal blade glowed as Magus shouted, “You’ve not won yet! Tempestas Telorum Caecus!” 

Bursting from the blade, beams of arcane power shot out in a cone towards Alexander, who leaped back and high in the air to avoid. As the beams curved up and chased after him, Alexander opened a dark vortex and disappeared into it. Looking around warily as her beams went on to strike the wall, Magus could hear him somewhere within the room, chanting, “Adhevo Septem Flagrant Spiritus…” Holding her sword ready, Magus shouted, “Show yourself you coward!” Alexander simply continued, “…Ignis Quod Septem Gelidus Spiritus Glacies, Sol Quod Luna Unit Intra Meus Gladius…” Firing arcane beams randomly around the room, Magus muttered, “That spell sounds powerful. Was I a fool to order Rend away after all?” A dark vortex opened above Magus as Alexander finished, “…Ultima Magistri Ignis Gelu Acies!”

            Raising her sword at the dark vortex, Magus chanted, “Radium Eversio!” A beam of arcane power shot from her sword, speeding up towards the vortex. Yet Alexander’s sword came out of the vortex by itself, fire and ice now swirling around it as majestic red and blue runes glittered upon its blade. Striking upon the sword, Magus’ beam exploded and the sword was blasted into the air. As the sword came back down, Magus stepped back just in time to avoid being skewered. Staring at the blade stuck in the ground, Magus exclaimed, “A distraction?!” As Alexander appeared out of a dark vortex behind her with his rune covered fist ready, Magus turned with a swing of her sword. Quickly Alexander knocked it from her hand and slammed his fist into her face as he shouted, “Signum Impetu!” The energy in the runes was released, and the enhanced power of the strike sent Magus reeling back. Stumbling, Magus fell back against his sword and slumped to the ground against it. Raising his rune covered hand, Alexander chanted, “Magistri Ligas, Infrangilis Occupo Terra!” 

A dark green rune circle formed on the ground around Alexander’s sword, but before the earth trap spell could activate, Magus’ scarf tail reached out and sank its claws into the ground, quickly hoisting her up and hurling her at one of the room’s support pillars. Planting her feet against the pillar, Magus chanted, “Caecus Lancea!” A spear of arcane magic forming in her hand, as she pushed off from the pillar and propelled herself at Alexander, he raised his hand and recalled his own sword, their blades clashing as they unleashed arcane power and frostfire energies into the air around them. Clashing again and again, as they locked blades once more, Magus sneered and said, “Fool! Still holding back out of pity?!” Alexander looked over the top of his shades at Magus as he replied, “I came here to give the sprites of Ala Morte hope for a future! If you think your current way of life is the way you are meant to exist, then you truly are without a doubt pitiful!”

            Holding back no longer, Alexander’s strength became absurd, and Magus went sailing as he effortlessly knocked her away. Smashing hard into the pillar behind her, the force of the impact was so great she made a humanoid shaped crater in the side of it, hanging there in it as she could not find the strength to move her battered body. Then raising his sword at her, Alexander channeled Corrupted EDE into the shining frostfire blade, and three rune circles formed at the tip of his sword, one red, one blue, and one black. As they combined into one rune circle, Alexander said, “Ut Aiunt De Solis Et Lunae!” A swirling combination of darkness, fire, and ice shot out at Magus from the combined circles, who barely managed to raise a hand and chant, “Caecus Clypeus Defensio!” A shell of arcane power formed around the side of the pillar to defend Magus, and as Alexander’s attack struck it looked like it might hold against his power, but then the shell shattered as the triple element attack exploded in a blast that shook the entire room. 

Falling out of the crater in the side of the pillar, her body battered and bruised, her clothes charred and torn, Magus landed flat on her face on the ground. With the last bit of her strength she looked up at Alexander, her vision beginning to blur, and muttered, “Curse you… I should have died, but you held back yet again. The code to escape this room is 4271ASV. Take your friend and leave me to my humiliation…” Straightening his shades a moment, Alexander walked over to where Richter was contained in his defensive spell. Sitting cross legged within the dark barrier, conscious once more, as Alexander approached, Richter said, “Not to sound ungrateful Alexander, but it was quite unpleasant being stuck watching all that! I could have helped if it weren’t for this damned black bubble you cast on me! I hope you know how to get me out of here, because I don’t…” 

Tapping the barrier with his sword, as the barrier dissipated, Alexander said, “Thank you for your concern Richter, but unconscious as you were, you would have been a liability if Magus chose to threaten your life. For having such a severe concussion, you awoke much sooner than I’d expected.” After Alexander did a quick job healing Richter’s minor wounds, he helped him to his feet and they started to head back to the door they’d entered through to search for the others. Glancing back at Magus lying unconscious on the floor, Richter said, “Are we simply going to leave her like this? She could come after us again at some point.” Grinning, Alexander said, “Don’t worry, she won’t forget this defeat. Besides, our target is the Count. Without the protection of their master, I’m hoping the sprites will be forced to face the world themselves and find their place in it.”

Author's Note

Originally titled "Never Surrender". I realized a slight similarity in another Alexander related chapter title in the next volume.