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[ He should be, but that would be accepting the fact that Ellie is dead, and if he does that, his entire world will shatter and there'll be nothing left. There'd be no point for anything. So he'll cling onto his stupid beliefs and he'll also inch forward to retrieve that acorn because he wants it back. ]

Being by her side doesn't help her. I need someone... Hieke can bring her back. Maybe even Michael.

[ A drop of blood, then another, lands before his front paws. ]

What good are you?

[ Orien doesn't move when Kano comes to retrieve the acorn. He remembers his time as Jace, when the occasional surgery had failed because the patient was either beyond saving or their health suddenly took a turn for the worse. He still tried to save them, even hours and hours upon hard work, those patients still passed away. It hit him hard, but what hurt the most was facing their loved ones.

"I thought you were some kind of world famous doctor! What good are you if you can't even save one child?!"

He's reminded of that time as he faces Kano here. ]

Nothing up against death. You need to face it, Kano... please.

What good is a doctor who can't save anybody? What good is a god who can only destroy and not protect? What good is a world that only knows how to take people's happiness away from them?

[ It's no good.

There's no point.

The pain in his chest overwhelms everything else so that he can't even feel the burning on his arm. It doesn't bring him back. There is no sense of self, if loses the only thing he is in the world, Ellie's brother. The illusion doesn't dispel until he steps forward again, head bowed and a bloody switchblade clenched in a shaking fist. ]

...I'm going home. I'll bring somebody back. Don't tell anyone.

Didn't you listen to anything during the discussion? You can't go back home.

[ ... ]

What good is a friend who lets their friend die alone? Go back to her. Be by her side in her last moments. You shouldn't be the one here. Let go of the knife, Kano.

Not forever, but I can. If I'm fated to come back, that's just as well.

[ He's been listening. He's been eavesdropping. The people who go home come back, and no time passes here. To go home, people... die. But they come back. As long as he can get back to anywhere in the world back home, he'll be okay. Two summoning sigils have been carved into the back of his arm; blood isn't necessary, but it identifies him, and his teacher and guardian will know immediately who's calling and where he is.

As long as he hangs onto this plan, he has hope. As long as he has hope, he won't fall apart. ]

I'm not giving up like you've given up.

[ A concrete wall shoots up from the ground between them, fake but solid, cutting off their views of one another, because Orien doesn't need to see him bring the blade back up. ]

[ Despite the wall that's between them, Orien immediately grows in size to overcome its height and spits out the knockout gas that Kano gave him before, releasing it right on top of Kano's head. ]

[ I can't believe he's being betrayed by his own knockout gas. It doesn't work immediately, but he also hadn't gotten his hand up all the way before the blade slips and idk stabs him in the foot or something just before the rest of him crumples to the ground. ]

[ Orien makes it over the wall and reverts to his normal size as he looks over at Kano. He's sad. Kano is just like any other people going through grief and hasn't accepted the death of his friend. He closes his eyes. If Persona users die and come back to life, that's fine. Orien hadn't discounted the fact. However, like Minato and several others, he doesn't appreciate cheapening the value of life either when it comes to things like this. He wants to wait it out until Ellie comes back, hopefully with her face restored. It's a possibility, but there are too many of those hanging in the air. He takes the switchblade, folds it, and stores it in his stomach without it going into the void, just like he did with the knockout gas.

He'll stay with Kano as he coils up around him, basically restraining him from doing anything stupid until he wakes up. Maybe he'll have a clearer head by then aka I'm trying to give him a very good reason to eat Kano, because he wouldn't otherwise. ]

[ He opens his eyes blearily, and for a moment he almost thinks he's back in the forest around campus, until he realizes he's bound and he tries to sit up in a panic, eyes finding Orien's face and at the same time summoning Ala to help him out while he can't reach anything in his pockets to save himself.

She looks surprised to see all of this happen, being unaware since Kano was unconscious for a while, giving Kano a quick glance because is he really sure he wants her to do this? "Um, ah... Sorry," she says, and the ground becomes covered in ice. It's not enough to hurt Orien in any way, but Kano remembers him being very uncomfortable with ice and hopefully it's enough to let go.

If not, he has Ala take the ziodyne taser out, though she looks reluctant to use it. Terry will finally get it back. ]

[ It's freaking cold, but it doesn't get Orien to let go. ]

... Are you calmer now?

[ He's gonna guess that's a "no", considering the ice and the fact that Ala has a taser in her hands. ]

Yeah.

[ Ala gives Kano a distressed look, and walks forward to jab the taser at Orien's side. ]

[ Orien gets electrocuted, but he doesn't let go of Kano. He won't die unless Terry goes under an absolute death, but being shocked like this with the force of a ziodyne still hurts. He still keeps his hold on Kano. He's not going to let go. There's a burned snake smell. ]

Kano, you can't... bring the dead back...

[ It'll hurt, but any physical damage is healed almost immediately by being in contact with Kano. Ala doesn't shock Orien again, because injuring and healing so that there's only pain and nothing to show for it, all that is is torture. If he's going to kill, he can only stomach something quick and painless, the sort of death he'd wish for himself. ]

I can't, but other people can.

[ Even if he condemns Ellie to an eternal life as undead, at least she'll still be here, and he wouldn't have failed, and everything wouldn't be meaningless. ]

Let me go so I can save my sister.

They're not here and they won't ever be. I'm not letting you go. You need to accept her death!

[ He looks over at Ala, please help convince him?! ]

You can't... bring anyone you want.

You need to stop giving up so easily. How can you say something is impossible if you don't even try?

[ It'll work. He has two demons on speed dial right on his arm if Orien would just let him go and do his thing. And if they can't help, he know more— stronger and more powerful demons and he would sacrifice the entire world just to bring Ellie back. He doesn't care. The rest of the world means nothing.

"You promised you wouldn't Con—" Ala tries to cut in, but Kano just gives her a look and she closes her mouth, looking away. Any longer, and she'll become a Shadow. The mask he wears, the "cuter and nicer Kano," is one that he's thrown away because it won't help him in this situation. It's a mask made for other people's sake, and he scorns it now. ]

Human life is not something that other people should be able to control, no matter what they are.

[ Whether it be demigods, humans, demons, whatever. ]

You're grieving. I get it, but you shouldn't be doing this.

I know that. Nobody should be able to control life... not because it's impossible, but because it goes against morals or laws or whatever the fuck. I don't care. I'll dirty my hands if nobody else will.

[ He doesn't have time to be chatting with Orien like this. Even necromancy has a time limit.

He summons Ala again, but in her dragon form to slam into Orien, to pick him up in her claws and get him to release Kano no matter what it takes. If she could speak, she would say sorry, and goodbye, but all she can do is flap her wings and roar, black smoke enveloping her body like she's already on the verge of falling apart. ]

[ Ala looked like she was suffering, and Orien glances over at Kano. Morals are there for a reason. Laws are there for a reason. It cheapens the value of life. Orien hates it. He hates this situation. Kano won't be convinced and Orien is just so tired.

His blue eyes shine for a split second, before turning into an extremely large snake that could probably envelop a quarter of the entire world before it loops and swallows Ala whole. ]

[ It doesn't hurt.

It doesn't hurt.

It doesn't hurt.

He can feel Ala screaming and crying but it doesn't hurt and it doesn't matter. The moment he's free even the tiniest bit, he grabs a jar from his pocket to smash against his knee, bringing the broken edge of the glass up to plunge deep into his neck and tear it open.

It doesn't matter. Without Ellie, his life has no value anyways. ]

[ He's too late when he sees Kano stab his own neck with the glass. There's blood everywhere. It's too late. Orien slowly uncoils, reverts to his normal size, and looks over him.

...

Snakes can't cry, but he wants to. He closes his eyes for several seconds and unhinges his jaws. ]

I'm sorry... Goodbye, Shuuya Kano.

[ Kano will now join Ala in the void as Orien swallows him whole. ]

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