My friend, do you fly away now?
To a world that abhors you and I?
All that awaits you is a somber morrow
No matter where the winds may blow

How long had he been here? Yosuke sees his own hands shaking as he drains the final cup out of the water cooler. His lips feel too dry to even properly drink it. He has spent the past minutes, hours, days screaming at the motionless bodies accompanying him, trashing the chairs, beating the projector into splinters and wailing as he bashed his full weight against that damned door, to no avail. 

The door. Crumpling the plastic cup into his hand, he turns to face it once again, once again breathing in, as if that would somehow make his scrawny body any more capable of breaking it down. He takes a running start and, screaming like a desperate warrior about to go out in a blaze of glory — no one was around to hear him anyways — slams his shoulder into the door, again. It doesn’t budge, again. He tries again, again. Kicking it to the best of his ability. Throwing chairs at it. Crashing the projector’s wheeled table into it. It doesn’t budge, again and again and again.

One more time he tries. One more time before he takes that godforsaken stake he made minutes, hours, days ago and rams it through his own throat. He takes a few steps back, holding his breath. This time, he stays quiet. He runs. He lunges, wincing as his entire body collides with the aging wood of the door. But this time, it gives. With a sickening crack, it breaks. It is as if he falls straight through, and when he opens his eyes, he is lying on top of what remains of it; breathing heavily. The air in the stairwell feels fresh. He is free.

Worldeater: (standing behind him a short ways from the now shattered doorway, arms folded across his chest, Worldeater clears his throat) …Jesus Christ, man, you could wake the dead at this rate… 

Yosuke: Is this your idea of a joke? I could’ve fucking died in there!

Worldeater: Oh come off it, will you? I was in control, and you’re too useful for me to let you starve to death in here. (he holds out a small paper bag)

Yosuke: Oh, did you make me lunch? Fuck you! (he brushes Worldeater off, getting onto his feet and turning to the stairs) I’m out of here.

Worldeater: (a smug grin crosses his face as he follows right behind Yosuke) Oh? And where, praytell, are you going? What will you do, Backspacer? Oh, that’s right, nothing! You can’t do anything, can you? A helpless, weak little boy, who cannot even free himself from his birdcage!

Yosuke: You don’t get it, do you? I’d rather go nowhere and do nothing than stay here and do your dirty work. I don’t care how fucking small I am. I’ll always be bigger than you.

Worldeater: Oh, my! Did you develop a spine while I was handling our business, Yosuke? Ah, but all that bravado, what does it even mean? You, bigger than me? Yet here you are, doing my dirty work. Submerging your hands in blood for the sake of another, and only to cause destruction! By what merits are you bigger than anything,, boy?

Yosuke: Don’t need to do much… (he turns back to face Worldeater, his hand on the railing of the stairs) Not killing people to alleviate my daddy issues, for starters.

Worldeater: My, my… if only you had this newfound sense of courage back then, you might have had a use for us, more than you have now. Too bad such boldness is misplaced. …But you surely don’t believe such drivel, do you? You killed those people on the train when you brought Moonlover onto your trail, didn’t you? (Worldeater’s grin only widens) …And as I recall, that wasn’t even your first. After all, didn’t you also kill poor Jun—

Yosuke: (he grabs Worldeater by the collar of his shirt, shoving him against the wall) KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!

Worldeater: (A maniacal, high laughter emanates from Worldeater as he grabs Yosuke’s hands, trying to pull himself free) Oh? What’s the matter, boy? Can’t face it? Can’t close your eyes without seeing her—

The two struggle in the cramped space of the stairwell until suddenly, impulsively, Yosuke pushes the cackling madman away from him with all the force his body can muster. With a gasp, Worldeater is forced back, but fails to find his footing as the ground behind him gives way to stairs. He stumbles backwards, and falls, a nauseating sound echoing through the stairwell as he hits his head on the edge of the stairs, tumbling down until he hits the wall at the bottom. Like a red carpet, a trail of blood has sprouted halfway down the flight, leading towards the body now lying motionless at its base.

Yosuke: (for a few seconds, he doesn’t move, panting as he takes in what has just happened) … Hey… Hey! Y-You’ve gotta be kidding me! (he runs down the stairs, making sure not to slip on the blood and in a frenzy, turns the body onto its back so he can check for vital signs) No, no, no… I… I didn’t mean to—(the words fail to come out as the panic takes over)

Luca: (the cold and lifeless body of Luca Giordano reaches up, his hand grasping at Yosuke’s wrist, his dull, lifeless eyes meeting his killer’s) …Honestly… about… about goddamn time. I expected this… so much sooner. Alas… (a calmer, more natural looking smile lines his face) …But the Masque… there are others… who deserve its vengeance more… more than you do, Yosuke. Apologies… but you cannot… destroy it.

Yosuke: N-No… You’re gonna survive this… I’ll call… I’ll call an ambulance! (he takes out his phone, but, as he realizes it is still out of battery, it slips out of his hand) No no no…!

Luca: (A chuckle escapes his lips, one cut off by a gargled cough)  And… do what, exactly? Torment you… further? No, no, Yosuke… you have… finally carved out a path… that suits you. (With all of his remaining strength, Luca pulls Yosuke closer, speaking in a whisper) …I drown in my vengeance, Yosuke, while you face your truth head on. That is the difference between us. But… I am more than your enemy, Yosuke, I am evil and remorseless. This is… good, Yosuke. …I pray our paths… do not cross again… on the other side of this reality. You’ve… suffered enough, I should think… by my hand, at least. (Luca’s strength leaves him, his arms going limp as he releases Yosuke, closing his eyes one last time)

My soul, corrupted by vengeance
Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey
In my own salvation
And your eternal slumber

Yosuke: No… No… (he tries to control his breathing, but to little avail — an immeasurable terror overwhelms him as he freezes up, curling up in a corner as his eyes remains fixated on the lifeless body at the bottom of the stairs)

“T-Thank you… for today. I mean it… f-from the bottom of my heart… I—”

This was Her genuine smile. Not the mischievous curl of the lips She so often showed him, but a warm, melancholy glow beaming from Her freckled face as she stood in the doorway, clutching the frame.

“— I don’t know if I’d… have made it to today if it weren’t without you, Yosuke. Sorry if that sounds weird… I mean, it probably does, but…”

Her hair was unkempt, sticking in all directions from the dozens of times Her father had ruffled it that day. She was still wearing that hideous sweater, he could no longer remember Her wearing anything else. He felt the exhaustion again, watching Her lay Her heart bare for the God-knows-how-many-eth time as he stood in front of her, She in the warmth of home, he in the chilly night air. She sought out his gaze. He was staring at the ring on Her hand.

“S-Sorry, I’m being… really cheesy. It’s… I don’t really know how to—It’s a bunch of platitudes, but—

Yosuke: It’s okay. I… think I get it. 

He recites his line again. The clock is ticking down. He’ll say goodbye, promising to see Her at school tomorrow, go home, fall asleep whether he wants to or not, and—

She sniffles.

“It’s… Oh, it’s so stupid, right? There’s always next year. I-I mean, we’ll see each other tomorrow. But…”

Don’t say it.

“… This really was the greatest day of my life. I’m glad I spent it with you—”

This is where She smiles again, and closes the door. In the morning, he’ll be at the table, staring at that cake and the beaming smiles of Her parents again, and She’ll come down from the stairs again and chip another splinter off his decaying sanity. He has to do something. He has to stop feeling nothing.

Yosuke: Wait—

He steps forward, placing his hand onto the door frame, right above Hers.

Yosuke: S-Sorry… I, eh… Can I come in again for just a bit? There’s something I forgot to ask you.

She flushes. For a second, a shiver runs down his spine. This is not the way things are supposed to go. Does She know? She knows. A few seconds feel like an eternity. She takes Her hand off the door frame and brings it close to Her chest, covering it with the other one.

“E-Eh, I’m not sure if my parents are okay with you staying this late… T-They might get the wrong idea—”

Yosuke: No, it’s just— I want to ask you something, and it’s hella cold out there, so—”

He walks past Her, back into the hallway. She turns around and closes the door behind Her. He notices Her hiding Her hands in her sleeves.

“Do you want another cup of tea, then?”

Yosuke: Junna. I… I have to ask. Where did that ring come from? You didn’t have it yesterday.

She looks at him like a wounded animal, tears welling up in Her eyes.

“It’s just a… I’m not wearing a ring.”

Yosuke: Please. Don’t do this.

“W-Why are you being all weird? It’s… It’s just a trinket I wear from time to time…”

Yosuke: … Who gave it to you?

“No one! Why— No one gave it to me? Do you think I’m like… It’s just some ordinary junk I  pulled from a capsule machine!”

Yosuke: There’s nothing ordinary about this… I know… I know what you’re doing. I… I can’t stand it anymore. You have to let me go, Junna. Not just me, your parents, everyone… We… You can’t keep us trapped like this…

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Yosuke: Stop bullshitting me! It’s that ring! You didn’t have it on the first time around, but… Every… single time after that, it’s been there… it’s been there… trapping us. You can’t keep this up! You have to let us go!

She looks at him, clutching the hand with the ring. What is she feeling? Defiance? Disappointment? Disgust? Does she see him? As a threat? As a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of Her shoe?

“… I’m not going back, Yosuke. I’m not.”

He holds out his hand.

Yosuke: G-Give it to me.

“N-No”.

Yosuke: Give me the ring, Junna. I promise you. There will be more days like this one. I’ll… I’ll make sure every day that comes will be like this one. But no more… No more.

No more.