2009 April 6th, a late night… The New City passenger train "Anehazuru" moved along the railway tracks through the darkness, slowing down gradually as it reached its destination. A man alone in the train car snored quietly as he napped. He had swept-back silver hair, wore silver-trimmed glasses and was wearing a black coat with streaks of purple, awhite shirt underneath with a large cross emblazoned on the front, black pants and boots with purple soles.
"We have arrived at: Iwatodai, the final stop for Tatsumi Port Island."
Blared through the speakers. "Hmhuhwha?" The man shook awake after hearing the announcement "Oh, seems I've arrived" He stood up, rubbing his eyes to stave off the drowsiness. He stepped off the train and into the station, noticing that it was almost midnight. "Oh dear, it's already this late…"
The man shook his head and walked out of the station, feeling slightly uneasy due to the lack of anybody else at the time. Just out of the corner of his eyes, he thought that he saw a blue butterfly flutter away, but dismissed it as part of his imagination.
Out on the streets, the very moment he set foot on the pavement he knew something strange was afoot. The atmosphere around him was different; it felt odd or ominous, in a way. He knew that this wasn't normal, but he also thought it was due to his lack of sleep. In either case, he decided it was best to get to the dorm as soon as possible.
On the way there things seemed to get more and more stranger as he saw standing, stationary coffins lining the lifeless area. Or at least, objects that seemed like coffins. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the moon was eerily gigantic… a bit too much for his comfort. He didn't want to stare at it any longer so he went on his way to the dorm.
…
He arrived at the dorm after a lengthy stroll. He observed the structure "… Gekkoukan High Dorm, seems this is the place." He entered the building.
Immediately after pushing the doors open and setting foot inside the dark room, he heard a voice directed at him. "Welcome." It sounded like a young boy.
"You're late. I've been waiting a long time you know." In front of him the man could just barely make out the figure of the speaker, it was indeed a young boy.
The mysterious boy held out a piece of paper and a blue pen "Please sign the contract, if you want to go on." The boy giggled "No need to be afraid, it's only to bind you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."
The man picked up the pen and paper handed to him. He examined the contract, noticing the words written on it.
I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.
Below it he could see a space to sign his name "Noctal Ronovas" He signed the paper.
"…Very well."The boy took the contract and paper. "Time is something no one can hope to escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing against it won't make it go away." He had an unsettling smirk on his face "And so it begins…"
The boy disappeared, as if he was swallowed by the darkness. "…And so that happened." Noctal said, he was left a bit perplexed by the event. Suddenly, he heard somebody else.
"Who's there!?" The voice sounded like a girl. "How are you… But it's…" She seemed to have gone quiet "Don't tell me…" She seemed to be holding what looked like a gun, of sorts.
Another person spoke "Wait!" The room went silent for a short few seconds, after which the lights came on. Now that the room was lit, Noctal could see two girls ahead of him, on the other side of the room. One with long red hair and in what seemed to be school uniform and the other with short brown hair and wearing a pink sweater over her uniform.
"I didn't think you'd be here so late." The red haired girl spoke "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students living in this dorm."
"… Who's he?" Whispered the brown haired girl to Mitsuru.
Mitsuru turned to face her "A transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign him here. He'll eventually move into a room in the boys' dorm."
"… Is it okay for him to be here?"
"We'll have to wait and see…"
Noctal remained where he was, a bit confused about what he should do. "Should I ask or… no it'd be rude of me to interrupt while they talk to each other. Best to let them finish."
Mitsuru turned to Noctal and gestured to Yukari "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."
"Hi, I'm Yukari." She said, though her voice was full of distrust for Noctal.
"Oh urm, yes." He did a butler-esque bow and smiled "My name is Noctal Ronovas. Pleasure to meet you."
"Uh, Y-yeah. Nice to meet you too…" Her tone didn't seem to improve.
Mitsuru spoke to Noctal "It's getting late, you should get some rest. I'm sure it was a taxing trip here." She continued "Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there."
"I'll show you the way. Follow me." Yukari went up the stairs.
Noctal nodded and did as he was told.
Up on the 2nd floor and at the end of the hall, Yukari and Noctal stood in front of the room at the far end of the hallway.
"Here we are." Yukari said as she stood infront of the door. "Easy to remember right? ...Since its right at the end of the hall."
Noctal stroked his chin while looking over the hall and door. "I suppose so…"
"So, any questions?"
"One actually, does the little boy that was downstairs just a moment ago live here as well?"
Yukari looked confused "What are you talking about? …C'mon, that wasn't a good joke."
"Err… Nevermind then." Noctal thought to himself "Does she not know? …Was it merely my imagination then? No, it was most definitely real… Bah, no use thinking about it now. Sleep time now time."
"Hey… can I ask you something?"
Noctal's train of thought was suddenly broken "Hm? Oh, of course."
"On your way here from the station was everything… Okay?"
Noctal paused for a few seconds before talking "… Might I ask what exactly do you mean?"
"You know what I… Actually on second thought, never mind, forget I said anything." Her tone shifted into a more cheery one "It seems like you're alright."
"I… guess?" Noctal was left a bit puzzled by what Yukari said, though he did indeed know what she meant. "… So it was all real then… Interesting, how very interesting…"
"Well, I should get going now." She began to walk away but stopped shortly after "Um… I'm sure you still have more questions, but let's save them for later, okay? Good night." And having said that, she walked away.
Noctal waved at her and then looked back at his room. "So this is where I am to stay then? Let's have a look…" He opened the door and walked in. Inside, he saw a simple room. A bed, a sink, a mini-fridge, a heater, a desk, a TV and other furniture were all neatly placed around the room.
"My, 'tis quite nice." He thought as he looked around. But he didn't have time to doodle around his new living quarters; it would be very wise to go to sleep now.
He turned off the lights, walked over to the bed and dropped onto it. "Ahhh… How relaxing…" He said as he sunk into the mattress ever so slightly. "Well… this was a strange night. I do have quite a few questions needing answers but… I'll have to do as Miss Takeba said and wait for another time. Till then, off to dreamland I go." And so Noctal fell into a deep sleep.
The next day…
It was morning. Noctal slowly woke from his slumber. "… And there goes dreamland. Damn you, morning sun." He sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes.
Somebody knocked on his door "It's Yukari. Are you awake?"
"Coming." He got off his bed and opened the door.
Yukari was standing outside, "Morning. Did you sleep okay?" she seemed more cheery than how she was last night.
"More or less."
"That's good to hear. Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school today. So get ready, I'll be downstairs." She left.
"Will do." Noctal said while she was about to leave. He closed the door when she was gone and changed to his school uniform.
Later on the New City passenger train…
Yukari spoke "We have to take the monorail to get there. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?"
Noctal chuckled "Not at all. It was only a lengthy stroll away from where I was."
"That so? Oh this is my favorite part." She looked enthusiastic "The moment when it feels like you're gliding over the sea." After a short while she continued "We get off on Port Island Station at the end of the line. From there, we walk. I'm sure you're used to the last part, right?"
Noctal laughed "Indeed I am, indeed I am."
"Have you heard of the island? It's man-made and built on the ocean. Interesting isn't it?" She looked out of the window "Oh look, you can see it now!"
Noctal did the same. He gazed at the structure off in the distance "…Well, it's quite extravagant, that I'll say."
After the train ride…
"Well, here we are." Yukari said as she and Noctal stood before the school gates. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High! I'm sure you'll love it here."
Noctal was in awe of how large the school actually was upfront. "It… is very extravagant indeed. I can't say I've been somewhere like this before."
Yukari laughed "C'mon, let's go in." They went into the school.
Now at the shoe lockers, Yukari spoke "You're okay from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first. Go over to the Faculty Office, it's right there to the left. And that concludes our tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"
"None, thank you very much."
Yukari's expression turned more cautious "Hey… Don't tell anyone what you saw last night, alright?" After a short pause, Noctal nodded. "…See ya later." Yukari left and went up the stairs.
Noctal decided to go meet his homeroom teacher, as Yukari said to do so.
At the Faculty Office…
Noctal slowly opened the door "… How in the everloving hell do I get lost looking for a room so out in front?" He poked his head in and looked around "… Excuse me?"
He was greeted by a female teacher "Oh, are you the new student?" She thought for a bit "Noctal… Ronovas was it? Exotic name you have there."
Noctal sheepishly scratched the back of his neck as he stepped into the office "Yes… I suppose it is…"
"Well, it's to be expected from a foreigner I guess. You're in the 11th grade, correct?" The teacher flipped through the pages in a file she was carrying "Oh you're from… Europe, is it? Let's see… In 1999… That was what, ten years ago? Your Parents—" She looked a bit shocked "Oh… I'm sorry… I've been so busy I didn't have the chance to read it beforehand." She closed the book "I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition here. Welcome to Gekkoukan High."
"Err… Thanks."
"Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2F, that's my class." She continued "But first, we need to go to the Auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will start soon." She walked past Noctal "Follow me."
"I seem to be doing that quite a bit…" He mumbled to himself quietly.
At the Auditorium…
The school principal cleared his throat and began to speak before the students in front of him. "As you begin the new school year, I'd like you all to remember the proverb 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to life this means…" The principal continued on with his speech
As the principal's speech ran on Noctal couldn't help but roll his eyes "…How very riveting."
"Psst… Hey…" The student just behind Noctal was trying to catch his attention. "You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together. I got a question actually…" The student leaned a bit closer "Does she have a boyfriend?"
"Err… I'm afraid that I don't know."
"That so?" The student leaned back "Thought you'd know but I guess not… Sorry to bother you with that." The student continued "… So how well do you know her?"
"I hear talking." Interrupted a teacher. "Somebody from Ms. Toriumi's class maybe?"
"Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"
The principal's speech continued on and lots of student's could be heard talking amongst each other.
After homeroom, at class 2-F…
"'Sup, dude!?" Yelled a young man from behind Noctal. "How's it goin'?"
Noctal, slightly startled, answered back "…Hello. And you are…?"
"Me?" The student stood proudly "I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya." He continued "I transferred here when I was in the 8th grade, I know how tough it is bein' the new kid and all…" He smiled "So I thought to say 'hey' … See what a nice guy I am?"
Noctal laughed "Yes. Startling me from out of nowhere is pleasant after all." He said in a joking manner.
Yukari walked nearby, looking a bit discontent
Junpei immediately spoke to her "Hey it's Yuka-tan! Didn't think we'd be in the same class again."
Yukari sighed "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to just about anybody if they'll listen. Ever thought you might be bothering somebody?"
"What? But, I was just bein' all nice and friendly."
Yukari sighed again "If you say so…" She looked at Noctal "Anyway, some coincidence that we're in the same homeroom…"
Noctal chuckled "Quite the coincidence indeed. Funny, wouldn't you say?"
"Yep."
Junpei entered the conversation "Um, hello? Are you forgetting I'm in this class too? By the way…" He leaned in, showing how curious he was "I heard that you both came to school together this morning. Somethin' up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"
"Wh-what are you saying!?" Yukari was baffled "We just live in the same dorm. That's all. There's nothing going on, alright?" She became irritated "Why are people even talking about this!? Now you have me worried…"Yukari stepped closer to Noctal and whispered to him "Hey… You didn't say anything to anybody about… you know what, did you?"
Noctal cleared his throat "No, no I did not."
"Okay, good." She became more serious "Seriously, don't say anything about last night, okay?"
Junpei, who was eavesdropping, was shocked while he stepped back "L-last night…?"
Yukari jumped up, "H-hold on a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen, we just met yesterday and there's absolutely nothing going on between us!" She looked back at Noctal "Isn't that right!?"
"Oh, um, yes. Absolutely!"
"See!" Yukari sighed "Geez…" She regained her composure "Alright, well I gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But I better not hear any rumors any time soon!"
Junpei groaned "Man, who cares? Nobody takes rumors seriously anyway. She's being paranoid…" He became jolly again "But, hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkn' about you! Ain't that pleasant?"
Noctal spoke shyly "I… suppose so…"
"Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man!" Junpei seemed to be fired up "Heheh, this is gonna be a helluva year, I can feel it!"
...
After school…
Both Noctal and Junpei walked outside the school building "Whoa, check out the jocks on their run…" Junpei said "Say, you thinking about joining a club?"
"Perhaps… Depends on what's available. If something interests me, I'd most definitely join."
"That so? Well, you'd be a new member, so you might not be applying for a little while."
On his way back to the dorm, Noctal made small talk with Junpei.
At the dorm…
"Welcome back." Mitsuru, who was sitting on a sofa and reading a book, greeted Noctal when he walked in. Noctal merely did a slight wave at her. "I'm sure you're tired after your first day of school. It'd be a good idea to go to bed early."
"Was planning on doing just that." He went up to his room.
Later, at the lounge…
A young man wearing a red vest over his school clothes and grey hair walked down the stairs. "I'm heading out for a bit." He said to Mitsuru, who was still reading a book.
"…Hm?"
"Didn't you see today's newspaper?"
Mitsuru closed her book "… I know. People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of apathy syndrome… It's been on the news quite often lately. They say it's because of stress but… "
The student chuckled "Yeah, right. It's 'them', isn't it? Otherwise, it isn't worth my time."
"…You have a one-track mind don't you? Will you be alright on your own?"
"Don't worry, I'm just gonna get a bit of practice." He walked out of the dorm.
Mitsuru sighed "This isn't a game, Akihiko…"
…
The next day, at school…
Noctal's ears pricked up as he overheard two students conversing "Did you hear the rumor?" he feared for the worst.
"Oh the thing about the bathroom?"
"No! Not that, I meant the one about that first-year student. Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing about but sit and stare at walls all day. If her mother tries to talk she just says to herself 'it's coming… It's coming…!"
"Huh… how about that…"
Noctal was a bit relieved to hear that it wasn't anything about him and Yukari, but at the same time he got more curious about what it actually was "Hmm… A girl who mumbles to herself while staring at a wall… Bah, what's gotten over me? Taking rumors seriously… pah!"
The first bell rung at that moment.
Afternoon , class 2-F…
Ms. Toriumi was speaking "Open your textbooks and we'll take a gander at the first novel by… Zenzou Kasai… Ugh… why him? I'd rather teach Utsubo Kubota. He was famous as a singer, and wrote fine literature. Wonder why it's not in the textbook… Well, I'll just bring Kubota's book over next time." She glared over to a student wearing a blue shirt underneath his uniform "… Hey, Junpei! Were you listening?" Who did I say was my favorite author?"
Junpei shot up "H-huh? U-umm…" He looked at Noctal, who was just beside him. "Psst! Who does she like?"
"Utsubo Kobuta, my good man."
"That's right! So you were paying some attention after all."
"Eheheh… Well, you know how I like to pay attention! He sat down and put his hand on Noctal's shoulder "Man, you saved my bacon!"
Noctal could hear his classmates whispering "The new student gave him the answer… He must pay attention in class!"
After school, back at the dorm in the lounge….
Yukari was already there, talking with an unfamiliar man. "Oh, he's back."
"So, this is our new guest…" The man pushed up his glasses "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school." He smiled "Ikutsuki's hard to say isn't it? I don't like introducing myself because of that. It even gets me tongue-tied at times. I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"
"No questions. Pleasure to meet you."
Ikutsuki chuckled "How polite! Anyway, I hope you have a good and successful school year. You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, the early bird catches the bookworm!" …There was a moment of awkward silence "… Please forgive the pun." Though everybody else was silent, Ikutsuki chuckled quietly. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" He walked away.
Yukari spoke "You'll get used to his jokes eventually…"
"I wonder about that…" Noctal went off to sleep later on.
At a certain room in the dormitory…
"Working hard?" Said Ikutsuki "So how's he doing?"
"He went to bed a little while ago. He's asleep now." Said Mitsuru "Mr. Chairman, do you really think he's…"
"Let's wait and see for now… The Dark Hour is approaching."
In a back alley of Tatsumi Port Island…
A man listening to upbeat music on the radio sighed "… This sucks." He tossed the radio away.
"KJ Radio presents, The Bay Tuners. Tune in again next week for more of the hits!" Blurted out of the flung radio.
A different radio announcer began speaking "This program is brought to you by Kirijo Electronics. Kirijo Electronics: always there when you need them."
The time just hit midnight… The atmosphere shifted, things felt eerie. "Huh? … What the…?"
He was confused and alone, an overwhelming feeling came over him "Wh… What's happening to me… ?" A black fluid poured out of his eyes, mouth, nose, ears… "A… Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" He screamed as he fell onto the cold floor, the black fluid still pouring out of him while he was squirming and crying for somebody to help...
Back at the room in the dormitory…
"Hmmm… He's still sleeping." Said Ikutsuki while he observed Noctal through a monitor. "The Dark Hour happens every day at midnight; a sort of hidden hour. During this time, an ordinary person Transmogrifies into a coffin, and is unaware of anything that happens."
Yukari spoke "Then, he must be…"
"Evidently, he's retained his human form. He's sleeping, but he's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. Now the only question is… Does or, or does he not have the potential? Although, he must. If he didn't, he would be preyed on by now."
"Scary…"
Ikutsuki pushed up his glasses "In any case, we should monitor him for a few more days."
Mitsuru spoke "Understood, sir."
"I feel kinda bad though, spying on him like this…" Said Yukari, showing a slight bit of concern for the new dorm resident.
Inside Noctal's room, while people stared at him in his sleep…
"Master… Master Noctal Ronovas… "
Noctal heard a voice say his name… opening his eyes, he saw that he was in an elevator, of sorts. An elevator with a blue floor. Looking around, he saw there was nothing else of note other than right in front of him was a mysterious old gentleman sitting behind a table with a blue clothed woman holding a book standing beside him. "Where… am I?" Asked a baffled Noctal.
"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." The old gentleman spoke "My name is Igor. …I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He moved his hand to the woman beside him "This is Elizabeth. She is a resident here, like myself."
Elizabeth did a slight bow "Pleased to meet you."
Noctal stood silent for a moment, pondering to himself "Is… this a dream? It must be… but it seems all too real at the same time… " He spoke "Pleasure to meet you both as well. Now, if I may ask… What, exactly, is this place?"
"This is a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… Only those who have signed the contract can enter this room." The paper that Noctal signed was lying before Igor on the table. "Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return." Igor continued "I only ask one thing in return… that you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices you make."
"I… understand." Said Noctal, a hint of nervousness in his tone.
"Hold on to this…" A Velvet key appeared in front of Noctal. " 'Til we meet again…"
Before Noctal could even open his mouth, he was already sent out of the Velvet Room, since he woke up in the middle of the night right after. "That… was odd…" He said while sitting up on his bed. "Velvet rooms, unnaturally long noses, the contract… No it was not a dream, it couldn't have…" Perplexed, he continued asking himself questions for a few minutes, then realized how silly it was and went back to sleep.
The next day, the 9th of April, at school…
Walking into the school, Noctal was immediately greeted by a familiar voice, Junpei "Yo. Man, I'm so sleepy today... In perilous times like these, it's best to sleep during class!" He looked livelier "You ever notice how sometimes taking a nap in class makes you feel more refreshed than sleeping at home?"
Noctal laughed "I know what you mean, it's a mild habit of mine."
Junpei laughed as well "Heh. You go from dead to being filled to the brim with energy again; it's such a great feeling… Then again, you don't get to hear the lecture, so you're screwed!"
"I suppose so… but, you wouldn't be able to catch the complete lecture regardless if you're left half-asleep, so might as well use a short few minutes to regain yourself and then be attentive the rest of the day."
"Right, ya got a point there…"
They both went to class while conversing.
At class…
The teacher started talking after walking in "Ahem… I'm Mr. Ekoda. I'll be teaching you Classic Literature. You'll all be learning about good old Japan all year. Some people say Classic Lit isn't relevant to everyday life, but oh, how they're wrong!" He began talking a slight bit more enthusiastically "The students, the other teachers… Wrong, wrong, wrong! Nobody really understands Classic Literature!"
Noctal silently groaned "Oh… deary me." He wasn't exactly feeling lively since the odd dream last night left him awake for a a short rest for a half-hour longer would be much appreciated. "…Oh might as well. It's not as if the very first literature class would matter much anyway." And so he shut his eyes. He quickly dozed off for the duration of the class.
…
After school, Noctal went to Paulownia Mall with Junpei…
Junpei started a conversation "Whenever I hang out with guys from school we usually end up here." He started pointing at the various mall attractions "There's a karaoke box, an arcade and oh, this is where you come to rent out CDs too. Then there's that club over there… But of course, I've never been inside."
"Fascinating…" Noctal said passively to Junpei while he looked around. He noticed that the mall itself was bustling with activity at the time, likely due to school being over for the day.
Later at evening, at the dormitory…
"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted Noctal, again. She was standing by the window on the left. "The moon looks beautiful tonight."
"Indeed, a full moon is always quite the sight."
"It's nice to read a book by moonlight once in a while, isn't it?"
"… To be perfectly honest, the thought never came across me before. I should give it a try."
On the right side, Noctal saw Yukari sitting on the sofa. He decided to strike up a conversation with her. "Hello."
Yukari noticed Noctal approaching her as she was watching the TV "Oh hey there. Did you know there used to be a dorm mother here to do stuff like cooking? But now, there's just us students. It'd be great to have somebody like that doing stuff for us, don't you think?"
"Hmm… I can't say the same for myself."
"You're one of those people who don't really care about stuff like that huh? Well, that's fine too."
Yukari went back to watching TV. Noctal was feeling tired, so he decided to go back to his room and sleep for the night.
…
At a certain room in the dorm…
Ikutsuki walked into the room "…How is he?"
Mitsuru was looking at the monitor of Noctal's room "The same as last night."
"Interesting… Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first... Memory loss… disorientation… But, this subject is a bit more unique. He hasn't shown any of the common symptoms."
Yukari entered the conversation "But we're treating him like a guinea pig."
"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members. I heard that he's your classmate… Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with somebody from the same grade?"
"Yeah I guess. But still…"
Suddenly, an emergency call from outside rang throughout the room. Mitsuru answered "Command room… Akihiko, is that you?"
"You're not gonna believe this! The thing's huge!" It was Akihiko, and he didn't sound too well. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk…. It's chasing me, so I thought I'd let you guys know. I'm almost there."
Yukari was panicking a bit "Does that mean… he's bringing that thing here!?"
Mitsuru stood up and faced Ikutsuki "Mr. Chairman! We should suspent the observation for now and prepare for battle!"
"R-right! Be careful!"
The ground floor of the dorm…
Akihiko burst in, grunting and panting in pain as he shut the doors behind him.
Mitsuru came down "Akihiko!"
"I'm alright." He recovered himself. "Get ready to be surprised… it'll be here any moment now…"
"This is no time to joke around!"
Ikutsuki came down as well "It's one of them, Akihiko?"
"Yeah, but it's not an ordinary one—"
A loud crash was heard as a dust clouded the area.
"What the… This has to be a joke!"
"Mr. Chairman, please head back to the command room!" Mitsuru turned to Yukari "Takeba, go upstairs and wake him up. Then, escape out the back."
"But, wait, what about you two?"
"We'll hold it off here." She looked at Akihiko "You led it to us, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."
"As if I wouldn't!" He looked at Yukari, who was still standing where she was "What are you waiting for? Go!"
"I-I'm going!" She dashed upstairs.
At Noctal's room…
Noctal immediately woke up after hearing a loud crashing noise "What in the…!?" Cautious, he decided to take a look.
Just as he was about to open the door, somebody banged on the door "Wake up!" It sounded like Yukari "Sorry, but I'm coming in."
And so she barged in. "No time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!"
"I-"
"Now!" She grabbed Noctal's hand and ran out. "We're going downstairs to take the rear entrance out." In the middle of the hallway, they suddenly came to a halt "Wait!" Yukari reached into her pocket and pulled something out. "…Take this, just in case you need to use it." It looked like a black handle.
Noctal took the object and pressed a button on the side, making a sharp blade pop out. It was a knife. "…Understood." He held the knife in his hand. "…What in the hell is so dire that I'd have to resort to defend myself…?"
"Alright, let's go." They headed downstairs.
Now at the back entrance "Alright, we should be safe for n—" A somewhat static voice could be heard
"Takeba, do you read me!?" It was Mitsuru.
"Y-yes, I hear you!"
"Be careful! There're multiple enemies!" She sounded frantic, strangely enough "The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"
"What!?" Yukari was surprised by the news.
The building rumbled at that moment, causing Yukari to panic "W-we should pull back!" The two went back upstairs.
On the 2nd floor, the building quaked once again. "What was that!?" It happened twice more, this time it seemed closer to where they were "It's nearby!" A fourth, startling rumble occurred.
Noctal spoke "It would be best for us to keep moving. Quickly."
"R-right! We should hurry!" They continued going upstairs
At the rooftops…
Yukari shut the door behind them and let out a sigh. "The door's locked. I think we're safe… for now."
"I should hope so. At least a short summary of this event would… be…." Something was heard coming from behind them. Something large…
The two turned around to see countless hands grip the edge of the roof, a mask bing held by one of them and scanning the area. After that, the rest of its body crawled up… revealing a myriad of arms attached together, and wielding swords.
Yukari, was shocked "You've gotta be kidding me! It climbed up the wall!?"
At the Command Room…
Akihiko pointed out the location of the beast "There, on the roof!"
"That gigantic Shadow… Just what exactly are we dealing with!?"
"…We should go there, Mitsuru!"
"Wait!" Ikutsuki halted the both of them.
Back to the roof…
Yukari stepped back bit by bit "That's the thing that attacked this place… They're called Shadows." She pulled out the gun she had in her holster "I... have to fight now…" She shakily held the gun up to her forehead "I… I can summon mine… No problem!... Right…?" She took several deep breaths… her finger, trembling as it was about to pull the trigger…
Noctal was just about to dash at Yukari "What are you…!?" The Shadow, however, would not stay still and attacked Yukari with inhumane speed, sending her flying into the door behind her and denting it from the sheer force.
"Takeba!" The gun she was holding slid across the floor and hit Noctal's feet "A… handgun…" He dropped the knife he was holding unintentionally… Something inside Noctal was urging him to pick up the pistol. "I… Why…." He held it in his hands and stared at it.
…
"Go ahead… do it."
…
Noctal held it up to the side of his head. He was shivering; his finger rested on the trigger and his heart began pounding faster and faster…
"Per…" His finger pushed the trigger ever so slightly, but then pulled back "…So…" Once more he tried; the Shadow was rushing over to him…
Noctal steeled himself and grinned "…NA!" He pulled the trigger, the 'gunshot' shattering the limits of his mind. A blue aura surrounded Noctal; he stood firm and upstanding with a wide grin as something began to take form above him. "So this… is power."
It was a black and purple humanoid being with long, flowing silver hair. Countless chains wrapped around its face, leaving only a single, glowing violet eye visible, and patches of the silver hair were jutting out from between the chains. Its right arm looked like a serrated blade that had some chains attached to it dangling along the blade while the left looked humanoid. It seemed to be wearing a robe-like clothing of sorts with purple fur trimming the neck and sleeves.
"Thou art I, and I am thou, from the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Pride, the deadliest sin." It said in a deep, resounding yet menacing voice.
But things didn't go smoothly for long, the Shadow may have been pushed back due to the Persona's appearance but suddenly a sharp pain shot through Noctal's head. The excruciating pain made Noctal lose balance and drop to one knee, just barely managing to support himself. He clutched the side of his head, he was about to burst out in screams yet… he somehow enjoyed the pain, to some extent.
His Persona was in a similar situation, as it looked like it was screaming. But, that was not the case, something was bursting out of it. Something… deadly.
A hand pierced through Pride's face, a second one following shortly. After that, whatever was inside Pride, it had ripped him in half from inside. What appeared was… A fearsome humanoid entity that donned a white beast-like metal head, a black pea coat, coffins floating in mid-air around it and it wielded a single-edged sword.
It roared fiercely as it appeared and unsheathed its sword. It immediately took notice of the multi-armed Shadow and charged at it with blinding speed. The Shadow attempted to run away but it was futile, as the Persona held it down and mercilessly hacked away. As it did so, the Persona almost seemed to be… laughing, or perhaps it was growling. After slicing the Shadow till almost nothing was left of it, a single hand remained in the Persona's grip. It twitched about furiously, trying to get away, but the Persona merely crushed it in its grip.
Meanwhile, at the Command Room…
All the three people in the room stood in shock after what transpired "…What the hell was that…!?" said Akihiko.
"I… I don't know… Mr. Chairman?"
Ikutsuki didn't respond, he was deep in thought.
Back at the roof….
The mysterious Persona faced Noctal and it reverted into its original form, Pride. It then faded away. Noctal was just about starting to get back on his feet.
"Is… Is it over…?" Said Yukari as she was recovering as well. Soon she saw that it was not, in fact, over when remnants of the eviscerated Shadow began to move on their own. They were closing in on Yukari "No… Get away from me!" She began looking around for the pistol she had.
Noctal was just about back to how he was before the transformation, and he saw that Yukari was in trouble. He wouldn't just stand in the sidelines, so he picked his knife back-up while putting the pistol in his left hand and rushed on over to her, punting one of the moving Shadows into another. The sudden action however, again made Noctal fall back on his knees
"Oh deary me what the bloody hell have I gotten myself into…?" He thought while trying to get back up. An unseen Shadow rushed the feeble Noctal and struck him, knocking him down onto the floor. It then attempted to overwhelm Noctal by climbing on top of him, but it was reversed as Noctal attacked it with the knife he held. The Shadow then disappeared in a black smoke-like matter.
Now having regained his balance once more, Noctal took the opportunity to scan his surroundings. Yukari was there by the door, defenseless and vulnerable, the two Shadows that Noctal attacked earlier were a distance away and there was one more shadow to deal with, and it was charging at Noctal. Instinctively, Noctal dodged the Shadow and chucked his knife at the two that were further away, it was bound to at least get one of them.
Now that he had to contend with the one closest, Noctal dashed over and planted his foot on the Shadow, then kicked it away into a wall to make sure it was taken care of. Looking back at the farther ones, Noctal apparently did not hit a single thing with the knife throw as it missed.
He remembered the handgun he had, so he tried to aim it at the Shadows… only to realize that it does not fire bullets, and that he wouldn't have hit anyway considering that he never used a gun before.
So Noctal resorted to a different tactic. He grinned and aimed the gun at the side of his head once more, hoping that another transformation wouldn't happen. "Take form…" He pulled the trigger, shattering the boundaries of his mind again "Pride!"
The Persona appeared a second time, now not seeming to go on a rampage. It dashed at the two shadows and made short work of them with a single wide sweep of its blade arm, vanishing right after.
But also after that, Noctal began to feel exhausted, very exhausted. He fell on his knees as he grew short of breath. He then dropped on the floor, his conscious began to fade away… But he faintly heard somebody talk to him
"Hey, are you okay!?"
…Noctal passed out.