You Are Stronger

(Than All Things That Make You Weak)

P3/P5 SI

Chapter One: A Hunter Unbeknownst

The man named Johan Lewis was very much a creature of habit, as any of his coworkers at the Tokyo branch of the Kirijo Group would attest. He would take his position at his desk ten minutes early every morning, clock out for lunch at half past eleven, and be back at his post before his hour break was up, without fail. Any vacations were scheduled months in advance, and so rare was it for him to call out sick that he had accumulated a month of unused paid leave.

Thus, when he clocked out for lunch on Sunday, July thirty-first and neither returned to work nor called any of his coworkers, many eyebrows were raised and more than one phone call was made. After a few hours, the reason for his abrupt absence and radio silence was discovered: Johan Lewis had been admitted to Tokyo General Hospital's ER with grave wounds consistent with a mauling and was undergoing life-saving surgery.

Most of his coworkers accepted this explanation at face value and set about putting together a "get well" basket for the man, putting the oddity of a wild animal attack in the heart of Tokyo out of their minds. A researcher by the name of Tetsuma Tsuge, however, couldn't help but wonder if it really was just an animal attack. Tetsuma, after all, had been with the Kirijo Group for a long, long time, and was privy to things that the vast majority of people in the world were not.

Indeed, the whole reason he'd been transferred to the Tokyo branch in the first place was to try and figure out if these so-called "Mental Shutdowns" that had been cropping up lately had anything in common with Apathy Syndrome, and by extension, Shadows and the Dark Hour.

Now, Tetsuma had no real way of knowing for sure whether Johan had run afoul of a Shadow or if he had just been an extremely unlucky victim of a very lost wild animal, but it wasn't his job to know for sure. It was his job to pass anything that he thought relevant up the chain of command to the people who actually had the requisite abilities to deal with situations like these.

So it came to pass that the very next day a missive regarding a possible Shadow attack on one of their employees crossed Fuuka Yamagishi's desk. The teal-haired woman immediately set aside her other work to look into this incident in more detail.

It was a relatively simple matter for a technician of her skill level to access the details of Johan's medical file, and when she did, her brow furrowed. The man's injuries were severe, that much was certain, but of more concern were the notes made on the file regarding the discrepancies between them.

Johan had two major sets of wounds: deep bite wounds on his torso, right shoulder, and upper arm, and a savage claw wound on the left side of his face. However, while the bite wounds were consistent with what one would expect from being bitten by a large feline, the damage to his face was more similar to injuries left by the talons of a large bird.

This, to Fuuka, was more than enough evidence to warrant further investigation. Shadows could take all manner of forms, that she knew well from experience, and if this was a Shadow attack that Johan somehow survived…

Well, Fuuka had strong suspicions as to just what that "somehow" entailed, and if she was right, it was doubly important that they send someone to interview Johan. Without delay, she retrieved her smartphone from her purse and pressed her third speed-dial.

"Hello, Kikuno? I hope I caught you before you returned from Tokyo; there's something that I need you to do…"

Consciousness came to Johan slowly and reluctantly, as though his very psyche rebelled against the idea of returning to reality. As wakefulness encroached in fits and starts, he became more and more sympathetic to that perspective, for as the waters of unconsciousness parted above his head, what replaced them was an all-encompassing ache. From the depths of his very bones spread a deep, fatigued bruising, one that quickly receded into the background as he shifted ever so slightly in place and a circle of much sharper, more intense pain made itself known across the front and back of his right shoulder.

Johan inhaled sharply at the sensation, eyes fluttering open—

—Scratch that; one eye fluttered open, he realised. He reached up with his left hand, ignoring the new twinges of pain that the motion set off. His fingertips met with the coarse texture of gauze and bandages that seemingly covered all of the left side of his face, leaving only his nose and mouth uncovered.

An image flashed in his mind's eye for the briefest of seconds, and had he not already been prone in a hospital bed, he'd have recoiled at the memory.

A flash of blue, then pain and darkness.

He let his hand fall back to his side and sucked in a breath, only now noticing just how erratic his breathing had gotten all of a sudden. He didn't know for how long he laid there, eyes fixed on the unfamiliar ceiling but mind a million miles away, his only company the dull droning and beeping of miscellaneous medical equipment no doubt monitoring his status.

Eventually, he was shaken from his reverie by the sound of a door opening. When he sat up and turned his head towards the sound, his gaze landed on a tired-looking man wearing scrubs and a lab coat and carrying a clipboard. Without preamble, the doctor addressed him, his voice sounding just as weary as his appearance would suggest.

"You're properly awake, I see. That's good; you've been out for a few days, Mr. Lewis." The doctor's gaze alternated between Johan and his clipboard as he made notes. "I'm Doctor Hakase. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." Johan blurted out, before grimacing and hastily stammering, "I, I mean—" His sentence was cut off by a sharp bark of laughter from Hakase. "No, no. Don't hold back on my account." The older gentleman scratched at his salt-and-pepper hair as he shook his head wryly. "To be blunt, 'feeling like shit' is to be expected; you're lucky to be alive, young man."

Johan grimaced. "Do..do you know what happened to me? I…I can remember flashes, but everything's still kinda jumbled up."

Doctor Hakase tapped his pen on his clipboard absently as he circled Johan's bed before plopping into a plastic chair at its side. "The general consensus seems to be a wild animal attack. That ring any bells?"

"It…maybe?" Johan gingerly put his left hand to his head, avoiding jostling the bandages. "There's definitely something there, but…" He winced. "Teeth—no, fangs, big ones. And…talons, maybe? Or claws?"

Hakase nodded absently, writing on his clipboard. "That lines up with what we were able to determine from your wounds. Now why an animal big enough to leave bite marks that big was in Tokyo, I couldn't begin to guess, but thankfully that job falls to Animal Control, not me."

The doctor was quiet for a moment, then set his clipboard down on his lap. "So, Mr. Lewis. You've got a visitor, but before we can let them in, I've got news for you, of both varieties." He folded his hands on top of his clipboard before continuing. "The good news is that, as long as you follow our rehabilitation plan, your arm and shoulder will fully recover. The bad news…" A serious expression crossed Hakase's face and he looked Johan straight in the eye. "Your eye was a total loss, I'm afraid. We couldn't save it."

Johan inhaled sharply and shallowly, his eye—his only remaining eye—widening. All of a sudden, his mouth felt incredibly dry, and he swallowed thickly. "I…That's…I understand." He finally managed, forcing himself to gulp down deep breaths of air rather than hyperventilate as his body seemed to want to do. "At least…I'm still alive?"

Johan's desperate grasping at any silver lining was not lost on Doctor Hakase, but the man refrained from commenting on it, instead giving a slow nod. "You are indeed, young man. Allow me to offer another piece of good news. If your guest is to be believed, and I do think she is, all of your medical expenses have been covered in full by your employer. You have nothing to worry about on the financial front, at the very least."

The younger man gave a shaky smile and a nod even as he continued to regulate his breath. "That is comforting, yes." He admitted quietly, privately feeling a small amount of curiosity about this mysterious guest he would be receiving.

Hakase gave another short nod, then stood. "I'll be back later to discuss a rehabilitation and recovery plan for you, but for now, you have a lovely young lady who is positively anxious to see you." He said this last with a wink and a slight smile, his implication only adding to Johan's bafflement. He was single, after all, and didn't exactly have many friends outside of amicable relationships with his coworkers and the respective owners of his favourite cafe and restaurant.

His musings as to who his mystery guest could possibly be were quickly put to rest, if only by replacing itself with several more questions. As Doctor Hakase had said, the violet-haired woman who entered the room was quite attractive, but her poised grace and elegant features weren't what drew the most attention from Johan.

No, what he zeroed-in on was the unassuming gold pin on the collar of her suit vest. He'd seen that pin on a couple of people over his years working for the Kirijo group, and one and all of them were considered above questioning when it came to company hierarchy. He didn't know anything for certain, but rumour had it that the pin was an indication that the person wearing it had President Kirijo's ear personally.

Johan didn't know why someone like that wanted to talk to him, but he did abruptly realise that he was probably staring, and turned his eyes away with an embarrassed cough. "So, uh, the doc said you'd been waiting to visit me, Miss…?"

The grey clad woman gave a demure smile and crossed the room to seat herself in the chair Doctor Hakase had only recently vacated. "Kikuno Saikawa. I work directly for Lady Kirijo on…a variety of things. And you are Johan Lewis, a diligent, if somewhat reticent, data technician for our Tokyo branch, correct?"

He gave a nod, though his brow rose at the (not at all inaccurate) description. "That's me. I can't help but wonder why someone who reports directly to the CEO has come all this way for me." After a moment, Johan winced and waved his left hand. "Not that I don't appreciate being checked up on, and the whole thing with my medical bills! I'm just…confused."

Kikuno shook her head, drawing attention to the lace hairband keeping her purple locks in place. "Fret not, Mr. Lewis. Your confusion is entirely understandable, and I shall endeavour to clear up any questions you may have." She then leaned forward in the chair, folding her hands in her lap. "But first, I am afraid that I must ask you a few questions about the incident that caused you to wind up here in the first place. Do you think you are up to that right now?"

Johan let out a shaky breath, remaining quiet for a long moment. Finally, though, he replied, in a voice like gravel, "I'll…answer as best I can. I have to warn you, though…I'm still piecing everything together."

'And the more pieces I seem to get, the less sense the picture makes.'

Kikuno gave a gentle smile. "That is no trouble at all, Mr. Lewis. If you need to take time to remember everything, then take that time."

Johan scratched the back of his head. "I know this might seem kinda forward, but, uh, you can just call me Johan. 'Mr. Lewis' makes me feel old."

All he received by way of reply was a polite chuckle.

After a couple of moments, Johan closed his eye and tried to remember.

"I had just finished eating lunch at my favourite cafe," he recounted slowly, "and when I took a shortcut through an alleyway…" His brows furrowed, the memory slipping between his metaphorical fingers like an equally metaphorical eel. He wrestled with it for a moment, then spoke again.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but…suddenly it felt a lot more hot and dry." Johan's eye opened back up, but his gaze was distant, focused on something only he could see. "I…this is going to sound absolutely insane, but I'm remembering a desert…and a pyramid—" He cut himself off, shaking his head and frowning deeply. "I must've hit my head or something, this doesn't make any sense."

"What did you see in this desert? What attacked you?" Kikuno asked calmly, as though inquiring about the weather.

He looked over at the violet-haired woman, brow arched and eye wide. "You think there's any point in that? I'm starting to wonder if I don't need a brain scan or something."

Kikuno merely gave a polite nod. "I would prefer to have the full picture before I suggest anything concrete, but suffice it to say that I do not think there is anything wrong with your head."

Johan blinked slowly, scratching his head absently. "If you say so…" He offered dubiously, brow furrowing once more before he closed his eye again. "So…sand. Lots and lots of sand. And a pyramid…somehow. I…I think I tried to take shelter from the sun in the pyramid?" Johan's voice sounded quite unsure, his lips curling downward and pursing as he struggled with the anatopism lurking within his memories.

"But…something came out of it." He continued, eye opening again, but this time his gaze was anything but distant as a manic gleam sparked darkly in his irises. "It was blue, and it had wings and bird legs but the head of a lion and it took my eye before I could even move—"

Johan cut himself off, breaths coming quick and shallow as he pressed his palm to the bandages covering his face. His skin had paled considerably, beads of clammy sweat breaking out along his brow as he shuddered.

He didn't know how long he sat there, shaking as the memory took him in all its terrible horror. So out of it was he that he didn't even notice Kikuno rising and moving to his side, nor did he register her rubbing circles in the centre of his back.

Eventually, though, something inside him shifted. The abyssal waters of fear parted ever so slightly, and a whisper that wasn't quite a voice brushed past his ear. It was scarcely even there, a single match lit against the inevitable encroaching night, but somehow, it was enough. Enough for his trembling to slow, then stop. Enough for him to let his hand, which had been gripping his forehead like a vise, drop to his side.

Enough, even, for him to reach up with his right hand, a ring of fire relighting itself along his shoulder as he did so, and dry the tears that had started to fall without his knowledge.

Seeing this, Kikuno ceased her ministrations and backed away a step, her face the perfect picture of professional concern. Despite the fact that she moved well out of arm's reach, Johan swore he felt a hand lingering on his shoulder for a fleeting instant. That instant faded, though, as did the faint, nearly inaudible whisper.

"I…apologise." He said quietly. "I suppose being in a near-d—being in danger left me more than a little rattled."

Kikuno had started shaking her head the moment the word 'apologise' had left his lips. "There is no shame in reacting how you did; no, the fault is mine, for asking you to dredge up such painful memories." An expression of remorse crossed her face. "And I must apologise twofold; for making you go through what you just did, and for the fact that I have one more question for you."

Johan winced, popping the knuckles on his left hand nervously. "I…I desperately want to say 'no', but something tells me that this is important." He waved his hand limply as he slumped back in his hospital bed.

Kikuno nodded firmly, then asked, "How did you survive to escape the creature that attacked you?"

At that question, that same ineffable something inside him shifted. This time, though, the whisper was a windstorm, a roar coursing through his veins and a streak of lightning in his iris.

Unbidden, a name spilled from his lips. It was the name of a figure he had cursory knowledge of, and yet it was the name of someone closer to him than even kin.

"William Tell." Blue eye wide with wonder and awe, he spoke again. "I was going to…to die, and something in me just…shattered—"

"And from those shards, William Tell answered your call." Kikuno finished for him, a knowing expression on her face. Johan blinked, then turned his gaze to focus on her more directly. "I'm guessing you know something about all this, then? 'Cause you haven't acted like I'm crazy at all, and you sound like you know why a Swiss folk legend popped out of my skull and shot a demon with a ballista."

"Indeed I do." She replied with a demure nod. "Allow me to reintroduce myself properly, Johan Lewis. I am Kikuno Saikawa, assistant to not only Lady Kirijo but also to the covert organisation under her direct command."

Kikuno Saikawa folded her hands behind her back and looked Johan dead in his eye. "I have come to visit you as a representative of the Kirijo Security Division's Shadow Response Unit, in order to ascertain whether what happened to you was a Shadow-related incident. Since it was, and it is evident that you possess a Persona as a result, Lady Kirijo will want to meet with you personally."

In the face of such a declaration, Johan could only stare.