2025-07-14: Castor

• Cutscene: Castor
• Cast: Shinjiro Aragaki
• Where: Shinjiro's Dreams
• OOC Date: July 14, 2025
• IC Date: June 14-15, 2012
• Summary: The night before the rescue at Tartarus, Shinjiro has a perfectly normal nightmare.

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The Dark Hour never ends. That is a fact of life.

Shinjiro Aragaki mills the coffin-filled streets, taking one slow step after another. There are no Shadows. There is no *life*, just a dying man and his thoughts.

And those thoughts have joined him.

The man with the bleach-bone grin and the arrow sticking out of his chest rides his hobby horse alongside Shinjiro. It's not the first time he's had this dream, his subconscious using the shape of his Persona as a way to speak to him. He doubted it's actually his Persona, but he couldn't know for sure.

The scratchy baritone voice spoke, without a moving of lips or body language.

ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING

"I'm fine," Shinjiro said to his own ghost. "I'll save that girl."

THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN

Shinjiro brushed Castor off, continuing towards the residential district.

YOU'RE GOING TO GET THEM KILLED

Shinjiro tch'd, moving fast to try and escape Castor. The Persona always caught up.

STOP AVOIDING THE SUBJECT
YOU WON'T EVEN FIGHT
HOW CAN YOU AND A DINKY AXE GET IT DONE

"Shut up," Shinjiro turned his head, grimacing heavily. The streets were replaced by homes now, coffins crossing through. It felt like too many coffins to truly be night, though...

YOU SEE YOURSELF IN HER
SO YOU GOTTA DECIDE
WILL YOU DIE FOR HER OR WILL SHE DIE FOR YOU

"Why do I have to make a binary choice at all? I'll just get involved enough to save the girl, we escape, we're *fine*."

YOU'RE NOT FINE
YOU'VE NEVER BEEN FINE

"Fuck you," he growled. He stepped towards a house, staring up at it. A family home, probably the home of a mother, father, and son, given the boys' bike outside. "Can we end the dream now? I don't need to see this to get whatever fucking point I'm trying to make to myself."

THIS AIN'T A DREAM SHINJIRO

"What?" Shinjiro's eyes widened as he looked at the house. Castor rode forward, before turning to him, that bleach-white face suddenly turning into an impossible rictus grin. "Don't do it," Shinjiro demanded

YOU NEVER HAD ANY CHOICE IN THE MATTER

Castor turns, roaring, before suddenly barreling forward, straight into the home. The garage door collapses inwards, causing the very structure of the house to begin to collapse. As the Persona continues to rampage, the house deteroriates and deterioriates.

SHOULD I KILL THE BOY THIS TIME

"FUCK YOU!" Shinjiro called out, moving to rush forward when a wall of shadows (not that kind) rose up in front of him.

They were silhouettes of people he knew. Aki. Kirijo. Miki, still so small and precious. New ones had added themselves - the people from Sumaru, the people from Gekkoukan. They were hazier - he didn't really know them.

And then, Umie and Eikichi. The ones he was damning to death by his inaction.

"I can't just not fight, damn it!"

BUT YOU'RE NOT FIGHTING
YOU'RE TRYING TO HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO
COWARDICE AND BRAVERY DON'T MIX

Castor turned from the rampage, staring Shinjiro down.

SO CHOOSE
DEATH FOR YOU OR DEATH FOR THEM

"Either way I go-"

DEATH FOR YOU OR DEATH FOR THEM

"No, I can't-"

DEATH FOR YOU OR DEATH FOR

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Shinjiro roared, as he knew he had to make a subconscious choice. The Amadas would be killed - it wasn't real, of course, but it *felt* real.

He chose the only option he could.

OKAY

Castor turned as it spoke, flying back towards him, as the house collapsed.

LET'S HOPE IT WORKS OUT FOR EVERYONE

Shinjiro fell to his knees, taking a ragged breath. The void grows.

GOOD NIGHT SHINJIRO