Chapter 29: Escaped Emotions


|May 14th|Totsuka - Bella Donna|12:45 pm|

The group had assembled today, to discuss what the twins had reported. Both Natsumi and Masato were rather anxious, and even the presence of the others hadn't quite cooled them down. They made their way up to the food court, but after waiting several moments, it became clear Noburo wasn't coming. They got to their usual table, and began their meal.

"I guess it's still too soon. Maybe we'll see him at school tomorrow, though. We can fill him in then." Shintaro said. Kohaku sighed, sadly, while Akira looked at her with pity. "So what's going on?"

"Long story short. Two of our senpai at school – Toshiaki and Evelina – found a Gnosis each in the Practice Building." Masato said. "They've not been able to do anything crazy with them yet, I think, but..."

Shintaro gulped. It couldn't be. Had Bythos already found a new victim to infest with EX-NIHILO? Or two? This had to stop, he decided. After his rendezvous with Celestine, he understood just how important this was.

"Was it Asami?" Akari asked, angry. "Ugh, she's so annoying! Her videos are all over the internet, even more than ever! I can't get away from her!"

"I don't know for sure. One of the Azure Squad used to attend Chieki, but she's been absent for quite a while now..." Natsumi said. "It probably was Asami. I don't...I don't want to think anyone else at school is at Bythos."

"We need a plan. Do we know where your senpai like to meet when they're not at school?" Kei asked.

"N-Not really..." Masato said, flustered. "We've not hung out with them outside of school. They just chat with us sometimes. They're pretty popular. Good looking, athletic, and clever. But they've never been stuck up. Toshiaki's a real bro to the whole school, even if Koyanagi-sensei hates him."

I've heard Masato talk about this Koyanagi before. He sounds like a terrible teacher that takes pleasure in belittling those he doesn't like. Nothing like Suzuki-sensei, she knows how to do her job right. If only Masato and Natsumi had gotten into our school.

"Evelina's so cool, too. Of course, she's also Svante Solberg's only child. Maybe that's why she was targeted by Bythos, and given a Gnosis..." Natsumi said, somewhat horrified by the thought.

"Why Toshiaki, though? What does he have to do with Bythos?" Akari asked.

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter. We have to dosomething, and quickly." Kei said, adamanetly. "We must never let anyone face the same fate as Teruko. Evelina, Toshiaki, whoever they are, we have to save them."

The group nodded. Even if they still hadn't formed a clear plan yet, at least they felt a surge of motivation rise. Indeed, Shintaro felt his heart soar, as he saw Kei's fierce eyes.

"Why don't we check our phones and see if there are any strange Shadow signatures in the areas we've been to?" Kei asked. "It's pretty useful for me. I just acquired Leanan Sidhe not so long ago from Sogen Park."

"Really? When did that happen?" Akari asked, confused.

I know what a Leanan Sidhe is, but I never saw Kei meet one in Sogen Park. Wait, we haven't even been there for a while.

"Oh, it wasn't with you." Kei said, awkwardly. "I've been alone a few times. Only for brief moments at a time, to briefly look at areas and see if there are any good Shadows around. There are hundreds of possible Personas that I could potentially use, and I want to meet them all. Even if they are ugly things like Hsing-Hsing or Taowu..."

"You shouldn't really go to the Theio Kosmos all on your own. Even you could get in trouble just by yourself." Kohaku said, worried.

"I can take care of myself. I've been doing that long enough, anyway." Kei said. "...Let's see. If the two Gnosis were left in Chieki Academy, maybe investigating that school in the other Kosmos would help us get to the bottom of it. What do you all think?"

"Huh..." Masato said, having a moment of reflection. "We're really going back there? It's just a boring old school with a big ass tree in this world, but over there, it was that crazy place that made me think it was the apocalypse. And that weird Oni thing showed up. Only to get slaughtered by the EX-NIHILO inside of me..."

Shintaro was quiet, trying to think of something comforting to say. However, Kei spoke up.

"I know it's going to be tough, especially if you end up on that rooftop again. But after what we've been through, I don't think we can afford to be afraid anymore." She said. "Fear won't make us strong enough to defeat anything but ourselves."

"You're kind of brutal sometimes, Kei-chan..." Akari said.

Masato smiled. "Maybe, but she's right. I can't just avoid that school in the Theio Kosmos."

"Then once we're done with lunch, we'll go and check things out." Natsumi said. "Who knows, we might see Asami there. If we do, I want to tell her off for getting mixed up in this madness. Maybe she'll listen to me"

They eventually finished their meal, and after leaving their food court, they vanished to the other world, completely hidden from the eyes of most passersby. Yet three dressed in green coats had noticed, and their leader smirked.

"They think they're so clever, don't they?" The rude-looking boy said. He swept a hand through his slicked back, and somewhat shiny brown hair. Somewhat muscular, he was the most athletic of his group.

"That girl with the glasses is really cute. Don't you think so too, Itaru?" Another boy said, a taller but more slender young man. He had ginger hair, parted and quite short, with one persistent curl in front of his forehead.

"Atsuto, you've got no taste. That one with the orange stuff on her hair is the real cutie." The last boy, with curly blonde hair – shaved at the sides – said. He seemed to be the shortest of the trio, standing a full feet under their leader Itaru.

"Futoshi, Atsuto, shut the hell up!" Itaru yelled. "We've got a mission. Keep those fools at bay until our bosses carry out their plan."

"Fine..." The other two said, sighing. With Claret out of action, and Azure MIA, it was between them and the all-female Goldenrod Squad to prove which of the Tetra Squads was the best Bythos had. Itaru could finally prove to Rinaka he was worthy of her attention – as long as they excelled in their mission.

"We'll not let those stuck-up girls have their way. This time, the Jade Squad will be on top!" Itaru yelled. With one tap on his bright green Gnosis, the three young boys disappeared, as the other shoppers walked straight through where they stood.

|Theio Kosmos – Arms Race|12:50 pm|

Today was a slow day for the Titan Tyrant, and with nothing in particular going on in his ordinary life, he was busy rocking away in his store. The entire place was literally shaking with the sheer volume of his guitar, amplified by special speakers he had procured with his hard earned money. However, he saw someone venture inside, and stopped, running up to the counter.

"Yo!" The Tyrant, or Kazushi, said, running up to the counter. It turned out to be Netuno, one of the first customers he ever served. "Got some goods for me?"

"You got it, pal." Netuno said, shaking his fellow musician's hand, and transferring the materials from Shadows he had defeated to Kazushi. "There. So, you think you can make a new Axe?"

"I dunno about that, those might be a little heavy for your weedy arms." The Tyrant said, quickly dodging Netuno's half-serious punch. "But I can make you a new guitar..."

Within moments, a new red guitar was created, one that had the power to drive the enemy berserk. Netuno admired it carefully, and nodded, exchanging some cash. He took it into his hands, and played a few chords.

"Alright! This is gonna work out great. With all that's been going on, I've been needing something to cheer me up."

Kazushi looked up, and let out a sad sigh.

"Yeah, I know. That poor girl. She and her boyfriend went to one of your gigs, didn't she? Sometimes, it makes you wonder if there's any justice in this damn world."

"You talking from personal experience?" Netuno asked.

"Ah...nothing worth mulling over." The Tyrant looked up, seemingly reflecting on his own past years. "But things are working out well now. I'm making some good money this way. I just wish these guitars were usable in the real world."

"Please, no guitar is as good as yours or mine." Netuno said, smirking. "Mine might have the edge, though."

The Tyrant rolled his eyes, and laughed. "So, how's Lenore doing?"

Netuno looked away, and thought. He had been so distracted with fighting Shadows and Bythos recently, he hadn't paid too close attention to his band's singer. Yet it seemed the other two were looking after her well.

"She's trying to keep it together. But it's hard. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with that goofy businessman. And he was a good guy, too." Netuno said. "We're actually going out tonight for some drinks in Tarumi. Wanna join us?"

"Hmm..." Kazushi said, thinking. "Well, if I can hear her voice and not yours for a whole evening, I'm in!"

"Great!" The blue-haired guitarist said. "Ever since we came here, we've met a lot of musicians. Some gave us a hard time, but you sure helped us get going back in our darkest hour. I really oughta properly thank you sometime."

"No sweat, man. You gotta help a brother out, right? Especially when he can barely speak the language. Now you know words even I don't know." Kazushi said.

"Ah, I was wondering why this place was so eerily quiet. Compared to usual, anyway."

Two more people had wandered in – and they were two other shopkeepers, the Card Curator and Master Raine. Today, she had elected to wear an even more perplexing outfit, complete with a hat made out of nougat. The Curator bowed politely, while Master Raine gave him an odd look.

"Good afternoon, Hiramoto-san." The Curator, or Noriyuki, said. "Have you not checked your Gnosis device's news updates? Even our Merchant ones give us information on Shadows daily."

"Huh? I keep you telling you, I'm the Titan Tyrant!" The man sighed, and for a second, Netuno thought the man's tattoos of the gods were getting angry as well. "What's going on in the city, old guy?"

"...He's only 42, you know." Reika, or Master Raine, said, frowning. "Maybe this is why we Merchants don't meet up that often..."

"Okay, what's going on?" Netuno asked. "You've got me all worried now..."

"It may be faster to look at your own device, Fonseca-san." The Curator said politely, pointing to the device exposed in Netuno's front pocket.

Netuno hastily grabbed his phone, and saw the text alert.

SHADOW ALERT!

An Anomaly Shadow has escaped from Mizuho's Umeda Underground Mall.

The amount of Shadows detected in Kita Crossing has drastically fallen, however it's current location is unknown at this time, other than it is believed to still be in the Mizuho Area.

It is ranked at Threat Level 4, however the reasons for this classification remain unknown at this time.

Those preparing to engage this Shadow should exert the utmost caution.

"...Another one of those weird Shadows?" Netuno asked.

"What's an Anomaly Shadow?" Kazushi asked. "Never seen one..."

"Are they edible?" Master Raine asked.

"Edible? Why are you curious about that, Reika-san?" The Curator asked, somewhat disturbed. "You were convinced that Jack Frost tasted like ice cream..."

"Shadows come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There's got to be at least one that tastes of sweets. Maybe I can use it's carcass for new flavours!" Reika said, grinning evilly.

"...Good luck with that." Netuno said. "I don't really get it. Anomalies apparently are human beings that are turned into Shadows. But how the hell Bythos are doing that is beyond me. Looks like I better report in. Catch you later, guys."

The guitarist ran out swiftly, preparing to transport himself to his comrades.

"I hope he doesn't run into trouble. Him and his allies are good people." Noriyuki said, smiling.

"Yeah, damn straight. Makes me want to work that bit harder to support them." Kazushi said.

"Anomalies? Humans turned into Shadows? That's creepy. If something like that happens, what part of them is still human?" Reika asked, anxiously. "Maybe I don't want to eat one of them after all..."

|Hiyashi – Omni Hub|12:55 pm|

Toshiaki and Evelina were not to be found in Totsuka or Mizuho today. Rather, they had elected to meet in Hiyashi, to meet up in one of their favourite computer hobbyist and repair stores, the Omni Hub. The store's proprietor was known as the Professor due to his encyclopedic knowledge. While he took a great interest in their Gnosis phones, he had no further insight into them than they did.

"...Even the Professor didn't recognise them." Toshiaki said, sad. "What the heck do we do now?"

"Chill out, Toshi. It just shows what kind of challenge we have ahead of us." Evelina said. "It's like my dad always says. If one method fails, go onto another."

"I guess he didn't become head of Aramis Japan because he was dumb..." Toshiaki said, smirking. "Although being related to the CEO of the main branch probably helped too."

"Well..." Evelina said, sighing. "There is that. But my father's a very shrewd man. His hard work has really made Aramis a name to contend with in Japan."

Indeed, Aramis was performing excellently in Japan, especially their online sales division. They had some excellent marketing strategies as well, with some very charming advertisements both in print, on TV, and online. Yet there were constant rumours they had a hand in the decline of many rival businesses, which Evelina couldn't help but read into.

"Hey, you look distracted. You see a cute girl?" Toshiaki asked. "I can be your wing man..."

"Knock it off, Toshi!" Evelina said, sighing. "No, I didn't. I was...worried about that article that's trending online about Aramis. The one that claims they stole inside knowledge of products other companies were going to launch."

"You worry too much..." Toshiaki said, smiling. He put his arm around her, and ruffled her hair. "Listen, we might as well hit the arcade. I wanna check my high score at Jack Bros 2: The Ripper hasn't been beaten."

"Please, you got that high score twelve years ago..." Evelina said. "It's the only thing I can't beat you at."

"I know. It's only one arcade game, but it's at least one victory I can hold onto!" Toshiaki said, laughing. The two started to head to the bus stop, but as they did, both their Gnosis devices started vibrating.

Evelina took hers out, however it didn't seem to be lit up. Yet as she moved it, she noticed the vibration increase in intensity. Toshiaki noticed the same thing, and they exchanged intrigued looks.

Without a word, they continued to follow each of their phone's persistent motion. Eventually, it took them to the centre of the Keyaki Hills. The building was full of shoppers as usual, with nothing particularly exciting going on.

"The heck?" Toshiaki asked. "We've not fallen into some big trap, have we?"

"Hard to say..." Evelina said. They eventually saw a giant column, one of the few no one was loitering around. Their phones finally stopped shaking as they reached it, and they noticed something bizarre. A QR code, but it seemed unlike any they had seen before.

"...Hang on." Toshiaki said, slowly lifting his regular phone up to it. It tried to scan it, but with no luck. "Huh?"

Evelina looked at it closely, and put her hand on it. It didn't feel any different than the rest of the column, although it seemed almost ghostly compared to others she had seen. Finally, she decided to try using the Gnosis' QR Scanner app – and as she did, she gasped. The screen turned black, but displayed strange text that seemed to leap out of the screen. Toshiaki checked his own Gnosis, and his started doing the same.

"Holy shit..." He said, gazing at the odd words.

Welcome to Gnosis.

The time has come to test how far you are willing to go.

To reach insight into the world, your friends, and yourself.

From this moment on, you have a duty you must uphold.

You must work hard, young one, for many humans will be depending on you.

Don't be afraid.

You will see the world in a different 'light' now.

But you will not be alone.

"Huh? What is this? Duty...?" Evelina asked, bewildered.

"I don't like this at all. Let's forget about these things and get the hell out of here!" Toshiaki pleaded, grabbing her arm. As he did, they noticed the world around them getting surrounded by blue mist, and a piercing white light suddenly eveloped their vision.

Both of the Chieki students screamed each other's names, but the howling winds around them overcome their voices. This sensation was like nothing they had felt before...

|Toki's Apartment|13:00 pm|

The Admin's day job didn't exactly offer as much as his acting roles, but Toki had managed to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Asakita – with a good view of the theme park. Kaii had come here for the first time, and now that he had recovered a decent amount of strength, he was eager to see his father's home.

"Not bad. Just need an air freshener to get rid of the old man smell." The young lad said, smirking.

"Already teasing me, are ya?" Toki said, amused.

"It's not that different from when I thought you were just the cool old guy in Bythos. Cooler than Shiro, anyway. And sure more sociable than Keiya. Does he really think girls go for moody, sarcastic, rude people?"

"You haven't seen his social media pages, have you? So many girls drooling over the wonderful Keiya-sama. It's enough to make me lose my lunch." Toki said, rolling his eyes. "Speaking of which, what do you feel like eating?"

"Maybe some cheeseburgers. Obviously the grilled variety." Kaii said, continuing to smile cheekily.

"...Well yeah, how else would you cook them? With steam?" Toki asked, oblivious. As Kaii took a look at his new bedroom, the older Aeon Admin began cooking.

Wonder what's going on in the Theio Kosmos today? Probably nothing special, it's a Sunday after all. Still, you never know. And right now, I'm busy looking after my son.

Today, most of the others were busy, but he had been given time off due to the ordeal he had been through at Tarumi. He had run himself ragged, trying to look after Kaii and his dog. The pup was eating from his yellow bowl, happily wagging his tail. Spending so much time with this dog had been good for his soul, Toki thought, and he patted him on the head. Just then, he heard the doorbell.

"I'll get it. Stay there." Kaii said. He slowly reached for the door on his crutches, and managed to open it after some struggling. "Huh? What are you doing here?"

Toki looked up, and saw a young man standing there – Noburo, looking somewhat awkward.

"Come in, son."

Noburo nodded, and wandered in slowly.

"...You okay?" He asked Kaii, noticing the crutches.

"Well, I'm not going to win a championship belt yet, but I'm doing okay." Kaii said, smiling. "The old man's cooking some lunch. Smells great, right? Hey, is there enough for three?"

"Ah, I...I don't want to inconvenience anyone -"

Toki shook his head. "Don't be silly. You know you're always welcome here, that's why I gave you this address back in the hospital. Course, if you don't want to come anymore, that's fine."

"...No. I'll stay, if you two don't mind. Besides, it smells great! Better than mum's soup." Noburo said, managing a smile.

"Can't say I've missed that..." Toki said, shuddering. The three of them eventually sat at the dining table, and as their father served up, both boys stared in amazement at the food. "You really think they look that good?"

"Well, yeah, but they'd taste better without the plastic wrappers on the cheese." Noburo said.

Toki looked like he was doing everything he could not to swear. Yet, despite his faux pas, good cheer seemed to be returning to all of their lives, however fleeting.

|Theio Kosmos – Chieki Academy|13:35 pm|

The group arrived at the Academy's grand courtyard. However when they arrived, they saw something quite unusual. A trio of Shadows – High Pixie, Patrimpas, and Churel - were lying by the tree, incredibly wounded.

"Who...was that...girl?" High Pixie asked, as she faded away, leaving behind a strange dust.

"She said...she was looking for her friends...and she'd kill anyone who wasn't them...what happened to make her so...unhinged?" Patrimpas asked longingly, fading away.

The Churel was considerably less verbose, only capable of making grunting sounds, but vanished in pain. Natsumi ran towards where they had been, but it was too late – there was no further sign of the previous encounter.

"Looks like we've got a vengeful spirit." Shintaro said, shuddering.

"Do Shadows often attack other Shadows?" Kohaku asked.

"Don't ask me. There aren't exactly nature documentaries on the subject." Masato said, shrugging. He look a long look at his school, from the giant tree to the ornate clock, and turned more serious. "We oughta give this school a good search and find this mystery Shadow. It might not be the EX-NIHILO, and it might have nothing to do with Toshiaki or Evelina, but we can't just let it rule the roost here. This is my school – not the Shadows'!"

"Right! But how do we go about this?" Kei asked.

"Well, one group could take the Practice Building, the other could handle the main building." Kohaku suggested. "Kei, how about you and Natsumi take the Practice Building with me?"

"Okay. Masato, can you handle the main building with Shintaro and Akari?"

The baseball prodigy nodded, clenching his fists. "We're not going anywhere until we find that Shadow. Let's go, team!"

The two trios made their way into the school, wondering just what kind of Shadow was waiting for them. Another human being forcibly turned into a monster, just like the others. Would any humanity remain? Was there no hope of recovery?

Shintaro wandered into Chieki Academy's entrance, considering if any of these hopes were worth dreaming of.

|Toki's Apartment|14:00 pm|

After lunch was over, the three sat in the living room, and Toki turned on the TV. A rather low budget horror movie was on, titled Attack of the 56k Modem. Noburo was barely paying attention, but it seemed to be about a discarded obsolete modem which became sentient and began its murderous rampage.

"And it took over when Desmond tried to download that movie...!" One rather panicked man said, as the music suddenly started to get eerie.

"Oh my GOD! When did it finish downloading?!" The rather hysterical leading lady asked.

The music stopped, and the man, ashen faced, looked deep into her eyes.

"It never did."

The woman screamed shrilly, as the camera zoomed out dramatically and a dramatic choir began singing. Noburo sighed deeply, and turned off the TV.

"Oh, thank god, all that techno babble was getting on my nerves." Kaii said, relieved.

"What's up, my boy?" Toki asked, serious.

"Well, you see...Teruko's funeral is next week." He finally said, averting his eyes from the floor. "Mum took me to get a suit...she wanted me to look the best I could. It's the first time I've ever been to a funeral. Why did it have to be her's, though?."

"I wish I knew, kid." Toki said, morose. "...That girl deserved so much more. She should have had a long, full life. Treading the boards, or whatever else she wanted to do. And with you by her side."

"Whatever happens, you have the two of us. And your mother's always looking out for you, isn't she? Toki told me about Kaiyo. She sounds like a really great mum. And Shigeru might be a stiff, but he really cares about you too. Basically, we'll help you through it as long as you need us."

Toki nodded at this elder son's words. Yet he was dreading the possibility of meeting Shigeru Komatsu again. They had never once been on friendly terms, but that was mostly down to Toki's past actions. Even if they reached some kind of mutual understanding, it wouldn't be pleasant for either man to be in the company of the other. If it was for Noburo's sake, however, then Toki would do anything at all.

"What about your friends? Pretty sure they're all worried about you too." He finally said, gently. "They seem like good kids, like you."

"They are...Shintaro and the others have been texting me a lot. They were meeting in Bella Donna today. Masato and Natsumi had something big they wanted to discuss with everyone, but they never told me what it was." Noburo said. Tears started to stream down his eyes, and he hurriedly wiped them away. "I wanted to go...but I would have ended up back in the Theio Komos again, wouldn't I? That world where Teruko..."

"You don't have to go back there if you don't want to." Toki said. "But your Persona was getting really strong. Even my Shadow was struggling to keep up with you."

Kaii put his arm around his brother, and gave him a stern look – which for him, was quite a rare event.

"There's still a lot you and your friends have to do. And Persona users aren't exactly all over the place. You're still here, in this world. Use your power in the other world, and help your friends help this city. I think Teruko would be happy with that."

"...Do you think so?" Noburo said. He looked out the window, and saw the giant Ferris wheel he and her had sat in. Their plans for the future was gone. But the future itself was still there – it needed someone to safeguard it. Him, alongside Kei and the others.

"Kaii, don't pressure him -"

"No. He's right, Dad." Noburo said, no longer tearful. "Teruko...is gone. But not EX-NIHILO. Not the Shadows. And not that bitch Nisa Liat! So I have to go back." He stood up, and pulled out the Gnosis from his pocket. "Sorry, but I'm going right now. They'll be missing me over there."

"...Good luck. Tell Akari and the others I'll be there soon." Kaii said, happily. Noburo nodded, and ran out the door, and down the many flights of stairs. It was time to rejoin the battlefield. He had a feeling, more than ever, that now was the right time.

|Chieki Academy – Practice Building 2F – Calligraphy Club|14:11 pm|

Kei's group had been wandering the building, but it was surprisingly quiet beyond several stray Shadows. In between defeating them, and Kei fusing some new ones, the group had a good look at the various club rooms, including the Electronics one that the stray Gnosis had been left in, but there was no sign of anything odd.

"Your school has a lot of good clubs, Natsumi-chan." Kei said, as they prepared to enter the Calligraphy Club's room. She opened the door, and there, they saw three boys. Two of them were sitting on chairs, while the third was casting Media repeatedly on them.

"...Are you okay now?" The healer of the team said, clad in a green version of the Bythos squad uniform. "This is using up a lot of energy, you know! Energy I could use to actually fight Shadows, rather than stop you two from being completely useless!"

"Oh, whatever. Thanks to your endless compassion, we're alive and well." One of the injured boys said. "You're a real dick sometimes, you know. Even worse than Hisaya."

"Don't compare me to that bitch! I'm not going to end up like her. None of us are -"

"Dude! We've got company!" The other one said. The boys turned around, and saw the three girls, giving them odd looks.

"Ah, we forgot you guys were coming." The leader of the boys said. "Name's Itaru. These guys are Futoshi and Atsuto."

"How you guys doing?" Futoshi asked.

"...Why the hell are you asking them that?" Itaru smacked Futoshi across the cheek, while Atsuto edged away. "Be serious!"

"You boys don't seem quite as close as the Azure Squad did." Kei asked. "Whatever became of those three?"

"I dunno. They disappeared after that big mess in Tarumi. We've got them down as MIA. If they show up after being gone for so long, they're in big trouble." Itaru said. "Kind of like you guys."

"What do you mean?" Kohaku asked. All three of them had such snivelling looks – she couldn't stand either of them already.

"Our leadership had a feeling you'd turn up here, looking for clues. So we were assigned to arrive here and intercept you, just long enough to stop you from getting in the way of our bosses." Futoshi said.

"Yeah, but then one of those weird Shadows escaped, and found us here. We just barely managed to retreat." Atsuto said, grimacing. "Thank god it found some Shadows to kill instead, otherwise we could have ended up the Grilled Squad."

"I see. And just what are your bosses doing that they don't want interrupted?" Kei asked. "Would it have something to do with the two Gnosis devices left behind in this building?"

Futoshi laughed, while Itaru smirked, stepping forward.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But by the time we're done, it'll be too late for you to do anything about it." He said, amused by this very thought. "It's a shame, though. Apparently, those two have a higher potential for having a real Persona than we ever did. Even so, we're still stronger than all the other Squads! So let's do this!"

He clicked his fingers, and he and his three allies had their weapons and Personas ready. Itaru grinned as the light from the window shined on his metal claws, channelling the legendary bird Rukh. At the same time, Atsuto swung around a naginata-type weapon called a Guan Dao. He also had summoned his Persona Momunofu, a spearman and guardian of Arahabaki. Futoshi, however, was disinterested in bladed weaponry, and instead produced a whip, which he cracked the ground with. Also emerging from his Gnosis was the fearsome looking Inferno, a perpetually burning ghost.

"Your comrades never defeated us even once..." Natsumi said, sticking her tongue out at the three boys, hands on her hips. "But I'm looking forward to beating the stuffing out of you!"

"It's on, bitch!" Atsuto yelled. "I'll cut you to shreds, right here, right now!"

The two groups collided, turning a calm room of art into an arena fuelled by the flames of battle.

|Theio Kosmos – Keyaki Hills|14:13 pm|

"...Huh?"

Evelina opened her eyes. It took her a moment to register what had happened. The place was completely empty, and all of the stores around her seemed to be closed. She sat up, feeling both a pain in her back from where she fell, as well as a piercing headache. When she reached for her Gnosis, the latter of the two aches seemed to intensify.

"Oww!" She yelled, standing up. Barely able to concentrate, she had a look at her device. It had a news alert. She read it carefully.

SHADOW ALERT!

An Anomaly Shadow has escaped from a warehouse in Hiyashi.

The breakout saw the warehouse take intense damage, and a path of destruction has been cut across the streets. It's current whereabouts are unknown, however it is believed to still be within Hiyashi.

It is ranked at Threat Level 4, however the reasons for this classification remain unknown at this time.

Another Anomaly Shadow has been detected today, of the same threat. It may be possible these Shadows are connected to one another.

Those preparing to engage this Shadow should exert the utmost caution.

Evelina blinked, in utter confusion. This was even more bizarre than some of the spam emails or texts she had received. Whatever an 'Anomaly Shadow' was, it was not something she wanted to get involved with. Perhaps she could report this as a spam message.

Before she could peruse her Gnosis further, there were sounded of footsteps. She turned around, and screamed. There was something advancing towards her. It was an evil-looking, emaciated corpse like being. Her Gnosis provided an image of the being, describing it as a 'Ghoul'.

"I eat..." It said, stretching out its hands as it neared her.

"STAY AWAY!" Evelina pleaded. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, to the entrance – but the doors were locked shut. She banged on them as hard as she could, screaming for help. Nothing around looked like it could protect her from this strange creature, and from what it looked like, she was alone.

"No one here to save you. I kill you!" The Ghoul said, its voice echoing menacingly throughout the room. Evelina gasped. It had suddenly increased in pace, and was moments away from striking her.

"Toshiaki! Where are you? Do something!" Evelina begged. There was no sign of her friend. This could be her last moments, she realised. Her heart was beating faster than it had ever done before. She shut her eyes, hoping this would be quick and painless. But with her repulsive demonic murderer inches away, she knew this was a dim hope.

Once she closed her eyes, however, she saw a blue butterfly floating past. And then a man spoke to her in a commanding tone. Time seemed to stand still.

One who bears the burden of potential, heed my voice. My name is Philemon. Your existence will soon reveal its true complexity, yet this is nothing to fear. Once you truly know yourself, and why you continue to exist, life can begin anew, and you can wield your own identity as power. Answer me this question. What is your name?

"Evelina Solberg!"

She opened her eyes, and there was a huge swirl of blue mist around her – blocking the Ghoul's vicious attack. The pain she had once felt now became a calm serenity, a fuller understanding of herself. And she knew what this sensation was called.

The time has come for you, and the one who will be your eternal friend for generations to come, to peer into yourselves. The side of you that no one has seen before...command it. Whether it be a goddess or a demon...it is you!

The abomination ahead no longer seemed to scare her, even as she stared in its revoltingly heinous eyes. Rather, she felt in complete control. It growled in anger, and tried to attack – but was stopped by the word she called out next.

"Persona!"

A tremendous explosion of blue light emanated from her body, and Evelina stood strong, as the winds generated by her own soul engulfed the area. The Ghoul screamed in terror, as it saw a figure come from below.

Slowly floating from the sky onto the ground was a woman clad in a long, sleeved green dress, that had a pattern of various hexadecimal codes. With silver boots, and matching leather gloves, she stood tall, and devoted to protecting her new master. Her long golden curled hair stretched almost to the floor, and in each of her hands was a silver futuristic laser pistol, each with a long barrel.

I am thou. Thou art I. From thy sea of thy soul, I cometh. I art Aoife, she of Skye who mastered the art of war to bring conflict itself to finality.

"Aoife..." Evelina said, mesmerised. "This beast must be destroyed! Now!"

Aoife nodded in agreement, and as her lips curled up in a sinister smile, she summoned forth power of a cursed nature, transforming itself into a blast of Eiga. The Ghoul flinched, and started to step backwards.

"You scary. Me no want to die!"

It was odd. In a short space of time, she had gone from being terrified to being full of confidence, enough to terrify this dreadful animated corpse. Now she was going to put it to its final death.

"Aoife! That gun of yours better not be for show. Destroy that thing, now!"

The Persona took aim, and with both her guns, fired a swift Dual Shot – two bullets that went straight through the demon's chest. It collapsed, and vanished, groaning in agony. Aoife vanished, and now all seemed to be over.

"...Aoife. Thank you." Evelina said. "Or should I thank myself? Hmm..."

Shrugging, she looked carefully around. The place was deathly quiet, and there was no activity on the ground floor. The front doors were still shut, and wouldn't budge. Desperate, Evelina called out Aoife, who came immediately.

"Get us out of here!" She begged.

A hurricane of bullets were launched at the doors, but not one of them managed to break any of the glass. Evelina fell to her knees, in total despair. How could she escape from here if even her 'Persona' wasn't able to break this barrier?

This isn't fair! I want to go home! But first, I've got to find Toshiaki. Wait until he sees Aoife. He'll freak. Oh god, what if another one of those zombies is after him? I've got to find him, now!

She ran up the stairs, calling out his name. Surely, she wasn't the only human left alive in this world. There had to be a reason someone left this paranormal smartphone for her to find. And she intended to find out – as soon as she located her best friend.

|Chieki Academy 3F|14:22 pm|

Shintaro, Masato and Akari had been exploring the school's main building for quite some time. They had seen chaos everywhere, starting from the shoe lockers which had been set on fire, and several classrooms completely burned to ash. This kind of behaviour was not like anyone, or anything, they had ever come across in this world. The third floor was utterly devoid of Shadows, but there lingering traces of where they had been.

"This is insane!" Masato cried angered at the wreckage around him. "Who the hell did this to my own school?"

"They might be at the rooftop. Waiting for us..." Akari said, nervous.

"Then let's go." Shintaro said. He lead the way, and as he opened the door, his eyes widened with shock.

There was someone already waiting for them. She held her hands behind her back, and bowed, with a mischievious smile. It seemed to be a young girl in a grey dress, with odd flower designs, and her skin was a light blue. Yet her body emitted an orange glow, and her eyes twinkled purple. Her black hair had blue tips, and was tied into a long ponytail. In her hands were a distaff and spindle, combined with blood-red thread.

"You know, this is such a nice school! Way better than behind locked in an empty store in that ugly mall! Oh, and I'm Nona, the Life Measurer! Pleased to meet you!"

"...Another of those types of Shadows." Masato said, shuddering. "Just like that Nox you told me about. And then there was that weird Nemo scene one."

"Not to mention, Astraeus..." Shintaro said, shuddering at the thought. Not far from here was the place they had fought and eliminated the Ancient Astronomer, putting an end to Ryosuke's existence. Even if he was gone, he had left plenty of scars in the families of Asami's three friends. Not to mention Asami herself.

"Nox? Astraeus? You guys are such mythology nerds! But then again, I can't talk! Hehe!" Nona said. "I had a different name, and a different face. But that's all gone now! My horrible life has been washed away, and no one in this world gets to bully me anymore. No one tells me I'm worthless, that I'm ugly, that no one would ever want me! I'm finally free! Being a Shadow is the best thing that ever happened to me!"

Shintaro wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. Did she earnestly believe being in this world as a Shadow was ideal, all on her own? That seemed a horrible reality to him. He looked away, flustered. The other two didn't seem to know what to say, either, until Masato spoke up.

"...Just like Dorothy." He said, shuddering.

"Dorothy? What...?" Shintaro asked.

"Every now and then, Dorothy talks to me about school. It's...horrible." Masato said, his lip quivering at the thought. "She gets bullied a lot, especially in Gym class. This bitch rival of hers does whatever she can to make her life hell. I want to go over there and give her a piece of my mind."

"You never told us any of this..." Akari said.

"I didn't even tell sis." The redhead said, looking up at the sky. "Dorothy tries to keep a brave face, but you can tell it still upsets her. Sometimes, I don't know what to say...so we end up changing the subject. But not being able to do anything, it's just -"

"Boring! This doesn't have anything to do with me, anyway! So, you don't know where my friends are, do you? I've looked all over Mizuho, and I thought at least one of them would be here..." Nona said, sadly. She clenched her fists, and stomped the ground in a tantrum. "It's not fair! Why can't we just be left alone! If we had to be locked up, why couldn't it be together?"

This rooftop seemed to be where unusual Shadows tended to gather. And this was one of the most unstable ones Shintaro had ever met. She may lack the parasitical abilities of EX-NIHILO, but he had no desire to discuss anything further with Nona.

"Does becoming a Shadow have to make you insane...?" Masato asked, saddened. "This is horrible..."

"What...should we do about this girl, Shintaro-kun?" Akari asked, bewildered.

"She's merely a Shadow. She's not a girl anymore..." Shintaro said. "And you've seen what she's capable of."

"Then it looks like we better take care of this, and fast." Masato said, sadly.

"I'm sorry, Nona, but we can't let you run free." Shintaro said, trying to stare at her with a brave face. But his confidence was faltering. Her smile quickly faded, becoming a truly monstrous scowl.

"You jerk! Fine! I'll kill you all! And then I'll burn this school to the ground! There's no way my friends will miss seeing that! Once we're all as one, then we'll find Nisa Liat. She'll learn the hard way what happens when you try to split us up!"

The strange girl charged at the team, arms outstretched. With no other choice, the team summoned their Personas, resulting in the second conflict that would take place in this fated Academy.

|Keyaki Hills 3rd Floor – TechnoDome|14:30 pm|

Toshiaki had somehow found himself much further away from the ground floor of the Keyaki Hills – now, he was on the third floor, just as immense as the last one. Yet the room he was in was shut, and had no windows to view the rest of the building.

This was one of his favourite shops, however, so he knew he was still in the same building. It was a cutting edge technology shop, specialising in home entertainment systems. The most modern TVs available, combined with high quality speaker systems, were on the left and right sides of the store. The ceiling was a glowing blue dome, giving the place an eerie neon glow.

Yet the televisions seemed to be displaying strange images, of what looked like old photographs. When the runner came closer, he gasped. He knew three of the people in them quite well. One was his father, Tetsuo, with a much livelier expression and his hair had lustre and more volume. There was one who was definitely his late mother, who had the same ponytail he had seen in various photographs at home. Kaede, she was called. When he saw the next woman, he couldn't quite identify her. She looked pretty, he thought, especially her black curly hair and the glasses she had on. But the other man he knew quite well.

"Koyanagi...?! Willowing Warpath knew my parents?"

He felt his Gnosis vibrate. There was a text message from 'Shiko'. But it read more like a script. Confused, he read on.

We used to be as one, but now nothing remains. One's heart remains cold to the touch, frozen over. Another is trapped in the maze of despair, lamenting their inability to stop fate. The fourth is no more, and with her departure, the rift between those left behind grows ever wider. You can change all this. Just wait for my arrival.

"I don't get this at all. What the hell happened with my folks and Koyanagi? And then this other woman...who's she?"

"You waste your time and energy, pondering such insignificant matters. I'd rather talk about you and I, handsome."

Toshiaki turned around, and gasped. There, sitting sideways on a somewhat majestic camel, was someone who seemed to be a human woman, wearing an elaborate coronet, with a flowing white veil attached. She had a blue dress, with airy white sleeves, and her feet were bare apart from her purple sandals. She dangled her feet, giving the boy a flirty smile.

"Who the hell are you? They don't let you bring animals here unless they're service ones. That a guide camel for the blind?"

"Ha! Don't be facetious. I am Gemori, the guardian of the past and future. I knew of your coming. I know everything, after all. Come now...forget about the sorry past of your parents and those mediocre teachers, and let us make love together. I'll show you amazing love which anyone would die for...!"

"...How about 'fuck no'?" Toshiaki said, scowling.

"But you're all alone, with no hope of rescue. What, can't a Shadow and a human enjoy an intimate moment? Like I said, you should forget about the past. I know who is showing you these glimpses Someone who bitterly regrets the events of years gone by, and seeks to re-establish the unity those four boring adults once held."

"I'm not...in the mood, okay?! I don't even know what a Shadow is! Hey, you said you knew everything, right? Do you really know about me and my parents? And why that Koyanagi asshole is with them?"

"You're quite a vexing young man to talk to. I'm almost starting to find you unattractive. ...Only kidding. Well, you can see these four were good friends. It started with them ending up in the wrong class, due to an error the college had made. Yet they kept meeting, finding something captivating in each other. Before long, their lives seemed to revolve around each other."

"...Huh." Toshiaki said. Now that he thought about it, he had talked about school one evening, and brought up Shiro, and how bad his teaching methods were. His father had snapped, and told him to quit complaining. Was that really just stress from his job, and being a single father of two? Or was there more to it?

"They never seemed to be apart, and swore an oath to always keep in touch no matter their plans. Yet after their fateful graduation party, something happened that distorted their harmonious bond. One tried to put on a happy face, but was jealous and outraged that his feelings would seemingly be unfulfilled. The other could tell something was wrong between her friends, but she hoped and prayed it would resolve itself. To this day, despite her own happiness, she cannot quite accept what she has lost."

"Just what are ya tryin' to say? Who was jealous of who?!" Toshiaki asked. Before the Gemori could respond, however, there was a great flash of light, and the area suddenly turned red. "You behind this too, lady?"

"No! Something else is influencing this change in atmosphere. Get back!"

The dome above shattered into countless pieces of glass, as another mystery female flew in. Her skin was lavender, and she had a blue glow, and piercing orange eyes. Her black hair had purple tips, and it was tied into girlish pigtails. Her only item of clothing was a white summery dress with bizarre black floral patterns, and in her hands was a heavy metal rod.

"I knew you'd be here. But it seems you arrived before I had my chance with this ravishing young boy. Do as you please. Your time will be up soon enough. As will your other friends."

The new girl, angry, concentrated deeply – and a giant bolt of lightning struck down Gemori. Both the Duchess and her camel vanished instantly, leaving no trace. It was as if their bodies were composed of something inorganic.

"It's great to finally be out of that dump! I couldn't stand being kept in that lonely warehouse, away from my friends. I'm Decima, the Life Measurer!"

"Decima...?" Toshiaki asked. "What the heck are you? You and her aren't human, are you?"

"That ugly old lady? That's just a Shadow. But me? I'm special. I used to be human...but my life was utterly miserable. Me and my friends were constantly being bullied. We couldn't stand it anymore."

I don't even get what's going on anymore. What's a Shadow? Is this...the apocalypse?

"We were going to end it all. And we did, in a way. The three of us were invited to meet someone in secret. This lady who we thought was really nice, if a little creepy. She told us about 'Shadow Compression' – if we discarded our human bodies, and let our psyches become Shadows, we'd live on in a new world, and be free of the pain and torment forever!"

"...So you're like a ghost?" Toshiaki asked.

"You Neanderthal! We were reborn! Given new forms! Our original bodies died that night, and we started our new lives in the Theio Kosmos. But our powers were stronger than Nisa Liat expected. You see, because we're such good friends, when we're together we're practically unbeatable. So she got us all separated and locked us up, far away from each other. But then my seal weakened!"

"Cool, but...why am I here?"

"Dunno and don't really care! I'm finally going to see my friends again. Only this time, we're sisters, the Parcae! You're really starting to tick me off, though. I've missed using my new powers! Let me test mine against yours!"

"What the hell?! What powers?!" Toshiaki exclaimed. Decima simply chuckled, as her aurora grew more intense. He ran for the door, but the handle refused to turn. Now it was his turn to be captured here. How would he escape from this?

|Keyaki Hills 2F|14:40 pm|

Exhausted, Evelina sat down on one of the cold metal benches. With no sign of Toshiaki, and no sight of any other monsters, she decided to use her Gnosis to try to educate herself about this new world she seemed to be in.

From it's data, she had gleaned that her foe was a 'Shadow'. And that Aoife was a 'Persona'. And she was no longer in the real world, but in the 'Theio Kosmos'.

"No wonder we couldn't get any information about these phones back in the real world..." Evelina said to herself. "The person who left us these must known this would happen. They wanted me to discover this power. But, if that's the case, where the hell is Toshiaki?"

She heard footsteps, and gasped. Jumping to her feet, she readied herself. This could be something even nastier than a Ghoul. However, she shortly realised this was a woman. A human one she recognised.

"Ri-Rinaka Tamura?!"

The purple haired woman nodded, and the two of them reached each other. Overwhelmed with relief, Evelina embraced her.

"What's all this?" Rinaka asked, gently.

"Finally...someone I know! You're not a zombie...right?"

Rinaka shook her head. "No, Evelina. It definitely is me. I was hired as a security guard for your father. It's my duty to protect your family."

"...This world. I don't get it at all. The Theio Kosmos, right? Where did you even come from?"

The woman smiled. She lifted out a smartphone from her own pocket – a Gnosis, just like the two Evelina had seen before.

"Then you must have the same type of power I have...a Persona." Evelina said.

"That's right. I know, it must have been frightening, fighting that monstrously ugly Shadow. But after I met you, I knew you had the same potential as me. Perhaps even greater."

What? She knows about my fight with that Shadow? But, why didn't she step in and do something?! What is Miss Tamura talking about?

"Evelina...there are those who have the same power as you that would seek to harm your father and his family's great company." Rinaka said. "Me and my allies have sworn to help him and countless others throughout this city. But there are only so few of us who have the genuine power that can fight them."

"People are trying to hurt my father? And bring down Aramis?!" Evelina said, shocked. "So..."

"Svante hired me and my entire company to protect him for at least a whole year. He wanted me personally to ensure your safety. From there, I offered him the additional protection our group could offer him. And so far, Aramis has surged, exceeding all performance predictions. Had those nasty rival companies had their way, your family could have seen massive losses...or worse."

Evelina was speechless. This bizarre alternate world could be used against the real world? And Rinaka was using her special powers to stop that?

"Rinaka...or, Miss Tamura. Who are your friends?" Evelina asked.

"You can't tell? I suppose you've been through quite a lot already this evening. Well, Evelina, I'm one of the nine Aeon Administrators of Bythos." Rinaka said.

"B-Bythos?! No!" Evelina said, shocked.

Before Rinaka could answer, she noticed her Gnosis vibrating. Angry, she answered the call.

"What the hell is it, Asami?!" She shouted.

"Geez, what's wrong with you? Listen, another Anomaly seems to have escaped. Nisa Liat claims she strengthened the seals, so they shouldn't have been able to run free like Nox or Mnemosyne, but...three of them are on the loose! And if they get together, they'll be a nightmare to deal with!"

Wait, that's Asami Hamasaki's voice. She's one of these Adminstrators too? What the hell is going on here?

"Dammit! Now?!" Rinaka yelled. "One of them is in Hiyashi, right?"

"Yes! And if it senses you, it might come after you!" Asami yelled. "I'm going to get ready and try to contact Keiya. I'll come find you as soon as I can! Stay safe!"

Asami hung up, leaving Evelina very confused. Just then, there was a huge sound of something crashing from upstairs, and the cries of a young man.

"Toshiaki!?" Evelina yelled.

"...This isn't how it was supposed to happen. Dammit. Fine, you're coming with me. I'll explain later. Hurry and follow me! And take these."

Rinaka hurriedly threw a pair of shiny navy handguns, which Evelina caught as if it was second nature. Without wanting to annoy the former police officer, she nodded, and followed.

Please be alright, Toshiaki! Me and Rinaka will save you. I promise!

|Mizuho -Shinshuto City College|14:45 pm|

Today had been a long day, even without any lectures to attend. Novalie was working on not only her latest assignments, but also her independent research on Japanese foreign relations. While some of her classmates found her penchant for study somewhat excessive, it was paying off, having achieved excellent marks. Her parents were quite proud, happily boasting about her smarts to anyone who would listen.

"And...finished." She said, closing her laptop lid. As she was about to leave, she saw someone else walking in her direction. "Oh, hey!"

"Hi!" Haruya, another student of the college, said. Her brunette hair was messier than her blonde friend's, and quite spiky. She had a penchant for cute t-shirts, such as today's light blue Jack Frost one. The perky young woman was studying to become a vet, and had met Novalie after joining the same swimming team. Even though they took mostly different classes, they had become good friends. "I was just heading to work. Can't believe it took me six hours to get that report done."

"You'll do fine." Novalie said. "It's been harder to find the time to study, lately. I just hope my grades stay the same..."

"Why wouldn't they?" Haruya asked, innocently. "I've been really busy too, though. A new part time job. Working with animals – at Pet Friends!"

"Oh, nice." Novalie said, happily. That was where the young Akari worked, she remembered. And Kaii of Bythos had once been employed there. She hadn't heard any news on either Kaii or Noburo for quite a while – perhaps she would contact Shigeru to ask what the story was. "I need to look into getting some work experience as well. Perhaps the city council will have positions..."

"The city council? You sure that's a good idea? You see - Oh, sorry, I've gotta run. See ya!" She swiftly hurried out the door.

Novalie shrugged, and started to make her own way out of the building. Just as she was about to ring Shigeru's number, her Gnosis started vibrating. Curious, she took it out of her pocket, and saw that it was Netuno ringing.

"What is it?" Novalie said, yawning. "Sorry, I've been working on my Political Science papers all day -"

"Something crazy's happening in the Theio Kosmos!" Netuno said, practically yelling.

"What are you talking about?" Novalie asked. "It's not EX-NIHILO, is it?"

"No! It's...those weird Shadows the kids told us about. More like them have escaped! One in Mizuho, and another in Hiyashi." Netuno said. "I'm trying to get everyone together. Michiko and Hiroyuki are on their way, and Reia's already here with me!"

Novalie went pale. She had been so preoccupied with her studies, she hadn't considered what was going on in the other world today. Even if she was tired from her hours laboring over her research, she knew this needed her full attention.

"You there, Novalie?" Reia said, having taken the phone from Netuno. "I've tried to use my drone cameras in Mizuho and Asakita, but I've not been able to find anything yet. We're going to split up to either of the two areas, and – oh god."

"Oh...god?" Novalie asked, worried.

"...Check your Gnosis' news app. It's worse than I thought." Reia said. Unusually for her, she sounded terrified. Slowly, Novalie found the app, and read the latest announcement.

SHADOW ALERT!

An Anomaly Shadow has escaped from Ginumi's Golden Pearl residential area.

The incident caused massive structural damage to several houses in the area and has left a gigantic sinkhole in the middle of the road. Its current location is unknown at this time, other than it is believed to still be in the Ginumi Area.

It is ranked at Threat Level 4, however the reasons for this classification remain unknown at this time.

Those preparing to engage this Shadow should exert the utmost caution.

"Ginumi? But that's where our..." Novalie said. "I'm on my way!"

Anxiety overriding her tiredness, she used her Gnosis to disappear from view. The Golden Laguna Hotel could be at great risk if this new Shadow sensed humans lurking there. She would need to defend it with all her might.

|TechnoDome|14:50 pm|

"This is so much fun! Look how easy I can break these things!"

The place looked as if a bomb had hit it – the supposedly sturdy televisions had been blasted apart by electricity. Toshiaki kept running, his high agility barely dodging her powerful lightning bolts. But he was beginning to feel fatigued.

"Are you really not gonna to fight back? Come on, quit being such a wimp! You hate me for being so much better than you, don't you?"

"...I hate whoever did this to you." Toshiaki said, angrily.

"Oh, you mean Nisa Liat? Yeah, she did make me like this, but anything was better than going on living. I don't even remember my name! There were four of us, but only three got turned into Shadows, that much I do remember. I know! I'll meet my friends again. Nona and Morta! Then we'll see if we can find the fourth one of our friends and be together again! Make her a Shadow too!"

"Shut up!" Toshiaki said, running away from another bolt of lightning. Decima's high pitched laughter seemed to echo violently in his ears. This 'Shadow' was clearly insane. He needed to get out of this place alive, or find some means to counter her power.

"This is kind of boring, you being all deathly afraid..." Decima said, with an exaggerated yawn. "Let me kill you so I can get out of this stupid store! Please?"

No! I don't want to die!

Out of nowhere, however, something seemed to hit the Shadow from behind, and she collapsed to the ground in pain. Toshiaki gasped – an arrow had hit her in the back, and it seemed to be glowing red.

Where did that come from?!

Part of the ceiling broke apart, and from down below, a tanned skin figure shrouded in blue energy appeared. He had long silver flowing hair and a handsome, yet scarred face. One of his eyes was blood red, the other orange. He had a silver quiver, and a huge black bow with golden parts. Atop his head was a white metal helmet, and he had a tunic and thick robes in the same colour. To complete this somewhat odd ensemble were a pair of knee high leather boots.

I am thou. Thou art I. From thy sea of thy soul, I cometh. I art Mergen, he who never fights with anything less than absolute wisdom and power.

"...What the hell are you?" Toshiaki asked, but no answer was forthcoming. However, he heard footsteps behind him, and gasped. "Oh, god! Not...you!"

It didn't make sense. Today, the most hated person in Chieki Academy, and the worst teacher Toshiaki had ever met, had been the one to rescue him.

"Perhaps now you'll pay attention to what I have to say, Yukimora. Especially when it could save your life."