I awaken to my Persona

"Take this!" Marina yelled.

Lauren closed her eyes and braced herself as best she could. Marina took a swing and landed the whip across the target.

I heard a tearful wail as Marina lashed horizontally across the centre Lauren's back, eliciting the first of many long screams from her. The second crack was milliseconds later. Lauren groaned in pain.

Marina whipped Lauren's back multiple times.

"Lowly scum!"

CRACK!! CRACK!! The fourth lash struck her lower back. CRACK!!

"Useless pest!"

CRACK!! CRACK!! CRACK!! CRACK!! CRACK!! CRACK!! CRACK!! CRACK!! CRACK!! The sliced across Lauren's back, drawing blood. The blonde girl shook her head violently. Lauren's wails were already turning into shrieks. She did not hesitate to roar her agony at every blow, as Marina beat her back. It was an appallingly brutal flogging. Lauren's breasts bounced and her bum jiggled alluringly with every impact. I knew Lauren would find standing or walking to be excruciatingly painful for quite some time.

Then I heard another sound. It took a moment for me to place it, before realising it was the sound of pee. She had been whipped a total of 40 times. By this time, almost every lash drew blood from the squealing teenage girl. She threw her head back. At this point, Lauren had dissolved into total hysterics, incoherent wails and moans that all came from her mouth, her whole body shaking, as she screamed herself hoarse. It was pure ****. All I could do was watch as Lauren was beaten within an inch of her life. I wanted to help in some way, to fight back but I couldn't. She had been hanging there for half an hour, she could no longer scream. Instead, she painfully moaned, hanging her head. Marina walked in front of the whimpering girl. Lauren was no longer crying, although her chest was soaked with previously shed tears and her eyes remained unfocused, her head slumped.

"Hmph, where'd your energy from earlier go? A **** like you should learn her place," Marina scoffed. "I'll have you crucified right now."

"Have you lost your mind!?" I asked.

"Hm? What? Don't tell me you don't know who I am." Marina said, leaning in close, her smug face mere inches from me.

"I just moved here two days ago so of course, I don't know you." I said, my glare locked onto her.

"After the ****, it's your turn to die."

"Please..." Lauren said weakly.

This was the end for us? Am I about to die because of some jackass who thinks she's Emperor Nero.

"This is truly an unjust game. Your chances of winning are almost none."

I saw a blue butterfly fly past me.

"But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibly open to you."

The moment those words were spoken, the butterfly disappeared.

"What's the matter? Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking her to save yourself? **** awaits her if you do nothing."

"Fuck that." I said.

"Very well, I have heeled your resolve. Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I... Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thy own justice! Call upon my name and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to hell itself!"

"Take her for crucifixion!" Marina shouted.

"That's enough!" I said.

"What was that? You desire to be killed that much? Fine!" Marine muttered.

One of the centurions smacked me with his shield. A dust of wind surrounded me and knocked the centurions back. I could feel something on my face. I reached up to feel what it was, some kind of mask.

I pulled on mask, trying to take it off which proved to be a painful process. It was like it was glued to my face but I didn't give in. A few seconds later, I ripped the mask from my face to see it looked like a cowboy bandit mask. Blue flames engulfed me before turning to a black bra and loincloth, a dark green hooded cloak and dark green boots. All in all, it wasn't a bad good.

The remaining flames sailed upwards before forming a green skinned woman with pointy ears, yellow skeletal snakes for hair and a snakelike lower body half.

"What the...?" Lauren stuttered.

"I am Medusa! I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."

"Give me your power." I said.

"Hmph, very well."

"Who the hell are you!? Guards! Start by killing that one!" Marina roared.

The guards both exploded in a burst of red and black goo that took the form of a pair of pink skinned harpies with blonde hair, red feathery wing and yellow talons.

"You'll learn the true strength of my men!" Marina yelled as she stared at me and Medusa with a cocky grin.

"The true strength of your men is to transform into birds?" I asked.

"This power of mine is yours! Kill them however you want. Run wild to your heart's content!"

The first harpy lunged forward towards me.

"Slash!" I said.

Medusa sliced one of the harpies in half word with her sword. So this is my power, I could get used to this. The other harpies shot wing at Medusa. When the attack hit her, I felt the same pain as her. It was clear that whatever damaged Medusa took, I would feel as well. Makes sense if she's my other self but it means I'm gonna have to be more careful than I thought. After the harpies were slain, I unchained Lauren. She had no strength left, her arms simply fell limp and lifeless to her sides. She collapsed in my arms, possibly even passing out for a moment.

"No more," she whimpered.

"You little-" Marina said.

Medusa smacked Marina into the wall.

"Nice job, Medusa," I said in approval. "The key!"

"You mean this?"

Medusa picked up the key off the floor and threw it to me as we fled the dungeon, locking the door behind us.

"Okay, it's locked!" I said.

"Damn you!" said Marina, springing up to her feet.

A flash of blue and I was naked again.

"Whoa, it went back to normal!" I exclaimed.

Why did my clothes turn back? Was my power only temporary?

Marina banged on the cell doors, "You bitches!"

"God, this is fucking nuts!" I exclaimed.

"Goddamn thieves! After them! Don't let them escape! You bitches! You think you can get away with doing this to me!?"

"I don't give a shit! Have fun in there, Marina," I said as I ran off with Lauren.