AN: Sorry for such a long gap between chapters - this one took a while to write, and several things got in the way. But I'm happy with this one. The Anomalies up until now haven't had much to do - only appearing for a single chapter - but the Parcae should change that. They're essentially the Roman counterparts to the Moirae Clotho (Nona), Lachesis (Decima), and Atropos (Morta), as well as the Norse Norn (Skuld, Wyrd, Verdandi). I've been planning a lot of scenarios for the chapters ahead, so hopefully it won't take nearly as long to get to Chapter 31.
Chapter 30: Trinity of Woe
|Ginumi - Hotel Aquarius – Hercules Room|14:30 pm|
While the Golden Laguna Hotel was on the eastern side of Ginumi, the equally luxurious Aquarius hotel was on the west. With a breathtaking fountain in front of the hotel grounds, it was striking to look at, and boasted a huge outdoor pool and a five star restaurant. Decorated in many shades of blue, it was quite a beacon of Shinshuto's cityscape, often appearing somewhere on postcards.
In the Theio Kosmos, however, with no one else claiming it as their own, Bythos had decided to use it a special training centre and accommodation for some of their lower ranked soldiers. While the Goldenrod Squad did have access to the Ichiban Suite, those wearing the plain black uniforms were using the regular rooms. Today, two new recruits were practising fighting with the new Personas they had been given. The huge gymnasium had been remodelled into a combat arena, and several spectators were watching with great interest.
"Go!" One soldier, a boy of fifteen, yelled. "Poltergeist!" The mischievous ghost tried to Bash its opponent, using the chair it was holding, but missed.
"Ha! You got a dud!" A girl of the same age said. "I'll show you real power. Napaea!"
The fairy cast Aqua on the boy, hitting him with quite a splash. Angry, the boy rushed at her with his blade, but tripped – while she laughed out loud.
"Bitch! I'm gonna get you -"
"Enough!"
An adult man stepped forward, causing those in front of him to run out of his way, terrified. He grabbed the boy by the collar of his coat, and glared at him fiercely.
"Pitiful! How do you expected to be promoted to one of the Tetra Squads with a performance like that?"
"I-I'm sorry, Keiya-sama! I promise, me and Poltergeist will do better next time!"
"If you get a next time." Keiya said, annoyed. He let the boy go, and sighed.
"Alright, take a break everyone. But don't go too far from this hotel. Contact us only if it's an emergency." Asami said, having stood in the corner. "And no, you're not allowed to use the outdoor jacuzzi."
The class of ten new members walked away to various other parts of the hotel, while Keiya and Asami took the elevator to the rooftop garden. As the elevator shot up, Asami couldn't help but laugh at her older friend's scowl.
"What are you laughing at?" Keiya asked.
"Nothing! You're just such a stern teacher..." Asami said. "Just wait until Shiro has to teach them. He hates teaching at normal school as it is."
"Shiro Koyanagi. What an incorrigible fellow." The card magician shook his head, and as the elevator opened, he walked out, followed by Asasmi. They walked through the glass doors to be greeted by the sight of the garden. It was even more beautiful to look at than Inoue Bank's HQ.
"Wow..." Asami said. She from the shopping bag she had brought, and sat at one of the tables by the second fountain the hotel had. A smaller one than the downstairs one, but it was perhaps even more iconic, bearing a likeness of the astrological water bearer himself.
"That's one advantage of being an Aeon Adminstrator of the Theio Kosmos. We get the opportunity to use this hotel as if it were our own home." Keiya said. He drank from his ginger ale, and sighed. "Of course, using the swimming pool in this world is just asking a Shadow to come and devour your soul."
Asami nodded, laughing somewhat. "I...never had any special feelings about this hotel. My parents are kind of well off, but they're jealous of the ad revenue I'm making. Thank god they don't have any access to my income. I just wish Ayako, Moriko and Takumi could have seen me become so successful..."
"You'll always miss them, won't you?" Keiya asked, somewhat sadly.
The video blogger looked up at the sky, which aside from the tint of blue being somewhat 'off', was largely like the real sky she had known all her life. "We...had so many dreams for our future, you know? But then Ryosuke tore them apart. He got to all three of them...he just didn't want us to feel happy. I still don't get how he could be such a psychopathic freak..."
"Even Grief Factor wasn't enough to make him realise what he had done." Keiya said. "Or worse...he knew what he had done, but was proud of it. Either way, he's gone. You don't have to seek vengeance anymore."
"I know...but I'm starting to wonder if it was worth it." Asami said, tearfully. "Natsumi and Masato defeated him in the end...I've turned them into murderers. As evil as Ryosuke was, even if he did become that horrible astronomer Shadow...he had family of his own. And he and Hisaya used to go to school together. By getting rid of him, we might have caused others to desperately seek revenge."
Keiya looked at her in surprise. "This isn't like you. Have you become soft? That bastard deserved it! Just as Yuchi deserves a truly dark end. Which I still intend to ensure myself."
"...But Keiya, is Nisa Liat really going to let you do that? She's refused to turn him into an Anomaly. And after we screwed up with Grief Factor, she won't let us use that either. What are you going to do?" Asami asked.
"I wouldn't panic. We have him in our custody, in a place not even our irritating enemies can reach." The man looked smug, and laughed to himself. "Perhaps what I'm doing is illegal. But I don't care. I want him to suffer. Terribly. It's just a matter of gaining the recognition of the Princess. Once I've done that, she's bound to give me whatever means will torture him the most painfully..."
Asami winced, looking away. "If you say so. Even if you kill Yuchi Okamoto, after torturing him for god knows how long, what will you do then?"
"Good question..." Keiya said. "Perhaps manipulate this sorry world, and make myself a star actor. Even greater than that piece of slime. You never know, Death By Moonlight could make a triumphant return, and I can cleanse the role I should have played an aeon ago."
"At least you've got at least one plan for the future that doesn't involve killing someone else." Asami said. She tried to laugh, but it came out rather forced, and Keiya's expression did not lighten one bit. "...That aside, we need to work on the next Cognition Core. Where do you think it'll awaken next?"
"Good question. Well, there's been quite a lot of news about Aramis lately. There are a lot of rumours, denied vehemently of course, but most of which we know are true. They're drastically underpaying their staff, engaging in brutal corporate espionage, and Solberg is having a lot of issues with the CEO of the Swedish HQ." Keiya said. "And the Mayor's tax policies are affecting a lot of businesses, big and small. Especially Hiyashi."
"Mayor Ashikaga is one cold-hearted bitch..." Asami said, irritated. "Look at what Rinaka went through when she was in the police. She turned a blind eye, just because she didn't want to deal with the fallout. God, if only Nisa Liat would take over already -"
Before Asami could add to her comment, she was interrupted by her Gnosis ringing. She answered it, and immediately heard quite a commotion.
"H-Hama-sama!" One of the recruits, a girl who had attended her performance weeks ago, said. "It's an emergency! This thing...she's too much for any of us!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Asami asked. "What 'thing'?"
"I don't know! This Shadow that broke through the door and started blasting the whole place apart with her ice magic! We tried to fight it, but...she's too strong! We had to retreat..."
"Right...Where is it now?" She had a feeling she already knew. Keiya got to his feet, and readied his cards.
"I think she started going up the stairs!" The scared girl said. "I...I have to help the injured, don't I?"
"Yes. Do what you can. Me and Tsukino will take care of this." Asami said. She prepared her spear, and watched carefully. Sure enough, a ghostly looking girl came hurtling through the glass doors, breaking them entirely.
"What a nice hotel, don't you think? And in this world, I can take it for myself and share it among my friends. No room for weak boys and girls like the ones you're babysitting!"
The two Admins watched in shock. This was none other than an Anomaly Shadow in front of them. She had inhumanly orange skin, icy blue eyes, and a vibrant purple glow. Her dress was jet black, with bizarre floral designs all over them. In her right hand was a pair of blood red shears, with black rose designs on the blade.
"...Huh?!" Asami said, staring in shock. "How?! You're..."
"That's right! I am the Life Severer, Morta! My friends, Nona and Decima, are waiting for me. First, though, I'm going to secure this place, and summon them both here. This will be our chance to rule this entire world on our own, with no one left to constrain us, or -"
"No! No...you're...Takumi!"
There was an immensely uncomfortable silence, as Keiya looked between each of the girls. Morta floated there in shock, while Asami gazed at her in horror.
"...Asami. Who is Takumi?"
"She was..." Asami said, distraught. "One of my best friends...but she's dead! How...are you here?"
"Asami? Huh?! No, I'm not...wait...what's happening?!"
Morta clenched her head in pain, screaming in agony. Completely out of control, her body unleashed a massive Chaos Blizzard, hitting Asami. She was toppled by the severe cold of this icy blast, but Keiya caught her in his arms.
"A-Are you alright?! What's going on, Asami?"
"That's...definitely...Takumi..." Asami said, pale with horror. "Why does this Shadow look like her? She died years ago! With Moriko and Ayako!"
"Moriko? Ayako? Takumi? Oh my god! Asami...?!"
Keiya helped Asami regain her footing, however, she ran towards the Shadow, tears streaming down her eyes.
"Tell me why! Why do you look like Takumi Kokubun?! She's dead! You're making herself look like her on purpose, aren't you?! I won't stand for that! Whoever you are, I'll end you!" Asami yelled. "C'mon, Keiya! Help me kill this impostor!"
"I'm not...trying to imitate anyone! I'm only myself. Honest...!"
"...Very well." Keiya said, summoning Sin. Joining him was Kaihime, looking even more indignant than ever. "We'll find out exactly what this Shadow is all about soon enough."
|TechnoDome|14:55 pm|
Toshiaki stood back, his head spinning. Everything that had happened since he scanned that code had turned his world upside down. Now, his least favourite teacher in the entire planet was here, claiming to be rescuing him from danger.
I have no clue what's going on. But they say 'better the devil you know'. And I know a lot more about Koyanagi-sensei than I do this girl. Or is it more of a thing?
"Who the hell are you?!" Decima yelled. "I've got friends to meet. Or maybe it's better for them to come and find me first! In that case, I have to take this entire shopping mall for myself! Then I can make it for the three of us! So get the hell out of my way, or die!"
She cast a potent Zionga, but Shiro bore the brunt of this thunder. Toshiaki shut his eyes, shaking, but the older gentleman had no such qualms with this fierce lightning. Mergen pointed his sword at the ground, and out of nowhere, the ground seemed to erupt, impaling the insane child with fierce rocks.
"Toshiaki. You may have a lot of questions. More than you normally do when you're in school. Right now, you ought to just stay quiet and let me vanquish this Shadow."
Decima was outraged. "Don't treat me like I'm irrelevant! I'm not just a simple Shadow, aren't I? Nisa Liat made me who I am. But she locked me away, along with the rest of my friends! How could she do that? Were we not good enough for her anymore?! Why were we replaced by mere humans?!"
"I have no interest in speaking with you, child." Shiro said, annoyed. "Children like you are all the same. Self-obsessed, uninterested in anything that can't excite them for more than five seconds. Unambitious, pathetic children, who won't listen to wisdom. Who will never learn!"
"You and her are the only pathetic ones here!" Toshiaki yelled, annoyed.
"I told you to be quiet! Do you want her attention on you?!" Shiro yelled, enraged. "I won't tell you again. Shut. Up."
"Why don't you both shut up while I fry the two of you?!" Decima yelled.
"Not likely. Mergen, Grim Launcher!"
Mergen's blade turned pitch black, and the Persona stood still. However, just as Decima began to advance, she was sent flying towards the ceiling by his sword, in one swift strike of the sword.
Shiro seized the opportunity, by quickly throwing what seemed to be a grenade in the air. It exploded, sending the Life Measurer across the ruined store.
How does one of my own teachers have access to explosives? What kind of shady shit is he involved with?
"Ugh!" Decima yelled, painfully getting back on her feet. Her eyes began intensely more vivid, and full of hate. "You'll pay for that, you grotesque creep!"
A massive lightning bolt struck the ground where Shiro was standing – he was hit by the full brunt of the blast, but despite the pain of Ziodyne, he stood strong.
"I refuse to simply abandon my mission. You're simply causing an unnecessary interruption." Shiro said.
"I don't care about your stupid plans! I'll interrupt them as much as I like, until you and your plans are toast! Behold, the power of my -"
Whatever she was about to demonstrate the power of, her show was interrupted – by another attack of the earth, a Magnadyne. Toshiaki didn't understand. They were several floors high. Where were all these rocks coming from? Or was it all from magic?
Magic. That's just in the video games me and my brother play. Or in the cartoons I used to watch. Surely it can't be real! None of this is real. Can't I wake up soon, so I can find out I bumped my head or something?
Decima was positively irate. From her fingertips, many azure lightning bolts shot out and darted all over the room, barely missing Toshiaki. There was no rhyme nor reason to where they went, but each one was deadly. The Wild Lightning was quite a show indeed.
However, just as her electric exhibition ended, she was struck powerfully by Mergen's almighty sword – four times, specifically, at a rapid rate. Despite the agility of his Quandra Strike, however, Toshiaki didn't seem as agile, and grunted under his breath.
"You should consider surrendering yourself. That way, we'll recapture you until we can find you a new purpose." Shiro said flatly. "Or if you'd really prefer death to incarceration, that can easily be arranged. All too easily - and painfully."
"Will you stop talking already? You ugly, condescending bastard, I hate you so much!" Decima hollered. "Your ideas suck. I refuse either! I'm going to be free, without anyone or anything being able to do anything about it. Guess I'll just have to crush you. It won't hurt you too much. It'll be over too fast before you can even feel pain!"
Her manic laughter sent shivers down Toshiaki's spine, but her next display of power terrified him even more. Out of the ground, a gigantic purple stone pillar shot up, wreathed in what appeared to be blue wailing spirits. The clock had just reached ten minutes past the hour, which seemed to turn the flames even more vivid. The Fate Pillar fell down on top of Shiro, and disappeared in a massive burst of smoke.
"Huh?! Koyanagi-sensei!" Toshiaki exclaimed. "Oh my god... You actually killed him, didn't you?!"
"I sure did! Now, I'm gonna have to do the same to you. And anyone else that's around. Now, stay still so we can get this over with. Wait..."
When the air dispersed, Decima's glee turned back to pure fury. Shiro was still standing there, somewhat fatigued, but without appearing to be at death's door.
"How the fuck did you survive that?!" Toshiaki asked, stunned. "And all that other magic? Just what the hell is all this?"
"Oh, so now you want to listen to my lectures?" Shiro said, smug. "Alas, right now I need to concentrate on neutralising this target before I can explain in more detail."
"You mean kill her?" Toshiaki asked. "...But that's a crime!"
"Now is not the time, boy. Unless what you're telling me is you'd rather die and let your murderer live to see another day?" Shiro asked. "I'm not about to let this being kill you or me. If that means I have to pierce this child's heart, so be it."
"Bastard! No one messes around with my feelings anymore!" Decima yelled. "You just want to kill me and get back to whatever stupid scheme you had in mind for that kid, right? I refuse. All three of us, the Parcae, will take over this city. Me, Nona and Morta. Wait. There wasn't just three...there was someone else we used to know! She had...what did she...wait, I remember! She was the fiery one...Asami...?!"
"Asami?" Toshiaki asked. Right now, his thoughts weren't quite in order, but he did know that name. "...Who?"
"Dammit. She was acquainted with Hamasaki? I'm going to have to put a swift end to this. Yukimora, stay back while I -"
Suddenly, there was a bright purple flash, the door burst open. Immediately, two women ran in. One, Toshiaki realized, was Evelina. The other was a woman he didn't know, but seemed to be friends with the younger lady.
"It's about time you got here, Tamura."
"Deepest apologies. Bypassing the seal was harder than expected." Rinaka said, frowning. "Evelina, is that your friend over there?"
"Huh? T-Toshi! You're here too?!"
Evelina ran over, lending her hand to her sworn ally. He got to his feet, and embraced her out of sheer relief.
|Chieki Academy – Rooftop|15:12 pm|
The weather in June was somewhat intense this year, a feeling exacerbated by this rather fiery Shadow. Her human soul must have been a passionate one, Shintaro thought. If only her passion wasn't arson – then she might have been fun to have at parties. Dodging her fireballs was not exactly a safe party game in any house.
"Don't you just love my flames? They're much prettier than any other Shadow's, bar none!" Nona said, dancing with glee, as her Untamed Flames burned Akari, as well as the others. The bespectacled girl yelled in pain, as the flames burned bright for all of Mizuho to see.
"The power of destruction is not beautiful, Nona! How can you be so mistaken? Did becoming a Shadow make you bereft of all normalcy?" Shintaro asked, in despair.
"You're an annoying geek, you know that? I don't care what you think is normal or not. I'm free, that's what matters most! And with the click of a finger, I can have you scorched to a crisp."
"Not before I have you blown away!" Shintaro shouted. "Garula!"
A turbulent blast of wind hit Nona, sending her dainty body towards the fence surrounding the rooftop. This was quickly followed by a fierce Zionga, as ordered by Masato.
"Damn kid...you're just like him!" The Parcae said icily, pointing at the baseball prodigy with utter hatred. Before he could ask who she meant, she began her assault, a surprisingly strong barrage of kicks and strikes with her weapon.
"Masato, no!" Akari said, worried. "Hang on, we'll get you out of this mess." She looked upwards at her Persona, and nodded. "Epona! Go!"
The psychadelic Psio collided with Nona, releasing Masato from her wrath, and he quickly struck her with his baseball bat – hard enough to make a painful cracking sound.
"If only I was smart enough to use psychic powers..." He lamented.
"Really? You think I'm smart?" Akari asked, enthusiastically. "Maybe someday I'll be Suzuki-sensei's favourite student."
"She doesn't have a favourite, silly!" Shintaro said, amused. "Although she has said she's proud of me quite a lot..."
"Will you shut up and die already?!" Nona yelled. She began swinging her distaff, and the red string hit Masato. Just as the clock struck 15:19, she cackled wildly, and her weapon took on an eerie glow – and the baseball player suffered incredibly. "Ha! Just on time!"
"What did she mean by that?" Shintaro asked. "Are we following a script of some kind, Akari?"
"Not that I'm aware of... Ah, but Epona just told me what that move was. It's called the Destiny Spinner, and gets stronger if it's used when the current time's minutes end in '9', for example 15:19!" Akari said. "I hate to say it, but in her case, time is of the essence. We could be in trouble if this battle doesn't end soon..."
"...Then we better make sure she can't use it the next time she has the chance." Masato said, groaning. "We'll finish you in way less than ten minutes! You hear me?"
"Ha! I don't think so. You may be a trio, but you're not golden – like me and the girls." Nona said, amused. "Once we're reunited, there will be no stopping us. Nisa Liat might even bow before us, begging for mercy! When that happens, then our eternal freedom is guaranteed. Awesome, don't you think?"
"...No." Shintaro said. "If there's no way to make you human, then we really have to put a stop to this. You can't control your power. Freedom is a good thing, but you're planning to take it away from everybody else."
"I don't care about anyone else, don't you get it? I just want me and my friends back together! The three of us, happy as ever. Or...there was four of us! Yeah, but...I don't think the fourth girl ever got changed like us..."
"Fourth girl?" Asami said. "Huh? Epona's telling me something else...?"
"Already? What is it?" Shintaro asked, worried.
"I'm not quite sure...this ESP type stuff is a little hard to use." She held her head in pain, but then shook it off, focused. "It wasn't words. A vision. A girl in a green dress and pink, short hair, calling for three girls to follow her down the shore at Ginumi."
"...Girl?" Nona asked. "Wait a minute. You're trying to read my thoughts, aren't you? That's...so...rude! Didn't your parents tell you mind-reading is socially irresponsible?!"
"Actually, yes. I watched a lot of cartoons as a little girl. But...that image I saw was real. And I figured out who that girl was. Nona, I don't know your real name, and you've lost sight of who you truly are. But don't you remember being with three other girls? One of them became an Aeon Administrator..."
"No way? Nona was best friends with Asami?" Masato asked, confused.
"What did you just say?!"
Nona stopped her attack, and her flames subsided.
"Asami Hamasaki. Or 'Hama-sama'. Akari, is it definitely her you saw in your vision?" Shintaro asked.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's her! But I don't get it, she looked a bit younger. It must have been from a few years ago -"
"NO!" Nona suddenly screamed. "Asami-chan! Where is she? You said she was an Aeon Administrator, didn't you? One of the elite at Bythos, the bastards that sealed us up? How could she betray us like that? Or did Nisa Liat force her to work for her?"
Shintaro gulped. As far as he knew, Asami's three best friends killed themselves, having been driven to absolute despair by Ryosuke Kinoshita – or Astraeus. Now, however, one of those three friends was right in front of them, albeit in an inhuman form. What had happened to those friends after all?
"...We need to keep fighting!"
|Chieki Academy – Calligraphy Classroom|15:26 pm|
"Ugh!" Itaru yelled. He and his two comrades were looking worse for wear. Had they had more time to recover from their ferocious encounter with Nona, they might have been able to put up a better fight.
"Take this!" Kohaku yelled, sending Airmid's Mamagna at the entire trio of boys. Only Itaru managed to escape, while Futoshi and Atsuto felt the anger of the earth.
"Damn you!" Atsuto showed. Both his and Kohaku's weapons clashed loudly, and for a brief moment, she thought her weapon might just shatter from the impact. Then, he flipped backwards, and used a powerful Vajra Blast.
Natsumi winced. "Bastard...!"
"What, thought you'd thrash us? Think again!" Atsuto said, smiling up at Momonofu.
"You haven't won yet either! Brigid!" She yelled, and summoned the Persona. She threw her ring around in a circle, striking all three of the Jade Squad – and quite sharply.
"Dammit...this hurts..." Futoshi yelled. His whip was flying everywhere, in his vein attempt to hit the girls – with few successes. However, Itaru's claws were sharp and tinged with poison, giving Kei quite a hard time.
"Stop whining and burn them all to ash!" Itaru shouted.
"I'm trying! But one of them is flame-retardant!"
"Then get the other two, you dumbass!"
Futoshi sighed, but summoned Inferno – and thus, conjured powerful flames via the Agilao spell. The burning fire struck Kei, singeing her badly.
"Ha!" He laughed, leaping for joy – while dodging Kohaku's blade.
"Good job. We might even take them into custody..." Atsuto said.
"I'll finish this off..." Itaru said. "Rukh!"
"No. I will!" Kei shouted. "Morax!"
The legendary bird sent down fierce lightning, embodied by Mazionga, shocking the entire team of girls – quite severely. However, the warlock had equal power over the mind, casting a Mapsio – blasting the boys with psychic destruction. The room had been almost entirely obliterated, with most of the walls having collapsed from the fighting.
"Ugh..." Natsumi said, out of breath.
"Damn...I'm so dead..." Futoshi said.
"Same..." Atsuto groaned, clutching his stomach.
"Shake it off, wimps!" Itaru said, impatiently, despite his fatigue. "We'll win this, just you – huh?" His Gnosis was receiving a phone call, at a rather critical moment for him and his squad. "Dammit! Why do they have to call now?"
"Kohaku, help me heal the three of us!" Kei requested. Kohaku nodded, and their team took the team to restore their health.
"...What?!" Itaru shouted. "Fuck! ...No, we'll be there. Pronto." He disconnected, and rejoined the fight. "We're getting out of here. Something crazy's happening in Ginumi and they need us to take care of it, fast."
"Huh?" Futoshi said. "But...what about our mission here? And that crazy Shadow up on the roof?"
"I don't care! Just hurry up and get going!" Itaru said. "...You ladies should consider yourself lucky. Next time we meet, my Persona will be so strong, it'll be like an natural."
"Naturally inept, you mean?" Kohaku said, sticking her tongue out. Natsumi actually stared at her, impressed, and Kei couldn't help but laugh.
The boys scowled at them, but then suddenly smashed through the window, running as far as they could from the school grounds. Evidently, the beating they withstood didn't stop them from surviving a jump from the second floor.
"...That was tougher than I expected." Natsumi said, relieved. "They may be weak next to us, but not by that much."
"I wonder what's happening in Ginumi..." Kohaku said. "But first, though, we need to lend Shintaro and the others a helping hand."
"I'm not worried. My brother's with him." Natsumi said, confidently. "Although I better make sure he doesn't turn the school into a pile of rubble."
"Don't be silly! I'm sure Masato-kun couldn't do that by himself." Kohaku said, chuckling.
"Well, there was that one time he smashed that toy metal truck. Even scared our mother."
|Hotel Aquarius – Lobby|15:30 pm|
Rather than attack the Golden Laguna Hotel, it appeared the mysterious Shadow had attacked its rival accommodation instead. Once the five senior Persona users had gathered, they tracked the sinister energy to the other side of Ginumi. However, once they had arrived, they saw the aftermath of the being's rampage.
"Oh my god!" Novalie yelled. All over the lobby were various teenagers all looking worse for wear. They were clad in the Bythos uniform, but in some cases, the uniform had been ripped to shreds. She saw a young brunette girl, only about fifteen, clutching her torso in agony, while her raven haired comrade tried to heal her. "Hold on! Let me -"
"Who are you?!" The injured girl yelled. "This isn't fair! We can't fight you guys off. Not like this..."
"I'm not here to pick fights with you. Here, this will help..." Novalie said, summoning a healing item from her Gnosis. She used it upon the girl, which seemed to numb the pain, albeit slightly.
"Thank you..." The other girl said. "Wait a second...if you didn't come to fight, why are you here?"
"We sensed there was a powerful Shadow here, and we decided to investigate. Is it...still here?" Novalie asked, as gently as she could.
"I think so...it went upstairs. We couldn't stop it. We sure tried our best, but...we're just new recruits! Hama-Sama picked the two of us last month..." The injured girl said. "But our Personas just couldn't hurt that freak!"
"Michiko. What should we do?" Hiroyuki asked. "Bythos or not, these are just children. They're in need of medical attention."
"Wait a second. What's going on with the other kids?" Netuno asked. "The Kansei and Chieki gang, didn't we try reaching out to them?"
"I sent them all a message, but...no response." Reia said, anxiously. "Right now, we have to do something about that Shadow."
"Right. I'm going up there right now." Novalie said, focused. "An Anomaly Shadow is one that used to be human, right? If it would dare harm a child, then I refuse to let it run free."
"But miss, it's really strong! It uses a lot of powerful Ice spells..." A male Bythos soldier said. "My Gnosis was frozen solid. And then it broke into pieces..."
Novalie smirked. "Ice, huh? My Persona can handle a bit of cold. And so can I. I'm from Norway, after all."
Without a moment to lose, she began her ascent, flanked by her allies. Whatever demon lay in wait, she would not hesitate to destroy it.
|Chieki Academy – Rooftop|15:35 pm|
The air around the school had become tense, and the building actually seemed rather hazy due to the heat produced by the Anomaly that was making its stand. Shintaro wiped sweat from his brow. Nona was having quite a breakdown, it seemed, struggling to comprehend what Akari had just divined.
"Are you alright?" He tried to ask politely, but she gave him a fiery look of undying hatred. "I'll take that as a strong 'no'."
"You're damn right that's a no! Why isn't Asami-chan here?! I want all my friends here! Then we can turn Asami into a Shadow too...yeah, that'll be perfect!"
"What?!"
Shintaro gasped. Having just arrived to the rooftop were their other comrades, with Natsumi in the centre.
"Sis! Kei!" Masato cheered. "You run into any trouble?"
"Some dorks were in the Practice Building. They thought they could handle us girls, but...well, you know how strong a Yoshinaga is. Course, Teruyas and Kakusas are pretty damn tough too."
"...Right." Kei said, looking away, anxious.
"Shintaro, I'm sorry we're late. The Jade Squad got in our way. What on earth is happening here? Who or what is she?" Kohaku asked, pointing at the wraith like Shadow.
"Well, she calls herself Nona. The Life Spinner." Akari said, still somewhat disoriented.
"No! That wasn't my name! What the hell was it...?! Where is Asami? I've got to find her, and quickly! I guess I'll just have to burn you all to ash if you won't tell me where she is..."
"Wait! How do you know Asami?!" Natsumi demanded. "She's a student in this school, like me and my brother!"
"Then she should be here! She'll have missed us so much...we can all be together. A band of four Shadows that no one can ever defeat!"
"N-No! I won't let you do that! Asami is my friend...even if she's under Nisa Liat's evil spell. You want to find her? Then you'll have to deal with the six of us!"
"Fine! I'm not afraid anymore! Asami-chan, wait for us, just a little longer!"
Her body flared up again, and the Shadow charged forward, her weapon clashing violently with her equally fiery opponent.
"She'll never end up like you!"
|Hotel Aquarius – Rooftop|15:35 pm|
The rooftop area had been thoroughly destroyed. Priceless ornaments and intricate architecture were no match for the supernatural energies that had been conjured by both forces here.
"Asami. Are you...?"
Keiya was feeling rather fatigued, having shielded his young ally from the worst of their enemy's dreaded ice.
"Keiya! You're wounded..."
He shook his head, clutching his injured arm. "It's but a scratch. Sin, let the moon steer our course!"
Sin emerged and there was a tremendous flash of light. Both Asami and Morta gasped. Where once there had been one Keiya, there were now four.
"The Moonlit Reflection..." Asami said, in awe. "I was wondering when he'd put it to use."
One after another, each of the Keiyas summoned Sin – and Asami noticed one of them seemed clearer than the other. Each one blasted the Shadow with Kouga, resulting in a grand display of light.
"...Phew." Keiya said, kneeling down from fatigue. However, this left him wide open for a mighty Bufula, chilling him to the bone. He collapsed, unable to fight on, only able to look on in pain. With an instant, the copies of his image vanished.
"K-Keiya! No! Get back up! I need your help...!"
"What a cheap trick. I could see which one was real right from the start. Making me waste my energy..."
"You bitch... The faster you run of steam, the faster you die." Asami said, clenching her fists.
"I thought we were friends? Why didn't you join us that night? Weren't you asked to come too?" Morta asked, in despair. "There's still time...we can do that Shadow Compression thing and make you -"
"I don't want that! Lose my humanity? Are you kidding me? If you're really my friend, then you'd remember this. What was the first thing you ever said to me?" Asami asked. "Come on, you should remember! It was at school, at lunchtime."
"I...I don't remember. Why...? Why can't I remember something so important? What's happening to me...?!" Morta bemoaned.
"Quit the act. I'm not falling for it!" Asami said. "Burn in hell! Kaihime, go for it!"
The warrior Persona nodded, and brandished her Pyre Pike, savagely burning the Shadow. Asami was approaching her limit, however. Her supply of healing items had run low, and Keiya's ability to heal wasn't infinite either.
"That's called a Persona, isn't it? She's pretty strong looking. But if you want true freedom from the horrible Akartharto Kosmos, becoming a Shadow is the only way to go. It looks like defeating you is the only way to go. I'm sorry..."
Morta's deadly scissors opened wide, just as the clock hit 15:40. The area turned dark, and Asami screamed in horror. The Fate Render cut through her, and she collapsed, losing consciousness.
"Why did things turn out this way?"
Distracted by Asami's pained expression, she failed to notice several others had arrived on the scene. One of which was shocked, and gasped with horror, at what she had seen.
"...Saga!"
The Anomaly was caught off guard. Another Persona had appeared to besiege her, and this time, it rained down a Baleful Brook, soaking her with potent water. Which she was distracted, two others ran forward to the fallen Aeon Admins.
"What are you doing?!" Morta demanded.
"I could ask you the same question." Novalie asked, patiently. "Saga! Heal Keiya, now!"
Quickly, the Persona poured into Keiya's body a potent Healing Tonic. Able to stand, he regained his footing, and ran to Asami's side.
"Asami..." He said, distraught.
"You should escape, Tsukino. For once, we're feeling merciful."
The others gasped. Somehow, without anyone noticing, Shigeru Komatsu himself had arrived, cracking his knuckles. Keiya, deciding to acknowledge the Education Minister's advice, took Asami in his arms, and ran as far away as he could.
"No!" Morta yelled. She tried to follow, but Reia struck her from behind. "Argh!"
"Yeah. You're not going anywhere. Shadows are preferable when they're not breathing, after all."
"Shigeru man, what are you doing here?" Netuno asked. "You never told us you were going to waltz up here and save the day!"
"To tell the truth, heroics wasn't exactly on my agenda today. I merely wanted to check in with you all, but it looks like you found another accommodation." Shigeru said, smiling valiantly. "I'm deeply sorry for my absence. It's good to see you all again. Especially you, Michiko."
"I'm a teacher. It's my nature to take charge when needed." Mrs Suzuki said, smiling.
"Who the hell are you freaks? And what the hell are you doing with Asami-chan?!" Morta demanded. She tried to hurl a Bufula at Netuno, but he quickly jumped away, and bashed her hard with his guitar. Not content with this, he summoned Tam Kung, and a Zionga shocked the Shadow hard.
"Eunomia!" Reia yelled. The lawful goddess pointed to the sky with her needle, and immediately, a Crazed Comet fell from the heavens, hitting the Shadow with the might of outer space.
Shigeru, silently focused on his opponent, summoned Dis Pater. Another Phantom Nexus opened, blasting the Shadow with wholly cursed energy. This served to both harm and vex Morta, and she shot straight at her attacker, vying for his blood.
"Bastards! Why are you interfering with me? I should have taken over this hotel...there, me and my friends could have taken it over. Nona and Decima will be coming here soon. If you won't bring Asami-chan back, then I'll kill you all right here, right now!"
"What on earth is this?" Hiroyuki asked, dumbstruck. "She's the same age as my daughter...they turned a child into a Shadow?" He hesitated to pull the trigger, but finally managed to find his nerve, and shot her from behind, causing her to stumble – leaving her open to a vicious uppercut. "Masamune!"
The master swordsman, in Persona form, cast down the sharp Fudo, causing Morta to scream in pain. Not only did she have piercing knives slicing into her, but she also had to cope with Nidaba's Page of History.
"...I'm sorry." Michiko said, tearfully. "I never wanted it to come to this."
"It's not your fault, Michiko. Thanks to Bythos we're forced to fight this child..." Reia said, disgusted. "We ought to capture her for further research. Maybe, just maybe, there's a way to reverse this process."
"Morta. That's your name, isn't it? It's what the Gnosis is telling me you're called. Who are you? What happened to you?" Novalie asked, hand over her heart. "We don't have to keep fighting like this. You're more than a mindless, savage Shadow. You're still human, deep down. Right?"
"Stop it! I don't have to explain myself to you! I'm sick of this already...I thought becoming a Shadow would be an end to all my suffering. All I remember from when I was human was feeling worthless. It was just me and the girls, against everybody else. Don't try to act like you care about me! You just want to turn me into some sick lab experiment. Well, that isn't gonna happen!"
"Novalie, I'm doubtful reasoning will work." Shigeru said. "You must be prepared to fight."
"...I know."
Saga appeared, and set forth an Aques. The waves struck, and the fight continued, the sounds echoing over all of Ginumi. At the same time, equally tumultuous battles were engoing in both Mizuho and Hiyashi...
|Technodome|15:40 pm|
The two Chieki students watched in horror, as two familiar adults engaged in fierce combat with what seemed like a ghost. No matter how often he blinked, the vision he was was still the same. It didn't seem like a dream, but what he was seeing seemed far too unreal to be anything else.
"You loser Aeons! Right now, my friends are wondering where I am. If you won't let me see them, then you're all going to die!"
Evelina gasped – before the Wild Lightning could hit her, she was shoved aside by Rinaka.
"Whoa!" Toshiaki yelled. "Um, are you okay...?"
"It's...nothing." Rinaka said. She hurriedly shot at the Shadow, but her hail of bullets didn't seem to be having much of an affect. "Ugh! This thing's got a bullet proof vest...guns won't do a thing!"
"That's not a vest, that's a stupid looking dress." Toshiaki said.
"Do you want me to put your arm in a sling?"
"Um...no. Sorry." Toshiaki said.
"You guys are really, really annoying me now. Why is it so hard to electrocute you all to death? Just freaking die already!"
By now, there was no piece of equipment in this store that hadn't been overloaded with electricity and destroyed. Evelina grabbed Toshiaki's hand, and led him further away from the thunderous Decima.
"What's going on?" He asked. "What happened to you?"
"I don't know! When I woke up, I was in this mall, but no one was around. This zombie tried to kill me, but then I discovered I had a 'Persona'. The same sort of thing Rinaka and Koyanagi-sensei seem to have..."
"Is this even real?" Toshiaki asked.
"I...really think it is." Evelina said, dismayed. "How did you get here?"
"I woke up here. And then these things called Shadows started showing up. That 'Decima' or whatever just killed one right in front of me, and then she started trying to bump me off. Then...I got saved by my most hated teacher in the world..."
"...Sorry." Evelina said. "Don't worry. We'll get through this. My Persona is still quite weak, but I can at least protect you..."
During this conversation, Rinaka was using all her equipment to contend with the powerful Shadow. She had a grappling hook, that could help her swing from one part of the room to the other swiftly – this saved her from a nasty electrocution via Zionga.
"This is getting tiresome." She said, annoyed. "Breksta! Night Stalker!"
The Persona winked, and then proceeded to fire a jet black missile – made out of cursed darkness itself. Decima actually seemed frightened, and tried to weave out of its way. Alas, it made its mark, and exploded, leaving a massive hole between the store area and the employee room.
"Incredible..."
"Shiro, you've seen me fire that rocket a few times before. It can't be that fascinating to see again, can it?" Rinaka asked.
"Actually, I was admiring their break room's furnishings." Shiro said, adjusting his glasses.
"...You need better hobbies."
Struggling to get up, Decima appeared to be in absolute agony. She feebly tried to summon her electric frenzy, but could only produce a small amount of sparks. Alas, even Shadows had their limits.
"Shall we finish this?" The teacher smiled viciously, enough to make his students shiver. "Perhaps at once. Then we can both take the credit for this victory."
Rinaka nodded. "Breksta! Show them your true potential!"
"Mergen, on my command!"
Breksta was shrouded in an ominous purple aurora, that seemed almost like flames. This whirlwind of unearthly light grew more turbulent, as Mergen channelled his own energy.
"Nightmare's Tor!"
The swordsman pierced the ground with his blade, and with it, summoned a gigantic rockfall, each boulder absorbing the dark energies generated by the leather-clad woman. Decima's screams were agonisingly loud, and eventually, collapsed, her body struggling to hold itself together.
"...That concludes our lesson." Shiro said, dismissing his Persona. "Our guest was quite ferocious indeed. An unexpected factor. But Nisa Liat did prepare us for this potentiality."
"Yes. Until we collect the whole set, we're unable to truly kill her." Rinaka said.
"Precisely. Hence we were given the Seal Evil app. Tamura, would you like to do the honours?"
"Certainly." Rinaka said. Evelina watched warily, and moved further away. Decima's form was getting hazier by the second.
"I'm...so sorry...everyone..."
The screen of Rinaka's Gnosis turned a blood red. A red seal of glowing energy appeared beneath the Anomaly, and she was enveloped by 'chains', seemingly made out of magic. There was a giant flash, and she was suddenly vanished – replaced, however, by a floating card. The image was of Decima, with the red seal overlaying her image.
"Decima, the Life Measurer, is now in our custody once again." Rinaka said. The card vanished, and Rinaka put her phone back in her pocket. "Now, shall we get out of this place? We have a lot to discuss, the four of us."
"Indeed. After all, these two are no doubt wondering how their Mathematics teacher possesses such powers." Shiro said. They left the room, with Toshiaki looking behind him at the wreckage.
How long has Koyanagi-sensei had this kind of ability? Is he even human? And why's he friends with Tamura-san? Someone please just wake me up...
"Where are we going?" Evelina asked, as they finally left the Keyaki Hills. The streets of Hiyashi were bizarrely empty, but she felt a shiver down her spine. More Shadows like the Ghoul were likely lurking around the corner, ready to strike.
"This world is essentially our playground..." Shiro said, gesturing towards the vast cityscape in front of them. The Gnosis exists to aid those with the Persona ability, in both summoning it in battle, and transportation between the regular 'Akartharto Kosmos' and this world – the 'Theio Kosmos'."
"On the surface, both worlds seem to be exactly the same. But the Theio Kosmos doesn't follow the laws of reality as you know them. It is a world based on human thoughts and emotion. Shadows are born from suppressed dark thoughts, given form via the immense energy. Personas are much the same, only those same thoughts are under control." Rinaka said. "A Persona is in essence another facet of your own self, given power in this world."
"And with our Persona abilities, the Aeon Admins and the Pleroma Princess can influence the fate of all that live in both worlds." Shiro said. "You'll understand soon enough. First, though, we'd like to invite you to our headquarters."
"It's not just going to be a gigantic version of the Teacher's Lounge, is it?" Toshiaki asked.
Shiro laughed, surprising the two children. Rinaka just frowned, and pointed curtly at her watch. "Oh, of course. I think what you're about to see will no doubt excite you. One moment, and I'll take us there..."
The Teacher's Gnosis was activated, and in a second, they were transported away, somewhere far away from Hiyashi – and anywhere else they had ever been, the two youngsters would find out.
|Chieki Academy – Rooftop|15:55 pm|
Even with six opponents, Nona was fiercely fighting for her future. However, she suddenly seemed to sense something, and her eyes bulged with horror, her veins glowing eerily white.
"D-Decima!" She suddenly yelled. "They've...they've taken Decima!"
"What the hell?" Natsumi asked. Up until this point, both the human and Shadow pyromaniacs were exchanging furious words, not to mention savage strikes. Yet now Nona was crying her eyes out.
"You can sense where your friends are?" Shintaro asked. "Who do you mean by 'they'?"
"I don't care who they are! I...I want my friends back! And you're not going to stop me! Watch this!"
She soared into the sky, and held aloft her arms. Eerie black and red flames began to wreath her entire body, and the sky seemed to darken to herald her Fateful Flare. With burning passion, she dove back onto the roof, creating a massive crack in the concrete.
"Great, and we were doing so well against here already." Masato said. Immediately, the fiery Shadow started to attack with her spindle, faster than he could handle. "Oww! You're gonna pay for that!
Barely getting out of harm's way, he tried throwing down a Zionga. Alas, the Shadow's agility was even higher, and she zipped away from the lightning. Her fiery Agilao hit Kohaku with intense force, and before Shintaro could do anything, she aimed a heavy kick in his stomach.
"Argh!" Shintaro yelled. "Kei! Can't you cool her off?" He desperately cast Garula, but while the winds hit her, it didn't appear to pacify the Untamed Flames whatsoever. The entire rooftop seemed like it would melt from the heat, and even Natsumi was sweating. "Kei!"
"S-Stay calm, Shintaro. I can handle this." Kei said, preparing to change her Persona. Right as she did so, Nona decided to hit her head on, but Kei's katana blocked her assault outright. In fact, with the cold air of Wendigo, she created an ice wall around herself, shielding herself from the fire.
"Hmm. Maybe I should take up fencing lessons. Maybe that'd give me more of an edge."
"Um, perhaps we should plan your hobbies after we're sure we'll get out of this alive." Kohaku said, still anxious.
"Get that stupid hulking beast out of my way!" Nona shrieked, incensed by the sight of the snowy being Kei had summoned. Even Bufula didn't slow her down, to Kei's shock. No one seemed able to land a hit on her, and thus, she was able to perform her Destiny Spinner, hitting Kei at full power and smashing the icy barrier.
"Damn!" Natsumi yelled. She tried using Brigid's metal ring, but Steel Wheel didn't seem to even scratch the Shadow. "...Nothing's working!"
"Her fury is so strong, it's fuelling her entire being." Akari said, horrified. She quickly healed Kei with Diarama, but immediately had to jump out of the way of Nona's brutal onslaught. "That fire effect she's under...it's making her resistant to almost everything!"
"Everything?!" Masato asked. "So what do we do? We've been at this forever!"
"I said almost everything!" Akari screamed, rolling away from the burning hot flames of Agilao. "This effect seems to have made her waterproof, and the cold doesn't bother her anymore. But the power of light can still pierce her soul."
"If only -"
Shintaro's thought was cut short, however, with the appearance of a Persona he hadn't seen for a while. His two swords were gleaming as ever, and he smiled in the face of the grim opponent.
"I was here?"
The others gasped. There, indeed, was Noburo Komatsu, proudly wielding his swords and his Gnosis. Aengus had been summoned, ready to roll.
"Another one of you creeps?! How many of you are there? That's it, you're going to die too! You should have just stayed home, but it's too late now!"
"I didn't come all the way here just to run away screaming." Noburo said, smug. "There's only so much crying can accomplish. I don't know what your deal is, but your insanity ends here! Beannaithe Lann!"
His swords become pure light, and with great valediction, they clashed through the Life Spinner's body, piercing even the flames cloaking her body. She screamed in pain, and the fire around her seemed to be diminishing.
"Now, everyone! Hit her with everything you've got!" Noburo yelled.
Without any mercy, he and his six comrades rushed at the Shadow, attacking as violently as possible. Shintaro was surprised at just how swiftly he was able to course his blade, but his weapon, alongside his friends', had finally become deadly to the Shadow.
"NO! I...I can't do this anymore..."
Nona suddenly collapsed, her fiery energy dissipating. Finally, the area started to cool down, and the sky returned to normal. The Shadow's body was becoming more and more clear, on the verge of vanishing.
"Nona, whoever you were, I'm sorry." Natsumi said. "Why did we have to fight her like this?"
"Nisa Liat was the one that did this to her. Changing her from an innocent girl into a demonic banshee."
"...Is it just me, or is she taking a long time to disappear?" Kohaku noticed. Looking at her body closely, Shintaro couldn't help but agree. Nona was not vanishing as quickly as other Shadows when they were vanquished.
"Something's not right..." Akari said, distressed. "Hold on. I'll try sensing with Epona." After a few moments channeling her Persona, she gasped. "Holy shit..."
"What? Does she need to go to the bathroom first?" Masato asked.
"The heck – no, you idiot!" Akari snapped. "Nona...she's part of a trio. She can only be killed at the exact same time as the other two. And they have to be together."
"Then...what should we do? Hope the other two turn up?" Noburo asked.
"She said one of them had been captured. By who, we don't know." Natsumi said, anxious. "We can't just leave her here. We have to find a way to defeat all three of them in one shot."
Kei looked at her Gnosis, and gasped. "How convenient. My phone has a 'Seal Evil' application now."
"What? I don't have that..." Shintaro said, bewildered. "Is there an App Store on this thing?"
"Just relax. Let me try this new application. It may just be what we need."
The screen of Kei Gnosis turned a blood red. A red seal of glowing energy appeared beneath the Anomaly, and she was enveloped by 'chains', seemingly made out of magic. There was a giant flash, and she was suddenly vanished – replaced, however, by a floating card. The image was of Morta, with the red seal overlaying her image.
"It worked. But what do we do now? Capture the other two and then release them, only to kill them all then and there?" Kohaku asked. "That seems so cruel. I know they're Shadows now, but still..."
"We tried talking to her already, and look where it got us." Shintaro said. "At least, sealed up like this, Nona can't burn anything – for now. Let's go back to the base, and see if we can find anyone there."
"Yeah. We at least have one piece of good news we can give everybody." Kohaku said, her face beaming. "...Welcome back, Noburo. We really missed you."
Noburo wiped away a tear from his eye, standing tall and proud. "It's been a terrible time. But it finally hit me today. While I'm at homing crying, thinking about Teruko, you all are still fighting. It's good to be with you all again. And I'm not turning back now."
"Glad to hear it." Shintaro said, shaking his young friend's hand. "What's happening with Toki and Kaii?"
Noburo smiled. "Toki's staying in Bythos. But just for appearances. In fact, he's a double agent now. He'll try to help us out on the inside. He's a good actor – he'll pull it off for sure."
"We're really going to work with Toki in secret...?" Kohaku asked, awkwardly.
"I know it's difficult for you all to trust him. But I really think it'll work. I'm finally able to have a proper conversation with him, my birth father. Of course, I doubt my other dad will be so happy. So for now, let's keep it a secret from him."
Akari nodded. "Relax. I'm good at keeping secrets. Like when Suzu and that guy in the Go club...did something freaky that I'm definitely not going to tell you about. Nope. No matter how many times you beg to hear the story."
In high spirits, the team finally left the Academy, and it became free from the fiery fury. Now, in both worlds, it would remain a safe haven. However, two of its students weren't quite in good hands.
|Hotel Aquarius – Rooftop|16:00 pm|
"Hiroyuki, now!"
Novalie crossed blades with Morta, while Hiroyuki fired a fierce shot at the Shadow's head.
"I think I can finally heat things up. So to speak." The soldier said, smirking. "Come forth, Masamune! Equip the Bakuenken!"
The master of the blade revealed a new creation, that looked similar to a Flamberge, except the blade was cloaked in red hot flames. Proud of his work, he hurled the sword at Morta, impaling her in the heart, and the blade dispersed into flames.
"You would have made a great samurai, I bet." Netuno said, impressed.
"Hardly. I can't stand their hairstyles." Hiroyuki shuddered at the thought.
"Is yours that much better?" Reia asked, smirking.
"Now that was just cold." Netuno said, as he played his guitar. The resulting sounds worked well as a long-range attack, and gave him the time to summon Tam Kung. "Now! Dynamo Strings!"
Electrical energy surged straight into Morta, who shrieked in pain. Her pain heightened, however, thanks to Shigeru's brutal strength.
"You're all fucking dead!" She yelled.
"Really? You're accusing me of necrophilia? Shame on you!" Reia taunted, stoking the Shadow's anger. "You need some punishment after that. Eunomia!"
The goddess poked forward with her needle, creating two bright burning flames. These Twin Flares spun around Morta in an elegant spiral, dizzying her somewhat, and then hit her in a pincer attack – sending her to her knees in pain.
"I trained to teach the youth of this city. Not murder them. But you leave me no choice. Nidaba, come! Lurid Dream!"
The Persona appeared, but suddenly became a silhouette – coloured with a seemingly random assortment of pinks, yellows, purples and blues. She 'danced', contorting her body in impossible positions, and the aura around her became a garish pink. Finally, this image of Nidaba rushed at the icy Shadow, hitting her full force with this psychic nightmare.
"Ow! What the hell was that?!" Morta demanded.
"Put in layman's terms, a manipulation of psychokinetic energies deployed in a manner to cause physical and/or psychological damage." Michiko explained. "If you weren't presently trying to murder me and my friends, I'd be willing to teach you more."
"I don't want any education from you, bitch!"
"That's a shame. It'd be more beneficial for you than these."
She darted in forward, swinging her laser blades at a blindingly fast rate. Novalie's sword was just as nimble, and Reia's scythe wasn't far behind. From afar, Netuno's guitar and Hiroyuki's rifle were firing rapidly, diminishing the Shadow's energy.
"It's time to finish this..." Shigeru said, cracking his knuckles. "You Anomaly Shadows are trapped in an existence that has no hope. It's time I banished you forever...so your soul can rest. Dis Pater, it's time to finally push ourselves to the limit."
A circle of black and blue smoke appeared around Morta. Panicking, she looked around, trying to find out what was happening, but it all happened so quickly. A giant ebony tomb, the Cruel Crypt, appeared from the ground, and the lid suddenly went flying into the sky, disappearing with a burst of smoke that turned into a skull.
"Huh?!" She said. "What is that thing?! What are you trying to pull?!"
The Skull started to laugh – the sound itself distorting the environment, and hurting Morta's ears. She covered them with her hands, but to no effect. As she fell to her knees, the tomb sucked her in, and the skull from the sky flew back down – creating a burst of dark smoke and blue energy in the shape of that same skull.
"...I'm sorry, girls...it's all over now."
The Shadow lay face down on the floor, completely still. The sheer energy she had been subjugated to seemed to be causing her to fade...but she remained.
"What?" Novalie asked. "She's...still alive? Even after all that?"
"Shadows don't leave corpses. They're not made up of any earthly materials, after all. They disappear, their energies dissipating. So this definitely isn't normal..." Michiko said, perplexed. "What could be keeping her alive, even in this wounded state?"
"She's part of a trio, isn't she? Two other Anomaly Shadows broke out today. And we got stuck dealing with one of them." Reia said, frustrated. "...If we leave her like this, she'll recover and cause even more havoc. We need to do something."
Novalie looked at her Gnosis, out of curiosity. Perhaps one of its apps had the answer. Sure enough, it had a brand new app installed to it – the same exact one two others today would use.
"Everyone...please look at this."
The other five came to look at her smartphone and gazed in amazement.
"Novalie-chan, what's the deal with this? I never created anything like this before..." Reia said, disturbed.
"I didn't download it myself, I swear!" The blonde student said, flustered. "It says it can 'seal away the dark', but..."
"But it's still the afternoon. It won't be dark for a few more hours. Right?" Netuno asked.
"Keep it up, Netuno, and you won't see the light again." Reia said.
"Novalie, please try to use this app." Hiroyuki said. "It's better than leaving Morta to recover. One hysterical Shadow is bad enough, we don't want her banding together with two more."
With some hesitation, Novalie pressed the strange symbol – a glowing red seal – that appeared on her screen. The screen then turned a blood red. A red seal of glowing energy appeared beneath the Anomaly, and she was enveloped by 'chains', seemingly made out of magic. There was a giant flash, and she was suddenly vanished – replaced, however, by a floating card. The image was of Morta, with the red seal overlaying her image.
"...What happened? Was she transported elsewhere?" Reia asked.
"I don't know, the app won't let me." Novalie said, uneasy. She tapped the screen, but to no affect. "It doesn't seem like it'll let me release her, either."
"Then it seems like she's in our captivity, and we've thrown away the key." Shigeru said. "...Good work, Novalie. And the rest of you. We should regroup and plan our next move."
"Right. The other two Anomalies that escaped need to be dealt with. Novalie's new app might be able to capture them as well. Maybe, just maybe, we can kill them all for good if they're in the same spot." Reia said, in deep thought.
"If only we had the same power, right?" Michiko asked. "Of course, I'd rather have both my powers and my humanity. Becoming a Shadow would be the absolute worst thing any one could do."
"To you, maybe. But for this girl and her friends, it was her only way out." Hiroyuki said, morose. "...I never want my daughter to feel that way."
"...Let's go." Shigeru said. The group left, but Novalie lingered the longest, looking in despair at the chaos caused by their conflict with Morta.
"How long...do I need to keep you trapped in here? Is there no way we can help you and your friends?" Novalie asked, her voice heavy with regret. "You're still human, deep down. I know you are."
The area had became quiet, and Novalie's phone did not respond. Sighing, she left her new app, and turned around.
"I want to find a way forward for us without fighting. My dream is still to ensure world peace, however elusive it may be. Rest assured, Bythos, I'll make it happen – even if I have to cut every single one of you down. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can co-exist – someone just has to make the first move."
With that, Novalie left, and Hotel Aquarius slowly reformed back into the luxury accommodation for the elite. The cold air that Morta generated dispersed, and with that, the third of the Parcae had been dealt with. However, the door to the rooftop flung open, revealing three boys in green.
"Great. I knew we should have updated our Aeon Pathway list."
Itaru, sighing, clenched his fists. Walking all this way had been murder on his feet, and it had accomplished little.
"Hey, we might have two new Aeon Admins today...that's good, right?" Futoshi said.
"Yeah. C'mon, let's hurry up and clock out so we can go play video games at my place." Atsuto said.
"Fine..." Itaru said. "We'll beat the Goldenrod girls soon. I promise."
They left, putting aside their ambitions for another day.
|Golden Laguna – Suite|16:15 pm|
Moments after the older group arrived, their seven newer allies had appeared all at once. Both teams stared at each other in confusion for a moment, until finally, one of them spoke.
"Whoa, everybody's here!" Akari said, amazed at the sight of Shigeru alongside his five trusted associates. He stood up, and moved towards his son.
"Noburo..."
"Dad..."
After a moment's hesitation, they hugged each other tightly, Shigeru even wiping away a small tear.
"It's good to be back, dad."
"I...I was so worried about you. We'll find a way to move on from this, together. I promise." Shigeru said.
"I know. You've never let me down." Noburo said, smiling. "I found everybody else at Chieki Academy. We had a pretty nasty run in with an Anomaly Shadow. Nona, the Life Spinner."
"What? So who captured her?" Netuno asked.
"Huh? Um...Kei did." Masato said. "Wait, what do you know about Nona?"
"Well, we've had an encounter with her rather cold-hearted friend. Morta." Reia said. "It turned out that killing her alone was impossible. She needs to be with the other two before we can finish her off for good. Problem is, we don't know what's happened to the third member of the trio."
"She escaped from some kind of seal in Ginumi, and we were prepared for her trying to break into this hotel. However, she chose to target Hotel Aquarius...where Keiya and Asami were training new recruits for Bythos." Hiroyuki said. "Those youngsters could have gotten themselves killed."
"What about Asami-chan?!" Natsumi asked, shocked. "She...she's okay, right?"
"I'm not sure. We healed Keiya, and he ran away with her. We've no idea where they are now." Michiko said. "Morta was rather unhinged. Was Nona the same?"
"Pretty much." Masato said, shuddering. "All she wanted to do was burn our school down to the ground. That, and find her friends, and rule over this world with them."
"Morta most likely had the same goals. Well, without the arson part." Hiroyuki said. "We'll need to monitor the Hiyashi to find the third one. Reia?"
"On it." She immediately began working with her Gnosis, and using her program on the laptop, but frowned. "Hmm. Nothing's coming up anymore. There was a big warehouse in the north side of the district that exploded this afternoon, that much I can see, but there's no trace of the Anomaly any more."
"Bythos must have gotten to it while we were trying to deal with the other two. Bastards!" Noburo shouted. "Now what do we do?"
"We may have to be more direct when it comes to fighting Bythos." Shigeru said, thinking deeply. "If they used a similar app to ours, then their Anomaly is on one of their smartphones. Thus, we need to either seize the handheld itself, or hack into it and somehow transfer the data to one of our devices."
"I'll need to get started on that..." Reia said. "And I thought coming up with an autumn wardrobe was hard work."
Netuno laughed, and got up from his chair. "Chill out, Reia, we'll find that other Anomaly in no time. Maybe we can get to the bottom of why Bythos are doing this as well."
"Bythos...?" Natsumi said. "If Bythos are the ones who made them, why was one of them fighting Asami-chan?"
Hiroyuki shook his head, uncertain. "Who knows. We've got a lot to worry about now, at any rate. Public support for the Mayor is declining – if it gets stronger, keeping order in this city might just become impossible. There's a lot of people thinking Bythos aren't all that bad, swallowing their rhetoric."
"Let's head home for now, then. These apps will keep Nona and Morta sealed properly, won't they?" Shintaro asked.
"Well, there's no sign of them trying to escape. I'll keep a close watch on my Gnosis, however." Kei said, holding it tight.
"So will we. Until then, take care." Michiko said.
"I'll be home later, dad, is that okay?" Noburo asked.
Shigeru nodded, and thus, the young ones left. The sight of his son coming here had given him new hope. Defeating the Anomalies and all of Bythos might just be possible – at least, that was his new ambition.
|Akartharto Kosmos – Bella Donna, Food Court|16:30 pm|
The group had opted to get some cold refreshments here today, and while Shintaro drank a matcha bubble tea, he filled Noburo in on some of the events that had taken place recently. The fight with Rinaka had been pretty intense, and the young actor listened carefully.
"Wow, sounds like you had a hard time with just her." Noburo said. "You think we need to be worried about this Rinaka lady?"
"I don't think we can take any of the Aeon Admins lightly. Then again, Asami and Keiya don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to fights." Akari said, amused.
Noburo laughed, which surprised Shintaro greatly – but it was good to see him happy. It felt like an age had passed since they had all been together.
"Wait a minute. Aren't we forgetting something?" Kohaku asked, confused.
"I don't think so..." Akari said. "I have my purse and everything, and I didn't see anyone drop any of their stuff, so -"
"No, that's not it. We came here earlier today to discuss something to do with Chieki, didn't we?" Kohaku said.
"You're right! Wasn't it about your friends, you two?" Shintaro asked, looking at the twins.
"Oh god! Evelina and Toshiaki-senpai!" Natsumi said, shocked. "We completely forgot about them..."
"Well, there's not been any news about them that I can see." Kei said, checking her Gnosis alerts. "You'll be seeing them soon enough, won't you? You and Masato-kun can try to talk to them."
"Yeah, but...I don't want to just blab what we're really doing after school." Masato said, scared. He looked at the ground, cursing himself for being so forgetful.
"Try not to worry." Shintaro said. "If they're anything like you've said, they can handle it. Problem is, the rest of us won't be there to help out if things go wrong."
"So it really is all on us, right?" Natsumi was anxious, her shoulders tense. "Alright. We'll try and come up with something, and let you know soon."
"Sounds good." Noburo said. Eventually, the group went home one by one, until it was just Kei and Noburo.
"...Thank you for coming tonight. We might not have survived if you hadn't shown up." Kei said, smiling gratefully.
"Ha! You're the Wild Card, aren't you? You're capable of switching Personas at the drop of a hat." Noburo said, hand on his head, embarrassed.
"That may be, but I can't exactly be called omnipotent..." Kei said, flustered. "Everything must be so trying right now. Toki and Kaii, fighting Shadows, and..."
"Teruko-chan...she would have been great with a real Persona." Noburo said, wistfully. "But that's all in the past. I still need to prepare for the funeral, too. But I can prepare for any role, acting or otherwise."
"To me, that's more impressive than my Wild Card power..." Kei said, sadly. She shook her head, and managed to smile once more. "There's a movie that I picked up on DVD a while back, about robots in a carnival. Would you mind watching it with me sometime?"
"That sounds great!" Noburo said, excited. "I haven't...found it in me to watch anything since that night. Now, I think I can. It's going to be a long time until I can stop crying, though..."
"I understand. I've had some tearful nights myself." Kei said, solemnly. "...Especially after that train crash."
"Huh?" Noburo asked, surprised. He hadn't heard her mention any train crash before. Nor had she really discussed her family, either.
"...It's a long story. Some other time." Kei said, trying to hide her sorrow with a forced laugh. "I've got to get back to the dorm now. I'll see you at school, Noburo-kun!"
She hastily left to catch her bus, leaving him behind. He had seen a glimpse of her own pain, but she had shut the door to her heart almost as soon as she had opened it. What would it take for her to fully unlock that door, he wondered? He left the mall, pondering on a million things at once.
|Bythos Citadel – Watchtower|16:40 pm|
The way to their destination was long, going through many corridors and up a seemingly endless staircase. Eventually, they reached the central room of the Wathtower. It was unclear where in Shinshuto City this peculiar area was. However, it seemed a strange mixture of medieval architecture with modern comforts, with elaborate tapestries hanging from the walls and flaming torches lined perfectly along the walls. Yet there seemed to be high tech computer screens as well, each displaying vast amounts of data relating to things neither Toshiaki nor Evelina fully understood.
"Wow. The display is so clear..." She said, amazed regardless. "What type of display is this?"
"One that was formed entirely within the Theio Kosmos." Rinaka said. "That's the world we're in, just so you're aware. Except this building has no equivalent in the normal world you know, or rather, the Akartharto Kosmos. Nisa Liat used her own power to slowly build this place that only we can access."
"What, is it floating in the sky or something?" Toshiaki asked.
Shiro smirked, and pointed to one of the screens with the Gnosis, as if it were a remote. The display changed, revealing a blue sky with clouds – and text at the top of the screen identifying this as the Akartharto Kosmos. With another tap of the Gnosis, the view changed.
Evelina and Toshiaki gasped. The beautiful sky was replaced with a far more foreboding sight – a grand, majestic castle of black and blood-red. It had no front gates or drawbridge, rather a tremendous red glowing emblem. The building was easily larger than any on the city's surface, perhaps even Totsuka's entire Divine Nine area.
Both the top and bottom of the castle had high towers and countless stained glass windows, as if one were looking at its reflection upon water. Black chains seemed to be dangling from the mid-section of the castle, without seeming to attach to anything. One tower had a red arrow pointing to it, denoting it as the Watchtower.
"...Does that answer your question?" Shiro asked.
"Holy shit! You guys have this for a secret base? Where the hell are we?" Toshiaki demanded.
"Far above the city. Our enemies have no chance of ever making it here on land, and even more aircraft would have difficulty reaching this altitude. Of course, Nisa Liat has made it possible for us to survive here. She's also made travelling here very difficult."
"Rinaka is right. We're completely unable to transmit the co-ordinates to anyone. Only she can decide who has the right to come here or not. And she will only allow us to warp here on certain occasions. It means we can't come and go here as we please – it has to be at her bidding, for the sake of a mission."
"But we're getting off topic." Rinaka said. "Evelina...we're fighting against the evils of this city. For quite some time now, evil has been infecting Shinshuto. Even the police force."
She changed the screen to an image of two young women in police officer uniforms. Rinaka was there, with shorter hair and a more innocent smile. Equally happy was the older and taller woman next to her, a brunette.
"That woman there is Yoshie Araki." Rinaka said. "When I was young, I was in an orphanage, and had nowhere else to go. One day, I saw a man try to steal an old woman's money – so I ran as fast as I could, and managed to stop him long enough for the police to get there. Yoshie recommended I join the police once I was eligible to join...and so I did. I was one of the best women there, although she probably said the same thing to everybody else – she was a great senpai."
"...What happened to her?" Evelina asked, uneasily.
"She was investigating a cyber-bulling case. A really, really nasty one. Ryosuke Kinoshita, a nasty piece of work. He really had it in for a group of girls. Why, I don't know – he was a sociopath. Now, had this been any other kid, she would have been able to put him in juvenile hall. Problem was, Kinoshita had friends in high places. Not only was his father one of the top policemen in the city, he had a lawyer for an uncle."
"So, this Ryosuke bastard got away with it?!" Toshiaki asked, outraged.
"You know it. Mayor Ashikaga knew, but she didn't do a thing. The police of this city were out-performing a lot of major cities in Japan, and she didn't want a scandal like this to erupt and destroy their reputation. So, not only did Kinoshita get away with driving three girls to suicide, my only friend on the force was suspended...and fired."
"What the – how did they make that happen?" Evelina asked.
"They claimed she had abused her powers as a police officer and falsified evidence against that slime of a daddy's boy." As she said this, Rinaka clenched her fists. "...Yoshie didn't cope. She turned to drink, and later drugs... Her family turned their backs on her, no one else on the police force was doing anything to help her but me."
"...Rinaka. Are you sure you can tell them this story?" Shiro asked.
"I've gotten this far. I won't stop now." Rinaka said, adamantly. She was holding back tears as much as she could, but her anger was not so easily disguised. "Because of that kid, and his fat waste of space father – the most incompetent policeman on the force – my friend had to be cremated."
"No...!" Evelina said, disgusted. "All because..."
"Ryosuke Kinoshita has already been disposed of. Officially, he's missing, but we know better. The girls who killed themselves...they were friends with a local celebrity you know as Hama-Sama."
"Asami Hamasaki herself is an Aeon Admin. Our youngest, but one of our most passionate. She seeks to fight back against the corruption that caused the deaths of both her friends and my senpai. But we can't do it alone. We need your help, Evelina."
"Mine...?" Evelina asked.
"From the minute I met you, I could tell you had the potential to be a true Persona user." Rinaka looked at the Gnosis in Evelina's pocket, and smiled. "It...wasn't easy. But I was able to help you awaken to Aoife."
Toshiaki gasped. "Then the reason we have the Gnosis...you put them in the classroom?"
"That's right. With a little help from Hamasaki, of course." Shiro said, smug. "We certainly don't see eye to eye. But you have a reason for being here too, Yukimora. I seek to reverse an event that...ruined my life. And your father's."
"...Huh?" Toshiaki asked. "Wait. Those old images I saw at TechnoDome. Those were real...?"
"Yes. Tetsuo, Kazue, Michiko and myself. Four close friends, with dreams of a future together. But after our college days, everything changed." Shiro said, darkly. "Now Kazue is no more, and those left behind have never spoken since."
This didn't make sense. He had no idea who Michiko was, let alone what happened to turn his father against Shiro. Toshiaki hated the Mathematics teacher more than anybody else in the entire school – but was there a reason for their bad blood?
"You're still to awaken yourself, but you have the same brilliant potential as your friend. Mathematics may forever elude you, but your Persona could help us shine a true light on this city, one that blots out the darkness spread by that wicked Mayor Ashikaga. And from there, anything is possible."
"Anything...?" Toshiaki asked, curious. "This Persona power...I want it. I don't want to be sitting here depending on anybody. Especially the most boring teacher Chieki has ever seen."
"...I'll allow that comment. Once." Shiro said, scowling.
"We'll do it!" Evelina said, hopeful. "We'll do what it takes to be useful to you, Rinaka. I promise."
"Fantastic!" Rinaka said, elated. "It's time you both went home, however. Toshiaki, we'll work on your awakening soon. You'll find a teleportation application on your Gnosis devices. It'll let you go back and forth between this world – but next time you come to the Theio Kosmos, it'll be in Keyaki Hills."
"Be patient, and you will be rewarded." Shiro said, smirking. "Even a dim boy like you can understand that much, right?"
"...I guess." Toshiaki said, barely able to contain his anger. Having to take orders from his teacher in both worlds was a bitter pill to shallow. At least one of their classmates would be their ally, and no doubt there were other Aeon Administrators that would be better company.
"Well then...have a safe journey home. And we'll be in touch soon. Not a word of this to anyone else. At all."
Evelina and Toshiaki, after some negotiating their phones, disappeared from the new world. Soon enough, however, ones who challenged their leaders would come forth.