AN: Sorry again for the late upload. I'll try to get to Chapter 6 sooner! Please read, review, favourite, etc!

Chapter 5: Covenant of Shadow

|Test Server Lab|2:25 pm|

The four Personas surrounded Eligor, the formerly arrogant Shadow. Now cornered by four adversaries, it was shaken, and unsure of itself. Whatever threats Supreme Sophistry had instructed it to expect and intercept, it was clearly unprepared for this. And it had nowhere to turn, either.

"Hajime! Ryota! I knew you two could do it!" Keiko cheered, elated.

The two men nodded, both exhilarated by what they had just done. Perhaps just knowing each of their friends had gained the same power fuelled that same power. And right now, Hajime was raring to go!

"Let's try...Garu!"

Wind from Taranis struck Eligor, stumbling it somewhat. In rage, it thrust forward it's lance, but the programmer was too nimble for it, and thus, all it managed was to further wreck a ruined server.

"Ha! There's no way your sluggish spear attacks could ever hit him!" Ryota said, smug. "But don't forget me. I can't just let everyone else fight for me, not any more...Bufu!"

Clumps of ice struck the Shadow, guided by Mannanán. Cold, and full of mist, the frost clung to Eligor's armour, causing cracks to appear.

"No! This is not how it was supposed to be. Supreme Sophistry said they controlled all the natural Persona users...there weren't supposed to be any that could get to the Theio Kosmos!"

"What the hell do you mean, they control them?" Keiko demanded. "Answer me!"

"...The ones that are 'asleep', they called them! Kept somewhere so that avatars of them can be born and interacted with...but that's all I know! I won't give up!"

Aggravated, the knight raised his spear, and called down the thunderous Mazio to attack. It was a fearsome strike, with Keiko reeling from the shock.

"Keiko-chan!" Midori cried.

"I'm...I'm okay! But we've got this bastard on the ropes now. Everyone, follow my lead. Ostara! Now!"

The Persona held out her hands, which began to glow a white light. A ring of petals began to spiral around her, glowing a vivid purple. Andarta, Taranis and Manannán all appeared around her, and raised their weapons, sending elemental energy towards the light in Ostara's hands.

At once, everyone cried out the same thing.

"Petal Laser!"

With the energy fully charged up, Ostara fired four beams of light at the Shadow before her, each one a different colour. One of them was red, and hit it in the chest. Another was blue, and pierced the stomach. The next two hit the horse in the head and front legs, causing it to fall to the ground, utterly vanquished.

"...If this is what you're capable of...Supreme Sophistry...may not be so unstoppable after all...I gave it my best...remember that..."

Eligor, unable to bear the brunt of the combined assault, dropped his weapon. Before it even touched the ground, it dissolved. Almost immediately, so did the rest of the Shadow, including its horse.

"Ha! And don't come back!" Midori shouted.

"I don't think he can come back..." Ryota said, exhausted. He and Hajime collapsed to their knees, panting for breath – and smiling at each other. "I was scared I was going to lose you for a moment, you know..."

"Heh...there's no way I could leave you...someone has to protect you. I'm just glad all of us could do that Persona thing..."

"What exactly did we just do?" Midori asked, stunned. "I just knew what to do, without thinking..."

Keiko looked at the others, in thought. "Persona users, when in total sync, must be able to combine their skills to unleash greater power. I bet that happens in Gnosis too."

Curious, Midori checked her Gnosis. "Look, at this new app. It's a record of 'Fusion Skills'. And 'Petal Laser' is right there. And there's a whole bunch of locked entries. I guess we can figure those out later."

"Yeah. But right now, we have a Professor to find." Keiko said, anxious. "You two, are you able to move?"

Hajime and Ryota quickly got to their feet, while still looking very fatigued. Keiko went over to the door, but just before she reached it, it opened for her. There, standing in the doorway, were two figures. One was Katsuhiro Shiozawa himself, who despite looking rather peaky, and with a bandage around his right leg, seemed to be in good spirits. The other was the red-haired teacher from yesterday, who had a more severe expression.

"...Well done, all of you. Just as I expected."

"Professor! You're hurt! That ankle..." Keiko said, still tense.

"It looks worse than it is...but we have more important things to discuss. Far more important things." The Professor said. He and the other teacher moved out of the room, slowed by Shiozawa's injured leg.

"You're...Professor Yoshinaga." Hajime said.

The stern looking teacher nodded.

"That's right. Hideki Yoshinaga. I'm a geography professor, and I've been a friend of your own sensei for a long time. It was thanks to him I was able to teach here, and get my life back on track."

Keiko, curious, stepped closer. Something about his face looked familiar, but she couldn't quite recall it. Then, it hit her. The name Yoshinaga.

Masato and Natsumi. I met them once, that day when Junko introduced me to all her friends. They must be in Gnosis too.

"There's a lot we have to talk about, all of us. Unfortunately, as you've seen, this place isn't exactly safe. While Supreme Sophistry no longer use this building, they no doubt will become aware a Shadow they put in place to guard it has been defeated. Not to mention, the defeat of the Chaos prototype."

"But Shiozawa-sensei, where can we go? Is it safe to just go back to the Akarharto Kosmos version of the school?" Keiko asked.

"...No. You no doubt ran across my former students, Shinju Yamazaki and Akemi Akiyama. If the leaders of Supreme Sophistry themselves are looking for me there, then it will be dangerous for me to return."

Keiko nodded, reluctantly. While there was much she didn't yet know, one thing she was sure of was that neither Shinju nor Akemi could be trusted. Not with what they had done with the memory of Shinshuto.

"We shall meet elsewhere in the Theio Kosmos, tomorrow night - The Marine Tower. Supreme Sophistry haven't shown any interest there. It's still the same old lattice tower, that glows white at night. Go to the observation deck, and act as if you're just four students celebrating the end of the school year by taking a view of Mount Fuji."

"But...we don't have an Aeon Pathway there yet." Midori said, looking at her Gnosis. All four of the group shared the same list of points, sparse as it was.

"I'll send it to you now." Yoshinaga said quickly, as he took a Gnosis out. He tapped on a few icons, and soon enough, an entry for Yokohama Marine Tower appeared on Keiko's list of Aeon Pathways.

"Wait, you and the Professor both have Gnosis phones too? Does that mean you can use Personas?"

"...No. We only have access to certain features. Sadly, Hideki and I lack the potential you youngsters have." Shiozawa said, sighing. "In the Gnosis game, Bythos soldiers that lack genuine Persona abilities have Personas pre-installed. While they can only be so powerful, it at least gives them a fighting chance. We assume Supreme Sophistry have similar agents. The phones we stumbled across are empty, though. Thus, there's only so much we can do."

"We'll talk tomorrow at 9pm. Be safe until then. And thank you for your help." Yoshinaga said, and with a tap on his Gnosis, the two Professors vanished, to parts unknown.

The four teleported away as well, unwilling to linger in this ghastly corruption of their familiar school.

|Keiko and Midori's Apartment|4:00 pm|

The four friends returned back here, to the Akartharto Kosmos. While they had yet to confront any of their human members in the Theio Kosmos, by destroying Chaos and Eligor, they had made enemies of Supreme Sophistry. The group got drinks and snacks, eager to relax after their tense afternoon in the other world.

"So we all have a Persona. And a Gnosis. I didn't think buying a new PC game would end up like this..." Ryota said, looking rather tired. "And now the Professor is involved. Two professors, actually."

Hajime frowned. "I don't know if I like that Yoshinaga guy. Every time I've seen him around school, he looks so miserable..."

"We don't really know anything about him, do we? Other than he's friends with Shiozawa-sensei, of course." Keiko said, but as she said this, something started to bother her. Hideki was now reminding her of someone else she had seen. But what was it, she didn't know.

So much happened tonight, I can't remember it any more. But maybe if I go back to the game, I can find the answer.

"Everyone...I want to play Gnosis . I want to get further in. We barely got started with the Persona ability there too, after all."

The others, while anxious, nodded. And so, Keiko started the game up, revealing her Avatar Kei again, as well as Shintaro and Kohaku. Very quickly, the trio were confronted by the menacing Nox – a Shadow that seemed rather different than any others. She was almost theatrical in demeanour, a rather twisted depiction of an affluent and beautiful socialite.

While it was a difficult battle, Nox was destroyed. With her demise, the interference that was preventing them from leaving was stopped. Shintaro and Kohaku hugged each other out of sheer relief the battle was over, much like Keiko and friends had done after difficult exams. Of course, in those cases, their lives weren't actually in danger.

" What was up with that Bella Donna thing, though? " Kohaku said, still fatigued from the fight. " She wasn't making a lot of sense. "

" She said 'now that I'm a Shadow'. " Shintaro said, curious. " What exactly does that mean? "

" I'm guessing, I know, but these Shadows and our Persona may come from the same origin, " Keiko said. " From the human psyche. "

"What?!" Kohaku was utterly befuddled. " ...How can that be? "

" Hmm, " Shintaro said. " Maybe you're onto something, Kei. All these creatures seem to be based on various folklore around the world. Nox is a Roman goddess of the night, her Greek counterpart being Nyx. "

" Perhaps Nox was born from the delusions of a woman desperate to be beautiful and rich. " Keiko mused, as her character glanced at the empty spot where the Shadow had been. " Who that woman might be, we might never know. "

As she said this, an awful thought occured to Keiko. If this really was a recreation of the true events that had happened to Shinshuto, then the real Nox was long gone. If that was the case, how did Supreme Sophistry recreate her?

Could they have found someone else and turned them into a 'New' Nox? Only for them to be killed over and over again? No, surely not. But if Supreme Sophistry knows about the past, they probably have access to whatever methods Bythos did.

"Keiko, what's wrong?" Midori asked, concerned.

"N-nothing. I'm just trying to figure out how these Anomalies were made…"

" I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Let's get going. " Shintaro said. Just then, there was a blue flash on the Gnosis, and then a video of rather cliché TV static. " What the hell is this now? "

" Hey, wait a minute... " Kohaku said, pulling out her own phone. " It's on mine too! What gives? "

"Hmm..." Shintaro looked closely at the screen, rather disturbed.

Keiko, or rather Kei, had the same video on her device. It seemed to be a unique instant communications application, but not like the ones he had used. Rather, it seemed to have added his fellow Persona users by their full names, and oddly it had several rows marked '?'. However, the static finally faded, leaving a dark red background behind a completely darkened human figure – a woman, with long hair.

Is that her?! Aunt Junko?!

" Huh, another mystery woman. Must be a motif of this world. " Shintaro said dryly.

" I can't even see her eyes. How does she do that? It's just a black shadow against a wall! " Kohaku said.

After some silence, the woman started to speak, her voice having a reverb.

" Well done for slaying Nox. You must all be thinking about returning home now, to continue your everyday lives. Or at least, two of you are. The one newest to the city has never known a normal life in this city, and perhaps they never will. "

"Me?" Keiko asked, her heart pounding in her ears. The woman's voice was being deliberately pitched down, beyond any sort of human level – yet the words were still clear.

" Yes, Kei Kakusa. You are a far more complex soul than any other who has chosen to live here. In fact, it is refreshing to meet someone with my power. Yet as it stands, you are leagues behind me! "

" What are you talking about? Kohaku and I have a Persona as well. " Shintaro interjected, frowning.

" Ah, but Kei is special. " The woman declared, with a cold, authoritative tone. " There are many sides to her psyche. She is unique, in countless ways. But you'll find out what I mean in due course. "

"Wow, that's not creepy or anything." Hajime said, looking at the figure on the screen derisively.

"She's talking about the Wild Card ability, right?" Ryota asked. "But your character here hasn't discovered it yet…"

" Um...good to know, I suppose. " Kohaku said. " But who are you? "

" And how do you know our names? " Kei asked. The others in the room looked at each other, clearly, having the same question in their minds.

" The Gnosis is tailored to you exactly. It begins by knowing the name of whoever is destined to acquire it. And now that you have a Persona, the Gnosis, in turn, learns even more about its owner. "

" These things seem like they've got a mind of their own, " Shintaro said, now impatient. " But you still didn't answer the question. Who are you, and what is happening? "

" Typical. You always have to know everything and anything about something, don't you? You read a book, you trawl any source you can to understand it further. Essays! Author's biographies! Your thirst for knowledge is utterly insatiable, Taro-kun. "

" Huh...? " Shintaro was rather anxious now. " Why are you calling me that? I'm not your friend! "

" You say that like you know him, " Kohaku said, tense. " But what are you? Just a creepy stalker? "

" How harsh, Haku-chan. And you used to be so sweet, especially when you're listening to album after album of your favourite bands. All to hide how much you hate how late your parents come home. "

" ...What? The heck are you saying? How do you know that about us both? "

" Enough. This city was once nothing at all, forgotten in a flash by anyone who set foot here. A new metropolis was carefully designed, with the people of all generations in mind. And at first, it was good. But now things have become unclean. Unenlightened fools have been given the reins, and if I do not stop them, they will take this city back to the depths! "

These words seemed to linger, as the four in the 'real' world stared at the screen.

"So basically, you're anti-establishment." Keiko said, crossing her arms.

" Correct. You can call me Nisa Liat . Although I've also given myself the title of the Pleroma Princess of Bythos. Over the course of the next week, you will have plenty of time to think about your experiences tonight. Exactly one week from today, I will ask you a question regarding who you pledge allegiance to. After which, you will either be very blessed, or cursed for eternity. "

"So the blessing isn't eternal, but the curse is? That doesn't seem fair…" Hajime remarked.

"I don't think anything about this Bythos group is 'fair', somehow." Midori replied.

"...Fine." Keiko said. "We'll play your game, Nisa Liat. And we'll win."

Kohaku was shocked. "What?! This is dangerous! We can't go along with this..."

" I'm against this! " Shintaro said, disgusted. " Whatever madness this 'Princess' is plotting, I'm having none of it! "

" At ease, Taro-kun. You still have time to decide. Shinshuto City cannot continue to 'prosper' in this way. One way or another, I will depose those responsible for its decay. Once that is done, I guarantee you will all enjoy the wondrous lives you deserve. Now then, my time is running short. Don't forget, one week from today. I will make the call. Go home, and enjoy this school year. It could be your last. "

With that, the screen went black, and each Gnosis fell silent.

Nisa Liat. Are you Junko? The way the voice was distorted, I couldn't tell, but it has to be here. I just have this feeling.

"So, while they're worrying about Bythos, we've got Supreme Sophistry to deal with." Midori said. "Keiko, don't sweat it. We'll kick all their asses, and get them to tell us why and how they did all this."

"...Thanks. But I want to hear from Professor Shiozawa first. He must know more, if he can enter the Theio Kosmos like we can. And so can Professor Yoshinaga, too."

Eventually, the group returned back to the Akartharto Kosmos, where they discovered Akari had been distracted by the pet store in the mall, getting a part time job there. Soon, it was the next morning, and Keiko quickly left for school. At the front gates of Kansei, she overheard two students having a conversation. One was a rather dour looking athletic boy, the other a tall blue-haired girl – both third year students.

" Katashi-kun, we were supposed to be meeting up after school yesterday. Where were you? " The girl said, looking rather annoyed, as she tapped her foot. She had rather elegant tap shoes on, ones that professional dancers had worn. Keiko had once watched a dance recital at her college, mostly because Midori had a friend in the class there.

" Something...important came up at home. " 'Katashi' said, sounding irritated. " I'll make it up to you today, okay? "

" Well, alright, but all this talk of 'Bythos' worries me. If anything was to happen to you, I'd - "

" Manami-chan, stop it. Bythos won't hurt us. I promise you. Now, let's get to class. "

"How can he promise that?" Ryota asked. "...There's something up with him, I bet."

The two of them moved on, apparently not having noticed Kei standing near them. She soon saw three familiar students talking near the steps, and started walking towards them.

" Oh, I think that's her over there!" Kohaku said to Shintaro, who had been talking to her and Akari. Upon seeing Kei, the bookworm's face lit up.

" Hey, our favourite transfer student! So, how are you getting used to this place?" Akari asked, sweetly.

"Oh...it's been fun, so far," Keiko said via Kei, trying her best to sound calm.. "I've only really explored Totsuka so far. But we'll get there, one step at a time."

"Guess Totsuka is the core of the city, kinda. Best to start from there." Akari said. "Oh yeah, remember I was talking about Suzu in 2-1? Her new homeroom teacher is going to be teaching us Geography, and apparently, he's really hot. Last year, it was some old guy, who barely had any teeth and wore terrible argyle sweaters. And he wore a really nasty looking wig, too."

"What happened to this...teacher?" Keiko asked, trying to picture this man. Alas, with the only description of the wig being 'nasty', her mind came up with all sorts of ideas. Perhaps a fusion of an afro and a mohawk.

"No one really knows," Kohaku said, shrugging. "Before the end of our first year, he just announced he was retiring. That was it...everyone kind of forgot about him."

Midori snickered. "Sounds like a lot of my old high school teachers. No charisma or personality, you kind of forget they were even there. Guess even this game has boring teachers. No crazies with samurai helmets or puppets here."

"I just hope none of us end up as one of them..." Ryota said, half-joking, half-serious.

"Who cares about that old loser?" Akari said dismissively. "This new guy sounds really cute, according to Suzu. Course, she says that about a lot of guys. Even...uh...better not blab."

"Wisely said. Let's head to class." Kei said, in the same tone and manner she had said to her friends every time they met up before their next class. Usually, if someone had said something rather unwise.

" Oh, okay! " Akari said, running ahead of everyone else.

That Akari seems so carefree. It's strange though, when I saw her picture earlier, it seemed a little different than it does here. But maybe it's something else.

"So, do a lot of students harbour affection for many of the teachers here?" Kei asked, bemused.

Hajime gave Keiko an odd look. "Did you have to phrase it like that?"

"I want to see how they react. Remember what Eligor said before, about them being 'asleep'? I want to see how 'awake' they are."

The others watched, as the game continued.

"N-No! Suzuki-sensei is just...such a good teacher. That's all." Shintaro stammered, with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Who said anything about her?" Keiko said, her character looking sideways at a giggling Kohaku.

"Stop teasing him! It's not just him, after all. Suzuki-sensei is popular with a lot of the boys here. What are we doing about last night, anyway?"

"Ah, that," Kei said. " Well, if it's okay with the two of you, I'd like to return to the Theio Kosmos. But this time, I'd venture outside of the mall. Just far enough to see what else changes in the other Kosmos."

Shintaro looked at her, seeming rather nervous. "What if there are Shadows worse than that Nox thing?"

"I wouldn't expect the ones around that area to be much stronger. We'll take things slowly, but at the same time, I want to make sure we're getting stronger. Otherwise, Nisa Liat might just get her way."

"We can't let that happen," Kohaku said, clenching her fists. "Come on, Akari's probably wondering where we are. Unless she's gotten another part-time job."

"Heh..." Shintaro, laughing slightly, walked into the school with the girls. Yet, as they walked, his face darkened in mood. No doubt, the battles with the Shadows were still plaguing his mind. Keiko wanted to say she knew how he felt, but right now, she wanted to see the Geography teacher. Not to verify how attractive he was, of course, but the subject he taught had her considering something.

After the Biology class, during which Suzuki discussed the anatomy of several species of fish, it was finally time for the Geography class.

"I hate this subject..." Akari said, slouching back on her seat.

"Really? I thought you liked travelling?" Keiko asked.

"...What? Where did that come from?" Ryota asked, confused.

"Her page on the Gnosis Wiki says she loves travelling. Mostly in Japan, like Nara and Sapporo. But I want to test what happens if I say things my character shouldn't actually know..."

"I do, but - wait, how did you know that?" Akari asked, looking just as confused as Ryota.

Panicking for a moment, Keiko came up with something on the spot.

"Oh, uh, Kohaku mentioned it. Something about a trip to Nara."

Oh my god, these characters really are 'alive'. I don't think it really is any AI any more. But where the hell are they being kept while they sleep? Or are they awake this time?

Shintaro gave her a curious look, but shrugged, and went back to his blank sheet of paper, primed to take notes. He had quite a stack of sheets already, each one filled to the brim with notes.

"Man, this guy really does love to study, huh? Look at all the notes he has on the second day of school..." Hajime said, amused.

"You aren't concerned?" Ryota asked. "They're responding to what Keiko says as if they're real-life human beings!"

"Hey, you're right. That IS freaky. If we keep saying things we shouldn't really know, will we get into trouble? I guess we already might be, after what we did to their old base of operations, but -"

"We shouldn't make any reckless decisions. I don't think the game won't let us say anything too spoiler-heavy, but we might be breaking more than just the plot sequence if we're not careful."

Keiko nodded in agreement with Ryota, now very anxious. If she wasn't cautious, she could cause something truly horrifying to happen. And if these were real people she was interacting with, revealing the true nature of their current existence would utterly break them.

The door opened right on time, and there was their new teacher. And the minute he walked in, Keiko and the others gasped, leaning in close. In a crisp black suit, complete with a blue tie, was a tall man with red hair, slicked back. Judging from the ring on his finger, he was married. In fact, it was the same ring he wore in real life. For he was none other than...

"Good morning, class. My name is Hideki Yoshinaga. I'm new to this school, so I'm looking forward to working with you...all." He trailed off, however, as he saw Shintaro and Kohaku sitting next to each other. "Today, we're covering some material on Okinawa, encompassing two-thirds of the Ryukyu Islands. Although this prefecture only covers 0.6% of Japan's total landmass…"

Keiko paused the game, and put the controller down, numb. This couldn't be possible. Yet, there it was. Younger he may be, but it was none other than her teacher's companion.

"W-What the hell is he doing in this game?!" She screamed. "How is this happening?!"

The others were silent, unsure how to respond. Midori, however, quickly searched online, and gulped.

"Sure enough, here it is. 'Hideki Yoshinaga is the elder brother of Masato and Natusmi Yoshinaga, and a Geography teacher at Kansei High School. A dedicated educator, he quickly becomes a popular new addition to the faculty, during what will prove to be a tumultuous school year. '."

"Wait. So there's nothing about the...'real' Hideki anymore?" Hajime asked, confused.

Ryota quickly searched for something else. "Well, there's a small mention of him on our university's page for the Geography department. But almost everything else is about the 'character' in the game."

"So what the hell does this mean? If Hideki is both in the game's Shinshuto and the real world's Yokohama, does that mean he isn't 'asleep' like that Shadow said?" Keiko asked, deeply unsettled. "Was he not in the city when it was destroyed?"

"We're going to have to ask the man ourselves tomorrow. But it's not going to be a fun conversation." Ryota said, seriously.

Whatever the real Yoshinaga-sensei is going through, it can't be pleasant. It must be giving him nightmares. Right now, we have to wait until we see him and find out just what he and Shiozawa-sensei know.

|Yokohama Marine Tower|9:00 pm|

Like many Japanese cities, Yokohama boasted an impressive lattice tower that dominated the skyline. The Marine Tower reached 106 metres tall, and every twenty seconds, the lights flashed red and green. The tower shaft used to be lit in the same colours until 2006, until it was reopened in 2009, upon which the shaft glowed white.

Before coming, Keiko went a little further in Gnosis. Alongside Shintaro and Kohaku, she had to battle three delinquents who made up the Claret Squad within Bythos. Hisaya, Fumihiro and Ryosei. However, without natural Persona abilities, they weren't quite a match for Kei Kakusa and her new comrades, and eventually retreated. Yet within Bythos, there were 'Aeon Administrators' that did possess such a natural ability. Those were the ones that Kei and her fledgling team would truly have to worry about.

One thing she had noticed was that, while Ostara remained the same across both the game and in the real world, the other Personas did not. Therefore, she had a different selection available to her while in the Theio Komos' version of Yokohama. Whether she could transfer Personas between other worlds remained unclear.

There were many people in the observation deck, but based on what Keiko and the others knew from Gnosis , teleporting to the Theio Kosmos right in front of them wouldn't be an issue. Only those who were already familiar would notice them disappearing. Casual people not paying them any attention would simply not notice. Whatever powers the Gnosis had must be capable of altering the average human's perception.

Even so, Keiko and the others found a relatively isolated spot, then teleported. The minute they did so, everything changed. All the people around them were gone, and everything was dark and quiet. The view of the city was much different, as well. Keiko saw something strange about the shoreline. There seemed to be a massive bridge with a strangely purple glow, with a large gate barring entry, either via foot or vehicle. While it was hard to make out clear details, at the very end of it, the water had a vivid teal glow.

"Is that thing over there a huge dock?" Ryota asked, bewildered. "It's definitely not in the 'real' Yokohama, that's for sure."

"Supreme Sophistry must have something at the end of it. Enough to produce that creepy light." Keiko said, hand on the glass. "But we can't get up close to look at it, not with that gate blocking the way."

"Exactly. But we have to find a way, somehow."

The four gasped. Having just entered the room, the two Professors walked into the observation deck, both with rather dour expressions.

"H-Hideki Yoshinaga…it really is him! The same guy in Gnosis !" Hajime said, shaken.

The red-haired professor gave him an intense glare, sending a shiver down the young lad's spine.

"...No. That is not the same as me. The one you see in the game is not the real me!"

"Hideki, please, we must -"

Ignoring Shiozawa, Hideki walked over to Hajime, and began violently shaking him by the shoulders.

"My brother, my sister…they're not characters in some stupid game! They were…they were my twin siblings, the ones I looked out for, protected, loved, ever since they were born! And then everything…I…"

Finally, he let go, and fell to his knees, sobbing. Ryota rushed over to check on his boyfriend, while Shiozawa knelt beside his friend.

"Hideki. It isn't their fault. They're caught up in this now, too, thanks to me. Or perhaps…it's destiny. Keiko Moriya here is the niece of Junko Kaya, after all."

Wiping his eyes, Hideki looked up at her, and his eyes went wide with surprise. Slowly, he got back to his feet.

"Junko…of course, I see it now. I'm sorry you had to see that, but…I'm having to relive a nightmare I thought was over long ago. Or maybe it never really ended."

Shiozawa, hand around his younger friend's shoulder, looked at the others around him. Then, as he had done with countless lectures, he spoke aloud.

"Everyone, I arranged for you to find the Gnosis for a reason. Because you four are our only chance. Supreme Sophistry must be stopped, or the entire world may suffer the same fate as the original Shinshuto. Please, listen closely. Now that you've fought the Shadows under their command, they will soon cross paths with you. From now on, you should consider yourselves their sworn enemies."

Keiko gulped. Indeed, ever since she had bought the game, her life had changed. She, Midori, Hajime and Ryota had no choice but to listen, so that they could survive against the creators of that game.