Souji was dreaming, or at least, he thought he was. Images flashed across his field of vision, memories of the past dancing everywhere he looked. Some were from the distant past; Yu and Souji fishing by the side of a small pond when they were little, Souji reading a cookbook as he tried his hand at cooking while their caretaker was out partying, Yu asking for help with his second-grade homework, and many more. Others were more recent; the twins first adventure into the T.V with Yosuke and Teddie, the beach trip, and, of course, Souji and the group rescuing Naoto from herself. That memory burned bright in front of Souji's eyes, and seemed to stay longer than the others, but moved away quickly as other images took its place.
Some weren't even memories, but instead were scenarios that Souji instinctually knew were either impossible or were simply laughable. Old visions of nightmares also swirled around the silverette, but these were ignored as Souji had long gotten over his fear of such things. One image made him stare though. Naoto was running, talking on her phone frantically whilst firing round after round into a black mass behind her. Yamato Takeru appeared, casting one of the spells it knew, but the small dent it had made repaired itself, and Souji realized that what was following his girlfriend in this vision were shadows. He watched in horror as they caught her, and although no sound came from the images around him, he felt as if he could hear the sleuth screaming as she was swallowed by the writhing mass of shadows that had overtaken her.
Souji felt weak, and looked around. He pinched himself hard, feeling the sharp pain travel up from the action. So he wasn't dreaming, then. But that only left the boy feeling more confused. The youth closed his eyes, trying to block out the chaos surrounding him, and thought hard. The last thing he remembered was seeing his friend's faces as he faded away, but everything after that was empty and blank. Souji breathed deeply, and focused on sorting out the images he'd just seen in his mind. Some were obviously meaningless, others were events that had never happened and were simply distracting. Some memories had been mixed in, but they weren't in any specific order. He had felt as if he was dreaming, so maybe these were simply dreams around him.
Souji opened his eyes, and noticed that the images had slowed down quite a bit. Obviously, they were connected to him, but maybe the chaos that had been around was in response to the chaos he felt in his own mind. Souji began to think a bit more frantically, and noticed that the pace of the flying images picked up. He grinned as he figured out how to make sense of what he was seeing, and calmed himself, thinking through each thought completely before moving to another one. This action slowed the scenes down, and they eventually came to a rest in a straight line before him. Souji nodded as he grinned again, and reached out to the closest image. As soon as he touched it, the image began to fold itself up, causing the others in the line to follow suit. They floated towards Souji, and disappeared completely as they came into contact with the silverette.
As the last of the images disappeared, Souji looked around once more, finding he could finally make sense of his surroundings now that the distractions had gone. He recognized the blue and gold platform, the images of his friends and family shining slightly. So he was in the place he'd dreamed of before. But why? A thought suddenly struck the teen, and he looked around, silver eyes searching the darkness beyond the platform. "Where are you, Morpheus? I know you're here somewhere." A small chuckle came from beyond the edge of the platform furthest from where he stood, and Morpheus strode into view, clapping his gauntlets as he did so.
"Well done, Souji, well done indeed. Never before has anyone sorted their dreams in such a way, nor have they ever done so anywhere near as fast as you have just done." The Dream-lord stopped a couple of feet in front of Souji, and appeared to be studying the teen with interest. "Yes, you are indeed the most unique being I've met yet, and I have met many fantastical beings in my time."
Souji cocked his head to one side and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Where am I, exactly?" he asked.
Morpheus chuckled again. "Ah, yes, I've forgotten my manners. Welcome to my realm within your mind, Souji Seta."
Morpheus gestured around the platform, and furniture appeared, offering the two a place to sit. "Have a seat. I'm sure you have many questions." The Persona shook his head. "Rather, I know you have many questions. I will answer them as honestly as I am able." Souji nodded and took a seat in the chair nearest him, with Morpheus taking the other across from him. "So, how may I ease your mind?" asked the Persona as he relaxed back in his chair, throwing one of his legs across its arm. Souji smiled as he saw the relaxed manner Morpheus took, and shrugged.
"For starters, what happened after I…disappeared? And just what do you mean by 'Your realm within my mind'?"
Morpheus nodded. "After you began to fade, I took ahold of you. As I said then, I took you from your world. Had I not, you would have indeed faded into nonexistence." Morpheus chuckled lightly. "My sister was none too happy with that, but my cost is determined only by me. None may interfere in my own domain. As for your second question, it is simply what I said. I exist as your Persona, and thus I have residence in your subconscious. This is the place I call home when you do not call upon me for battle, though I can leave of my own volition."
Souji nodded, remembering the interrogation of Mitsuo. "Alright, then why do you leave? Surely there's nothing to gain by helping me interrogate a young teen."
Morpheus shrugged. "You interest me. Helping you on this journey you've undertaken is my task, and I hoped to provide you with more assistance. Appearing in your world isn't that difficult for me, and your reactions never seem to be what I expect. And in anticipation of your next question, yes, I am unique in that aspect. You'll notice Izanagi does not just appear wherever and whenever. Personas require the will of their master to coalesce in your realm, along with the power that stems from that 'T.V World.' However, I control dreams and illusion. And I know you've heard that I am decidedly…different from most Personas. My intrinsic connection with the realm called 'The Velvet Room', along with some minor help from my own power, allows me to achieve abilities beyond that of almost all other beings. Thus, I can appear in the human realm."
Morpheus paused after his lengthy explanation, allowing for Souji to process the information. "So…in a sense, you exist between mind and matter in the same way as The Velvet Room?"
Morpheus tilted his head. "Yes, in a sense of the words. I believe the full explanation was 'this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter'. Seeing as I govern the realm of dreams, but also exist within reality, the first half of that statement does not truly fit me. However, despite the fact that I rule the dream-world, I am also a being of dreams. Combined with my ability to form a physical body in your realm, this allows me to exist 'between mind and matter'. Dreams are the product of one's mind, but upon becoming a reality, they cease being 'dreams'. I am not bound by such a rule, thus I exist as dream and reality together. Do you understand?" Souji nodded. The concept seemed difficult at first, but he grasped the premise of what Morpheus had said.
"So, in other words, you rule the dream-world as a being of dreams, but can take leave of this world to visit reality from time to time?"
Morpheus nodded emphatically. "Yes, you've grasped the idea. I cannot exist in your realm for long periods of time, but I am able to visit for brief moments. The T.V world is an exception, but I cannot claim to truly understand that place."
Souji closed his eyes as he processed the information he'd been given. "Alright, my next question, then. I understand that disappearing was the cost of your power back then. Just what did that cost entail? Rather, are you able to explain more now than before?"
Morpheus shook his head. "I'm afraid the answer is rather…complicated. It will take time to answer, and it cannot be answered in mere conversation. Do not worry. Time passes rather quickly when you dream, thus your answer should come sooner rather than later. However, I believe some explanation is in order as to this realm, and your purpose in being here." Morpheus shifted so that he sat normally, but bent forward so as to engage Souji.
"You have disappeared from the physical realm. Your body is in a state of limbo, due to the nature of our transaction. What will happen to you, I cannot say, as it rests on your shoulders to decide what may come. As I said before, time passes quickly when you dream. Right now, you stand within the realm of dreams, as you no doubt know already. The time you spend here will seem short, but the time that passes in your realm will be much longer. There isn't a direct correlation between both flows of time, but a rough estimate is every hour here is about a day in your world." Souji sat up straight, inhaling sharply as he did so. Morpheus nodded as Souji grasped the severity of his situation. "Do not worry overmuch, it's not as if you are losing time here. You will age as you normally would, the time will simply appear to pass faster. I guess I should have explained that better before."
A bell tolled in the distance. Morpheus looked down at his feet for a moment, as if lost in thought. Souji took the moment to calm himself down. If what Morpheus had said was true, he was still alive, but at in a sense of the word, he wasn't. He was supposedly in a state of limbo physically. Maybe this place was the limbo Morpheus was talking about? The silverette shook his head; he couldn't make sense of this right now.
Suddenly, Morpheus stood up. Souji followed suit, and the chairs disappeared. "It seems you've no more questions at the moment. That is just as well, because it's time to make yet another deal. However, should any questions arise during your stay here, I will answer them as honestly as I am able. Is that sufficient?"
Souji nodded. "I guess I can't say anything against it; you appear to be a very gracious host."
Morpheus chuckled and shook his head. "Well, although this is my realm, it's still your mind. You are no guest here, Souji." Morpheus turned towards the edge of the platform, speaking to Souji as he did so. "I will be back momentarily; I must prepare the materials for our next transaction." He turned a bit and looked at Souji's barren wrist. The Dream-lord waved his hand, and a blue and gold watch appeared on the teens arm. "Here, this should help you with your track of time. The estimate isn't exact, but it should provide some closure for you. It's been half an hour, by the way." With that, Morpheus walked off the edge of the platform and into the darkness, disappearing from Souji's view.
Naoto sat in the chair in her 'apartment' living room. She stared dully at the ring in her hand, silver chain swaying slightly from the small movements the sleuth made. After they'd gotten Nanako to the hospital, the team had shared their grief together in the hall outside the young girls' room. Each member had found some way to blame themselves, and it had taken the comforting words of Yu Narukami and the somewhat harsh words of Kanji Tatsumi to raise them from their sullen states.
The team had left at the behest of Adachi, who was concerned that the troubled youths might collapse if they pushed themselves any further. Naoto had come home, but found herself unable, or unwilling, to do anything. So she sat in her chair, staring at the only remnant she had of Souji Seta. She bit back a sob as she thought to the few times Souji had wanted to take a picture of the two of them; Naoto had declined out of shyness and embarrassment. She wished now that she had just let Souji take the pictures, so that she might be able to look at them now.
A small discrepancy on the interior of the ring caught her eye, and she looked closer at it. Despite its considerable size, as it definitely wasn't meant to fit her finger, the ring seemed to weigh much less than it should have, especially given the material it was made out of; silver being heavier than iron. The discrepancy Naoto had noticed was a small panel on the interior of the ring, and the sleuth stood up to retrieve a small flat-head screwdriver. She sat back down in the chair, and placed the screwdriver's head inside one edge of the panel. She pulled lightly, and found that the panel slid open, but was not meant to come apart fully.
A small ribbon poked out from inside, and Naoto stood to retrieve some tweezers so as to pull out the contents of the hollow ring. The ribbon was attached to a small roll of paper, and as Naoto unfurled it, a confused look crossed her face. The paper was blank, but a small chip was attached to its center. It looked like a phone chip, and Naoto reached into her pocket to retrieve her own cell phone. Sitting down at the tea table in the living room, the detective gingerly removed the chip from the paper, and placed it into the open slot on her phone. A few moments passed as she stared at the screen, a loading message playing across it.
Suddenly, the loading finished, and a single picture popped up. Naoto choked as she looked at it, and broke into tears as she set the phone down, eyes blurring as she looked at the photo. It was a photo of her and Souji, the day she had confessed to him. They were sitting on the couch in his room; Naoto was resting her head against Souji's shoulder, fast asleep. Souji had taken the photo while she slept, and Naoto smiled through her tears as she thought about what she'd have done had she known the silverette had taken such a picture of her. Souji was smiling warmly in the photo, right arm outstretched as he took the photo while his left was wrapped around Naoto's shoulders, resting lightly on her arm.
Naoto cried openly in the solitude of her home as she thought about her boyfriend; that night he'd brought her back from the T.V world, carrying her on his back without complaint. She thought of the night she'd asked him to bring her some dinner because Rise had left without her phone, a mistake that Rise had fumed at herself for making for a few days. Naoto had never paid the silverette back for the food, but he'd never even brought it up. Naoto smiled as she remembered the long days that had followed; the case of the 'Phantom Thief' that Souji had stubbornly insisted on helping her with, the fact that he hadn't treated her any different from before her Shadow had revealed her secrets to the people she now called friends.
Naoto shook her head lightly as a sad frown crossed her face. She thought of the day they'd caught Yakushiji in the act of hiding one of her tools, though she hadn't known it was him until she'd seen him. The sleuth thought about the fast movement of Souji throwing himself between her and Yakushiji, not knowing the knife he held had been a toy, and the rage and concern she'd felt at the elder boy for recklessly risking himself like that.
She thought of his words just after she'd finished, when she'd asked him why he'd done such a thing. "Because…I love you…" Naoto fought back more tears as she thought back to that moment. She hadn't known how to respond. Despite her own reservations, she'd felt attracted to the boy ever since they'd met at Kanji's shop, though she hadn't really understood the feelings at the time. Then he'd sought her out a few days later, asking for information about Kanji. The detective had suspected him for some connection to the case, but the manner of his involvement had been far beyond her ability to understand, at least at that moment. The silverette had this way of connecting to people, and Naoto had felt herself drawn towards the youth even more, and more still after their next encounter outside Marukyu Tofu.
Then, she'd seen him again, working alongside Dojima-san at the Inaba Police Department, sorting files and managing the paperwork Dojima had handed him. But she'd also noticed that he had been solving cases the police had believed to have gone cold. Although they weren't horribly serious in comparison to the murder cases, they still were significantly difficult pieces to work with, given how long they'd sat in the haphazard filing system Dojima and the other officers had adopted. Souji had solved them in the matter of a few hours, or days, depending on which case he'd picked up. His quick mind and keen senses made the silver-eyed teen stand out even more to Naoto than his outward appearance normally did, and when Naoto had needed help with Mitsuo Kubo, she had turned to the youth for help.
He'd told her about what had happened in the interrogation room after they'd rescued her from the Secret Lab, and Naoto felt amazed at Souji's power alongside his mysterious Persona. So when Souji had confessed his love to her, Naoto had reacted in the only way she knew how, and had retreated to the security of her home, where she'd called Yakushiji and her grampa, demanding an explanation. The rest was a blur in her mind, up until the point where she had confessed to Souji.
The world had slowed down drastically then, and she thought she could still feel the teens arms around her as he hugged her close to him, Naoto squeezing tightly in return. The detective yawned loudly, and decided that her sorrow could wait for her to rest. She grabbed her phone and placed it on the charger by her desk, and shuffled off to bed, laying down without changing out of her clothes from that day.