War Arc:
Chapter 59: A Task Out of Time
Tatsuya Suou
Cloudy - Late Morning – 30/11/2012(Friday) – Red Harbor, Sumaru City
(Friday of War)
"Maya is what?!" Tatsuya screamed, jumping the bench nearby the broken boathouse upon the news by Mitsuru Kirijo. He was still being treated by Shiori at the moment, half-naked with bandages covering his torso. Yet he was so enraged that he didn't care his son nearby was watching his frustration, "You promised me you watch over her! But Mia's here, and Ulala disappear, and I just lost my damn job!"
Mitsuru merely bowed down in front of him, watched closely by Aigis who tried to interject, but unable to.
"Karu Juugo was beyond my expectation," Mitsuru answered apologetically, "And I hesitated, for a moment, when he summoned a persona reminded me of our leader when I could have avoided it. No, I'm not making excuses. But..."
It was suddenly Mitsuru's turn to show her judgment, as if waiting for a chance for vengeance after the harsh critics days ago, when she said, "You done me wrong as well. Why did you withhold the information about Sho Minazuki from us? Were we also wrong about you, Mr. Suou?"
"That..." Tatsuya responded, but paused himself, for he knew he was wrong in treating such matter as though it was light, "...I have no word."
"You said I could leave this to you, but if only you told us, maybe that information could assist you, and us, in some way. I consider this even," Mitsuru said, puffing her chest high to return the scold to him.
"Takaya is forcing us into early retirement," Katsuya, who was talking to Shiori, entered the conversation to spare his brother, "We have no power now. If you want to redeem yourself, Kirijo- (Mitsuru was glaring at him) ...Let me rephrase that- perhaps allowing us to make up for our mistake, I suggested you assist my underlings Shiori Miyashiro in 'cleaning up' this situation. Shiori, you're still in power. Can you help us?"
"You will always be my superior," Shiori answered, "If you suggested so. Then I will remain in this city to spy on Takaya's activities."
But then, Shiori paused, for there was a sensitive question buried in her tongue. But Katsuya knew, lifting his chin upon her to taunt. It eased her pain, and she spoke.
"How did he die?" Shiori asked, "Was it the explosion?"
"No, he was killed," Tatsuya answered, "Sho Minazuki did it."
"My condolence," Mitsuru bowed. It was then that a few friends of him walked towards them. Eikichi was bawling his eyes out, and Reiji was explaining still to his wife and son about the situation. Lisa was holding back her tears when she approached him.
"We know he was sick," Lisa said, wiping away the rolling tears on her cheeks, "But we don't expect him to go this soon."
"He's gone!" Eikichi cried, standing next to Lisa, "And Ulala is gone too! What do we do know?! Mia's still here! A-And I don't want to lose another friend!"
"I know," Tatsuya said. But he said no more, for from afar, he saw his close friend, Jun Kashihara, moved past the patrols and walking towards him. His bleeding torso was messily warped with a bandage, with sweats covering his face due to the pain he endured. Mia, who was sitting next to Matsuya and Takashi Kido on the bench at the far end of the harbor, was the first to ran towards him and assisted his walk.
"Jun, oh no..." Tatsuya ran towards him and grabbed him by the shoulder, "You shouldn't take him head-on if you can't win. Kirijo told me what happened. We find a way to beat Juugo next time, so rest."
"I'm sorry..." Jun answered with panting voice, "I thought I analyzed him first before we fight him again. It was my fault. I didn't show Mia to Kirijo first."
"Enough talking," Katsuya said, "We're all exhausted, but Maya is still in their hand. When's the ceremony commenced, Jun?"
"Conquest started his at dawn," Reiji joined the conversation with Mia, Takashi his son, and Matsuya, "Maybe each Horseman start at a different time of the day?"
"Tatsuya, she's at Xibalba," Jun said, "You need to go there. I suggested you bring Mia with you. You understand, do you?"
Tatsuya and Mia nodded without saying a word.
Naoya Toudou
Cloudy - Late Morning – 30/11/2012(Friday) – Red Harbor, Sumaru City
(Friday of War)
Inside the small tent set up by the patrol, the escaped patients from R'lyeh was treated. There were only a few doctors kept close to the police force, with the rest of them fled from the city. Many of the patients took a turn, waiting for the doctor. Eriko begged Shiori to let the doctor treated her twin sister first. Naoya, too recommended as such, for he knew Erio was in a much worse state.
The doctor didn't give a good response. Clinically, Erio should have been long dead, in her mind. Her preserved body meant nothing if she's brain dead. Healing her body was easy, but her mind will never recover. Four times Eriko asked the doctor to repeat, each time was the same answer. Seeing Erio Kirishima laying on the floor beneath a blanket, Naoya knew from the start that she had no chance of recovery. He reached out to Eriko as she hugged her sister in tears, but she pushed aside his hand in anger and grief.
"If only you're not here..." Eriko cursed, not even looking at him, "If only you're not Prime Anima, she would still live..."
"...You're right," Naoya responded heartbrokenly, "It's all my fault. I made all this. I... I killed Baofu."
"...Go away," Eriko said. She didn't look at him because she couldn't hold her grief if she made another gaze at him, "Just leave me alone..."
Added with the death of Baofu, the atmosphere was incredibly tense, that only some good news will bring some sort of comfort. If there was a way to make up what he did, he would do it without a second thought. Which he did. He remembered something.
"I'll come back again," Naoya said at last before he departed hurriedly to Tatsuya. Many others were gathering for a big conversation and were not too welcoming to Naoya's sudden barge.
"You're the bad guy from TV!" Takashi Kido, Reiji's son, said upon looking at him.
"No, he's not. Now trot along. Adults need to talk," Reiji said.
"You too, Matsuya-kun," Tatsuya said, "I'll come back to you later."
The moment Takashi and Matsuya departed, they began their true discussion. Naoya was partly surprised to know who Mia is, for he knew it made sense. But how Mia was sent here was a mystery to him. He never thought it was possible for Juugo to 'snatch' Maya's shadow from the Sea of Soul. Perhaps Juugo wanted to create another 'sacrifice' out of Maya from the start, but failed? Perhaps there was an answer in Xibalba he didn't know of.
"Are you going to Xibalba?" Naoya asked.
"Damn right I am," Tatsuya fidgetted his lighter as he answered, "The problem is I don't know how it is done. Last time was an accident."
"Can you take one more?"
Tatsuya looked at him straight in the eyes and backed away as he said, "Why do you want to go too?"
"You said Juugo had a lab there. Show me. Perhaps I know more if I see them. There might be a cure for Erio that we don't know about."
"There's nothing left there. I've seen it."
"Not if you travel back to when there's everything," Jun suddenly said. Everyone turned to Jun with curious eyes.
"You mean, back in time?" Eikichi said as he widened his eyes.
"You have that power?" Lisa wondered.
"Of course, I'm the summoner of the God of Time. Tatsuya, you will find clues there."
"Besides," Naoya replied, "I'm sure Nyarlathotep will be there too. You need a helping hand."
"Then it's settled," Jun said with a smile. From his pocket, Jun took out a small wristwatch, his own watch that Tatsuya brought for him as a present decades ago. He handed it to Tatsuya, "Here is my watch. I filled it with Father Time's power. You only have two trips, one to the past, and one to the present day. Any more will need a long and extra charging. Don't waste it."
Jun gripped Tatsuya's hand, and Naoya saw the mark of Azathoth glowing. Then, Jun leaned close to Tatsuya and whispered something to him. He couldn't guess at the severity of the information Jun told his friend. But Tatsuya appeared partly shocked, then determined.
Walking close to the broken pier, Tatsuya was trailed along with Mia and Naoya. They stopped, and Tatsuya gazed at his arms. He then turned to his son with a reaffirming smile.
"I'll come back with your mom later," Tatsuya said. Matsuya nodded from the distance.
"I know you can hear me," Tatsuya whispered, "Please, bring me back to that place. Give me a quick trip with these two besides me."
And his hand glowed again before a powerful light seemly engulfed the three of them. Naoya felt his feet were leaving the ground. Before he realized it. He seemed to take flight into the red sky.
Tatsuya Suou
"The vision is true. Maya is at the altar. Don't let Nyarlathotep sacrifice her. Think and wonder: how was Mia able to escape from Juugo?"
Jun's word rang through his head as they traveled to Xibalba. Mia, too, seemed to be holding a secret of a sort. She's waiting, waiting for him to tie everything together himself. Pondering as he could, however, nothing came to mind until he sees for himself.
The three of them landed somewhere on the dark street, voided of presence and living things, minus the noise of burning and crawling sound of shadow from the distant. He didn't remember this place, however, until he saw the broken remains of 'Zodiac Club' from Yumezaki not far from where they stood. Mia and Naoya both stared in awe and horror upon the scenery, for it depicted almost accurately the scene from dystopia future. Broken cars, dysfunctional street light, and the terrible smell of ashes and smoke; all alluded to a scene where nobody was left on earth. In front of them was a small building constructed from concrete, formerly a library, but now a church for the residents seen from the spire on top of it.
Cloudy - an hour before Afternoon - 30/11/2012(Friday) - Church, Yumezaki, Xibalba
"Where are we?" Mia asked immediately upon arrival.
"Sumaru City, the 'other' Sumaru City," Tatsuya answered, "Last time the other me contact me, he said he was trapped in a church with the other 'Lisa'."
"So the other you is inside?" Naoya asked, pointing towards the door into the building.
"Hopefully still is," Tatsuya replied, unsure himself. But when he saw the spire, his eyes immediately locked upon the sky. Fear froze his limbs.
"What's wrong, Tatsuya?" Naoya asked, following his lines of attention and he too backed away in shock. Mia gazed to the sky and almost fell to the ground.
There was a giant creature in the sky. massive was an understatement. It was the most terrifying eldritch abomination he had ever laid his eyes upon. Nyarlathotep couldn't give even half of the terror they felt when they saw it descended, albeit slowly, onto the city. At the center was a ray of light, connecting like a beacon from the center of the city. Tatsuya knew too well where the light came from.
"Is that it?!" Naoya said, "Is that who you're fighting against? Is that War?! Is that Azathoth?!"
"It's so close!" Mia cried, "We need to hurry!"
They rushed to the door of the altar and began to turn the knob, but banged on the door because it was locked. Nobody answered their call from the inside, which they at first believed that they might have left. But then, Tatsuya's hand started to glow again.
"...Something's not right," Tatsuya pressed the glowing hand on the door, and it brimmed even brighter. His instinct told him that he needed to move away.
"GET BACK!"
As Tatsuya screamed, the door broke apart by a powerful shockwave, sending all of them flying backward. They laid on the ground screeching in pain, while Tatsuya knew his previous wound didn't heal one bit. A small dose of painkiller didn't help his crumbling endurance. Worst of all, he is facing someone who nearly resembled him.
"Are you... the other me?" Tatsuya voiced out.
Coming out of the church and walking down the staircase was a man, a remnant of the original Xibalba Tatsuya. The mark of Azathoth had covered every part of his skin. His eyes were no longer human, black shadowy tentacles appeared from his back, and his right hand was holding a long sword, embedded with dark red flame, while the other hand was holding something covered in a blanket. It seemed that only half of his sanity was intact. Soon, The mark of Azathoth on Tatsuya own hand spread like wildfire and crawled to his neck and back, burning through as though fiery steel piercing his skin.
"Can you hear his voice?" Xibalba Tatsuya asked, "Look up and listen. He's very close."
"My 'sacrifice'... my 'vessel'... Be one with eternity, be one with me..."
The voice of Azathoth, despite whisper, echoed loudly within him.
"Yes, I can. But please stop!" Tatsuya pleaded, "You're stronger than this!"
"But not strong enough for this..." Xibalba Tatsuya answered. Then, the blanket on his left hand was loosened. The content inside sent shivers down Mia's spine, while Naoya saw with disgust. And all answer clicked in, especially the reason for his other self sudden maddening.
Inside the blanket was a dead infant. No more doubt, he knew the aftermath of that one rush call from his other side, when Lisa suddenly going into deep labor. The lack of guards outside the church confirmed that Jun or Eikichi from this side had already evacuated the people out of fear that Xibalba Tatsuya would run rampage.
"Lisa was so close to my arm, and my child too," He said, "And yet the moment the baby was born, she went quiet. Breathless she laid beside me, and my baby's dead for good. And it's all because you couldn't come sooner..."
"Amon Ra!"
Naoya sent his persona and attacked Xibalba Tatsuya. But with a quick swipe, Tatsuya summoned his new persona.
"Out of my way! Yog-Sothoth!" Tatsuya screamed as he summoned the Lovecraftian god of time. Amon Ra withheld the attack like a tank, but soon Amon Ra was thrown back and dispersed. Xibalba Tatsuya was walking towards the other Tatsuya. It was then Mia stood up between the two counterparts.
"Maya...?" Xibalba Tatsuya halted his steps and watched. Tatsuya told her to stop, but she remained calm and asked to leave this matter to her.
"That's right," Mia said as she walked towards him, "I'm Maya. Tatsuya, that's enough. You did more than enough. None of this is your fault. I'm here for you, so please, put down that sword."
"...Right," Xibalba Tatsuya muttered when he felt Maya's hand resting on his darkened cheeks, "I did enough... I..."
The plan failed immediately when Xibalba Tatsuya seemed to be completely possessed and choked the life out of Mia, "NO! MAYA IS DEAD! YOU'RE A FAKE!"
Tatsuya summoned Ghadamon Apollo and swung his sword at his counterpart. Xibalba Tatsuya released Mia to block the attack.
"Tatsuya, leave the other you to me," Naoya said, "Go and find Maya! Take Mia with you!"
Nodded, Tatsuya ran past his counterpart and entered the church, pulling Mia with him. Xibalba Tatsuya was withheld by Naoya's attack. And so, Tatsuya entered and nearly stumbled in shock.
Rows of long chair broken apart, leaving a wide space from the center all the way to the altar. On the right side of the hall was Lisa's body with dried blood covering her lower dress, paleness engulfed her skin with her eyes remained half-opened. At the altar was a scene as Jun predicted. Resting on it was Maya, being tied on her legs, on both wrists on her back, and her mouth. Worse was that she was awake, struggling to move away from the place. Karu Juugo was standing next to her, but a few boot marks on his coat indicated that Maya attempted freedom by kicking him. Inside Juugo's hand was a short dagger.
"That was faster than expected," Juugo said immediately upon seeing him, "But I don't see the point of you fighting me in your state. The ceremony will commence, with or without you."
"I'm not trying to stop you," Tatsuya said, "I'm here to deliver the proper 'sacrifice'."
Maya and Mia, who revealed herself behind Tatsuya, met for the 'first time'. Maya was rather speechless about her, while Mia merely smiled, and she held back a tear, for a surge of old memories returned to her clearer than before. Juugo remained calm, but it seemed he would be overwhelmingly happy if he had his yellow hat on. He put down his dagger and approached Mia.
"It seems that that the avatar of Kairos Chronos was telling the truth," Juugo reached his hand and gripped Mia's chin, turning it side to side to examine her face, "...To think Naoya Toudou would succeed my recipe for me. And... I see, so it was you, after all, who took her away years ago."
"Huh?" Tatsuya voiced out his confusion.
"Not good," Juugo commented at last, "She is still not strong enough. Sending her like this will still affect the original Maya. The side effect will emerge; amnesia, paralyzation, or mental shutdown."
"But Jun said it would work!" Tatsuya said, "She is supposed to be strong enough to be a sacrifice!"
"I didn't even once say that she can't be the 'sacrifice', all I'm saying is it will still affect the original Maya, even if she survives."
Coming all this way and still no good ending for him. Maya sat upon the altar, wanting to free her mouth from binding to speak. Tatsuya saw this, but Juugo finally lost interesting at Maya by stepping aside, allowing Tatsuya to reach Maya. He rushed to his wife and freed her.
"Who is she, Tatsuya?" That was Maya's first question. Tatsuya gave a brief explanation of who she was, and that she was the same girl who befriended Matsuya days ago. Maya said nothing at the end, but there was no despair in her eyes. Mia came afterward to them with Juugo by her side, though the dagger in the professor's hand was still firm.
"Are you willing?" Maya asked Mia, her own 'despair' self. Mia gave a slight nod and smiled. Soon, Maya followed her lips and smiled too. They reached their hand and touched.
"Do it," Mia said at last, "Sent me and Tatsuya from this 'side' to War."
"I accepted your decision. Now move away from the altar," Juugo said, rudely pushing Maya off the altar and grabbed Mia. Juugo summoned a portal behind the altar, and it led to the school ground, the center of the city.
"Wait!" Mia paused Juugo and turned to Tatsuya, "Tatsuya, it's time I told you the truth. Remember what I said before? Someone saved me and rowed me away back to your world, and he wore a crystal necklace. That man... That man was you. You're the one who saved me. You take one of the Ark at the south-east of the city and you will understand."
"Me? But I have no memories of it..." Tatsuya said. But suddenly, he glanced at the watch Jun gave him for two trip time travel. He understood everything then, "So that's what Jun meant..."
The marks on his arms and body suddenly burned, followed by the sound of screams in his head. The gigantic creature in the sky roared so loud that they had to cover their ears. Juugo knew it was close to noon, despite the void dark sky. He pulled Mia into the portal without a word and disappeared. At their back, they heard the scream of Xibalba Tatsuya screeching in pain, then there was no more. Naoya came running afterward with exhaustion. The truth was, they were all dying for a short rest, but circumstance forced otherwise.
"The other you just disappear, puff into thin air," Naoya said, "It's time, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Tatsuya answered, carried Maya by her side, "Maybe at noon."
"What are we going to do?" Maya asked, "Do we stop War?"
"No," Tatsuya answered, "We're not allowed to stop it, even if we want to."
When he looked at Naoya, the 'emperor' remained silent. Maya did a double-take on both of them in wonder.
"Yes, what you heard from Eriko at the harbor- I mean, from my other self, was correct. If we stopped the prophecy, War will destroy the world. Conquest knew this?"
"How much did Conquest told you?" Maya asked.
"What he knew, and what's important," Naoya answered, but began to doubt himself, "But, my memories were slightly hazy. But that won't change that War is the major point in the prophecy. We need to limit the casualty and get over this as quickly as possible."
He remembered Xibalba Tatsuya mentioning that they stumbled upon Azathoth, the red rider, years ago. Perhaps that was the event that triggered the prophecy? For now, Tatsuya put that thought as far as he could to the back of his mind.
"We need to go," Tatsuya said.
"Where?" Maya asked. Tatsuya quickly revealed Jun's watch.
"We need to go to the past. Naoya, you need to come with me."
"So it's time..." Naoya said, "You need to give a brief plan about my purpose once we arrive at whenever you pick in the past."
"I'll decide soon," Tatsuya said, turning to Maya, "Maya, south-east from here is where most of the citizens of this city escape to, to an Ark, giant ships. Jun and Eikichi, if they still live, should be there. I wouldn't send you there alone if I wasn't so desperate, but the city will fall soon. So..."
"It's alright," Maya reassured him, despite being a little afraid, "But will they acknowledge me, the Maya from the 'other side'?"
"You can convince them. I know you can," Tatsuya said, impatiently fidgetting Jun's watch and glanced at the sky, "We're wasting time here. Naoya, come close. I don't know how to work this."
But it did. The watch was set to August 2009, four months and three years ago, which according to his other self was when Juugo first appeared and took over Seven Sister High, though they had no choice but to randomly select the exact time and date. The watch glowed for a while before Tatsuya nodded at Naoya to grab him by the arm and pressed the 'start' button on the right side. Bluish light covered them except for Maya who stood far away, and they felt that they were moving at light speed in all direction.
Seven Sister High, Xibalba
"Urgh! What have you done to me?!" Corrupted Tatsuya, Xibalba Tatsuya that had been mutated by Azathoth's power, asked Juugo as they entered the school gate. Mia was walking close next to Juugo, with corrupted Tatsuya following them from behind. Juugo gave an uninterested glimpse at corrupted Tatsuya and resumed his path to the center of the school.
"Be the 'vessel', for that, is the fate that Nyarlathotep, and the Blind Idiot God, chose for you."
"You! You killed my child and Lisa!"
Corrupted Tatsuya ran towards Juugo to attack, which Mia began to panic and left Juugo's side to run. Suddenly, corrupted Tatsuya fell to the ground in pain, and the mark on his face expanded into a blob. The blob burst like a bubble, and from it appeared a small creature, revealed to be Ghadamon, Seed of Azathoth. With it separated from him, all the tattoo on his skin faded as well. But Ghadamon wasn't done, it leaped onto corrupted Tatsuya's head and injected its tentacles into his head. The screaming corrupted Tatsuya suddenly went quiet and stood still, with its eyes turned to pitch black.
"Tatsuya!" Mia cried, running towards him and checked his body while demanding answers from Juugo, "What happened to him, what did you do to him?!"
"*snicker* Don't worry. He's in good hand. With Ghadamon in full control, he won't have to nag.~"
What answered her wasn't the professor, but another presence suddenly emerged from behind corrupted Tatsuya. He resembled Tatsuya in his adult form, but his aura was ominous. Mia knew immediately who this entity was, and expected him to appear anytime soon.
"Nyarlathotep..." Mia stumbled backward as she gasped at the Crawling Chaos. Nyarlathotep bowed in mockery, sensing her fear of him.
"The despair form of Maya. No, you are much merrier than I last saw you," Nyarlathotep said, "I supposed the one running towards the ships where everybody is waiting is the real Maya? Should I kill her... But that would be too boring..."
"I assume you'll be the first to break the prophecy to free your 'father', bound by the role of War," Juugo said, pulling Mia backward to his side.
"Hahaha!" Nyarlathotep laughed as though it was an unintentional joke, "Master or father he may be, but even I have something I want."
"I see... you want that Archetype too..."
While Mia failed to follow their conversation, Nyarlathotep looked around, searching for something, or someone. In the end, he said, "I don't see the 'other' Tatsuya from the 'other side'."
"You're too late," Juugo answered, "He's gone to the past with the 'emperor'."
Nyarlathotep narrowed his eyes, "For whatever reason? Do they wish to undo the prophecy?"
"It matters not to me."
"...Oh, that moment..." Nyarlathotep smiled as if he remembered something, *snicker*... I guess they will receive a surprise from the 'past' me."
Nyarlathotep disappeared into thin air. Mia noticed that Juugo was in a rush as she was dragged to the center of the school, where a large reddish beacon appeared before their eyes. The place lacked presence, yet it felt as though a thousand eyes were watching them from above. The beacon reached, or came, from a large mouth beneath the creature. There they waited, but not for long.
Tatsuya Suou
After Midnight - ?/8/2009 - Church, Yumezaki, Xibalba
(Three years earlier)
They both crashed onto a pile of old cabinets in a storeroom, somewhere inside the church. Naoya felt his neck was snapped during the crash, while Tatsuya pressed his already damaged torso before he suddenly paused in surprise.
"The mark is gone," Tatsuya muttered as he watched his hand both in relief and anxious, "Something must have happened to the other me..."
"But it's a good thing you don't have those marks anymore, right?" Naoya said as he stood up. But he froze, and Tatsuya too, pressing his index finger on his lips. There were terrible noises outside. Pressing his ears to the door, Tatsuya knew that this seemed to be the voice of shadow.
"Where's our path?"
"The Seven Sister High, my old school. You might found any document for the Limbo Recall over there for Erio. I'm going to save Mia."
"Won't Juugo be there?"
"Well, 'emperor', I guess you have to be my bodyguard for a while, seeing as I'm close to fainting."
"I don't have a persona, mind you. So... we run?"
"Run for it, but don't encounter anyone. We don't want any more paradox tangled up. Ready?"
Tatsuya and Naoya burst opened the door and ran for the outdoor. Three large shadows were surrounding the altar and no citizens. They ignored them and smashed open the exit door and gasped in surprise. Most of the buildings were still intact as the one from their world, but the streets were overrun with monsters and gigantic shadows of all kinds of mythological figures. The assault of Juugo's armies was fresh in this world, seeing as only a month went by. There were some citizens, but they took shelters inside the building, while some littered the streets as corpses. They took small clothes from the dead to cover their bodies' trace and trotted along the street. It was a bit of walk to the school, but they endure. They caught a glimpse of their 'friends', but the waves of shadows partly obscured their vision. Tatsuya had to slow Naoya's down, due to him realizing that his internal organ was bleeding rapidly with every pace taken.
They arrived at the Seven Sister High, where they caught sight of Katsuya Suou in the hallway of the second floor, holding his ground and killed a few shadows that came after him and his team. Tatsuya knew that today, or tomorrow, might be his brother's last day. But he resolved himself and proceeded to the backyard, the center of the garden.
There was a large cocoon at the center of the garden. Immediately, a surge of memories of his serial dreams blasted through him. This was the exact scene that he saw in his dream, about Naoya attacking him, which 'he' retaliated by stabbing him with a sword. There was a sword at his back, and he began to fear the scenery.
"I remembered this..." Tatsuya said, looking at Naoya, "I remembered this place from my dream. Something will happen here, and you're there!" He pondered again, "I see... That dream was a vision from the future!"
Naoya turned to him with clear puzzling expression and said, "Is this what you mean when you said this will make sense? Not to me. Where do we find Mia?"
Tatsuya rushed to the cocoon and tried to rip it open. It seemed to have 'borrow' some energy from the sky, with the surface glowing like some neon light. He ripped it harder and inside was a naked figure of a girl, not more than 6 years old. Naoya stared in amazed, as though he didn't expect Tatsuya to know it. But when Tatsuya force himself harder, electricity surged through his body, partly paralyzed him and forced him stumbling backward.
"It's electrically wired," Naoya said, lifting Tatsuya, "So Juugo took energy from... (gazing upward at the dense cloud) ...whatever the hell's up there, but he locked the cocoon from his control room, perhaps?"
"Then I need to get going."
"And you know where?"
"Yeah, I've been there before. I mean, 'afterward'. Naoya, you stay here and take Mia, and..." He lent him his sword, seeing as Naoya was defenseless, "For pre-caution because your persona is sealed."
There was not much to converse before Tatsuya departed through a small hole not far from there, presumably a temporary exit door.
Naoya Toudou
Seven Sister High, Rengedai, Xibalba
The outside was extremely loud, but the garden was queerly quiet and no presence until Naoya grew anxious to remain in one place. He observed around for Juugo or enemies as he finally sat down near the tall tree. In his solitude, he remembered the earliest memories he had of that incident.
2009 - Egypt
It was foggy, but he knew it was three years ago, near the end of 2009. It was in Egypt, a dark and cold evening blinding the sky on his path home. He returned to his inn, the one he slept in and not researching, and he took off his worn-out clothes and entered the bath. He didn't remember anything, except to rest and slept in without a care. He didn't remember himself, and he was perfectly pleasant. But the longer he bathed, the longer he realized that today was one of the worst days of his life.
"I have it!" He cried, "The Limbo is inside me! Oh, what am I going to do?"
He left the bathroom, freshly dressed, but was unable to rest his mind on the soft pillow, for there was another figure, half-transparent, standing by the bed. It was the first time he saw him. The white silhouette simply gazed at him with two hollow eyes.
He didn't remember much about the conversation, as though something blocked his mind. But he remembered Conquest said it first.
"Prime Anima and Animus must be present, to receive the divine power of that Archetype... You must pick a partner, and condemn yourself for this prophecy..."
That was his memory that forced him to find Baofu and Ulala to find Juugo for him. That was why he returned to Japan. That was why he was here.
Seven Sister High
It wasn't that long before, from the corner of his eyes, he saw two figures trotted along the hallway with their shadows passing through the pillars and entered the backyard. The moment they emerged from the dark area, Naoya began to panic, for it was none other than Tatsuya and Jun Kashihara of this world, three years before. Their gazes were met before Naoya had a chance of escape. If the other Tatsuya meet the past him of this world, how will the time fixed itself on the scale of this intertwine?
"Step back!" Past Tatsuya screamed with a gun before Naoya could reach for the sword. Jun stood not far from Tatsuya, but it was clear that he had seen better when he paused Tatsuya.
"Wait. I think I know him..." Jun said, "I think he is one of Yukino's friend from high school. I've seen his picture before, but..."
Jun examined Naoya's messily worn shirt that he borrowed from Reiji back at the harbor. The only way was to play along before they suspected any further.
"That's right, I'm a friend of Yukino and I am from St. Hermelin High," Naoya dusted his shirt and stood up, "Once I heard of the situation here, I rush to help and clear out any shadows that loomed around."
Past Tatsuya and past Jun turned to each other for a reaction. They backed away for a short discussion before facing him again with reassurance look.
"Sorry if we surprise you, Toudou-san. It's a habit we need to practice starting now. Are you alone?"
Naoya couldn't possibly sell out Tatsuya to his own past self, so he replied, "No, I'm alone. But don't worry about me. I'm finding a way to destroy this thing."
The two newcomers stared in awe upon the beacon at the center. Jun wasted no time to ask, "What is this? What has that man done to our school?"
"The matter is how we supposed to close off the beacon. It's malevolent, and it needs to stop."
"And you know how?" Asked Tatsuya.
"I believe so..." Naoya paused to complete his confident lies, "Just give me an hour, and I'll put an end to this place."
Tatsuya narrowed his eyebrows dangerously, doubting his words. Naoya had no idea the extent of his intelligence, but the Suou Devils were reputed to be one of the best detectives in Sumaru City's history, and Naoya wasn't the best liar; the worst combination.
"Oh, I just remembered! I saw someone with sunglasses on the second floor!" Naoya hurriedly said, "And he looked just like you!" He added again, "Could he be your brother? He looks like he's in trouble."
"You saw my brother?!" Tatsuya's expression drastically changed to overwhelming surprise. He hurriedly turned to Jun, "I told you he's still alive! He needs us!"
"Very well, Toudou-san. I will leave the place to you," Said Jun, "One hour, is that correct? Please be safe and be here when we come for you."
They left for the building and Naoya immediately broke his facade and muttered, "No, no you won't."
He watched the cocoon again, for the noise of shadows had lessened, possibly due to Tatsuya and Jun with their reinforcement clearing the building. But then, after a long while, he heard another footstep, and this time, his instinct told him to run away. He saw another Tatsuya, the youngest version, probably in his teen, and his eyes were yellow. And he was standing next to the sword that Naoya placed not far from him. Was he the red rider?
Tatsuya Suou
Juugo's hidden lab
He traveled through many hallway and tunnel based on his memory of the future. The newly craved path was so fresh, that he was able to easily navigate his escape route. There was still light from the newly installed lightbulb around the ceiling and walls. He reached the same door, where Juugo's lab was, and he immediately reached for the crystal in his pocket, before he decided to hang it around his neck permanently. The door was not slid opened from the bottom as from the future, instead, it cracked open at the center vertically like a saw blade and revealed the interior, which immediately made Tatsuya back away shocked.
In the future, three years from now, four of the tube that he saw was broken, three unused. This time, he saw that other than the messily placed table and files, six of the seven tubes were in perfect use, feeding the energy from the center of the room, the Heart of Xibalba. The lights were frustratingly dimmed, but he was able to see the interior of each tube, including the entities inside it.
The first four tubes on his left contained three sleeping people. The first was Naoya Toudou, dressed in thin white shirt and pants. Seeing the darkened eyeliners, the possibility of this man being a shadow was high. The second tube was empty, or rather, emptied recently. The third was an older woman he had no notion of; her dress was white but old, worn by time. Her hair was long and grey, and it was too humble to call her fair-faced but too ignorant to say she was voided of the beauty of her own. The fourth tube contained a girl, mechanically similar to Aigis, but he didn't recognize this dark hair android. The best assumption would be that these four tubes were the 'sacrifice' for Four Horsemen.
He turned to the other three tubes on the right side of the room. The other three had peculiarity on another level compared to the one he saw. The fifth tube, a bit distance away from the machinery girl, was another figure, a man, almost impossible to identify the gender if not for its naked muscular figure. The liquid inside was thickened with white ooze, and the face was unreadable. For a moment, he felt that the man inside the tube was tilting his head. He jerked away from it, believing it would be wise to leave it. The sixth tube, the only one without liquid, was even more curious, inside was a swamp of butterflies with a wide array of color. It seemed as though the swamps were begging to escape, but the presence of the last tube made him forgot any attempt to free anyone.
The last tube was filled with black liquid, yet it was mesmerizingly eye-boggling with the change of water tension, as though the water was calling him from beyond. He heard a voice from inside the water, and it sucked him in into the abyss.
"AH!" Tatsuya half-screamed as he backed away in fear, "What happened to me? What's inside that thing?" He looked closer again, "It looks... like a shadow creature... and hands... and eyes..."
It was only then that he heard an audible cough coming from the fifth tube, where the man in white ooze was. He had hoped that he was imagining those noise, but a second louder cough confirmed his fear.
"You are not supposed to be here..." A deep male voice said, but it was muffled by the thickness of liquid that Tatsuya was hardly able to understand him. It was more curious that he didn't seem to drown inside it.
"Who are you? Why are you inside that thing?" Tatsuya asked.
But the man said nothing for a while until Tatsuya saw that his head had changed direction towards him as if observing him. "A man of prophecy..." He said, "The sun in the infinite abyss... You must make haste, for the ceremony is close..."
Then, he went silent, and Tatsuya could ask him no more. He knew he was wasting too much time, thus he quickly went for the computer and used the crystal to unlock it. It was a satisfying feeling to see many files remained open and updated. There were 25 documents and 19 images, but there was no audio log. He looked through the images first and saw the images of many unidentified people, probably kidnapped long ago. It was the document that slightly haunted him.
#File 2
Everyone made the wrong assumption, with the exception of Nyarlathotep and I, the mastermind behind this. [Limbo] is not a drug. It never was, but it will be soon. It came to me, that precious idea, to use the 'blood' of Azathoth, the Archetype of Fear, to simulate this prophecy. When Philemon brought news from that world about the Seven Seal, I was genuinely shocked and amazed. Never in my entire life walking among mankind have I seen such elaborated and well-executed plan. Mankind never fails to impress, as expected from the children of Adam and Eve.
In my earlier stage of the experiment, I thought of using my own blood. But I was too incompatible for modern people. Subject #3, Takahisa Kandori and #9, Chizuru Ishigami, exhibited an extreme number of separation with a single shot. Subject #3 had 56 other 'selves' extracted from him, and none of them bleed like the original. After multiple experiments, I believed I need the blood of something older, yet easier to contain. I knew Philemon would never consent, thus my attention immediately went to the Nuclear Chaos himself.
First off, Azathoth's presence alone is fueling the subconscious world of Limbo, the unknown realm. If we can extract the essence of Azathoth, should the experiment failed, the soul will be sent directly to the Limbo. If succeed, we might be able to single out the self that reacted the most to the blood of Azathoth and separate them carefully. If for argument sake, that the experiment should fail, and yet unable to pass on to the Limbo, I believe that the 'eye' of Azathoth might prove vital in making an antidote much more powerful than my original creation. But that was only if, I said it again, that anyone would be stupid enough to fight the Nuclear Chaos.
#File 3
I didn't hesitate much longer. I need to take his blood without waking him up yet, and I need a lot. An idea came to me to use this very flying city to cause some damage to Azathoth. It succeeded, I sent Celephais, the prison of Azathoth, straight for the flying city and crashed the lower part of the ship. The damage should still be there, on his east side that glowed slightly bluish. It bleeds out like a fountain, and I knew I need to work on this as soon as possible. So I stationed my lab here, and here I will stay.
"It was him!" Tatsuya screamed in such rage that terrified himself, "He was the one who crashed that creature toward Xibalba! Damn you! Urgh! If only I can copy all these files!"
Suddenly, again, he heard a voice coming from the fifth tube.
"Make haste... your friend is in peril..." He said.
"What haste? What friend?" He asked, but on his mind was only one person. He suddenly remembered the dream that he had since days ago, where he was in someone's body and stabbed Naoya. "Don't tell me... that was the future?"
"Come close, and you will understand..." The man in the tube said, "Place your hand on the glass, and I will let you see it again."
He did as he was told and rested his hand on the tube. There, a dark skin hand reached out and placed his palm on the glass where Tatsuya's was as if trying to connect them. When the vision engulfed him again, he knew everything about the dream. The man in the tube, with some sort of power, 'hack' into someone's vision and allowed him to see Naoya, who was currently waiting outside, was confronting the being disguised as his younger self. It became clearer, afterward, that his and Naoya's presences had long been detected in the city, and believe it was appropriated to drag Tatsuya's mind from the 'other side' and gave him all the memories of this 'side', to connect this 'side' and other 'side'. That younger version of him was not him, but someone else giving his memories back. There was three years delay in that, for an unknown reason, he only received the old memories three years later. Did the man inside the tube assist him? Was he an ally?
"Was that telepathy?" Tatsuya said with his hands still trembling, "Was that Nyarlathotep? Did you show me vision from his eyes? W-What..." Tatsuya had so much question that he couldn't choose which one.
"I sent the memories three years from now so that this 'side' and your 'side' will remain separate for the time being," The man in the tube said, "Don't you have a man to save?"
"Who are you...?" Tatsuya asked, secretly wishing to see his face, "Why are you helping me?"
"Leave me be. When the time comes, I will be free and fulfilled my role, as the fifth seal. Now begone."
He knew he had wasted too much time here. He checked the system and noticed a mode for a system outside. There was a record of Mia, and he instantly pressed the off button and turned to the exit. But then, another idea came to him. He picked up the chair in that room and smashed the first four tubes, releasing the shadow self sleeping inside. He reached for the tube where the man was, but he stopped him so that he would not touch the remaining three tubes. At that moment, when Tatsuya turned around, he saw that the three shadows had gained consciousness. They said nothing, but simply walked to the door after a quick look at him and escaped in the sudden realization that they were trapped for who knew how long. Tatsuya never saw them again, as though they disappeared for good, possibly returning to their original bodies.
He left the place there and there, never looked back. He wished to see more, but he had seen what Naoya need, an 'eye' of Azathoth. Like a wind, but paused occasionally due to unhealed pain, he marched onward towards Naoya. If the memories served him correctly, then Naoya will be stabbed by his 'younger' self soon. The off button that he had pressed seemed to affect something, for it seemed that a loud sound of disengaged power source was heard.
Seven Sister High
He reached the outdoor, and the sequence of dreams he had was proven correct. Someone was posing as him. He was using Tatsuya's own sword to stab Naoya. At the same time, the cocoon at the center of the school had been opened and emerged Mia Kaneda when she was young.
"You're him! The red rider! I won't let you touch her, not yet! Tatsuya… he's still trying!" He heard Naoya screamed. The creature gave his signature snickering smile, and he knew it was none other than Nyarlathotep.
"Almost. I am not the red rider, but connected to one," Nyarlathotep said, but he paused when he suddenly noticed Tatsuya emerging from the ground not far from them. Naoya turned to him and hope began to return to his face.
"I screwed up! I let him take your sword!" Naoya said, clenching his bleeding chest that seemed to pierce his lung. In anger, Tatsuya marched towards Nyarlathotep and summoned his persona.
"Leave him alone! Apollo!"
He clashed with Nyarlathotep, yet again reminded that he was not in good condition. Nyarlathotep easily fended off his persona and knocked Tatsuya away.
"You're not the Tatsuya of this world, are you?" Nyarlathotep of the past, despite his mockery, deserved praise for his keen perceptive, "No, in fact, you're not from this timeline. You came from the future! Hah! That look! I knew I was not mistaken!"
Tatsuya glanced at the now exposed Mia, and he knew he had to escape with both the girl and Naoya. He had to think of something. But if he or Naoya was to be killed here, won't the prophecy ended?
"You won't kill us," Tatsuya threatened as he stood up, "You CAN'T kill us, for we both were men of prophecy!"
"...What?" Nyarlathotep narrowed his eyes with sudden astonishment, "Were you perhaps aware of the prophecy in the future? There is no way you would know that."
"But we know..." Tatsuya said, at the same time hiding a small rock that he picked up on the ground in his palm, "Just ask the mad professor, he showed us that."
He didn't expect for his small rock to hit the mark when he threw the rock at Nyarlathotep. Nyarlathotep repelled it swiftly but was unaware that he was distracted by the fallen Naoya. Naoya reached for the sword, gripped the hand that held it, and directed the blade at him. Nyarlathotep screeched a little in pain, but he was angrier than hurt. Tatsuya took this time to grab Mia and aimed for the school gate. Naoya was left behind, but luckily Nyarlathotep chased after him, not Naoya.
"Go! I'll follow you later!" Naoya screamed. Tatsuya wasted no more time and escaped the school gate. He wondered for a while, chased by Nyarlathotep, on his destination. Suddenly, from his memory box, he remembered the Ark. That right, the Ark should still be there. He changed his direction, but Nyarlathotep was faster than ever. But he believed there's hope, for the light beam that reached for the sky was seen no more, not until the ceremony for War.
Naoya Toudou
Seven Sister High
"Gah!" Naoya shouted in pain as he slowly got to his feet. He could feel his consciousness fading, but he remained strong. He heard several battle cry from inside the school, but he was too exhausted for a glance. He pressed his chest again and began to feel like he had already reached his limit. Despite that, he heard, from afar, the sound of footsteps approaching him. He examined closely and saw that it was Karu Juugo, who seemed to have left the battlefield, judging by his dirty coat. Coming from behind him was the past Tatsuya and Jun, who were sluggishly chasing Juugo in their torn-up clothes.
"Don't you run away, you bastard!" The past Tatsuya screamed, "How dare you...! How dare you did that to my brother!"
"Slow down, Tatsuya. He's not going anywhere," The past Jun reassured him. Juugo seemed to ignore both of them and instead focused on the cocoon and Naoya. Curious, he immediately switched to a purple hat.
"Where is it?" Juugo said in surprised, "How did my experiment's subject escape? And how did you shut down the power?"
"It's a long story," Naoya said, trying as best as he could to hide his injury, "But you must know that we released your prisoners. It's over."
Juugo examined him carefully and, for a short while, he was eyeing the injured chest of Naoya. His face finally relaxed, before he swapped into his black hat.
"Then it can't be helped," Juugo said, before shifting his attention to the past Tatsuya and Jun, "I have no more purpose here."
"Wait, where are you going?!" Tatsuya screamed.
He disappeared into mid-air like a puff of mist. Sensing no more danger despite the anger, the past Tatsuya and Jun finally rested under the nearby tree, catching their breath.
"Is it over, like you said?" The past Jun asked, at the same time spotted the redness on his shirt.
"Yeah. It's over," Naoya answered, "And I need to be somewhere else. Forget about me. Pack up, go home, cause you'll never see me again."
As he reached the school gate, he felt his breath was fading. Luckily, the past Tatsuya and Jun believed his lies and let him be. As he walked outside, however, he saw someone familiar and resembled him, including a few others who left the school from a different path. He saw someone who looked like himself, an elderly woman, and a young girl. They seemed to look around waiting to escape before the other man who resembled him noticed Naoya and approached him. He knew, without a doubt, that this man was his other-self.
"No more struggling now," Naoya's other self said, "Do you want to come with us?"
"...No, not yet," Naoya shook his head, "I'm heading for that other guy."
The other him smiled. He turned away with a wave of hands. Soon, the other two women walked away and disappeared like a spec of dust. They had returned to the Sea of Soul, though Naoya knew the prophecy that occurred three years later will summon them back.
Tatsuya Suou
Ark Port, Xibalba
"Shhhh..." Tatsuya closed the sleeping Mia's face with a small blanket he found nearby. He peeked from the big pillar that served as his coverage to see the presence of Nyarlathotep. True to his intuition, he saw the Crawling Chaos searching for him like mice. There were many other shadows on the street, and Nyarlathotep morphed himself into them, blending with them, but could never hide his overbroad smile of a sadist. Men and women who were alive were killed on the spot.
"I already sent out the memories of this side to the 'other side'. My gift to you!" Nyarlathotep snickered in joy, "Do you like it? Did you keep the memories for years to yourself? From which year you came from? Come on out, say something!"
He would not fall for this simple trick, but the truth was that he had no idea where to find the Ark, the same mission that he blindly gave to his wife in the future. His best chance was to find someone who knew, and it seemed his luck was blessed today. In the small building, at the very edge of the city, a small armies came forward and released fire. He saw Shiori Miyashiro, the captain of his small elite force in his world, was among them. He saw many faces that he recognized, but he left the reunion for his past self for now. Nyarlathotep was among those that were shot without a second thought. Fortune was on his side again, when he sneaked past the military forces without Nyarlathotep seeing him. He entered the building, dodged the passing by cops, and was surprised to see the structure.
He saw, like an underground basement, a few airships painted in brown and white. The lights were dim, but the lights from the ship itself were bright. It seemed to be modeled after a plane, but there were few motor blades on both sides, seemed to be salvaged and put together for more purpose. How the people of this world were able to create such technology, he would not question, only hoping that the controls were at least resembled a helicopter, a vehicle that he learned to mobile. He saw, at the end of the huge underground basement, a completed ship used as a test-pilot was seen. He looked around and decided to hide Mia under a small corner of stairs not far from him.
"Wait here, I need to find my friend," Tatsuya said, "But I'll be back, and we'll escape together."
Mia was unable to show any reaction, seeing as she was barely awake. After confirming that he could find the exit, he left for Naoya.
Maya Amano
Near Afternoon - 30/11/2012(Friday) – South-east haven (Originally the Ark Port), Xibalba
(Present Time)
Maya wished the best for her husband, but now she realized she was the one who needed the luck. The number of shadows was overwhelming, forcing her to seek a stealthier path. There was not a presence in sight, shadows literally flooding the street, and there was an insane sense of dread telling her to hurry, like a ticking time bomb. She marched further to the destination marked by Tatsuya but saw nothing until, trying to jump over the wall at the back alley, she slipped and fell on the floor. Some of the shadows noticed her, and all hope faded in her mind as she shut her eyes.
Then, in a blink of an eye, the shadows around her were cleaved like a gust of wind cutting them. Maya peeked upward and saw that it was none other than Shu, the god of air, saving her.
"I-It is you!" Maya voiced out. Shu was protecting her and fended off many other shadows coming their way, "Why? Why do you save me?"
Shu at first said nothing, but he eventually spoke, "You are just a few blocks away from your destination. Do not mistake my action. I was following orders from the White Rider. Now go."
Shu led her and defended her until she could see the station ahead, where she finally saw a few presences in military uniforms guarding a small fortress made of boards and steel door. One of the guards saw her, and halt fire for the rescue.
"We found one woman! I'm taking her to the Ark!" One of the guards crossed the fortress and rushed towards her. It was then that she noticed it was Eikichi himself, but the scars and his uniform made him almost unrecognizable from afar.
"Eikichi?" Maya said when Xibalba Eikichi finally grabbed her and brought her to the fortress. But it seemed that Eikichi failed to recognize her.
"Yeah, that's me alright!" Xibalba Eikichi said, "You're lucky we found you! We were saving one ship for someone, our commander! What's your name?"
Maya couldn't answer. She turned to her back and saw that Shu was gone. The sky, however, was getting grimmer. She was brought inside without much question, and she was amazed when she saw that most of the ship had departed. There was only one more, where when the large door at the back swung opened downward, she saw many injured citizens, including many deaths. Heavy emotions seized her suddenly. She broke free from Xibalba Eikichi's grip and turned back to the door.
"No, I'm staying," Maya said, "I'm waiting for someone too."
Tatsuya Suou
?/8/2009 - The Ark Port
There were only three ships available as a prototype for the project funded by the government at that time. But while the security level was high, there were flaws in the schedule due to the secrecy of the project. There lacked many guards on a certain place, forcing them to take a few minutes for a complete trip by circling the ships. Seeing as it was midnight, it was easier for thieves to sneak in. This was exactly what happened. When one of the guards examined the last ship on the right, he heard a loud engine sound being turned on. Soon, a neon light appeared on the windows, revealing a silhouette of someone manning the ship. The entire place was on alert, arousing all ears in the area.
"Someone is stealing one of our ships!" One of the guards on duty screamed. The small wheel that supported the ship was directing its course left and right, as though the pilot was trying to readjust the control. It ended up with its left-wing crashed at the right-wing of the ship next to it.
"Can anybody identify the hijacker?!" One of the captains that defend the port said, "Is it that man, J?! Is he trying to escape from the city?! Wait, he's increasing speed!"
Following the trail of the concrete floor, the ship made a strong boost, but the boarding area was not fully built, and the exit door was closed. Yet the ship never slowed down, and with a loud bang, it crashed into the exit door, dragging with it carcass of steels and unremoved wires. Sending another ship to chase them would risk both ships all together, plus the escaping ship was damaged and incomplete. Seeing as Juugo was no longer seen in the city since that day, they, Tatsuya of Xibalba especially, were quick to assume that it was the professor himself had taken the ship.
They had no idea that inside the ship, at the control room resembled a cockpit of a plane, Tatsuya and Naoya were sweating and breathing heavily from barely escaping Xibalba. Suddenly, a remark from the future crossed his mind. He finally understood the lost ship that was stolen years ago. As he rested on the captain's seat, Tatsuya turned to the other seat and saw that Naoya was resting on it, still pressing his bleeding chest.
"You truly are a devil," Naoya said with difficulty, "You could have gotten us killed."
"And what the hell were you doing curling in bushes at the school's backyard? I almost lost you. No, I DID lose you, if I didn't see the shadows swarming around that shed with you inside," Tatsuya responded in frustration, but at the same time was greatly troubled by the large wound on the man's chest, "Well, we're okay now. So sit tight."
"Urgh... To where?"
"I don't know. I guess back home, to the future? I'm not too sure."
"Then make up your mind fast," Naoya groaned in distress before he covered his eyes with his sleeves in exhaustion. Tatsuya shifted his eyes to the back and saw Mia by the door of the control room slowly opening her eyes. He peeked at Naoya, then he left his seat and decided to lift Mia to his seat instead for better comfort. The girl said nothing, but looking at him with curious eyes. Tatsuya's back was against the window that viewed countless stars and constellations. The ship swayed like a boat, but like a baby's crib to her. The crystal necklace hanging on his neck was showing dim light, and from the girl's vision, she saw nothing of his face except for the crystal necklace. Tatsuya smiled.
"Don't worry. No matter how long it takes, I'll be there for you," Tatsuya said, "No matter in the past, or future."
Mia seemed to smile for the first time before she fell back in sleep. But immediately after, the ship was rumbling heavily, stumbling him down and Naoya from his seat. The shaking seemed to originate from the left engine.
"Tatsuya, what happened?!"
"I don't know! Mia, come over here!"
"Wait, what's that sound?!"
The door to the control room was ripped open like a paper, and stood before them was a man who resembled Tatsuya's younger self. He was laughing madly as the ship lost control.
"Go back to Xibalba, you bastard!" Tatsuya screamed.
"Not before I send you back first!"
Amidst the struggle, he activated the watch. He felt that strong momentum, where it seemed he had traveled to another world.
Naoya Toudou
Back alley?
He opened his eyes and saw that he was resting on the concrete floor. The first thing he saw was the blue sky, then a few building, following by the sound of trains and cars' honk. He tilted his head to the sound of someone closing his wound. It was Tatsuya, covered in wounds and blood, currently treating his chest that hard already widely opened. Naoya could feel his consciousness fading, but he put some effort into calling out to Tatsuya.
"What happened?" Naoya asked. Too preoccupied with binding the wounds, he was only then noticed Naoya's waking up.
"Oh! Good! You're still with me," Tatsuya laughed a bit, but his smile faded when he noticed Naoya was looking around the alley, "Yeah, me too. I'm confused as you are. But apparently, this is not Xibalba. We're back home."
"We did?" Hope began to fill Naoya's heart when he voiced it. But Tatsuya didn't seem calm.
"Uh... Not that kind of 'back home'," Tatsuya added, "Hear that? Did you really think there's a running car after everyone had evacuated, with no sight of destruction anywhere?"
At that moment, Naoya widened his eyes, for he finally understood Tatsuya's distress look.
Clear sky - Morning - ?/8/2009 - Hirasaka, Sumaru City
(3 years ago)
"What happened when Nyarlathotep barge in?" Naoya asked with clear frustration.
"Well, I grabbed Mia, and I grabbed you, and I tried using the watch, but then Nyarlathotep choked me and cast some spell on us. Before I realized it, we were sent crashing down on the back alley of..." Tatsuya examined around again to jog his memories, "...Hirasaka. We're in Hirasaka, in our city, in the past."
"What year?"
"Maybe still August of 2009, but I won't be too sure until I confirm it. Besides, the watch doesn't seem to activate."
"You mean it was used?"
"I can't confirm that."
"Wait, where's Mia?"
Tatsuya raised him slightly from the wall on his back to give him a better view. He saw Mia sitting not far from where they were, constantly eyeing them in fear, seeing as they were covered in blood. Naoya was reassured, but he clenched his wound and they both now pondered on what to do.
"I can't treat you here. We need shelter, a place where people won't find the second Tatsuya in the city and caused some time paradox."
"We don't have anywhere to go," Naoya said, "I endured this for hours already... I don't think I can keep going..."
"Don't be stupid," Tatsuya said, reaching for his arm and gently helped him to his feet, "You're a man of prophecy, you can't die. I got a place. I got one, so just stay awake."
Taking a secluded path, Tatsuya began leading them to somewhere. Mia was following at the back, but Tatsuya had to turn around once in a while due to the lack of footsteps, seeing as she was barefoot. Naoya at the front eventually lent her his sandals, and they continued on, albeit with extremely weak pace. Naoya had lost too much blood that even his wound had dried out, plus there was no strength left for him to lift his head except to drag his legs to wherever Tatsuya brought him.
Tatsuya Suou
Clear sky - Morning - ?/8/2009 - Hirasaka, Sumaru City
(3 years ago)
"We're here," Tatsuya sighed in relief when they reached a secluded apartment. This location crossed his mind when he remembered Hirasaka. He remembered that days ago (in the future), Chika Ueda had rent an apartment here, and he and Katsuya had once entered the room. The key was not with him, it was still confiscated with his brother. But if what he heard from Chikarin was true, then the landlord would be easy to let them have a room. He checked on Naoya and saw that he was losing consciousness again. He wondered if he should tell him the truth, that the hole in his lung had already spread open beyond saving. But he wanted him to resist, for the prophecy depended on him. Gently, he placed Naoya at the front door and told Mia to wait outside while he check-in the apartment.
What he didn't expect was to find someone who knew him. It was Kenta "Chunky" Yokouchi, the rumormonger, currently talking with the old receptionist about a vacant room. He backed away quickly and pulled Naoya and Mia to a slightly further location. After a few minutes, Chunky left through the front door, and Tatsuya wasted no time in rushing in and approached the counter. The old lady seemed terrified at the presence of blood on him, but he reassured her by revealing his ID.
"I'm a Suou of a police department," He said and was glad that she recognized the Suou Devils, "I am currently undercover and needed some shelter. Will you provide some room?"
"You're that Suou!" The receptionist gasped in half excitement, "S-Sorry, sir, but we have only one available room at the moment, and there were two who would rend the room."
"And who might that be?"
"It's a woman named Chika Ueda, and a man who just left a while ago named Kenta Youkouchi. They are rumormongers."
"I'll take that," Tatsuya hurriedly said, but he paused when he realized his name might be recorded. He pondered for a while before he decided to put someone else's name, "But please don't put my name on it. Just give it to... 'Sorry Chunky...' I want you to give it to Chika Ueda afterward. Don't worry, it's just one night."
The receptionist was quick to get the key from the backroom. Tatsuya glanced around for a while, and he saw the calendar for today's date. He nearly plugged out his eyes in shock.
Clear Sky - Morning - 15/8/2011 - Hirasaka, Sumaru City
(1 year ago?)
"No way!" Tatsuya voiced out. He examined Jun's watch again and understood that it was already used. He must have accidentally inputted the wrong date during the struggle with Nyarlathotep, "Sh*t! We arrived this world one year too early!"
He snatched the key from the receptionist and brought in Naoya and Mia. After climbing the stairs (the apartment had no elevator), Tatsuya pushed through the door, laid them down and began explaining things to Naoya.
"So, we can't go back...?" Naoya said, barely able to open his eyes, "We're stuck here for one whole year?"
"Well, I don't know! The watch just activated by itself!" Tatsuya replied in anger but realized his rage was unnecessary towards him, "Alright, sorry for that. Just stay here. I'll be back with the medical kit. Mia, come with me."
While Naoya was slowly resting on the tatami floor, Tatsuya's next task was where to put Mia. He tried to remember the map of the place. Eventually, he decided his destination and left the room with Naoya in it.
"Where are we going?" Mia, for the first time, spoke to him as they descended the stairs.
"To meet someone who knows me," Tatsuya said, "We're going to the Velvet Room."
Velvet Room
"Igor!" Tatsuya screamed, pushing open the door to the Velvet Room. Mia was completely shocked to see the scenery inside. The design of the room was just like how he remembered years ago. Nameless and Belladonna, however, were not presented. There was only Igor and the Demon Painter inside. Demon Painter looked completely surprised by the presence of Tatsuya, but Igor was better at hiding his amusement.
"Welcome back, Master Tatsuya. What brought you here, so sudden and so urgently?" Igor asked, eyeing Tatsuya first before turning to Mia who was hiding behind the man due to fear of his oddly long nose.
"Listen! I got no time to explain, but I need to put this girl somewhere, under surveillance... Come on, I thought you guys know everything?" Tatsuya began but noised out his impatience when both Igor and Demon Painter was unable to follow the conversation, "*sigh* Looks like I need to retell everything..."
In under 5 minutes, Tatsuya told of what he knew of the prophecy. They both looked concern and distress, but Igor was finally able to understand his purpose and paused him when he finally understood.
"My master, Philemon, spoke of this. I generally did not expect this soon..."
"No, it's not starting yet," Tatsuya said, "But I believe you know how to handle this girl."
"I am not capable of such a thing, but..." Igor turned to Demon Painter, "Perhaps a former human would be able to?"
"I don't think I have the strength to care for a kid," Demon Painter answered honestly, "But if it benefits you, then I will try."
"It's just one year, that's all," Tatsuya said in pleading voice, "She is Maya's shadow, but named her Mia Kaneda."
It seemed, however, that Igor was burying something in his mouth, some words that he wanted to speak. Tatsuya noticed this and paused to look at him.
"Someone else was here in this room a while ago, before you came in," Igor revealed, "And he shared the same stories." Tatsuya widened his eyes in astonishment, but Igor wasn't done, "You have met him before, Tatsuya, a man named Takahisa Kandori?"
Bafflement was so visible on his face that Demon Painter decided to resolve the matter quickly, "I'll take the girl. Now go and chase the man. He claimed to hide in an apartment not far from here. Here's the address."
"Wait, don't go!" Mia suddenly grabbed his leg in fear, "What do I do? Where should I go?"
"You go with him," Tatsuya kneeled down and comforted her, "Don't worry, We'll see each other again soon."
"Soon?"
"Sooner than you think, I swear. Now let me be. I have a matter to finish."
He heard Mia crying in the room but he didn't hesitate to go for his mission. All of a sudden, he began to realize that he didn't stop running today at all. His sense of time had begun to blur over him.
Back alley apartment
"Here?" Tatsuya voiced out as he found himself back to the apartment where Naoya was staying. Demon Painter couldn't possibly give him the wrong direction, "I was in the same building as Takahisa Kandori from the start?"
He entered the apartment with newly brought bandages and medicines for Naoya and asked the receptionist regarding the man with a cross-scarred face. At first, hesitated, she eventually relented and revealed that he was resting in a room directing below their room.
Knock! Knock!
"I know you in there! Can you let me in? I just want to talk," Tatsuya said when he reached the room. There was a voice answering from behind the door.
"I don't know you. Leave."
"But I know you," Tatsuya said impatiently, "Takahisa Kandori, let me in. Tell me about the Limbo Recall and the prophecy."
There was a long silence, but eventually, the door creaked opened. A man with a deeply scarred face and almost hollowed eyes exposed himself to him.
"How did you know about that? Igor told you?" He said. This was the first time Tatsuya saw him again since the undersea ruin many years ago. His face aged only slightly, preserved like a mummified figure and seemed so if not for his long dark robe that he wore.
"I'm not here as an enemy. Trust me, please. I just want answers."
Kandori gestured him in after a hard insistence. His room was laid empty except for books and some computer that was seen often used. He peeked at the small table and saw that it was the same book that he had read regarding the tragedy by Juugo years ago.
"You're a man of prophecy," Kandori began, "I only know about what I was told. Don't trust me too much."
Kandori revealed that, after he escaped from Juugo two years ago, he had traveled for a very long time to many places, searching for Chizuru. His destination, at last, brought him back to Sumaru City, where he heard rumors of a mad professor. Long he searched, but he could find no trace of her. Desperate, he decided to seek the council of the Velvet Room. He had visited the room five times in the time, each time spent longer than before. His visit today was the sixth time and the last, where Kandori, at last, traced the whereabouts of a secret underground place beneath the city and possibly where Chizuru was. Tatsuya meanwhile, shared what he knew of the future event but hid the fact about Chizuru's death from him.
"No, don't go there," Tatsuya rejected that idea, "Not even the police in the future and find it. It must be a trap."
"I must go, regardless," Kandori said, "And if your story proved true, then I entrusted this to you."
He handled the diary to Tatsuya, the same diary that he will soon read in the future. But if his memories served him right and from what his brother told him, then the diary should be in the past, and Kandori should be the one who suggested the builder of the aquarium an idea to put his diary in a secret location.
"No, I will not take this," Tatsuya shook his head pushed Kandori's hand, "I came from the future, and this is not the fate of your diary, not in my hand."
Kandori didn't hide his dissatisfaction and laid the book on the small table.
"I am going regardless of your opinion. And I will not keep the book," Kandori said, "If you had a second thought, find me again. I'll be leaving tonight. Now leave if there's nothing to say."
Tatsuya was pushed out of the room. Cluelessly trying to connect all the events, he returned to Naoya's room but instantly realized that there was no sound. Worried, he walked in and his eyes searched for a few seconds. The room was not big and everything was visible from the front door, but he saw no one inside, saved for a single piece of paper on the small table.
"Naoya?" He called, but no one answered. The door wasn't forced, thus kidnapping or robbery was unlikely. Did he leave the place? He searched again and saw, hanging on the frame of the window, Naoya's clothes. Dark thoughts began to overcome him, and he finally turned to the piece of paper on the small table, written with Naoya's handwriting in black pen. The letter was two paged, back and front, and seemed closer to suicide note:
"To Tatsuya,
I'm sorry. By the time you read this, I have already departed to the Sea of Soul. My wounds are untreatable, and I knew I couldn't survive. Perhaps you wonder why the prophecy is still ongoing. The answer, my unlikely friend, is because I'm not the real 'Naoya' either. Ever since the explosion in Juugo's lab in Egypt, I was always just another 'self', spreading all over the place. See, I made a deal with Conquest long ago. In exchange for protection for Eriko, I picked myself as both 'sacrifice' and man of prophecy. Naturally, I'm not the real man of prophecy, ever since when I first came to Nanjo's house a few weeks ago, I was always searching for my true body, the true 'emperor'. But it was all for nothing. It was not my choice. It was Eriko. She must be the one to find the real 'Naoya'. I beg of you, tell Eriko something for me. 'The true Naoya still has it, that love for you, and he knows you love him still. You only need to find his true self and give him another chance.' That is all. I mean no harm in lying to you, but I knew I could tell no one. Please, Tatsuya the 'sun', you must preserve the prophecy. You can win, Tatsuya, you can. The reason why the prophecy required a 'vessel' is to weaken the Four Horsemen. You can do it.
Sincerely,
Naoya"
A/N: Sorry for the extremely late update. Busy schedule prevented me from writing this chapter. Anyway, most of the questions were answered here: about the apartment, about the dream, about Mia's 'father', and about Naoya. But then, who was the man talking to Tatsuya in Juugo's lab? What will happen to War's ceremony now?
Please wait for the long update.