Devil Survivor 2: Prometheus - Of Flames and Steel
Hey guys, Arsony here with another chapter of Prometheus. It took me some time as to how I would want the plot to move forward and how the events were to unfold since:
Hibiki has retained his memories of the past tries against Polaris,
Events in this plotline are different from the canon (because this is a fic, mind you); and
I wanted to try different character developments here.
Also, I would be discussing the sort new "power" Hibiki gained back last chapter in this chapter for a short briefing of what it is. It was sorta inspired from a few anime you may or may not recognize (can't mention them since I literally forgot them, so my bad).
Oh, and this is a harem fic. Confirmed. HAREM. Why? Well, DeSu2 looked an ample lot like a harem (what with how the girls looked with their assets) and I hope to expound on that. Hibiki looks like he can handle that many girls, and I hope I can develop Miyako's personality well as I see her.
A short shout-out to Mr. Luckenhaft, by the way. If it weren't for you, good sir, I wouldn't have been inspired to publish this fic that has been sitting in my hard drive for months in an incomplete state. That, and I have been extremely disappointed with the lack of boy-to-girl relationship type of fics in the Megami Tensei section (no offense to fangirls and fanboys[?] who write BL and *ahem* type of fics). Also, because of Luckenhaft's ideas with the Harmonizer, I figured "Why not mess around with the fact that the Demon-Summoning Program is an app?"
Luckenhaft, many thanks and I hope to see more of your work. I don't plan to outshine yours anytime, as I feel that yours is still plenty more amazing than mine.
Enough of dat sh**! Here's the new chapter! *stands, bows, and backflips*
DISCLAIMER: ATLUS owns the SMT: Devil Survivor series. That's why I took the liberty of letting you know if you didn't.
THE DAY BEFORE, PT. 2: The Flames Lit; the Ordeal Begins
Do you see it, Child?
Do you see the First Star shining brightly overhead?
See it burn with fervor; ever expanding in the endless space. . .
But when a star reaches a far too enormous state, it will begin to collapse upon the power it has built itself,
And be swallowed by the forces of the cosmos; its light lost in the dark forever.
Never fear the size of its flame, for yours shall burn brighter,
And be the blue that swallows the red; burning hotter and stronger.
Peaceful days are over—
Let us survive.
What is normal?
Is it the state of being under no change; conforming to what is completely usual, realistic, and unchanging in the eyes of the current society as to blend with the majority and remain in constant agreement with the equilibrium fate presents upon you?
Or is the dull, monochrome, and boring side of life where you seek to break out of the usual and do something out of the ordinary, expressing your very own feelings about what indeed it is you wish to experience in life, yet be chained by the fear of being the black sheep within the flock?
If these were given in a multiple choice test with the corresponding order of "A" and "B," Daichi Shijima would have undoubtedly chosen option "B."
Daichi has always wanted to be that one amazing person in the group, or maybe the one that stands out among the class as the most unique person around. Hell, he wishes for society to recognize him as a person worth giving even just a smidge of your attention.
However, all that would remain in his head as he would fear being called "abnormal," "weird," "perv," "idiot," and all other almost synonymous terms. Daichi seeks the limelight, but fails to take initiative and be under it on his own volition since he does not wish to be the one seen as the sole individual breaking the norms of everyday life.
It was all a matter of "if society dictates it, stick with it" to Daichi.
How he wished he could've been someone who society sees as the out-of-the-ordinary individual who does extraordinary feats with his talents. But what left Daichi bitter about this was the irony of life presented upon him.
The irony of having his best friend be the change he wanted to be.
Hibiki had always been the straight A's student he knew since having met him. He shone in class, participated well in sports, and was known to most of the student body. Hibiki's looks melted many of the females, and his attitude gave him a good image among those who knew him.
Even if they were best friends, Daichi had always felt a pang of envy towards Hibiki.
How could he just break the norm like that? How could he be the out-of-the-ordinary individual who does extraordinary feats with his talents? How could he change the very flow of what may have been a fate already set in stone for him?
Why can't I be like that?
Why do I have to be the normal one?
These feelings were encircling his heart, swirling and swirling in an almost endless pool that doomed to take him over. But Daichi remained strong and kept it in – all to protect one of the most precious bonds he has ever made. Though it pained him to see his friend be the individual he always dreamt of becoming, he stomached all that bitterness to remain friends with someone who has stuck with him even if they were far too different from the norms of society.
The extraordinary one and the normal one.
And if it meant staying as good friends, then Daichi would just have to strive to be someone like Hibiki to put his feelings to rest once and for all.
Nearly reaching home, Daichi strolled at his very own casual pace through his neighborhood before passing a group of three women chatting.
The usual three huh . . . gossiping as usual.
The three women's identities were unknown to Daichi, but apart from the fact that they were his neighbors he knew as far as he could remember that the three were that "Gossip Trio" he always saw and heard talking about neighborhood rumors, national issues, cheating husbands, loose undergarments, and osteoporosis.
"Hey, you heard about that earthquake near Tokyo?"
"Yes, it was quite devastating they said. It was all over the TV!"
"The subway was in tatters, too. Hundreds were killed in the crash and stampede. Looks like the trains would be out for some time."
"They said that aftershocks would also be felt around the surrounding areas, too. Oh my, this isn't that common in Japan!"
"Well, we're not that near to the city's areas so it won't be that bad."
The subway's wrecked . . .?
Daichi did a double-take at the statement about the subway, and soon remembered that Hibiki was to take the train back home today.
"N-no, he wouldn't have been held up in that. Hahahaha, I must be overthinking this. Yeah, that must be it!"
Daichi flipped out his phone and searched for Hibiki's number, then sent a quick mail asking what he was doing.
After having sent the message, Daichi again went back to walking home.
One minute. Four minutes. 10 minutes.
"Still no reply? Hibiki never takes more than five minutes to reply back. . ." Daichi mused.
He again flipped out his phone and took a look at the screen, then noticed that he had no reception at the moment. Then, the signal came on for a second, and again disappeared only to be replaced once more by a "no reception" memo.
"Tch, what the hell is going on? Are the phone companies having problems? Ah, dammit. Hibiki . . . I hope you aren't in some sort of pickle."
Little did Daichi know, his friend was involved in something that didn't quite fall under the category of just a "pickle" kind of trouble.
"Wait for a while, okay Io? I'll be right back."
I began walking towards the Ogres, and soon I felt myself sprinting towards my opponents. The Ogres growled at me, and began a slow charge, carrying their clubs and getting ready to maul me to death.
I gripped the katana in my hand, and felt my energy rush to new heights. My senses grew sharper, and something felt. . . . new about the air around me. I felt really light, and the blade in my hand soon lost the feeling of being the heavy metal that it was.
I sped through the space in front of me and closed the gap between me and the first Ogre in a matter of nanoseconds. Once there, I thrust my blade through its abdomen, twisted it, and pulled it in an upward arc. From the stomach up to its head, the Ogre was clearly split in half. It glowed for a moment, and then dispersed into dust in the air.
Eyeing my next target, I found the next Ogre running all but towards me – it was going for Io's location.
Not good! Even if I'm fast enough, I might not make it! Damn it, I need to get there!
As it neared the rubble where Io hid, I felt myself get lifted off the ground a few centimeters, and suddenly, I was in the Ogre's line of direction.
I couldn't believe it. I was able to teleport!
Wasting no time to continue amazing myself, I rushed to the demon and slashed off its arm. I felt a current flow through my arm, and right then and there, my katana let loose electricity that enveloped its sharp edge.
Finishing the swing of my arc, as soon as my right arm was down I threw the katana up and caught it with my left and landed a slash at the Ogre's torso.
"Hraaaaahhhh!"
*Slice*
The large, green beast groaned, and after having fallen down to the ground, it glowed red and dispersed into the air as millions of red dust particles. That was already the second Ogre I had managed to send into oblivion.
It seems that once the demon has been defeated, the magnetite that had been used to have it manifest disappears as well.
Hearing a sharp howling behind me, I unconsciously turned and found myself staring at an Ogre mere inches away. My body froze and anticipated a painful strike, when suddenly blue jets of energy hit the demon and sent it to where its two other friends were.
"Thanks for the backup there, Byakko!" I grinned. The beast howled back, eager for more. I looked at the rubble behind Byakko, and there I spotted Io, who I had instructed to hide in the area behind Byakko. I had commanded my demon to protect Io whatever the cost, much to its chagrin (Byakko really loved fighting).
I looked around, checking for any more signs of danger. Apart from the wrecked state of the subway and a few dead bodies strewn here and there, there wasn't a single soul left aside from us.
As I walked towards Byakko and Io, I took a glance at the katana in my hand. My body throbbed for a moment, and I felt my consciousness pause a moment. I had slipped into some sort of trance, and a deep voice rang in my head.
Are you my master?
Huh?
I asked, child. Are you my master?
. . . . . I think I am.
Oh? Is that so? Then this shall be most interesting. I see this isn't your first combat experience, however – your stance and movements were sloppy and imbalanced. You strike me as someone much more accustomed to the use of magical attacks.
I can't help it. I'm new to this "fighting in close quarters" business. Anyway, who are you?
If you are new to this type of fighting, then I suppose that is good enough. It will be nice to teach a youngling, for once. You ask for my name, then I shall give it – I am the Sword of Kusanagi, wielded by the trickster god Susano'o of the land of Yamato.
One of the Japanese regalia, eh? I wonder how that pink-haired man got hold of you, or even how you were just a strap and then transformed together with my phone . . . Well, my name's Hibiki Kuze. I guess we'll be working together starting now. Looking forward to work with you, Ossan!
Ossan? Hahahahaha! What an interesting child! I suppose it is fitting to address me as such for my age far surpasses yours. Well then, you may speak with me when troubles arise.
I felt myself slip away from the trance and back into the world. The katana I had used disappeared, and was replaced by my phone with a katana and a dragon strap attached to it. I continued walking on, saving the thought of knowing more about the situation for later. Io wasted no time at all and was already rushing towards me, Byakko moving casually behind her. As she reached me, Io welcomed me with a smile that sent a million volts through me.
Seeing that smile, I think I can keep fighting Ogres for the whole day!
"Kuze-kun, are you okay?"
I grinned. "Of course I am. You saw me beat those things, didn't you?" Io nodded. "Thanks to Kuze-kun, I'm safe from the danger. Thank you very much!"
"It was no problem. Anyways, we better get out of here. Who knows what other things might be here."
Io agreed, and as soon as I had Byakko disappear, we headed back up to the surface entrance of the subway. I took Io's hand and led her out of the hellhole that began the most tragic and upsetting week the world was ever gonna know.
Having left the confines of the collapsed subway station, Io and I found ourselves welcomed by a massive crowd ahead of us. Police forces were all around, monitoring the entrance to the subway, and medics at the scene were tending to those who were injured and traumatized by what had occurred earlier. Some of the firemen at the site were already lining up bodies of those unfortunate enough to have died during the collapse.
Moving through the crowd, a memory goes through my brain and I managed to recall something important about this place. Feeling that Io and I came out a bit early, I took Io's hand once more and asked her to wait with me in the crowd for a bit. Though confused, Io made no complaints and stood beside me. As I held her hand, I was reminded of the warmth of her emotions – emotions that she had always shown me whenever I lost sight of my way during the three times I repeated this hellish week. She had been the closest person to me next to my best friend, Daichi. And I knew that Io was truly more than a friend to me.
Recovering my focus, I scanned the area and soon found the black and yellow-outlined uniform that I had been in search of in this incident.
JPs.
A special emphasis to say was the woman leading the current unit moving towards the subway area where we had just narrowly escaped death.
Makoto Sako.
Hers was one of the deaths that had shocked me the most. Out of all the JPs employees that we had encountered, Makoto was the only one that had truly shown genuine concern. She had felt like an older sister figure for me, what with the respect I had learned to give her.
After having heard of her experience of feeling helpless and in turn being saved by the JPs, I had felt myself become closer to her. She was definitely one of my emotional anchors during the time of facing the ordeal, next to my friends. Makoto kept my head clear, helping me make decisions that managed to keep everyone out of harm.
Everyone except her.
The time I had thought of a meritocracy for a world was something promising, I swiftly joined Yamato Hotsuin's party and battled alongside them towards the path of Yamato's ideals. However, during the battle with the Administrator, Polaris, I felt my insides rot at the massacre we had experienced for a fight.
Makoto had willingly put herself in harm's way just to save me.
And she died doing so, firmly believing to the end that I would grant them the ideal world they had so strongly dedicated their cause to. As she fell to her knees, with the last of her life I had understood the emotion reflected in her eyes that had drove her to put her faith completely into me.
Love.
It was something so fleeting, yet also so powerful. For the first time, even if I did already fall for Io, I had somehow felt myself wanting to reciprocate the feelings she had so unwittingly developed for me from all the times we had been together, fighting the rotting world side by side.
Yet in the end, I rejected the idea of a meritocratic world. Why? It was because Hotsuin had completely abandoned his dying men, believing that in the end they were nothing but talentless pawns that he may have had a little gratitude to for having taken him as far as the Administrator. His actions boiled my blood back then, and I felt the rage shake my very insides.
Pawns? Disposable soldiers? Worthless fools? Hell, no single person off the face of the Earth could be under any of those! Humanity developed strength and emotion side by side to see that the path to true power lies with the sharing of one's heart and accepting the faults and weaknesses one possesses!
Before the Administrator and the dying eyes of my friends, I had stained my hands with Yamato Hotsuin's very blood. With that act, I carried my sin over and forced Polaris to have me be given another shot to correct the way I chose.
But my second trial was a story for another time.
My heart pounded at the sight of Makoto, and I felt tears well up in my eyes. I blinked them back, and composed myself before approaching the lady. I instructed Io to wait for a moment; she replied with a confused "yes."
Every step towards Makoto seemed to slow me down; my body felt like lead and my limbs acted like they were chained to the spot. Soon enough, I was out of the crowd and stumbled right in front of the very JPs member I had wanted to talk to.
"E-excuse me? You wouldn't happen to be a JPs member, would you?" I asked, obviously feigning ignorance.
Makoto stared hard for a while, then replied, "Yes, I am. Why is that?"
"Uum, I was one of the few who got out of the subway and saw stuff. Stuff that I know shouldn't make any sense."
Though her face remained unchanged, I saw surprise in her eyes. "Is that so? Would you care to tell me what was there, or what occurred?"
"Demons. There were demons in the subway. And Nicaea was involved here, too."
". . . . ." The silence that followed unnerved me. C'mon, say something for crying outloud!
"Please tell me the rest of your account. Also, I would like to check your phone, if I may."
Right on the money. "Sure."
I walked with Makoto towards a military jeepney she had apparently ridden with a few JPs officers on the way here. Suddenly, Makoto pulled out a gun and had it face me. "So, why'd you do it?"
I maintained my calm demeanor. "I didn't summon the Ogres. Someone else must have. All I did down there was. . . . hide from the lot of them."
". . . . Is this true?"
"I swear on my life. Shoot me even, if you still distrust me." Makoto's stern look felt like daggers waiting to stab me everywhere in my body. Soon enough, she sighed and lowered her gun. Her expression softened to the Makoto I had gotten used to seeing. She removed the intercom on her left ear and began speaking once more. "Then, I believe you. However, you must be lying about something."
Sharp. Makoto never let my lies slip through her – EVER. "What did you think I was lying about?"
"About hiding. You knew they were named Ogre and somehow you look like you're experienced in terms of dealing with these sort of things. Also, it's completely written all over your face. Did you fight them?"
Sheepishly, I nodded. "Sort. . . of. But that doesn't do much for anyone's sake; well, maybe mine I guess." A grin escaped Makoto. "Then, I, on behalf of the JPs who struggle to build a better tomorrow under the rule of Yamato Hotsuin, would like to thank you for your effort regarding the elimination of those demons."
"D-don't be so formal. Anyways, I wanted to ask you if I could join JPs as a volunteer civilian for that project."
Makoto's eyes widened. "You want to become a fighter for the JPs?! But that's not easy! Also, a better future awaits you, not the spilling of your blood at such a young age."
"Then I just have to prove myself. Here, take a look at my phone." Remembering that Makoto had wanted to see my phone, I handed it to her for checking. It was obvious enough that she, belonging to JPs, would inspect the phone of someone who may be potentially a tamer with the power of Nicaea to evaluate the development of the individual – either destined to help the citizens as a JPs member, or be part of the ignorant masses.
After handing her my phone, I awaited an astonished expression to come from Makoto. I wanted to show her that the app I was currently using was a unique one (after having viewed it a little earlier) with different features.
"Your color scheme's different alright, but. . . . Wait. The menus. . . . are different? The options for the Team editing are gone! And what's with these features?! What's with your system?" She gaped.
I closed my eyes and grinned.
I had managed to somehow follow a different outtake as to my life.
All thanks to the Nicaea version I had managed to see earlier, just before having left the subway.
Nicaea, Version One pt. Two pt. Zero pt. One
ProGeNiTOR Patch.
"Thank you very much for your cooperation."
"It was nothing. I merely held on to our end of the bargain."
Two figures sat opposite to each other, a table in between them; the two were locked in a round of the board game chess.
Though the room was inherently dark, the light squirming through the windows managed to provide enough light for the two to play and outwit one another in the game they were so absorbed in.
The figure playing the ivory white pieces spoke then. "Were the modifications proper? Please explain them to me. I am quite curious as to what your genius seems to have created out of the very small time we have had."
He moved a knight, and captured an enemy bishop.
"Very small tweaks, although they were significantly unique to the system you have incorporated. The site is still the main catalyst to transmute magnetite and allow demons to manifest; however I made it so that he has a choice between summoning the demons and commanding them, or incorporating the powers of the demons into his very body and use their powers and abilities as if they were his own. Think of it as swapping armors with different strengths, so to speak."
His slender fingers moved his raven black pawn a step forward.
"Amazing. Which means that he can teleport using the Warp Step ability, or even bring back lost mana as a Tyrant. He may even use the demons' attacks and innate skills. But doesn't that mean he becomes susceptible to a specific demon's very weaknesses?"
His knight again goes on the offensive, and takes down a pawn.
"Well, you know what they say – power never comes without drawbacks, and that makes them more captivating to have."
"Oh, is that so?"
The man using the black pieces chuckled. "No, they don't really say that. Back on topic, I've also given that update with the selection for the use of that pesky Dragon Stream the Hotsuin's are so protective of, and a useful item to make that sword of his much more powerful and versatile. Oh, I believe this is check."
Rook threatens king.
After castling to protect his ivory king, the figure sighed. "Yamato's sure to be boiling after having a vital artifact concerning the Dragon Stream and the real blade regalia of the Japanese disappear from the extremely secured Hotsuin mansion."
"Worrying now gets them nowhere. I believe that they just have to go along and continue with the main plan of theirs. This is already the fourth time, and I can't believe they haven't experienced enough déjà vu to jog their minds into thinking that 'This plan's doomed to fail!' or something like that."
Raven bishop takes rook.
"Did you also put that record in there?" Pawn captures black knight.
The man on the side of the raven pieces fiddled with one of his captured pawns, sighing and annoyance obvious in his tone. "You know, that one was the most difficult. It was hard enough finding it after the third time, but fitting something which had data about the past, present, and future into something as portable as a phone was a REAL pain the ass."
White pawn steps forward. "But I guess you've had your fill of watching the events in those records before even finishing the installment, yes?"
Black pawn moves forward. "I did. I sort of relished the sight of me hammering my idiot brother down after that little squabble with livestock and the crops. But enough of that. I restricted it so that he can only view those records thrice a day. It would be bad if he just relied on that all of the time, as he won't be able to make decisions for himself, which is very much essential. Check."
Bishop threatens king. "Quite right. He must find his one true path by himself, without the intervention of any other force other than his own will. By the way, I heard you've managed to put two hacks? Oh, my queen takes your bishop down for this round, I suppose. What a wonderful match. Haha."
The black pawn continued forward, reaching the furthest point and achieving promotion into a queen. "Oh, those hacks? Hahahaha! I'm glad you asked! I had made it so that he'd be able to draw powers from similar beings who have had to forge their own paths; whether for blood, glory, honor, or good will. Only two were currently placed in, as the rest are unstable versions."
Queen threatens black queen. "I see. Which were in there by default?"
The man moves his black queen towards a rook and takes it. "The hacks for power and ability boosts were the HACK_SMT_1 Blood of Bel, and HACK_SMT_2 Magatsuhi. I'm not sure if he can just take the power of the King's Gate or the Fiends that easily – even just 5% was dangerous enough as a setting."
"Oh my, I'm in pickle with this scenario." He moves his queen forward, then speaks "Thanks for all your hard work. By the way, I've heard that the Hotsuin sibling was in town. What is she seemingly after here?"
Last move – Queen puts white king in an unescapable position. "Checkmate. Well, I've heard that she wants to manage the execution of that meritocratic world plan they have. Mi-something Hotsuin, if I recall it right. Well, she's sure to cross paths sooner or later with the rabbit."
The figure using the white pieces sat up straight. "Lost again, huh. *Sigh* Well, I hope she does no harm to him. Another game?"
The man straightened himself and answered, "Sure, why not – Prometheus."
"Prometheus" chuckled. "Why not? I'm bound to win this fourth round – Cain."
Please rate and review, criticisms and compliments are welcome too. The next chapter may take a while, so please be patient. Tell me what you think in the reviews, and I hope to have some positive feedback. Peace out.
~Arsony
PS. I hope this chapter was good for you guys. Though it doesn't have much action yet, I plan to build a sorta different storyline so I am really excited to hear what you guys have to say. I plan to have this as a harem fic, no main girl as Hibiki WILL be spending time and loving equally the girls. Oooh yeaaah. XD