Disc: I own nothing, yada yada, insert usual disclaimer stuff here.
July 19th
He awoke, exhausted, his head pounding. Opening his eyes, he squinted against the sunlight that streamed in through his window. Souji knew he needed to get up, it was the first day of final exams. He would be clearly missed if he was absent today. But, as he slowly sat up, his sluggish body was already proving to be a snag in the day's activities.
"Big bro!" Nanako's voice chimed out on the other side of his door. "You should hurry up, or you're going to be late!"
"Coming, Nana-chan," Souji called back, groaning as he pulled himself to his feet. He staggered as he stepped toward the door, clenching his fists tightly. The room seemed to spin, everything blurring together for a moment before returning to normal.
With some difficulty, he was dressed and out the door in time enough to not be late. The bright morning was warm, but he felt like he was wrapped in ice. He shivered, pulling his jacket closer.
"Hey, man!" Yosuke called, running up behind the silver haired junior. "Ready for hell?"
Souji gave a small smile. "Not really," he replied, Yosuke laughing at the response.
"Our fearless leader unprepared?" The orange haired teen gave a mock gasp of fear. "Oh, what will become of the world?"
A lack of reaction from Souji made Yosuke fall silent. "You alright, Souji?" he asked, turning to get a good look at the other male. "You don't look so hot."
"I'll be fine," Souji replied, waving away his friend's concern. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure."
At least, he hoped that was all he needed. He'd felt bad yesterday, but nowhere near this. Last night, he just felt like he had a bad cold or something.
"Ugh, that was hell," Chie said, stretching her arms out above her head. "How do you guys think you did?"
"I'm going to be a laughingstock if this keeps up," Yosuke said, resting his head on his desk. "What about you, Partner?"
Souji was only half listening to the conversation; too busy trying to remain conscious. Morning tests were done with, just the afternoon to get through and he can go home and get some rest.
"Souji, are you sure you're alright?" Yosuke asked, sitting up. The silver haired teen nodded slowly, the headache worse than it was this morning. It hurt like hell to even move his head.
"Fine," he muttered, "I just didn't sleep well."
It was a lie, of course.
"Maybe you should go see the nurse?" Yukiko suggested, Chie nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Souji said, rising to his feet. Things swam together, as they had that morning, Souji moving to grab the desk to try and keep himself standing.
"Souji?" Chie asked, rising to her feet as well.
The spinning room brought Souji to the floor.
There was nothing but darkness, a silent, surrounding darkness. It was cold, sinking deep into his body. He felt like he was freezing from the inside out, he could barely breathe. And then, the void shattered, erupting into a cacophony of light and sound.
He was still dazed, and could only barely discern voices. It seemed like so much chatter, it made his head pound, as though something were squeezing it tightly. He could feel Izanami, and, instinctively, called out for the Persona.
"Izanami," he said, his voice weak, and muffled by an oxygen mask. "Izanami…"
Nothing happened. No card came to him. This wasn't the TV world, this was reality. What was happening to him, and why? The Persona seemed to almost squeeze his shoulder, a reassuring gesture, but one that made him wish he could summon the being to him in truth.
If he had his power, he could just use magic to heal himself. Or turn his entire wallet over to that damned fox. He needed a television.
But, before he could try to bear the pain and turn his head to search, what felt like fire spread through his veins. It was a warming feeling, and his pain slowly dulled into nothing, sleep inviting him back to the silent dark.
He tried to fight it, but it was too strong a desire, and he was far from top strength to fight. Once again, the world faded, only this time a door opening to light replaced it.
"Welcome back," a familiar voiced chimed out, the light dimming to reveal the Velvet Room. "Interesting how you decided to visit us this time."
Souji stared at Igor, confusion filling his face. "What are you talking about, I was at the hospital and..." he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Izanami at his side.
I brought him, the persona said, the words simply entering Souji's head without the being needing to speak them aloud. There is a problem, one that I hope you can do something about.
Igor was silent, closing his eyes as he thought. In the seat adjacent, Margaret watched quietly, her hands sitting loosely on top of the book that had tirelessly served in recording the beings Souji worked at creating. After several minutes of silence, Igor finally opened his mouth.
"It is not a problem I can handle," he said, eyes flickering over to Izanami, addressing him as much as Souji. "You must be strong enough to stand in the face of what comes."
Igor gestured at the cards on the table, many still face down. "Mysteries are many in the fog. One wonders, as it grows thick, can one find their way out again?"
Souji's confusion was not quelled by the words, on the contrary they fueled it. "What does..." Izanami rested a hand on his shoulder.
We must return to them, nothing can be solved while we slumber.
Reluctantly, he stood, the Velvet Room vanishing from his view slowly. Back through the door, back out into the void, he went. Izanami remained with him, an anchor of sorts in the dark. The persona signaled him to look up, vanishing as Souji did so.