[The screen flashes white several times, and Philemon appears.]

PHILEMON: You have come far. Now you will begin to confront your past. You've begun to regain the history you lost. If you wish to know the truth, you must go on to the mountain behind this shrine, Iwato. There, ponds that reflect people's pasts will guide you to the one you should follow.
LISA: Mt. Iwato... the place where we hid our sin. 
PHILEMON: Because humans yearn for timelessness, they become trapped by their past and frightened of the future. If you release the chains repressing your memory, you shall head towards the future. The true battle starts now, so prepare yourselves.

[Philemon disappears and you're taken automatically to Mt. Iwato.]

[If you spread the rumor for the Kuchisake Onna, she should be one of your first encounters. She's a strong enemy at Level 26, but overall she's not too difficult of an opponent. Defeating her will get you the Kuchisake Mask. As soon as you finish the fight, leave the dungeon and give it to the man outside of Mt. Iwato. He will give you a Megido Card in return for the mask, but make sure you don't wait until the end of the dungeon, because he'll be gone by then.]

[Make sure you look for all five secret rooms. In those rooms, the members of the party will find something very important to them as children. They're easy to find--just keep checking your map, and make sure you reveal all the walls of the cave. You must do this in order to get upgraded l33t Personae at the end of this dungeon.]
 

[Entrance to Mt. Iwato]
LISA: You still don't remember? Tatsuya, that summer ten years ago... this cave... it was our secret base.
EIKICHI: I've seen this place so many times in my dreams... that means, it really--
[A ghost appears. Her face is the same one in the vision Tatsuya had in the Air Museum.]
GHOST OF YOUNG GIRL: ...
[She disappears.]
EIKICHI: It can't be. That's--
LISA: You still don't remember? Tatsuya! Let's go inside, then. You'll remember who that was. 

[If you talk to the characters...]
MAYA: Ho ho ho... how ironic. It felt like I was forced to look into a mirror.
YUKINO: She looked like she wanted to say something... where have I seen her before?
LISA: Why did things turn out that way? Why?
EIKICHI: Suou, to be honest, I don't want to go in, but if it's true, then I've gotta...

[Mirror Pond]
[Upon entering the room, everyone is shown a flashback. This takes place apparently ten years ago, at the Araya shrine. Tatsuya wears a red bird-themed ranger mask.]
YOUNG KATSUYA: (sigh) With you here, I can't have fun at the festival. I already used up my allowance this month on you; I'm going to have a quick look around, so stay here for me, Tatsuya.
[Katsuya goes, and another boy comes.]
BLACK MASKED BOY: What are you doing here? 
TATSUYA:...
BLACK MASKED BOY: I see; you're all alone, too. Let's be friends. 
BLACK MASKED BOY: Papa and Mama were fighting again today, even though they promised to come with me to the festival! Why are grown-ups always so angry?
BOY’S VOICE: Pleeease! Get it, get it, get it, getitgetitget iiiiit!
ADULT’S VOICE: Aaargh! Be quiet, Eikichi! Didn't I just get you a mask?
EIKICHI: Waaaaah! Daddy hit meeeeee!
[He runs onto the screen and trips. Eikichi was a considerably chubbier boy than he is now. He's wearing a yellow bird-themed ranger mask.]
BLACK MASKED BOY: Are you okay?
EIKICHI: [sniff] Y, yeah... w-who are you?
BLACK MASKED BOY: Um...I'm Black Falcon, and...he's Red Eagle, I guess.
EIKICHI: [Sniff] ...t-then, I-I'm Yellow Owl.
EIKICHI: M-my dad's really scary. H-he knows k-karate and judo--he's got 18 dans in martial arts.
BLACK MASKED BOY: My papa reads books to me and teaches me about the stars. He's really gentle, but...he doesn't get along with my mama.
[Mr. Silverman and Lisa come along. Lisa is wearing a pink bird-themed ranger mask.]
LISA’S DAD: Look, Lisa. Those children are wearing masks, just like you.
BLACK MASKED BOY: Hey, you! Come over here. You want to play with us? 
LISA’S DAD: Go on, now. Those children won’t laugh at your hair or your eyes.
LISA: You promise?
BLACK MASKED BOY: How could the Defenders of Justice bully anybody? Come on!
[The kids play, running around.]
EIKICHI: A, aha, aha, ahaha...I-I fell again!
BLACK MASKED BOY: Ahahahaha! You're hopeless, Yellow. Phew, I'm tired. It's been a long time since I laughed this much.
LISA: Say, will you be my friends from now on?
EIKICHI: O-o-of course! W-w-we'll aaaaaalways be friends. R-right?
BLACK MASKED BOY: Yeah! Apart we're nothing, but together we're the Four Rangers! Let's give our group a name. It'll be our secret. When we're together, we can't take off our masks. We'll be the Secret Friends, the, um... Masquerade! From now on, we're the Masquerade friends!

[The flashback ends. If you talk to the characters...]
LISA: You remember now, right? Tatsuya! We've known each other for ages! We're the ones who started the Masquerade! And then, and then...
EIKICHI: It's true...it's true, Tatsuya. That was us. It wasn't a dream; we met for the first time at the Araya Shrine!
YUKINO: But that means....
MAYA: How shocking...you're the ones who created the Masquerade? You've caused quite a mess...

[Secret Room]
[Inside the treasure chest is a pink mask.]
LISA: This is where I hid my mask. Back then, if I hid my face, I felt like another person. I didn't care about the color of my eyes or hair.
EIKICHI: That's it! When that happened, we came here and hid the masks... and ever since then...
YUKINO: Again with the masks! Humans do the same things over and over.
MAYA: The secret hideout's treasure is a mask… the things kids think up.

[Mirror Pond]
[A flashback to ten years ago at the Araya Shrine.]
BLACK MASKED BOY: Paper!
LISA: Rock!
EIKICHI: S-scissors!
LISA: Yaaay! I won! Okay, today we're playing house!
EIKICHI: W-whaat?! L-let's d-draw today. I-I even brought my crayons...
BLACK MASKED BOY: No, Yellow. We have to obey the boss. It's the rules.
LISA: Okay, Red is the dad, I'm the mommy, of course, and Black is the big brother!
EIKICHI: A, am I the baby again? O, okay...
EIKICHI: Goo goo da da...
LISA: C'mon, Dear. The children are all asleep. Let's go take our bath.
BLACK MASKED BOY: Mama, we haven't had dinner yet.

[End of Flashback. If you talk to the characters...]
YUKINO: ...
MAYA: Ho ho ho…
LISA: That's right, I… because of my hair and eyes, I was bullied at school. The only time... I only got to be free with the Masquerade! Tatsuya and Eikichi were my home... and Tatsuya... you were my first love.
EIKICHI: The boss's words were law. I wanted to make everybody draw pictures of what they liked, but I always lost... I... I...

[Secret Room]
[Inside the treasure chest is yellow mask.]
EIKICHI: Here's where I hid my mask. When I put the mask on, I became someone else. I could draw manga and not be just some dumb brat.
LISA: My bright and cheerful friends...they were a secret, and yet they understood me more than anybody else...
YUKINO: Everyone has things they want to forget, things they don't want to remember--sad memories... I know how you feel, but there’s nothing I can say to make it better... I hate being weak at times like these...
MAYA: You can't do anything by hiding your face. Those poor kids…

[Secret Room]
[Inside the treasure chest is a red mask.]
LISA: Here's where Tatsuya hid his mask... we did it get to away from our sin... we even sealed up our memories... sorry, Tatsuya...
EIKICHI: Tacchan used to be so outgoing... it's my fault that you're so reserved now. I can't expect you to forgive me, but I can't do anything but apologize. I'm really, really sorry…
MAYA: You know what the world's most convenient word is? "Sorry." The person who hears that must, no matter how much they feel otherwise, forgive. You run away by forcing the other person to forget their suffering. It's the world's most repulsive word...the second you say it, the pain goes directly to the other person. I hate that. But people apologize anyway. The truth is, there's no need for it. You shouldn't have to forgive. You should throw away all pretensions of being good.
YUKINO: 'I'm sorry" are mean words? I certainly don’t think so. I don't know how to put this, but don't we live, forgiving and being forgiven... isn't it like a promise between two people?

[Mirror Pond]
[A flashback to ten years ago at the Araya Shrine.]
[There's a girl standing at the front of the shrine. Her face is the same as the ghost's.]
EIKICHI: H, huh? I've never seen her before...
GIRL IN SAILOR UNIFORM: Yeah? Oh? Are you Defenders of Justice? Ciao~.
LISA: Big Sis, what are you doing?
GIRL IN SAILOR UNIFORM: I'm paying my respects. I'm wishing that I'll become what I want to be!
LISA: How will that help? If you join the Masquerade, you can become whatever you want to be right away!
EIKICHI: A-as the Masquerade boss, I p-promise that. T-the boss decides what w-we all do.
GIRL IN SAILOR UNIFORM: Wow! Would you let me be what I want to be?
BLACK MASKED BOY: O-okay...is it okay with you, Red?
GIRL IN SAILOR UNIFORM: Thanks! In return, how about I tell you a charm that's rumored to show your future self? 
LISA: Yay! Please, please! Will I marry Red?
GIRL IN SAILOR UNIFORM: Let's see, it's called "Persona-sama"...

[End of Flashback. If you talk to the characters...]
EIKICHI: Aahh! We loved Big Sis! She was so pretty, always smiling... so nice... she taught us to follow our dreams... that... I...
LISA: We all played "Persona-sama"... Big Sis watched with a big smile. She said that whether a dream comes true or not depends on yourself. Even though she said that, I... I!
YUKINO: Oh, so that's why the Personae… you guys played "Persona-sama," too.

[Secret Room]
[Inside the treasure chest is a blue mask.]
LISA: Here... here's where we hid Big Sis's mask.
EIKICHI: Ah! This is how I felt ten years ago! I was too conscious of my sin, the grief, the fright... a sadness so deep my heart goes to pieces...
MAYA: If nothing bad ever happened, I wonder how fun life would be? But if you try to forget, isn't that being cowardly? Real life isn't a video game. It won't go away by pushing a button. A sin once committed can never be erased.
YUKINO: That's not like you at all, Maya-san. We can't undo the past, but can't we repent and change?

[Secret Room]
[The treasure chest is empty.]
EIKICHI: This is where he hid his mask.
LISA: The mask isn't here! He didn't come here, did he? Why?
YUKINO: Is this the mask of the boy in black? He took his mask away?
MAYA: Even if you forget, there's always somebody who remembers. I wonder how he felt when he came here?

[Mirror Pond]
[A flashback to ten years ago at the Araya Shrine.]
EIKICHI: W-why? Why are you leaving us?
GIRL IN SAILOR UNIFORM: I'm sorry I didn't tell you before... we've been planning to move before summer vacation ended. I had so much fun playing with you guys... I just couldn't say it.
LISA: The Masquerade friends are always together! It's law! You pinky-promised! Liar! Big Sis is a dirty rotten liar!
GIRL IN SAILOR UNIFORM: It was unfair... it was mean to lie...
EIKICHI: Tacchan! You're the boss today! Order her to stay!
TATSUYA: ...
EIKICHI: Jun! You, too, say something! Do you want big sis to leave us?
JUN: ...
LISA: I won't let you go! I can't let you go! If we lock you up in the shrine until tomorrow, you won't go anywhere!
LISA’S VOICE: Stop it! Enough, stop...!

[The flashback ends.]

LISA: I know what happens! It's not like I forgot! Please, stop... you've remembered, haven't you, Tatsuya? I… I... I killed Big Sis!
EIKICHI: It's not our fault, it's mine. I was a complete idiot! I couldn't bear the thought of what we did, so I pretended it was all a dream…
LISA: I know... the truth is, when I heard the name 'Masquerade,' I knew it was real. For ten years I thought it had been a nightmare, and in the meantime I couldn't separate reality from fantasy... I thought I made everything up...
YUKINO: What happened after that?
LISA: We locked Big Sis up in the shrine... to the very end, Tatsuya protested, so we locked him in there, too...
EIKICHI: It was meant to be only one night... we were gonna keep her there for one night so that she wouldn't move away... we were such kids... yeah right, like that was going to change things...
LISA: When we came back the next day, the shrine had burned down... I was so scared! I killed Big Sis and Tatsuya!
EIKICHI: Me, Ginko, and Jun... we hid the masks in our secret base. We swore never to meet again. Later on I heard Tatsuya had been hurt by the arsonist, but that he was still alive... but I couldn't bear to face him... until the very end you tried to protect Big Sis while I... I... killed her!
LISA: She's alive... Big Sis is alive.
EIKICHI: What?! But you just said that you killed her...
LISA: There was a big commotion when the shrine burned down. The police called my father, but they hadn't found her corpse.
YUKINO: Then things turned out okay! You were still children! You shouldn't take it this so hard. She's still alive, right? This Big Sis? That's good.
LISA: It's not! Because... Big Sis is the Joker!
EIKICHI, TATSUYA, YUKINO: ?!
LISA: King Leo said so! He said Joker is as beautiful as a goddess! Big Sis was like a goddess! 

[Maya attacks Tatsuya.]

MAYA: You seem to have finally remembered your sin! Yes, I'm alive! I befriended you for revenge and waited for your memories to come back!

[Reverse Maia attacks them.]

LISA: B-but...is Maya-san...? Forgive us, Big Sis...!
MAYA: Oh no, I won't! I'll show you the strength of my fear! Look!

[Maya calls upon Reverse Maia again, but a second Maya blocks it.]

MAYA: You! My friends should have gotten rid of you by now!
MAYA: If I were so easy to defeat, could I call myself a heroine?
EIKICHI: Maya...Big Sis? There's two of you? H-how--
MAYA: Ciao, everybody! Sorry I'm late. She probably came about from the rumors of us being terrorists. A false me; a spy for the Masquerade!
SHADOW MAYA: You bitch! Just when things were going my way!
???: What a bother. I'll stop you from getting in the way of my plans.
[They sense a resonance.]
MAYA, TATSUYA:!
[The Joker appears. Shadow Maya gives him the red Crystal Skull.]
JOKER: You've destroyed my plans by remembering that person, and within your hopes, realizing your sins. Vanish! Life is too good for you. 
MAYA: I can't do that... Jun-kun.
YUKINO, TATSUYA, EIKICHI, LISA: ?!
MAYA: I'm alive! Stop suffering...!
JOKER: Stop...it can't be! Tatsuya killed you!
MAYA: You have no reason to fight with Tatsuya! Remember that day in the park? You two were almost like--
[The Joker clutches his head.]
JOKER: Kill them!

[Enter boss fight]
SHADOW MAYA: My plan didn't work, but so long as I kill you, it'll all turn out fine. Maya Amano... it's a pity about that boy, though.
MAYA: I wonder, will I be that easy to knock off? I'll protect these kids, and Jun-kun, too!

[She's at Level 38 and can be a formidable opponent. However, if you're properly leveled and have a good heal-all spell [such as Pine Bamboo Plum or Mediarama] she shouldn't be too hard to defeat. Just watch your health, and use sword combos such as Fire + Straight Slash, since she's weak physically. Defeating her nets you a lot of experience, so try to keep as many people alive as possible.]

[After you beat Shadow Maya...]
SHADOW MAYA: How… you were supposed to want to die!
MAYA: I have no desire to die... bye, you imposter...
EIKICHI: Are you really Big Sis?
MAYA: Thanks to the ponds on the way here, I remembered everything. I'm sorry... I forgot about all of you. I'm really, really sorry...
LISA: Why... why didn't we realize... my Persona even told me that you're Big Sis! I'm sorry! I! Wah!
[Ginko hugs Maya and cries.]
EIKICHI: I… I... what I did what too horrible for words...even if you hate me, there's no way I could even begin to apologize...
MAYA: No... everything is the result of the unhappiness that started back then. I'm glad to meet you again. I don't hate you... on the contrary, I--
[They all cry.]
GHOST OF YOUNG GIRL: ...
MAYA: You, too... an illusion of me, you exist because of rumors.
ILLUSION OF MAYA: I... in place of you, who forgot everything, I wanted to remind everybody of that fire and of Jun.
[Maya finds a flower.]
MAYA: A salvia flower... "I think only of you."
ILLUSION OF MAYA: Jun-kun's still suffering from his false memories… I couldn't do anything but watch as he changed... Please, save him.
[Tatsuya flicks his lighter.]
ILLUSION OF MAYA: Thanks, my... hero...

[She disappears, and in her place comes the butterfly Philemon. They're all transported to his domain.]
MAYA: Are you Philemon? Yes, you were the one--I met you ten years ago.
PHILEMON: I'm honored that you remember. The light that shone in your eyes back then has grown brighter still. In return, allow me to bestow upon you respect and power... the strength of your hearts and the kindness towards your friends have awoken your Personae's true strength.

[If you've made the right decisions throughout the game, as well as collected the party members' masks in Mt. Iwato, you'll be rewarded with new Persona. Just so you know, these are the decisions that you SHOULD have made:
 - For Eikichi: let him fight Sugimoto on his own
 - For Lisa: don't help her at the concert
 - For Maya: let her save Ixquic in the Air Museum
Don't worry about Yukino; she'll get a Persona upgrade a bit later, after Mt. Katatsumuri. Tatsuya will upgrade on his own, if you made the right decisions for the others. You'll get custom versions of Volcanus, Rhadamanthus, Eros, and Maia.]

RHADAMANTHUS CUSTOM: You who have realized your sin and weakness... by knowing the meaning of courage, you have presented Rhadamanthus with his true power.
EROS CUSTOM: I, Eros, have discovered the strength of sincerity. You, who are in love… your yearning for him will be your strength.
MAIA CUSTOM: My name is Maia.
I have risen to my innate strength.
In your past, flowers
Have abundantly bloomed.
Go towards the full moon of starlight in the month's sixteenth night. 
VULCANUS CUSTOM: The light of your feelings towards the comrades of your heart has cleansed me through fire. I am thou, thou art I; this is my holy form, risen from flames.
PHILEMON: Now, you, former allies, have suffered because of false memories. He was sucked in by rumors by using rumors himself. He is moving humanity to its ultimate dream... that is not Jun Kurosu's true wish! His mind has been trapped by rumors, and slowly he is becoming something a human should not be! When the Holy Cross, also known as the Grand Cross, aligns, Nahui-Olin will…the moment when the Fifth Sun and this world will be destroyed is fast approaching. If you wish to change mankind's destiny and to save your friend from the Crawling Chaos, go to Caracol.
[Philemon and his dimension fade away. The characters find themselves inside the shrine. Masks decorate the walls.]

MAYA: This is where Tatsuya and I spent that night together, and where we played... I have a lot of good memories from those days.
EIKICHI: But one of us is still missing.
LISA: Yeah. Let's go get Jun. Together, as the Masquerade!

[Yukino's cell phone rings.]

YUKINO: Hello, Tamaki-chan? Perfect timing. We want to talk to Okamura-sensei, pass the pho--
TAMAKI’S VOICE: Now's not the time for that! Look at the sky! The sky!

[They go outside, and you see detailed FMV of the Last Battalion invading Sumaru City.]

TAMAKI’S VOICE: Hello, are you there? Can you hear me?
YUKINO: …Yeah, I'm listening… that can't be...
TAMAKI’S VOICE: The rumors about the Last Battalion came true! And--hey, wait!
IDEAL-SENSEI: All right? Listen to me. The word 'caracol' means 'snail' in Spanish. Kashihara-sensei wrote that at Mt. Katatsumuri--"Mt. Snail" in Japanese--the original form of Caracol was that of the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. The Last Battalion's aim is the Wheel of Fortune. If they start the Wheel of Fortune, this world will... you must go to Caracol at once! Don't let them near it!
YUKINO: Mt. Katatsumuri? Shunsuke-san is there! If anything happens to him, I'll--
MAYA: Yukki, calm down! Fujii-san won't die so easily! We'll get there and save him, okay?

[If you talk to the characters...]
YUKINO: Shunsuke-san, wait for me! Please don’t have let anything happen to you!
LISA: Fujii-san is Yukino's love... we've got to go, Tatsuya!
EIKICHI: It's just one thing after another! Crap! Army or not, I'll take 'em on!
MAYA: If the Last Battalion means to follow In-Laqetti ... Jun-kun must be there, too!
OLD LADY: It's an air raid, an air raid! The bamboo spears--where are the bamboo spears? The war is starting again! [1]

[1] This is a reference to old Japanese warfare. For some reason, crazy old people in manga and games are always looking for bamboo spears when there's an attack, regardless of the technology level of the enemy. That's because civilians were armed with bamboo spears during the World Wars.
 

[Leave Araya with Mt. Katatsumuri as your next destination. This is another double-dungeon, and depending on the choice you make, it can be rather long, so stock up on items before you go. The new Personae you've gotten from Philemon can be tough on your SP, so I'd pick up enough Chewing Souls to last. Before you go, make a few sidetrips to chat with some of the people on the street and go into Honmaru Park--something interesting has developed.]

[Honmaru Park]
[In the middle are two dying Masquerade members. Talk to the people in the park, and they'll tell you they were saved by the Masquerade, who was defending the populace at Joker-sama's command. ]

MASQUERADE MEMBER [right]: D-don't misunderstand... all I did was follow Joker-sama's orders...
MASQUERADE MEMBER [left]: U-up until now, I've only thought of myself... but soon... I'll probably die... I wonder... what this refreshing feeling... is?
MASQUERADE MEMBER [by fence]: We weren't told that we'd be thrown into this fight... that Joker jerk... he tricked me! He, he's a d, demon!
YOUNG WOMAN [in yellow]: Naoya--you covered me and saved me... I knew it! You had to be Naoya! Hey, when you get better we'll make up.
RESCUED WOMAN [in green]: They said that the Joker ordered the Masquerade to protect the people in the city. The Joker must be as kind as an angel.
RESCUED MAN [in light blue]: I can't believe I was saved by the Masquerade members! Those were orders from the Joker? What's up with that? Maybe he’s not so bad...
[The rest of the bystanders say similar things.]
EIKICHI: But if Jun ordered them to protect the people in the city, then he must be...
LISA: Hoh san luo! That's right! Jun still has the kind heart we knew used to know!
MAYA: In the end, the Masquerade members were just regular people. There's no way they could stand up to the Last Battalion. At this rate, the number of casualties is going to grow.
YUKINO: If those guys go to Mt. Katatsumuri...

[While you're here, have a look at the black board next to the fountain, if you haven't already.]
SIGN: Honmaru Park was constructed in 1980 upon the ruins of Sumaru Castle. Kiyotada Sumaru, who purified the lands during the Feudal Age, lived in this castle.
SIGN: Construction was started by Mr. Tatsuzou Sudou, a member of the Prefectural Assembly, and was funded by a number of benefactors.

[There aren't any new rumors from the Rumormongers; weapon upgrades are available in the Time Castle and armor upgrades are available in the Rosa-Candida, both in Rengedai. It's a good idea to make sure you're well equipped in both areas, though if you're short on money for whatever reason, just get armor.]

[The Katsuya Update in Konan]
KATSUYA: Tatsuya! What the hell are you doing here? Do you want to die?
KATSUYA: Protecting the citizens is the job of public servants! Hurry up and hide somewhere.
WOMAN IN LOVE: J-just now, I was a-attacked by those soldiers. And t-then, that detective saved me... ah, I could just die.

[Ulala is in Maya's room at the Lunar Palace. She's chain-smoking and not saying anything particularly important. You can still find Brown at Sumaru TV, Maki at Hiiragi Psychotherapy, and Eriko in the W-Slash. None of them have anything to say, really. Curiously, Junko Kurosu has disappeared. And the Shadow People around town don't talk anymore--they have been reduced to mere groans of pain. Eikichi's friends have disappeared completely, and Mami and Miho are very dark and no longer make any sounds.]