Chapter 1 - A New Empress

               Something had been changing in Tartarus. 
 
               It was known that the Shadows inhabiting the anomalous tower grew in power as they congregated closer to its apex - thusly, that Shadows existed further up the tower, each one eclipsing what SEES previously considered the strongest beast they’d faced - including those that appeared on each full moon. Though the members of SEES were prepared to encounter stronger Shadows…
 
               They were disarmed when they came to encounter familiar creatures - seemingly resurrected by whatever force commanded Tartarus. The multi-limbed behemoth that was the Arcana Magician had appeared during one of their more casual expeditions - though stronger than before, and despite catching them off-guard, they were prepared to dispatch it. It had been mere days after that when they found the Arcana Priestess rooted to a stairway - and were forced to destroy that as well. 
 
               A pattern having been codified with the second appearance, each member knew what to expect next - the pair they’d encountered in their incursion to save Fuuka; the Arcana Empress and Emperor. While all were concerned about the sudden resurrection of these dangerous Shadows - few anticipated the return of the ‘regal’ pair less excitedly than Yukari. Her recollection of them was bitter - something she supposed she shared only with Mitsuru and Fuuka. It was the first… First-hand demonstration of how the Shadows had begun to evolve - not just in raw strength, but in tactics. Having been rebuked by their unexpected defense, Yukari and Mitsuru were at the cruel Shadows’ mercy… 
 
               Had she not been rescued. The memory was bittersweet - while she was doubtlessly relieved to walk away with her life; to have been humbled - to have been left so vulnerable… She never wanted to be rescued again. While their potential return left her anxious - so too did it give her a sense of anticipation. She wanted to prove, if ultimately to nobody but herself, that she had grown beyond them - even as strong as they might return. It was this that drove her to tag along with incursions into Tartarus in the coming weeks - each one posing a challenge, but ultimately disappointing Yukari - their fatigue overtaking them before the reborn Shadows appeared. 
 
               It was one fateful night that SEES made the trip into Tartarus; their party commanded as always by their leader; and Yukari was joined by Junpei and Mitsuru. It was as they advanced that, standing before a staircase, they found one of the full moon Shadows awaiting them. Having planted its blade in the ground before it, the Arcana Emperor barred the way ahead. 
 
               Mitsuru was the first to remark on the curiosity of its manifestation. “The Emperor,” she begins, drawing her rapier - using it to motion toward its mask, emblazoned with a bold IV. “but where’s the Empress?”
 
               Yukari notched an arrow, advancing on the creature. “Maybe we missed it - but that’s fine, right? It can’t pull any tricks without its partner.” Looking to their leader for affirmation, she sees him eye the Shadow tentatively. She opens her mouth to press him-
 
               But Junpei opens his mouth first. “Hey, I dunno about you guys - but I’m feelin’ fine to take on this pushover.” He offers a thumbs up to Yukari, offering a bold “I’m with you, Yuka-tan.”
 
               “See? He agrees.” Yukari offers. 
 
               “That isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement…” Mitsuru murmurs - but after a moment, she takes a step forward. “But I’m willing to face it.” Looking to their leader, he wordlessly nods, moving into formation. “Everyone - be prepared for anything.” 
 
               The towering Shadow raises its blade, giving a quick flourish as it advances. In the unearthly lighting of Tartarus, a shadow of its own is cast - which soon splits, in defiance of the illumination around them. The darkness gathers in two pools - which shadowy hands extend from. A mask takes shape within the pool, and two of the pitiful Shadows known to them as Mayas move to protect their Emperor. 
 
               Withdrawing her evoker, Yukari places it against her temple, staring the towering Shadow down. “Let’s go - Persona!” she barks - the stagnant air of the haunted halls begins to shift, ethereal green wisps manifesting within it - circling around the Shadows and cleaving through them. It wasn’t enough to dispatch the Mayas, disappointingly - but most shockingly, the Emperor was left standing. “Huh?” she murmurs. “Wasn’t it-”
 
               Mitsuru wastes no time in attacking. A shower of icicles crash squarely into the larger Shadow’s body, staggering it, but not felling it. “It doesn’t appear to be as weak to magic as it was before.” she resolves, furrowing her brow. “Let’s see if we can expose its weakness - Iori, attack.”
 
“You got it!” Junpei launches his attack next - his Persona lobbing a great ball of flame toward it; which visibly burns away at its shadowy essence, but leaves it standing. 
 
Their leader withdraws his evoker pensively - and after a moment of contemplation, he fires, uttering “High Pixie.” The figure of a spiky-haired fairy hovers over him as he casts a hand toward the Shadow - and after a moment of waiting, a great bolt of lightning comes down upon it, filling the air with the scent of ozone. 
 
Mitsuru furrows her brow - bracing her arms pensively before herself. “No weakness? Or, perhaps…” Her thought is interrupted as the Emperor begins to move.
 
Having withstood their first volley of attacks, they watch the Shadow raise its blade - leveraging it toward Yukari. Her eyes widen as it seems to stare her down - its own hollow eyes bearing down on her with malicious intent. As she looked into them, she felt paralyzed - her limbs freezing up at first, but then… Going slack. 
 
A pink aura radiated from its blade, which it swung once through the air; cutting across her field of vision and leaving a wave of distortion. The world swam around her - an effect certainly not helped by the alien nature of Tartarus itself. Even as her head began to swim, she distantly recognized what was happening to her. She tried to look at her friends-
 
But as the king waved its blade again, she found her attention redirected toward it. It seemed to plant the blade back into the ground before it - standing… Noblely. The word came to Yukari’s mind unbidden - but she supposed it was appropriate. It was a Shadow evoking a regal aesthetic, after all - and there was something about the noble grace with which it conducted itself that was just so… Dreamy…
 
               “Takeba!” Mitsuru called - but to no avail. The other members of SEES could see her swaying in place; fixated on the Shadows before her. The Mayas crept across the floor to strike at Junpei and their leader; after which, Yukari staggers a little in place, fumbling for her evoker. 
 
Staring at the Emperor, she can see some of the tassels hanging off of its body had been burnt - and a blackened mark sits upon its chest. “How… Unbecoming…” she mutters, placing the faux-gun to her temple again. With her Persona hovering behind her - a soft green glow manifests around the Emperor. The damage upon its body disappears - leaving it standing uninjured once more. “Better…” Placing one hand on her cheeks, she mutters. “He’s so statuesque…”
 
“Hey, idiot!” Junpei barks. “Don’t heal him - get a hold of yourself!”
 
Having undergone her own attack Junpei lobs another fireball - and their leader strikes it with electricity again. Yukari gasps - drawing their eye to her again; but she doesn’t appear to be broken from her trance. “No, no, no, no, you’re hurting him…!” she whines plaintively.
 
               Mitsuru leers at the Emperor as the others attack - visibly doing damage… But doing nothing to cripple the beast. With their established conventions of how to fight it proving useless - she places her evoker back in its holster, preparing to charge it with her rapier. She draws her weapon back, and prepares to thrust-
 
               But as soon as the blade makes contact, she’s repulsed - the weapon glancing harmlessly off of the creature and knocking her flat on her ass. “No-!” she grunts, bracing herself on the ground.
 
               The  Emperor stands motionless as the Mayas slink forward - striking Junpei and their leader once more. Retreating to their position beside the Emperor, its head turns to Yukari again. With its hollow eyes bearing down upon her, the air around its body seems to shift - the tassels upon it suddenly blow upward and outward as a surge of energy is released. The energy seems to inspire one of the Mayas to move again - this time toward Yukari. Rather than slash at her, it seems to move around her - reaching up from the puddle composing its body and grabbing her by the shoulders. 
 
               Its cold hands make the entranced archer shudder; moreso as the inky sludge its body is composed of seems to corrode through her sweater, and impact her bare flesh. “Ooh-” Yukari mutters, a sour look crossing her face - but as the Maya seems to press its form against hers, a smile begins to play at the corners of her lips. “Ooooooooh…” she groans out. The Shadow’s mask seems to melt into its essence, which begins to spread across her body - slithering across it and eating away at her clothes as it loops around her chest, gathering around her midsection then sinking down across her limbs. 
 
               The others can only stare in awe as the Shadow evenly coats her body - when it reaches her arms, viscous ropes of its essence leap out to wrap around her bow; seeming to break the metal down like acid. Mitsuru places a hand over her mouth as she watches the process - horrified to imagine what was going on beneath the coating of Shadow essence; what was to become  of Yukari’s body. The archer’s weapon - and evoker, in her other hand- are consumed - and the suit seems to grow more defined around her. While initially consisting of uneven slime, it seems to tighten and smooth out - an even and glossy coating spreading from her limbs inward.
 
               Junpei covers his eyes as the smoother texture reaches her chest - which stands defined against the now-skintight material. Before long, it composed an entire ‘suit’ - covering her entire body. Even so - it seemed the mass of the Shadow seemed to exceed what was required for the suit; leading to the… Excess gathering across her form - there was a distinct curvature to her stomach; and her thighs seemed a little larger than before. For her allies, the process was unsettling to behold…
 
               But Yukari had an entirely different experience. The sensation was one  thing - the cold goo rolling across bare flesh; followed by the constrictive tightness, pulling firmly against every nook and cranny of her body…  But more important than that was how it felt. The process was surreal - a transmission of emotion and sentiment through the medium of her body. What came first was something she recalled fondly: fear, inadequacy, ineptitude. Her brow furrowed as the emotions played at her mind, unbidden. Retribution came next, and following that, the feeling of triumph - in her entranced state, she was unable to stifle a little groan; planting a hand upon her thigh; her fingers curling inward upon it. 
 
               Triumph. Victory. Power. Adulation. Praise. Superiority. 
 
Her eyes closed for a moment, and in her mind’s eye, she could see something odd - a throne, ponderously large and vacant. 
 
               Desire.
 
               “Yuka-tan!” 
 
               A call forces her to open her eyes; which flash yellow for just a  moment, before the unnatural tone fizzles from her eyes. For the first time since their battle began, she was able to look away from the Emperor, and toward… His assailants. Her head tilts to one side, squinting at them. Quickly she stands upright - pressing out her chest a little. 
 
               “Are you speaking to me?” she muses, her voice seeming to shift; her tone deepening, as though trying to feign maturity. 
 
               Junpei barks out a harsh “Yeah! C’mon, get a grip - those things are messin’ with ya!”
 
               Her hand raises from her side, coming to rest upon her chest. Her movements seem reflexive - but puppeted in a way. “What an uncouth creature - and you-” She sweeps her hand forth, motioning to the members of SEES. “have the indignity to attack my Emperor! Such insolence cannot be forgiven!” 
 
               “Will you quit it with the bitchy queen act? This ain’t normal-” Junpei stops as Yukari glares toward them - holding one hand aloft. The essence composing her suit seems to shift again - extending from both sides of her hand in a long bar; quickly, it takes shape as… A scepter. Them embedded in its head glows pink, and with a sweep of the weapon, the members of SEES can feel a familiar gust of wind blow through the halls of Tartarus. 
 
               Violent winds streak by with arcane trails of green light, causing the prone Mitsuru to roll over as she’s lashed - but moreover, overpowering Junpei and the leader. Both belt out an anguished cry as they’re knocked prone; leaving Yukari and the Shadows as the only ones left standing. 
 
               Yukari casts a look over to the Emperor, standing stolidly as ever. “Ohohoho! Look at them fall, darling.” she coos, batting the head of her scepter against her empty palm. 
 
               “Darling…” Junpei grumbles, pushing the brim of his hat out from over his eyes. 
 
               He looks to Mitsuru for guidance, and he finds her grimacing at the charmed Yukari. “That weapon…” she hisses. “No - it’s too horrible to imagine.” 
 
               It takes the injured SEES members to muster the strength to stand again; after which they find the shadows preparing to strike once more. The Maya slinks across the ground toward Mitsuru - she tries to hold it at bay with her rapier - but it jukes to her side, sweeping for her legs. With a cry, she’s knocked down again - staring upward at the Emperor as it looks over to Yukari once more. It raises its blade from the ground - and with an earthshaking rumble, slams it back downward. 
 
               With the others on the floor, Yukari seems a little staggered - the floor shaking beneath her; but more oddly, the quaking seems to travel through the Shadow essence covering her body. A wave rolls up from her ankles upward; displacing the substance as it treks higher. At first, this just seemed to cause it to separate, but soon, a glimmering luminescence begins to cascade off of her. Yukari brings her hands to her lips - her eyes widening. “Oh my.” she begins, her voice quaking in excitement as she looks down to herself.
 
               She, like her companions, could see the very tone of the formly-entirely black essence shifting - brightening until a shade of blue became clear. It extends from her ankles up to her waist - either divorced from the rest of the ‘suit’ or further padded. 
 
While the wobbling jiggle across her stomach leaves no distinct impact; when it reaches her breasts, the blue padding returns - covering her breasts and shoulders. The essence of the suit seems to slink upward - covering Yukari’s neck; until uneven tendrils begin to grasp at her cheeks. 
 
“It’s givin’ her clothes?” Junpei begins, dumbfounded - but quickly, the situation dawns on him. “Wait - wait, I’ve seen that before. It… It’s… Not…”
 
Even with the quaking having ceased, the ‘outfit’ upon Yukari shifts further. A band begins to gather around her neck; craning upward behind her head until it fans out into a pronounced collar. Yukari brings her hands together on her scepter; and an entire layer of the Shadow sludge seems to slough off; forming a thin membrane, disturbingly organic at first - but fading into a more fabric appearance; connecting one hand to the other and looping around her back as a sort of cape. 
 
“Ohoho!” Yukari laughs, another flash of yellow crossing her eyes. “Truly marvelous couture for an Empress!”
 
The color draining from his face, Junpei looks over to Mitsuru, who averts her eyes. “Then it’s what I feared. This creature had no Empress - because it needed to make one.” she forces out. Chilled both at what was becoming of her friend, and the grander implications of this discovery, her body began to tremble. The Emperor didn’t seem to have concluded its assault, however - a burst of energy escapes its body once more, and the Maya lurking at its side moves over to Yukari. Mitsuru had enough time to shout “No-!” before it gathered at Yukari’s feet.
 
The Shadow seemed to bow - and Yukari boldly lifted one leg and planted it upon the creature’s face; shattering its mask. Tendrils of the fluid that composed the creature lashed out and latched onto her ankle - seeming to pump itself into her body in undulating pulsations, rolling across her leg. “Yes,” she hisses, shutting her eyes. “it’s such a delight to see something know its place.” 
 
One of Yukari’s hands remained on her scepter, while the other rose to her chest. At first, she squeezes one of her breasts, biting her lip… But, seemingly more pleasurably, her hand sinks down to her stomach. As she drinks, and grows drunk on the ichor being fed into her body, it seems to gather in certain spots - visibly distorting her frame as it grows. Mass piles onto her in waves; first piling onto her thighs; growing broader and stretching the surface of her new ‘pants’. 
 
               Her pants, however, are soon eclipsed by the growing rotundity of her stomach. With her hand placed upon it, she holds back the flow of flab as it extends outward - paving over the formerly flat stomach of the archer - but soon her hand rises with the growing weight; sagging weightily forward. Her fingers dimple into the inky mass of her belly, and her navel grows deeper inward - even broadened by a forming fold of flab.
 
               Yukari’s breasts grow - but so too do they rise to sit upon the shelf of her stomach. Upon reaching her shoulders, the mass extends outward - weight burying her once-powerful arms in weight wrought by the supernatural manifestation of excess. Her heel had once been perched on a considerable step, when the Shadow first presented itself - but with a wet slap, her foot came into contact with the flat ground - mopping up the very last of the Shadow’s essence. 
 
               Drawing in the remnants of the Shadowy slime, a visible bulge rolls up her leg, passing over her thigh - and with much of her body ‘settled’ or filled to capacity, it has nowhere to go but up. The fluid visibly rises up her throat - and with a look of surprise, Yukari’s lips, once locked in a dreamy smile, suddenly purse, and her cheeks bulge out. Her brow furrows, and slowly, the stretched-to-capacity roundness of her cheeks seems to fade… But her face seems to broaden - metabolizing the horrid ichor into pure fat. 
 
               When her lips break from their puckered state, she can’t help but regurgitate a little bit of the black fluid, rolling down her breasts until it’s reabsorbed by her stomach. “Oh, a thousand pardons, darling.” she murmurs, looking over to the Emperor. “You simply spoiled me with that meal - truly your magnanimity knows no bounds.” When she turns her gaze back on the members of SEES, her irises glow a vibrant shade of gold - sustained as she takes waddling steps to the side of the Emperor. 
 
               “Y-Yuka-tan…” Junpei mutters, uncharacteristically sheepishly. 
 
               Glowering at the others, Yukari points her wand toward them - and with a violent burst of wind, bowls the three of them over once more; gusts lashing at them fiercely enough to draw blood. “Silence!” she asserts. “Cease with your pitiful prattling.” Her voice belts out underscored by an otherworldly resonance - sending chills down the spines of her friends.
 
               “It’s not pitiful.” Mitsuru asserts, drawing the attention - and ire - of Yukari. “Listen to us, Yukari - I know there’s some part of you still in there! You need to fight this - remember who you are!”
The bloated girl pauses for a moment, the look of contempt upon her face melting away. Staring down the injured SEES members, her brow furrows. “Who I am…” she mutters - she lowers her scepter, and her free hand rises up, first resting upon her neck, but moving upward to land upon her cheek… But as her Shadow-covered fingers make landfall upon her human flesh, she flinches as though disgusted by the sensation. “Is this what you mean…?” she muses, a small grin coming to her face.
 
“Yes!” Mitsuru muses - having Yukari acknowledge it was a step in the right direction.
 
 Removing her hand from her cheek, the twisted girl maneuvers it beside her mouth. Mitsuru pales as she sees a haughty look return to their friend’s face as she belts out another booming “Ooohohohoho~” Her laughter resounds through the halls and even through her body - her gut jiggling along with her. “What a foolish creature you are! I’ve grown beyond this pitiful girl - she persists merely in her visage; in time, I hope, usurped by a crown upon my brow.” She raises her scepter upward; relishing in adopting such a dramatic pose. “I am the Empress, to my dear Emperor.”
 
The three Gekkoukan students find themselves gathered on the ground, prone before the empowered Shadow - now a pair. Even if they could move - the chilling cruelty of the Empress’ voice left them paralyzed.  The Empress looks up to her partner with a smile, then to the others, with a sneer. 
 
“They’re down, darling - this is our chance!” Raising its blade, the Emperor strides forward, with Yukari following sluggishly in tow. When it arrives before the students, it reaches down - with its free hand, grasping Mitsuru. 
 
The Kirijo heiress grunts as she feels its fingers tighten around her waist - her mind returning to her first encounter with the brute. When Yukari arrives, she looms over the boys - dangerously brandishing her scepters. “Now, to silence the riffraff.” she murmurs. “Keep hold of that one, darling - we’ll deal with it later.” 
 
Yukari’s eyes leer, and runs her tongue across her lips - the surface just as black and bloated as the rest of her body. “I want to savor these ones first.”


 
Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey. 
One is always aware that it lies in wait. 
Though life is merely a journey to the grave, 
it must not be undertaken without hope. 
Only then will a traveler's story live on, 
treasured by those who bid him farewell. 
But alas, my guest's life has now ended, 
his tale left unwritten...
