Hot Night (Lucen Zort's Awakening)

Evenings in the Sunlake Palms district had been a silent calm with its purpose as a residential area. One could say it was a boring area, but it was that silence and unexcited air about it that was necessary for others. Endymion's heart was vibrant and full of movement, sometimes that can be tiring for many. Because of this, Sunlake Palms can be seen as a needed respite from the daily activities.

It was a quiet night like many others, with the way illuminated by the solitary streetlights. With the peace kept for many years, what could possibly happen now?

Lucen walked down the streets of Sunlake Palms, absentmindedly flipping a coin through the air. Another day is done, and I've made enough to get by. Though, some people have either been getting lucky or learned enough to track my coins. I might want to step up the base difficulty, or change to something else for a while. Lucen stopped in his tracks and exhaled.

He muttered to himself, "Is this really what I want to do with my life? Sure, its safer than scavenging, but there isn't really any challenge to it." It had become somewhat monotonous lately, and Lucen itched for something riskier in his life. The bland lifestyle he had forged for himself was simple. Lucen shook his head and continued slowly down the street. I'll think about it tommorrow.

For all the soul-searching in this individual, it may be to no avail at this present time. Yet, these unfortunate times had a will to cut his life short. There was an indescribable howl from behind him. The streetlights flickered on and off as if hailing the dark shadowy figure that stood behind him and now before his eyes if he turned. Nothing in all of his years on this Earth would ever allow him to perceive. It started to move towards him with, almost with hunger.

Shit. It's supposed to be safe here. Lucen hadn't managed to survive scavenging just by being lucky. After a while, you pick up an innate sense of danger, and the capability to notice the somewhat unusual. An uneasy presence meant that a demon might be nearby, and it was best to cut your loses and run. Lucen fished a coin out of his pocket and flipped it away so that it would rebound onto some trash cans in an alley. Hopefully the demon, if it was one, wasn't too smart and would get distracted by the coin. In the mean time, Lucen moved as quickly and as silently as he could away from the foreboding presence.

Certainly a small distraction may have sufficed for some of the less intelligent demons around. Trying to run away was definitely the choice to make. Humans on their own were not capable of fending off demons. The mass of black hurtled towards the trash can at first, angrily tearing through a plethora of refuse and aluminum. But it wouldn't take long for it to realize it was a distraction. While the mess would mask the smell, there was only one way through this street and it could still see him.

It howled in annoyance, starting to chase after him on foot. As fast as Lucen may have tried to be, it closed the distance quicker than he could see before toppling him over to the asphalt. No matter how much Zort may have tried to struggle to escape its grasp, human strength alone cannot suffice for this situation.

Yet, hope has not disappeared on him. Slowly, he was beginning to see its true facade. A scarlet mongrel with a hunger for his flesh, starting to salivate as it began to open its maw.


Soft whispers started to enter his brain. The seed that had been planted inside him five years ago began to sprout. It released in full splendor, forcing the demon to howl as it was pushed back. Lucen could now stand, but this time an otherworldly figure he has not seen before appeared near him. To him, it was almost like seeing an old friend. Someone so familiar and now it was someone to protect him from the demon's influences.

He would soon realize his appearance had changed as well as a result of his potential beginning to bloom.

Spoiler:

Lucen panted as he stood up. An unknown but familiar sense of knowledge filled him, and he stood straight and faced the demon before him. "If there is no one else here, and if it isn't going to leave me alone, I guess I'll have to deal with it." Lucen fished a coin out of his pocket, noting the grey undersuit and green suit he now wore. I'll deal with it later. More disconcerting were the chains around his wrist. Lucen flipped the coin in the air, with it stopping at the peak of its arc, plumetting downward and shattering the chains on his wrist. "Come, Sylph!" An elegant woman with a noble air appeared beside him. "Let's show this dog he is not welcome here."

Garm, Level 3:

As the battle began, Lucen would notice a solid noise hitting the asphalt near him. Near his very feet was a gun and some ammunition.

Spoiler:

"Well, this is unusual. But no matter." Lucen kicked the gun up into his hands, then made a snapping gesture with his fingers. With that done, Sylph gathered a small tornado in her hands, before releasing it. It spun in the air, spitting out a blade of wind to hopefully slice into the demon, before the torando grew in size with small gusts circling around Lucen.

Spoiler:

Attack:

Yup. 17 damage still, my bad.

The blades of wind arced into the demon, carving small furrows into its skin and pushing it slightly back. The demon growled, before releasing a blast of energy with a ferocious bark. The bolt of energy hurtled over the distance before slamming into Lucen. "Ooph" Lucen releases a hiss of air as he wasn't able to twist out of the way of the energy blast. "That is going to hurt in the morning. Of course, not as much as you are going to be in the morning you mutt." Sylph gathered a large disk of wind in her hands as she hovered above Lucen. She then threw the disk in a curving arc at the demon, wind scything through the air, gaining rotational speed as it drew on the last remnants of the tornado. "You aren't welcome here. Get lost!"

Stats:

Attack:

"Well this is new." Lucen averted his eyes as soon as the demon's began glowing. "Nothing good comes from glowing eyes. It hasn't been reacting much to the bursts of wind, so I guess it should chill out!" Sylph cupped her hands in front of her as a chunk of ice formed in her hands. Then, a swift tornado formed, shattering the ice and hurling all of the shards on a collision course towards the demon.

Stats:

Attack:

Experience Earned:

With the demon banished and after that voice had spoke all it had, all was silence. There was no way for the new Persona User to perceive where it was coming from, but there was a sense that whoever spoke those words were gone. Tonight, fate would back away from Lucen. His life was spared at this moment. But, would he have the courage to continue to allow potential to bloom and learn the truth of this city? Perhaps time will tell...