Deceptive Appearances [Gozai's Awakening]

It was readily apparent to Julius that Class Zero was growing exponentially in size (relatively speaking). There'd been a steady influx of new recruits who each arrived in quick succession one after another, undergoing the ritual and succeeding sometimes effortlessly in their trial. It was promising yet simultaneously perplexing. While he could certainly grasp and appreciate it on a rational level, every now and then he couldn't help but feel like a fish out of water, as if he'd woken up one day to greet a world entirely different from the one he knew. It was hard to believe at times that this was the same Class Zero that restored Order all those many years ago, the same Class Zero that once only consisted of Alex, Chris, and Claire... yet with the departure of the latter two, it seemed he and Alex were the only original planks left of this ship of Theseus. However there was a key difference between him and the boy: whereas Alex was resistant to change and dismissive of the newcomers, Julius embraced it and sought to cultivate and harness their Potential, to use it as they might any other. Change itself couldn't be stopped... but it could be manipulated, used, subverted. The wise could reshape it to suit their own ends; in other words, life was ultimately what you made of it. And so there was no other option for the prince but to take things in stride.

So here he was again, sitting alone in silence awaiting another, another who sought to change their life for better or worse and become a Cadet. The files were all on his desk as usual and he'd looked them over thoroughly in advance. Gozai Kurosuko... He didn't stand out too much amidst a sea of applicants, but appearances were often deceptive, sometimes in many different ways. Only time would tell what belied the surface of the would-be Cadet: time and the ceremony to come.

It felt strange, walking through the corridors of the school in the dead of night. It was such a contrast to what it was in the day. Almost unsettling, really, not that Gozai would willingly admit that aloud. That feeling was compounded further by this being the annex, where he couldn't even remember visiting in his time at Seven Stars. With some of the moonlight filtering through the windows, he must have looked more like a ghost, his black jeans almost disappearing into the darkness of the night, in contrast to the white t-shirt.

He would pull out his phone, turning the screen toward the doors that he passed, the light shedding from the screen giving him some indication that he was in the right direction. Finally, he was at the door he needed to be. and he stpped. Slipping his phone away, the albino took a deep breath. A sense of uncertainty, over what he would find behind this door, overtook him for a moment.

"No, this has to be done. For the sake of justice. My justice." He whispered to himself, the sound all but disppearing into the night. Before he pushed open the door.

Standing straight he walked into the room. A man he could recognize well enough, as well as some kid he could quite put his finger on. But since the kid was here, he had to be important to some degree at least.  "Good evening, I believe I'm in the right place." He spoke, his usual timid tone gone, and while he current tone wasn't outright boastful, there was undeinably whiff of arrogance to it. He would stop2 a few disance away from the two, turning to the older man, offering a small bow. "My prince. It is an honor." Gozai then spoke, his tone an iota orr two more humble than the moment before, the words almost getting caught in his throat. He was in the presence of royalty now.

Julius would greet him with a smile and a nod of acknowledgment toward the respect he showed. While others might've been offput or disturbed by the albino's appearance, the prince showed no signs of judgement, looking at him as he would any other recruit even whilst he stood illuminated by the ghostly moonlight. The man displayed an encouraging sense of confidence, a pride to be noted and respected, yet one that would have to be tested tonight... and in the nights to come, for many Cadets with similarly strong wills had found them shaken to the core following recent events, in some cases nearly shattered. His own sister Lisa stood out as a particularly glaring example. Nevertheless, it was a promising start.

"It's clear you carry yourself with a sense of purpose Mr. Kurosuko. Admirable certainly, but if you don't mind me asking, what is that purpose? So many have come to this classroom and for so many different reasons too... What are yours? Why do you wish to become a Cadet?"

Now was where it began, as the other in turn began to speak. The compliments brought a grin to his face, the right corner of his mouth rising up just far enough to start baring his teeth. But then came the question. He would close his eyes for a moment, taking a breath before again opening his eyes, locking his gaze to the others.

"I won't even bother putting up charades or other such bullshit with you. If it's anyone that deserves to see me for who I am, it's the royal family." He spoke, that bit of arrogance from before growing ever so slightly in intensity. "But to answer your question: What I seek is power. Power to enact the justice that has been denied from me for far too long." He did not even try to hold himself back as an undertone of anger overtook the arrogance from before. "And the justice begins with those god-damned demons." Where there was a hint of anger before, his voice was now soaked with vitriol of hhate and spite.

He couldn't help but let his grin widen. There was certain catharsis in letting this side of himself see the light of day. Or the light of the moon, as it may be. "Very self-serving goals, you don't even need to tell me. I know myself well enough to accept that. But I believe what I seek could still be to the benefit of others."

So that was his intention then? It was an understandable goal and his honesty in sharing it was refreshing. The terrors of the night had taken much away from people; they'd torn the world asunder and crushed countless lives to pieces over the course of those long five years. It was no surprise that Gozai hated Demons nor that he was willing to enlist as a Cadet in order to take revenge on them. "I see. A relatively common aim in our line of work, but one which is respectable, forthright too. If you seek the power to attain vengeance then you'll have it... but I trust you're already aware that such things require sacrifices, yes?" As he spoke Julius would stand up from his chair and reach down beneath his desk. Still sporting a gentle and encouraging smile, he'd hold up a golden chalice nearly overflowing with a viscous red liquid and place it atop the desk, pushing it toward Gozai as his face took on a sterner expression. This was the moment of truth; if he decided to back away now no one would blame him, but if he chose to seize his justice then his Potential would be tested here, his promise to show his true self to the prince fulfilled.


Should he decide to drink then power would flood into him. At first the drink would seem innocuous and sweet, almost dreamlike in its indescribable taste, a mixture of all the pleasures this world had to offer and more. These first few moments would be paradise and yet they'd swiftly give way to unspeakable agony; without warning he'd start to feel a burning sensation in his throat which spread all throughout his body in seconds and began to gnaw away at him from the inside. It was as if countless voices were screaming from within his skull, gnashing and tearing at his bones in a futile attempt to break free, skin blistering and burning and rotting away with invisible decay as a piece of himself was molded and twisted by the invasive drink. When it was finally over and the torturous anguish faded unceremoniously, Gozai's world would be permanently changed, his mind forever opened to the real form of the night and the creatures that haunted it. He'd Awakened to the truth to put it simply, albeit one gazed upon from a controlled and tainted perspective. And the first supernatural figure he'd look upon would be his own, a green monstrous creature now floating in front of him...

It seems the other was taking is straight-forwardness well. Good. Though perhaps Julius had never simply had a chance to witness any of his facades? But it didn't matter. Gozai listened intently, all while grinning. The grin widened just a fraction, baring teeth just between his lips as the other finished. "Vengeance is such an ugly word. Can you really call it that when the cause behind it is just? Although I suppose whether it's just is in itself just a matter of perspective." This was strangely cathartic. To have someone around who he could be honest. "The demons have stolen from me almost all I ever did care for. All I've left really is an able body. and I don't think you'll want me losing that." Gozai then resumed, maybe just a hint of snarkiness to his voice toward the end.

What happened next was something he did not expect. Could not expect. A golden chalice with red fluid? It didn't look like any juice or wine. And the viscosity... He didn't have to actually take his assumptions that far, as the prince simply dumped the answer in his lap. Blood. Blood of the queen. Noble blood, in the most literal sense. And Julius wanted him to drink it? What could drinking it possibly- "Don't question it!" He mentally scolded himself. He'd take in a deep breath, rather suddenly.

Then, he would lower down onto one knee. His pride rebelled within him. Even in front of true nobility, the aspect of bowing or kneeling felt simply wrong. But he drowned that out. The idea that he could finally have it, have what he'd sought for all these year, allowed him to ignore the wound to his pride. He would grab the chalice in both hands, lowering it down to chin level, mere inches from his face. Then, letting his voice boom out, he spoke. "For Queen and Country!" And he swung his head back as he brought the chalice to his lips. He drank.

His body began to shudder with each gulp, the initial nausea that was bubbling up from the meere thought of what he was drinking being washed away by something... Amazing. His eyes seemed to go out of focus, wandering for a brief moment. Before he suddenly froze. He would sputter, the red liquid beginning to run down from the corners of his mouth. Pain. Pain far worse than anything he'd ever felt. The chalice clattered to the floor as he lost his grip, his hands instead grasped at his throat. Ragged, coughing gasps tried to draw in air, but it didn't help. "...poison?" Was one of the few lucid thoughts that his mind could put together, mind foggy both with pain, and with rage at the perceived betrayal. His gaze swam, trying to find the prince, his eyes tossing at hateful glare at the mass of color his form had faded into.

With another horrible, almost snarling gasp, it sounded like he was trying to say something. The one leg still under the albino buckled, one hand coming down from his throat to catch his fall. "...whad.." He somehow managed to snarl. Even as he no longer had the strength to hold his head up, to look at Julius. Instead it gave him a great look at the orro show that was happening to him. Blisters. Blisters and burn. Rot. Utter ruination. It was worse than any body horror movie he'd had the displeasure of watching, And he had a front row seat to seeing it happening to his own form. "Whad hab yoo dun to meeeeee!" He somehow managed to howl. His tone was accusatory, riddled with the vitriol of hate. But at the same time it was frightened, terrified, almost a primal cry. That cry devolved into simple, unintelligible noise.

And then it was all over. He drew a sharp, deep breath, before his exhale seemed to seize up for several seconds. He would exhale, carefully. His hand came down from his throat, pushing against the floor as he stood back up. What was that, a nightmare? Hallucination? Was it god, or devil that had been playing with him? IT didn't matter, none of that did.

No, something was before him, something green. Something not of this world. But there was no fear. No, rather, a sense of yearning, a need. That yearning grew, more intense, more... Violent. His hands swung up to grab his head. It wasn't really a sense of pressure, but that's how he'd describe it. Something brought syllables to his mouth. One he did not understand at the time, he just went with it. "Per..."

It seemed to only get worse, his upper body swung forward, he writhed. But Gozai couldnt' stop. Not now. ...so... It felt like his head was gonna crack open. Like his brains were gonna burst forth in bubbling frothy mess. While he could not see it himself, a yellow glow overtook his eyes, his pupils black pinpricks amidst an eerie yellow.

"...na!"

And release. His hung flung free from his hands, his form straightening back out. A red glow seemed to form a circle at his feet, but he seemed to pay no heed. The red glow rose, intensifying, seeming to condense behind him. Something began to take form. Black, waxy fluids dripped to the floor as a massive torso was brought into being. it extended outwards, forming cawed arms, a head with a crown inverted upon its head. And leading down into a serpentine tail. It was huge compared to him, the beast forced to hunch over so as to not touch the roof.

"I am thou. And thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I come." The beast spoke to him, but not with it's mouth. No, its stictched-shut mouth remained closed as the voice seemed to merely echo forth from its form. "I am the one who refused to bow, even by command of God. The one who whispers sin into the hearts of men." Gozai slowly turned, eyes still yellow as he looked at the thing that had appeared behind him. IT didn't scare him. No, in fact, it felt almost... Comforting, in its own twisted way. "I am Iblis. I shall be your spear and shield, my other self."

Gozai looked back at the green thing before him. After the pain that ingesting the blood had brought seized, his face had been almost devoid of emotion. But now, as he looked at the demon, a new sense of power stroked his ego. His mouth twisted into grin, much wider than anything he'd shown that ngiht. All his teeth bared, his eyes shooting wide open. He would extend an open hand out toward the monster, only for the hand to clench into a fist, his thumb pointing down. It was not so much a challenge, as a promise. A promise of defeat.

A promise of Death.

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At first it seemed as though Gozai was truly slipping away, as if he was on the verge of becoming the very thing he despised, Julius watching stoically with a hand resting calmly on his sword's hilt. Thankfully however, the sharp cry would swiftly dispell that impression, the man successfully manifesting his Persona and overcoming the initial shock and terror of the ordeal in a display of willful tenacity. Standing silently with an encouraging and relieved smile, Julius would drop the torn scroll in his hand to the floor and retrieve a firearm that he'd toss in the direction of the furious initiate, watching as the initial mist that enveloped the area started to clear and Gozai engaged the green beast...

Strange Spirit, Level 1:

Munitions:

His attention was momentarily drawn away from the demon as it came into view when he saw Julius throw him something. A gun? He grabbed the piece out of the air as it flew his way. "We get some hardware to go with the job? You are so talking my language right now." His tone did not hide how he seemed almost excited at the prospect of the beefy revolver in his hand. Excitement that really only served to be creepy with the borderline-manic grin that was plastered across his face.

It was finally coming into view, finally he would get to see what he could do, finally-

...

A cat. He stared at the strange creature, an open-mouthed dumbstruck expression having replaced the grin. And... It was talking. Demon could talk? It wanted to talk. "Talk?" He would echo the question, before chuckling. "Sure, next you'll suggest I start taking clarinet lessons." He continued, before again beginning to chuckle. "I think not." Gozai then spat out, a much darker tone to his voice, what humor there had been to his tone now gone. As he spoke those words, he lifted the revolver at the demon. Only to lower it again. No, it would be a waste of ammo.

A yellow glow overtook his eyes again, as he would swing his free hand at the demon. " Just disappear into the darkness!" He snarled. Behind him Iblis had brought its hands together, before pulling them apart, what appeared to be a ball of purple flames forming between the palms. An intricate circle, glowing a pale purple light, appeared on the floor, slowly rotating, as purple flames popped up along the edge. Then the flames seemed to detonate, the entire circle surging up from the ground in a wave of baleful energy.

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The cat's nonchalant reply contrasted sharply with the scene of it being blasted into the air and crashing down against the ground ablaze, body burning and spasming within the remnants of the dark energy unleashed by Iblis. It seemed to be over as quickly as it began with the cat's beaten figure encroached upon and swallowed up by shadows, but this initial image of triumph would swiftly crack as the darkness intensified like the sudden ignition of a dying flame, rapidly building up into an obscure form before being discharged in a burst of ephemeral black aura. When the mist cleared a new figure would stand in front of the doors blocking off the exit: Gozai's true test.

VENGEANCE, Level 9:

Gozai would step bac, as a much more ferocious enemy took the place of the previous one. He didn't notice his hands were trembling slightly. As much as he'd craved this power, a nugget of fear sowed itself in the back of his head. Fear toward this... thing. He would chuckle again, though a certain haughty quality missing to it compared to before. "Haha, that's more like it. This wouldn't be any fun if you died so easily." As he spoke, the Persona behind him would flicker out of being, the yellow glow in his eyes vanishing.

He would raise his free hand outward, a small flame flickering into being atop it. This flame quickly grew, beginning to take shape. Quickly he clutched in his hand a large shackle seemingly made from fire, a length of fiery chain hanging from it. Yet even as the flames touched his skin, they seemed to merely lick across it harmlessly. A grin formed on his face as he left go of the shackle, letting t drop abotu a foot before grabbing hold of the chain. He would spin this above his head before letting it fly toward the beast,letting the chain feed through his loosely looped fingers.

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That did far less than he'd expected. Far, far less. He'd drop the chain, the shackle disappearing as soon as he let go. Gozai's hands shot up to his torso in a feeble attempt to stop the blow, only to be flung across the room, slamming against the. What pained wail he tried to let loose was cut short as the impact knocked the wind out of him. A flicker of rage began to burn inside. "I- I will not kneel down-" His protest to the demon was cut short as the simmering fury suddenly was overtaken by fear, the seed from before sprouting like some malicious weed. A malicious, thorny weed.

His breathing became erratic, teeth chattering as he tried to resist the urge to run, to find the mental fortitude to retaliate. Should he succeed in acting, he would clutch his head, calling out his Persona by name, as the glowing circle from before appears again.

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