It was a strange feeling, being back in the Metaverse. There was something indescribable about it. Maybe it was the initial rush of power and strength felt upon entering, or perhaps it was how everything could look so familiar and natural, and yet feel so alien. There were places where the Metaverse was indistinguishable from reality, and there were places that could never exist in the real world.
The area where the Phantom Thieves emerged was definitely one of the latter.
The cave entrance was little more than a crack on the side of a steep mountain, unforgiving grey crags dropping down at a lethal angle towards a red sea below. The water was the same colour as the rain that had engulfed Tokyo two months prior. Ruins occasionally interrupted the otherwise uniform surface. There were buildings that they recognised down there; the shattered remains of palaces they had raided. The mountain's shadow pointed out across the sea.
The mountain they were stood on was the only solid ground visible. The sea of red stretched in all directions to the horizon, a horizon that curved far too steeply, as if the planet they were stood on was far smaller than Earth. The sky above them was still a bright blue, though a tinge of orange was just visible around the bulk of the mountain.
"There's our tower."
Morgana was pointing up towards the plateau above them. Following his gaze, the Thieves could just about make out a building stretching up into the clouds.
"We can't do anything from here. We need to get onto the plateau first."
The climb was harsh- the rocks making up the mountain were pointed at best, and razor-sharp at worst. Many sat loose on the mountainside, and others crumbled as soon as any weight was put on them. By the time they reached the mercifully flat ground that was the plateau, all were suffering grazes and cuts. Despite that, they were silent, staring in awe at the scale of the palace before them.
Makoto guessed that the plateau was two kilometers in diameter, with the tower extending up into the sky and out of view from the dead centre. Five hundred metres of barren rock separated the edge of the plateau from well-kept and vibrant gardens, neat hedgerows glowing in the setting sun, the scent of flowers drifting on the breeze. A large metallic ring jutted from the ground just outside the first hedgerow. They could see no further
The tower itself was almost incomprehensibly tall, with three enormous cables anchored in the ground somewhere within the gardens. Regularly spaced balconies, if they could be called that considering how large they were, interrupted the otherwise uniform cylinder. Glowing conduits ran up the length of the tower and into the sky above the clouds. What lay above was a mystery. The entire structure was glowing gold in the sunset.
"How can a palace this big even exist?!" Morgana yelled, staring wide-eyed at the point the tower vanished into the clouds. "It feels so stable too… the Metaverse is mostly gone, so how?"
"We won't find out by standing around out here. We should investigate." Yusuke said, pointing to a gap in the outermost row of hedges. "That seems like the best place to start."
It was apparent almost immediately that the tower wanted no visitors. The neat appearance of the hedges extended no further than the outside edge, for inside the hedges were unkempt, thorned branches jutting from the undergrowth. It didn't need to be said that they should stick together- getting separated in a hedge maze was the last thing they needed in an unfamiliar palace. While the greenery didn't look like much from the outside, they seemed to stretch up once inside the maze, blotting out the daylight and casting the narrow paths into shadow. The hedges grew taller as they progressed through the ring, making it progressively more difficult to see. The fading sunlight certainly wasn't helping.
An opening appeared in the endless green, and Ann almost tripped over the metal ring in the ground in her haste to get out of the dark. On close inspection, it was not featureless. Small channels were carved into it, linking circles and symbols together. She couldn't make sense of them, though she did recognise a few of them that she had seen on Necronomicon. The next area was filled with flowerbeds. Almost all of the blooms were some shade of green, With some red appearing occasionally. The path was visible due to the low height of the flowers, and for that the Thieves were thankful. Crossing it took no time at all. They were not as fortunate with the next ring, as there was another hedge maze within, the corridors far more narrow than the previous maze, forcing them into single file and, in places, squeezing between the branches sideways. All the while, it became more and more difficult to see as the sun continued to set.
By the time the exit came into view, twilight had truly set in. The sun was no longer visible, and the light was quickly fading.
"I have had it with all these hedges." Ann grunted, swatting aside another branch and grimacing as it snapped back and hit her arm. "Part of me wants to burn them all down."
"We don't know what causing damage will do to Futaba. So don't." Morgana snapped back.
"I see the exit!" Ryuji began to run. "Finally out of this goddamn- the hell?!"
"Ryuji!"
When Ryuji had stepped over the next ring, the ground had given way beneath his foot. He pitched forward, arms pinwheeling as he tried to right himself. Ann grabbed one of his arms and pulled him back onto solid ground.
The tower was visible from the exit to the maze, the structure lined with more of the same flowers arranged in impeccably neat rings. But between it and them was a chasm that was certainly a lethal drop. Stepping carefully onto the ring, Ann peered over the precipice, and was soon joined by Yusuke, who hummed to himself. The bottom of the chasm was hidden from view, shrouded in a white mist. Even from their vantage point, they could feel an intense heat radiating from it. Strong winds occasionally gusted from the depths.
"I would guess it's around a kilometre to the mist, give or take a hundred metres." Yusuke said. "I can see no way of crossing without descending."
He pointed to the chasm's wall, and sure enough, there were enough ridges and outcrops to form a route down into the pit. The very same outcrops were visible on the inner rock face.
"We're losing light, so it's way too risky to try and get down there now."
They hadn't noticed it due to the maze, but Morgana was right. The shadows had gotten longer, and were approaching the base of the tower.
"Look there." Yusuke pointed to the tower. "There's the entrance, around to the right."
They followed his point, and watched as a bridge extended from the tower's side to another opening in the maze. A figure ran across the new bridge, which retracted as soon as it was on the other side.
"Was that a shadow?" Haru asked.
"Too far away to tell." Morgana replied.
The moment the bridge disappeared, the shadows from the setting sun touched the base of the tower. Immediately, something changed in the world, a strange pressure wave setting the Phantom Thieves on edge. They flinched as a siren sounded from the tower. It was a horrendously loud sound, the thieves clamping their hands over their ears to try and block it out. They watched as the conduits on the tower shifted from a bright green to a deep red, the same crimson spilling from the ring on which Ann was stood. She leapt back as a wall of light erupted from the ring, stretching up into darkened sky. Behind them, similar walls appeared.
"What the hell is this?" Ann touched the wall and was immediately repelled, yelping as it shocked her.
"Guys, I'm feeling shadows now. We should get out of the maze, since we can't go any further by the looks of things."
They quickly composed themselves, making their way back into the maze. Morgana led them back the way they came. The siren cut out, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.
"What is with this palace?" Ryuji asked. "I mean none of the others had an actual day, did they?"
"There's something that feels off about this whole thing." Morgana said. "I don't know what. Maybe it's the collective unconscious screwing things up?"
"That would make sense, since we are in the ruins of the unconscious, right?" Haru asked.
"Right. So it's possible that-"
The Thieves stopped dead in their tracks and flinched as an unnatural rumble filled the air. A plume of red water came into view over the hedgerows, looming over the grounds, globules of water falling from the main plume. One of the smaller masses struck the ground around the corner from the Thieves. Morgana peaked around the corner and mouthed Shadow. It was, however, unlike any Shadow they had encountered. It didn't have a theme; it barely had a form. It was an unstable mass of darkness, shifting between forms that Morgana recognised and others that were unfamiliar. It was slumped against the hedge, its head buried in the greenery. Morgana turned to the Thieves, gestured for them to keep quiet, and then crept past the Shadow. From that point on, Morgana always checked around corners before advancing.
The hedges soon gave way to another metallic ring, the wall of red light stretching up impossibly high. A Shadow was stood on the other side, bashing its head against the barrier repeatedly. It groaned with each hit.
"What do we do?" Ann whispered. "We can't get through that barrier, right?"
Yusuke glanced at his hand, and then at the barrier. He reached out to touch it, and was surprised when his hand sank through the light, and he grimaced when he couldn't pull it back.
"One way barriers?"
Yusuke stepped through, taking care to avoid touching the Shadow. He shrugged. The remaining Thieves filed through one by one, slipping through the light as the Shadow continued to headbutt it. Once through, they made their way across the flower gardens, electing not to use the path in favour of saving time. By the time they navigated through the remaining maze and reached the outermost barrier, a moon sat high above them, far larger than the real moon, and impossibly bright.
"We have a problem."
Yusuke pointed to the final barrier. There was a Shadow on the other side. Its mass filled almost the entire opening, leaving no route around it. It wheezed, its eyes the only constant on its form, unfocussed and staring.
"Okay, we're gonna have to fight." Morgana said. "Ryuji, can you tackle it to give us space to get through?"
"Hell yeah I can! On three." He stretched his arms. "One… two… three!"
He dashed forwards, wrapping his arms around the Shadow and pushing off the ring, driving it back. The rest of the Thieves formed up behind him. The Shadow stared at Ryuji, and an odd pressure filled the air. A harsh snap emanated from its body, and its form stabilised into that of Sae Niijima, equipped with Leviathan's enormous blade. It screeched, momentarily paralysing everyone present. Morgana yelped.
"What the- that's not a Shadow or a cognition! What is it?"
"What a ridiculous story!" it cried. "Metaverse, Phantom Thieves, all lies!"
It swung at Ryuji, who ducked out of the way. Morgana attacked while it was distracted, slashing at its ankles. It recovered far too quickly, using the width of the blade to stop his strike. Haru and Yusuke moved in unison, the latter flipping over the Shadow-Sae, swinging at its neck as he did so. It blocked, leaving itself wide open to Haru's attack, burying her axe in its chest. It screeched again, bringing its fist down on top of Haru's head. She was forced to let go of her axe to dodge.
"Forget this." Ann ripped off her mask. "Hecate!" She felt the rush of power come to her, and then nothing. She frowned. "Hecate? Carmen?"
Her Persona wasn't appearing. The Shadow-Sae growled, pulled Haru's axe out of its chest and hurled it at Ann, who barely dodged in time.
"I can't summon my Persona!" She yelled.
"What?" Morgana pulled off his mask, and neither Mercurius nor Zorro appeared. "What is this?"
Ryuji delivered a solid hit to the creature's knee. When it didn't falter, he attempted to call upon Captain Kidd, to no avail.
"Guys, I'm thinking my track training is about to come in handy…"
"Asking me to show him the phone, as if that would change a thing!"
Sae swung again.
"Run!"
The Phantom Thieves took off, Ryuji leading the charge back to the entrance point. Sae gave chase, letting loose an ear-splitting howl. Ryuji screeched to a halt as several of the not-Shadows converged on the exit, blocking their escape route. Sae was fast closing in, and it leapt into the air, delivering a vicious punch to Ryuji's face as it landed. Its blade rose, its edge glinting in the moonlight as it dropped towards his neck.
"Ryuji!"
What happened next was almost too fast to comprehend.
A hooded figure darted from the shadows, armoured hands catching the blade millimetres from Ryuji's neck. Ryuji was kicked out of the way by the newcomer, who took a quick step back as Sae broke his grip.
"Stay back!" He growled, holding his arm up. "Your weapons are of no avail here. Stay back."
Sae bellowed and swung at the hooded man, who danced around the edge and jabbed it in the throat. The creature let out a strangled cry; the hooded man did not relent. He delivered punches to the gut, the neck, and face, black ichor leaking from the Sae-creature like smoke. His hands took on an odd shine, and he plunged his hand into its chest, wrenching a scarlet crystal from the creature's chest and crushing it in his grip. The creature folded immediately, dissolving into black mist.
"He's… a cognition…" Morgana said, staring at the man.
"Now then…" the man straightened up, flicking the remaining ichor from his hand. "Why would materials such as yourself be doing this far down?"
"A cognition? But of who?" Ryuji yelled.
"You there. Creature." The man approached Morgana, whose fur was now stood on end. He knelt down, keeping his face downturned. "You called me something just now. What was it?"
"A-a cognition… how can you be self-aware?"
"Cognition…" he backed away, straightening up. The hood obscured his face from view. "Yes, that's right. I am a cognition… but I'm little more than that. No name… But you haven't answered my question. Here I find myself four materials and one… creature… in this terminal world. What brings you here?"
He turned around, the moonlight illuminating the space under the hood, revealing naught more than two misshapen eyes and a glinting grin.
"What brings you here, to this breeding ground of nightmares?"