AN: Sorry for the wait, everybody. As with the previous chapters, life has been pretty tough, for a lot of us. But even so, I won't stop writing this story. Even if there are scarce reviews. I wasn't sure I wanted to write another chapter after getting zero reviews last time, but I will press on. More reviews will inspire me to write more quickly, however. I'm glad to have finally introduced Manami Inoue properly since she was one of the original characters I came up with during the first version of the story in 2015, yet I ended that edition before I had a chance to introduce her. I recently found some beta notes for her, in which her surname was 'Kitamura', her mother was a celebrity hairdresser, her Arcana was Death, and instead of Li Ban, she had Shannon.
Anyway, please read, review, favourite, follow, etc, and hope you're all doing well.
Chapter 39: Collapse of the Lagoon
|Ginumi – Kujou Dance School|17:45 pm|
Shintaro, raising his sword, moved towards Manami. Joining him were Kei, Evelina and Shigeru. Why she was here, he didn't yet know. Yet he had to help her get out of this situation, and safely.
Already with her katana equipped, Kei sized up the formidable Shadow in front of them. Despite the malevolence surrounding it, she remained as unflappable as ever.
"This Shadow seems stronger than most others in the area."
"Before you all arrived, he absorbed another 'Shadow' into his own body," Manami said, looking at Kei. "For these beings to have been hidden away from us for so long...it's incredible. They're so powerful, too."
"Only that Persona ability you have can harm it." Shigeru said. "Let's destroy this quickly, so that we can talk."
"I won't allow that. Your arrogance will not be tolerated any longer, you meagre humans. The winds of death will send you into the depths of hell."
"That sounds rather arrogant itself, don't you think?" Manami said. Pazuzu did not answer, but instead prepared to charge. The dancing genius, however, smirked in response. "Li Ban! Dance!"
The newly awakened Empress Persona complied, and with her short dance, sent a crushing blast of water at the demonic king – leaving him at the mercy of Kei's blade. Her time at the Kendo club seemed to be improving her skills immensely – every swing had much more force now.
"Where did you get that sword?!" Manami asked.
"As long as it kills that Shadow, I don't think it matters right now!" Evelina said, pulling out her guns. Astounded, the blue-haired Manami stared in horror, but said nothing. "Come on, Aoife!"
Appearing in the same blue aurora as Li Ban, Evelina's Persona aimed at Pazuzu, who was still reeling from his wounds. Two bullets from the Dual Shot quickly added two large new wounds to his chest, and a puddle of blood began to form beneath him.
"How...even with my power…?!" Pazuzu yelled. "You won't get away with that! Begone!"
Flapping his unholy wings, the demon conjured fierce, turbulent green winds. The Magarula quickly enveloped all within reach, and while most felt its full power, Shintaro did not. Fate had decided the air was his domain. Thus, he leapt forward with his sword, stabbing as deep into the Shadow's stomach as he could.
"Ugh! You pathetic child...why waste your time here? Go back and study! That's all you children are good for!"
"I've got more important things to do than studying these days. Savant Slash!"
Ogma deeply concentrated, as his sword briefly shone in the sky. Then, he lunged forward, and cut through the foul darkness of the Shadow's body.
"Bastard! Die!" Pazuzu yelled, calling forth a Eigaon. The intense cursed power ravaged Shintaro, and he fell to his knees, pain surging through his body.
"No!" Manami yelled. "Shintaro-san!"
"He'll be alright." Shigeru said, calmly. However, his fists did not share this same calmness. The sheer force of his fists laid testament to that. Dis Pater's Wraith Cross added even more scars to Pazuzu's bloodied body.
"Now! Finish him off! Inoue, aid Kakusa!"
"Follow my lead, Manami-senpai!"
"R-Right! Okay, Li Ban! Here goes!"
Kei's Persona of choice was Nakisawame, a Shinto goddess curled inside a turquoise teardrop of healing water. Born from the tears of Izanagi herself, her power over water was pure and holy. Thus, she was the perfect choice to assist Li Ban. The Shinto deity began praying, as a fierce rain began to fall – trapping Pazuzu in the storm. The Celtic deity, in turn, began to dance with slow, graceful steps, the exact same movements Manami herself was making.
As they watched, Shintaro looked at Evelina – who seemed to be red in the face, as she laid eyes on Manami's form. Before he could think on this further, however, the dance reached its climax.
"Blessed Drops!"
The rain increased in intensity, shredding Pazuzu like bullets. He screamed in utter horror, the water mixing with his blood. All of his bravado was gone, and he was clearly not long for this world.
|Ginumi – Golden Laguna Hotel|17:50 pm|
Far away from the skirmish outside the dance school, another person had just arrived at the front doors of the famous Golden Laguna hotel. However, they weren't interested in making a reservation, or letting anyone else do so.
"I can see why this place is so highly regarded." Nisa Liat said, smirking. "The hotel of luxury and comfort, constantly voted the best accommodation in our 'fair' city of Shinshuto. I wonder how well this place can withstand your wretched power, Menoetius?"
She clicked her fingers, and the Shadow came bursting out of the ground, roaring with pain. Its head now boasted blood-red horns. Anguished, it screamed in horror as it pulsed into being. Its body was covered with even more scars than before, especially around the heart.
"Oh, be quiet for five seconds. Every time you make that sound – or any sound - it makes me unhappy. Your wounds are a living reminder of that. Do you really want your next beating to take place so quickly after the last?"
Chuckling quietly, the leader of Bythos looked up at the hotel's many floors. She scanned it carefully, and began laughing uproariously, her mirth echoing dissonantly throughout the street. Her Gnosis appeared in front of her, levitating in the air. She grabbed it, and smirked.
"Shintaro still has no idea his Gnosis has been infected, I bet. It certainly made our friends much easier to track down. And they're preoccupied, too. That makes this much simpler."
She pointed up at the hotel's facade, and Menoetius leapt back, readying its mighty fists. Each one began glowing with a fearsome black and red aurora, one that cast an eerie light over all its surroundings.
"Distracting them with that pathetic Pazuzu was quite a good idea – for Katashi-kun. They should be preoccupied for at least a little while. Let's give them a nice surprise when they return, shall we?"
|Kujou Dance School|18:00 pm|
Pazuzu, with a look of pure fear, succumbed to its injuries. Its body faded into darkness, leaving no trace of its body. Manami gazed where it stood coldly, but then fell to her knees, exhausted.
"Phew..." She looked up at her surroundings, panting for breath. "So this is the Theio Kosmos. What a terrifying place..."
"Inoue, we should go somewhere safer, and quickly. We'll draw more unwanted attention if we linger out here in the open." Shigeru said, as he crossed his arms.
"Komatsu-san is absolutely right. Here, Senpai..." Kei said, holding out her hand. Slowly, Manami took it. "Are you going to be alright?"
"I think so. That was the first time I'd ever used my 'Persona'. But it's like...she was always there, just waiting to be free. It's a little hard to explain." Manami said, narrowing her eyes.
"Come on. We'll head back to the hotel." Masato said, swinging his arms jovially.
"Hotel? You mean the Golden Laguna?" Manami asked. "I've never actually been inside..."
"It's become our headquarters, actually. Pretty sweet, huh?" Natsumi said. "You're gonna love it. When we're done fighting Shadows for the day, it's a perfect place to relax. Shintaro-kun, be a gentleman and take us there!"
"Okay!"
He opened his Aeon Pathway app, but when he saw the list of destinations, he noticed the one for the hotel was greyed out. He tapped it, but it played an 'error' sound.
"What's wrong?" Kohaku asked, walking closer.
"I can't get it to work! It won't let me warp to the Hotel!"
"Neither can I!" Noboru said, frowning. "Why would this happen? We've gone there tons of times and never had a problem! There aren't any Shadows around to interfere anymore, either!"
"Something might have happened. We should take a look right away." Kei said, alarmed.
"Are you okay to walk, Manami?" Evelina asked.
"Y-Yes… I'm sorry to worry you all."
With that, the team paced towards the hotel, anxiety growing in their hearts.
|Golden Laguna Hotel|18:25 pm|
As the group wandered to the hotel, Shintaro felt a shiver down his spine. It was as if he was being watched. Yet all he saw were his comrades – and the occasional Shadow. Strangely, none of them even came near Kei or the others, and instead hid or ran away. They seemed very unnerved by something – and if something could unnerve these creatures, it had to be something very dangerous.
It's just around the corner. Come on, Shintaro, it'll be fine -
As the hotel came into view, he stopped dead on his feet. The building he and the others had been using for their operations for months were no more. Debris was falling from the remains of the higher floors, and seemed to be melting into purple ooze before it even touched the ground. Wisps of dark purple smoke lingered in the air, and flames were still ravaging the barely-recognisable lobby.
"No!" Akari screamed. "How did this happen?!"
Before anyone could answer, Shintaro saw someone walk out of a nearby wine bar called Revelations.Expecting a fight, he reached for his sword, but when he realised it was Netuno, he stopped, relived.
"Oh thank god, it's you guys!" Netuno yelled. "We were just about to look for you all!"
"What on earth happened?!" Kohaku cried, stepping back, as she took in the sight of the ruined hotel.
"I don't know...we worked on the seal, all was fine there, but then we couldn't warp back to the hotel! So we walked here from the next-nearest Aeon Pathway, and the hotel was already destroyed." Netuno said, biting his lip. "You better come inside, and fast. Everyone's pretty anxious."
|Revelations|18:35 pm|
Everyone entered the bar, where Novalie, Reia, Michiko, and Hiroyuki were also there. Upon seeing everyone else, they breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Everyone's okay! Even Suzuki-sensei!
"Thank goodness, you're all alright!" Novalie said, walking up to Shigeru. "We've literally just arrived on the scene. No one else but ourselves seems to be around..."
"Who – or what did this?" Shigeru demanded, scowling.
"That's what we're trying to figure out." Hiroyuki said, perplexed. "I didn't know a Shadow could do that much damage. Do you still have the Core for this building, Shigeru?"
"That's what I'd like to know. Unfortunately, whatever did this didn't leave a trace." Hiroyuki said, frowning, as he gazed at the floor. "Shigeru. Do you still have the Core for the hotel?"
Shigeru reached for his Gnosis, but when he tried to summon the core, he frowned. "It's disappeared. This is a disaster, no doubt about that. We've lost our headquarters, and we couldn't do anything to stop it. DammitI!"
Flinching, Shintaro stepped away from Shigeru. Kei held his hand, but said nothing.
I'm just glad none of us were hurt. Still, this is a bitter pill to swallow. We spent so much time there, too.
"This can't be an accident. Someone did this – to demonstrate their power." Michiko said, still in shock. "Perhaps it was just as well none of us were here. We might not have survived if we had stayed."
Reia frowned, curling her lips. "Enough moping around. That wasn't our only safe place, you know. We prepared a few others in case something like this happened. Netuno, do you remember the one we picked in Asakita?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. The Meguro Hotel..." Netuno said, frowning. "It's not much, but -"
"If it doesn't stand out, even better. We'll head straight there." Shigeru said. "I never thought we'd have to switch locations...dammit."
With that, the team were spirited away to a new location, leaving the ruins of the Golden Laguna behind forever.
|Asakita - Meguro Hotel|18:45 pm|
This hotel was a much more affordable accommodation, yet far plainer. The suite the team were in was rather charmless, mostly black and white, with a more modern aesthetic. Even so, it was at least in one piece, thus making it a preferable sanctuary than the smouldering ruins of the Laguna.
"Perhaps we grew too complacent at the Golden Laguna..." Hiroyuki said, looking out the window. Right in front of them was the train station, the same that brought Kei here to this city. Shintaro had rarely taken the train out of the city, the last time had been a journey to the city of Nara.
"We're very fortunate to have a less conspicuous location. For now, we should stay here. Can I ask why you're here, Manami Inoue?" Suzuki said, looking at her student.
"Suzuki-sensei…? You have a Persona too?!" Manami said, amazed.
"It looks like we have a lot to discuss. Take a seat, everyone. We'll need to bring Miss Inoue up to speed. As fast as possible, too." Shigeru ordered, pointing to the seats in the lobby.
And so, Shintaro started off with how he, Kohaku and Kei discovered their Persona abilities, and the Shadow within the Bella Donna – Nox. Shigeru discussed how he and the adults of the team gained their powers, and slowly, the events of the past few months were recounted. Manami sat there intently, listening to everything. The various appearances of EX-NIHILO, the other Anomalies that had been slain, the other members of the Aeon Admins, and what they knew of Nisa Liat.
"So you fought Katashi at the harbour." Manami said, stunned. "So it really is true, then. He's not only part of Bythos, he's part of the inner circle. No wonder he's been so secretive..."
"I'm sorry..." Evelina said, sadly. "When someone you trust betrays you, it's difficult to recover. I was like that with Rinaka...and my father."
"I had my suspicions, but nothing like this. I didn't know he'd been fighting Shadows, or...people from my own school." Manami said, looking at Akari and Noboru. "I'm so sorry, if only I'd come to the Theio Kosmos sooner..."
"We still haven't heard how that happened, actually." Hiroyuki said.
"Oh, that. Well, it all started today when I found a newspaper in the school library. One that Akari had left behind. In it was a story about Ichiro Yamaguchi. Katashi's older brother."
"That's right!" Michiko said, astounded. "I remember now! Katashi's older brother, who was studying to become a heart surgeon! He was a Kansei student!"
"What was this story about?" Novalie asked, curious.
"It was about the murder of Ichiro's girlfriend, Houko. He was arrested as the only suspect. The police found a lot of evidence that pointed to him as the culprit..."
"And Katashi joined Bythos so that everyone would forget he ever had a brother." Evelina said. "At least, that's what we think happened."
"I...overheard Kei's group talking about it at the Bella Donna. Then, after they disappeared, I found a Gnosis in my bag."
"...I see." Shigeru said, now frowning at Kei. "You shouldn't have been so careless. Didn't you learn anything from Nakahara?"
Gulping, Shintaro looked at Kei. She, however, did not falter, no matter how harsh Shigeru's gaze was. Perhaps she was impossible to scare anymore, he wondered.
"That Gnosis took me to the Theio Kosmos – inside this world's version of the Kujou Dance School. I was almost killed by that Shadow until my Persona appeared..." Manami said, still exhilarated at the thought. "She was so amazing..."
"I'm just glad you're on our side now, Manami." Evelina said, smiling. "We might be from different schools -"
"That's never bothered me. Not one bit." The Inoue heiress said. "From today forward, I'm part of the Knowledge Seekers. I don't know who gave me this Gnosis, or why, but I'll going to use it to stop Bythos. Then my father can relax a little."
"Hey, why don't we take Manami-chan to meet the shopkeepers? You know, you still don't have a weapon like us."
"Shopkeepers? What are you talking about?"
"I suppose it would help us more if she were properly equipped. In the meantime, the adults of the team will investigate the attack on the hotel – as safely as we can, of course." Shigeru said, getting to his feet. "Don't get into any unnecessary confrontations, either. Do whatever shopping you need, and return safely."
"Of course, Komatsu-san. Manami-senpai, let's go!" Kei said, smiling at her new ally.
|Bella Donna Shopping Center – Arms Race|19:15 pm|
The group had arrived to the sound of blaring rock music – which mercifully was lowered in volume, once the Tyrant realised he had company.
"Yo!" He bellowed. "Guess what? I'm playing a gig during the opening of that new island in Ginumi! It's gonna be massive! You all better be there!"
Doesn't seem like he's heard about what happened at the hotel yet. Or maybe nothing's happened to it in the real world?
"Netuno's playing as well, I think. Of course, alongside the other members of Electric Sea." Kohaku said, smiling. "He's a little tied up right now, but I'm sure you'll see him around."
"Oh, we will. Course, he's gonna have to get used to me. Especially since me and Elzira hooked up." The Tyrant said, winking. "The hottest drummer around...I'm a lucky guy!"
It's nice that he found at least one person who liked his tattoos.
Manami gazed blankly, but luckily, Kohaku quickly spoke up.
"Oh, Elzira is one of Netuno's bandmates in Electric Sea. And this man here is Kazushi Hiramoto, although he prefers his stage name -"
"The Titan Tyrant, baby!"
"I see. It's...nice to meet you, I think. Um... I've heard that you and several other people have different models of Gnosis compared to ourselves. Is that true?"
"You got it, lady. Mine gives me a whole host of functions that lets me sell you guys new weapons. I ain't got a Persona, though. That's the one thing Netuno has that I don't. But I more than make up for that in other departments. Including record sales..."
"Really? I thought his last song ranked five places higher than -"
"So what weapons are you going to use, Manami-senpai?" Akari asked, excitedly, cutting off Toshiaki's retort.
"Hmm, good question. Perhaps something that will help me dance -"
"Oh, like these?"
A pair of purple boots appeared on the counter, and Shintaro stared at them in amazement. They looked rather robust, far more durable than any of the shoes he had at home. And they had a metal sole.
"Those look super stylish. I almost wish I'd designed them. But are they really weapons?" Natsumi asked, curiously.
"On the right person, yeah." The Tyrant said, grinning. "One kick from these to the nads, and no Shadow's gonna live through it."
"They certainly seem stronger than my normal shoes. I'll take them, if that's okay."
Manami reached for them, but to her surprise, they appeared on her feet, her regular shoes vanishing immediately.
"What?! Where did my shoes go?"
"Relax, Manami-senpai, these dance boots will probably disappear once you get back to the regular world." Kei said, calmly. "Our weapons can only be summoned here, too."
"Oh, really? That's incredible. If only we could use that technology in the real world. By the way, do you know anything about how the Gnosis was created?" Manami asked.
"Well...um...no, we don't." Shintaro said, sheepish. He had been wondering about this for quite a long time, however. If he could find out how they were manufactured, perhaps that would lead them to uncover more about Nisa Liat herself.
"They turn black if you've got a genuine Persona – or have the potential to awaken one." Kohaku said. "Otherwise, they're a different colour."
"Wish mine could do more than just sell these goods." The Tyrant said. "Nothing I can do about it, though."
"Honestly, you're probably better off that way. You're not constantly being attacked by Shadows, for one thing." Noboru said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, I hear ya..." The Tyrant says. "At least here I can practice as loud as I can without getting any noise complaints. You guys are gonna come see me at the Ginumi gig, aren't you? It's gonna be massive."
"We'll think about it." Kei said, smiling.
After everyone else made some upgrades to their weaponry, the group made their way out – but one store caught Manami's attention.
"What's that shop down there? The Crystal Court…?"
"I don't know that one. Let's have a look." Kei said. The team walked down to the ground floor, and entered the new store.
|Crystal Court|19:25 pm|
Aside from a crystalline chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the place was rather dark. Then, the light shone brighter as a woman walked towards the team, emerging from the darkness. The elegant purple velvet displays contained several jewels, gems, and other accessories, of the kind Shintaro had never seen before.
"Welcome, young ones. I hope you are in good health. My name is Kiyoko Takayaki in the Akartharto Kosmos, but in this dark world of truth, you can call me Rosetta."
As expected for a Gnosis merchant, she was rather eccentric in style. Her sleeveless lilac dress seemed to have an array of diamonds at the hem and collar, and her fingers were wearing elaborate rings. Her short hair was black and tied into a high ponytail, with a red ribbon.
"Nice to meet you, Rosetta..." Manami said, stunned. "So...what do you do in the normal world? Or the Akartharto Kosmos?"
"By day, I am a nurse at Hanashima Hospital. Here, however, I can harness the power of this Gnosis of mine to craft gems and jewellery of incredible power. Look at this fiery one here."
Rosetta took out a red stone from one of the stands, and held it up to everyone.
"This jewel contains the same energy as the fire abilities your Personas possess. I have many similar items on offer, as you can see. I may lack the same powers you do, but that doesn't mean I can't research it and craft these precious wares. You'd be wise to browse here carefully, much like the Goldenrod Squad of Bythos did."
"Bythos were here?!" Kohaku shouted. "Were they with Aika Makino?!"
"No, it was just three young women in golden uniforms. They were looking rather anxious, but didn't tell me anything further. Us Gnosis Merchants must provide whatever help we can to any Persona user."
"That's crazy. Why can't you just serve us and not them? They're scumbags!" Masato said.
"It's not up to me to decide. The Gnosis doesn't allow me to pick and choose my customers. The same applies to the other Merchants you've met so far. No matter how much we fight it, we must serve all who come in."
"Relax, if they're not Aeon Admins, they're not worth worrying about." Toshiaki said. "Just be glad Anomalies can't shop here. Menoetius sounds strong enough as it is."
"He's right. We have to focus on eliminating the Anomalies, before Nisa Liat can use them to cause even more carnage. If even more buildings end up like the Golden Laguna, there might not even be a city left." Shintaro said, frowning.
"What about this necklace over here?" Natsumi asked, looking at it in awe. "It's beautiful..."
"That Scorch Amulet has the ability to protect one against flames. It won't always work, however. You may have noticed Shadows leave behind strange remains after their deaths. If you can exchange these with me, I can create even more powerful items to aid you and your friends."
"Perfect. I think I'll take several of these..." Kei said, looking fondly at the Atomic Crystals. The team made their purchases, and began heading outside.
"I have to say, I've never had a shopping spree quite like this. Never did I imagine being able to buy stones that can actually freeze people solid..." Manami said, looking at her Gnosis.
"Trust me, you'll get used to it. I'm looking forward to seeing those boots in action." Evelina said, happily. "Wait a minute, are you going to be in that Water Dance thing?"
"Yes!" Manami said, cheerily. "It's my first starring role for the Kujou Dance School. I can't wait! Although perhaps with this, I need to rethink my priorities..."
"You're not gonna give up on dancing, are you?" Akari asked. "You shouldn't sacrifice your hobbies for this world..."
"Yeah, what she said! It's gonna be hard, but you can do it." Natsumi said. "In fact, looking at you, I'm already coming up with great dance outfits in my head. I gotta draw them when I get home and show you."
"My costume's ready, but thank you. You're all very kind..." Manami said. However, she soon looked sad, and stopped. "If only...Katashi had stayed that way."
Shintaro nodded, thinking back to himself and all his allies. Each of the Aeon Admins, for different reasons, had ended up being seduced by the darkness of Nisa Liat. Perhaps, if things had turned out differently, he could have been obeying the Pleroma Princess's commands, thus plunging Shinshuto into an uncertain era.
"It's time we got back." Kei said, taking out her Gnosis. With that, the team returned to the Meguro.
|Meguro Hotel|19:40 pm|
When the team got back, they saw their leaders sitting at the table, very perturbed.
"What happened?" Natsumi asked. "I don't like the looks on your faces..."
"It's...worse than we expected." Hiroyuki uttered. "Reia, can you..."
Nodding, the fashion designer opened up her laptop, and displayed footage from a TV. It was of the remains of the Golden Laguna, except this was clearly the Akartharto Kosmos. Countless reporters were in front, as were a large number of ambulances.
"-The hotel had nearly 200 people inside at the time, the exact numbers are still unknown. The exact time of the hotel's destruction remains unknown. It may have been an explosive -"
The announcer was cut off rather abruptly, however, by a disturbed looking young man, who ran in front of the camera.
"I saw it! It was a huge fucking monster with giant hands! It smashed the building to pieces, and it-it set it on fire afterwards! I saw the whole damn thing! Bythos are gonna do that to anyone who gets in their way! Join Bythos! Or you'll go just like that damn hotel!"
The man was dragged off by the police nearby, while the stunned reporter regained composure, and turned her eyes back to the camera.
"By the time emergency services arrived, the hotel was already completed destroyed. The police are urging any witnesses to come forward. This is the latest in a series of incidents across Shinshuto City that started earlier this year -"
"My god." Manami said, hand over her mouth. Evelina sat closer to her, arm around her shoulder. "Were there no survivors?"
"None..." Novalie said, eyes at the floor. "Most of the bodies couldn't be identified."
The group was silent. Shintaro imagined what it would have been like, to be staying in such a top-class hotel. Only for it to be destroyed in seconds, with no way of escape. Some may have been saving for months to spend a night there, or even just to enjoy the restaurant for the evening. And now they were gone.
"This is...horrible." Manami finally said. "Bythos must be stopped. There's no doubt in my mind. I must stay with you until the end. Even if it means fighting...him."
Just as she was saying this, Reia began checking her laptop. Specifically, the various camera feeds.
"Oh, that's right. The cameras we set up." Netuno said, looking over.
"...Here."
Reia began displaying the movie wirelessly onto the large TV screen in front of them. There, the team saw a young woman walk onto the scene, with a wicked smile on her face. The camera zoomed in on her as far as it could, showing her face. Shigeru, upon seeing this, stared closely. Perhaps she reminded him of something, Shintaro thought.
On the camera was the monstrous Shadow that must have been Menoetius. Seeing it in full detail, even via a camera feed, was even more fearsome than Shintaro could have expected. The Shadow lunged forward at the building, and immediately, all hell broke loose. The walls of the hotel were being torn to pieces, and eventually, the camera fell off the building, collapsing on the floor – the video went dead, but the audio could still be heard.
I can hear screaming. It must be leaking over from the Akartharto Kosmos. But how? How is that possible? Is the barrier between worlds weakening?
"...Is the camera still functional?" Michiko asked.
"Barely. It's only picking up audio. If I go to the live feed, I can't hear anything but ambience in the background. But -"
There were a lot of footsteps in the backgrounds, and after a while, a cruel sounding laugh.
"Look at that! Toki, that stupid hotel is finally gone!"
Manami leapt up in fright. Clearly, that voice was Katashi. And he wasn't alone, either.
"What was the point of this? None of our enemies were there at the time..."
"Perhaps not, Toki. But this demonstrates just how much power we wield, even if they've acquired so many of those Cores. The time for us to turn the tide has finally come."
"Koyanagi-sensei...that bastard." Toshiaki said, clenching his fists.
"Relax. This wouldn't affect the hotel in the real world. It'll be just fine. This ought to speed up the new Cognition Core, too. Not to mention the story we just leaked about our lovely mayor and the abysmal working conditions at Tanjoshima. That island was a foolish venture to begin with."
"Keiya too?" Masato said, grumbling. "Wish I could smash his smug face in..."
"And there was that great story about the low morale at Aoi Mirai. The No Future children, ignored by the Mayor's administration so that Kansei and Chieki can forever be the shining stars of the educational world! Perhaps we should be grateful, though. Those disaffected students have yearned for someone to take their side, and since the government won't, we will. The school's practically one of our main buildings now."
"Those assholes…!" Kaii said, shaking his fists at the sound of Katashi's voice. "They don't even know just how many people have died because of them. And now they're turning Aoi Mirai into their mindless drones!"
As he said this, the sound cut out – the camera had finally ceased functioning. Reia swore under her breath, and closed the laptop.
"Just how many more people are going to lose their lives because of that damn Princess?" Netuno said, scowling.
"Shigeru, can we do anything about this?" Novalie asked. "We can't afford Bythos to keep growing…"
"I know!" He responding, slamming his fist on the table. "...We need to do something. And fast."
"Neither of us have ever been in that school. If we charge in blindly, we may be caught off guard..." Michiko cautioned.
Lowering his eyebrows, the Minister of Education looked at Kei. "Kakusa, I'd like to task you with reconnaissance work. Travel to Aoi Mirai, and investigate the school. Once we know more, we can take steps to liberate the school from Bythos' control. Myself, Novalie, Michiko, Hiroyuki, Netuno and Reia will remain here to increase this location's defences."
"Understood. We have an Aeon Pathway not too far from there. Let's go, everyone." Kei said, immediately looking at her Gnosis. With a single tap of her phone, she whisked everyone away to the area near the ill-fated school.
|Ginumi – Aoi Mirai High School|20:00 pm|
On the surface, the school didn't seem that rundown. Yet upon a closer look, Shintaro could see just how much it paled in comparison to the glorious Kansei, and the prestigious Chieki. The garish blue on white colour scheme, and the architecture clashing with the rest of the surroundings, made it quite an eyesore in the cityscape. Graffiti was all over the walls near the gates, most of which was full of expletives and crudely drawn caricatures of the teachers there.
"Maybe we've been too hard on this place. It was the last of the six high schools in this area to open, after all..." Evelina said, staring up at it.
"If we hadn't been so lucky, we might have ended up here." Noboru said, glumly.
"So if you can't get into any of the other schools, you have to go here?" Kaii asked. His brother nodded. "...Man, that's rough. Going by my school record, I'd probably have ended up in this place too."
"We've been so focused on the rivalry between our two schools, we've not considered what either of the other four have been going through. The 'No Future' school, the one that's the butt of all our jokes..." Natsumi said, looking at her comrades, shamefully. "No wonder the students here turned to Bythos..."
Just then, four people walked outside of the gates – and when they saw their intruders, they stopped dead in their tracks. Seeing Toki made Shintaro twitch, and retreat somewhat. Following behind them were six teenagers, each wearing the standard black Bythos outfit – neither of them in a Squad. It was a far cry from the bright blue Aoi Mirai uniform Shintaro had once cringed at.
"Manami-chan? What the hell are you doing here?!" Katashi said, furiously, as his eyes met with hers. "Don't tell me you've got a Gnosis! And a Persona?!"
"Yes, exactly. Just like you. But I didn't join Bythos. And...I never will." She stepped closer, gazing her boyfriend right in the eyes. "Was it worth it? So that everyone would forget about Ichiro?"
The Kansei stunned stood there, silent. Yet from the way he clenched his fists, it was clear he did not expect to hear his brother's name.
"...Ichiro?" Keiya said. "That's right. Ichiro Yamaguchi, the College Killer. One moment, he's an ordinary young man trying to become a doctor, the next, he's a psychopathic murderer."
"How did you find out he was Yamaguchi's brother?" Shiro asked, also amazed.
"We found an old newspaper from back then." Akari chimed in. "I dunno how you did it, but you made the whole city forget you had anything to do with him. Guess after Nisa Liat did whatever she needed to do to make that happen, you had no choice but to help her with her insane plot. Right?"
"Is she right, Katashi-kun?" Manami asked. "Answer me! Now -"
"Yes, damn it! Of course it's true!" Katashi shouted. "I...I loved Ichiro. Everyone did. He was going to be the best doctor in Japan, so he kept telling everyone. And we all believed in him. We were so proud when we got into University. Then..."
"Houko died."
Katashi nodded. "I don't know why he did it. But my brother snapped and killed her. If you remember him, then you'll know exactly what he did that night! After that, everyone in our family kept getting asked all sorts of questions. People threw rocks at our house! No matter what we said, where we went, we couldn't escape it! We'd always be known as the family of a savage murderer..."
"And it would end your dreams of becoming an Olympian, too," Kei said.
"That's one part of it. I just couldn't stand seeing my parents cry over what their son became. Their lives had been ruined all because of him! And he kept begging for us to visit him, screaming down the phone that he was innocent. But the evidence against him...there was no way he wasn't guilty! I couldn't find a way out of it...I was so desperate, just to end our nightmare so that we wouldn't be haunted by Ichiro's shadow for the rest of our lives."
"Nisa Liat must have appeared to you around that time," Kohaku said, crossing her arms.
"Bingo. Thanks to her, I not only found my Persona, but she changed the minds of the public. Some sort of special cognition altering ability her own Persona had. With it, she made everyone forget that Ichiro was part of our family. As far as Shinshuto is concerned, I'm an only child. My parents could live in peace now. But I had to work towards a new and better era of the city, otherwise, Nisa Liat would just reverse her magic..."
"I can't believe this! What your bro did was horrible, but now you're helping the Princess do anything worse stuff! Like what happened at Golden Laguna!" Toshiaki yelled, waving his arms.
"Pathetic Toshiaki, why do you not understand? Nisa only destroyed the hotel in this world -"
"No she didn't." Kei said, angrily. "The hotel was demolished in both worlds. No one may have been inside in this one, but in the Akartharto Kosmos, there were hundreds. It was a very popular hotel, especially in these summer months."
Toki, alarmed, looked at his allies. "Oh my god. She's not...making that up, is she?"
"...There were no survivors?" Keiya asked.
"None. Your actions have only made the city's problems worse." Evelina said. "How can you possibly follow the orders of someone with such callous regard to life?!"
"We...must make sacrifices," Shiro said, gravely. "Otherwise, the Cores will never appear, and the city will remain stagnant. We've come too far to stop now, you must understand."
"And we don't have any chance in life without Nisa Liat's help," Toki said, looking straight at Noboru.
He's acting, isn't he? Even if he is, he must have once thought that way…
"Manami. Please, join Bythos with me." Katashi pleaded, holding out his hand. "Don't you see how badly the Mayor is running the city? Look at this school. We're privileged, in so many ways. Kansei isn't the easiest school to get into. And while we succeeded, these new recruits failed. This school is the bottom of the barrel. No matter how hard it tries, the city has given up on anywhere that isn't our school or Chieki's."
"So you think them joining a group of terrorists is better?" Manami asked, hands on her hips. "Katashi-kun, I..."
"We're doing whatever it takes to reform the city. Transform it into a better place. Maybe, with enough power, my brother can be completely erased from time itself! That way, no one has any chance of remembering who he is. And his girlfriend will survive, too! Not just him. Shiro, you want to be with your lover again, don't you? Keiya too, right? And Toki..."
"...Yeah. I can't go back to the way things were in this city. Only Nisa Liat can change that."
"Don't you get it, Manami? Once we succeed, we'll erase the sins of the past to create a new future. Please."
Anxiously awaiting her reply, he clenched his fists, staring deep into his girlfriend's eyes. As she looked up at him, he began to smile. Yet, she did not share his expression, which faltered instantly.
"Katashi-kun..." Manami began. "You've...been utterly brainwashed by that horrible Princess. Too many people have died because of your group's actions. If that's what it takes to build your own future, then I won't have any part of it. I'm sorry, but...we're through. I can't be with you any more."
"N-No..." Katashi said, shaken. He looked more vulnerable than he had ever been at school. "But I love you, Manami...are you really throwing that away?"
"I don't have a choice. If I joined Bythos, then I'd only end up committing sin after sin. I'd hate myself for the rest of my life. More than that, I'd betray my father. That's something I could never do."
There was a long silence. The younger Bythos soldiers looked at each other in confusion but did not react. Finally, Katashi spoke.
"Fine. Then we'll just take you out, here and now."
He quickly reached for his knives, while the other Admins readied their own weapons.
"I didn't want to fight you...but if you're not going to listen to reason, then I have no choice!"
"Manami-senpai!" Kei said. "We'll fight with you."
"Right!" Kohaku said, her glaive ready.
Evelina loaded her pistols, nearing her newest comrade. "Don't worry. These Admins aren't anything to worry about. Not with us around."
"We're pros at this by now. Just dance like crazy, and we'll get through this." Natsumi said, her staff in her hands.
The five ladies charged at the Admins, while their other allies engaged the lesser Bythos soldiers. Soon, blades were clashing, sparks were flying, and Personas were appearing on all sides. The school had become a battleground, fuelled by broken hearts.
|Bythos Citadel|20:10 pm|
Sitting in the library of the building was Asami. Off-duty, she had decided to use this location to study for her school's upcoming exams. The books here were rather odd ones, apparently formed by the many thoughts and desires that created the Shadows to begin with. For that reason, Asami had avoided touching them and instead worked on her own assignments.
"Ah, good evening, Hamasaki..."
Looking up in fright, Asami witnessed the arrival of Nisa Liat, who stood in front of her desk. Her smug smile sent a shiver down the blogger's spine.
"H-Hello, Nisa..."
"I'm sorry to interrupt your studies. However, I understand you still have...concerns about the Parcae Anomalies. Specifically, how eerily they resembled your friends -"
"...It wasn't just a resemblance." Asami said, bitterly. "They were my friends. Why didn't you tell me what you really did to them?"
"Oh, dear...do you resent me, Hamasaki?" Nisa Liat said, with a cloying voice. "Those three would have killed themselves either way. They were too weak-willed to survive in this world. Especially with the cruel words that were hurled at them on a daily basis. That twisted bully even sent them letters in his own blood..."
Asami, upon hearing this, got to her feet.
"How did you know that?!"
"Know...what, my dear Hamasaki?"
"I never told that to a living soul! Not even Natsumi! So how do -"
"Calm down...part of the Shadow Compression process involves the subject's memories. The nightmarish letters they received were forever burned into their minds, haunting them in their dreams. It's only natural I'd see every single word. Each word was so ghastly. I wonder what possessed that vile bully to write such hatred..."
Possessed? What is she implying? Someone made Ryosuke do all that he did? But…
"All I wanted to do was give those poor girls a new life. As with the previous Anomalies. Yet, like them, the Parcae became far too willful. Thus, they were sealed away, so that I could find more reliable allies. Such as yourself."
"...So you were just going to seal them away forever? You couldn't bring them back to life?!"
"Asami, you should have remembered, after that debacle in Hanashima. Shadow Compression is an irreversible process. It completely destroys the human body, and the psyche becomes a new body in of itself. The objective was to retrieve all six Cognition Cores before they could break free, then I would attempt to restore their lives. Unfortunately, that opportunity is lost. Each of the Parcae is gone for good. And we still have no Cores."
Disgusted, Asami looked at her feet. She felt Nisa Liat's cold hand touch her shoulder, which caused her to shiver.
"Do not despair. We still have a chance to obtain all six Cores. I've made special plans for that..." Nisa Liat said, smiling. "You've come too far to abandon me now, anyway…"
"I...I never said I was leaving Bythos." Asami said. "I can't...quit."
"Good girl. Now, you study hard. Even with a Persona, those exams will demand great determination."
The Princess made her exit, unaware of Asami's harsh gaze. Looking at her mathematics test papers, she frowned. Now, she knew she couldn't study.
I have to find out the truth. If Nisa Liat is the one who drove my friends to kill themselves, she might have done something similar with the other Admins. There's got to be a way. Who can I ask to help? Everyone else is completely loyal to her. I think I'm the only one who -
Then, suddenly, something clicked. Not long ago, she had been in Sogen Park. There, she had witnessed Toki, enjoying an afternoon with both of his sons. Had she been as loyal as any of the other Admins, she would have reported this straight away to the Princess. Yet, her own doubts had set in by this point.
"Toki Hayashi. Is he my best hope? I wonder where he is now..."
For now, she would have to do what she could. She left the library, to return home – and go over her archive of chatlogs with her friends. Perhaps from there, she could gather clues, as to what – or who – had possessed Ryosuke Kinoshita.
|Aoi Mirai High School|20:25 pm|
The battle was still raging, and Katashi's anger was truly a force to behold. Seeing him like this, it was clear Manami was terrified.
"I've never seen you like this, Yamaguchi." Shiro said, dodging Evelina's gunshots. "I'm not sure I like this side of you..."
"Then hurry up and kill all of these weaklings! Derzelas!"
Manami was caught off guard by the Persona's Rapid Ripper. Reeling from the assault, she looked at him, tears in her eyes.
"Do you really want to do such extreme things? All so no one remembers your brother?"
"You'd rather my parents continued getting abuse from total strangers?!"
"Even so, Bythos are simply causing nothing about chaos and confusion! Especially tonight, with the hotel! Li Ban! Now!"
The Persona's Aqua Dance, an elaborate take on traditional Japanese Noh, sent a whirlpool of purplish water at Katashi's feet. It engulfed him, sending him high in the sky. Evelina quickly took advantage of his, as her bullets pierced his body – alongside a Cursed Crosshair, darkly wounding him.
"Evelina...Rinaka was very sad that you didn't become an Aeon Admin." Shiro said, narrowly avoiding Natsumi's staff. "Do you regret abandoning her?"
"My only regret is that I didn't leave her sooner!"
"...You'll have plenty more regrets if you continue down your path. Like so!"
With a tremendous swing, Shiro slashed through Evelina's body. Mergen then concentrated his evil eyes onto the ground, which shook around her – and a black skull-shaped rock erupted, further smashing into her. This was the Terror Firma – which true to its name, had blighted Evelina's mind with fear.
"You're gonna pay for that, asshole!" Natsumi cheered. "Brigid, burn him up!"
The amber flaming prison seared Shiro as it engulfed him. Smiling, the Persona grabbed it and threw the fireball at Natsumi, who smashed it into the sky – causing an explosion of lively colours. The teacher fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
"That was pretty pathetic, Koyanagi..." Keiya said, scoffing. "Sin! Tranquil Pulse!"
Sin emerged, and turned its gaze to the Moon – and a pulse of light came from the Sea of Tranquility. The light hit Natsumi, 'blessing' her with immense pain.
"Natsumi-chan!" Kohaku cried. "Here! Airmid!"
Soon, Airmid appeared, to heal her ally greatly with a Graceful Gathering – a scattering of healing herbs. The green ones seemed to restore her health, yet the red ones gave her quite a kick – which, in turn, lead to her rapidly kicking Keiya in the face.
"I have to admit, your Personas are really coming into their own." Toki said, swords drawn.
"Thanks. Maybe someday yours will, too." Kohaku said, sweetly.
"...Nice burn, kid. But I'm not screwing around. Shuten Doji!"
Soon, Kohaku was reeling in pain, as the Kusanagi sword slashed through her body. For a moment, she thought she was actually bleeding, and even though her Persona kept the wound from being fatal, her heart was still racing.
"Power!"
Kei's angelic Persona emerged, glowing divinely. Raising his spear, a Makouha cast its holy light all over the battlefield, its scintillating light torturing Toki in particular.
"Kei-san, how exactly can you change Personas? Am I only able to use Li Ban?" Manami asked.
"Yes. My Wild Card power only seems to be available to myself...and her."
"Her who?" Manami asked. "Ah!"
Just then, the ground began to shake. In the centre, from a glyph of dark energy, appeared Nisa Liat herself.
"...The leader of Bythos." Kei finished.
"What is this?" She asked Katashi, angrily.
"N-Nisa! They came here..."
"You evil freak." Kei said, angrily. "You destroyed the Gold Laguna with your insane little pet. Did you know doing that would affect the Akartharto Kosmos too?"
Shaking her head, Nisa Liat motioned for all under her command to cease fighting.
"What does it really matter, in the end? It was nothing but a symbol of unattainable extravagance to most of the common folk. It deserved to be destroyed, especially if it brings another Cognition Core into the world..."
"...Wait, what?! They weren't bluffing?" Katashi asked, shocked.
"Do you not understand yet? We will have to make some sacrifices to bring this city into a new era. If you'd like to leave Bythos, feel free to do so. Then everything will be as it was before you joined, and you will forever be known as the younger brother of a psychopathic murderer. I do wonder what inspired Ichiro to do such a horrible thing..."
"Stop! I...I won't quit..." Katashi said, anguished.
"Good. Even with our various setbacks, Bythos will carry out its mission. Now, return to the Citadel..."
Nodding, the weary Admins began to leave, as did the lesser soldiers. Katashi took one long last look at Manami, and it almost seemed to be a pleading look. Manami, however, averted her gaze, ashamed to even look at him. Sighing, he left. As he did, his master's countenance quickly changed from a confident smile to a raging glare.
"You've become quite a nuisance, Wild Card." Nisa Liat said, sneering at her foe. "Your very presence is causing a lot of abnormalities. Things aren't happening the way they should be in your world. You even discovered Chaos. I think you realise that was a very bad thing to do, don't you?"
Kei stood still, and gulped. She wasn't normally shy about talking back at the enemies in this world, but now she was eerily quiet.
"I've been working on this for far too many years for you to ruin everything. Finding those who could help me was hard enough. We've put so much time and effort to fully revive this city. If you won't stop meddling, then we'll have no choice but to take drastic measures. It'll be far too easy to find out who you really are...and take care of you."
With that, she instantly popped out of existence.
"Kei, what was that all about?" Kohaku asked.
"'Drastic measures'?" Shintaro said. "And what was that about discovering Chaos? You can tell us!"
"I...I don't know!" Kei screamed, tearfully. "I -"
"You've been hiding something for a long time…just who are you, Kei?" Akari asked.
"You know that by now! I'm Kei Kakusa, a transfer student from Yokohama! That's all you need to know!"
"There's more to it than that...isn't there?" Shintaro asked. "What about those friends in your class back home? You were trying to tell me back when we killed Berserker together!"
"There's simply no way I can tell you, or anyone, about that. A lot has happened. And there are things I must handle alone." Kei said, seriously. "I can't talk about this any more. Let's report back."
With that, she took out her Gnosis, and everyone was whisked away.
|Totsuka|20:45 pm|
The group reported their encounter with Nisa Liat to Shigeru and the others. Beyond that, there wasn't much else to discuss. So, with that, Shintaro decided to come home. On the way there, however, everything stood still.
"Huh? What - "
There was a flash of light, and out of it came a girl in a Kansei uniform. It was Nisa Liat, or at least someone who looked a lot like her. Unlike the haughty, malevolent figure he had witnessed earlier, this one had a gentle demeanour.
"Good evening..."
"You're not the same Nisa Liat I saw earlier today, are you?"
The girl hesitated, and looked at him, clasping her hands.
"Then who are you?"
"Shintaro, don't you remember inviting me here once? It was after school, one day. You wanted to show me your book collection. And I was amazed. There were so many works that I had never heard of. And you let me borrow one of yours. Here..."
Slowly, she held out her hand, and in it, a blue leather-bound book appeared. On it was black writing, reading The Compendium of Lost Souls. The illustration was minimum – it was of a man screaming in horror at the fearsome book he had opened, the pages completely black.
"I-I never...wait…"
Suddenly, an image came back to Shintaro in his head. He was sitting with this raven-haired girl in his bedroom, and she was browsing the various piles of books. Finally, her finger landed on one that stood out to her. It was an old horror novel that had belonged to his grandfather, or so he had heard from his parents. He wondered if it was the only copy left in print in Japan.
"I read every word. But I never had the chance to return it to you..." The girl said, sadly. "And now you don't even remember who I really am. Every time I try to get you to remember, it never works out. But I think I'm getting closer and closer now. Especially since you've become fully 'awake'."
Shintaro suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. The way this girl spoke was nothing like the Nisa Liat he had encountered earlier. And the way she had appeared in his dreams – that couldn't be normal either. She moved in closer, and gripped his shoulders tightly.
"Please don't cry, Shintaro-kun. And don't force yourself to remember. Someday, when everything is finally over, it will all become clear. All of us will be together again, free from this nightmare. And Kei Kakusa won't have to take my place any more."
"Take your place? What are you saying?!"
"Goodnight, Shintaro-kun. But not goodbye."
With that, time began moving again, with cars zooming past Shintaro. He felt a breeze ruffle his hair. He looked at the book – he definitely had owned it at some point, he now knew. But it had slipped his mind.
All of what she had said seemed like nonsense. Yet, she knew quite a lot about him. This book was no lie. And seeing her in her uniform seemed so familiar, somehow. Yet where was she when he attended Kansei? In his memory, she had appeared in Kei's place. Now, he had even more questions. He had no idea who the 'other' Nisa Liat was, and he knew very little about Kei herself.
Would he learn the truth? And would he able to bear it?