I do not own the Megami Tensei series nor Z/X, Zillions of Enemy X. They belong to their respective creators.
I got this stuck in my head for a long while, and since I was in the mood, I decided to write this one-shot before finishing Chronicles and Soul Phrase.
The city was abandoned and dark, with many pieces of building missing or broken down. It seems the entire place looked as if it was swallowed by an unseen force and the people living in here were forced to escape.
'Which is an understatement', the blue-haired boy, Arisato Minato, thoughtas he looked at the jet black hemispherical dome just miles in front of him.
Few years ago, after the car accident that claimed his parent's life, his life might become a little normal or maybe even little adventures, but the existence of those gateways changed everyone's lives, not just him.
Black Points, that was what humanity called it.
No light can be seen inside it, and people do not know what happens inside the anti-light and people do not know if anything happen inside. Nobody tried to enter the area, and some of the foolhardy ones that tried entering would've met with impossibility or unknown, as nobody have heard people doing so. That is, if they can even have a chance to go near it.
The domes were gateways, a portal that connects to another world. The first five appearing in large cities all around the world, appearing suddenly and without warning, it expands and covers a large size and area. Humans, at its core, are greedy and seek knowledge. To them, the expanding sphere that seemed to damage the buildings were more of a car crash, an unusual sight that people wish to know more.
What came out from it… was humanity's form of destruction. Abominations of many kinds, coming out from the gate in very large numbers, and their appearance alone could provide fear of the unknown. Creatures that act from different gates were different, some machine, some insect-like, and some even humanoid. But the common thing was simple, when they first appeared; it was chaos, destruction and confusion.
Only seven days after the first appearance and humanity lost their ability to fight them. And short years later, the creatures were given a name, a terminology that explained what they are.
Zillions of Enemy X, or Z/X. For not all are the same type, yet many are humanity's enemy.
The teen sighed as he walked across the abandoned Tokyo City, ignoring some traces of dried blood on the ground not wiped by the rain. Tokyo was one of the first five areas where the large Black Points strike and four smaller ones appeared in Japan later. The other countries that were hit by the gateways could be call luckier than here, because what happened in this city could only be called a mass slaughter.
The creatures that came didn't bother communicate, even though they were capable of understanding human speech, only killing everything and levelling the taller buildings and making them smaller. While many of the buildings were intact, the causality recorded was extremely high, only having a small percentage surviving.
He was of the lucky few, and here he was, walking towards the lifeless Death City, with a few untended corpses of people around, and heading towards the bar.
The place itself was large enough to hold many people, but not many humans could visit the place, due to the warnings of sometimes large and dangerous Z/X in the vicinity. There were different types of wines on the cupboard, surprisingly clean marble designed tables and chairs, and there was even some dart shot areas and a roulette. He was not interested in any of them though.
"Owner, I'll have the usual." He sat down in front of the long counter, as a brown haired woman started to fill the glass with red liquid. She was taller than the teen, having a rather nice, if somewhat form-fitting, classy black dress that did not quite cover the important pats completely, showing her skin more. For some reason, she's also wearing a brown unbuttoned coat.
What made her not human were the bat wings on her back, which definitely not belong to a human, unless they're cosplaying, and the white mask, very opera-like, but only covering her forehead and attached on her right side of the face.
This was the trait of the Diabolus, humanoid creatures. They kill and bathe in their opponents' blood (might be an exaggeration, but he's not sure) and for each sin they make, the mask grows bigger. Once completely covering the face, the wearer loses humanity for eternal youth and life, akin to a demon.
He gave a silent chuckle at that. That discovery was the most surprising to him, and it might have not be announced yet, as far as he could tell, but the Z/X, most of the human shaped ones, are… no were humans. Not just any humans, but people of the present.
"Here you go, Arisato." She passed him the drink and returned to cleaning.
"Thanks," he gave a light drink before taking out his tablet, looking at the report he has written.
The Z/X was people of the future, which was the reason they know our humanity's language. From the gateways and the creatures that came out, they were supposedly five possibilities of humanity, and they return to the now to make sure their future is so.
None of them would be called good though, at least to him.
Because they are people though, that he knows that everyone is different. He looked at one such example in front of him.
Inertia, Demon of Boredom, the bar owner of the Sins Joint. She was one of the few that seems to be indifferent in arriving towards the world, though that could be caused by the fact of her title. There were many demons having title like her, and all of them are true to their title, and always following their emotions most of the time.
Many people of many kinds usually came to her bar for a rest, be it mercenaries like him or Z/X, though most of them needed enough humane understanding. After all, while all humans can be Z/X, not all Z/X are from present humans.
"You're quite late," Inertia didn't stop her work, so she must be trying to ask just for the sake of it. "Did the job you take hard enough?"
She knew his occupation, though not many would care much as this is a neutral zone for many.
"Yeah, the target was quite cunning, always seemed to hide his tracks and gathering many resources." He twirled his drink. "I didn't actually believe he got that many stuff."
His job was a mercenary, but to be more accurate, he was a freelancer. He took odd jobs from many people, be it shady or not, as long as the pay is honest and large, but his usual forte is mostly capturing people, though sabotaging comes a close second.
It was after all dangerous, but humanity had created something that could help people in their everyday lives, though he suspected the Z/X from the blue world had a help in making them.
"I see," she continued her cleaning.
"Any other rumours circulating?"
"Just about the same, unless you count the decrease in killings of angels of the white world from the Angel Killer count."
He continued typing the report, crossing a few things, drinking and wished that he bought a laptop. Realizing that the drink was already finishing, he sighed. Truth to be told, he wanted to buy another one, but he it was already late. He needed to go back home.
"Here you go, owner." He put the cash onto the table, and watch uninterested as it floated towards the cash register.
She must have used her skills to transfer that again. He thought as he went outside.
"Thank you for your patronage."
-Outside the bar-
The sun was already setting down, and looking at the clock on the tab, it was already almost seven.
Angel Killer, a nostalgic name.
It was the name of a user who hunts the Angels of the White World, and only them. He did not know the reason why only Angels were targeted, but he could guess that it was quite personal for that person. The fact that it decreased means either the target went MIA or the person's target was KIA.
This was quite a bit sad, he thought, because I wanted to know the most effective way to kill those with wings.
Picking up the motorcycle with a sidecar he has hidden under a broken building; he began checking for any broken or scratch that might result in accidents. Even though it was a short while when he drive, but he didn't want to take chances. The accident itself was left fresh in his mind, and he did not wish to be a road-kill.
-ROAR-
"…Ah, great, it found me." Even though the situation was supposed to be dire, the tone that came out was a disinterest one.
The creature that found him was huge and skeletal in form. It was bigger than a truck, having the body of boned fish, beast-like claws of a land carnivore, the tusks of an elephant and the head of a shark, with a fin and upper mouth of a fanged beast. And like the boned body, all of these parts were bones, yet undoubtedly alive and animated. Its green eyes seem to be looking at the teen like it just has found something to eat lightly, a dessert of sort.
Unfortunately for the Skeletal Shark, the opponent right now was something it did not realize that it had something that can beat it.
Taking out a card-size pad of sort from the left breast pocket of his coat, he pointed it towards the bone fish and said one word.
"Activate."
The screen shined and release it Resources, and a white gate of sorts appeared in front of it. A white hair of black face (and literally black, one cannot see anything on the face, not skin of nose) and blood red eyes first came out, then the metallic body, having a speaker at the centre. Both hands and body were also the same, and the feet were the least humane of them. Strangely, there was a red scarf between the head and the body, hiding the neck, and only the head seemed to be of flesh. And on its back, there was a lyre, large enough to be seen on its back.
"Orpheus, distract it."
The Z/X that came out of it said nothing, only looking at the skeletal creature while floating in the air. The shark, understanding the response glared at the seemingly scrap of metal as if declaring that it won't be beaten by something of that level.
Too bad it was wrong.
"…!" The white haired let out a voiceless scream, and there was an explosion of fire appearing in front of him, at the shark's face. The creature was unfazed, and with a roar, it began charging towards the lyre user.
The blue-haired teen began revving the motorcycle, and turned the bike towards the empty road. "Orpheus, follow me." It looked at its owner for a while, before dashing to the left, avoiding the frontal charge of the creature and making it crash at a building.
The bike came out of the alleyway, and dashed away from the city, with Orpheus following. Another roar was heard, and Skeletal Shark came out from the building, breaking the wall and blocking in front of him. It seems like the creature didn't stop its rush, and began bowling towards the buildings in order to reach him.
"Orpheus." The creature understood, taking out its lyre and move at a speeding bullet, swinging the lyre and swung it towards the face.
The creature didn't get the chance to rush, as the attack made a crack at the head and made it flew further away from the Black Point.
There was a reason he was doing this, and the reason why humanity was not completely extinct. It was to put the enemy Z/X away from the Black Point, further away from getting more Resource, energy emitted from the anti-light dome.
Z/X, when existing in the present, requires Resources to function and maintaining their presence. The nearer they are towards it, the more resource would be delivered. At the same time, one could actually give an estimated measure of the strength of the Z/X by their distance from the Black Points. Powerful ones would be very near, and cannot go very far as they consume quite a large amount to exist while the weakest can go outside the city and go to the end of Japan if they want.
From the fact that the bar is a few distance away from the dome, he assumed that the Z/X would be a little stronger than most, quite the same as Orpheus. However, as a Nosferatu, a very violent kind that attacks living things chaotically, they were dangerous. They do not exist by being stupid for starters.
The creature rushed and tried to give a head-on attack on the white musician, but just before they collide, the creature suddenly turned its attention towards the motorcycle, specifically the user. Avoiding the swing, it began its descent towards the unprotected human.
"…!" Orpheus, sensing the danger, rushed towards the blue—haired teen as fast as it can. It might be strange for people watching, but it was as if they were comrades, and the musician was the guardian that protects.
Before reaching halfway though, the shark immediately turned and opens its mouth to bite the opponent. The machine like body of said opponent managed to stop and not getting swallowed, but the jaws has already covered the entire body and was forced to hold, the lyre acting like a flat of a great sword holding above with the legs barely standing straight against the lower jaw. The amount of resource on both seemed to be getting smaller by the second but the musician was consuming more than the opponent by the second (Z/X can tell the amount consumed). There was the reason of partners for Z/X existing though.
"Resource reboot," the card shaped object, Card Device glowed, and the musician was now getting stronger as its resources was filled.
Card Devices are what one would use to capture, heal or release Z/X. Developed by scientists of the present (he sincerely doubt without some help from Z/X themselves), they produce Resources in the same amount as the Black Points and are also filled with Resources themselves. To put it simply, they are akin to Black Points themselves, a mobile generator of resources.
Right now, the blue-haired boy was doing its function as a user of the Card Device, giving a resource to their Z/X partner. And it was now powerful enough to use its skill again.
The red eyes of the lyre user glowed, and an explosion of flames occurred inside the mouth, forcing it to scream in agony. As the grip got loosened, Orpheus flew outside and above the creature's head, before gathering energy at the lyre, ready for a big strike. By the time the shark was not stunned anymore, it was already far too late for it to avoid the attack, as a loud bang sound was heard.
The hit connected successfully, and the shark crashed at the ground with a large crater forming at the ground. Orpheus flew near it, looking at it without a change in expression. Minato looked at the fallen shark after stopping the bike and said two words.
"Kill it."
A merciless command, but to those who knows the danger of the Black World, especially violent Nosferatu like this creature, he did not wish to take any chances. The musician nodded, looked at the shark, and strung the strings of the instrument. Explosions of fire covered the entire radius of the creature, and the monster burned before glowing into light particles and dispersing very quickly. Such is the fate of Z/X who finished their resources or die. They die either way.
The deed done, it turned to look at its user, and quickly rush towards him in worry. He was holding his head, and his face was scrunched in annoyed pain. He was having a headache again, and if he were to be correct, it was the symptoms of the Resource Syndrome.
People are usually affected by this if they are near a Black Point unprotected, and many have the same case of headache, prolonged nausea and comatose, or they are barely affected. It was akin to people drinking alcohol, and the symptoms return from time to time.
"…I'm okay, Orpheus, but I might not be able to drive home. Can you?" the musician nodded, and glowing in white light, he was now dressed in a long grey shirt and black pants, and a brown overcoat. The face also has skin colour, though a little unnaturally white, and a red scarf covering the lower half of the face and neck.
Minato groggily moved towards the sidecar and yawned while Orpheus took the bike and continued the journey. Both didn't need to say anything to know the destination of course, because they usually go to the same place after coming here.
Home.
-Minato POV-
He did not know why Orpheus chooses to serve him, willingly getting captured by the device or even trust him. As far as he know, when they first met after meeting the weird miko that gave him the Card Device, it immediately close in towards him, him accidentally said 'Capture' and getting a Z/X.
Even after releasing him, it did not even seem to try attack him for some reason, and he still did not know why. Z/X, the powerful ones, many of them is intelligent, capable of tactics or understanding. Because it is so however, they are also prideful, and not many would even serve those who are weaker than them (human). There are even cases a Z/X killing their host after getting out from the card device. Even so, after a few times taking on a mission with him, and him saving his life a few times, Minato decided to trust him.
And no, he did not save Orpheus when he was injured or something.
There was also another thing troubling him, what world does it come from. From the name, it might come from the Red World, where famous figures of the past became super powered clones and try dominating the Earth, but the body is to machine-like to be one.
And the Blue World is also a false lead, because when he met a person of the Blue World, who admittedly was a run-away, says that she does not recognize the name or codename Orpheus. Frankly, it's really gaining his curiosity.
Even asking it was a failure because it cannot speak, the neck is missing and the noise he could make was from the speaker at the metallic body. In the end though, he decided not ignore it and trust Orpheus.
"…" Minato looked at Orpheus who was driving the bike towards a city untouched by the war of Z/X. The place have many tall buildings, a few shops still open in the night and people chatting amicably.
Frankly, he did not really like the people of this city, but he could also understand why they were like this. People do not wish to associate themselves with trouble, and wished to go on their everyday lives uninterrupted and almost unchanging. One might look at the news about something horrible, gasp in horror before continue chatting or eating dinner. They are of course, a few exceptions.
Orpheus parked at the garage of his own home, and look at its user. It already knows that Minato was awake and was staring at it, but he did not seem to care, and move away from the bike.
The blue-haired person in question looked at his watch, shaking his head mildly at the lateness of the time, though not late enough to make shops closed. As if in response to that train of thought, the sound of his stomach growling was heard.
"…I knew I should have ordered food at the bar." Truth to be told, he was in the bar for some investigating of the Black Point and gather some rumours happening. While a Demon of Boredom, Inertia always heard the gossips of the customers and usually informed them of the latest news. And she technically did not lie, as they didn't ask her to keep the stories to herself.
She also owed him a few things though, so that might be a reason too.
"Let's get going, Orpheus," Minato paused before looking at his partner. "Sorry, do you want to head back in or…" The white haired musician shook its head, and him shrugging, he decided to go the café his friend work on.
…Though he idly wonders still how Orpheus can walk normally even though he didn't have feet.
He pushed the door in front of him, causing the bell to ring, and a familiar voice a young man welcoming him.
"Welcome!" He was taller than Minato, having an almost white shade of hair, though he could also its brown. Minato's not really an expert on colours though. His face could also be called handsome by many but it was too bad that the guy was a comedian.
"Hey, Asuka," Still, he greeted his old time friend of the past, though the memory is blurry at best. "Can I have curry today?"
"Sure," Tennoji Asuka turned towards the white haired person. "And how about you, Orpheus-san? The usual?" Orpheus seemed to hesitate a little, but then it nodded.
"Okay. Master!" He ran towards the kitchen, with the blue-haired and white haired sitting at an empty table. What surprises him a little was the fact that the place was quiet, but he realize that he might have come during the time people usually left.
Orpheus didn't seem to mind the silence, and was looking at the world outside in curiosity. A childish kind, to be exact, which surprises him a little, since he rarely seen him looking quietly.
…Note to self, change it to him next time, thought the teen.
After a while, a blond girl wearing a waitress outfit was giving them their food delivery. She was also quite beautiful; her hair seems to shine in the light and a face many would fall over.
She was also a Z/X and Asuka's partner, Fierte the Pride, an angel of the white world.
"Here's your order, Minato-san, Orpheus," She put the curry and rice in front of the duo.
"Thanks, Fierte," Orpheus also nodded, though he seemed to be staring at the curry hungrily.
He and Fierte actually meet a few months ago, after Asuka managed to win a small conflict (though he intended to call it a war) against some strategist genius leading the Red World to assault Kyoto-Osaka. They managed to detect the movements early, and went to intercept them, along with a few Angels and Sacred Beasts.
When he first meet the world who priories the spirits of the noble mind, he actually wanted to call Orpheus immediately and ready for combat, but Asuka stop them from fighting, prompting for the duo to be surprised by the fact that the other have a Card Device. There was still a little tension between him and the angel, but most of it was needless worries.
They were agreeing in hitting Asuka with a harisen if he's idiotic, for starters.
She also doesn't recognize Orpheus, thought she seemed to realize that he's more spiritual than machine-like. It was as if that was the form he wanted to be, but still, she didn't recognize him at all, not even asking a few people.
In the end, he didn't care much, saying that Orpheus is Orpheus, and he could be an enemy of humankind for all he cares, he trust him.
All in all, a usual day for him, though he would be on a mission tomorrow again. But that's another story.
This is the end of it, by the way.
I'm a fan of Z/X and the story behind it. In fact, the stories and tactics made in the card game itself is what drew me in.
I admit, when first watching the anime itself, I was a little disappointed by the fact that they change many things. The six protagonists should not have met each other at the same time; they would meet each other at different times, though some would not know the others, like for example Asuka meeting Azumi. Of course unless memory failed me, but in the lore, they haven't met yet.
My most disappointment was the meeting of Ayase and Garmatha, as the violence was almost non-existent. The fight between the Guardian and Zieger, and the carnage insured becoming missing makes me sad. Though admittedly, the anime itself made everything more gentle even though the situation should be more war-like in many areas.
Except Green, the people there and not the Plascects (plant-like animals that can be violent), are more peaceful than most.
Though all five world is the hellish-state of Megami Tensei levels.
As written here, and not really spoiler-ish, all five worlds are the future humanity chose. Dunno if only five, but it would happen if people continued.
In this case, Orpheus came from an unknown sixth world, but for Persona fans, it was the world where the Fall happens and the shadows, demons and Apathy Syndrome conquers all. Orpheus is Minato's persona, or in this case, shadow who gains a conscience of its own. Wanting to change everything, he decided to try to go to the past, and succeeded thanks to the help of a certain individual.
There are also other personas in the story, but Minato didn't meet them yet.
Alas, this is only a one-shot, but one that's stuck in my head and let itself be cleared before I stopped writing my other stories. I will not continue this though, unless someone wants to pick up this story.
I do admit the story's a little bad, but it's good practice before returning in writing.