AN: I'm very excited to finally reach this point. Without saying too much, I hope you all enjoy it, especially as there's still more to come. Please read, review, favourite, and follow!
Chapter 55: Goodbye, Kei
|Akartharto Kosmos – Totsuka – Kansei High School|
It had been some time since Kei and the others had ventured inside the grim castle, which cast a menacing shadow over most of Shinshuto City. With school having been cancelled due to recent events, Kansei was completely empty. However, several people were now watching from below. The sky was dark, bearing the hue of red blood.
"Shintaro! Please, answer us! Your mother and I are here!"
Mr Nakahara cried out, as loud as he could. Clinging to him was his wife, tears running down her face.
"Masato…Natsumi...you better be safe up there!" Mrs Yoshinaga cried, clenching her fist. Her husband nodded, quiet, as he huddled close to her.
"Our daughter...she's in danger! Can we really just stay down here and watch?!" Kohaku's mother yelled. Her husband, Mr Teruya, looked at her, at a loss for words.
"Shigeru! Noboru! You're alright, aren't you?!" Kaiyo Komatsu screamed.
There was a massive hole in the underside of the castle, and particles of black and purple light were falling down, like rain. The entire building seemed to be shaking, with red sparks circulating through it.
"Manami..." Mr Inoue said, joined by his wife. Evelina's mother and grandmother were there as well, as were Toshiaki's father and brother. Despite the warnings their children gave them, they could not bear sitting at home idly waiting for their return. Thus, they had travelled here, only to be greeted with this apocalyptic vision.
"It's not over yet…" A newcomer said. This was the Titan Tyrant, accompanied by both the members of Electric Sea and the other Gnosis Merchants. "Your kids are some of the strongest people this city has ever seen. Their Personas are like gods, even stronger than the ones on my head."
"...Who are you?" Evelina's mother asked, confused.
"We've been helping your kids get stronger. Our Gnosis can't fight with them, but we've supported them for a long time. Trust us, they'll pull through. All of them." The RainBow heiress said, happily.
The Card Curator nodded, in firm agreement. "Don't give in to despair. Nisa Liat won't win. We're still alive, after all. If she had won, we'd all be gone."
Everyone gazed at each other, and then turned back to the castle. Whatever was happening up there, they would find out soon enough.
|Throne of Oblivion|
There was a tense aura, as the two Wild Cards faced each other off. Everyone else was too badly beaten to even move a muscle. Kei was on her own this time, yet she was perfectly calm.
"Jun...ko..." Shintaro murmured, his voice hoarse. "Is it...really you…?"
"This is between me and Kakusa now. Everyone else, stay right where you are, if you can even move." Nisa Liat said, coldly. She walked forward, sword in tow. In a flash, it changed to a different katana, one that was pure black, and longer than before. It seemed to have red glowing designs across the metal hilt.
"So, you're finally showing your real self..." Kei said, holding her blade with both hands. "I was getting a bit tired of your Noriko script. I have to say, you've put a lot of work into recreating the old city…but what I'd like to know is, why did you go through all this trouble?"
Nisa Liat, or rather the woman masquerading as her, scowled.
"As if I'd ever tell you 'why'! You've been poking your nose in this world for a little too long. I hope you like this Shinshuto I've formed - it'll be the last thing you see before you die. Rosmerta, Megidolaon!"
A massive almighty blast emerged. It might not have been on par with the Forsaken Annihilation that had rendered him defenceless, but Shintaro could see it was still extremely powerful.
My body, it's not recovering at all. Is it frozen in place? Kei, what's happening?
The blast cleared, but Kei stood there, still holding up her sword.
"...No! How are you surviving everything I throw at you?" 'Nisa Liat' asked, incredulous. "You know you can't possibly defeat me. Not while your Gnosis is disabled."
Kei shut her eyes, and nodded. She dropped her Gnosis to the ground, and it shattered into pieces. However, a blue key suddenly appeared in front of her, and transformed into a new Gnosis – one with a key on the back cover.
"W-What?! But...that's not possible! Not unless you can enter - "
"The Velvet Room? I've been able to enter there since the beginning. Didn't Shintaro tell you that when you brought him into the Pleroma, during his dreams?"
There was a moment of silence, as the two Wild Cards gazed at each other. While Kei was full of calm determination, Nisa Liat was dismayed, shaken.
"That's right...I do remember now. I've been far too careless, letting you do as you please for this long. Tell me, what exactly did Igor tell you?"
Kei smiled. "It's kind of hard to forget. I was so shocked when I found myself in the room with him. That giant nose kind of sticks out in my memory. Then he starts talking about how my destiny is tied with a 'mysterious guest', and that the answer I've been looking for is in this new world I've entered."
"...So, there was a risk that we'd find a genuine Wild Card after all. Seems I should have listened to Siobhan after all. But it doesn't matter now. You'll die here! Rosmerta can't be defeated!"
The Persona emerged, still swathed in the energy of all the others she had sacrificed. She conjured a severe Aquadyne; however, Kei did not seem to yield to its power. She stayed wrong, and summoned a new Persona.
"Vohu Manah!"
A strangely shaped Persona appeared, that was vaguely humanoid. Yet its left arm was more like a ribbon, and it had a halo around its body. It summoned the power of light, and blasted Nisa Liat away with Kougaon, radiating blessed energy all over the room.
"Ugh…how did you get so strong to get a Persona like that?!"
"I have my ways..." Kei said, smirking. "What's wrong? Ready to give up yet?"
"Like hell!" Nisa Liat cried. "Rosmerta may be the only Persona I have left, but she has absorbed all the powers of the others. You can't possibly surpass her!"
Kei stared back, stoically. "Maybe…but you can't pull off enough move like the one from earlier, can you? The one that wiped out everyone here?"
"...It doesn't matter. I have more than enough power to stop you anyway. Rosmerta, come!"
Nisa Liat charged up energy, bathed in the dark energy of her Persona. Kei, likewise, did the same with a new Persona, a very powerful angel, with a robotic looking body. It looked similar to the one Shintaro had seen on the display earlier, Metatron.
"You managed to get Sandalphon, of all Personas?! Impossible…"
"Why are you so afraid? Don't you have access to even stronger angels? You had Metatron, didn't you?"
Scoffing, Nisa Liat pointed at Kei, fully charged up.
"Rosmerta! Agidyne!"
"Sandalphon, Megidolaon!"
Right as scorching flames shot at Kei, a tremendous explosion of purple arcane energy sent Nisa Liat flying. Both were rather weakened by this onslaught. Yet it was the Pleroma Princess who looked the most upset.
"No! How are you capable of this!? I'm the most powerful Wild Card! I fought so hard…no one should be able to hurt me like this! I became strong…so strong…so I'd never go through all that pain again!"
"What pain, Junko? What really did happen all those years ago?"
Nisa Liat screamed in anger, summoning Rosmerta once more. She conjured a sword made out of green energy and petals, and prepared to strike.
"Nothing I'd tell you! You, who won't stop interfering with things they have no right to! As if you could ever understand what I've gone through to bring back this city! Rosmerta, destroy her! We're running out of time!"
"Running out of time…for what…?" Shintaro asked, still weary. His body wouldn't move. Yet he still clung to life, watching this fight take place before his eyes.
Kei was on another level now. For every devastating attack Nisa Liat had, she was able to match it with another Persona. Right now, she was wielding Masakado, legendary samurai, whose sword clashed with Rosmerta's. Their Brave Blades were a perfect match for each other, just as Kei and Nisa Liat's own swords seemed to be.
"I won't lose!" both of them screamed at each other, neither one willing to back down.
I don't get it. Is Nisa Liat really Junko? What is happening here? What should I do?!
"Jun…ko…"
"Taro-kun, please, don't move! I promise once I've won, you'll be safe."
"That doesn't sound like Nisa Liat at all…" Kei noted, parrying her foe's blade. "So this is the real Junko, is it?"
"Shut up! Shintaro and I were supposed to be together…but then…"
"You've masqueraded as the one that's caused him - no, all of these people so much pain! If you loved him so much, how could you do this to Shintaro?!"
"I said shut up! I'm not going to tell you anything! I can change his memories as many times as it takes…until everything is the way it should be!"
Change my memories?! What?! Junko, you did that to us?!
Nisa Liat and Kei were right in front of the throne now, in front of the combined Cognition Core. It had remained still, and no fusion of the Kosmos seemed to be taking place. Neither combatant seemed focused on the glowing orb of energy now, instead determined to take the other down. Sparks flew with every swing of the sword, and just as Rosmerta attacked, Kei's new Persona defended with intense power.
"You even have Odin…amazing…" Nisa Liat said, in awe. The Norse god had absorbed all of the Ziodyne that had been thrown at Kei, and in turn displayed his Thunder Reign, a godly bolt of lightning. The Pleroma Princess screamed in pain, and just barely got back on her feet, ready to strike back.
"You want to give up yet?" Kei asked, composed. "I'm surprised your new friends haven't turned up to help you. Or are you not that close?"
"...Just how much do you know about them?"
Kei smirked. "Nothing I'd tell you. Let's keep going, shall we? We'll see who'll fall first!"
"Fine with me! Rosmerta will never lose!"
The two rushed at each other, swords drawn. Despite everything, they both had plenty of energy to spare, and the ferocity of their attacks had not diminished at all. Nisa Liat was no longer cackling, mocking her enemy. She was serious, determined to slay her nemesis. Unfortunately for her, Kei's determination was just as strong.
As the battle continued, the rain lashed down on the ground, the clouds remaining dark and red…
|Kansei High School|
There was still silence, as the castle continued to cast a shadow over the school. The chains that connected it to each of the skyscrapers surrounding the school remained perfectly still. Anxious, Kaiyo Komatu looked up. She knew that, from this distance, no one was likely to hear her. But that wasn't enough to stop her.
"Noboru! Shigeru! Can you hear me?! It's me! Please, let us know you're okay!"
Just then, she felt her phone vibrate. She took it out of her pocket, and gasped. Shigeru was calling her. Relived, she quickly answered.
"Shigeru! Are you hurt?! Is Noboru alright?!" She asked immediately. However, she didn't hear any response at first, only a lot of static noise. "...Shigeru? Honey, please, say something!"
For a second, she thought she could hear sounds far in the distance, like someone screaming. Then, everything went dead.
"Shigeru?! What the - no!" Distraught, she rang again, but only got an automated voice saying there was no signal. "What's going on up there?!"
"What are we going to do?" Rosetta, the Crystal Court proprietor, asked out loud. "Can't we do anything?"
Master Raine of RainBow shook her head. "I don't think we can do anything now. We're just Merchants. We were only told to sell them stuff, not fight by their side…"
Titan Tyrant nodded, putting his arms around the two shopkeepers. "We gave them the best service we could. It'll be over soon, don't worry. Any minute now, Netuno's gonna turn up with the others, and he'll be all cool, like 'That was nothing'."
"You have quite a lot of confidence in Fonseca, it seems." The Card Curator said, stroking his chin.
"Course I do. He's one heck of a guitarist. My only real competition in this city, too. Well…maybe he is better than me. He got a Persona, after all."
"Dad's coming back too, isn't he?" Hiroyuki's daughter Kaori asked, holding her mother's hand."He promised he'd get back safe…"
"Your father…he's strong, Kaori-chan. He's fighting hard for us - for the whole city. He won't break that promise." Mrs Kita said.
"My wife…she has to survive. Michiko…" Mr Suzuki said, biting his lip.
The anxiety of the spectators would endure for longer, as the citadel seemed to be silent far above…
|Throne of Oblivion|
"Argh! Why can't Rosmerta defeat her? She's absorbed every single Persona I have!"
Nisa Liat had been throwing every single possible spell at her disposal at Kei, with the aim of killing her once and for all. Desperate, she had just used both Hamaon and Mudoon, but both of those had been repelled by Daisoujou and Alice. They in turn retaliated with even stronger blessing and curses, much to the Pleroma Princess' frustration.
"Damn you, Kakusa. I've never thought someone like you would be so formidable. But I've come too close to give up now…just as we're almost at the amount of power I need!"
"You're not gonna tell me what you need that power for, are you?" Kei asked.
Nisa Liat nodded. "As I keep telling you, you stupid bitch, that's none of your business. This is for a dream I've been trying to make reality all this time! And you aren't going to stop me. Ever!"
"There's no stopping you, is there? Fine then...Ostara! Now!"
Kei's first Persona emerged, yet she had a more vibrant appearance now. In fact, she seemed to have a blue aurora, the same level of strength that Rosmerta was exuding. They truly were mirror images, much like their wielders.
"Tch. What are you planning to do with that weak Persona? A bit of a let down after all the ones you've used before, isn't it?"
"I'm going to put an end to your insane plans right here, right now, Junko Kaya! With the 'weak' Persona that's guided me all this time" Kei shouted. "Ostara, the Cognition Cores! I'm using them all now!"
She clicked her fingers, and the six Cores in her possession flew out of her old Gnosis - despite the virus that had infected it. They swiftly combined, producing a singular orb much like the one that Nisa Liat had produced, except brighter in colour. It shined a bright light around her, radiating immense energy. Shintaro's body started to take in that energy. Before long, he could feel his strength return.
"...Huh?!" He said, getting to his feet. One by one, the rest of his friends did too. The pain they had been subjugated to was dissipating, little by little.
"We're…not dying anymore?" Masato asked, stunned.
"What the hell is happening?" Natsumi asked, looking at her comrades.
"Kei, hold on a second -"
Shintaro's cry was unheeded, as Kei pointed right at Nisa Liat before her.
"Now, Ostara!"
The Persona held her hands together, as the petals she wielded span around her, forming a tremendous whirlwind of blue and green energy. The Cognition Cores in their combined form seemed to be giving Ostara even more strength, and thus, the aurora of light expanded. Finally, she stretch her palms forward, focused on her enemy.
"Spring of Destiny!"
A gigantic swarm of razor-sharp petals were sent flying towards Nisa Liat and Rosmerta. The Persona valiantly stood in front of her master, trying her best to deflect each strike, but little by little, the petals chipped away at her body.
"N-No! Rosmerta, you can't let this weakling destroy you! Fight back!"
Rosmerta was beginning to manifest another Cosmic Votuum, but it was all for naught. After all,the energy that Ostara had generated was not merely contained in the petals. A ray of light was fired, and collided with Rosmerta. She tried to stand her ground, but lasted only a few seconds, as she was vaporised, reduced to red smoke. Thus, Nisa Liat was all alone, and for once, defenceless.
"What?! This can't be - no! Someone, please help me -"
Her pleas were cut short, as she was sent flying, crashing into the stone throne. She limply fell to the ground, From the sheer velocity of the blast, the throne itself broke through the wall, and fell down to the ground far below. A dark red smoke billowed where Rosmerta once stood, and the sword Nisa Liat had wielded broke in half, disintegrating. Her Gnosis fell from her hand too, and turned to dust.
We did it at last. The city is safe. But I don't feel happy at all. Because, the person right in front of us isn't Nisa Liat or Noriko Ashikaga at all. I can finally see that now. She's -
"Junko Kaya, it's over..." Kei said, putting away her sword. Ostara vanished. Exhausted, Kei staggered over to Junko, and knelt beside her. "This has gone far enough. You can stop hiding who you really are."
"What the hell is going on?!" Shintaro demanded, walking towards them. "Kei, answer me! I'm not leaving until you tell us everything -"
As he said this, Nisa Liat's wardrobe changed. She was in the Kansei uniform. As Shintaro remembered Junko wearing, on the very first day they met. Just like how Kei had entered the classroom with Suzuki-sensei. Each one a transfer student from Yokohama. Two different people, yet he could recall being with each of them in the same events.
"No...how could this happen? Right when we were so close…?!" Junko cried, in absolute agony.. "I've failed…again…? But why…why is it impossible to…save…Shinshuto…?"
"Junko, what do you mean? How would this save our city?" Shintaro cried. "We fought Bythos together, didn't we? Why did you have to take Nisa Liat's place?!"
"I remember now…that time Junko tried to comfort me after Teruko died. Just like how Kei did. But…how can I remember the same day twice, but with different people? What happened to you, Junko-senpai?" Noboru asked, right behind Shintaro.
"Noboru, I'm so sorry...I had no choice. I couldn't let Noriko have another chance. I had to seal her away. But for Gnosis, I had to recreate everything the way it was. Nisa Liat...I had 'play' her. No one else could have done it. But I never saw this happening. None of the other Wild Cards ever came close to my power, until Kei Kakusa…"
Junko tried to sit up, but her body was still drastically weakened. It seemed to be flickering somewhat, and hazy. Shintaro knew that Nisa Liat had created a new body for herself in the Theio Kosmos, but could the same be true of Junko as well?
"What other Wild Cards, Junko?" Manami asked, holding Evelina's hand.
"Are you saying there were more than you, Kei, and…Nisa Liat?" The Swede asked, perplexed, like her allies.
Junko turned to the girls, and nodded, clutching her stomach in pain.
"A lot more, Evelina…They were just imitators, given fake Personas born from the 'Chaos' of this world. I know it sounds insane, but all I wanted was to restore everything to the way it was. I needed immense power to revive the city to its original state. You might only remember experiencing everything once with me, and once with Kei, but thanks to Supreme Sophistry and I, you've been through the same struggle countless times. Except instead of me, other people become the transfer student from Yokohama."
Shintaro shook his head, utterly confused. He didn't understand this at all. Countless times? What had happened to Shinshuto when Junko was fighting Nisa Liat, instead of being the villain herself? Was anything real at this point?
"This is…insane…" Kohaku murmured, looking at Shintaro. However, he couldn't tear his aways away from Junko. The first Wild Card, who had been destroyed by the second.
"But you, Kei Kakusa...why are you so different?! Why did you have to be so much like me?!"
Kei swept away the strands of hair dangling in front of Junko's face, and stared deep into her eyes. After a deep breath, she finally spoke.
"Because I've always wanted to be like you, Aunt Junko."
There was a silence, as Junko looked up at Kei. Her eyes seemed to widen, tearing up.
"Keiko...Keiko Moriya…?!"
The teal-haired girl nodded. "I've been fighting all this time to find out why Nisa Liat looked like my aunt. It looks like I was right all along. You were her."
"But…that's impossible! She's dead…you can't be Keiko-chan…"
"No, Aunt Junko, you're wrong. I didn't die then. And ever since then, I've been wondering. What happened to you and this city. And I'm finally here, next to you."
"Oh my god…Keiko, I…I…!"
Just then, there was a flash of light. Kei's Cognition Cores appeared from the broken Gnosis she had left behind, and flew in front of the Cores that Nisa Liat had used earlier. One set became a gigantic black sphere, the other one white. They began to crash into each other, becoming an expanding sphere of multiple colours. And the energy they were producing was such, even Shintaro could feel it, just by looking at it.
"No!" Junko cried, managing to sit up. "It's happening again?!"
"What?!" Toshiaki shouted. "What the hell is this?!"
Junko did not answer, and instead rushed to the sphere, slowly growing. She went to touch it with both hands, but they went right through.
"H-Hey!" Natsumi cried. "What are you doing?!"
"Ugh...it's...just like before…! This can't be!"
"Aunt Junko, wait! Is this what happened last time?!"
"Keiko, you have to leave, now! Forget about all of this! If you stay, you'll - "
Suddenly, Junko's body was whisked away into the core, vanishing completely. The void suddenly grew larger and larger and began to absorb the surroundings. It seemed to be pulling in the very air that surrounded it. The group were forced to run away, and ended up in the area that the Spheres of Confrontation had taken them to. Yet there wasn't any way back, from the look of this room. No doors, no stairways, and no way to teleport back. Shintaro turned around, and saw that the massive void had claimed the throne room already. Slowly, it was encroaching upon then, sparking wildly and uncontrollably.
"Kei!" Shintaro shouted. "What-what the hell is going on here?! Junko's coming back, isn't she?!"
"I-I don't know! It wasn't supposed to end up like this!" Kei cried, eyes fixed on the orb in front of her. She turned around, tearful, and gazed at her allies. Among them, Shintaro stepped forward.
"Kei, tell us everything! What's going on with the Cognition Cores?!" He demanded. Now, he wouldn't tolerate her being quiet, or giving him only half-truths. This was no time for keeping secrets. Especially after what Kei and Junko had just said about this city.
"It looks like they're causing a massive reaction...one side is fuelled by those that support Bythos, the other by those who are against them. And it's not stopping!" Kei said, pointing to the growing void behind her.
"What are we supposed to do? Can our Personas destroy it?" Kohaku asked, clenching her fists. "Everyone will die if we don't do something -"
Kei did not answer, and looked away.
"I…I think this is what happened before…when Junko fought the first Nisa Liat. Don't you understand yet? The real Shinshuto is gone! And soon, this artificial one will be too!"
Shintaro went numb as she spoke. He had begun to piece together the truth from what Junko and Kei had said earlier, during their fateful duel. But now, here she was, finally spelling it out for him. Shinshuto had really been destroyed all along, despite Junko's best efforts. And because of Junko, they were living out their lives again, continuously, in a fake version.
So are we even real ourselves? Am I just a clone of the 'real' Shintaro? All the people we know in this city, are they real, or just dolls? Like Mayor Ashikaga was for Noriko?
They had fought so hard, all in the name of protecting the city. And now, no matter what they did, the void formed by the Cognition Cores would destroy them. Unless…
"There's not much time left. I have to say goodbye for now. But keep your Gnosis ready. Ignorantia will disappear, and then I'll be sending you something you'll need to escape! Stay alive until then, okay?"
"W-Wait! Kei, you can't just leave us like this!" Shintaro shouted, grabbing Kei's arm.. "There's so much I have to ask you!"
"I'm sorry. I'll see you again soon, Shintaro-kun. Then I can tell you everything...as the real me."
In a flash, Kei disappeared. Shintaro and the others would be taken away from this place as well, leaving an empty throne room to be disintegrated. All the energies that had composed this castle would be drained completely. And it would not stop there. The dissolution had only begun.
|Kansei High School – Courtyard|
The castle floating above them had fallen silent. Everyone down below had been waiting for those inside to return, and every second of silence brought further anxiety. If Nisa Liat had won, then she would swiftly enact her plan and merge the realities together, eliminating all of Shinshuto's citizens. If Kei's team had won, however, they surely would be returning to the surface as quickly as possible.
"Is there no way we can reach them?" Shintaro's mother demanded. No one gave her an answer. "Come on! My son is up there! We have to find out if he's safe!"
"Do you not think we're worried sick about our children?!" Mrs Yoshinaga shouted. "If anything happens to them...I...I'll never forgive myself!"
"Wait, look. Something's happening!" Mrs Teruya said, pointing up high.
The castle was taking on a very dark hue, as if all colour was being drained from it. Its shape was starting to warp as well. Then, in an instant, its entire body collapsed in on itself, and in its place was a gigantic orb of swirling colours, shining bright in the sky like a sun of death. Despite its brightness, however, it cast a gigantic shadow over everything below, including the horrified onlookers.
"N-No! Manami-chan!?" Mrs Inoue cried.
"Kohaku…?!" Mr Teruya shouted.
"Evelina?!" Mrs Solberg screamed. "No! What's going on?!"
"Hey, you merchants must know at least something about this!" Elzira shouted, clinging to the Tyrant's arm. "Netuno is in there, you know!"
"I-I have no idea!" The Titan Tyrant said, in hysterics. "I think we ought to get away from here. It's not safe!"
"W-What?! I'm not leaving here without my son!" Kaiyo Komatsu said, pointing high above. "They must have teleported to safety, right? Their phones can do that!"
"Y-Yes, but ours can't do that! Please, all of you, we must evacuate. As far away from here as possible, now -"
In an instant, the orb above them grew larger and larger, cutting off the Card Curator's urgent plea. Before long, it was right above their heads, enveloping most of the Divine Nine. Everyone's screams were loud, but in a second, they would be silenced.
For their bodies were absorbed into the darkness, powerless to resist its power. From here, the disaster would continue to spread.
|Asakita – Streets|
"Huh? Why are we here?!" Kohaku asked.
The group had suddenly appeared at Asakita, several blocks away. From where they were, they could see the gigantic castle high above the city. This still seemed to be the Theio Kosmos, with no people around, but there was no sign of any Shadows, either. Perhaps all of them truly had been summoned to the Castle, leaving the city an empty abyss.
"Wait. It's just...us?! What about Celestine and the others?!" Evelina said, anxiously.
"We can't possibly leave without them! Did Kei send us here?" Masato asked.
"C'mon, let's go back and -"
Before Natsumi could finish her suggestion, the castle seemed to crumble apart completely. Every facet of its construction was reduced to dust – which was soon absorbed by the giant shiny sphere from within.
Shintaro gasped, hand over his mouth. The twin sets of Cognition Cores had massive power, he knew that. But it had destroyed an entire castle in mere moments. At that moment in time, other people suddenly appeared into view, screaming at the sight. Some remained frozen in fear, others started running as fast as they could.
If we had stayed there for a minute longer, we would have been destroyed too. Just like Junko. Is she really gone? Wait a moment. Celestine is still in there. Oh my god, Celestine!
"Dad!" Noboru cried.
"Katashi…!" Manami said, pale with horror.
The void did not seem to be stopping, either. Rather, it continued to grow, flashing vibrantly, and the entire Divine Nine seemed to collapse at once, each skyscraper absorbed into the mass of energy. And its advance did not seem to be stopping. Building after building was consumed by it, and in mere moments, the entirety of the ward was within its dark grasp.
"What the – no! It's destroying all of Totsuka!" Manami screamed, hands on the sides of her head.
"Not just Totsuka...it's going to crush the entire city!" Shintaro shouted. His heart was pounding, his pulse racing.
"Run!" Evelina cried. "We have to get out of Shinshuto, right now!"
"Get to the train station! It'll take us out of the city!" Toshiaki cried, panicking.
Without a moment's pause, he turned around, and sped away into the distance. Shintaro wasted no time in running after them, as the streets of Asakita rushed past him. If he slowed down, he would be destroyed, like every single building nearby.
Did this really happen before, long ago? Where are we supposed to go? Shinshuto is our only home. There's nowhere else we can go. No one else we can rely on. We should be with our families, celebrating our victory, not running all the way to nowhere!
"Shintaro, hurry!" Kohaku cried from ahead. Everyone else was ahead of them, Masato and Natsumi somehow managing to get in front of everyone. Panting for breath, they were going faster than they had done in their entire lives. Of course, if they stopped for even a second, their lives would be over.
The group was running over the long overpass just before the train station. It was a simple, red building, one Shintaro had never thought of much before, yet in the Theio Kosmos, it seemed to have an eerie glow. It sounded like a train was coming in, too.
Dammit, not now! We have to get it to leave! Surely they can see what's happening to this place from here?! If it doesn't stop, everyone on board will die! And not just them, my parents - oh my god, my parents! They've been sucked into that orb, haven't they?!
"What the – no!" Shintaro screamed. The overpass was slowly sinking. He turned around, and gasped – the gigantic void was right behind them, having already taken the left pillar that supported the bridge. Its advance was slowing down, but it didn't seem like it was going to let any part of this city go unscathed.
"We have to jump!" Kohaku screamed. Shintaro nodded, and the two got closer and closer. Just as the entire overpass fell, they both jumped – Kohaku made it, on both feet. However, Shintaro wasn't quite as lucky. His hands barely grabbed onto the broken concrete. Below him, the overpass fell, shattering the cars below. The void was right behind them now, inching closer and closer.
Dammit! I don't think I can hold on for much longer!
"Shintaro!" Kohaku cried, distraught. "Please, take my hand! Everyone else is waiting for us!"
"Kohaku, it's too late...you have to go on…you have to make it out of here alive…!"
She shook her head, her face wet with tears. Perhaps she had been crying this whole time. And from the stinging on his face, Shintaro realised he had been too.
"No way, I'm not going anywhere without you! Just reach for my hand, now!"
Shintaro, groaning, tried to reach her with his hand. She grabbed it, and slowly began to pull him up. But, it became clear that they would not be able to get away from here in time. The void was just too close for them to be able to make it to the station.
Just then, both of their Gnosis vibrated. Shintaro managed to use his free hand to look at his, despite his predicament. A new entry had appeared in the Aeon Pathways, reading:
Supreme Sophistry – HQ
There was no time to ponder what this place was, or who would be there waiting for them. Looking at each other, they nodded, and he tapped the icon – a split second before they would have been consumed. As he did, Shintaro found his surroundings turning completely white, and he was unable to see anything. There was nothing but silence, and no ground for him to stand on. His body seemed to have lost all sensations for one brief moment. Then, everything suddenly became more vivid than before. As if he was truly 'awake'.
Everyone, please be here. Wherever we're going, we have to be together!
|?|
Far away, someone had been watching the disaster unfold. The dark void had consumed the entirety of Shinshuto City, and it had broken through the train station, warping the structure. Before anything else could be seen on the large television, however, the display 'glitched out', displaying only random colours and text. Then, it went black.
"It's finally happened. I'm going to have to get going, now. Or they'll come and find me first…"
Slowly, the young woman turned off the PC and reached for her jacket, the one she always wore when riding her motorcycle. As she did, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. It was then she realised just how accurately she was able to recreate herself within the game she had been playing for so long.
The same hairstyle and eye shape, and facial structure. Of course, she had only brown hair and eyes in real life. The teal hair and eyes had been her friend's idea, to spice up her look. So that she didn't just look like her 'boring' real self, as it had been put so delicately.
Just then, her 'special' phone rang. This was the Gnosis she had obtained when everything had started. She answered, and sure enough, it was the same friend she had just been thinking about, talking even faster than usual.
"Keiko, the whole game's offline! I don't know what you did, girl, but this is our chance! We're breaking through! You remember where to meet us, right?"
"Of course I do. We went over it a million times with the professors, after all. Tell Ryota and Hajime I'll be right there. I better get going. See you soon, Midori-chan."
Quickly, she ended the call and left her apartment building. Her motorcycle, the one she had been riding since college started. She had been modifying it for situations like these, tapping into the hidden abilities of the Gnosis and her Personas.
In an instant, she sped off. In an instant, she was within the Theio Kosmos, the same one that was supposedly an alternate reality within the Gnosis video game. Except she had been able to enter the same realm within Yokohama, too. And within the Theio Kosmos, the ones who had recreated Shinshuto lurked. She would come face to face with them very soon.
And hopefully, she could see her aunt once more.
To Be Continued in Persona Gnosis: Supreme Sophistry