Chapter Fourteen: In Dusk
It may have been seconds, just as it could have been minutes. Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion; the spectre of light that shimmered from the parting of the curtains hued the air with a peculiar sepia-like tint. Makoto could hear her friends' voices, their confusion and their fear. She could feel Futaba seeking shelter under her arm. And she could feel the tail on Joker's coat slip just between her fingers as she reached out. Makoto was not sure he heard her calling – her own voice was muffled to her ears.
But though his movements were slow, they were free from all hesitation. Akira walked towards the light, brushing the edge of the curtain aside with a gloved hand. The table, the chairs, the gloom above and below, the shadow of the Joker; all then devoured by a blinding light.
When next they came to their full senses, they stood in an unfamiliar place, far removed from where they were before. The first thing they registered was the sensation of their soles against grass and dirt. From the touch of the surface underfoot came the wild scent of vegetation grown unbound. The air was warm, thickened with salt and rain after the way of stormy, coastal cities. The vault of sky above was a dark ocean of black, crimson and mauve, circled on all sides by cumulus clouds and the soft, orange shine of what appeared to be binary suns. Somewhere, sometime in between night and day, or a new, undiscovered hour for whatever this place was.
Around them, the plain of thick undergrowth extended far across all four winds, pockmarked everywhere with the presence of tall, rich, dark trees. There were mounts and ridges in the distance, some looked merciful, others treacherous. Aside from the most glaring differences, the scenery looked like a patch of prehistoric Central Europe.
Taking it all in, there was no asking whether they were even in Japan anymore. Their rising panic succumbed quickly before the haunting beauty in this impossible place. Awestruck, it was only through peripheral vision that Makoto kept count of her friends' presence. Much like herself, their senses took their fill from the scenery - all but Akira, whose back was turned towards them.
"Is everyone alright?" Morgana was the first to break the silence.
"I think so." Ryuji chimed in. "Ann?"
"Yeah…"
"I think I'm okay." Futaba's voice shook a little.
"Yusuke-kun?" Haru turned towards the young artist, who only regarded them with a distracted nod. "Mako-chan?"
Makoto felt all eyes on her. She wished to give them a response, but first needed to hear something out of Akira. His transformation and the transition into this place were an enigma, but the darkest incognita was still himself, his person. She placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping her touch would be felt past the black fabric on his coat.
Akira was quiet. He also seemed unable to feel Makoto's hand on him. His silhouette looked a cold, alien thing even amidst the other outsiders and the dusk-dyed undergrowth. There were no traces of his self in sight; it was as if a stranger wore his body. The foreboding impression took captivity of the young woman's breath for a moment, until his eyes met hers. They looked wistful.
"Come." Makoto slid her hand down his arm, all the way to his hand, which she took hold of as they joined the rest. Then, a gentle, discreet caress of his thumb over her the back of her hand. A good sign.
"Dude, what the hell is this place?" Ryuji spoke for all.
"It's so freaky, and not, somehow." Futaba rubbed her arms.
"But like, how we were just in the soda joint one moment and then…" Ryuji kept on.
"And then the curtains." Akira finished the thought. He lifted his mask from his face and fastidiously rubbed his eyelids. "I'm guessing dinner is off."
"Haha, yeah." Ann sounded anxious.
"We need to get back." Makoto stated.
"Yeah." Akira began scanning their surroundings. "Did we walk far from where we turned up?"
"I don't think we did?" Haru's face turned quizzical. "You did walk off a bit on your own, though."
"I did?"
"Yes. It almost seemed as if you knew where you were going." Yusuke finally pried his eyes off the skies.
"Curious." Akira looked genuinely puzzled. "Mona. Do you sense anything in particular about this place?"
"Not… really. It doesn't feel anything like the Metaverse. But it also doesn't feel like, you know…"
"Our cognition of real?"
"Yeah." Morgana hesitated to say. "Not distorted, but not 'real' either, I guess."
"But cognition, nonetheless." Makoto brought her hand to her chin in contemplation. "Everything changed when we saw the curtains back in Arancia, and that only happened when Akira told us about having seen them. And then, we ended up here after crossing them."
"Maybe they're a like a gate or something?" Ann suggested.
"Possibly." Makoto bit at a fingernail. "By that logic, we should be able to return if we found… curtains… maybe."
"Makes sense, I guess." Futaba joined the dissecting of their situation. "But is that really all there is to it? I mean, this guy started seeing the curtains first, and out of nowhere. And… well, I mean, look at him."
"Huh?" Akira looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Really? Like, the whole Phantom Thief gear out of nowhere doesn't make jumpy?"
Akira went wide-eyed, groping at his clothes and face to find out he was dressed as Joker.
"Ah." He frowned. "Well, this is unexpected."
"You didn't notice you had all that on, did you?" Makoto squinted. "I think that might just have given us a clue." Eyes on the ground, she began pacing around, chasing thoughts and memories ringing in her brain like quotes in a book. Some things were fresh in time, reliable. Others were mere conjecture, notions that still fell within the plausible. But there was some dark and foggy else she could neither place nor ignore; a thing from the past that derailed her rationale onto speculation, into a claim for which she had little proof – to this, all she had was the foul sense that something had been done to Akira without his knowledge.
"Makoto?" Akira sounded restless.
"I…" She took a deep breath, dreading the words she was about to say. "I think our being here may be directly linked to you. It's just a conjecture. I may be wrong. But it might be something like a subconscious cognition manifesting into reality… drawn from your mental state. What you've endured these past few days, or more – this place could be a reflection of that." She cursed herself as she spoke. "It's… just a possibility."
"What?" Ann struck out in disbelief.
"Mako-chan, are you saying he created this world?" Haru approached the question cautiously.
"Not willingly!" Makoto's quick answer was a riposte to kill any blame on him. Alas, she still squirmed within at the sight of her boyfriend's expression as he considered her words. "But, I can't just sum it up as mere coincidence."
"Makoto, what the hell!? There's no way he's doing this!" Ryuji scolded. "I mean, yeah this guy's going through a rough patch, but…"
"He'd never do this by his own volition. But it could happen." Morgana said with conciliatory tone. "If that's what's going on, the principle is no different from developing a Palace. It's still a subconscious manifestation of desires. Maybe what he's been experiencing lately translates that into this."
"You little…!" Ryuji snarled. Anger rippled on his face.
His emotional response was just the first signal of a storm brewing in their midst. Worry, fear, confusion, denial; all chained together across several minds, and all eventually leading to a question nobody wished to ask. Could their triumph over Yaldabaoth prove undone?
"Ryuji." Akira sliced through the silence with a voice both smooth and peaceful. "It's okay."
"Dude!?"
"It is okay." He reassured. "Makoto may be right. I don't know what's been happening in my brain for a while, after all. And… it's not too far-fetched, given what we've lived" He turned to his girlfriend with as optimistic a face as he could manage. "It's better to have an idea than being in the dark altogether. Whatever's going on, we will handle it."
Makoto felt cold in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to say all that was in her head, but how much could she trust her instinct on this? And would it truly be better if this was the work of outside intervention? There were too many questions in the air already, and the possible answers could be as troubling, if not more so.
"As far as I can tell, I brought you all here. Now, let me do my best to get us all back in time for dinner." A smirk – the sign of the Joker. "Let's start by finding a vantage point. I don't see any curtains around."
Akira started walking towards a grassy slope leading uphill. Makoto hastened to join him at the vanguard, while the rest followed. As she walked, she managed to catch Ryuji muttering.
"Bullshit. I bet somebody's done something to him…"
She felt warm relief about Ryuji being Ryuji, ever one to speak his mind, never one to doubt Akira.. Perhaps it was not all in her head.
[ ]
They have been walking uphill for close to five minutes. The hilltop looked far away still. In spite of the anxious mood, several things – such as how poorly suited their clothes were for this impromptu hiking, and the surreal grace of their surroundings – help alleviate their spirits somewhat. Makoto kept her eyes on Akira consistently along the way with two-fold purpose.
First and foremost, she was looking out for him. In light of recent events, she would not be surprised if he showed less than he actually felt. Furthermore, her theory may have been the last thing he needed to hear. It hardly brought any ease to her thoughts, but he appeared to be handling himself with stoic sobriety. She intimately hoped it was not just an act for their sake. When thinking of the sum of their experiences together, Makoto concluded it could be indeed be either a mask he wears or legitimate grit.
On the other hand, she surprised herself at catching a distinct appeal about him at that moment. Makoto never did entirely get over the first impression of Akira as Joker. It was quite the experience to see him from afar, fighting and making his way throughout Palaces. Sometimes, she got to see him closer, when peeking from around a corner, waiting for the moment to strike. Makoto could hardly guess whether her pulse quickened from the anticipation of an ambush or from the physical proximity between them. It had been longer than a year since the last time he wore that attire, the image of it remaining in her thoughts during long nights.
It was quite the experience to see him like this again, somehow making it work though the look itself clashed with the surroundings.
"Shame we're taking the kids hiking like this." Akira said to her.
"Quite a shame." She caught herself playing along. "We really should do it for real after this."
Akira turned to her as he pushed himself on to the slope. His lips curled into a smile. She guessed it may have been the colours of the sky reflecting off his skin, but his face looked to have regained some colour. It was as if the changing into Joker helped him gain some footing. For the current purpose, it was a positive change; minutes ago, he was so vulnerable, yet now he had such a firm grasp on the reins. Despite the strange circumstances, things seemed to be looking up.
Why then did she feel so uneasy? Was there no end to these foul, uncertain notions?
She pulled herself out of inner turmoil by checking up on the rest as they slowly climbed the slope.
"Come on, guys." Morgana's child-like voice came out of Futaba's rucksack slung across her shoulder. "You can do it."
"Hey, hold up." Ann turned to the feline, careful not to lose her already awkward footing. "Couldn't Mona just make this climb and then come back down to tell us what he sees?"
Everyone gazed at each other in the ensuing silence.
"Uh… nobody suggested it?" Morgana spoke with timid caution.
"Well, we're suggesting it now." Ryuji, though handling the trek well, looked slightly tired. "Move those paws, Mona! Do it for Lady Ann!"
"You do it for Lady Ann." Morgana shot back, sounding even more child-like.
"Hey! About that, why do I have to carry the cat around?" Beads of sweat gave off a bright sheen off the girl's skin. In almost exaggeratedly cautious fashion, she took the rucksack off her shoulder. "Catch, Inari!"
Yusuke made no effort to catch the rucksack flung his way. The only break from his tired nonchalance was a slow blink.
"Mrrrrowwww!" Mona complained.
"Don't throw Mona-chan!" Haru spoke a little too late, only now catching wind of the exchange.
While Akira led a bit higher up the hill, Makoto took time to observe the others. It instantly caught her notice how everybody looked somewhat spent already. Come to think of it, she was starting to feel a red ache in her muscles. Her exercise routine did not warrant feeling like this so quickly.
Another important factor to consider. Could something about this place be affecting them physically? She made a quick recount of the past journeys into Mementos and each Palace they ventured into since she joined the Phantom Thieves. There were no notable exceptions in the way the Metaverse affected them, not even Futaba's Palace, since its conditions were equal to its outside world's counterpart. Maybe there was a difference in atmospheric pressure, ozone concentration… or maybe…
The most plausible answer glared back at her a few metres upward. Akira's clothes, a Phantom Thief's attire, an extension of the inner self, sprawled outward into a suitable fashion. It was much the same as a Persona, a means to face the world, a function pertaining to design. To survive and to thrive. While this train of thought led her to a probable reason for the way the climb taxed them so differently to Akira, it also reeled her back into an uncomfortable shadow that just would not let go.
Purpose.
Intent.
Their presence in this alien terrain, Akira's transformation, maybe even his aliment. Does it all follow the command of one unseen?
"Makoto?" Akira's voice shook her awake. He held his hand out to her, offering to help her up.
"Oh, um, yeah." She took his hand and pulled herself. "Thank you."
"It's not long now. It's starting to level out. Take the lead the rest of the way, I'll help the rest up."
Makoto nodded with deliberate motion. She made as if to hurry ahead to prompt her boyfriend to help the others, but she stayed still for a few seconds, trying to metabolise something clearer out of what her instincts told her.
[ ]
Looking down from atop the hill, the climb looked higher that it actually was. This was not a greater height than the skyscrapers back in Tokyo, and yet the vault of sky looked so dauntingly close when they looked up. The air up here was cool and playful, brushing and arousing strands of hair like careless fingers, but just the same it occasionally sent a tremulous rattle up their spines. The ground beneath was steady in a way only nature can be, still the prospect of falling rang too close, beckoning at the edges. Everybody, even Akira and Makoto, felt disoriented at the top of the hill.
However, there was something nobody could ignore. It was one thing to observe the distance climbed and the treacherous pull of vertigo, but another entirely to look how the land spread far and wide, seemingly boundless from up here. And the odd phenomena that gave this world its colour was somehow even more remarkable from this height. As the fear of an improbable fall subsided, a sense of wonder took hold. Whatever happened from that moment forward, they all knew they would never forget this view.
"Seeing this…" Akira began. "I'm not sure how I feel about ending up here."
"It is quite something." Makoto said, having joined him to scan for a landmark or a way back.
"I think it's beautiful. Don't you think so too, Yusuke?" Haru said.
"Many times have painters immortalised sights like this in their works. But I got to see one with my own eyes."
"Wow, corny." Futaba teased.
Ryuji and Ann were both transfixed, quietly drawing what joy they could from an uncertain situation, Morgana also said nothing, but the gracious serpentine motion of his tail hinted he enjoyed taking it all in, perhaps even more so, given his acute senses.
They afforded a couple of minutes in the unlikely peace of the moment.
"Alright." Akira got their attention. "Let's search for our way back."
"Should everybody take a different direction to watch?" Ann suggested.
"Yes, that sounds good. Holler if anyone sees anything."
"Red curtains, correct?" Yusuke checked.
"Yes." Makoto responded. "Or anything resembling a landmark."
"Got ya. Let's do this!" Ryuji was the last one to speak before the eight started their search from above in silence, uncomfortable, fruitless silence.
Four minutes.
"Anyone has something they'd like to share with the rest?" Makoto probed. A series of one-syllabled negatives ensued.
"You know, the novelty of the place wears off quick." Futaba dropped herself to the ground, cartoonishly landing on her backside. "It's just grass, grass and more grass."
"And trees." Yusuke added.
"Shut up, Inari."
"There really is a lot of vegetation. I don't see any animals, though." Both Akira and Makoto perked upon hearing Haru's observation.
She was correct. The eight of them were the only animal life they have seen so far, which prompted two realisations. First: It would be perfectly within reason that the fauna in this place could be far different from what they know, meaning they were at a greater risk than apparent should there be a local predator out on the prowl. Second: In the event there was truly no fauna in this place, the methods of subsistence were greatly reduced, which put a grim tone on the possibility of staying here for long.
Getting back to their side became a more pressing concern, though neither Akira nor Makoto would say it, in order not to stir panic.
"You know, this land looks a bit too neat if it really doesn't have animals in it." Akira mused at his girlfriend.
"Maybe…" She lowered her voice. "There are, but we're not seeing them."
"That's a possibility. But wouldn't it be weird if there really weren't?"
"Huh?"
"There's a lot of vegetation around here, but it looks sort of... trimmed." Akira turned to Makoto." I guess a better word would be contained. Too contained to grow freely. It would make sense if there were animals to keep the ecosystem balanced."
"But if there really weren't…" Makoto's squinted eyes started to widen.
"Then there would be someone or something to keep the plants and trees from going too wild. Don't mind me that much. I'm just thinking out loud."
"Something to consider, I suppose."
"Yeah…" The young man's voice became distant and quiet.
"Is something wrong?" His girlfriend asked.
"Hey, Morgana. Come over here a sec."
"What's up?" The feline walked up to Akira,
"I need you to lend me your eyes over here." He pointed towards the direction he watched. "Can you something way over there?"
"Did you see something?" Morgana's question gained the interest of all.
Makoto tried hard to find something in the horizon but she saw nothing, not even a hint of anything other than grass and trees. While her boyfriend held Morgana up high for him to watch, she studied his expression, wary of each subtlety.
"No, I don't think… wait." The feline said. "Lift me up higher."
And so Akira did, unintentionally reprising a scene from an animated film about lions and Hamlet. The young man's groan meant he was aware of it. Makoto discreetly covered an amused grin.
"What about now?"
"Well, it is a rock formation, but it doesn't look like a mountain or a ridge. It's more like… like a gate?"
"A gate, huh..."
"How on Earth did you manage to catch sight of something like that? Even I couldn't see it at first!" Morgana asked.
"Not sure. A feeling, I guess." His gaze dodged Makoto's as soon as their eyes met.
"Right… Well, it's really far away from here. If we head there to look for an exit, maybe we should take a rest beforehand."
"Guys!" Haru called for everybody's attention. If the urgency in her voice did not say all that needed be, her quick hops up and down certainly got the message across.
"Did you see anything, Haru?" Makoto went to her.
"Quick! Over there!" Haru pointed frantically.
Everyone stood at her sides to see that atop another hill, a few metres shy of a kilometre away, stood a lone shrouded figure, quiet and still. From this distance, they could not tell whether he was facing them. Regardless, it was a shock to find another person in this place. Maybe, Makoto thought, this place did indeed have a keeper to keep the vegetation from conquering all.
"YO! OVER HERE!" Ryuji yelled out loud, jumping up and down and waving his arms, trying to get the figure's attention.
"Ryuji! You're gonna freak them out!" Ann scolded.
"I'll apologise later!"
"Ryuji's right." Akira noted. "We should try and get their attention. Surely they know more about this place than we do. HEY!"
Everyone joined in the shouting fest, including Makoto, who felt awkward as she joined their efforts. Shortly after, it seemed to have paid off. The figure seemed then to turn around and walk a few steps in the direction of the hilltop they stood on. If it regarded them in any way, they could not tell. Its expression, its appearance, all were concealed beneath the shroud, the silence and the stillness.
Then it turned once more and began to climb down, descending slowly but steady.
"Nooooo, we lost them!" Ann let out a groan.
"Whoa, we did freak them out, didn't we?" Futaba remarked.
"They didn't seem to be in that much of a hurry to get away, though." Makoto said. "Maybe we can catch up to them still."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go!" Ryuji was the first to begin the descent. Everybody joined with lifted spirits from both seeing another person, and from not having to go uphill this time. Akira, however, lingered briefly, with eyes in the direction of the 'gate'.
He hurried to join the rest, careful not to worry Makoto or anyone else. There was no use showing it or talking about it, but he knew: they were stranded in this unknown location because of him. He did not will it, nor did he even know it would happen, but the line of cause and effect was clear and solid – he sensed it tied around his neck and tightening whenever he looked at his friends. They would never blame him about it, nor did they need to – Akira was already doing that well enough on his own. He needed to be especially careful around Makoto – she read him like a book.
Morgana's observation provided a merciful distraction for his thoughts as he climbed down the hill. How indeed did he know there was something that far away in the distance? Truth is, he did not see it at all, but he knew something was there. Why did he know? Before the questions started multiplying, one alone intoxicated him.
What lay past that gate?
Now was not the time to find out.
