"Soon, all humans will turn into shadows." the game Adachi said ominously. "And I shall descend upon the world, as the master of order."
"Turn into shadows, wait is that what's supposed to have happened to me?" Adachi asked. "Someone has a really strange idea of a joke."
"Normally I'd agree with you, but that didn't sound like you Adachi." Dojima said thoughtfully. "There's something else going on around here."
"What do you mean dad?" Nanako asked.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling the answers are in here." Dojima said opening the letter. "It didn't have any address but something tells me there's a reason for that."
"What does it say Dojima-san?" Adachi asked curiously.
"It says this whole thing has been a warning, whoever sent the game must think it's really going to happen." Dojima said. "Whoever sent this wants to let us know that this game is showing us the future."
"You can't be serious Dojima-san, I mean it has to be some kind of a joke. This can't be real." Adachi said.
"Nuh-uh, big bro's coming really soon." Nanako said quickly.
"She has a point, well either way we should try and get to the end of this game and then we can worry about whether or not the letter was a joke or not." Dojima said. Still, if we didn't know what was going on in the game but we do in reality then what does that mean for Yu?
"Descend, order? What's going on with this guy all of a sudden?" Yosuke asked nervously.
"What's going on?" Kanji asked in confusion.
"Be careful, that isn't Adachi anymore. It's someone else." Rise said urgently
"Soon, both this world and the one you call home will be enveloped in a fog that will never fade." the former game Adachi said calmly.
"A fog that won't fade, didn't that already happen Dojima-san?" Adachi asked in confusion.
"No, something tells me if we didn't catch you and stop whatever this thing is the fog would have gotten much worse." Dojima said thoughtfully.
"It will be the world that humanity has always desired." the former game Adachi said.
"Who are you?" Naoto asked quickly.
"I… am Ameno-Sagiri." Ameno-Sagiri said calmly. "One who rules the fog, and was awakened by man's desires."
"Ameno-Sagiri, just like Kunino-Sagiri." Dojima said thoughtfully before turning towards Adachi. "Which means there has to be a connection between you and Namatame."
"Dad, do you think it's what happened to big bro too?" Nanako asked suddenly.
"It's possible, the three of them were the only ones who had that power before going into the TV." Dojima said thoughtfully. "Though we can worry about that tomorrow, for now we need to figure out how to stop him."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Adachi said.
"Do whatever you wish, however the spread of the fog can not be stopped." Ameno-Sagiri said ominously. "It is inevitable."
"Inevitable, just like everything else we've gone through in this game." Dojima said. "What do you two think, should we just quit now?"
"No, we need to make sure everybody is ok." Nanako said. "The bad guy isn't supposed to win."
"I guess our decision was made for us." Adachi said with a grin.
"It sounds like it." Dojima said. "Then again I doubt we'll be fighting Ameno-Sagiri in that form. He'll transform into something else, the only question is what."
"Well, I guess we have to wait and see." Adachi said thoughtfully.
"Admittedly you played your part well, stirring the will of the masses into madness. But even that will soon come to an end." Ameno-Sagiri said calmly. "Soon mankind will turn into shadows, and live in the blissful ignorance of the fog. Unaware of their reality."
"What are you, why are you doing all of this?" Yosuke asked angrily.
"I am the one who shepherds humans to their true desires." Ameno-Sagiri said. "While they longed for peace, it was unobtainable. As a result they tore apart the walls between image and reality."
"You mean the Midnight Channel, so you were the one who created it." Naoto said in realization.
"Yes, humans desires are my desires. As such I expanded this world to meet their desires and created a window into it." Ameno-Sagiri said calmly. "This world is a small piece of the sea of unconsciousness that dwells inside the human heart, a hollow forest born of desires, and false imagery."
"This is a lot different than what we thought it would be isn't it Dojima-san?" Adachi asked. "I mean, the whole going inside a TV thing was weird but this was supposed to be a murder mystery, not some deep look into mankind."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Dojima said thoughtfully while continuing to go through Ameno-Sagiri's dialogue. "Still, given everything else that's happened so far I'm not entirely surprised."
"Do you think if we beat him everybody will be safe dad?" Nanako asked.
"Of course they will." Adachi said quickly. "You and Dojima-san were saving everyone else, and if this guy is the one doing all the bad things then stopping him means the bad things stop too."
"That's oversimplifying it a bit, but you have a point. If we defeat Ameno-Sagiri the fog should go away." Dojima said. "Then again, that probably won't be easy."
The moment Dojima said that, a cutscene appeared on the screen as shadows flew into Ameno-Sagiri's body before he sunk into the ground only to reappear as an enormous eyeball.
"So that thing is the cause of the fog?" Rise asked.
"Indeed, I have come to put you all to the test." Ameno-Sagiri said calmly.
"A test, in that case we'll just have to make sure we pass." Dojima said. "Think we can handle it Adachi?"
"Well, we've made it this far so if anybody could pass the test it would be us." Adachi said. "Right Nanako-chan?"
"Yeah, and then everybody will feel better." Nanako said with a smile.
I hope you're right Nanako, but that warning about the end of the game makes me think there's still more that we don't know, Dojima thought.
(Dojima, Nanako, and Adachi are about to battle Ameno-Sagiri. Next chapter the battle will begin. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)