War Arc:
Chapter 56: Re-kindled Life
Tatsuya Suou
Late Evening - 29/11/2012 (Thursday) - Nanjo's Memorial Hospital, Sumaru City
(1 day before War's arrival)
He gazed upon the sleeping face of his deceased son, whose body was covered in a white blanket in the dark room. He uttered not a single word but merely observed the boy. His eyes were swollen red after crying for hours, yet he gave no scream nor weep. He had no strength left to let out his voice. He could only caress the face of Matsuya Suou before he exited out.
If only he had saved him sooner...
Tatsuya cursed himself as much as he could, but he could never bring his son back. The soft skin on his palm was cold and lifeless, plus his cheek was dry, probably exposed to the light bulb above him. Today, the day was extra cold, even though the rain had recently stopped. If only his heart was colder, maybe he won't suffer this much? However, it was pointless to stay here, gazing at the boy's face only deepened the wounds.
He exited the morgue before encountering his brother, who was watching the news nearby. Belladonna had apparently given her speech as Takaya and gave all credit to the Suou Devil a few hours earlier.
"After the shocking news from Takaya Sasaki about him crediting the police department over their victory against the terrorist, he would later deny his words by claiming that another imposter had mimicking his voice for some strange propaganda. Meanwhile, the sudden destruction of Koukai Ward had left nearly six thousand people to lose their home. The majority of the homeless were transferred to Yumezaki Ward, which had recently cleared from quarantined..."
"Sudou really messed this city."
"Yeah."
Tatsuya could only agree to his brother's word. But they said nothing more, merely making eye contact with each other to the point that Tatsuya wanted to move away and escaped. But Katsuya quickly patted his shoulder.
"Don't dwell on it..."
Tatsuya couldn't feel his tears on his cheeks anymore, despite being reminded so. He quickly pushed Katsuya's hand away.
"No... It is my fault," Tatsuya answered, "I'm the reason he's dead... I'm such a horrible father."
"I rather blame Sudou than you. I know I have no right to say because I got no kids yet, but you need to take your time. That applies to Maya. She needs you."
Maya. Of course. He's not the only one who lost something. Katsuya continued.
"She's in room 22X, recently wake up, then cried as loud as she could. Ulala is comforting her. Baofu is there too. Can you..."
"Yeah."
"Listen, I got a call from the superintendent a while ago, asking for my presence. I just want you to know that the briefcase that I gave to Shiori was almost stolen."
"So your guess was right... Have you inform Eriko?"
"She should be on her way to my office. Call me when you're done."
After Katsuya left, Tatsuya began to walk to Maya's room.
On his way to Maya's room, he saw Jun, Eikichi, and Mia were gathering at the corner of the hallway, drinking canned drinks from the vending machine. While Eikichi was sitting next to Mia, Jun was the first to notice Tatsuya closing in.
"Tatsuya..." Jun spoke, gaining Eikichi and Mia's attention.
"Dude..." Eikichi called out, with his eyes seemed to be reddened as well, "You need a hug?"
"It's okay. I want to check on Maya," Tatsuya felt it's a waste of energy to answer him, but he did respond before his eyes turned to Mia. She had already changed into a normal dress, and she was still seen crying. Mr. Bunbun, which was roughed terribly with a hole at its chest amateurishly sewed together, was still in her arms.
"T-Tatsuya-san," Mia spoke, "I'm sorry. If I had noticed sooner..."
"Forget it," Tatsuya responded, "You're just a victim, like the rest of us."
"He's right," Eikichi crouched down as wiped her tears away, "Mia-chan, how about you go to the washroom and cleaned your face? You must be tired and sick running in the rain. I'll take you home, okay?"
Mia nodded. Seeing as it was past 5, it made sense that everyone will be exhausted. So, Tatsuya continued on, where he passed Hidehiko's room and saw Hidehiko standing by the door with his walking stick. His expression hinted that he heard the news. Plus, he was losing weight. Tatsuya refused to stop anytime soon, but Hidehiko's voice rang out.
"H-Hey man. I'm sorry about what happened. You want to talk-"
"Will you just quit that? It's not helping."
Tatsuya suddenly lashed out. He was getting frustrated that everyone constantly asking for his well-being when all he need was a free space. It's not as though they understood the loss that he felt. But immediately after reading Hidehiko's surprised reaction, he was quick to regret his words. Everyone was only worried as his friends.
"My bad..." Hidehiko replied, ready to return to his bed with some difficulty, but not before Tatsuya expressed himself.
"No, I'm sorry."
And he walked again until he reached a room which he assumed to be Maya's room. Baofu was sitting outside the room, coughing non-stop as he covered his mouth with a thick handkerchief. He took a deep breath to suppress his cough the moment he saw Tatsuya. The I.V bag was still connected to his wrist, and his face was getting paler than yesterday.
"You were elsewhere? *cough*" Baofu asked, pointing at a room, "Maya's inside. I'll tell *cough* Ulala to leave you alone."
"It's okay. I'll tell her myself. How are you?"
"Ulala warned me *cough* to not leave the hospital. She must have been really angry when I left yesterday. Forget me, go check on Maya."
But the moment he reached for the door, he felt an extreme chill throughout his body. He peeked at the mark and saw that, for some reason, the mark of Azathoth was glowing blue and cold. Something, whatever it was, was happening in the room. He flung open the door, and nearly back away in astonishment.
Ulala was sitting quietly on her chair next to Maya's bed, and Maya seemed to be awake, but merely staring at the ceiling. Ulala noticed his presence when he entered, although his wife seemed to not bother to lower her head and look. Her eyes were dark red, her hair unkempt, and her face expressed depression that gave off a bitter atmosphere.
But the thing that astonished him the most was a black fog that engulfed Maya's bed. It was the same fog that he had seen on Maya when she tried to cut her wrist days ago. Where did it come from? He turned to Ulala and saw no confusion on her face.
"Tatsuya, you're here. Hmmm? What's wrong?" Ulala asked when she stood up.
"You can't see it?"
"See what?"
Was he the only one who could see it? The black fog was so dark in color that he swore he could see a form on it. It was a figure of a woman, who slowly raised its head and left the bed.
"Tatsuya, are you okay?"
"Don't talk! It's doing something!"
The fog with the shape of a woman turned its head towards him.
"Tatsuya, what are you talking about?!" Ulala grabbed his shirt, "Don't tell me you start seeing stuff now that your son is dead?"
"No! It's real!"
Suddenly, in a flash of blackness, the black fog moved at the speed his eyes couldn't catch, and it passed through his body and left the room. It seemed to move somewhere, a destination in the hospital.
"It escapes!" Tatsuya pushed away Ulala's hand, "I need to know what that thing is!"
"Tatsuya!"
"What's going on, Ulala?" Baofu at the seat in front of the room stared in confusion when Tatsuya bolt away through the corridor.
"I don't know! I think he's losing it!" Ulala said.
"Is that so?" Baofu said while coughing, "Just leave him be. *cough* He's just distressed."
"I see..." Ulala nodded slightly before she changed the subject, "How are you?"
"Not bad *cough*," Baofu answered, "You looked like you have something to say."
"No, not really," Ulala shook her head, "I hope you wait a little longer now. I'm sure you'll be well soon."
Tatsuya ignored everything behind him and ran. He had to catch that fog that moved in a flash. But his fume was short, and he lost the fog for a while.
Meanwhile...
"Are you okay in there?" Eikichi asked, waiting outside the female washroom. There's no answer, only a loud humming, indicating that she was still inside.
"Hey, I'll..." Eikichi spoke, "We'll find another school for you, okay? But for now, you need a rest. There's a lot going on outside, and dangerous. So... God, I'm sucked at this... Mia-chan, are you still inside?"
There was no response and humming. Eikichi asked again, but he heard no sound from the inside. suspicion began to grip his mind.
"Mia-chan?! You're okay?"
And then, he heard a small scream, loud enough to be heard from the outside.
"AAHHH!"
After hearing the scream, Eikichi braced himself and entered the female washroom. He saw nobody at the sink, and most of the stalls were empty, except for one. Thankful that there was nobody inside, he reached the locked stall and knocked. He heard a cry from the inside. Panicked, he used all his might to kick open the door.
But what he found inside was not who he expected to see. Mia wasn't there. Inside was only a young woman, wearing a tight dress similar to the one he gave to Mia. She was crying while covering her face before she revealed a familiar face.
It was Maya's face.
"I... I remembered now," The woman said in tears, "I'm not Mia, I'm Maya's other self."
"What's going on?!"
When Eikichi turned to the door, he saw Tatsuya at the front door of the washroom. He must have overheard the scream.
"T-Tatsuya," Eikichi pointed at the woman, "You need to see this..."
He quickly entered and approached the stall. He observed the woman and his mouth opened a gap.
"The fog entered her body..."
Surrounding her body, only seen by Tatsuya, was a black fog that slowly dispersed into her body. Her face shocked him the most. It was the face of Maya when she was in her twenties. Her small dress barely hid her exposed body, and she was reading his face intensely, remained as silent as possible. Tatsuya quickly removed his jacket and handed it to her to cover her body.
"Where's Mia?"
"I..."
"She's..."
Tatsuya turned to the 'woman' and shook his head in disbelief, "No way..."
Tatsuya remembered the diary of Kandori. The event in the diary eerily reminded him of the situation in front of her. Was this the effect of Limbo Recall?
"So they did it."
Both Eikichi and Tatsuya turned to the third voice and was surprised to see Jun, standing not far from them with a spare female dress.
"Jun? What's happening to her? Why is she... Wait, you knew this would happen?"
"I had to do it, Tatsuya," Jun answered, "I sacrificed my sleep to do this, and I want you to understand that whatever I did was as I was told, nothing else."
"Then explained!" Eikichi said, "Why is Mia turning into Maya?"
"There is no 'Mia'," Jun replied, "She is Maya all this time. Now give her these clothes before she gets cold. I'll stop the time for some escape, but we need to hurry."
"S-Stop the time?! Where are we going?"
Jun smiled, "To Sonomura's house."
Late Evening - Sonomura's residence
"Now can I ask why we're here?" Tatsuya said as they reached the front gate of Maki's house. Eikichi and 'Mia' was close by behind him, trying to hide Mia from the public with a black blanket covering her face.
"Be patient, we will explain everything," Jun answered.
From the corner of their eyes, Maki, who was still in her doctor uniform, was standing by the door into the living room and gestured them kindly.
"So it works..." Maki voiced out in surprise when she saw Mia.
"Who else is inside?" Jun asked.
"Just me and my kids. They're sleeping in their room. Don't worry, the walls pretty thick," Maki replied and gestured them inside.
They all entered the house, which was two stories high. Maki's kids were on the above floor, while they discussed at the front hall. Tatsuya was silent, but it's clear he was suppressing his impatience.
"Now out with it," Tatsuya said, "What are you not telling us about Mia? I need to know."
Tatsuya then glanced at Mia, "If it's true that she's Maya other self, then how is 'she' here? And for what purpose?"
"She is the purpose," Jun answered. Maki stood up as if waiting for Jun's signal. Jun nodded, and Maki hurriedly went to the hidden door not far from them.
"And we had to use him for her to be who she is now," Jun continued and turned to the door, "Don't scream too loud when you see him. He's still weak, after all."
While he stood confused, Maki exited the door and appeared to cradle a young kid on her shoulder.
The moment he recognized the brown hair, he almost lost his mind and sprinted towards her and the boy. He couldn't believe his eyes at the sleeping face of that boy, for he swore he just lost his beloved son today.
"M-M-Matsu..." Tatsuya stuttered as he saw the boy. Maki smiled and gently hand over the boy to him. Tatsuya had learned most of his life to endure the tears of sorrow, but at this moment, he thought it was fine to shed some tears of joy. As he cradled his son, Tatsuya knew for certain from his temperature that it was the real Matsuya Suou.
"Matsuya!"
He hugged his son as tight as he could, for he still couldn't believe his eyes. He heard the sound of grumbling from Matsuya, who was interrupted in his sleep. Maki's kids would probably hear this, but he didn't care. Life was literally in his arms. The evening sun shone from the outside through the window, illuminating the redness of the boy's cheek, and he was certain that his son is a hero for surviving death. Carefully, Tatsuya rested his body on the couch not far from him, and his eyes turned sharp at Maki, then Jun.
"The Matsuya at the hospital..."
"Fake," Maki answered, "Igor prepared the body, and all I had to do was lie about the death."
Tatsuya wasted no time in asking the big question, "Why?"
"To deceive Maya and plunged her into despair. We couldn't tell you because we were worried Maya would know."
"Hoo, you said it so casually... I would have punched you if you're a stranger, but thankfully..." Tatsuya wiped his tears clean, "For what reason, Maki? Why go so far to make her suffer like this?"
"To create her," Jun turned to Mia. Tatsuya watched her again and wondered about her before giving the gesture look at Jun. Jun nodded and began his story.
"'Mia', in truth, is the manifestation of Maya's despair. This may be surprising, but it was possible due to Limbo Recall."
"THE Limbo Recall?" Tatsuya repeated. He was reminded of Limbo Recall's true purpose by Juugo.
"Years ago, Maya's other self at the Sea of Soul was captured by Juugo. Her despair began to take more solid form, but due to Maya's lack of awareness of her own despair, it only took the form of a young girl. She was sent to the Velvet Room a year ago, where we took her in and keep her out of everyone's reach to hide her."
Mia, who was silent for a while, spoke, "My caretaker taught me how to paint as well to visualize my thoughts better."
"You mean Kazuma Kaneda?" Tatsuya widened his eyes, "Who is he, really?"
Mia leaned closer and whispered something. Tatsuya was both surprised and astonished at the identity. The truth was, even Jun and Maki had no idea who Kazuma Kaneda truly was, other than he was an ally.
"He taught you how to paint. How could I mislook that?" Tatsuya chuckled, "But what does that have anything to do with you seeing those horrible vision?"
Mia lowered her head as if remembering some bad memories, but she answered nonetheless, "I remembered being in a land far beyond here. Similar, but not the same. I saw many creatures and..."
She paused before focusing her eyes on him, "Tatsuya, you will find the answer yourself. Just one more day, and you shall know everything during War's awakening."
Jun continued from her, "And she must be protected to ensure that she's mature enough to be Maya's perfect other self for a year under Demon Painter's care, but the process is slow."
"It was Naoya who came to me first," Maki intercepted, "Remember that day when we returned from Mikage-Cho? Naoya talked to me about the plan. I hesitated, but if it can save Maya and assist you, I will do it."
"So that's what you're talking about," Tatsuya finally said. He sank himself into deep thoughts and tried to piece all the puzzle together.
"So you need Maya to feel extreme despair to fuel the existence of 'Mia', which is why you need to trick her into thinking that Matsuya is dead. The fog I saw coming out of her, was it her despair leaking? And Naoya was the one who planned all this?"
"Correct," Jun answered, "And I even had to lie to you by saying that Maya can't be saved to trick you. In truth, Maya can be saved, the rest of the 'sacrifice' can be saved with Limbo Recall. She's our answer."
Mia bowed, for she understood, but Tatsuya still needed a clearer answer.
"Based on Kandori's secret diary, I found out that the true power of Limbo Recall is to separate one's inner self from their body, forming an empty hollow with their appearance. Karu Juugo said too that Limbo Recall can save the 'sacrifice'. The main question is HOW?"
Maki, Jun, and Eikichi however locked eyes on him with great interest. It was then that he remembered that he told not many about Kandori's diary, and told no one of what happened to him on the 'other side'. Tatsuya saw that this was the right time to reveal the truth to them. In a way, revealing the truth somewhat eased his pain.
"You met me from the other side?" Eikichi said after Tatsuya finished his story, "And you saw Juugo's hidden lab too? If I heard that from myself, I would not believe me."
"And you saw Juugo's record about a subject named Sho Minazuki," Maki said.
"Yeah, I know. Sh*t, I've forgotten to tell Mitsuru. She's the one looking for him the most."
"But if your story was right, then..." Jun mused to himself before his face brightened, "I think it's time we come to the main topic."
Jun continued, "Remember what Father Time said about the condition to be a 'sacrifice' is? You need to be a separated self from your original. Maya is not a separate self, but that only applies to this world. On the 'other side', Maya is considered as 'other self'. But..."
He became serious, "What if you can create another 'other self' from the 'sacrifice'? If all they need is an 'other self', then sacrificing another part of them should fulfill the requirement of 'other self', so-"
Tatsuya finally understood.
"So if we offer up one of Maya's 'other self', then the original Maya won't be sacrificed! Ha! To think Naoya came out with such a plan!"
"Okay, I'm lost!" Eikichi paused, "Other self's 'other self'? So you need a part of the original self, then you make another part from that part? I'm just going to indulge myself in confusion..."
Jun continued, "Don't worry, Eikichi. And that is the true purpose of Limbo Recall. But the 'emperor' unfortunately is imprisoned. We would love to have him here."
"No, he's not Naoya."
Tatsuya revealed as he shook his head, "Even when my brother and I first saw him in prison, we know he's not Naoya. Manners can't be copied 100 percent perfectly. We confirmed our suspicion by leaking the wrong info to him. If I had to guess, the real Naoya is elsewhere, while the one we caught is, highly probably, Kazuya Toudou."
"What?!" It was Eikichi who screamed, which he was silenced by Maki to avoid disturbing her kids.
"So you're saying, the real Naoya is somewhere else?" Maki asked.
"Yep. Hopefully, it's in that submarine."
"Color me impress," Jun said in amazement.
"So, if all preparation is complete, then Maya's despair self could-"
"Actually, there's one more," Jun stopped him, "We need one more confirmation from our subject from Tatsumi Port Island."
Tatsuya stared at him as if he was mad, for it was too sudden for that name to emerge.
Afternoon - 29/11/2012 (Thursday) - Raku's Hotel, Near Tatsumi Port Island
(1 day before War's arrival)(a few hours earlier)
The rest of the Shadow Operative shifted their attention between the two Yukari in front of them, who both sat on the sofa as one of them were eating snacks on the table. Junpei was usually too ignorant to know the situation, but it's logical to have him demanding answers more than usual, just like the rest of the teammates. They have yet to inform Mitsuru and Aigis at Sumaru, seeing as they both had their hands full with Mitsuru's curse. However, this was not the kind of problem they could solve on their own, for introducing another 'twin-like' person without having an actual twin was something that was impossible for Yukari to explain.
One Yukari was palming her face with stress, while the other 'Yukari' was friendlier than they had ever seen. The only ones in the lounge were 'both' Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, and Labrys. Ken was at school, while Fuuka was extra busy at the headquarters. Koromaru was watching at the side with confusion and fear as he watched both Yukari.
"I knew the Velvet Room was bad news," Junpei commented as he shook his head.
"Did they split you into two, or did they replicate you?" Labrys asked innocently.
"You need to start asking questions, Takeba," Akihiko responded to Labrys's question.
"I don't even know where to start," Yukari said, "Other than she's my other self, I don't know anything else."
"But I guess it'll be okay for me to stay here for a while?" The 'other' Yukari responded gleefully as she munched the snacks, "Another mouth won't hurt, right?"
"I don't think that's the main problem here," Akihiko rubbed his head in distress, "How are we going to tell Mitsuru... Hmmm?"
At the front door, they heard a soft knock. Junpei proceeded to open the door and sighed heavily.
"Yuka-tan, those guys from the room are back."
Junpei opened the door and two people -they remembered them as Theodore and Margaret- entered the room, with Theodore holding some sort of briefcase. Their eyes immediately locked on the two Yukari, and they motioned towards them without a word.
"What else do you want?" Labrys asked, curious about their motive.
"Oh, pardon us," Theodore bowed as if he just noticed them, "We're here for the both Yukari. We'll be quick, seeing as we are quite in urgent as well."
"Yukari's heroic self," Margaret stopped at the 'other' Yukari and lent out her hand, "Give me your hand. I need to check your condition."
The rest watched as Theodore opened the briefcase and took out a thermometer and a blood pressure tester. Margaret checked 'other' Yukari's temperature and a few more things that baffled them. If it was a complete stranger, both Yukari would have kicked them out by now. Only trust that restrained 'other' Yukari on her sofa. After a short while, Margaret seemed to smile, while Theodore began to jump joyfully.
"Sister, we did it! The test works!" Theodore exclaimed, "Should we tell master Igor?"
"Yes, and we will proceed to rush the sample to Sumaru City," Margaret answered calmly as she faced both Yukari, "Thank you for being our subject. The other 'you' will return to your body in a few weeks. By the time the prophecy is over, she won't be here anymore."
"Hold it!" Yukari stood up from her sofa and expressed her anger, "Subject?! Ah, is this about that 'antidote' you gave me? What did you do to me?!"
"I-I can explain," Theodore began to speak, but fright resurfaced still on his face, "Basically, we have a sample that can help giving more 'soul' to the 'other self'. Meaning that the 'other' you (glancing at the second Yukari) will retain her body better. Of course, given time, you two can still use a persona."
"Think of it as something that retains the body of your 'other self'," Margaret continued, "If we further the experiment, I believe it is possible to even materialize over 20 of your inner self."
"20?!" Junpei shouted.
"Yes! You could make a football team by yourself, haha!"
Nobody laughed at Theodore's joke.
"But I didn't ask for this!" Yukari shouted, "'Return' her to me at once!"
"I... We need to go!"
Theodore and Margaret quickly left the lounge through the mysterious door they summoned.
"Uh... do you have spare clothes?" The 'other' Yukari asked her original self. She was borrowing one of Yukari casual dress, "I kinda want to go to work..."
"No," Yukari firmly answered with a strong glare, "Stay here and don't go anywhere this time."
The 'other' Yukari felt like she was grounded like a child.
Tatsuya Suou
Evening - Sonomura's residence
"An antidote?" Tatsuya repeated the words from Jun, "All these thing you gave to Yukari Takeba, experimenting... Who thought of all this?"
"Naoya Toudou himself," Jun said, "He's the one who told us about the true potential of Limbo Recall because he said he was involved in its creation."
Tatsuya remembered about how Naoya began experimenting Limbo Recall with Juugo in Kandori's diary.
"There's still a few loose ends, but this is fine for now."
"Okay..." Tatsuya took out his lighter and fidget it a few times, "...So, tell me. What else do I need to do?"
"Prepare for tomorrow's big event. We need you to return to the 'other side'," Jun said, "We'll take care of the 'emperor' later. Maki, go to the Velvet Room instantly. Margaret and Theodore should arrive with the sample now."
"I will," Maki responded, but suddenly, Eikichi stopped her.
"Hold it," Eikichi said. His face was gravely pale, "Does that mean... you're going to sacrifice Mia?"
All eyes turned to him, while Mia turned down her head to hide her expression.
"In a way," Jun answered calmly, so calm that it angered him.
"But that's...!" Eikichi half-screamed, "That will kill her, right? Tatsuya, please say something! Technically, she's your wife too!"
Tatsuya, however, turned himself away.
"I would do anything to protect Maya," Tatsuya said, clenching his fist and gritted his teeth, "I know she will be sacrificed, but... if that can save the 'real' Maya, then I..."
"Eikichi, this is the purpose of Limbo Recall," Jun comforted Eikichi, "We sacrifice the smaller part to spare the bigger one."
"You can't be serious..." Eikichi looked at each of them with disappointment, "You guys really are..."
And then, from his right, Mia came to him. Her lips opened slightly, wanting to speak her mind and selected her words carefully.
"Eikichi... Thank you for everything," Mia spoke with a soft tone, a nostalgic voice from his younger days, "You'll be a great dad. I know you will."
Mia bowed and that was it. Eikichi understood there and then that Mia was the readiest of everyone.
"Mia... No, 'Maya'," Eikichi raised her head and finally allowed a single shed of tears out, "To think it was you who gave me the slight joy of having a kid."
They stopped their speech when, from the bed, they heard the groaning of Matsuya. Tatsuya was overjoyed again to see his son, for the memories of his son's death faded completely.
Night - Medic room, R'lyeh (Revelation's headquarter)
"Good work, Babylon. Will provide you the medicine later as promised."
Juugo sent the message in his phone as he and a few assistants walked to the medic room, where a loud scream was heard from the inside. Several doctors were kicked out of the room, and one was killed by strong force. He stood in front of the room and overseeing the bodies outside when one doctor came to him in panic.
"Sir, we can't do it!" The doctor said in tears, "Mr. Sudou was too violent! We can't cure him! He's ranting on his bed as we speak, and his persona is attacking our men!"
"Understood," Juugo replied, donning his black hat and entered the room. On the bed was Tatsuya Sudou, who were deeply injured on his face and still bleeding, but rantingly pushed everyone away in a blind rage.
"F*ck him, F*CK HIM! I WILL KILL THAT PIECE OF SH*T MYSELF!" Sudou screamed. All who were standing in the room shivered from fear except Juugo. The professor approached the man and signaled everyone to leave the room.
"You shot Matsuya Suou, son of Tatsuya Suou," Juugo spoke, "And you got yourself injured beyond recovery. Our term with Babylon is thus complete, and yet we still required her service. You terminate this partnership too soon."
"I don't care about that b*tch! She's probably the one who leak our operation to Tatsuya!" Sudou forcefully pressed the bandage on his head as he said this. But Juugo noticed immediately that his voice was slowly decreasing in volume, for the amount of blood loss had finally tampered with his brain. Juugo was in truth surprised that Sudou was still alive, even at this point.
"I just contact Takaya, and he was clear when he said he told nothing of the operation to Babylon," Juugo again spoke, "As much as I refuse to offend you, I will have to be on Babylon's side this time. There are 87% chances that she didn't sell you out. I've already messaged her to give her the things like you promised-"
"No, don't give her anything! We will terminate her tomorrow! And you... this is your fault..." Sudou glared, "You have to fix this!"
Juugo refused to argue further with the man. His rage and injuries had probably made everyone he saw as a threat. Sudou would not last the night to see the revival of War, and the mad leader knew so, which added fire to his rage.
"Fault is a matter of perspective," Juugo replied, "But I do believe I can fix this."
Gesturing his servant to hand the small box to him, Juugo opened the box and gently took out the content. It was a syringe with a strange white liquid inside. The most disturbing things about the syringe were the movement of the liquid made it seemed... alive.
"The f*ck..." Sudou glared at the object, "Wasn't that the thing you made yourself? What are you doing with that thing...?"
"This will hurt," Juugo said with utmost honesty as he ignored Sudou's baffled stare. In a flash, he injected the needle akin to stabbing with a knife on the neck of Sudou. As Juugo backed away slowly, Sudou began to scream in pain, writhing on his bed and clenched his head in pain.
His shadow began to expand, and soon he was twice the size of his original body. The scientist and doctor escaped the room in a panic. But not Juugo.
"This was mean for Strife's 'sacrifice', but I think you might be compatible," Juugo said, "Doctor, check his temperature. I want results in half an hour."
Juugo then left the room and went a few floors below, the lowest part of R'lyeh submarine, leaving the newborn monster to his own. He went through a series of doors and gates before he reached a few cages used to caged in an animal. In one of the cage were two figures, a man and a woman. Juugo took out his yellow hat and wore it before he smiled.
"Hello, Naoya Toudou," Juugo said to the man in the cage.
Naoya Toudou
Night - 29/11/2012 (Thursday) - R'lyeh
(1 day before War's arrival)
"Karu Juugo..." Naoya Toudou called out to him, suppressing his anger for kidnapping him last night. Juugo paid no heed to his demeanor and continued.
"Kazuya Toudou is taking your place with Eriko. You may keep her at your side for now," Juugo turned to the sleeping woman next to Naoya. It was Erio Kirishima, who was still not returning to her old self after being drugged with Limbo Recall.
"What are you planning to do by switching us out?" Naoya asked.
"I have my motive," Juugo replied, decided to be tight lips about it, "Tomorrow's a big day. Don't worry~! You will get out. Just not now. Sit tight."
Juugo was walking away towards the exit when Naoya paused him.
"Juugo, are you still continuing that experiment?" He asked, "Are you still taking lives to further the study of Limbo Recall?"
"And you didn't?" Juugo turned his back to him and took a few steps closer to the cage. He switched out to a purple hat and his posture changed to a different man, "When I saw subject #104 during the dinner 2 days ago, I was honestly shocked. How did that failed experiment escaped and fell under your care? How did you preserve something that lasted for years? It could only mean one thing: you continued our experiment yourself with Philemon."
"T-That's..." Naoya spoke but turned away when he realized that it was true, "But I didn't involve anyone else! I used myself as a scapegoat, unlike you!"
"But your progress?" Juugo glared, "Do you assumed that the progress will bear fruit anytime soon? You knew it was useless. I didn't break my promise. I gave you a sample."
Naoya paused again. In truth, he knew Juugo was watching nearby him, always. He has actually noticed some presence at night during his sleep. One night, he saw a bottle of liquid in front of his house, with Juugo's signature on it. He was angry, but he accepted the 'antidote' nonetheless, a pang of guilt that struck him more than he could imagine. He gave it to Maki for experimentation and Maki would eventually give it to Igor, which supposedly will be passed down to Yukari Takeba for confirmation.
"I told you before, haven't I? I will perfect the Limbo Recall. Some sacrifice is unavoidable. You talk about saving them, but you can't even use one life? You were honestly relieved that I continued the experiment, didn't you? You don't have to play the guilt if you're not partaking. That is understandable for a human. And if you wish to avoid partaking in the experiment..." Juugo switched back to his default black hat, "Then let me do my things. You just need to wait until I give you the next one."
He wanted to retaliate, but he knew more than anyone that he needed the perfected drug. But was it right to sacrifice many for just four people? He won't accept that. Yet he knew he was powerless as he was trapped in this anonymous location. Juugo was right, he was shamefully relieved to have Juugo doing the bad parts to save the 'sacrifice'.
"Sir!"
From the exit, a servant with a mask entered the room and ran towards Juugo. He seemed to whisper something, but Naoya was able to hear the words 'Inaba' and 'return just now'. Juugo nodded and sent him away.
"Good night, 'emperor'. My subordinate arrived a while ago with my subject. Back to business."
"Juugo, wait!"
But Juugo was quick to leave the place, leaving both Naoya and the sleeping Erio alone in the darkness.
Night - Parabellum Bar, Aoba
"The reports said that the commander of the submarine demands Takaya be arrested and executed. If the demands are not met, they will open fire at the city. Last minute evacuation will be held early tomorrow to avoid the attack. The messiah himself does not give any comment regarding the matters..."
Eriko sat on the table as she drank another cup of wine after listening to the news. All citizens were to be evacuated early tomorrow, and she packed herself for the next day. In truth, she will stay and support the Suou brothers from the shadow to face the enemies. This time, she was careful to avoid getting drunk, but depending on what she will hear from Maki, she might need to drink. Maki Sonomura was sitting next to her, but she didn't touch the glass since she arrived 5 minutes ago. Eriko, however, understood her peril to unravel the secret. Eriko finally asked as she chugged down her wine. Maki looked around before whispered.
"Matsuya Suou is alive."
"Purrgh!"
Eriko coughed her drink when she heard Maki's revelation.
"Matsuya Suou is still alive under our protection, I mean in my house," Maki repeated herself to make sure Eriko listened, "And... (Maki observed around to check on stalkers) ...nobody is supposed to know this, not even Maya herself."
"Matsuya is..." Eriko toned down her volume, "Matsuya is alive? But I heard...! What's going on?! What about Tatsuya?"
"Tatsuya knows," Maki answered, "Listen, tomorrow, you need to do something for me. Please do this. This is about Naoya."
Eriko lamented when she heard the pleads. Earlier this evening, she went to the police station and conversed with Miyashiro regarding a lot of things. One such thing was that Naoya might be a spy for the Revelation, though they both against that possibility. Naoya will be transferred tomorrow to the other side of the mountain, supposedly 'monitored'. But a lot of things wasn't right with all of this. Yesterday, was it really Naoya? Could it, perhaps, be Kazuya in disguise? And now even Maki wanted her to do something tomorrow?
From behind them, however, a woman voice was heard, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hey, you two."
Eriko and Maki turned around to see it was Lisa, who had a bag of redness underneath her eyes.
"L-Lisa? I didn't notice you," Maki said.
"Oh? I just came in. Had to get a drink after what happened today," Eriko answered, "Matsuya-kun is -sorry- was such a good boy. To think that bastard Sudou did such a thing."
"But you weren't there..." Maki responded, narrowing her eyes in slight confusion, "I couldn't see you in the hospital. Did you come by and visited Maya?"
"I did, but just a while," Lisa turned to Eriko, "So, what were you two talking about?"
"Uh..." Eriko mumbled as she focused on Maki. Maki slightly shook her head without Lisa noticing. Eriko nodded.
"Just talking about Matsuya as well. Here to chat and..."
The three spent a while talking. After 20 minutes, there were not many customers left. The owner, too, wished to pack his bag for tomorrow. Lisa excused herself for some urgent business. Only when Lisa finally out of sight that Eriko asked.
"Why not her?"
"Because Tatsuya said not to trust her with anything regarding Matsuya. He said..." Maki paused for a while, "He said that she might be Babylon."
Tatsuya Suou
Windy - Late Night - Nanjo's memorial hospital
"Babylon still hasn't been found. But we're close now. Did Lisa come by and visit? If so, try not to listen to her too much. I'll be joining Katsuya for tomorrow. We're going to invade that submarine by stealth, and- Sorry, you don't really want to hear that. So... I was just... if you're listening... know that I'm still here, to protect you..."
As Tatsuya sat next to Maya's bed, he wished that Maya would at least listen to his words. Yet, he wasn't sure if Maya was listening at all. She was quiet, gazing on her hands ever since Tatsuya walked into the room a while ago. The antidote Maki give him had already been administrated to Maya in the guise of cold drinks. The scar that she made on her wrist days ago had begun to heal, the doctor said. But he was worried that Maya might attempt to injure herself again after the loss of her son. Tatsuya was particularly careful in not bringing up Matsuya's name, not wanting her to find out just yet. Maki said that Tatsuya may reveal the truth only when the antidote that they received from Tatsumi Port Island finally take full effect, which should take the entire night. Until then, Mia wished to be away from the public, including him.
"You'll be evacuated out of the city tomorrow morning with the rest of the patients. Don't worry, Ulala will take care of you, so you need to sleep early tonight. Come on, it's close to 12."
Maya simply nodded, but her face was ashen white. It didn't seem like she'll be sleeping anytime soon. But as she laid her head on the soft pillow behind her, Maya spoke for the first time.
"Do you still have Mr. Bunbun?"
"Oh, I..." Tatsuya stuttered. The doll was in Matsuya's possession currently. He needed to lie.
"It's under confiscation, and it is damaged."
"Oh..." Maya responded. She clenched the blanket in her palm tightly. Her mouth itching to tell something.
"When I gave Mr. Bunbun to Matsuya, he asked me: "Mommy, why is this thing so important to you?" I said because it's my precious memories from my childhood, and I want him to share part of it. Then he asked what if he lost it, and would I get angry. I just told him that I would not be angry if it is an accident, and I believe that he would take good care of it. I told him that the doll will be our red string of fate, binding us close."
Maya smiled slightly before she continued as she turned to Tatsuya.
"On your graduation day, I met Jun's father and draw something for him. I drew us, but our string of fate wasn't connected. I wanted to be separated because I thought it's for the best. And yet, we're married and here we are. Are we wrong to be together at all? Is this my punishment?"
"No!" Tatsuya stopped her, "The drawing that you made, it still exists! I've seen it! and Matsuya..."
He almost spilled out the truth. Just a little more, and he'll reveal the truth. Jun was right, perhaps it's for the best by not telling him about Matsuya from the start.
"...Sleep," Matsuya ended the conversation. He made sure Maya was truly asleep before he left the room. War is literally 24 hours away within his reach. It was both a mission and a war for him. It was at that moment, Tatsuya felt his mark burning again. He checked it again and was shocked beyond words.
His hand was burning. He panicked and immediately searched for a washroom. Strange as it may be, the dark red flame was not hot now that he saw it. It felt itchy and discomforting, but after a while, the pain was gone.
"Tatsuya..."
He heard a familiar voice in the middle of the dark corridor. He went and examined his wife, but she was asleep.
"He got me... He got me... Nuclear Chaos is coming..."
It was then he realized it was his own voice echoing in his mind. He clenched his head and reached to the voice.
"Are you... me from the 'other side'?"
He knew it was the voice of him from the 'other side', who contacted him via telepathy.
"There won't be 'other side' anymore soon... See for yourself..."
Cue to his clearing words, Tatsuya felt possessed in his eyes, for which he came to see a horrible event at the 'other side'. The Xibalba Tatsuya was in the church, and in his hand was holding Lisa from the 'other side'. She was panting heavily, and her below torso was bleeding. Lisa's face was ashen white, her consciousness fading, and her hand gripping Xibalba Tatsuya's hand tightly. Xibalba Tatsuya looked around the altar and saw countless others, injured and resting, while the outside was thunderously loud with gunshot and bombing.
"We were planning on using the Ark, but somehow, for some goddamn reason, the number of shadows and demons skyrocketed through the roof. And the sky... damn..."
"Tell me, what did you see?"
"The sky is gone. There's no more cloud. If only I could describe the huge... 'thing' looming above us. Jun believed that it is a flying city, but I don't care. Lisa's suddenly gone into labor. The rest is fighting outside. There are thousands of them!"
"Flying city?" Tatsuya cursed, "Darn it! What's going on over there?! If only I-"
"Don't bother, you can't help us," Xibalba Tatsuya said. His voice in his mind was harrowing, "I... think I'm going to lose it... Listen, whoever voice you hear after this conversation; ignore them. My time is up, 'me'. I'm going to be possessed anytime soon."
"Wait, did Azathoth finally..."
The telepathy was cut short. Suddenly, the mark on his hand shrunk to a mere small symbol on the back of his palm. The pain was no more, and he felt his chest warmer. He felt that Xibalba Tatsuya was taking away his curse from him. Confused as he was, there was something more curious happening at the far end of the hall. A few doctors were rushing to somewhere in panic. Tatsuya wanted to ask before the Dark Hour rendered them into coffins.
"What happened?" Tatsuya asked when he approached one of the doctors in charge. They had a grave expression when they revealed the truth.
"Kei Nanjo is in critical states currently! No, all the other comatose patients suffered from the Limbo Recall are in dying states!"
"What?!"
30/11/2012(Friday) - Celephais, Limbo
(Friday of War)
Kei Nanjo was panicked beyond words. In fact, everyone in the city was in a hysterical state. Shinjiro, his fellow persona user who was usually so calm, was losing control of himself. His butler was praying like a madman, and everyone left the building to the outside, as far as they could from the center of the city. The ground was shaking, the winds were gusting, and the screams were horrifying. Nanjo couldn't believe that the afterlife could be this horrible. The impression that began a while ago seemed to indicate that he was heading straight to hell's gate.
He saw something on top of that tower. It was that giant statue he saw when he first arrived here. The stone statue seemly breaking apart by the quaking, yet it didn't fall or shattered completely. Instead, it seemed to lock together with the 'tower', if it could still be considered a tower. Chained doors around the tower were breaking apart. The violent earthquakes that came all of a sudden wanted to push everyone out of bound, yet here Nanjo resisted and grabbed on to one of the street light pole. Yamaoka hung on to another corner of streets, while Shinjiro was hiding behind a building.
Nanjo looked again at the tower and indeed saw that the tower was tall no more. The chasm, seen through the chained door around the tower, began to fill itself with screams and roar of a colossal. He could never understand Philemon's power or Nyarlathotep, including their symbols. So, what did those things implicated?
What did those mass of red butterflies that were swarming out of the tower truly meant?
"What..." Nanjo spoke before it turned into cries, "What is that thing?!"
A giant eye of a massive creature was gazing through the chasm of that chained door. The stone statue began to reveal a more vivid shape underneath it. There, he saw the statue of Trumpeter, revealing itself as if to hum its warning to mankind.
A/N: We're reaching the climax of this long arc in the next chapter. Sorry for the late update. My schedule was tight. So, Matsuya Suou is alive, and now Sudou wants more. Who is Babylon, what is Naoya's plan? Hopefully, you guy can wait for the next slow update.