Chapter 34: Chaotic Trinity
|June 4th|Ginumi - Celestine's House|8:01 am|
Shintaro woke up, and for a moment, panicked. He was not on his bed, but rather a scarlet bed, with dark carpeted floors and light pink walls. It took him a few moments to take in what had transpired. A powerful night of intimacy, that he might never forget.
I still can't believe it. My first time was with -
"Bonjour."
He sat up, and looked at the doorway. There, in a red lacy nightdress, was Celestine herself, with a confident smirk.
"Bonjour to you too." Shintaro said, blushing. He quickly covered himself with the bedsheets, flustered. "Um...Une seule langue n'est jamais suffisante!"
"Exactly. Life is so much more fun when you can speak with more than one tongue." Celestine said, walking over. She caressed his face warmly, and he couldn't help but beam. "Don't be so shy. There's only the two of us here, after all."
"I-I know. I wasn't expecting this at all, though. I thought it'd be another evening of us talking about books, and our writing plans."
"The creative process is a passionate one, as you just discovered at midnight." The author winked. "I'll make breakfast for the both of us."
Shintaro smiled, but as he reached for his phone, he gasped – his Gnosis was right next to it, right in Celestine's view.
"Two smartphones? My my, aren't we luxurious?" Celestine said, playfully.
"Um… You see… Oh! I use one for school related research, and the other for personal use" Shintaro said, flustered. "It's so I keep both parts of my life is separate as possible."
The writer chuckled, as she started to pick out her clothes for the day. "So mysterious, but so charming. I bought some croissants from that bakery I told you about the other day. Let's talk some more over breakfast."
Soon enough, Shintaro was eating one of these croissants, and despite what he had been told, he found them to be the best he had ever eaten. It took his mind off the rather foreboding text he had been sent by Kohaku.
Your parents said you didn't come home last night. I covered for you and said you were studying at home with me, lost track of time and fell asleep. But I can guess who you were really with. I won't tell anyone, I swear. Kei might sound a little harsh about your relationship, but she's worried about you. See you at school, okay?
"What's the matter?"
"Oh! Um..." Shintaro said, anxious. "It's my parents. I didn't think I'd end up staying the night here. So they got worried, and Kohaku told them I was with her..."
I hate all this lying. I had to hide from them being kidnapped by Toki, and now that I'm dating such a beautiful woman. If only I could just skip school and stay here, with her, for the whole day. Weird. For once, I want to skip school. I've really changed...
"You'd better apologise to your parents for worrying them again." Celestine said, warmly. "And your friends too. Of course, like it or not, they'll have to get used to the idea of us being together eventually."
"I don't care what anyone else thinks. I know my own mind more than anybody else." Shintaro said, gazing deeply into her eyes, which seemed to twinkle as the light shone through the window. "And last night, I wanted nothing more than to be with you."
"Sounds like the last line of one of my favourite books." Celestine said, fondly. "Stardust Requiem. Two lovers finally back together, after being torn apart by a nightmare far beyond their imagination. Almost nothing is the same any more for either one of them. Yet when their hopes were shattered, fate put them on a path they both travelled together. And the man apologises for not being able to find her."
Shintaro couldn't help but notice her eyes watering as she recalled this story. Every single book seemed to leave some kind of mark on her soul. Just like him, he realised.
"She tells him 'I don't need any apologies. Their world seems bleak, but right now, all I wants is to be with you." Celestine finished. "...It's a wonderful story. Here, I'll lend you a copy. Stay there – don't rush off, okay?"
He nodded, dutifully, and as she went back into her room, he looked at the kitchen around him. There, on a shelf, was a framed photograph of people that he didn't recognise. A man with ginger hair, including a thick beard, wearing smart glasses and in a green jacket. Next to him was a small, pale woman with brown hair. Her facial features seemed like Celestine's, yet softer, rounder.
"Ah, you remember me telling you about my sister?" Celestine said, as she returned with a purple glossy paperback.
"Yeah, a little while ago. Suzanne, right?" Shintaro asked, curious. He recalled this Suzanne being a psychiatrist, and quite a well-regarded one.
Celestine nodded. "That's her. And that's her husband, a computer scientist from Vienna. Luther Hellenbrand, or as I call him, Hellenbland. One of the most insufferable men I've ever met. He sees no pleasure in embracing the arts. Unlike you..."
Shintaro laughed. Even in such a happy looking family photo, this Luther man didn't seem particularly jovial. Perhaps even Shigeru was jollier than him.
"You prefer your men to be cultured?"
"Didn't last night prove that somewhat definitively?" Celestine asked, grinning.
"Oui. Very much so."
He took the book, and looked at the cover. It was a well-read book, exactly the type Shintaro preferred. Yet the starry design of the cover mesmerised him.
"I'm sure you have many more books to read at home, both for enjoyment and for your studies. But you'll love this one, even more than anything I've written." Celestine said. "For you see, it was written by my father. His writing career...was over before it ever began. He never managed to publish this book. Only this copy was ever made, just for me. I've read it hundreds of times, but now, I want you to have it."
"Thank you..." Shintaro said. "...I'll read it tonight. I promise."
After a long, and passionate kiss, Shintaro finally set off home, to get ready and quickly start a new day at school. As he did, happy thoughts came to him – of a future where he would be introduced to Celestine's family.
Please, don't let it be too good to be true. I need this. I still have to fight with my Gnosis and my Persona, after all. I need something to keep me going in the real world too!
|June 13th|Golden Laguna|15:00|
In the following days, the city seemed relatively peaceful. Bythos remained quiet, and life at both Kansei and Chieki was stable. However, whenever Celestine came up, Shintaro couldn't help but blush. He didn't outright say it, for many reasons, but from his demeanour, it wasn't hard to figure out just what he had done. None of his friends had commented on it either, but Kei seemed very unimpressed. She declined his invitations to hang out, curtly stating she had other plans.
Shintaro pretended this was fine, but deep down, he felt saddened by this. He and Kei had become quite good friends during the short time they had known each other, but now it felt like there was an invisible barrier between them that nothing could break. The more he thought about it, it felt like she knew something. Whatever it was, she didn't say. Yet it felt like asking her would be a waste of time. All he could do was continue to practice his Persona abilities, and prepare for the next disturbance of peace.
Today, that time had come, and in full force. All hell had broken loose, in two different parts of the city. While stories of Aramis' shady business dealings had been circulating, they had failed to cause any significant hysteria. That all changed, however, when a vast number of emails and other documents were leaked – most likely from Bythos. These documents, marked as confidential, not only confirmed the rumours, but revealed an even worse story – that Aramis were responsible for another company's fiery end. Soul Tech, the promising business that was burnt down earlier last year. Netuno had an aura of fierce fury, but Shintaro didn't understand why. He didn't actually know too much about the Electric Sea frontman, he realised. Perhaps someone he knew worked at Soul Tech. But the boy knew better than to ask, especially with what was happening now.
This tidal wave of illegal duplicity had incensed a seemingly endless crowd. They were protesting Aramis, blaming them for the downfall of other businesses. The employees of their rivals were the most outraged, and were currently taking it upon themselves to assault any employee that exited the Aramis HQ. Three of those employees had been hospitalised, with serious injuries. The police had arrested over sixty people, and they were still trying – and failing – to maintain order.
Even worse, however, was the disaster that had just transpired in Asakita. The popular Angel Feather roller-coaster had broken down mid-ride – and many of the cars had fallen from a tremendous height. There were at least twenty fatalities already, and many more injured. Other rides had been acting strangely recently, but today all hell seemed to break loose. Emergency services were struggling to cope, and the entire city was in a panicked frenzy.
"This has to be the worst crisis we've ever been in." Shigeru, pacing away from the TV, looked grave. "Rinaka, I presume you've checked both areas for their Shadow levels."
"Yessir. Both Asakita and Hiyashi are teeming with them. On the same level as Tarumi and Mizuho. I think we can assume Bythos will make their move, trying to get the Cores before us."
Shigeru exhaled deeply, and was quiet for a moment. It seemed like he wanted to scream out loud, frustrated at the duality of nightmares occurring today. Yet he remained somewhat calm, containing his fury.
"We'll have to investigate both areas right now, and do what we can to calm the people down. It's too late to prevent what's transpired, but we can prevent total disaster. I don't think I need to remind you what might happen if Bythos fully control any district of this city."
Shintaro and the others nodded. Thus, it was time for them to divide into two teams, thus to aid both districts at once. He had planned to meet Celestine later in the evening, but with this current crisis, he would no doubt have to postpone any romantic liasion. Soon, he was grouped with Kei, Natsumi, and Akari. Joining him were Novalie, Michiko, and Shigeru, and their destination was Asakita's Eien Kofuku Theme Park.
"What's wrong with you? You don't wanna be with us today?" Natsumi asked, noticing his displeasure.
"It's nothing like that. I'm just trying to stay focused."
It's being teamed up with Kei again that's bothering me. She's so unsupportive of me and Celestine. Is it just because she's older than me? No one else seemed to be worried about that. Damn, there's no time for worrying about it now. We'll have to work together to help stop any further calamities in Asakita.
Kohaku was in the team bound for Hiyashi, alongside Noburo, Masato, and Kaii. Reia, Netuno and Hiroyuki would be their supervisors, of a sort. The stage was set. After checking their equipment, and in Kei's case, her Personas, the teams were ready to depart. The Wild Card seemed pleased with her recent fusion, a Gdon.
"Good luck, everyone. Remember one thing – saving this city from Bythos is our duty. Don't ever let yourselves be swayed."
With Shigeru's words, the team left, trying to prepare themselves for whatever terrors lay in store. However, some things in life, one can never be fully prepared for...
|Eien Kofuku Theme Park|15:30 pm|
Today, even in the Theio Kosmos, the theme park was in complete chaos. The rollercoaster in this dimension was all over Asakita, rather than just the confines of the park, and its collapse had scattered countless pieces all over the area. The cars that made up the ride had flown into the roofs of other buildings, and one cafe had been completely crushed. The Ferris Wheel, which had once floated freely over this park, was frozen in place, and seemed to have rusted all over. Making matters worse, the entrance was blocked from the debris, thus leaving this place on foot wouldn't be an option.
"We're not going to see any people, are we?" Akari asked, terrified, looking at Shigeru. "You know, people that have been hurt?"
"Unlikely, but it would be wise to prepare for the worst –"
Further away, the one building that remained fully untouched was glowing – the Mirror Menagerie. Two people were running inside, a middle aged man and a boy of around twelve.
"Huh?!" Natsumi gasped. "Who were they?"
"I've never seen them before. But they didn't look like any Aeon Admins. Especially the kid, he looked like he was still in elementary school." Shintaro said. "There's no way that place is safe, especially in this world.
"No time to speculate! We have to hurry and save them!" Novalie began running towards the building, the others in close pursuit.
|Aramis HQ|15:30|
The building looked as magnificent as ever, but in the Theio Kosmos, there was a strange red tint to the building, and the grassy areas around were almost completely scarlet. It seemed more like a rather grim monolith, bathed in blood. While none of the protestors could be seen, their voices were loud and shrill, hurting Kohaku's ears.
"Bastards! You bankrupted my company! I've lost everything thanks to you Swedes!"
"Get out of Japan! You have no right to destroy us and our livelihoods!"
"This is insane. It's like what was happening in Tarumi!" Noburo said, anxious.
"Are you going to be okay?" Kohaku asked, worried.
"Yeah. I don't have much choice, anyway. I can't sit this one out, and leave you guys a member short." Noburo said, staring adamantly at the top of the Aramis building. "Kaii, this is your first big mission. Give it your all."
Kaii nodded, with a smug grin. However, before the group could enter the foyer, a man burst out of the front doors, looking rather harried. He was blonde, and clearly not Japanese, judging by his eyes and face. Pursuing him was an Alraune, a naked purple female Shadow with thorny roses shrouding her.
"Get away from me!" The man yelled. He tripped, falling down the stairs.
"Oh, don't be such a boor. You're the bad man everyone hates right now, aren't you? You could use some company. Here – AGH!"
Before the flowery Shadow could finish her offer, she was rather violently blasted away by Tam Kung's watery anger. While she was stunned, Eunomia cut through her, and her body disintegrated rapidly.
"Ouch." Kaii said, wincing. He stepped a short distance away from the two.
"Are you okay, sir?" Kohaku asked, offering her hand.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" He asked, slapping away the girl's hand. "You're Bythos, aren't you?!"
"Not anymore." Kaii said. "Chill out. We're only here to kill some Shadows, and stop Bythos from taking Asakita as their own territory."
"Then...you're their enemies they told me about?" The man said, suddenly softening his countenance. "Then maybe you can help me fix this mess! Please, I'm begging you!"
Hiroyuki, frowning, walked up. "Can you tell me a little more about what's happening here? And what contact you've had with Bythos? I'm assuming you'd be Svante Solberg, right?"
"Y-yes! It started last year, shortly after I hired a private security company. Rinaka Tamura, the director of Ri-Ta, has been a great help, especially when it turned out she herself was a top member of Bythos! I didn't understand everything she mentioned at the time, but now I can see it clearly! They were able to help us surpass any rivals, and asked very little in return! If anyone tried to ask questions, they were kept quiet!"
Reia frowned, crossing her arms. "We ought to find somewhere a little safer to continue this little chat."
"There's a meeting room on the ground floor. Come with me!" Svante said, ignoring her disdain, as he ran back into the building. The others followed, and reached the small meeting room. It was hot and humid – Kohaku hoped this would be over shortly.
Finally safe, Svante cleared his throat.
"...I was greedy. But I wanted to boost this company's success in Japan. And perhaps even take it further, to the whole of Asia. If our growth continued at the rate it was at, I might have been able to start a whole new business of my one, and surpass my father."
"You do understand a lot of people have suffered because of your partnership with Bythos, correct?!" Hiroyuki said, unimpressed. He glanced briefly at Netuno, and after a moment's thought, turned his hostile gaze back to Svante. "Be honest with us. Did you arrange for Soul Tech's building to be burned down?"
"I didn't ask for arson, exactly..." Svante said, nervously, tugging at his shirt collar. "Please, don't give me that look! I'll tell you the whole thing. One of their managers, some annoying fat man, contacted us to discuss their research involving the subconscious and technology. He claimed that if we were able to fund them, their future projects would aid us tremendously in understanding our customers even more. But I could tell it was all a ruse. They were suspicious of our growth, and were trying to investigate us by any means necessary!"
What is he talking about? Didn't Bythos claim Soul Tech were corrupt? I've known Solberg-san for five minutes, and he already makes me sick. I thought that story behind the office fire was a little strange, but this is worse than I imagine.
"They were small, but talented, and very thorough. They didn't leave any stones unturned. I didn't want to risk leaving them free to discover my little arrangement with Bythos. So I told Rinaka all about it, and she promised me that she'd have someone look into it."
There was a huge scream of pure, unbridled rage. It took Kohaku a moment to process who had just yelled with such passion, and to her surprise, it was Netuno.
"H-Hey, Net-"
"You fucking scumbag!" Netuno yelled, grabbing Svante by his collar, lifting him high up the ground. Svante was a short man in comparison, and far less muscular – and especially now, he seemed slight. "Do you understand what you've done?! Lenore! Thanks to you being a paranoid little piece of shit, you destroyed her happiness! She should have married that 'fat man'! But -"
"S-S-Stop this immediately!" Svante protested. "I didn't intend for the blaze to take lives! I just wanted those meddling Soul people to stop being so tenacious. I-I'm sorry! I...I..."
Kohaku looked the Swedish man deep into his eyes, and felt a slight pity for him. Then, after she recalled his many misdeeds, that small pity was dwarfed by a potent disgust. However, she and the others had to stop Netuno from killing this man, by any means necessary.
"Let him go, Netuno! Lenore wouldn't want this!"
"Yeah. You're right. She only wants Bythos to go to hell. This guy can rot in jail instead." Netuno said, dropping the man to the ground. "You know what this world is, right?"
"Rinaka told me about this other world. I assumed that's the place were they were able to alter the minds of our rivals. When today's news broke, I ran to my office to try to reach her through our private line. When I did, I heard a sound of glass breaking, but none of my windows were shattered. My phone didn't work, however, nor did my computer. I went outside of the office again, to try to flag someone from IT to fix it. That was when I saw that those demons were all over the place."
"Those are called Shadows, you know. They're pretty tough paranormal things, but we can summon our Personas to take them out." Masato said, bluntly. "But if you don't have a Persona, or the Gnosis to summon one, you're dead meat."
"It's likely Bythos intended to trap you here. If they've leaked their secret dealings with you, then it would appear that you're not worth keeping around. Right now, your best chance of survival is to stay with us, until we can get you back to the regular world – the Akartharto Kosmos. There, at least, you can be in the police's custody."
Svante looked up at Hiroyuki in alarm, sweating. "Police?! But...I have a wife and daughter!"
"Don't try that with us. For one thing, your actions have broken a lot of families. And your own daughter, Evelina Solberg? She's been brainwashed into becoming Bythos' latest soldier!"
While the man was already pale, the mention of his daughter's name made him quite alabaster, and he stood there, stunned.
"My...daughter? She's in Bythos?! You're lying! You have to be lying!"
"Lies are not our forte. That's your speciality, not ours." Reia said, wagging her finger. "As far as we know, Evelina isn't one of the Admins. But the longer she stays with Rinaka, it more likely she'll be fully corrupted by them. If you really do care about your family's well-being, come with us, so that we can save Hiyashi from becoming Nisa Liat's latest playground."
"Evelina..."
Svante bit his lip, and clenched his fists. He looked to Hiroyuki, the most mature of his saviours, and nodded.
"We'll need you to take us to the heart of his building. Come on, stay in the middle of our formation. You'll at least be unharmed. I'll take personal responsibility for your protection. Netuno, you should be in the front."
The musician nodded, and continued forward.
|Mirror Maze Menagerie|15:45 pm|
This place was known for being harsh on the eyes by some of the park's patrons, but in this world it was even moreso. Shintaro had to take extra care he was following the others, and not just reflections of them. Even more odd was the team somehow walking on water, but their feet weren't getting wet. He hadn't been in the regular version of this place, but he didn't imagine it was this surreal.
As the team got closer, defeating numerous Purple Mirrors and other Shadows in the process, they saw the pair again. The boy was on the verge of tears, and the man, presumably his father, was biting his lip, shaking.
"Dad, I wanna go home! Let's get out of here!"
"I know, Yuudai!" The man said, frustrated. "I thought there wouldn't be any more of those monsters in here. We've got to find somewhere safe from them."
"You two shouldn't be going any further in a place like this..." Shigeru said, distracting both of them. The man glared, but looked down at his feet.
"Are you both okay? You haven't been hurt, have you?" Akari asked gently. "Don't worry Yuudai, we'll help both you and your dad get out of this world."
"So there are other survivors… Who are all of you, first of all?" The man said. Then he saw Michiko, and scowled. "Oh, wonderful! First, this theme park goes to hell. Now you're here, chasing after me! Did you get a degree in ruining people's lives?"
"Don't you dare talk to Suzuki-sensei like that!" Shintaro said, clenching his fists.
Michiko looked deep in her former friend's eyes, and shook her head. It seemed fate had conspired to reunite the surviving members of the college four. However, any hope of making peace was very much in vain, by the frosty atmosphere between them.
"I'm...not working with Shiro. We're here to stop him."
"Perhaps we'd accomplish more if we calmed down and talked this out. Firstly, how exactly did this place 'go to hell'?" Novalie asked.
"We went in the rollercoaster, and it was fine, but just as it was done with the first loop, we heard something break – and then the entire thing just collapsed! We were on the ground, so we didn't get hurt too much, but then everyone else had vanished! We called out for help, but these creepy monsters showed up. They were in all sorts of shapes and sizes. I thought they were gonna kill me.
"I assumed something like this would be Bythos' doing." Tetsuo looked around, gazing at the bizarre architecture. "But this is insane. Has the world come to an end? Has anyone else survived this demon outbreak?"
"This isn't quite an apocalypse, sir." Shigeru said. "...Listen carefully. I'd rather not repeat any of this, or have to answer follow up questions. This is...an alternate Shinshuto, one you've unfortunately been dragged into."
It was a somewhat concise explanation, but it seemed like Tetsuo understood the gist of what Shigeru was telling him. About the Personas. About the Gnosis. And about the fight between their group and Bythos. As this discussion continued, Shintaro wondered, where were Bythos? Were they further ahead?
"...So essentially, Bythos are planning to brainwash Asakita? And the entire city? Those fucking bastards!" Tetsuo exclaimed. He ignored when the others motioned to his young son. Clearly, now wasn't a time to lecture him on cursing in front of children.
"There's something else, too." Michiko said. "...Shiro Koyanagi is one of the Aeon Admins of Bythos. One of their natural Persona users."
Tetsuo was silent. Then, he laughed out loud, the dissonant mirth echoing thoughout the bizarre landscape.
"W-What are you laughing at, Tetsuo?!"
"Isn't it hilarious? You and him both get to fight with Personas, while I'm left with nothing but a thankless, underpaid job! I'm screwed over by you two every single time!"
"Sir, having a Persona isn't exactly a fun thing. Not when you're battling those monsters you were trying to escape." Shintaro said, arms crossed.
"At least she and him can fight them! They got everything they wanted, while I'm trying to make my shitty life worthwhile!"
"Dad…?"
"Enough of this. We're going to take you back to the regular world." Shigeru said, having ran out of patience. However, when he tried to use the teleportation app, it didn't seem to respond. "...What is this? Why can I not take these two to the Akartharto Kosmos?!"
Shintaro tried opening his own app, but when he did, it came up with a rather grim error message:
Unable to transport due to increased interference. Please wait until the concentration of Shadow energy has decreased. Until then, for the sake of your safety, you will be unable to transport to any Pathway.
"So we can't take these two to the normal world…?" Natsumi asked.
"That's so stupid!" Akari said. "We're going to have to take them with us."
Yuudai started to cry, and ran into his dad's arms.
"I...I don't wanna have to stay here! Let's go home...I wanna go home and find my big brother...he'll be worried sick!"
"This world is far more dangerous than you might realise. We'll do our best to guarantee your safety, but there is always a risk." Kei said gently to Yuudai. "Stay with us, and once we've done what we need to do, we'll let you see your big brother."
Tetsuo, unmoved, shook his head. "I'm fine with that. Even if...she has to tag along."
Michiko walked on, without even looking at the man she had once cherished as a friend.
"Let's go, then. Stay in the middle of our formation." Shigeru said.
Shintaro lingered, however, as did Kei. He turned to her, frowning.
"...What is it, Shintaro?"
"You do know who his brother is working for, right?!"
"...How could I tell him his own brother is our enemy?" Kei asked. "What if Toshiaki helped caused this disaster? Do you really think telling his family that is going to help anything? We have to hurry, get the Core, and get those two back home."
"But..." Shintaro, looking defeated, sighed. "What if we have to fight Toshiaki?"
"We'll have to deal with it when it comes. For now, we keep it quiet. Once Tetsuo's out of the Theio Kosmos, he'll never have to come back. If a man has truly been to hell, and is lucky enough to return to the earth, he shall never descend back to the underworld, but seek the path to heaven."
Wait! I know that line. I read it the other day. It was -
"You two, what are you doing? Get back here immediately!" Shigeru barked.
"Yes, we can't just stand here. Let's get back."
Kei immediately ran towards the team, and Shintaro reluctantly followed.
Now wasn't the time, he told himself. Yet somehow, she knew the last line of a book that Celestine's father had written. A book that had never been published, and only one copy existed. And that copy was in Shintaro's possession, unknown to anyone. He hadn't even mentioned the book to Kei, or anyone else.
So why did Kei know the book? And what else did she knew? These were questions that would have to wait until later.
|Mirror Maze Menagerie – Central Chamber|16:25 pm|
The team finally made it to the centre of the maze, which was a long, cylindrical room with mirrors floating out of reach in the sky. The floor, like the rest of the maze, seemed to be a pool of deep water, but everyone was walking on it with no issue. In the middle of the arena was a crystal, deep green in colour, absorbing light.
"Huh? Big brother, is that you?"
"Toshiaki! What do you think you're doing in a place like this?! Get over here, right now!"
"Dad! Bro!" Toshiaki was among two allies. One of which was Shiro, in his Bythos outfit, including cape. Also among them was Asami, who looked rather irritable.
"What the – Shiro Koyanagi, what the hell are you wearing?!" Tetsuo was bewildered by this, more than any other Shadow he'd seen thus far. "Even your 'best man' outfit wasn't that tacky."
"Koyanagi-sensei, why the hell is this old guy here?" Asami asked, tapping the ground with her foot. "Toshiaki, your family shouldn't be in this world! Hurry up and get them out of here, now!"
"We already tried that. However, that Core's making that a little difficult. Once we take it from you, we'll take these two to safety." Kei said.
"Not this time! Tonight, I'll redeem myself..." Asami said.
"Quiet, Asami. Tetsuo, you and your son need to hide somewhere safe while we sort out this Core. There are safe zones in this maze. Stay there, until -"
"Excuse me? You think I'm going to let you warp my son into a Bythos puppet?" Tetsuo said, looking once at Michiko, and more harshly at Shiro. "Besides, I don't think I'd trust any safe zone. It's like I told you, after the funeral."
"Tetsuo..."
"Our friendship is dead. Or maybe it was never even alive to begin with! After all, the three people I cared about more than anyone else never once gave a damn about me! Even Kaede!"
"D-Dad?!" Toshiaki said, stunned. "So...what Koyanagi said about mom was all true?"
"Mom…? What's mom got to do with any of this? Who is that guy, dad?!"
"I once foolishly believed him to be my friend, someone I could always trust. He..." Tetsuo said, shaking his fists. "Kaede loved him all along! She...only married me because her family told her to! Oh, I bet you loved it when she told you the whole thing! You hated having to watch us get married, didn't you? It should have been you, I bet that's what you were thinking all along!"
"Yukimora-san." Shigeru said impatiently. "We can continue this rather personal conversation in the safety of the Akartharto Kosmos. Right now, however, we're –"
"Shut up!" Shiro's face was somewhat monstrous now, and rather red. "I did love her… So much. The day we first met, I knew I wanted to be with her. But then you showed up, with courage I never had. You came from a much wealthier family, with actual prestige. All I have is an alcoholic brother, who followed my wonderful dad's example."
"You really think this shit about your stupid family makes any difference -"
"Just listen! At the funeral...I wanted nothing more than to ask for your forgiveness. So that the three of us still here could move on with our lives. But you turned your back on us. As long as reality remains the way it is, we'll be broken souls."
"Shiro, what are you saying? That you're going to brainwash Tetsuo into being friends with us again?!"
The white haired teacher laughed. "Not exactly. I'm going to set things right. So that me and Kaede can be together forever. Thus, she can be happy, with the man she loved, rather than the man she was told to love. That way, it won't just be you and Michiko, that got lucky and found love! All of us will have that chance!"
"Huh?!" Toshiaki said. "Wait, if you really can do that, what about me and Yuudai? Are we supposed to just stop existing in your perfect world?!"
Shiro shook his head. "No, you silly boy. Rather, you'd have...me as a father instead. You'd have two parents who genuinely loved each other. A happy mother, too. Doesn't that sound much better than what actually happened!"
"NO!" Both Natsumi and Tetsuo screamed at the same time. Everyone else was silent, and Shintaro was watching carefully. He didn't want a fight to break out, not with two non-combatants nearby.
"You know, for a teacher, you're really stupid." Akari said, glaring Shiro in the eyes. "What makes you so sure that everything would turn out so wonderfully if you really had married Toshiaki's mother? Sure, you loved her while you were in college, and she loved you. But that doesn't guarantee a perfect life."
"Koyanagi-sensei, if you do this, Toshiaki wouldn't be the same anymore. You'd just replace him with someone similar. But it'd never be the same senpai I know." Natsumi said.
"...I see it's pointless trying to teach you anything. You and your brother are like that, of course, pure simpletons. Nisa Liat has given me one thing you've never wanted for, something I've never had in years – hope. Thus, I'll fight for her sake! Toshiaki, aid me. If you want to keep your dad safe, you'll do as I ask."
Toshiaki, despite his anguished expression, nodded. He summoned his Persona, while Asami followed suit. However, before the fight could truly begin, the team noticed Purple Mirrors outside were drawn to the energies surrounding this area, and they were flanked by the likes of Shan Xiao, Nozuchi, Myrmecolion, and Kuda.
"Shit…!" Shintaro said. "We need to protect these two!"
"I'll handle that. Ito, Suzuki, I'll ask for your assistance." Shigeru said. "Don't move, boy. Stay with your father, and let us handle things. We'll fend off all of those monsters. Everyone else will put a stop to Bythos and find a way for us to get you home."
"What about Toshiaki? I can't let Shiro take him from me…! He's taken everything else! He won't get my sons!" Tetsuo yelled.
"Damn right." Natsumi said. "My teacher, my best friend, and my senpai, all fighting together for someone as crazy as Nisa Liat. That's not right. Guess it's up to me to put a stop to those who'd disgrace Chieki Academy!"
|Trinité Chateau, Aramis HQ – Central Pillar|16:50 pm|
In the Central Pillar of the Theio Kosmos, the structure had become a blue crystalline tower, with translucent pillars. The purple carpeting seemed to shimmer no matter where you looked. At the top, where Svante's office had been, the area now only had the crystal altar in the middle.
"What a pain. It's taking too long." Rinaka said, staring at the altar with extreme scrutiny.
"Rinaka, if we get this Cognition Core, what exactly is going to happen?" Evelina said. "Can we save my father from those false accusations?"
"Maybe. Give me a moment." Rinaka said, without looking at the younger woman. Keiya, who stood nearby, watched with his arms crossed. The Jade Squad were on standby as well.
"It's so horrible, what everyone's saying about him and the company. When I was a child in Gothenburg, I kept hearing so many wonderful things about my grandfather, and how my dad would be a huge success in Japan, just like my grandfather in Sweden. Now his world is falling apart. As a member of Bythos, it's my duty to save him!"
"Excellent, but like I said, give me a moment..." Rinaka said, gazing into the crystal structure. "It's glowing so brightly, but it's not transforming into its 'portable' shape. What more needs to happen before we can manifest the Core?"
"Perhaps a sacrifice of some kind?" Keiya said, having been silent for most of the day. He used his Gnosis to summon not a Persona, but rather a human being, who had been captured and sealed with a special App. This was Yuchi Okamoto, an actor whose reputation had been permanently sullied.
"Where am I…?! Let...let me go! You'll never get away with this!" The man said. Both his arms and legs were bound, but he was free to speak – not that those around him were willing to listen. "You'll get the death penalty for this! Or a lifetime in prison!"
"Neither of those will matter, as long as Kazuko will finally have justice..." Keiya said, gazing up at the purple skylight high above their heads. "Sin! Come forth!"
Evelina flinched at the sight of the fearsome Persona. Yuchi, terrified, tried to move back, but was unable to do so. Before long, he became encased in a thick black sphere. Dark purple energy was flowing into it, slowly, and while the actor inside screamed painfully, nothing could be seen.
"Are you trying to create a new Anomaly?" Rinaka asked. "You know only the Pleroma Princess can do that!"
"Don't be silly. I'm simply envisioning a painful death for him. It's his mind being torn to shreds, rather than his body. You see, I'm imagining a death so brutal that even you, Rinaka, would have nightmares if I told you about it."
"This is insane!" Evelina said, disturbed. "Keiya, this man might be a bastard, but do you really want to torture him so badly?"
"Yes I do, you stupid girl! You have no idea what I went through – no, what Kazuko went through! He won't die until he understands exactly how I feel! Nisa Liat finally let me perform the Grief Factor. I cannot waste this opportunity!"
"As long as it gives us the Cognition Core, do it!" Rinaka shouted, swinging her hands. "Evelina, please keep quiet, and let Keiya do what he needs to do!"
"Don't listen to them, Evelina!"
Rinaka gasped, and looked up. There was a large group approaching, and breaking through to the front of their formation was her father.
"Father, why are you here?!" Evelina asked, stunned.
"I must reclaim this company from Bythos!" Svante. "And you must stop working for them! It's far too dangerous. I'll find a way to make things right!"
"It's a little late for that, Svante." Rinaka said, darkly. "Our usual methods won't work any more. The only way we can set things right is to claim the Hiyashi Cognition Core. Once we do that, we essentially control all of the region."
"The surge of emotions of the people outside in the normal world. That will hasten the emergence of the Core, after which we can reset their minds quite easily." Keiya said. "...Of course, our enemies have always found our methods too extreme, and constantly get in our way."
"Dude, you're a fucking psycho! All of you Bythos guys are!" Masato shouted. "You're not getting a single Core!"
"I don't understand this at all." Svante said. "What exactly are these Cores?"
"These cores, as far as we understand, comprise the collective unconsciousness of a region of Shinshuto City. It takes a massive amount of human thoughts, usually incited by one catalyst that affects their cognition, to cause the orb to fully appear. Once one possesses it, if they have the strength and will, they can sway the minds of anyone within that area. And if you have all six, it makes you the master of Shinshuto City..." Rinaka said. "Unfortunately, these annoying children and their babysitters don't want us to have them, and have stolen the previous two that appeared..."
"But since Mizuho and Tarumi remain 'normal', the cores have never been used. A waste of limitless potential." Keiya said, hands on his hips.
"Waste? We're letting the people decide how they feel. Not what we want them to feel!" Kohaku said. "Everyone! We have to stop their plans and rescue Hiyashi! Now!"
"Don't we have any other choice?" Evelina asked, somewhat tearful.
"If you get that core, Aramis Japan will be saved! Please, don't let these selfish kids take away my future! Stop them!" Svante yelled.
"So much for it being too dangerous for her..." Reia said, giving Netuno a sideways look. The door to the stairwell had been shut, thus no one was going to be able to run away from this skirmish.
"Dammit..." The musician frowned. "Hey, Hiro, let me take these guys on. You know I'd be the last guy out of all of us to protect him."
Evelina looked at him strangely, but said nothing instead readying her weapons alongside Rinaka. Keiya's cards were at the ready.
"We also need to divide their strength. Let me and Reia handle the Jade Squad." Hiroyuki said. "Noburo, you keep Svante out of harm's way."
"On it, sir! Kohaku-chan, don't let them win!" Noburo said, dragging Svante as far away from the others as he could. Camulus would be at the ready, for making sure no stray spells or weapons hit the disgraced Aramis leader.
This Solberg man is slime. I hope Noburo can handle him. Of course, I've got a bigger challenge. Airmid, please protect me! Together, we can win this.
|Maze Menagerie|17:12 pm|
"Insignificant, impudent, runts, all of you!" Shiro swiftly blocked Shintaro's sword, and lunged forward with his own slash. "Give up, or die!"
The student was sent flying by Mergen's Grim Launcher – and it was a sore descent. He quickly got to his feet, however, and glared at the teacher.
This man is so selfish! I'm glad he never ended up as my teacher. Why is Toshiaki even fighting alongside him?
"I'll do neither, thank you very much. Ogma!"
A brilliant gale of wind, Garula, sent Shiro flying into the air. As Shintaro dodged a strike from Asami's spear, he took a quick glance at the others. They were looking somewhat weary, but still skillfully destroying any Shadows that gave them even a curious look.
"Dad, is this 'Persona' thing something we can do as well? Cause I really wanna try it out!" Yuudai said.
"Stay quiet, my son..." Tetsuo said. "Leave it up to these people. They'll have Shiro beaten in no time. Then he can rot in jail. A fitting end."
Kei was carefully dodging Asami's attacks now, and at the same time, had manifested her Persona, a newly fused La Llorona, the crying woman of Hispanic lore. A psychic blast of Mapsio emanated from her, hitting her foes with concentrated mental energy.
"Urgh!" Asami yelled. "You keep changing Personas, just like Nisa Liat!"
"Maybe if she actually fought us, you guys would have a better chance. Don't you think?" Natsumi asked, smugly.
"She's got a point, you know -"
"Shut up, Toshiaki! Kaihime, get her now!"
Kei gasped – she had been distracted, and was hurt by the burning hot Pyre Pike. During this, Toshiaki and Natsumi were trying to subdue each other, with the power of ice and fire respectively. While Toshiaki was quite vulnerable to the heat of Agilao, so was Natsumi to the cold of Bufula.
"Ow!" Natsumi cried. "Damn...I can't stand these cold spells! If only Brigid wasn't so sensitive to a little cold..."
"Man, this fire..." Toshiaki said, in agony. "Why is Conchobar such a wimp when it comes to fire?"
"Is everyone alright?!" Novalie asked. "Saga, tend to their injuries!"
Shintaro sighed with relief, as their team was healed up by Mediarama. The pain from the previous attacks was numbed.
"You're pretty tough...reminds me of Evelina." Toshiaki said. He and her clashed their weapons, swinging swiftly, sparks flying.
"You're a talented fighter. Please, don't stay with Bythos. Not if you want to stay the same as you are now!" Novalie pleaded.
"I...I can't just..."
"Toshiaki, what are you hesitating for? Fight that heinous foreigner!"
"Her name is Novalie, you asshole!" Natsumi shouted. "Brigid, go! Bladed Circuit!"
After several elegant twirls, the fiery Persona's ring was launched, slicing its way through all three foes. Asami groaned in pain, but stood her ground, and lunged forward at Natsumi.
"I'm so sick of this! Everything would have been so much easier if you had just joined us back in Mizuho!"
Natsumi blocked her enemy's sticks, by holding the staff tightly. Then, she twirled her own body around, kicking Asami high into the air, and followed up with a strong swing.
"Not for me, it wouldn't!"
"That's it! I don't care how long it takes, but tonight, I'm taking you all down!"
Kaihime brought down the shock of Mazionga, electrifying the area. Shintaro winced, his body rather tender from the sparks of Asami's magic. Yet he also had Shiro's sword to watch out for.
"Whoa!"
Thinking fast, he did a backflip, missing the sharp brutality of the sword.
"Some fancy footwork. Too bad you're still just a puppet."
Mergen, with a face as smug as his other self, summoned a Magnara. The might of the earth had Shintaro hurting all over, but even so, he remained calm and composed. He wouldn't let himself lose to such a foul toucher.
"Puppet? Get serious. I'm nothing like you!" Shintaro, concentrating, managed to unveil a new power. "Come forth, Force Drive!"
Ogma raised his sword aloft, and green sparkling energy shone brightly from it. Next, he brought down the blade, and a powerful blast of wind sent forward, catching Shiro off guard. The teacher hit a wall far in the distance, causing him even greater agony.
"Had enough yet?"
Kei's katana abilties were proving somewhat difficult to handle. Toshiaki, on the other hand, wasn't quite as adept at melee combat, desperately flailing to land a hit.
"You know, Toshiaki-san, it doesn't have to be like this. You can join us right now. We'll protect your family from Shiro!"
"...Dad."
He looked to his father, who was trying to console the tearful Yuudai. The Shadows were lesser in number, but still coming. Shigeru's team were fighting with all their might to bring them down, and Akari was healing all her allies in that squad to the best of her ability.
"...I didn't realise how miserable my dad really was. Maybe Bythos can do something...change the way things ended up. So he can be happy again..."
"Toshiaki, don't you see? He still has two sons! If anything can bring back joy to his life, it's you and -"
"Stop it! It's too late to turn back now. We can't go back to the way things were. Conchobar!"
Shintaro gasped, as Kei was hit by the chilling Frost Flash. Despite the sheer cold, she was not to be frozen by the blast. Rather, she was able to fight on, and call on the divine Power.
"Kouga!"
Gleaming holy light consumed Toshiaki, causing him to wail in pain. Novalie, having gained some distance from everyone else, gestured for Saga to strike again.
"Now, Saga! Gelid Waves!"
Dark blue waters encroached on the battlefield, and immediately froze. Then, the ice broke apart, and the cold waves went in all directions. Toshiaki watched in horror, as his allies were swept away by the frosty waves.
"Novalie! That was incredible!"
"Thank you, Shintaro. We need to keep fighting. I just hope the other half of our group can safely return..."
|Crystal Altar|17:25|
Kohaku's naginata pierced Keiya, the opponent she had decided to focus on. His cards were tough to deal with, however, and he seemed to have an endless amount to hurl at them – and they cut deep.
"Fool. I'll tear you to pieces!" Keiya yelled, calling forth Sin. "I'll regain my honour. I'll reclaim what was taken from me!"
A gleaming flash of light occurred, and suddenly, there were four Keiyas. Each of them chuckled, and managed to summon a Sin of their own each. Soon, Kohaku and her friends were being scintillated by potent Kouga.
"What – I didn't know he could do that!" Masato yelled. "What a jerk!"
"Calm down, Masato-kun!" Kohaku yelled. "We just have to hit the real one!"
"That's pretty hard when the real one acts so damn fake!"
"Not bad, Keiya. This shall end quite quickly in our favour. Then we can aid Shiro's team. And I get my Gnosis back from Asami." Rinaka said, aiming her guns. "Breksta!"
Kohaku gasped – she felt the power of Bresktra's shot, and it sent her flying. However, she was still conscious, thus, she hadn't been claimed by the Perfect Murder. She got to her feet, and called down Brigid.
"Heal everyone, now!"
The kindly Persona complied, and span around, imbuing every ally with Mediarama's healing grace.
"Kaii!" Netuno called out, ducking under Evelina's bullet. "You're not still sore about our fight at Inoue Bank, are ya?"
"Nah, it's cool. At least you didn't put me in a hospital." Kaii said, smirking. "You're already a better friend than those dickheads over there, anyway!"
"Murayama, grow up!" Rinaka shook her head, in disgust. "Bythos was never meant to be a social club. We Aeons are allies, not friends."
"All you've accomplished is finding those willing to tolerate your immense incompetence. Don't act like you've won the lottery." Keiya said, frowning.
"Don't listen to their bullshit, Kaii. You did the right thing by turning back on this cabrão. How about a duet?"
"But I can't read sheet music -"
"Kaii, he means a fusion attack!" Noburo cried out from afar.
"I knew that." Kaii said, sheepishly. "Alright. Grannus, let's make these two wish I'd never left their damn cult!"
"Tam Kung! This is for Lenora!"
Grannus raised his arms, and clenched his fists. Meanwhile, a whirlpool began beneath him, and a spiral of deep blue water surrounded the Persona. Tam Kung played several strong chords, that seemed to echo even louder due to the crystalline structure they were in.
"Atlantic Fist!"
Tam Kung finished playing, and pointed his guitar at his enemy's team. Grannus took this as a cue to strike, and advanced on one particular Keiya, ignoring the others. A huge spout of water struck at the same hit, sending the card magician flying. Soaked, he watched as his clones vanished.
"Bastards!" Keiya yelled. "I didn't think you'd be smart enough to tell me apart from the others."
"Yeah, well only one of you was blabbing away." Kaii said. "Get'em, Masato!"
Evelina sighed, and took aim at the baseball prodigy from her school. He rushed at her, but stopped, staring her down.
"Masato..." Evelina said. "Why did it end up this way?"
"Me and sis wanted to get to you before Bythos did..." Masato said, sadly. "When you got the Gnosis, I...I couldn't say what it really was. Or what was really going on."
Evelina sighed. "Yeah, I wouldn't have believed any of this was possible if you had just told me to my face back then. A lot of it's still crazy now. Still, after hearing about what Rinaka went through..."
"But Bythos were hired by your father to bring down all their rivals!" Masato shouted. "Can't you see you're being duped by the Admins?"
"That's all a lie! My father wouldn't do that. Bythos were just protecting him from everyone who was jealous of Aramis!"
"Is that what Rinaka told you? Would you jump off a bridge if she told you to?"
"...I've had enough of this! Aoife!"
"Camulus!"
Infuriated, both of the Chieki students summoned their elemental rage – with Masato's Mazionga, the Bythos team were electrocuted quite severely, subjugating Keiya in particular to immense pain. Evelina's Maeiga, however, had cursed its targets with seething darkness.
"It's no use, Masato. She's been brainwashed..." Kohaku said. "Words won't break the spell. But our Personas might stand a chance. Airmid, grant me power! Terra Grace!"
Airmid picked out some herbs from her vastly packed basket, and the ones she had selected were a bright green. She clenched her fist, and the energies from the herbs shined brightly, surging through Kohaku. Both the power of earth, and the will to heal her friends, had been heightened.
"This Core will not fall into your hands as easily as the others!" Keiya shouted.
"Just gotta work harder to get it, that's all..." Masato said, smirking. "Tarukaja!"
Camulus strengthened the boy, and with his bat, he struck Keiya hard across the face, knocking him into Evelina, who missed her target – shooting the ceiling, sending crystal shards everywhere.
"You fools! Looks like I can't count on anyone but myself..." Rinaka said, sighing.
"This is what you deserve for Soul Tech!" Netuno, with righteous anger, called back Tam Kung. A particularly indignant Malaques hit the Bythos team, leaving quite a lot of water behind.
"Evelina!" Svante shouted. "This has to stop!"
"Stay out of this!" Rinaka yelled. "Evelina, we're going to put an end to this right now. Breksta!"
"Huh? Oh, r-right! Okay...Aoife!"
The two Personas stood right by each other, and aimed their respective firearms at their foes. A void of darkness encapsulated the two, and only the glowing red energy from the guns could be seen. Then, they began to fire, and rapidly.
"Haunting Barrage!"
Kohaku gasped – a vast array of laser fire was raining on the team, imbued by the cursed darkness. Every single part of her body was being pierced through, and eventually, the pain was too much. She collapsed, as did her allies. Most of the crystalline walls had been shattered to pieces as well, their pieces falling to the ground. Eventually, the ceiling vanished, unable to sustain itself.
"Yes! You did it, my dear Evelina!" Svante said. "Now, we can get this core thing, and -"
"Don't celebrate too soon!" Kaii said, grinning. Somehow, he was still in good spirits. Grannus had emerged, relatively unharmed from the bullet rain. "Everybody, we're gonna strike back! But first, heal up!"
A spring of healing water appeared beneath Kaii, and it extended to all allies within reach. Kohaku felt her body slowly return to normal, her wounds healing nicely.
Thank goodness Kaii wasn't on their side. Now we have to fight back!
"Damn you, Murayama..." Keiya said, frustrated. He healed himself, via the moonlight of Sin's Lunacy. "We'll never give up. Not until we have the Core, and Hiyashi belongs to us!"
|Mirror Maze Menagerie|17:40 pm|
The fight was still blazing on, despite everyone's fatigue. However, Shiro was at his limit, barely able to stand, and the others were struggling to cope with the energy of their rivals.
"Yes!" Shiro cheered. "Let's finish this! On my mark -"
Suddenly, Asami screamed. Her Gnosis was shaking violently in her hand, and an App had started up without her request. She dropped the phone, and at the same time, two others had done the same – Novalie and Kei.
"What's going on?!" Shiro demanded. "Asami, what is happening with your Gnosis?"
"I don't know!" Asami screamed. "I left it on a table when I was having lunch with Rinaka...oh my god! I think I picked up hers by mistake!"
"What's the big deal?" Toshiaki asked. "You can use any Gnosis to summon a Persona, right? I mean, the messages and other data is unique to them, but -"
"...Oh no." Kei said, shocked. "My Gnosis has started up the Seal Evil app. Novalie, is yours doing the same?"
"Yes..." Novalie said, shocked.
"I can sense immense power within all three Gnosis! They're...in perfect sync!" Akari looked around, and saw the intense energy the Seal Evil apps were gathering. Finally, they each generated a circular symbol on the ground, each one radiating either a red, yellow, or blue light. They began transferring energy to each other, and after some tense moments of silence, they exploded with full energy.
"Huh?!" Asami said. She was now standing before thee powerful Anomalies, in abject horror. "No...No! Not you three!"
"Finally, we're free! Decima, Morta! We're all together again!" Nona squealed, jumping up and down.
"I know! I've never felt better!" Decima said, twirling – adding a wink.
"That seal was a massive pain! But now we're all here, we can get our revenge on the ones who sealed us! Then we can teach Nisa Liat a lesson, too!" Morta said, rubbing her palms together.
So that's where Decima was. We were looking all over for her. But of all times for them to show up again, this has to be the worst.
"Damn..." Shiro said, coughing. "I don't have the strength..."
"Asami? What's wrong?" Natsumi asked.
"These girls...they look just like my friends! The ones who..."
"Are you serious?!" Natsumi said.
"Yeah… That one called Nona? She's really Ayako Uno. Decima there, that's Miyuki Nakai. And the one that defeated me and Keiya - Morta. She's Takumi Kokubun!"
These girls killed themselves, didn't they? Then why are they here now, as Shadows? Did their ghosts somehow become these? Wait…
"Asami, if they're Anomalies, you know what that means." Shintaro said. "They lose their human identities, and become Shadows, exaggerated versions of their original selves. Someone must have taken them to this world, and -"
"Don't you dare say that! No one in Bythos would do that to my friends!" Asami bellowed. "Someone else must have done this… Nisa Liat will tell me the truth! But I can save you! There will be a way to make you human again, and we can all be together! Just imagine, all three of us in Chieki Academy! Or maybe you'd like Kansei better?"
"...Human again?!" Decima said. "We had such horrible lives as normal people! So horrible, I had to force out most of the bad memories..."
"We clung onto the good ones, though. The fourth girl in our team...it was you all along, Hama-sama!" Nona said. "Please, don't make us human! We love being Shadows now!"
"Now that we're free, we can do whatever we want! We'll get strong enough to take over the entire city here, and make a new society of Shadows. Nisa Liat won't stand a chance when we build our army!" Morta said.
Shiro, watching this conversation, looked up at Asami, while in deep pain.
"Asami, it's...too late. You know the Anomaly process is irreversible."
"What the hell is an Anomaly?" Tetsuo asked. "People that are mutilated into becoming these ugly freaks?! C'mon, boys, we're going home right now. Toshiaki, you are never coming here again!"
"What the hell did he just say?!" Nona screamed. "We're freaks?! No, we're even more beautiful! We can make ourselves as pretty as we want."
Decima glared intensely at Tetsuo, and looked at her two Shadow friends.
"Let's get him!" she yelled.
It all happened so fast. Their powers of fire, ice, and lightning were unleashed simultaneously, and Untamed Flames, Wild Lightning, and a Chaos Blizzard were sent force at once. However, their human target narrowly missed, but he had been shoved back by a strong force.
"Tetsuo. You...can't die here..."
Asami gasped, with her hand over her mouth. Shiro had taken the full brunt of the Parcae, and with a faint smile on his face, fell down to the ground. Flames, frost and lightning had ravaged him, and he was eerily still.
"Shiro, you...saved me?!" Tetsuo asked. "But..."
"He's still alive, mister." Akari said. "But we have to stop these Shadows."
"...You guys, you almost killed him!" Asami screamed, tears running down her eyes. "You're….never going to go back to the way you were. Even if that were possible. If so..."
She conjured her spear once again, and also her Persona. Kaihime had a steely resolve, and both she and her human had a purpose. To end this terror.
"Asami!" Natsumi said. "I'm….I'm fighting too."
"So am I!" Toshiaki said. "You bitches nearly killed my dad. I'm sure as hell not giving you another chance! You'll have to kill me first."
"Senpai, you too?" Natsumi smiled, despite the tension in the air. Shintaro realised, she was finally able to fight alongside her friend. And Toshiaki was her ally, too. He would join the fight, as would Kei.
For he would not stand to see a world controlled by Shadows come to fruition.
|Crystal Altar|17:48 pm|
"This can't be..." Keiya groaned.
"...We've lost again." Rinaka bemoaned.
Only Evelina was left standing, after a long and difficult confrontation. The Jade Squad had put up a valiant effort, but their power was dwarfed by the genuine Personas their opponents possessed.
"Stop!" Svante shouted. "Let her go! You've won! I'll do whatever you ask of me. Just leave my daughter! She's done nothing wrong!"
"Father..."
"Senpai..." Masato said, adamantly. "There's no way you can take on all of us!"
"What's going to happen to my father now?" Evelina asked, looking at Noburo. The boy looked around, uncertain what to say.
"You know he can't really get away with what he's done." Hiroyuki said. "However, we don't intend to leave him at the mercy of Bythos. Rather, we'll safely deliver him to the Akartharto Kosmos, so he can receive a fair trial. We'll apprehend Keiya and Rinaka, too."
"Damn you, Kita-san!"
"If only I could have saved you from Bythos..."
Before Evelina could surrender, however, Keiya's Gnosis began to radiate a dark red energy. He tried to grab it, but in his weary state, he was too slow for what would ensue. Yuchi had been released again, still bound, but his body was shrouded by a vibrant red aura.
"H-Huh?!" Kohaku gasped.
"What's happening now? Keiya, what did you just do?!" Masato shouted.
"Just...stop..." Yuchi screamed. At first, Kohaku thought his eyes had merely turned blood red. Then she realised, that redness was blood. And it was dripping from his eye sockets. She recoiled, stepping back, and Noburo was almost sick from the sight.
"What the hell did you do to him?!" Evelina screamed.
"Please...why can't you just...let me die for real? You keep killing me...and then I'm back here, alive! Just let it end! Please...let me go to hell...or...is this what hell is? I just want to die...one final time...not again, and again, and again!"
The man's aura was even brighter, and his mangled body was bleeding profusely. And yet, despite the pool of dark blood beneath him, he was still living. What was keeping him alive, after this torture?
"...My god." Keiya finally said. "This is actually what I'm capable of?!"
"I knew you hated this guy a lot. And I knew he was scum. But Keiya dude, you probably did more to him now than he ever did to Kazuko." Masato said, with great pity. "Look at him. You never meant to go this far, did you?"
"The Grief Factor wasn't supposed to be so extreme. It shouldn't have damaged his body this way." Keiya said, shocked. "It's too late to go back from this, of course."
"Wait!" Kohaku shouted. "We can heal him, can't we? Then he can be incarcerated."
"I doubt it will be that simp – huh?!"
Suddenly, Yuchi's body levitated in the air, and began pulsing rapidly. Sparks of red energy surrounded him, and the aura grew so brightly, his body was fully obscured. However, screams of intense agony could still be heard, albeit incredibly distorted.
"The fuck just happened?" Masato asked.
"I...I don't know! We didn't do anything -"
Suddenly, there was a colossal blast of red light – and while Kohaku couldn't see anything from the brightness, she heard one final scream from Yuchi. One that changed into a somewhat bestial roar…
The light finally subsided, and the altar had changed completely in colour, now a burning crimson. The entire building's walls were the same colour, and the ceiling had vanished. So, in fact, had the walls.
"Yuchi? Where are you?!"
No human voice answered that question. However, a sphere of red light had manifested high above the arena, and wisps of energy were surrounding it at a rapid rate. Soon enough, it had become a cloud of multicoloured smoke, its eerie light shining deep within it.
It was just then that Kohaku heard something. It was as if a huge crowd of people were speaking at once. Yet the crowd was not in this world.
"What is this thing?" Svante asked, curiously. He walked towards it, and looked at it closely.
"Father, please stay away from that thing!" Evelina bellowed.
The businessman was not fazed by this, however. He seemed to be in something of a trance, and reached his hand towards the cloudy organism in front of them. The minute he did, however, he started screaming in agony, and collapsed to his knees.
"Father!" The blonde daughter ran up to him, looking him over carefully. At this point, Svante's face seemed completely blank. A red aura was emanating from him now, and his eyes were glossed over.
"It's trying to...absorb my soul…! Evelina...I know...I've ruined everything...but don't let it...take me! I...must return and...face punishment! Not...be...this EX-NIHILO's..."
"Huh?!" Noburo said, shocked. "EX-NIHILO? But...that thing doesn't look anything like it?!"
He's right. What is this thing? Is it another EX-NIHILO in disguise? Or something different altogether? Please, let the Gnosis give me some answers!
Kohaku looked at her Gnosis quickly, and used the Analysis app. Without Akari, it would only be able to pull up a small amount of data, the rest the app would learn over the course of the battle. However, the 'Gnosis Lexicon' entry didn't seem to make much sense…
Name: Chaos #1356 [Sabaoth]
Arcana: Fool
Level: ?
Skills: DATABASE ERROR
ERROR
This entry should not appear under any circumstances. If you can see this, it is a glitch. Please report it as soon as possible to our Administrators. Thank you.
"Hey guys, are you understanding any of this?" Masato asked. "What the hell is this Yokohama Server? And what Admins are they talking about?"
"I'd assume the ones right in front of us." Reia said. "Tell us, Rinaka, what is 'Chaos' all about?"
"I've...never seen this before. Honestly." Rinaka said, still injured from the previous fight.
"This isn't really Yuchi, is it?" Noburo asked. "This thing doesn't even seem like it has a mind."
"We can handle this. We're the best squad in Bythos!" Itaru said, shrugging. "C'mon! Atsuto, Futoshi, give me a hand!"
Despite their wounds, the Jade Squad had the Chaos surrounded quite quickly. Soon after, their avian Personas were summoned, and with their last ounce of strength, they bombarded the 'Shadow' with as many attacks as they could.
However, it had done nothing at all to destroy the cloudy being, or even visibly damage it. It flashed, and some smoke particles flew out of its body – and were compressed, forming a rough sword shape. It flew at Itaru, impaling his Gnosis.
"What the – shit! No! I can't end up like Fumihiro and Ryosei! I gotta get out of here -"
The Gnosis exploded in Itaru's hand, causing him tremendous pain. There was a great spray of blood, and there didn't seem to be anything left of his left hand. Shortly afterwards, the young man was hit in the chest by seemingly air itself, and was sent flying off the roof. His screams finally grew faint, and a loud thud could be heard.
"Dammit! Itaru!" Futoshi screamed. He looked at his remaining comrade, and nodded – both sharing the same outrage, it seemed. "We gotta kill this thing! For our buddy!"
"Got it! Eat this, you son of a bitch!"
Any attempts at revene were foiled, however, when both he and Atsuto were struck by a mighty Mazionga. They doubled over in pain, sparks of energy all over their bodies. The two Gnosis devices they had dropped were suddenly smashed, as if something had stood on them, something far more deadly than a human foot.
"Shit! He just stepped on them like they were nothing…! Rinaka...help!
He? Stepped on them? This Shadow doesn't have legs. Or any arms. Are they hallucinating? I've got to do something, and right away!
Rinaka tried to reach them, but her assistance was too late – some sort of invisible force had sent the boys off the roof, in opposite directions. Kohaku summoned Brigid, but her Persona wasn't fast enough to reach them. Their bodies fell to the ground below, with a very audible crack.
"No…!" Rinaka said, sickened. "I...I couldn't save them…?!"
"We're going to have to do something about this Shadow, and fast." Noburo said. "Even if it's not EX-NIHILO, it's still a murderous freak of nature. It can't be allowed to live!"
"Exactly." Evelina said, looking at her father. He was still in deep pain, paralysed. "...Let me fight with you. My Persona will be more than happy to destroy whatever evil abomination this might be."
"...Okay." Kohaku said. While still feeling fatigued from her fierce battle against Bythos, she knew she had to carry on fighting, for just a bit longer.
It seemed Chaos had engulfed the city of Shinshuto, in many ways.