Philemon

"Welcome to the gulf between consciousness and ****. My name is Philemon. Have you forgotten?"

"Philemon?" Lisa asked.

"The power you hold is called Persona. It is the power to summon the selves within you, the gods and demons you harbour. The self suffused with divine love, the self capable of demonic cruelty. People live by wearing different masks. Your current self is only one of these innumerable masks. Your Persona is also among countless selves."

"That's me?" Eikichi asked. "What are you?"

"From here on, you will face a fearsome entity which threatens your existence. From time out of mind, beyond oblivion, the land of Sumaru is now a netherworld where rumours are reality. The battle is begun. I summoned you here to tell you this. Now go and with your Personas, break the chains of karma laid against you."

--

"Eikichi... I mean boss-san, are you okay?!" Kozy asked.

"That wasn't a dream, was it?" Eikichi asked, getting up.

"I knew it!" Lisa said. "I saw it, too. It called those things Personas?"

"Even the part about rumours coming true and the stuff about the future?" Eikichi asked. "That's too much for it to be a coincidence."

"Hey, I know. You wanna try the Joker Game?" Lisa asked.

"The thing where you call your own cell and it shows up? Why would I want to try that?" Eikichi questioned.

"To test if it was just a dream or something more. If the rumour really comes true, then it was all real."

"I'll pass. There's no way that could be possible."

"That's why I'll prove it. Hey, are you scared or something?" Lisa asked.

"If you say so. It does feel like we should be doing something after a dream like that. Let's see if this is for real."

Lisa played the Joker Game with Eikichi's lackeys.

One of Eikichi's lackey's sighed, "Why are we the ones who have to do this?"

"Well then, here goes." Lisa said. "Joker, Joker, please come here."

They all answered their phones.

"No way." said Lisa.

"It just..." said one of the lackeys.

"Um, hello?"

"Behind you," said a jester. "I am Joker, the final trumpet card drawn by those anguished over their dreams. Tell me your ideal."

Joker was a masked figure rumoured to grant one's dreams. Why he does this and who he is was a completely mystery.

"No!" said Kozy. "You have to hurry and tell it your ideals. The rumour says that those who don't get turned into Shadowmen!"

"Your trump cards have been spoiled," said Joker. "The bet on the table was your inner dreaming heart. In accordance with the ritual, I will now claim the pot."

Joker turned the lackeys into Shadowmen.

"Ken!" Eikichi said. "Shogo! Takeshi! You bastard. What did you do!?"

"Ideals only cause pain to the powerless," Joker said. "I have freed them from that anguish. Better not to yearn for impossible dreams. They are lifeless shells of dreams. They can be seen but are not. They will be forgotten and become true Shadows. But enough chitchat. I have other business with you."

"I can't move!" Lisa said. "Is it the fear!?"

"It's been ages, John Doe. I've been waiting for the moment you would all summon me! As a parting gift, I'll show you something interesting. Not Persona but true demons!"

Joker summoned a couple of harpies.

"What are those things!?" Lisa asked.

I killed the harpies with my Persona.

"Fanna! There's no way, I'm letting those things kill me!" Lisa exclaimed, summoning her own Persona to finish off the other harpy.

"You guys!" Eikichi said. "Work with me here! If we all attack together, we just might pull this off!"

The three of us tried combining our Personas.

"A fusion spell? A laudable idea but it's much too weak. You'll never beat me with such a paltry offence. Eikichi Mishina, Lisa Silverman and you, the thief, it's time you died! You cannot escape the wheel of fortune! Those eyes, you haven't changed. What kind of dreams did you build on the corpses of other people's ideals? The poker face doesn't fool me, I know you wanted to follow your dream, isn't that so?" Joker laughed, "I'll never let your dreams come true! You should know by now why I came to you all today!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Eikichi asked.

"What?" Lisa asked. "What did we ever do to you?"

"No, you do not remember!?" Joker said. "Impossible! This can't be. How could this happen!? What meaning is there in killing you if you do not remember!? You escaped your fate this time but you will get no rest. My demons will be your assassins. Let this iris by my testament. Now go and remember the sins you have committed! Then I will claim my ****!"

Joker disappeared.

"I'm so sorry, Ken." Eikichi said. "If I hadn't made you play the game."

"Um, who is Eikichi... I mean Boss-san talking to?" Kozy asked.

Kozy did not notice Eikichi's lackeys.

"They've really been forgotten." Lisa said.

I made to leave.

"Wait a sec, John," Eikichi said. "You're going after that guy, right? You should stay out of this. I'll deal with him."

"Whoa there, both of you!" Lisa said. "You're up against a real monster here! If we don't stick together, you'll die! Plus, we don't know where to looking. Let's get someone else to do something about him, like the police!"

"Who'd believe us!? We gotta arm up and kill that guy or we're all screwed."

"If that's the case, maybe I can help," Kozy said. "I'll go see what I can find out about Joker. While I do that, you should prepare to defend yourselves. That reminds me, rumours has it the ramen shop in Kameya Alley sells weapons. Something about the owner being a former spy. With everything that's going on, why not start there?"

"If rumours are coming true, it's worth a shot," Lisa said. "Having just our Personas makes me nervous, so to the ramen shop it is!"