Chapter 3: Secret Regrets
|Velvet Room|
Keiko had finally fallen asleep, after much tossing and turning, only to find herself here. As they were yesterday, Igor and Lavenza were present, and upon seeing their guest, they both looked rather serious.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room. As you should be aware, this is within your dreams. The next time you come here will be of your own volition." Igor said, animatedly. Keiko couldn't quite avert her eyes from his massive nose. "For you have obtained the power all of our previous guests have honed and mastered – the power of Persona."
"Ostara...she's incredible. I had no idea I could summon such power. It's like something out of a game. But in this case, it's both in the game and in real life. And Shadows are real in both, too."
Lavenza nodded. "Only Persona users can fight Shadows. In truth, Personas and Shadows are both the same thing, only in different forms. They are both parts of the human psyche given form, after all. However, your ability is different from most."
"What...do you mean?" Keiko asked, confused.
"You, dear guest, possess the ability of the Wild Card." Igor began to explain. "You will begin understand as you venture forth, no matter which plane you dwell. For your current Persona is but one of many selves you can possess. You will be able to gather other Personas and change between them, to adapt to any situation you may face!"
Keiko blinked. "I...I can do that? Wait a moment. This definitely isn't normally part of the Gnosis game, is it?"
Lavenza shook her head. "Most humans that play the game will not experience anything like yourselves. They will only see it as a video game. Supreme Sophistry's abilities are still unfamiliar to us, but as far as I can see, they've created a system where a new player can customise a Persona in both design and abilities. In truth, this is but a facsimile of one. The human will only control an avatar with a fake Persona, and thus will not develop any true powers or abilities. To them, it is a complete work of fiction."
Igor nodded. "Indeed. Most of the humans my assistant speaks of will command a basic shell called Barbelo. During the part of the game where you would have designed and chosen their characteristics and appearance, your potential managed to override it, and you were taken here."
Barbelo? So everyone else playing the game will be using that as their 'first' Persona, but I'm different and get Ostara. This is insane.
"You must be vigilant, however. The creators of this false city will eventually notice that your game has become different than everyone else's. Especially if you take part in the online multiplayer modes. Always remember, we will guide you if you need us." Lavenza said, happily. "We will help you hone your gift so it may reach its highest potential."
"Quite so. I am most intrigued to see where your destiny leads you. Well, until we meet again, sleep well." Igor said. He and Lavenza faded from view, as did the Velvet Room itself.
A new day was to begin, and there were still answers to be sought.
|Kei & Midori's Apartment|9:30 am|
As agreed, the group had gathered for breakfast. While the food that Ryota and Hajime had prepared was delicious, Keiko couldn't quite concentrate on the meal. Rather, she had many unanswered questions from the night before.
"You look exhausted, Kei-chan." Ryota said, concerned. "And after what happened yesterday, we don't really have to ask why, do we?"
"I...I'll be alright. It's just a lot to take in. I thought I was prepared for it, but looking back, I guess I never could be prepared for any of this."
"I'm still really confused too..." Hajime said, looking at the others.
"Okay, let's start with what we do know." Midori said, having finished first. "Shinshuto is destroyed sixteen years ago in what appears to be some sort of earthquake, with no survivors apart from those on one half of a train. Now, a game developer – our 'friends' at Supreme Sophistry – have released a game called Gnosis. Which seems to be taking place in the exact same Shinshuto that Keiko once visited, and her aunt Junko lived in for almost a year."
Hajime frowned. "...Yeah, but that's really all we know for sure." Ryota sighed, shaking his head.
"Don't give up that fast, man. After all, we discovered that both within Gnosis, and in real life, an alternate dimension called the Theio Kosmos exists. Each version of that realm has no humans, only monsters called Shadows. And you need a Persona to fight them. When Keiko awakened to Ostara, she gained the ability to summon her both here and in the game."
"And most players start with one called 'Barbelo.'" Keiko said, recalling her conversation in the Velvet Room from earlier. "They're not really summoning a Persona like I am, though. They're controlling an avatar that has a fake Persona assigned to them."
She showed the group the picture of the 'Persona that got away' - the one that had been overwritten by Ostara, essentially. It had an androgynous body, wearing a sleek white costume of simple, sleek armor, and had long flowing hair. In the 'concept art', this hair was white, but apparently this – among other details – could be freely customised.
"So because you have a genuine Persona ability, interacting with whatever software this game is using made you awaken to your real Persona, not this Barbelo...thing." Ryota said, deep in thought.
"There's something else, guys. Do you know the founders of Supreme Sophistry? They graduated from our very university."
Everyone stared at Keiko in shock.
"What?! Wait, are they actually based in Yokohama?!" Midori asked, eyes wide.
Hajime looked up the company, and gasped. "Sure enough...they've got an office in this very city. We ought to go in and see -"
"No." Ryota said, shaking his head. "Do you really think it's wise to waltz into their territory and outright tell them we're onto them? Consider what they're capable of. If they've created a game that allowed Keiko to use her own Persona, don't you think they have the same kind of power too?!"
The others were silent. Keiko hadn't actually thought about others having the Persona power yet – but it stood to reason that Supreme Sophistry must know quite a bit about it. And she had a feeling that, years ago, her aunt stumbled across the same power. How exactly her aunt's fate connected to the mysterious company, however, Keiko didn't know yet.
"Fair point. And anyway, they probably wouldn't just let anyone walk in. Especially if they've got a lot to hide." Hajime said. "But...Professor Shiozawa taught them, right? He wouldn't turn us away. We can at least trust him."
"That's exactly what I wanted to suggest, Hajime-kun. I don't know how much he knows, but he's never let us down." Keiko said, smiling. "Perhaps he can give us some advice on how to handle it..."
"But you have to admit, it's a lot to take in. Even we're still struggling to understand it all. Personas, Shadows, Bythos..." Midori said, biting her lip. "But it's not like we've got anyone else we can talk to about this, is it?"
"Unless any of us happen to know someone working for Supreme Sophistry. But I don't think we do, do we? Then we go to Shiozawa-sensei." Keiko said, earnestly. "But first, I want to go back to the Gnosis game. Just a little bit further."
And so, once breakfast was done, the group went in front of the TV, and Keiko resumed her game. From where Kei had left off, she had just awoken to her Persona, and Shintaro and Kohaku were currently depending on her to protect them in the mysterious Theio Kosmos. After finally venturing into the garish nightmare that was RainBow, the trio went back to the Food Court.
From there, Kei's Gnosis finally revealed to them the name of the world they were in, and that the Theio Kosmos only consisted of Shinshuto. Which, as Keiko and her friends had discovered the night before, wasn't quite accurate. And they could go between the worlds between the 'Aeon Pathways', or QR codes hidden to most.
"Strange, I didn't have to scan a code to get to the Harbour..." Keiko said, confused. "Unless it's different for those outside of the game?"
An app called the Shadow Navi had been installed on Kei's Gnosis, and Keiko had noticed an app with the same name on the strange Velvet Room model. With it, Kei was able to detect nearby Shadows and their stats, and thus view the one she killed moments ago in the game's time – Sandman. Two others, 'Pixie' and 'Chagrin', were nearby.
However, an attempt to warp back to the real world failed miserably, apparently due to Shintaro and Kohaku not having awakened to their own abilities. No doubt, their Personas were due to appear swiftly. Kei, however, ran forward to confront a trio of Shadows that were nearby, and another battle began.
"Huh. Those hedgehog things are kinda cool..." Hajime said, looking closely at the 'Chagrins'. "And that fairy's a Pixie, is she?"
"I didn't think pixies wore leotards, but whatever floats her boat..." Ryota said, shrugging.
When Kei summoned her Persona, she felt an immense surge of power inside of her. It almost felt as if she didn't need the controller – perhaps she could control her character with just her body and mind. And without any peripherals to do it, either. She quickly destroyed one Chagrin, with a blast of water magic and a slash of the sword. It cried out in pain, leaving two Shadows.
"Alright!" Shintaro said, impressed.
"Kei-san is O-kei!" Kohaku said, giggling.
Midori sighed, shaking her head. "How long was she saving that joke for?"
"Not long enough, sadly." Ryota said, dismayed.
"Um...thank you, Kohaku-san. Just don't ever use that line again. These Shadows are painful enough as it is." Keiko said, as Kei, smirking.
However, the Chagrin struck Kei with its sharp spikes, and she was sent down, unable to move for one turn. Her enemies took advantage of this, blasting her with the flames of Agi.
"No!" Shintaro yelled, distressed.
"I won't forgive you, meanie!" The Pixie said, crossing her arms defiantly.
"We have to do something!" Kohaku said. She held out her hand. Slowly, her naginata appeared out of her Gnosis, and flew into her hand. "Shintaro, you need to use your sword!"
"...Huh?! Now?!" Shintaro said, panicking.
"Yes, now! Hurry! There's no time! We have to fight too!"
"I know that! But… Fine!"
Although still gripped by fear, he outstretched his left hand, and before long, the simple fencing sword he had acquired was in his grip. "Let's go!"
Alas, their weaponry was useless. At least, at first. Just when things were looking very dire, Kohaku and Shintaro finally revealed their own Personas. For the music lover, she had produced Airmid, a goddess of healing. Her spells invoked the ground and restorative magic. The bookworm had Ogma, a sword-wielding deity of knowledge. His wind spells and sword attacks would be a vital asset to Kei from today onward.
Quickly, the two friends despatched the Shadows. Their victory was short lived, however. For before they could leave for the Akartharto Kosmos, they needed to locate an 'Anomaly' and neutralize it, for it was blocking the 'frequency'. No doubt a powerful Shadow was behind it.
"So, those guys have the same power..." Ryota said. "Or rather, they had that power. Shintaro and Kohaku here are – or were – real people, right?"
"Yes, they have to be. But these can't be the real versions. They're just recreations of them." Keiko said, numb.
As she said this, however, she began to wonder if that really was true. Something about the way these two acted and responded to her didn't feel artificial. But she needed more information.
"Let's go." She said, turning off the game. "We need to do some research of our own."
|Professor Shiozawa's Office|12:30 pm|
For the four students, it was odd being back here so quickly after they prepared to leave it for the spring break. Yet, here they were again. Several exams were still taking place today, albeit in different departments, but Professor Shiozawa would likely still be at his office, for he had much work to do as the head of the department. The sky was overcast, a dark contrast to yesterday's sunny weather – and thus, Keiko didn't feel quite as happy to wander this place as usual.
As they approached the hallway where the office was, however, they noticed two people walking towards them. One of them was a smartly dressed woman, with long, silky black hair. Her purple glasses were a stark contrast from the rest of her white outfit, of a jacket, skirt, and tall boots. The other had dark hair too, shorter and not as neat as the lady's, but his outfit was almost entirely black, with some red cuffs on his rather elaborate-looking dress shirt.
"Excuse me. Do you know Professor Shiozawa?" The woman said, her deep voice sending a shiver down Keiko's spine. Something about the way she spoke made her rather uncomfortable. It sounded so commanding, so authoritative. Even more than her strict grandmother.
"Um...yes, he's our teacher. We're on our way to see him right now." Keiko said, nervously.
"Oh, then you haven't seen him yet either." The man said. He had a more relaxed sounding tone to his voice, but his face was quite stern. He didn't look like the humorous type. "That's unfortunate, we were rather hoping to see him again."
"Again?" Midori said, confused. "Wait a moment, you know the Professor? Were you students in this school?"
The woman nodded. "Indeed. We both owe a lot to Shiozawa-sensei. He helped us tremendously during our studies, and even after we graduated. However...no, never mind. He isn't in his office, so if you were looking for him, don't bother."
"What? But he's always in there during this hour." Hajime said, confused.
"That's what we thought as well, but it seems he's elsewhere today. We waited for him for quite some time, too, but he didn't show up." The man said, sulking. "Let's go, Shinju-chan. We've got a lot to do today besides this. Things you said simply couldn't wait."
"I'm aware of that, thank you. Well, have a good day, all of you."
The pair of them left the hallway in silence, departing down the stairs.
"Holy shit. 'Shinju'! Ryota said, astonished. "She must be Shinju Yamazaki herself..."
Keiko stared at him, shocked. "Then, that man - Akemi Akiyama?!"
"It has to be him. The founders of Supreme Sophistry were right in front of us…!"
Midori gulped. "But...why are they looking for the Professor? Don't tell me, Shiozawa-sensei helped them with Gnosis?"
"Let's go check out his office." Hajime said, concerned. "It's really strange for him to be absent."
The group found the office, and sure enough, there was no sign of him. His computer was switched off as well, and there were no sign of any of his belongings. Out of curiosity, Keiko tried the door handle – and to her surprise, it opened.
"Huh? Did he forget to lock it yesterday? That's not like him at all." Midori said, gazing deeper into the office. "He's always so thorough about that kind of thing."
Indeed, Keiko had noticed that their professor was a man of routine. The way he conducted every class was precise, as if he had taught every lesson a thousand times.
"Maybe something came up. Although I don't think he has any family..." Ryota said, taking a closer look at the computer desk. "Wait, what's this?"
"What's up?" Hajime came over, curious.
There was an envelope on the desk, hidden beneath both the keyboard and monitor of the PC. Had Ryota not been thorough as ever, the group likely wouldn't have found it. To everyone's surprised, it was addressed to "Moriya, Moribashi, Yoshioka, Nanbara".
"What, to all of us?!" Hajime asked. Keiko, concerned, went to check outside the door. The last thing she wanted was for Supreme Sophistry's sinister leads to come back and discover them. "Let's see…"
Carefully, he opened the letter, and it read:
A fallen city was revived by the architects within the shadows.
For unknown reasons, they restored those long forgotten, from an uncertain fate.
The Wild Card that can change everything has finally appeared once more.
The spectators shall spectate no longer.
Whether they have true potential matters not, as long as their loyalty to their friend reminds true.
For one cannot carve their path through the darkness without the light of companionship.
Within this room, a safe holds the power three of you currently lack.
To open it, you must solve the four riddles to achieve the code necessary open the box.
Whether it leads to salvation or damnation in the end is up to you.
1: Triumphs of the Forest House's Blade
2: Green Fist's Caualties
3: The Clear Day It Began
4: The Towns of the Ruined City
"Huh? Did Professor Shiozawa really write this? Why he's being so vague and mysterious?" Hajime said, confused. "What the hell are these clues? And where's this safe?"
"Look..." Midori said, pointing to something underneath the desk – a moderately sized black metal safe. It was positioned in such a way that one looking at the office from the outside wouldn't be able to make it out. "Guess we better figure out these clues, huh?"
Keiko nodded. Looking at the first one, she started to realise. While 'Forest House' had been written in katakana, she did know how to write that in kanji quite well. After all, it was her own surname. Moriya. As for triumphs of the blade, she had taken part in a few matches against other universities during her students, and had one…
"Four!" She said, turning the safe's first dial.
"Six!" Midori, turning the safe's second. "I mean, it's obvious. I've won six medals with these fists of mine..."
"Oh really? I've never heard you boast about it seventy times a day..." Keiko said, sticking her tongue out.
"The Clear Day It Began..." Ryota said. "Oh! Hajime, you remember what date our first, uh, date was, don't you?"
"Yeah, course I do. We ended up at the same restaurant that the Professor himself was at, remember? He was with some of the other teachers at school..." Hajime said. "Ah, I get it. Clear is your name, Began is my name...and that day was September 6th. I can't forget it. It was the first time I'd been with a guy since I came to Yokohama..."
"...Same for me. Or rather, it was my first time period." Ryota said, blushing. He turned the third dial to six, leaving just one more. "Now, 'the towns of the ruined city'. I can't imagine that'd be anything but Shinshuto at this point. How many districts does – or did – the city have, Keiko?"
Let's see. In the game itself, I started in Asakita, then took a subway to Totsuka. There was also Mizuho, where Chieki Academy was. Tarumi and Ginumi, facing the sea. And then the shopping district, Hiyashi. So the answer is -
"Six again."
She turned the dial herself, and sure enough, there was a click. The safe could be opened – and it revealed three identical objects. Smartphones, but not just any smartphones. While not the same model as Keiko's, they were definitely Gnosis devices. The same that her character had in the game.
Keiko stood still, as each one of her friends took one of these odd devices each. As soon as they did, the phone powered on.
"Huh? It knows my name already?" Ryota asked, confused. "Did Shiozawa-sensei program these?"
"I don't know...I'm not sure I trust this thing..." Hajime said, anxiously. "Keiko, show us yours. You did remember to take yours with you, right?"
She nodded, and as she looked at her screen, there was an immediate notification. Three new 'allies' were added to her contact list, which had been empty prior to this.
"Huh, weird. You didn't even have to add us to that thing." Midori said, confused. "What do we do now, though? Without the professor here, we really shouldn't be in this office."
Just then, Keiko noticed something else. A peculiar QR code, hidden below the window of the office door. Much like the one that her virtual self had scanned, propelling her, Shintaro and Kohaku into the Theio Kosmos.
"...Guys. Let's try this and see what happens."
The others nodded, somewhat anxious, as the 'Velvet' Gnosis scanned the code. As soon as she did, the aura around them changed, and everything went silent.
|Theio Kosmos – Yokohama University|12:50 pm|
Kei felt a shiver down her spine. The atmosphere felt cold, and uninviting. While the office may have looked the same at the surface, there was a strange blue glow emanating from the window. With trepidation, she went to look outside.
Normally, there was a blue globe sculpture in the middle of the courtyard, an art piece created by a graduate of the School of Art. It depicted several boats of multiple eras sailing over an endless ocean, forming the kanji for 'True' or 'New'. But now, that same orb was glowing brightly, coating the entire institution in a watery light, and the boats were moving in fixed lines, still forming the kanji.
"Holy hell. Guys, do you – huh?"
It was only then that Keiko realised something else. While she was still in the office in the Theio Kosmos, the others were not. Just like what happened with her avatar in Gnosis, where the group of three students had wound up in different locations.
"Dammit…!" Keiko screamed. She stormed outside into the hallway, and looked from left to right. Aside from the light filtering from the windows being an unnatural hue, nothing seemed different. That is, until she saw them.
Shadows, both Pixies. And they had already noticed her. She quickly took out her sword, and concentrated. Ostara was ready to fight. And before long, she had despatched one of the Pixies with a blast of Aqua.
"The Shadows are just like the ones in the game..." Keiko said. She was about to slash at the remaining enemy, but it shook its head in fear.
"W-Wait! Don't kill me! You...you're still new at this whole Persona thing, aren't you? You need someone really helpful – and cute – that can guide you, right? And you're a Wild Card! There aren't many of those around here..."
Keiko looked at the fairy, astonished. She had been told by Igor she was a Wild Card. Was this what she was talking about?
"I am a Shadow of the Lovers Arcana, Pixie...but Shadows and Personas are kinda the same thing. We're all born from the human subconscious. See, because someone a long time ago in the human world came up with Pixies, that lingers in everyone's thoughts, whether they think they're real, or fiction. And that means I can exist. So...I'm going to join you!"
She immediately disappeared in a pulse of light, becoming a spinning card. That card had the Lovers design on the back, and on the front was an artwork of the Pixie. Soon, the card flew into Keiko's Gnosis, and an image of her appeared on her screen.
"So...I can use different Personas?"
Sure enough, a new app appeared. It listed '2/6' in the top right, and below, Ostara and Pixie. A lot of information about them was viewable, such as their 'Arcana', and elemental affinity. Pixie had fire magic in the form of Agi, which Keiko suspected she would need. After all, not every Shadow would be vulnerable to water.
I better make use of this power. If I can get other Shadows around to become Personas, then I can become stronger. Both here and in the game, of course.
Now that she was out of danger, at least for now, she looked around. Neither of her three friends were nearby, nor could she see them outside the window. The chatter and movement of students could be heard from even up here, but the utter silence was utterly disturbing.
"Midori! Hajime! Ryota! Say something!"
No one responded. Gulping, Keiko began running forward, scanning every room and corridor she passed trying to look for her friends. But there was no one in sight. Only more Shadows – this time, three spirits of Japanese lore, Kodama. They were small, and somewhat charming.
I better not underestimate them. I'm fighting them alone, after all.
And so, Keiko continued exploring the otherworldly counterpart of her college. She was beset by Shadows during her wandering, but her skills with her sword and her abilities via her Persona were able to defeat them all. Yet she was starting to get fatigued. Hopefully, she could find a safe place to rest soon.
Just as she thought this, she came across group study room – and sure enough, a familiar face was inside. Upon seeing Keiko, Midori ran out, jumped up and hugged her, out of sheer relief.
"There you are! Where the hell have you been?! I got stranded after we warped here, and I couldn't find anyone! And the Gnosis I gave me kept saying something about an 'awakening', so I couldn't do anything...I thought I was gonna die when those Shadows showed up!"
The normally headstrong Midori was crying her eyes out, unwilling to let go of her friend. It was alarming to see her like this, Keiko thought.
"I thought it was like that night when dad...my dad...he...mom...they...they…!"
"I-It's okay, Midori-chan. You're safe now. I'm so glad I finally found you..." Her friend said gently. "I'll protect you all with my Persona, I promise."
Clearly, something about this evening had triggered a painful memory. What that memory was, however, Keiko didn't know. Midori hadn't talked much about her past, but she didn't seem to have any family back home, or any friends. Until she had managed to get into university, she seemed to have been a lone wolf in Osaka. A place she was in no hurry to return to.
"...Thanks, Keiko-chan. But I think I'm fine now. What about you, though? What happened to you when we got separated?"
"Well..."
Keiko began to tell her everything. All of the Shadows she had killed, and her new ability.
"So this 'Wild Card' power of ours lets you use different Personas, huh? That's pretty useful. When I tried to use this Gnosis, it kept saying the pre-installed Persona had been deleted, and I've yet to awaken..."
Keiko gasped. While she still didn't quite get what was happening, she had a feeling that her friend might just have a similar power. And perhaps Professor Shiozawa had a similar inclination, considering he left the three Gnosis for the others to find.
"I don't know what it is I have to do to 'awaken'. But I can't go home until I do. Just like what was happening with Shintaro and Kohaku. Wait...does this mean I'll get a Persona like theirs, too?"
"Maybe. But you don't have to strain yourself to force it out. I can use mine. Stay calm, okay?" Keiko said, gently.
If Midori might have a Persona, does that mean Hajime and Ryota do as well? Wait -
"Right now, we're missing the guys. Midori, have you seen either of them yet?"
Looking nervous, Midori shook her head. "N-No, not yet. I was gonna look upstairs to find them, until some Shadows started chasing me and I ran in there..."
Nodding, Keiko pointed to the nearest stairwell. "We've got to find them. And fast. I don't know what these Shadows will do to them if they catch them..."
"If they even try that, I'll punch them into dust." Midori said, cracking her knuckles. "I don't need a Persona to do that."
Keiko sighed. "We'll see. Come on, let's get going. Up that stairwell!"
As they moved, however, Midori faltered, clutching her head.
"W-What is it?"
Flustered, the tomboy shook her head.
"Um, it's nothing! Seriously!" Midori said. She ran ahead, forcing Keiko to speed up.
|Yokohama University - Third Floor|13:40 pm|
Normally, this was the floor for the electronics labs, but here, things looked much different. The walls and floors were a strange white metal, with silver and teal lines connecting each door. It felt more like the interior of a strange spaceship. Keiko felt a shiver down her spine, for the place seemed to have a faint cold mist flowing through the area.
There was no sign of any of the mundane items this floor usually had. No noticeboards, no warnings about taking equipment without permission, nothing. This was almost as drastic as the boat Keiko had visited last night. Perhaps even more so. Either way, she did not feel welcome here. This was a hostile environment, for student or teacher.
"What the hell? This place doesn't look like this...back in our world." Midori said, her eyes wide with confusion. She went to one of the doors, marked Lab A-1, but an electric forcefield suddenly sparked into life inches away from her. She gasped, leaping backwards.
"A-Are you okay?" Keiko asked, worried.
"No, not with these things trying to kill us!" Midori asked. "Who knows what would have happened if I had touched that thing?!"
Just then, there were footsteps. Keiko, panicked, turned around – and to her relief, Hajime and Midori were right there.
"You guys!" Midori said, smiling. "We were looking all over for you!"
"So were we! I found him on this floor, then we heard you...thank god we're all okay!" Hajime said, walking over. "What the hell is going on here, though?"
"That's what I want to know." Keiko said. Just then, the forcefield blocking the door subsided. "Hmm?"
The group were finally able to look inside the room. There, connected to a massive web of wires and circuits embedded throughout the walls and floors, was a gigantic glass cylinder, emitting an ethereal glow that constantly changed colours. The equipment was making a loud humming sound, and Keiko felt a shiver down her spine.
"...Is there something inside that thing?" Midori said, still anxious about going inside.
"I don't know. Stay alert." Keiko said. She slowly walked into the room, and noticed a monitor embedded within the east wall. On it, it displayed several strange charts, and text that read:
CHAOS TEST A-1
DO NOT RELEASE UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED.
THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HAVING POTENTIAL APTITUDE MUST NOT APPROACH WITHOUT FORMAL WRITTEN PERMISSION.
FAILURE TO ADHERE MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF LIFE OR SANITY.
"What the hell?" Midori asked, having found the courage to approach. "Loss of life or sanity? What is this thing?"
Just then, there was a red flashing light, and a loud siren. There was a huge amount of energy building up in the science tube. And just then, there was a gigantic flash, and the device shattered, unleashing a blast of energy. Everyone ducked, bracing themselves. When they looked up, they gasped.
"Oh my god!" Ryota said, clutching Hajime for dear life. "W-What is that?!"
Keiko gazed upon the being that had emerged from its prison. It seemed to lack any physical body, being instead a collection of multicoloured gas, pulsating in size. The Gnosis identified it as 'Chaos', but seemed unable to decipher anything else about it. It was unlike any Shadow so far. It did not appear able to communicate, either, simply floating. However, it then started making strange noises – of many voices talking together. Like a crowded classroom, or a busy train station.
Why are there so many different voices? Is this like the 'Anomaly' that was in Bella Donna?
Chaos flashed brightly, and was now mostly a vivid yellow in colour. For a brief second, a transparent icon of a sword could be see in the creature's 'core'. Something within it had changed, Keiko realised. A tremendous power was building up within. If she didn't do something fast, it could endanger all of them.
"Ostara! Now!"
An Aqua spell struck Chaos – it did not budge or shift, however. Perhaps lacking any solid mass, it didn't actually feel pain. It did, however, have enough wherewithal to cast an electric spell – Zio. And this was a rather potent one, as its victim soon discovered. She nearly dropped her sword, wincing from the electric current.
"Ow! That's...strong..."
"Dammit! Keiko, are you alright?!" Hajime yelled.
"I can't watch this!" Ryota said, clasping his hands. "We have to do something, or -"
Midori walked forward, fists clenched.
"Stand back. I'll handle this."
"Huh? No, Midori-chan! You can't hurt it -"
Before Keiko could stop her, Midori took out her Gnosis, and smiled. A blue aurora surrounded her, flaring up, in sync with her soul. Everything seemed to stand still, even Chaos.
"Persona!"
There was a burst of energy, and Keiko had to shield her eyes. When the light subsided a little bit, however, she was able to see the force her dear friend had unleashed. It was a figure with long flowing green hair, and she had sparkling red eyes and orange skin. She had a strange suit of armour that seemed similar to a karate gi, with a long black belt heavy gauntlets.
"I am thou. Thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I cometh. I art Andarta, she who will overcome any opposing army with pure strength."