Persona BLEACHED 4: Chapter 41

Chapter 41: The Tigress Roars
Two years ago. The Bahamas.
"I can't do this anymore, Albert."
"Do what?"
"THIS! All this moving bollocks you keep putting us through! How many times do we have to repeat this?!"
I was getting used to this argument. This night in particular, I'd been sitting against my door, with Khukki in my lap. Dad was prepping to have us move again. And Mum was having none of it.
"You'll get used to it, like always. West Bengal is nice this time of year!"
"Why do we always have to do this *right* when Tabby starts making friends? She should have a larger friend circle at this point than just the cat! It's like you don't want her to have any sort of life!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Margaret, what kid wouldn't dream of going somewhere far off and experiencing the world?"
"She's 17 years old, you dolt! She needs *stability*, not whatever whimsy pops into your head at any given moment! I know she's sick of it, and so am I. I'm done. I'm going back to Wolverhampton, and she's coming with me, and that is *that*."
"Now wait just a minute! Don't do anything hasty!"
"Unlike you, Mr. Astrophysics, I actually think about things before doing them. I've already packed. Go off to stare into space wherever you please, but I'm doing what's best for our daughter. If you actually cared about her at all, you'd understand."
The argument got particularly nasty after that. It ended with Mum taking me that night and heading back to England. I didn't feel good about leaving Dad, but I just wanted a normal life with normal friends.
I have a life and friends now. The normal part, however...
---
January 9, 2032
"(Kat said being friends with her would either be the best thing to ever happen to me, or the worst. That is still very much in the air, I think.)"
Shinjuku. Tabby remained motionless, hiding beneath a car. She had overheard the sound of a weapon being fired, and then someone talking.
"(Is that the engineer girl from the other world? Does that mean they've opened the portal? If that's the case, they probably don't need me to help. I should just stay hidden and...let it work itself out.)"
"(No...the last time I hid and let things go, my parents' marriage broke. Why did I even come here if that's all I was going to do?)"
Out in the open, Cindy posed on top of another car, as Max and Ibuki watched. Noir looked confused, while Calypso was unemotional.
"...what are you doing?" the dark elf questioned.
"I'm sorry, is the thespian elf asking why someone's being dramatic? Or have you gone and dropped the act like you dropped the emo act, or the punk act?" Cindy retorted.
"Wait, this guy's gone through different acts?" Max asked.
"Oh it's a yearly thing! He changes up his shtick when people get annoyed with it! He's done a pirate act twice!"
"My God, what a twit." Ibuki commented.
"Oh, shut up! I came here to kill you all, not take unneeded criticism! Calypso, turn them into sushi...uh, verily!" Noir ordered.
"GRAAAAAAAGH!" Calypso howled.
Before she could act, a burst of wind hit her square in the chest, sending her into the side of a parked bus.
The trio looked to see where the wind had come from. Tabby had emerged from under the car, her Persona present behind her, its jar opened. "Um...hi."
Cindy put up a wave. "Hi...? How long have you been there?"
"Grraaaagh..." Calypso shook off the hit, and got back up. "Grrraaaaaaagh!"
She lunged at the group, Ibuki blocking her trident using her bow. "Alright, that's about as much as I can stand outta you. Get her, Artemis!"
Her Persona appeared, brandishing a large bow, and fired off a volley of arrows. Ibuki got out of the way as they struck Calypso.
The smoke cleared. Ibuki looked startled. "What the...?!"
Calypso remained standing, now sporting a large hole through her chest, with dark energy oozing out of it. 
"...Cindy? You mind answering the million questions I've got right now?" Max asked.
"Allow me to explain, Sir Max." Hugo's voiced echoed. "This is the end result of a necromancy ritual. It is a forbidden act amongst the covens, with the knowledge of how to perform such a ritual sealed away within their most sacred tomes."
"Tomes like...the one Johnny stole."
"Verily, Sir Sparkplug!" Noir responded.
"Hey, that's my nickname for him, prick!" Ibuki griped.
"Sorry, I dug that out of that profane head of yours and wanted to see how you'd react. But the winged vermin is right. Through the use of the Liber Infernus, I was able to piece our dear sea princess back together again. Her durability has been enhanced, at the cost of any and all free will. I honestly see this as an improvement. No objections, and merely does what she's told. My type of woman."
"I'm gonna fill this shitstain with *so* many arrows." Ibuki grumbled.
"So I'd wager all we would need to do is get rid of you, and she'd go back to the grave." Max asserted.
"Mayhaps, mayhaps not. You won't be finding out, I'm afraid." Noir responded.
The dark elf phased into Calypso. She began to transform, enlarging and taking on her massive lupine form. The beast grabbed hold of the bus.
"Scatter!" Max ordered, as the beast swung the bus at the group, who darted out of the way as the vehicle was sent flying into a nearby building.
Cindy leapt behind the car, taking out her blasters. Tabby appeared next to her. "Can this creepy guy actually fight without possessing someone?"
"Nope. He's actually super weak without that trick. If we can just take out Calypso, he'll be out of options."
Cindy poked her head out and fired at the beast, who was preoccupied with attacks from both Max and Ibuki. She quickly ducked back behind as Noir swung a tendril in her direction.
"I suppose that 'if' is what's most vital here. Is there any way to convince the sea woman to fight back?"
"Maybe if she was alive, and even then that's really doubtful since she kinda hated our guts. But Calypso isn't in there. Just a walking puppet being moved around by dark magic. So our only option is to keep hitting the puppet until it stops moving, then kick Noir when he finally jumps out. Easy-peasy!"
Cindy leapt out to continue firing. "Right. Easy-peasy." uttered an unconvinced Tabby.
By this point, the beast's chest had been filled with arrows. Even still, it continued swiping at Max and Ibuki with its claws and tendrils. "Guh...this is pissing me off. Is this thing gonna stop moving or what?" the latter griped.
"We're basically fighting a giant zombie. Just have to hit it with something intense enough to force Noir out. And I think I've got just the thing. Keep him distracted. On my signal, I need you to get out of the way." Max dictated.
"Roger that!" Ibuki playfully saluted.
She turned her attention to the beast. "Hey, ya big sissy! So what's your evil origin story? Didn't get paid well enough to freeze your ass off in Santa's sweat shop?"
The beast turned its head towards her. "What did you just...?"
"Ohhh, no, I'm sorry. You weren't cool enough to actually make the toys, were ya? That attitude tells me you were on...reindeer shit duty. Yeah, that's gotta be it. You've got my sympathies there, dude. I mean, they've gotta have a lot to eat to go around the world in one night. Is that why you're a 'dark' elf? Cuz you're actually covered in--"
"Quiet, you loudmouthed little slut! If I never have to hear another word out of your filthy mouth, it will be far too soon!"
"Your clapbacks need some work, genius. I can tell ya, I've been called *way* worse. Guess Santa didn't hire you for your roasting skills..."
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! What is the point of anything that comes out of your dirty maw?!"
"Sweet nothings, playful teases...distracting you so my boyfriend can wipe you out."
"Hng...?"
Noir turned behind, to see the colossal figure of Ultraman looming, its arms posed in a cross shape. A beam fired out from the vertically-placed arm, enveloping the beast as Ibuki leapt out of the way.
The ephemeral giant faded away. Max approached where the beast had been standing, where all that was left was Calypso's smoldering remains.
"No sign of our friend the elf." he commented. 
"Got any readings, Hugo?" Cindy asked.
"Life signatures and magical readings have ceased." the avian robot answered.
"So either he bit the dust with her, or he hauled ass as quick as he could." Ibuki surmised.
"Given his personality, I would assume the latter." Tabby agreed.
"Hugo, give me an area scan." Cindy requested.
"As you wish, Lady Cynthia." Hugo replied. "...dark elf energy signature detected, heading due northwest."
"Northwest of here is the National Theatre. Probably wants somewhere to lay low and hide." Ibuki surmised.
"Somewhere...or someone. If he finds a crowd of Defense Force agents, or worse, someone with major magic power, we'll be in big trouble. Let's get moving." Max ordered.
The group made their way to the theater building, located in adjacent Shibuya. Hailed as Japan's foremost center for the performing arts and known broadly as the 'Opera Palace', it would usually be housing many an expectant crowd within its walls.
"Place wasn't nearly this deserted last time we were here." Ibuki said.
"You came here before?" Max asked.
"Yeah. It was right after you, uh...left us. We were planning to surprise Barb with it to try cheering her up, but she'd already gone home before we could say anything. Course we still went, cuz the tickets didn't come cheap. It was a real nice time, yeah, but it was so soon after *it* happened that it was kinda hanging in the air."
"Sorry I spoiled the fun."
"Well hey, now that the crew's back together, we can all see a show together, no sadness involved!" Cindy said. "Um, I mean...you guys can all see it together, I'm not trying to insert myself into anything..."
"You can come with if ya want, cinnamon roll. No one's saying ya can't." Ibuki assured.
"Would I, possibly..." Tabby uttered.
"Come on, tabby cat, that's not even a question. Of course you can. You're as much a part of our chaotic family as anyone." 
"You're right, I'm just being silly. Forget I said any--"
A large tendril swung in, striking Tabby in the side before she could finish her thought. She was sent flying through a glass panel, crashing into the main entrance and landing on a stairway.
"Tabs! What the fuck was that?!" Ibuki questioned.
"Oh you've *got* to be shitting me." Max uttered at the sight of what had hit Tabby.
The charred, crumbling corpse that was once Calypso was grumbling, and let out a roar. "GRAAAAAAAWR!"
"Hey birdbrain, I thought you said she was dead?"
"I said I could detect no life signatures. Though in hindsight, her being a reanimated corpse likely had something to do with that..." Hugo responded.
"Dark magic is really funny like that. Guess we're in for Round Two." Cindy added.
Inside the entrance, Tabby got back up. She checked herself, ensuring that she hadn't been injured past the pain in her side. All was good.
"...you are not fond of being hurt, are you?"
Startled, Tabby drew her dagger, looking around for any sign of the voice's source.
"I can read it on your face. In your posture. It's not unlike that of a cat that's just heard a loud noise. The body language of one who has no confidence in their own strength. I will be waiting in the main performance hall. Unless you wish to be fodder for Calypso again?"
Without a word, Tabby gulped. She proceeded onwards.
She entered the expansive main theater, a large collection of seats bearing down on a single stage. On the stage was a single leftover prop: a throne. And sitting on that throne, shadowed by the dimly lit lights, was a single figure. Tabby slowly made her way towards the stage.
 "'Nothing will come of nothing.' Do you know where that comes from?" Noir asked.
"'King Lear'." Tabby replied.
"Right you are. The king, in his burgeoning psychosis, demands that his three daughters proclaim their love for him. The first two sing their undying praises, but the youngest, the one who truly loves him, remains subtle in her affection. Believing that she does not actually return his love, he denounces and disowns her. 'Nothing will come of nothing'. You only get as much as you give in turn. I believe that is an important thing to remember. Particularly for people in our position."
"What do you mean 'our'?"
Noir leaned forward. "The runts of the litter. The rusted cogs in the machine. The weaklings."
"I'm not a--"
"Why didn't you go back outside to help your friends?"
"They're strong. They can handle a corpse."
"Is it because they are strong? Or because you accept that they are stronger than *you*? That you are so averse to pain that you would prefer to take the road with the lower risk of being hurt?"
"I followed you. And you're one of the enemy's generals."
"You followed me because you know that without a protective shell, I am weak. You stand a better chance of emerging unscathed than you would against the hulking revenant who just sent you through a window."
"You're here to kill us. Why are you trying to convince me that we're alike?"
"Because like-minded people can bring out each other's inner strength. Even weaklings. And because the longer you stay among people superior to you, the worse off you're going to be."
"I am *not*. *Weak*."
Noir suddenly shifted behind Tabby. "Then you won't be bothered by what I'm about to do."
She looked behind her. Noir had been singed by the earlier blast. He bit into his arm, enough to draw blood, then flicked the blood onto Tabby's cheek.
"Wha--"
Before she could wipe it off, Noir's ears flared, and he phased into her. She reeled back, before her eyes briefly flashed to resemble his.
"Now...let's peel back the layers, shall we?"
---
The dark elf stood within a sea of clouds, gazing at a long stream of visions, all of them playing out at once. "Hrmm..."
"What are you doing...?" Tabby was behind him.
"Sifting through every vital moment in your lifetime. I am looking for something."
"My head is not for your viewing pleasure! Get--"
Tabby lunged, only for Noir to step out of the way, causing her to fall over.
"Now that I'm occupying your body, I think it's important to show a little bit of hospitality, don't you think? Didn't your parents ever teach you about sharing? You radiate the energy of an only child."
"Hospitality?! You possess my body against my will, then have the audacity to complain about *hospitality*?! What planet are you living on?"
"One with far less mercy than yours, I can assure you. Now how about we start getting to the bottom of this?"
"The bottom of what?"
"The root of your feelings of inadequacy and fear, of course."
"What are you, my therapist? I'm not sharing anything!"
The elf grabbed her face, his eyes glowing. "I'm afraid, my dear, you no longer have a say in the matter. Let's begin the magical mystery tour, eh?"
His eyes flashed, and everything turned white.
---
As quickly as the surroundings brightened, they just as quickly turned black. Everything that appeared against the dark background appeared as if it was hand drawn by an orange crayon. The first thing to appear was a small girl resembling Tabby.
"Precious. Now what could have happened to this poor young thing to make her feel so inadequate?" Noir's voice echoed.
"I'm not partaking in this." Tabby responded.
"As I said before, you have no real choice. I can play your memories like an old DVD. Why not sit back and enjoy the trip down memory lane?"
"You're somehow more annoying now than when you were speaking like Hamlet."
"Now let's see...you look to be around...six years of age here?"
Scrawled next to the young Tabby were her parents. Her mother Margaret on her left, her father Albert on her right.
"And this must be Mommy and Daddy. Of course, how could I not foresee this? How many deep-rooted issues can be traced back to one's parents?"
"Don't you dare bring my parents into this, they have nothing to do with--"
"I believe you yourself are about to prove otherwise."
The pictures began to move, Margaret becoming clearly agitated with Albert, who simply plugged his ears and whistled. As the arguing visually intensified, the young Tabby cowered in the corner, her eyes becoming spirals. She attempted to speak up, but her parents grew larger in size, spacing her out.
"Not a very happy home growing up, was it? Perhaps having a regimented, no-nonsense mother with a flighty, head-in-the-clouds father was a recipe for disaster. They never let you get a single word in, did they?"
"....."
"It must have been so uncomfortable. You rely on them for support and survival, yet here they are at each other's throats. How difficult is it to give unconditional love to two people who can barely stand the sight of one another? I'll bet they have the most *wonderful* things to say about one another when you're alone with one of them."
"Stop talking like you know anything! Parents argue, so what?!"
"With this level of frequency, to this suffocating extent? It must have made traveling to all these exotic places much more sour when you had to listen to them bicker. And true enough, most if not all couples have vocal disagreements. But there's a reason your mind is showing me this."
The drawing changed to show the two adults huffing and looking away from each other. Tabby was in the middle, a despairing shadow over her eyes.
"There was nothing you could do about it. Your family was fractured. And all you could do was sit by and watch it happen. So fragile. So...weak."
"Shut up."
"Part of you believes that they broke up because of you, hm?"
"SHUT UP!"
"Your reaction tells me everything I need to know. You're forgetting where we are, Tabitha. Right now, you're an open book. 'Dad can't stop running around taking me places, and Mum's such a stubborn cow that she won't let him. She's always been so possessive over me. At least I know she cares, unlike a certain someone that follows every fancy that crosses his allegedly big brain. Oh, what am I to do?'" Noir mockingly imitated her.
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
"You're an adult now, aren't you? Why not toss that toxicity to the wayside? Would your life really be that worse off? I can tell you from experience, parents are overrated. But that isn't an option for such a vulnerable cub as you, is it? You still need all the protection you can manage. There are so many dangerous people wearing friendly faces, after all. People like..."
The drawing shifted to Tabby at a café counter. Behind the counter was an unassuming, friendly-looking dark-haired boy.
"...Calvin Nguyen."
".....!" Tabby responded with alarm.
"Oh, if only you could see your face right now. This boy *does* things to you. But he looks like such a charming lad!"
Indeed, the drawing played out to show Tabby and Calvin having a pleasant conversation. Two teenagers giggling over tea. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
"What, oh what, could have gone so horribly wrong here?"
The drawing shifted once more. Tabby was sitting on her bed, cat curled up next to her, as her phone began to ring. Speech balloons began to emerge from the phone, first containing a question mark. Then, more balloons, with more question marks. The balloons quickly became incessant, the question marks replaced with exclamation points. Tabby looked overwhelmed. The cat immediately fled. Calvin himself then came out of the phone, looking angry as expletive-filled black balloons hovered over his mouth. The girl could not have looked more frightened.
"And you thought your mother was possessive."
"Why...why do I have to look at him again...? Even this cartoonish copy makes my stomach turn just from the sight of him..."
"Well that may have more to do with what happens next."
Then came the moment that had filled her nightmares. Calvin ambushing her in her apartment, stabbing her in the stomach and tossing her into the trunk of his car, before driving it into the Thames. He bore the look of a devil not unlike those one would see in a cartoon, but this was anything but humorous.
As she observed the worst moment of her life, played out in mockingly cheery fashion, Tabby shook, and clutched the spot where the knife had been placed. His taunts were all starting to ring true. She was powerless to stop her parents from splitting up. She was powerless to stop Calvin from attacking her. And she was powerless to stop this otherworldly forest demon from broadcasting every single moment for her to see.
It only continued. Her sitting in her hospital bed, listening once more as her parents argued. Ezekiel's attack that ended with Kat taking a stab in her defense. In every instance, she couldn't stop everything bad that was happening around her. All she could do was watch.
"And why can you do nothing?" Noir asked.
"...because I'm weak." Tabby finally confessed. "Because I couldn't speak up for myself, or protect myself. Someone always decided what I would do, or had to step in to protect me. Even with power, I was only getting in the way. Every argument my parents had was over what was best for *me*."
Everything seemed to darken around her.
"I've thought so much about how much happier they would've been without having me around. Nothing I ever did ever seemed to make things better. Not for my parents, not with Calvin, not even for Kat and my friends."
She fell to her knees. "I really am worthless. Even now, I ran because I know I couldn't help anyone. I should have stayed as far from here as possible..."
Noir approached her. "Oh, don't look so sad. Acceptance is the hardest part. I know just what can help you feel better." His eyes let out a menacing glow. "Break down the last of those walls and let me in. You won't have to feel any more pain. I promise I'll take good care of your kitty. Yes...give in to me..."
Everything went completely dark around her. She was prepared to accept that this was probably the end for her. And that it was probably for the best.
She didn't expect to open her eyes again. But she did. Everything had taken on that crayon texture again. Noir was nowhere to be found. What was in front of her, was a large, striped cat.
"What...who are you...?"
"Tabitha. What are you doing, Tabitha?" the cat asked without opening her mouth.
"What are you...?"
"You told me that you wanted strength. That you wanted to be able to live as you wanted. That you weren't going to let someone else dictate how your life was going to go."
"Told you...?"
"Was all of that a lie?! Pretty fluff to impress your friends?! Get your head out of your arse! Don't you understand how consequential this fight is?! The whole world could go up in flames, and you're just going to curl up and accept that?!"
"What can I do? Everyone here is so much stronger than I am...I'm just getting in the way..."
"Then why did you come here?"
"Because...because I..."
"Stop hesitating! Don't you see what's happening?! You're letting someone control you again! This elf cretin is going to use you to hurt your friends, and you're going to stand by and allow it! How have you let it get to this point?! How are you going to let another person do this to you?! Wake up, Tabitha! This is not the time to lose faith!"
"....."
"This is where I draw the line. I refuse to hand over my power to such an insipid fool as this elf! If you have truly been lying to yourself all along, and are perfectly fine with accepting your doom, then admit it right now, and I'll disappear forever. You won't have to struggle any further. But let me show you one thing first. One thing to finally disprove this farcical notion that everyone would be grateful if you disappeared."
A light flashed. When Tabby regained her sight, everything appeared normal. "Hold on...this is..."
It was a rainy, dreary day, and the architecture surrounding her was distinct and colorful, with lion statues decorating the roofs. This was Thailand. She had lived there three years ago.
She caught sight of something. It was her younger self, in a school uniform, holding an umbrella. 
"It's so easy to get lost around here...was it this street, or the next one over..." her past self pondered.
"...*mrawr*..."
"...! What was that?"
Tabby looked, and she noticed she'd been standing next to a gutter. As the steady rain came down around her, she bent down to look for the source of the noise. "Ah...!"
She stuck her hand in, holding the umbrella up with the other, and pulled out a shivering, white kitten with a dark face, distinct blue eyes and matted fur. "Oh, you poor thing! You look so tiny and cold...you shouldn't be in a place like that! Let me get you home, Mum'll know what to do!" 
The girl hurried away. Her present self looked on, the black and orange big cat next to her.
"That was three years ago now. She would have starved or caught an awful illness if you hadn't stumbled across her when you did. Instead, she gets meals and love on the regular from you, princess that she is." the vision dictated.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"You could have ignored those cries. Kept walking, or chalked it up to being caused by the rain. There was nobody else around that day. It was either you, or dying. And I know that little kitten is thankful for it. That's what you've forgotten. Despite all the bickering, your parents love you. Your friends wouldn't have jumped in to defend you at every turn if they didn't love you. But you have to show that their love isn't one-sided. And all of this cowering and giving into despair is showing just that."
The big cat got in closer to Tabby. "Why did you come here, Tabitha?"
"I..."
The cat leaned in. "Why did you come here?"
"...I...wanted to be helpful to someone. I wanted to repay the people that saved me. And I...I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. But I...I'm just so afraid. Afraid of being hurt, afraid I'll make a mistake..."
"Like you're doing right now?"
"....."
"No more excuses, Tabitha. You are here for one reason, and that's to stop a group of monsters from destroying everything. No more hiding beneath cars or waiting for someone else to clean up the mess. They see you as their equal. Stand proudly and act like it!"
".....Eos, I--"
"I am not Eos."
"Huh? But--"
"I gave you that name because I could feel at the time that you were still doubting your place in the world. Your soul has long been mired by conflict. If your desire now is to fight with all you have, then I will reforge our contract. I will tell you who I really am, and unlock every bit of power I've kept hidden from you. But only if you swear to abandon all hesitation. You did not come all this way to cower in fear. We are here to *fight*. So, tell me. Will you let this miserable 'thespian' use you for his own ends? Or are you going to do something about it?"
Outside of this vision, Noir was flustered. "What is this...you were so fragile a minute ago...where is all this resistance coming from?!"
Tabby opened her eyes, glaring at the elf in full yellow. A burst of energy sent him flying away.
He shook his head. "What in the...?!"
She stood up, energy gathering all around her. The big cat appeared next to her. "I've had to relive every awful bit of my life up until now. And you nearly broke me. But I've come back from worse. I wasn't pulled out of the Thames just for you to take everything from me. You tried to make me believe I was weak. Well, you blew it. Now it's *your* turn."
"Wait, s-stop! You can't--"
"We're sharing a body now. Didn't your parents ever teach you about sharing? You combed through my past. How about we find out why *you're* such a pathetic weakling?"
"STAY AWAY FROM ME! I'm nowhere near as pathetic as you!"
"'A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet.' A weakling is a weakling no matter how you want it phrased. That's what you want me to believe, isn't it? So show me everything, my fellow 'weakling'."
"No, NOOOO--"
Everything flashed once more. The crayon imagery resumed, but now, it was showing a smaller Noir, in a forest with several other, more muscular elves. These elves were all laughing, as Noir was suspended from a tree branch by his undergarments.
"Oh, dear. How did this ever happen?" Tabby asked.
"Grrr..." Noir grumbled. "This stupid trial...a test of a dark elf's hunting and foraging abilities once they've reached their thirteenth year."
"Judging from your brethren's reactions, it looks like you didn't do so well. Naturally so, considering our shared weakness."
"Gloat all you want. Oooh, how I HATED those elitist snobs! That tree had been manipulated just so the branches would snap once I stepped on them! All they ever did was laugh at me! I never stood a chance!"
"Oh, but who's this over here?"
In the corner, an elf man and woman both shook their heads, disappointment on their faces.
"Would this be *your* Mum and Dad? They just look so let down by their little boy's inability to climb a tree."
"Don't refer to those people as my parents as if I give a damn! They were the worst of all! Always moping that they, the forest's most skilled hunters, were cursed with an inept progeny! Nothing was ever good enough in their eyes! This was just the crowning glory of public incompetence! You can't possibly imagine how those glances felt!"
"Of course I can't. My parents actually love me."
"Huuuurgh..." Noir's rage was steadily building. "Okay, bitch. You want me to keep sharing? I'LL KEEP SHARING! I'LL SHARE EVERYTHING!"
The image immediately shifted. The young Noir was alone, until he was approached by a figure in a cloak. 
"This was the moment I sought for my entire life. He had heard tale of a dark elf with no aptitude for nature and sought me out himself. Johnathan O'Donnell. He told me everything I wanted to hear. 'Isn't the burden of expectation the worst? How do these people--this forest--make you feel?' And so I spoke to him true."
"'I want to see this forest BURN!'"
"His face curled into a smile. 'Okay. I can have that arranged.'"
"He promised me power, and freedom from my misery, in exchange for fealty. I agreed without hesitation. And then that night..."
The image changed, to a forest in flames. The young Noir, bearing a devilish look, cackled.
"I silenced their laughter with my own!"
Before Tabby knew it, the surroundings changed again. They were back in the theater.
Noir's pupils had grown smaller. He was hunched over. "Heh...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well, was it to your liking, my fellow weakling?! Was it everything you wanted and then some?! Yes, I am the last of my clan! Me! The forest's embarrassment! I stood, watched, and laughed as all those who tormented me turned to ashes! A gift most glorious from Lord Johnathan! And with that, I was freed! Freed to make the 'strong' powerless before me, as their every gift became mine to wield! The mightiest among mankind gave me a chance at revenge! How could I not see such a man as a deity worthy of worship?! Ahahahaha..."
"You really are a monster...no different from the rest of your pack. I can't let you walk out and wreak any more havoc. I'll stop you, here and now." 
"HA! You?! The girl who was about to soil her pants five minutes ago?! You're probably going to kill me with all this laughter before you can even attempt to lay a finger on me, my fellow--"
"No. I'll say it clearly for you this time. I might not have the experience of the others, but I'm not a weakling. I didn't have to sacrifice everything to look strong, like you did. I don't need to parrot others. I am Tabby Fairweather. And I'm going to be the one to drop the curtains on your miserable act."
"Fine then, dear tabby cat! Let us bring on the requiem! I was going to have a grand time, forcing your friends to have to fight you! But I'll have an even grander time watching you writhe in agony, here and now!"
Horrid, dark power surged around Noir, as his body began to transform and expand. His face became more wolf-like, his hair becoming more unkempt. His legs disappeared into the shadows on the ground, as his emaciated body lengthened to resemble that of a serpent. His hands grew out to massive size, as claws extended out from his fingertips. The look of pure madness washed over his face, as he towered over his opponent.
"DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE! FIRE BURN, AND CAULDRON BUBBLE! BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES!" he bellowed out.
Tabby relaxed her body, and took a breath. She drew her dagger. "No hesitation now. Let's bring this charade to a close. Come on out, Lady of the Forest! Lend me your strength, Maid Marian!"
Materializing next to her was a pale woman with curled blonde hair, wearing green 'archery' gear reminiscent of the medieval era, with a green cap that had a single feather sticking out of it. She wielded a narrow sword, and had glowing yellow eyes.
"'Away to heaven, respective lenity. May fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!'"
"HAVE AT THEE, MEWLING WENCH!" Noir brought one of his arms down in a hammer motion towards Tabby. Rather than leap out of the way, she vanished in a burst of green wind just before his fist crashed against the ground. She reappeared in the air, spinning her dagger in her hand, before flinging it at the side of the elf's head.
"Urf...!" he reeled. "So annoying!" He swung again at Tabby, who was still floating in the air, and she disappeared again.
"Perhaps if you weren't so sluggish and lumbering?"
His eyes darted upwards. She was standing on his head. "Top of the morning!"
He brought his hands together in an attempt to quash her in between them. "Obnoxious little mosquito!"
"Ah ah ah."
He looked down this time, and now she was standing in front of him.
"And here I was led to believe that elves were a nimble folk. If you seriously can't keep up with an eighteen-year old science major, it's no wonder your clan made fun of you."
"Silence, wench!"
"I'm willing to bet your parents must be shaking their heads watching this, even now."
"I'LL SEND YOU TO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF, YOU SODDING COW!"
Noir plunged his hands into the ground, pulling it apart and forming a spacial rift. Slowly clawing their way out from the rift was a horde of dark purple-hued remnants of the living dead, many of them wearing scraps of uniforms resembling those worn by the Defense Force. They lurched toward Tabby.
She took a step back.
"(Fear not. For you are never truly alone. Call for me.)" her inner self advised.
"Right. No more hesitation." She nodded. The Persona appeared behind her. The translucent woman brought out a flute from thin air, then began to play an uplifting tune. Wind concentrated in several spots, and from those bursts came a number of men with varying figures, some wearing tunics and chainmail, others in robes, one in particular appearing to be a clergyman. All of them wielded weapons ranging from bows, to swords, to maces and daggers. Chief among them was a man in a green tunic, wielding a bow, possessing a goateed face curled into a confident smirk.
"Say hello to my Merry Men, Sir Monstrosity. A band that has more than a few feelings about forest-dwelling miscreants. Gentlemen, if you would teach them some manners?" Tabby requested.
With their assortment of weaponry, the band began to clear out the monsters, leaving Tabby to focus on their looming overlord. "You know, the longer this goes on for, the less intimidating you are. Any more tricks you'd like to share with the class?"
"Will you shut that incessant trap of yours! I've seen the inside of your head, and I know this bravado is just you parroting your friend the cat thief! A weakling using laughter as a shield is still a weakling!"
"Maybe you're right on that. Maybe I am emulating Kat a bit. It was her that told me to live my own life, and make my own choices. It was my choice to come here and fight you on my own."
"Your choice was to DIE!" Noir extended his arm towards Tabby.
"My choice was to SHUT YOU UP!" Her Persona manifested in front of her, and unleashed a series of swift, almost unnoticeable sword strikes. The fiend's arm was severed from his body, falling to the ground in four pieces that oozed corrupted energy.
"Hah...ah...?" Noir uttered. "AAAAAARGH! IT HUUURTS! IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!"
"Now who's the one 'afraid of being hurt'?"
Her growing confidence was quickly halted when she was grabbed from behind. Noir's detached hand, still under his control, had grabbed her.
"I WILL KILL YOU! I WON'T BE SATISFIED UNTIL EVERY LAST THING THAT MAKES YOU UP IS EXPUNGED FROM THE EARTH! AND THEN, WITH YOU REDUCED TO NOTHING, I WILL FINALLY--FINALLY- BE ABLE TO STAND AMONGST THOSE BRUTES AS THEIR EQUAL! I WILL BECOME--"
"'Strong'?"
"HNG?"
"So you want to kill me because it'll make you look stronger? But don't you see me as being weak? That's all you've been saying from the beginning. What would that wolf man think of you being so prideful in beating a weakling? What that tells me is one of two things. Either you believe that you're that much weaker than me..."
Winds gathered around Tabby. "...or in your heart of hearts, you actually think I'm strong!"
More cuts and slashes, as the large hand was sliced into pieces, freeing her. The phantom men all appeared around Noir. "Oh, Merry Men~?"
The phantoms all took turns attacking the transformed elf: bashing his head with a mace, piercing his sides with arrows, breaking a bottle of beer over his head. Maid Marian appeared next to Tabby. 
"(Are you ready?)" her voice echoed.
"Yeah. Let's bring the curtain down!" Tabby grabbed hold of her dagger. She and the ephemeral maiden charged at Noir, and at a rapid rate, slashed around the entirety of his massive frame, ending it off with a flourish before landing behind him. In moments, Noir was split into several pieces.
As his head fell to the ground, thoughts raced through it. "(Am I...am I...dying? Lord Johnathan, I don't...I don't want to die...I'm scared to die...I'm scared they'll be waiting for me...no...)"
Before it could hit the floor, the head stopped. "NO. I won't...I won't die like this!"
"Hm?!" Tabby uttered in shock.
"I refuse to be sent to the silent beyond in such a pathetic manner...to someone so feeble! I won't give them the satisfaction!"
"'Them'?"
"Don't you see it? Their gaze...their endless judgement...waiting for me to expire so they can drag me away themselves! I refuse to look behind me, for I know what awaits me on the other side!"
"What are you talking about...? There's no one..."
"(To our eyes, there is nobody. This is something only he can see...vengeful wraiths from beyond.)" her other self replied.
Behind Noir was something only he could sense: the shadowed figures of numerous dark elves, sitting in the audience and silently observing.
"They've come to steal my soul...I won't give them what they want! Away with you, all of you! Return to the flames of eternity from whence you came! I...won't...di--"
His tirade was halted when the Persona's blade, thrown from distance, impaled him.
---
"Why, my son...? Why...have you murdered us?"
The elven warrior lay amongst the foliage as everything around him--trees, grass, homes--burned. Standing over him was a young Noir.
"Because you called me weak! Because everyone in this village looked down on me, and you did nothing! You refused to see my strength, so I found someone who did! So as you roast away into the dirt, tell me something, Father...am I still weak?!" he demanded with a crazed look in his eyes.
"Your 'weakness'...was never about your physical strength...your actions here...only give all of it credence...you will live...to regret--"
A fireball came down upon the elf, with him and everything around him erupting in a pillar of flame.
"Blah blah blah, put a cork in it, will ya?" Johnny appeared, and let out a whistle. "Ahh, nothing like the smell of burning wood, huh kiddo? Maybe we should find a nice camping spot around here...but you're probably tired of the woods by now, huh?"
"Yes, take me far away from here! I want to be strong!"
"Easy there, short stuff. You've already outlasted the rest of these LARPers. That proves you were stronger all along, right? Survival of the fittest and all that good shit."
"But what did he mean by me still being weak?"
"Pfft, like a dead man's words mean a thing. They'd been putting you down all your life, what's one last bit of criticism mean? Diddly squat, that's what. Now come on. We're gonna be redefining what 'strong' means where we're going..."
---
As Noir ended his vision with one last triumphant stance over what remained of his father, his severed head lay motionless, his child self replaced with Tabby.
"Is he...?" she questioned.
"Over here, I think I heard something!"
"Hey, Tabby! Tabby, we're here to--oh." Ibuki ran in, Max and Cindy close behind.
Tabby gave a wave. "Hello."
"Are...are you okay?" Cindy asked as the group ran over.
"I'm okay. As much as I can be."
"What's with the freaky wolf head?" Ibuki asked.
"That is our friend the thespian elf. What's left of him."
"Jeez...we finally got through Calypso and came here as quick as we could. But...looks like we didn't need to." Cindy said.
"It took all three of us to finally get her to stop moving. And here you are taking the puppetmaster down by yourself. So much for all that self-doubt." Max said.
"I'll say! You're awesome, Tabs! Way to stick it to that freak!" Ibuki exclaimed.
"Oh, you don't have to hype me up...ahehehe..." Tabby scratched her head, blushing ever so slightly. "All it really took was finally letting go of everything I was afraid of. I could've stayed home and forgotten everything, but I chose to come help you all. I don't have to be scared anymore. I know I can do things on my own now."
"That's my girl! I knew you had it in ya!" Ibuki grabbed her by the shoulders in an embrace.
"....." Cindy pondered over Noir's motionless head.
"Something on your mind?" Max asked.
"No, I'm just thinking over all the times we had to deal with this guy. I always thought he was annoying, either with the possession act, or changing up his speech patterns every so often. After a while I kinda felt sorry for him."
"Sorry for a loonie like this?" Ibuki questioned.
"Don't get me wrong, he was as messed-up as the rest of Johnny's bunch. But he felt to me like someone that really didn't know what he was. All the acts, being light for a dark elf...I don't think he ever got a chance to find who he really was. And then the worst person he could've ran into comes along. I just wonder what he could've been like if the circumstances were different."
"I get where you're coming from, but I learned a long time ago not to think about what-ifs too hard. We gotta deal with the hand we're given and make the most of it. Look ahead instead of behind you. Right, Maxie?" 
"I hear that." Max agreed.
"After seeing what's inside of his head..." Tabby began, "I don't know if I could feel sorry for him. 'Pity' is probably the better word. Bad circumstances don't excuse bad actions. And bad actions come with consequences. Whatever he--"
"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Noir suddenly sprang to life.
"Aaaah! What the--?!" Cindy jumped.
"Son of--!" Ibuki drew her bow.
"Wait, hold on!" Tabby urged.
"NO, STOP! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Noir yelled.
From his perspective, he was being dragged out of his body by the phantom elves, towards a dark portal.
"NO, PLEASE! GET AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO! I--"
He slowly recognized the faces of the two elves grabbing hold of him: the charred visages of his parents. The other elves, too, had been burned.
"NO, NO, NO, NO! LORD JOHNATHAN, HELP ME! HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME! DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME! I DID EVERYTHING YOU SAID! I PROMISED TO SERVE YOU UNTIL THE END OF TIME! I DON'T WANT TO GO, PLEASE DON'T LET THEM STEAL ME AWAY! I DON'T WANT TO DIE, I DON'T--"
With one last tug, the shadow elves ripped Noir's soul out and dragged it into the void. His screaming ceased. His eyes completely dimmed, and his head fell motionless.
Everyone left was stunned. Tabby approached the head.
"The rest...is silence." she somberly concluded.
---
Sitting on a rooftop AC unit, Johnny looked unenthused.
"...hunh. Well, can't say I'm shocked. Anyone could've snapped you like a twig, Noi. Gonna suck not having your overshadow shtick."
"Not giving a care after a comrade dies, John?" Bobbi appeared behind where he sat. "Amazing how nothing's changed after all this time."
"Not like you haven't seen it a thousand times before. What's one more?" Commander Max, in his armor, hovered in front of Johnny.
Johnny's expression didn't change. "Just couldn't hold your excitement, could ya?" He got up. "Aw, screw it. I've already tossed the script for this out the window. I'm not gonna say no to putting you both in the dirt early."
He cracked his knuckles. "Well, little bro, baby sis. I think we all agree this scrap is way overdue. Let's give the people what they want, eh?"