Who is that? Alan is hesitant to react in this sudden encounter. He senses a familiarity with the unknown creature, he ponders for a while. Has he seen this unknown creature before? Has he met with it? Has he walked past it? Has he run away from it? It took a couple of seconds for him to realize that the unknown creature's appearance is identical to the small furred brown Corrumpos who ate human fingers, except it's stature is almost as big as him.
At the time Alan ponders, the Furred Corrumpo dash to Alan, extending its huge sharp claw to Alan's face. Before it reaches, Emmet shoves Alan to the wall leading the furred Corrumpo falls to the ground. Emmet pulls Alan's arm and sprint to the staircase, the Corrumpo jumps up and chases them.
Along the run, Alan follows Emmet with a blank face. His thoughts are blurred from the unexpected confrontation. The things that he is currently conscious of are the classes he passes, the sound of loud footsteps, and the ghastly cries of the chasing Corrumpo.
"Alan, watch out!" Emmet's shout made Alan turn around, looking at the Corrumpo who is in mid air, attempting to pin down Alan. Emmet hurriedly jumps and shoves the Corrumpo. Emmet swing his fist to the Corrumpo's face. But it bite Emmet's arm, tearing with it's rough teeth as the blood spurts, covering the Corrumpo's fur.
"Emmet!" Alan reacted. Emmet's legs give in, let out a blood-curdling scream. The Corrumpo hurriedly stands up, showing its frightening teeth
Quinia and Preston show up. Quinia notice Emmet's dismembered, blood covered arm on the floor. "Emmet!" Quinia's call alerts the Corrumpo. Face to face with the bloody, horrifying Corrumpo, Quinia lets out an intense wail. Strong enough to hurt every other's ears, even the Corrumpo. Among everyone here, Alan suffered the most. Quinia's wail made his legs go numb and his ears feel cracked. He wanted to run away. He wanted to scream. He wanted to escape this school, this world, this nightmare. His inexperience in the paranormal world is his biggest setback.
He starts to remember it. The chaotic, dark dust surrounding his mind. It obscures his vision, for which would bring him death. Alan pants as his right hand shivers and his spirit becomes distressed. As death is about to visit Alan's soul, Preston swiftly carries him to the nearest class. He holds Alan's face and caresses it gently, "Control your breathing, boy."
Alan grabs Preston's hand when he becomes self-aware. "P-P-Pres-ton?" Alan is too mentally troubled to speak clearly.
"You're okay, Alan. You're safe, now." Preston's words soothe Alan's soul. His mind has started to heal as he regains his consciousness.
"Where's Emmet?" Alan asked out of worry.
"He is with Quinia, they are hiding on the upper floor," said Preston. Alan lets out a deep sigh of relief.
He scans his surroundings, he is in an empty classroom. Before Alan wants to ask, he hears Corrumpo's cry. He is stunned as the sound of footsteps slowly closes in. Preston swiftly grabs Alan's shoulder, "Activate your socius."
"Huh?" Alan is bewildered.
"You need to activate your socius in order to fight that thing."
"What? Why should I fight it? What even is a socius?"
Preston's face shows pure confusion, "You don't know anything do you?"
"Do I look like I know something?" Alan covers his mouth as soon as he realizes he is too loud.
Preston contemplates for a moment. He remembers how Emmet chases Alan from the pharmacy to this school. It is clear that Alan is faster than Emmet as the distance is about 800 meters. But that evidence defies Preston's logic. It is impossible for a lost human who doesn't know anything about the Shadow world could outrun a ghost who has 5 years of experience. It would require skills and a certain amount of Anima Energy to enhance their speed. Preston wonders whether Alan is a prodigy.
Bang! Alan jumped over the sound of an open door in the nearby classroom, it must be the Corrumpo.
Well, prodigy or not, Alan is the only one who can get them out of this situation. Based on that, Preston decides to make a gamble. "Alan," he calls.
"What?"
"That Corrumpo is a fusion of small Corrumpos into one. They're low rank."
A fusion of small Corrumpos? That means the small furred Corrumpos that Alan ran away from have been chasing him to the school and fused themselves, it must be very hungry. The thought scares Alan.
"You're our only hope here," Preston touched Alan's shoulder. "Emmet is severely injured and the Corrumpo is bound to find us. You need to activate your Socius, and the only way to do that is to awaken your survival instinct and you'll grant an unimaginable power. Remember, every living being has the desire to live. Humans, animals, insects, even bacterias, fight for survival. You should do so too. I'm not asking you to do this because we have no choice, but because we have faith in you. Emmet, Quinia, we all do. So light your fire, kid."
Alan went silent for a moment. He is completely stunned by Preston's sudden motivational speech.
No, it's not motivational...
It's more like...
What is it....?
Numerous gray images appear in his mind, like the start of a movie using a kinetoscope. Memories emerge on Alan's soul, memories that he has hidden deeply for a long time. Memories of his friends, memories of Clara, memories of his childhood, and most importantly, memories of his parents.
"It's coming!" Preston warns as the Furred Corrumpo breaks in.
In a very short time, Alan's survival instinct fired up, opening the limits of all his five senses. Alan can feel everything around him, Preston's hopes, Corrumpo's hunger, lingering faint memories, and a familiar object lying in a desk. He can tell it's a blue walking stick umbrella. An enigmatic feeling arising out of the umbrella, as if it's pulling him. Alan is aware it's not an ordinary umbrella, but something tells him it is the only way to get out of this situation.
Following his intuition, Alan charges toward the furred Corrumpo, tackling it to the ground. He rushed to the desk right after, securing the umbrella. The furred Corrumpo swiftly stands up and leaps towards Alan. Sensing the danger, Alan hurriedly crouches and moves under the furred Corrumpo. Alan swings the umbrella, aiming at its neck.
Numerous emotions flow in Alan's soul, surging towards the umbrella. Beam of lights illuminates the room when Alan swings his umbrella, it slowly transforms into a blade, slashing the furred Corrumpo's neck. Fluids of identical colors with the mysterious sword splattered on Alan as the furred Corrumpo's body turned to ash.
Preston is in complete awe, he can only gaze at Alan's katana sword. The blade's color is matched with the blue sky, patterned with Cumulus clouds. So he does have Socius, that fact confuses Preston, but decides to ignore it and focus on Alan. Preston walks closely to Alan, "I knew I can believe in you."
Alan has an uncertain look on his face, it seems he is not aware of his powers. "The umbrella... It turned into this sword." Alan must be extremely bewildered by this situation. Not only does an object transform into another object, but he manages to defeat a monster, a Corrumpo.
"That is your Socius's weapon," Preston fills in. "It's deadly to Corrumpos. Its power depends on its user." Alan wanted to fill himself with joy, assuring himself that he doesn't need to be afraid anymore. He possesses a weapon powerful enough to defeat these nightmarish monsters. He might even have a chance of going home.
"We should find Emmet and Quinia," said Preston.
"Ah, right."
Alan and Preston swiftly ascend upstairs, wanting to tell Emmet and Quinia that the Corrumpo has gone. Alan rushes with full excitement, he can't wait to show his powerful weird weapon to them. He specifically wants to show to Emmet that he is no longer afraid, that he doesn't need to worry about Alan anymore, that Emmet can also be protected. Alan's expression brightens as he treads with hope.
A prickling unease wormed over Alan. The sudden foreboding sensation stops Alan. Preston follows instinctively. "What's wrong, Alan?"
"I can sense someone other than Emmet and Quinia," says Alan. "This one feels similar to the furred Corrumpo earlier, but much more sinister."
Preston can also sense the unknown third party's presence. Its familiar malicious aura haunts his mind, "Come on, Alan. Emmet and Quinia is in danger."
Alan Muller's awareness to his surroundings has increased to a superhuman level at the moment he awakened his Socius. Thanks to that, he can sense what occurs in a closed room. Sounds of struggle, disturbed emotions, and worstly, the smell of blood. Alan crashes in the classroom where he can sense them. There, he sees a horrifying sight.
A small sized creature resembles a manticore, with a dark distorted body identical with the tall distorted Corrumpo that Alan once encountered. This creature has 2 white dots and sharp lines on its face. Alan presumes the sharp lines are the creature's mouth as it is munching on Quinia's bloody arm. Emmet is lying on its back, appearing to be unconscious. But Alan can sense everything in the room. He can sense Emmet's energy is about to fade, Quinia can't fight back against the Distorted Manticore Corrumpo. All of them are helpless.
Alan's thoughts frozen from shock, his heart is troubled and his soul is filled with pure rage. Alan wants to believe both of them are still alive, he still wants to hold on to that tiny glimpse of hope. For this reason, Alan unconsciously gathers his Anima energy on his legs, allowing the Corrumpo to notice Alan's presence. In a desperate attempt to save Emmet and Quinia's life, Alan dashes with full strength onto the Corrumpo, launching it to the window and flying outside the building.
As they fall to the ground, Alan immediately swings his sword, aiming towards the Distorted Manticore Corrumpo's head. The Corrumpo swiftly dashes backwards. Alan quickly stands up, positioning himself. Great, now what? Alan came to a realization that everything that transpired was from his sudden burst of adrenaline. Now that he is face to face with another Corrumpo, he is out of ideas. The only experience he has with a blade is when he plays a VR samurai game with Calvin. But he has never learned how to use a blade in a real fight. Much less against a human, this time is against an animal like creature. Manticore. Alan recognizes the Corrumpo's hulking beast body with a long ominous glowing red tail. He can't discern whether the Corrumpo has the head of a man, but it is certain that it does not look like a lion's.
The Corrumpo let out a dreadful screech, shattering nearby stones. Alan adjusted the weight of his sword in his trembling hands. His heart hammered against his chest. The Corrumpo's roar frightens Alan's whole body. Its distorted sharp eye locked onto Alan. His mind went numb, but his instincts fired his soul as the Corrumpo launched itself.
Alan blocked the Corrumpo's first strike, steel shrieking against its claws. Alan uses his muscles and bones to match the Corrumpo's inhuman strength. Noticing the resistance, the Corrumpo swiftly pushed Alan with its head, sending him flying inside the school through a window to the teacher's lounge. Alan lets out a cough, exerting all his strength to stand back up. The Distorted Manticore Corrumpo enters, scanning the room. Notice the opportunity, Alan waits for the perfect timing. He lunges to the Corrumpo's back, and ends up lashed out by its tail. The Corrumpo roars at Alan furiously, which he thinks felt personal.
The distorted manticore Corrumpo aggressively attacks as Alan desperately parries with his clumsy movement, making papers and books dispersed like frightened birds around them. Alan is forced to step back during the clashes, searching for a comfortable position to fight back.
The fight leads them in front of the school with heavy breath and ghastly cries. Furious of the long exhausting battle, the Distorted Manticore Corrumpo starts to increase its speed. Alan is taken aback by the sudden change of momentum. His eyes struggle to keep up with the monster's rapid movements. The Corrumpo's snarl echoed through Alan's ears as its strikes pierce through Alan's defenses. His untrained arms protested the weight of the sword and the agonizing pain of the Corrumpo's attacks. His legs give in to the ground as his exhausted arm drops his sword. The Corrumpo seize the opportunity and immobilize Alan, pinning him down to the ground with its sharp claws.
Alan struggles to wrestle, completely immobilized by the Distorted Manticore Corrumpo. Dang it, this guy is heavy. Alan quickly generates countless ideas to create a way he can escape this crisis. If he is too late, he would be the Corrumpo's appetizer. The Corrumpo snarls at Alan's face, displaying its foul breath. It made Alan think the Corrumpo has a personal grudge.
The Distorted Manticore Corrumpo loomed over Alan, displaying a monstrous grin. Alan's breathing increased, his body lurched for freedom from the Corrumpo's clutches. Just as the deadly claw descended for the final blow, a figure kicked the Corrumpo, launching it away from Alan.
"Stand back, Specter." An unfamiliar voice rings on Alan, his soul is too troubled to mind his surroundings. "I'll show you how to defeat a Corrumpo."
Momentarily surprised, the Distorted Manticore Corrumpo roared its fury. The mysterious figure sprints towards the Corrumpo, launching the first strike. The Corrumpo is baffled by the figure's grace, swords dancing around its claws. Parrying each strikes with great precision and leaves no opportunity to counter attack. For the final blow, the mysterious figure generates a swift thrust, pierce through the Corrumpo's head, silencing its ghastly roar. The Distorted Manticore Corrumpo fell to its knees, slowly turning to ash.
It took Alan a while to gain his consciousness, he swiftly stands up as he picks his sword. It is his first instinct to assume the worst, he can't tell whether this mysterious individual is his ally or a manipulative figure who waits for the perfect opportunity to strike. "Relax, Alan. I'm not a Pestifer." The mysterious figure spoke, or rather a girl. She looks unfamiliar-
Wait, it's her.
It's the girl of his age. The girl he once knew in school. The girl whose face he sees often around walls and tv news. The girl that indirectly led him to this gray world.
When Alan learned of the existence of the Shadow World, he once thought of this scenario. But he did not anticipate it would be this soon, nor that she would be the one who saved his life. Sensing Alan's multiple emotions, the girl says, "In the Shadow World, I'm a Reaper. In the Persona World, I'm known as Eula.
Eula Es."