Chapter 4: Izanagi
(Narukami Yu)
14th April 2011. Thursday. After school.
I, Hanamura Yosuke, and Satonaka Chie fall inside a TV in Junes because of my fault today. Hanamura seems really nervous and Satonaka feel really frightened. I don't expect her to show this side of her. Meanwhile I feel really calm because I know being nervous or frightened won't bring us anywhere. So I must remain calm and decided what to do from here. We fell in an area that looked like a TV studio with large floodlights spread all over the place and a dart-like circular black and white pattern on our feet. It also have the drawing of people on it. It really hard to see because the place is surrounded with a really dense fog.
"What is... this place?" Even though I tried to stay remain calm, I can't help but wondered what kind of place we ended up to.
"We're still alive, are we?" Satonaka asked with a really frightened face and shaking voice. "Don't tell me we're inside that TV?"
"B-But that's impossible." Hanamura said. It seems he's still on denial. "Ahhh! I can't take it anymore! I got to pee!" I don't know if he is trying to calm us down or he really is want to pee.
"Oh shut up!" Frightened Satonaka yelled at him. "What should we do?"
"How should I know?" Hanamura asked back.
"How should you know?" She's trying to blame it on him. "It's a TV from your store, right?!"
"Huh?" Hanamura said with a really confused face. "But we're not the ones who manufacture them!"
"What's up with that?!"
It really amazed me how they still can argue despite our situation. However I feel grateful to Hanamura, despite his method, I'm glad he managed to calm Satonaka down, even a little. Ignoring their bickering for a moment, I decide to take a look around despite the difficulty. I manage to see a silhouette of a girl walking away from us. Without any lead to follow, I decide to followed her.
"Guys let's get out of here," I suggested. "I saw a girl walking that way, I think we better followed her." Confused and can't think straight, both of them reluctantly decided to followed me. After walking for quite a while, Hanamura seemed to get himself together.
"Are you sure you saw her?" Hanamura asked me. "A girl? Here of all places?"
"Yeah, I'm quite sure. She might have wandered in." Now that I think about it, the silhouette I saw earlier really resembles Marie from Velvet Room. But I can't mention it to them, that'll just add unnecessary confusion.
"Then we'll have to rescue her, right?" Satonaka suddenly get passionate.
"Yeah sure," Hanamura said. "But I don't really know how we will save ourselves, let alone that girl."
"Hey Chie, now that we've been walking for a while," Hanamura said. "Don't you think this place resembles Shopping District in Inaba?"
Satonaka then take a look carefully at her surrounding, "Now that you mention it, yeah, I guess so."
"But why?" Hanamura asked.
"How should I know?!"
At that moment, I saw the girl entering a building. Without giving it much thought, I run to chase her.
"Hey wait a minute!" Hanamura tried to stopped me.
"Don't go running by yourself!" They were running closely behind me.
We then enter the building. It kinda looks like a hotel from inside and outside. Even the indoor in surrounded with thick fog. I saw the girl entering one of the room inside the hotel. We are really surprised to see what's inside. The room's wall was full of a poster with a portrait of a woman wearing a red kimono with her face part was ripped, not to mention there were a lot of red stain that look like blood on both the wall and the floor.
"What the hell?!" Hanamura said.
"Take a look at this chair and rope!" Hanamura pointed at the chair and the rope that's tied in a nose from that looked like a scarf in the middle of the room. It looked like that kind of stuff you'll see in suicide scene. "This kind of arrangement is never good."
"Ahhhhh!" He suddenly screamed. "I can't take it anymore! My bladder's about to burst!"
"I got pee! This room is really creepy!"
"Oh you shut up!" Satonaka seems annoyed.
Hanamura then go to the corner of the room. It seemed he was really going to pee there.
"You're peeing right here?" Satonaka asked and surprised. "Give me a break!"
"Please stop him, Narukami!" She said to me.
"Eh?" I said with a poker face. "Why?"
Satonaka can't seems to find a word to responded to my question.
"I can't go with you guys watching!" Hanamura complained
"Excuse me?!" Satonaka then approach him and gave him her strongest kick in his butt. Hanamura ended up falling in a sorry state. "Go ahead and pee you idiot! It's not like I want to watch anyway!" As if forgetting the situation, Satonaka storm off the room while slamming the door.
Soon after, we heard Satonaka screamed really loud from just outside the room. "AAAAAHHHHH!"
We immediately come to see her outside. "What is it? What's wrong?"
We surprised to see an anthropomorphic bear with blue fur who was wearing red and white jumpsuit-like clothing. It was really looked like a mascot character straight out from some manga.
"What is that? A monkey? No... a bear?" Satonaka said as she looked closely to that thing.
"Is it a beast?" Hanamura added.
It seems it's not a dangerous thing as it is only standing in from of us. But we were once again really surprised to hear it's talking. "Wh-who are you?"
"It talked!" Hanamura and Satonaka seemed really suprised and stunned. I tried to remain calm and approach it.
"I'm Narukami Yu." I said.
I then I give him my hand. To my surprised, he responded. "H-How do you do?" It seems it is as nervous as we are. I could only hear his voice is stuttering while it is talking to us.
"Did you happen to see a girl around here?" I tried to asked about the girl we were following to this weird creature.
"Why are you talking to it? Don't anything fazed you?" It looked like Hanamura still confused about how I can normally talked to this creature.
"I haven't seen any girl." It seemed its nervousness around us is gone.
"But never mind that! You shouldn't be here! The Shadows! The Shadows!" It suddenly raised its voice with a really worried face.
"Shadows?" We were really confused about what it's talking about.
"Put these on and get yourselves home!" It then gave me a gray-framed glasses. I decided to tried it out. Woah! When I put these glasses, it's as if the dense fog is gone!
"Actually, we'd love to go home, but we don't know how, okay?" It looked like Hanamura and Satonaka's nervousness around it is gone as well, they begun to talk to it.
"Guess it can't be helped!" That thing said. "Come on, I'll show you the way, then!"
Immediately after it said it's going to show us how to go home, we feel relieved for a moment until there's a giant floating orbs with lips and large tongues coming from inside the room, destroying the door. It also had red and black strip pattern on its surface along with a mask on its back. It must have at least 2 meters in size. In that instant attack, it managed to lick Satonaka, leaving her unconscious.
"Run!" The bear thing scream really hard and run first to the outside of the building. I saw Satonaka fell unconscious and Hanamura was closer to her than I was, so I shouted.
"Hanamura! Get Satonaka!"
He immediately took Satonaka even before I was shouting. After making sure he get Satonaka on his hand, we follow that bear thing running to the outside of the building. But it was no good. That monster flying following us. The bear is stopped on the outside of the building, facing two of those monster ahead. Once we reach outside, we realized we were screwed. We were surrounded by those monsters, two in the front, one in the back. I don't know what to do. My feet began to shaking. I could see Hanamura kneeling while still holding the unconscious Satonaka in his hands.
Suddenly I heard the hard and deep voice I heard when I was watching Midnight Channel.
"I am thou..."
"Thou art I..."
"When both my eyes are opened,"
"Thou..."
"The time is now!"
It feel like the voice is in my head. Without realizing it, my left hand's holding a card with a picture of a jester laughing very close to a cliff, accompanied with a dog at his heels along with number "0" in the lower part. Without much thinking, I grab the card really hard. It scattered to tiny pieces, releasing a very bright light. I can hear the voice shouted in my head, "Izanagi!"
When I open my eyes, I'm floating! I'm holding very large knife with a really long handle that is strapped with bandage in my right hand. When I see my left hand, it's like wearing a glove with a long steel claw on each finger. There's a long blade under my feet. It looks like I'm wearing a very tight and long black jacket with seven strap open on the lower part. I'm really confuse by my circumstances, this is not the time! My friends are in danger. I look around looking for them. They're behind me. The monster are also still there, all three of them. Seeing how small my friends and the monsters are, I imagine I must turn to some kind of giant with at least 4 metres tall. I looked at Hanamura and he looked really surprised and amazed by my transformation.
"With this form, I can fight those monsters." With that on my thought, I struck my knife to the ground, a moment later three thunder strike all the three monster. As the thunder strike down the three monsters, I could here the hard and deep voice shouted in my head, "Mazio!"
It looks like all the three monster are staggered for a moment, so I take this opportunity to strike down one monster near Hanamura and Satonaka with my large knife on my right hand. It was destroyed into very tiny black pieces. It looked like it was defeated. That only leave two more monsters in front of that bear thing. However they seem begin to awake from their staggered state. I rush to land a strike with my knife to the one on the right, but it managed to dodge my strike. As it dodge, the one on the left gave me a big lick. I feel really limp, no wonder Satonaka immediately fell unconscious after she get licked just once. However I could still grabbed its tounge with my left hand, struck it with my five claws and then struck it hard with my big knife. It got destroyed. Leaving the last one that dodged my attack earlier.
It apparently put some distance between us. I'm focusing my mind to attack it with with thunder-strike as I did earlier. I once again struck my knife to the ground with my right hand. After a few moments, I can hear the voice from earlier in my head shouting, "Zionga!"
It was a bigger thunder than before. It left it down on the ground, incapable of floating. I rush ahead and decided to gave it a spin kick from left to right with my right foot, splitting it in half with the blade. At last, all the monsters are destroyed. As soon as I relaxed and relieved for a second, I could felt my giant form scattered, leaving me fall from about 4 metres tall.
Ahhh... My back is killing me. I took a little glance at Hanamura and Satonaka from my sorry state on the ground. While she's still unconscious, I'm glad to see she's safe in Hanamura's hand. And it look like that bear thing is also safe and sound. Finally I could take a rest for a bit.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Ah. I ended up in the Velvet Room once again to hear what it seems to be Igor's favorite phrase.
"Only those who are bound by a contract may enter here. You have awakened your power brilliantly." Although it seemed like a compliment, it sure didn't sound like it when it comes from Margaret's cold voice.
"Please take this with you." A key appear out of thin air and floating toward my right hand. "It is the Contractor's Key."
"From this time forth, you are our guest in the Velvet Room," she explained. "Your Persona ability is that of the wild arcana. The Fool. It is like the number zero: Empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself."
"I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together to see where your awakened power of the wild arcana will take you. Kukuku..." Igor said the final part.
As soon as he's done talking, a bleaming light came, forcing me to close my eyes.
When I open my eyes, I realize I'm being carried by that bear thing on its back while Hanamura's still holding Satonaka on his hands beside me.
"Where... are we going?" I asked with a really low voice.
"Ahhh... You've woken up," Hanamura said. "We're going to the enterance of this place."
"The place where we fell in here in the first place," Hanamura added. "According to this bear, we can go back to our world from there."
I feel really tired so I could only managed to responded with, ""Ahhh..." and closing my eyes again.
"Don't worry. Just leave the rest to me, Hanamura said with a very serious face. "We'll get there in a moment.
"You've done enough, just rest for now," Hanamura said. "Thanks for saving us."
I'm so tired so I decide to close my eyes once again. After a while, I could feel that we've stopped walking so I open my eyes. I feel my energy is back, even just a little. I manage to stand with my own feet.
"So... How are we going back?" I asked with a really low voice.
The bear then step his right foot really hard on the ground and then three little TVs lined up vertically appeared out of thin air. "There goes your exit," It said while pointing at those TVs.
"Hey there you damn bear!" Hanamura yelled. "How are we supposed to entered those little TVs?!" I feel really tired to even give it a piece of my mind.
"I'm a busy bear you know," the bear said. "Now off with you! Go!" It was pushing us toward those little TVs.
14th April 2011. Thursday. Evening.
I honestly didn't know how we managed to fit into those little TVs, then again I did fit into my small TV in my room. Before we realized it, we feel as if we're flying up for at least 5 seconds. And before we know it, we already at electronic store at Junes. Fortunately there weren't any people there at that moment. Satonaka is still unconscious and falling on top of Hanamura. When I look at the clock at the store, It's already evening. It's no wonder though, because I could've sworn we walk and wander around inside the TV for at least 3 hours.
Even if we want to take Satonaka home as soon as possible, none of us know where she live. And since she's still unconscious, we decide to take a break in Junes food court. I manage to walk by myself, despite the limping. On half way to the food court, Satonaka suddenly woke up. I guess she's really surprised to find herself woke up in Hanamura's hand.
"Aaaahhhh!" She screamed really hard and throw a punch on Hanamura's face. They both ended up falling.
"What are you doing you idiot?!" Hanamura said while puting his hand on his face.
"You're not doing anything funny to me are you?!" I guess she was still in a panic and cannot think clearly. She tried to stand up, but failed. I guess still felt really tired, just like me.
"Of course not you idiot!" He yelled. "You should feel grateful I take you outside of that TV."
"Here, let me help you." Hanamura oferred his shoulder to help Satonaka walking. Even if I just knew them for less than a week, I knew if this was the normal Satonaka, she would give him another puch to the face, maybe even leaving him unconscious while shouting, "Get off me you idiot!" But not this time. This time she just willingly accept his help, walking to food court. Seeing that rare scene, I can't help but giggling a little.
Finally we arrive at Junes' food court, both Satonaka and I immediately sit in an nearby empty chair, putting our head on the table. Hanamura said he was ordering some food and drink so we could just relax in our table. After a while, he came back with three serving of beafsteak, Satonaka's favorite food.
"Here you go your highness, Junes' finest beafsteak!"
Satonaka somehow refreshed after seeing her favorite food in front of her.
"What's gotten into you all of sudden Yosuke?" Satonaka surprised. "This is not poisoned or anything is it?"
"Oh shut up!" Hanamura said. "If you don't want it, give it back!"
"No... No... I was just kidding. Hehehe..."
"Itadakimasu!"
We then begin eating. It seems it's rare for Hanamura to showed off his nice side in front of Satonaka. In fact, I think this is the first time I'm seeing it. I think he also know her well enough to know how to get her to cheered up again. After we finished eating, we chatted for a little while. Everyone seemed really tired so we decided to head back to our own home. Hanamura decide to get Satonaka to her home, worrying she's going to passed out on the way there. It took her some convincing, but she eventually agreed.
Once I reach Dojima residence, I realize there's a key that was given to me by Igor earlier in my dream, The Contractor's Key in one of the pocket of my trouser. I'll ignore it for now and go straight to my room and sleep for nearly 12 hours that night.
Author's Note:
Persona's ability list:
Izanagi: Mazio, Zionga, Rakukaja, Tarukaja, Rakunda, Raimeizan