Julian's Hollow Shell (Prime Awakening)

Wha...? Was that... Julian's Dad? No... Something was off... Clearly. Why was he in here in the first place? "J-Julian?!" Mae gently took Julian's free hand in her own. What was going on? Judging by how Julian acted, he had no idea either. "Don't l-let his words get to you..." She whispered, the grip around her naginata tightening... She wasn't afraid. The reason behind her voice shaking was fury... She hated trashtalkers above all else. All they did was drag other people down without contributing ANYTHING what so ever!

She would glare furiously at the Fragment, the kind and calm Mae was gone... Qilin's flames burned more intensively than before. "Shut your trap! How can you say things like that to your OWN SON?!" Even though she knew that this was most likely not the real father of Julian, it still pissed her off. "Oh, don't be sorry. I wanna kick this thing into the next century as much as you do! So let's give it all we got! QILIN!"


"Urgh! I've had enough of you! GO AWAY!!!" She shouted at the Fragment, bright, blue flames shot out at her enemy. She hated this. Why couldn't this thing just stop tormenting Julian like this? Well... It wasn't showing any signs of shutting up, so they would have to do that process for him... it would seem. And Mae would not want it any other way...

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    He could probably scream at this thing. In fact, he knew he could. But that wouldn't calm him down any nor help the situation. The copy would probably just use his words against him and turn this into even more mental warfare than it already was.

    Oh but how he wanted to scream.

    He could probably throw out that Matthew never once alluded to or claimed once that he was a waste of anything. He could probably mention the thing was giving no proof of its claims, just hurtful words and stinging remarks through a familiar face. He could shout at the thing to stop trying to sound sincere, because it wasn't working. ...Well, wasn't working as well as it hoped it would, probably. Julian actually mentally stumbled for a second at its sober expression and nearly heartfelt comments. The anger came right back as he reminded himself that this was not his dad, this was not the time to be getting sentimental, and someone was using Matthew's face to get a rise out of him. Not to mention the fact that whatever the hell this was just tried to attack him. Oh, boy, did that anger come back.

    "You know, I think we actually agree on something here." A wide yet cold grin stretched Julian's mouth upwards.

   

    As if that hostility had become tangible, both Julian and his persona seemed to crackle with energy, slight pops of light visible here and there as the air became heavy. Alright, he'd had quite enough of this. The sooner this imposter was dealt with, the sooner he and Mae could get out of here and move on.

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"No matter what, we'll never give up, you hear me!?" Mae said fiercely. It didn't seem like this clone of Julian's father cared much for her at all. He was entirely focused on Julian... It did make sense however. After all, this was Julian's trial. Mae had just hopped on, in an attempt to be of some use to her friend.

"Ah! Julian! You okay?!" Mae screamed, worried that he had gotten seriously hurt or something. Luckily, he seemed to be unfazed by whatever his "father" had tossed at him. "Geez... Don't make me worry like that..." With a slight pout, she returned her gaze towards their adversary. "Julian. Let's prove him wrong. None of his time have been wasted on you. You're quite the gentleman... I can vouch for that. Now then..." Qilin stood next to Mae, her eyes focused on the Fragment. "You know what needs to be done, right?"


Qilin's voice carried a tone of animosity Mae had never previously heard before. Perhaps she was growing tired of this escapade too... Her persona let loose another fire blast at the fragment, possibly damaging him further... What happens after that... well... That all depends on how the fragment would retaliate... Would it keep focusing on Julian, or would Mae finally catch it's attention?

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    He didn't even think twice about stepping directly into the copy's path and shoving him away from Mae. Whether or not it was because it was startled or just had bad aim, he wasn't sure, but Julian was pleased to see the tool make a wide arc away from either of them.

    "Now this just proves it." the teen muttered to himself with grim satisfaction. His dad would never be so violent or attempt to throw his weight around like that. This was just the tiny bit of proof Julian needed to erase the doubts lingering at the back of his head.

    Before anyone could make a move, Jak quite literally flung himself at the doppelganger, most likely sending it toppling to the ground if he aimed right. WeLL wEll WeLl nOw, LoOKsiE HeeeEEERe! the persona cackled in a broken voice, pointed canines gnawing at his lips as he peered at the fake with wide, shimmering eyes. "LEEeeet'S sEe whAT You'Re MaDe of nowWwWw~." With that, Jak dug his nails right in "Matthew's" face, almost as if he was trying to pry it apart at the cracks. "WhAT LiES beNeaTh I wonNNdEr~?!"

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Mae hid behind Julian, shivering a bit as his persona went to work. Why did he have to act so creepily? Well, Julian had stepped in and attempted to stop the blow from the fragment, which she was very thankful for. "Thanks, Julian." She said, trying to put on a brave face. She couldn't let these things scare her. Not anymore. After Jack was finished with his handywork, Mae and Qilin followed up with an attack of their own. "Stop tormenting Julian like this!" She screamed off the top of her lungs as Qilin's flames erupted all over the Fragment. All she could do at this point was pray that this would soon be over... After all, that madman had attempted to hit her... One of these times, he was going to be successful... Unless they stopped him there and then.

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    The damage done, Springheel Jak sprung off of the man, curiously observing him fall to pieces. Julian, however, took the second that they were free to look over his companion, gently grasping her shoulders and studying her face. "You alright?" he asked quietly. He was pretty sure he'd blocked that blow, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

    After receiving her response, the teen gave Mae a short nod before turning back to the thing that mimicked the appearance of his dad. It was kind of pitiful to watch it crumble, actually. He knew it was a fake. He knew it wasn't really his dad. But still, it looked so similar, and the way it was talking right now...God, if it would've spoken like that in the beginning, Julian might, just might've been fooled.

    But it wasn't him. He shouldn't feel bad for it...right?

    It was difficult to shut out everything the copy was saying. He didn't want to listen when it said "he" was causing this. He didn't want to memorize the fact that another Emmilene and Casper--no doubt ones just like this "dad" he'd finished defeating--were in this place. He didn't want that small little piece of him to warm up at those words of trust and praise.

    He shouldn't care. He shouldn't let any of this bother him. Because in the end, this thing wasn't real, it wasn't-

    // ?! //

    What the...hell...?

    The teen grasped at his chest moreso in shock than in any real pain, eyes widening at the snap he felt inside. What the fuck was that? It was as if something...broke inside of him. Made him feel...lighter. Freer. Almost more...content.

    ...Didn't this "Matt" say something about being a part of him? Could that and this feeling be related...?

    While Julian was busy mulling over what the fake version of his father said, Jak stood up, brushing dust and ceramic shards from his coat. By now, the ferocity had long since ebbed from his face, leaving him looking like quite the demure young gentleman. Well, he would have if it wasn't for his insane towering height and violet skin. After a good ten seconds of patting debris from his clothes, he straightened his tie and looked around, his frame freezing as his gaze landed on Mae and her persona. Almost as if embarrassed, his mouth twitched upwards in an awkward, shy little smile as he edged away from the two and closer to his owner.



    Pausing a moment to let the feeling subside, Julian straightened and turned to Mae. "So...Guess we better get started on looking for this 'block nine'." If that's where the source of all of this was hiding, that's where they needed to go, right? Of course, it would've been nice if they actually had some kind of idea where these "blocks" were, but hey, at least they had some idea of what they were going to face. So, if "Matt" was to be trusted and if he was telling the truth, they were possibly going to meet up with Casper, Emmilene, and...himself? Most likely another copy. ...Great.

    "Ready to head out?" Once he receive the all clear from Mae, he'd lead her and their personas out the door they'd entered through, back to the rom they'd arrived in, and out to a different hallway.

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Mae looked at the crumbling man before her, listening to his words as bits and pieces of his broken and shattered body fell to the floor. It really was a pitiful sight, but at the same time, what the Fragment said sounded alot more 'father-like' than before. It really was a big contrast compared to how he had been acting mere moments before. Maybe defeating it changed the Fragment's attitude or something. "Yeah... I'm okay." Mae said with a faint smile on her lips before turning back to the Fragment.

Wait... Was Casper-kun in here as well? And who was the other person he mentioned? Julian's Mother? No... But she would have to find out eventually, did she not? After all, she wanted to help Julian through this ordeal. Mae owed him at least that much. "W-What about you? Are you hurt?" Mae asked him in return. What the Fragment said about blocks made no sense at all... but she assumed a block... was a room much like this one. Perhaps they would stumble upon the other two fragments by mere chance...

"This is something you have to face... I... think it's for the best if we find the other two before going after your clone... Just to make sure everything is finishe beforehand." But in the end, it was Julian who was calling the shots here. If he wanted to go after his Shadow and end this early, then all Mae could do was just follow him.

Mae smiled sheepishly at Jak. "Ehehe... Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." It was just something she had to get used to. They were going to spend the next couple of hours together, after all. "If that's what you want to do, that is fine by me..." She smiled at Julian. "You lead the way, Juli-kun."


"Yeah. Let's..." Mae said slowly, as she followed Julian outside the door. "So... What's your dad really like?" She asked curiously while they were walking through the club at a faster pace this time around. "He's not that scary in person, is he...?" Somehow, Mae doubted that. Had the real Matt Remming been that violent, Julian wouldn't be the way he was today. Abusive parents had a big effect on how a child turned out. Ayane sure would've turned out differently had it not been for the government. Her father, Hanbei Masuo, was accused of assault one day at the pub... and her mother had died in a car accident months earlier.

Hanbei had been drinking heavily since his wife's passing, and grew violent at home. And thus, after he was put in jail to pay for his crimes, Ayane was sent to the orphanage where she met Mae. Years passed, and well... Hanbei's behaviour wasn't getting any better. It wasn't until the age of thirteen when Ayane found out that her father had died in his prison cell... The reason why Ayane was acting so upbeat and happy was to hide her dark past from others. Mae was the only one who she truly trusted, seeing as they had been friends since the age of five... Oh, how things would've been different if that car crash hadn't happened... But there's nothing bad that doesn't bring something good with it in the long run... Now that she had seen the Fragment of Julian's father... Mae started to wonder where her real parents were... Perhaps she would find them one day...

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    Alright, they were clear on that front. Good to know she'd made it unscathed out of that fight. Mae was his support system; if she fell, that was bad news on all ends. Besides, he asked her to come along. While she knew it could be dangerous, he'd feel terrible if something happened to her while she was in here, especially since this was all tied to him somehow. He shook his head lightly in response, assuring her that he was fine himself. Not exactly 100% fine thanks to his last attack, but he knew that strength would start to come back as soon as he started walking.

    Her concerns on the other "people" apparently hiding out in this place were valid. This place was his, right? A chance to grow, as Rita claimed? Maybe exploring as much as he could or dealing with them all would be the best course of action. Besides, maybe the others would cough up some information on this "fake" like Matthew had. ...Hm...it was worth a shot. "You have a point." bringing a hand up to his chin in thought, he rested the other on his hip, letting out a slight hum. "The only thing is that we have no idea where this 'block nine' is. These rooms are most likely 'blocks', but there aren't any numbers or anything on them as far as I can tell. We're going to be pretty much wandering for a while and hope we get lucky." It wasn't the best plan, hell, it was a pretty awful plan in his opinion, but they didn't really have much choice unless they stumbled upon a map or something. ...Heh, wouldn't that be convenient? A map...

    Julian chuckled under his breath at the thought before he moved to the door, opening it for Mae before following her and quickly regaining the lead.Well, no better time to start.

    "Hm? The teen tilted his head at the sound of Mae's voice, dropping back a step in order to walk side by side. Oh. That's what she wanted to know? ...Hm, it made sense. She'd never met the real Matthew, after all. How could she know the difference? "Not at all." He shook his head with a grin. "My dad's hardly that antagonistic. He's much more easy-going and lethargic." He cocked his head to the side for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Looks the same as that one did, though. They sounded the same too. I guess they even had the same hobbies." That copy had been fiddling with something mechanical earlier, right? Heh, just like Matt always did. When he wasn't sleeping, of course. How that guy managed to find dates as easily as he did, Julian would never know...

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"As long as we don't end up walking in circles, we should find your doppelgänger eventually, no?" Mae said thoughtfully. "So... We should pay attention to where we have been." Not that they were in a huge risk of getting lost, but it never hurts to be careful. Mae walked through the door, and carefully made a mental note to not walk back this way. Before she moved on, Mae carved a large X on the door before they continued on. "We don't know how much of a labyrinth this is going to end up being... So I suggest we mark out doors that we have walked through before. Just so we know where we have been. It never hurts being careful." Especially in a place like this, where everything that was moving around on it's own was out to kill you.

"Phew, that's a relief. Imagine growing up with someone like that fake as their real father... That would be the worst... " She probably couldn't stand something like that for very long herself. But if the real Matt Remming was even half as nice as Julian described him, that's a huge improvement over that fragment. "So... Who's this Emmilene person?" She would ask next with a curious expression. What a nice name. Emmilene...

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    "She's the woman who gave me my persona." No need to beat around the bush here. Why shouldn't Mae know about her? After all, Mae might need to look around alternate Penecia herself one of these days. She should have an idea who to talk to in case that ever happened. "She lives in an alternate world; the alternate Penecia, actually." He paused to kick a particularly busted piece of an X-box out of his path. "Right now, that world is at war. She's the commander for one side, their 'champion'. Lately, though, things aren't looking too hot over there." Hm...should he mention the information he learned now, or save it? Mae would be useful on that mission, given her particular strengths...then again, this place was their worry, not that mission. Best to take things one at a time for now. "Obviously, the one we'll run into here will no doubt he just like that version of my dad we ran into--that is, twisted and fake--but I did fight Emmilene once, for sparring practice. She used some of the same attacks I do, plus magic like yours." Yeah...fire magic. The teen winced slightly, and Jak, easily catching onto what his master thought, made of expression of equal distaste. "Not exactly good for us, I'm afraid."

    The persona, which had been trailing behind everyone else, muttered something lowly. Mae would be able to tell he spoke, but not make out any distinct words. But Julian's link with Jak had grown stronger, and his words echoed easily in his head. // That is one way to put it, I suppose...

    "C'mon, Jak, don't mope. We'll be fine. I bet this one won't be the same; maybe she'll use different tactics." Which was a plus and a negative. Good because they didn't have to deal with his weakness, bad because they had no idea what to expect.

    The demon, on his part, seemed mildly appreciative of the comforting words. His lips quirked upwards in that shy, awkward way of his. To his benefit, the smiling thing seemed to be getting easier for Jak. Maybe Julian was a good influence on him.

    Pleased at the sight, Julian focused his gaze ahead, only to stop and hold out an arm to keep Mae from moving forwards. He could see something up ahead. An enemy? Most likely. In that case, they could either go around or fight. The first wasn't an option, of course; this was a one-way hallway, and there were no turn-offs ahead. Besides, even if they ventured forwards in the vain hope they'd find one, no doubt that thing would see them before they could make it.

    The teen whispered to Mae, "Do you see it?" Once he received an affirmative from her, he'd continued on hushed tones. "Alright. Before it sees us, let's get the drop on it. Better deal with it now rather than later, right?" Readying Daemon in his hand, Julian tensed before glancing back at Jak and mouthing, "Go."

    The demon needed no further prompting, and immediately sprang forwards, his gentlemanly demeanor gone and replaced with the feral smile he wore in their earlier battle.

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"She did? Oh... That's actually... very interesting. What's she like?" Mae asked curiously. She sounded like a very respected individual. And considering what Mae had seen from the War-torn world that was Alternate Penecia, being a commander there... Quite an impressive feat... "I've actually been to Alternate Penecia once... Remember how you saved me? Well, I've done the same now. It was a first year student named Hikaru... We saved him from his shadow  self. I'm a little sad he had to go through all that though... But I guess having an extra set of hands is... sort of a good thing in the long run?"

"If it's fire, I got you covered, so I wouldn't worry too much about that, Juli-kun!" She beamed at him brightly, while tip-toeing her way forward, careful not to trip on something. "Well... If the clone uses different tactics... that comes with it's own risk... Makes her way less predictable..." Mae wasn't sure which was better. She could cover for Fire attacks herself pretty well, thanks to Qilin. "Right now, we should focus on finding the clones first."

"Huh?" Mae stopped at Julian's signal, looking directly ahead. A Shadow. Just their luck huh? Of course things wouldn't be that simple.


Qilin stopped right beside Mae, with her glowing eyes focused on the shadows ahead. "It sure looks that way... Our only way past the shadows is through them. Let's take em out before they even have a chance to react!" The girl's grip around her weapon tightened, before she realised something. Those attacks he had unleashed on that fake earlier had caused some damage to him as well. Worried, Mae stopped Julian mid-run, by tugging at his sleeve. "Wait! Before we engage them... Here. Just in case." A warm green light seemed to pulse around Julian for a second, healing him ever so slightly. "There, now we're ready. There's no need to thank me. Now, let's take 'em out!"


Qilin joined Julian as the group ambushed the unsuspecting shadows. Hopefully these shadows weren't too tough. As long as She was together with Julian here, things should be okay. After all, the two worked together very well. "Let's finish this quickly! I'll heal you if you need it, so don't hold back! Give em all you got!"

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