Chapter Twenty Nine: The Odyssey
Joker could not presume to speak for his friends, but their silence itself spoke volumes. He himself found no words to rationalise what unfolded before his eyes. After the harrowing experiences in Nyarlathotep's dominions, Akira felt well equipped to handle whatever problem was occurring in the Velvet Room. Now, he found how woefully wrong he was. He mentally scolded himself about not being able to heed Lavenza's call sooner.
Maybe no more than ten seconds ago, they were all still in LeBlanc. There was some banter in the air about Lavenza having conjured the door to the Velvet Room in the café's restroom. Ryuji and Futaba were each proportionally amused in relation to Boss' bemusement. Makoto was not very keen on the embarrassing implications, but she seemed at least somewhat pleased that the spirits were high. It felt like a distant echo of days past; the mood that preceded every venture into Mementos.
Lavenza ushered them in, one by one, through the blue door. A moment later, they were on the other side, wearing their Phantom Thieves' attire. And the spirits they carried all plummeted in an instant.
In a way, this visage was not any more disturbing or foreboding than many of the perils they encountered before. But the way this place had changed was no easy thing to process. With the exception of Joker and Morgana, they set foot in this place only once before. This is where they regained the strength to carry on after absolute defeat. In the briefest while, they partook of the Velvet Room's grace, and they knew in their hearts that this was a sanctuary for everybody's souls. This was a sacred place, one which not even Yaldabaoth could truly corrupt.
But the Velvet Room had been something more for Akira. This was the cradle of his rehabilitation. He could not attempt to count the times he visited this place. Despite Caroline and Justine tormenting him, and the false Igor's ominous presence, Akira grew to think of this place as a peculiar kind of home, safe and inviolable.
Yet the Velvet Room now lay defiled and broken.
The light bulb above was dimming and crackling like it could go out at any moment, but they did not need to see with their eyes to know. They could tell by the mere layout of the place that this was the Velvet Room they knew. The cells had been replaced with tall bookshelves, the guillotine and the speakers were gone; Igor's desk was still at the centre of the room. But all else was different. There were missing tiles on the floor and the walls, too many to count. The resulting hollows revealed a fathomless nothing that nibbled away at what still remained whole. The edges of stone, steel and wood blurred in and out of sight, as a clear indication that the place itself struggled to keep existing.
And Igor sat at his desk. His unnerving countenance looked much the same as they remembered it, yet his large, eternally bloodshot eyes stared without blinking at some random spot on the surface of his desk. His posture, from the angling of his back to his arms spread forward, was without motion. The one distinct sign of life was the faint sound of his breathing. He was catatonic, and much like his surroundings, existing at the verge of lifelessness. At that moment, Akira desperately wished to hear his voice, gentle and docile like the archetype of a sagely, loving grandfather. But no matter how strong his wish, no words would come out of Igor.
He was silent like the grave, silent like the rest of the Velvet Room. The absence of the aria to everybody's souls was a change nobody noticed until they felt its lack within themselves.
Morgana walked towards Igor's desk, looking like a lost child. The feline looked uncharacteristically clumsy as he climbed on the desk. He fell flat on his own behind in a way that would have otherwise looked amusing. And he stared at Igor's eyes, quietly prying for a response that would never come.
"This… this is so wrong…" Panther said.
"How long has this place been like this?" Fox asked.
"I'm not sure. It's been harder to tell how the time passes since it began. Maybe no longer than a fortnight…" Lavenza sounded distant.
A haunting notion glared straight at them through the girl's vague approximation. She probably sought them after as soon as the Velvet Room started to deteriorate. But they were nowhere to be found. They would have dwelt in guilt for longer if not for the other obvious matter. It might well be a coincidence, but the timing was suspiciously close. If the current state of the Velvet Room and their disappearance were not isolated events, then Nyarlathotep could be the reason behind the place's corruption.
"We'll take care of this, Lavenza." Queen placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. Oracle held the attendant's hand. "We promise." The young woman searched Joker's eyes, trying to snatch his attention.
"We do." He nodded, shaking off the feeling of palpable desolation from the gaps in the room.
"Thank you." Lavenza smiled sadly.
Noir approached the desk on which Morgana sat spellbound in bewilderment. She pressed her cheek against the cat's head while she hugged him tight. Much like Lavenza, witnessing this could not be easy to endure. In no small manner, this was his birthplace. Even if his birth happened hurried and desperately, the attachment between the Velvet Room and Mona's heart was strong. And that said nothing of the man sitting at the desk, alive by the thinnest thread. Igor was essentially Morgana's father.
"Alright." Skull spoke loudly, but audibly affected. "We're here for you. What do we do?"
Everybody turned to Lavenza, awaiting her command. The resolve in the eyes beneath the masks was a sweet sight for her to behold. Even Joker's uncharacteristically cold expression was a steadfast encouragement. Before, the girl felt insecure and unprepared. When this began, all she could think of was gathering the Phantom Thieves, but she had no actual plan of her own. It was only after she braved the streets of Tokyo that she knew the next step to take. She wondered what would the Phantom Thieves do.
They would wake up, and get out there. They would explore every path ahead, and plan their route to the treasure. And if there was no path to take, they would somehow make one.
So quite like their feline companion, she let herself be guided by curiosity. There was already a door ahead that she hesitated to take. And therein lay the path.
She took a deep breath before relaying the plan.
"First and foremost, we need to know the cause of this deterioration, and if it has anything to do with Nyarlathotep" The name still left a noticeably strange taste in her mouth. "I'm not sure my siblings will know more than I do, but there is someone who may. To find them, we'll need to reach a suitable configuration of the Velvet Room. I believe this is our best chance. The corruption doesn't appear to reach far beyond the confines of this room."
The Phantom Thieves all turned to look at each other. Nobody said anything for a moment.
"You got siblings?" Oracle was the first to talk. "Oh my God, are they all moe like you?"
"That's quite the revelation, but is it truly what we ought to focus on?" Queen said.
"Another configuration of the Velvet Room…" Joker mused. "What exactly does that mean?"
"The Velvet Room takes on many forms. It depends on varied factors. Be it the guest's unconscious or the state of the world they inhabit. Since they all exist in between mind and matter, it is possible to travel between them. But each one is different. Some are kept by attendants, and others are not."
"Those attendants are your siblings, correct?" Fox wondered.
"Yes. We may encounter them along the way, but it is somebody else we seek." Lavenza suddenly looked strangely bashful. "They have been with my Master for longer than any of us attendants. I know not why they keep their presence hidden, but I have a strong feeling that they still exist."
"You don't sound a hundred per cent certain." Oracle remarked.
"I'm sorry." The attendant lowered her gaze.
"No! That's not a problem at all! I mean, it's an option, right?"
"I think she's correct." Morgana hopped down from the desk. "I myself am not sure if they are who she's talking about, but I think I feel another presence. It's far away, really far away, but it's there."
"Well, this is kinda where you were born, so yeah, maybe Lavenza here is on the money." Skull smiled eagerly.
"Sounds good to me." Joker said, to which Lavenza lit up instantly. "Let's go."
"Thank you. Please follow me."
With their friends at their back, Joker and Queen followed Lavenza up the stairs that sectioned the dome in half. In the past, they all climbed these stairs after regaining their full sense of self to defeat Yaldabaoth. Now they climbed them once more on their way to defeating a new enemy. Corruption aside, this place was much changed, having become something of a den of wisdom as opposed to the prison it once was. The Phantom Thieves also underwent changes with clear ramifications; but others carried consequences yet to be understood.
As for Joker, he had a strong suspicion about one such change occurred in him throughout the past weeks. It was no less daunting now than when he first started noticing. But he believed he may be closer to understanding it. Even now, as they ventured into the light past the open door, it continued to drain and feed off of him. Somehow, he would shatter the link between Nyarlathotep's Joker and he, lest it break him and claim those he loved.
His eyes darted into the blinding light that awaited, the transition between one Velvet Room and the other. He hoped it would burn away the horrible memory that lingered in his eyes.
Even if just for a moment.
[ ]
It took some time for their eyes to adjust. But even before they were able to perceive the blue of this place, they knew just where they were, merely by the scent. All except for Lavenza stared agape at their surroundings. Noir seemed especially enraptured by this form of the Velvet Room. It was a greenhouse, wider and higher than any they had seen in television or magazines. No patch of soil was vacant.
The flora that grew in this place was otherworldly diverse and rich. The group's gardening connoisseuse could identify only a few specimens, and half of them she was not fully certain she knew. Everything else was a new shape, a new palette of colours, and new smells that could be pleasantly inebriating should one linger. And Haru certainly wished she could.
A thick, ash-coloured tree grew at the very centre of the place, with old roots and sturdy branches that made an impenetrable canopy of a ceiling. Tall blue windowpanes framed the place in a circle, and at the tallest end, they seemed to meld together with the leaves and the branches on the tree. Outside the windows, it was dark, but not quite like the Velvet Room they knew. This was the darkness of the night-sky, pockmarked with stars everywhere and long curving stripes of what looked like aurora borealis.
Even if silence reigned still, there was no sign of corruption in this place.
Akira's dry mood instantly began to change. He never imagined the Velvet Room could be this outwardly beautiful. Makoto noticed the shift in his expression, and smiled. She was well aware of the urgency to the situation, but she wished to indulge at least for a handful of seconds.
Yusuke looked to be on the verge of tears from the sensory impact. His lips and fingertips trembled like he was undergoing a religious experience, which it was for him.
"This is… a Velvet Room?" Ryuji asked.
"It is a form of the Velvet Room, yes." Lavenza seemed particularly insistent in the wording.
"Wish this was the one we got." Ann managed a chuckle, and soon noticed the seats hanging from the branches closest to the ground, like wide swings ; they were roped by beautiful wreaths and vines. She figured this would be where Igor and the attendant would sit if they were here.
"My Master accompanied me here sometimes." Lavenza looked like she wished for a boost to sit on one of the swings. "Sometimes it was Elizabeth, Margaret, Theodore, Percival, Magnolia…"
"Are those your siblings?" Akira asked.
"Yes…"
The Thieves' leader said nothing more. He laid his hand on the girl's shoulder with dear manner.
"We should carry on." The attendant walked around the tree, motioning for the rest to follow her.
At first, it seemed as if they were merely going in circles around the base of the tree. But before anyone could begin to feel dizzy or silly, they saw the tail of Lavenza's blue coat disappearing into a dark hollow in the tree that was not there before. It was not a small space per se, but they could only crawl in one at a time.
It was a disorienting experience to navigate the space between one form of the Velvet Room and the next. Nobody saw the path ahead, but the way the air travelled hinted that there was only one tight way ahead that could not be missed. It was uncomfortable, but nowhere nearly so as coming out on the other side.
The door Lavenza opened for them was somehow even smaller than the path they just traversed. For some strange reason, it was quite cold near the exit. A succession of grunts followed as each of the Phantom Thieves, except for Morgana, struggled greatly to come out on the other side. All jokes were spared as even Futaba had a hard time coming through.
Now, on the other side, the wonder only increased. This form of the Velvet Room was not as majestic to the senses as the last, but it was a most unexpected form for the Velvet Room to take. They were inside of a limousine, with long and luxurious seats on all sides, and the cool, blue light radiating from an artful fixture on the vehicle's ceiling. Gazing back at the entrance, they realised they came into this place through the limousine's mini-bar.
"For real!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Wow, this is a way swanky car." Ann looked around her. "Don't tell me… this is the Velvet Room too?"
"Indeed."
"I don't wanna be 'that girl', but does a car count as a room?" Futaba asked.
"Um, guys." Makoto called. "Maybe it'd be better if we actually sat down?" Up until this moment, everyone except for Lavenza and Morgana were standing, awkwardly bent with their heads grazing the ceiling.
"Right." Akira agreed, taking a seat near the centre. "Where is this limousine going, by the way?"
"There is not a material destination to speak of. Not for us, anyhow. This was the Velvet Room for a Wild Card of the past, I believe. It must have led them 'somewhere' to fulfil their purpose. But for ours, I'll need to find the next door. Please wait a moment, I'm sure I had it spotted the last time I was here." She stood from her seat and began searching through the limousine.
"Take you time." Joker removed his mask and took in the details of their surroundings as they waited.
"Quite a journey so far, huh?" Makoto said.
"True. Never imagined I'd be in a different vehicle other than the Mona-mobile for something like this."
"I guess that's expanding your horizons." His lieutenant smiled at him. "How are you feeling?"
Joker opened his mouth, knowing what he wanted to say. But the words that came out where different; they were the truth.
"I think I'm feeling a little better now." He kept his volume low and far from the others. The rest of their friends all started to have conversations of their own. "Still far from being okay, but I have high hopes."
"Thank you for being honest."
Joker nodded. His eyes went down to the proximity between Makoto and he. The smirk on his face did not come at the thought of intimacy, but amusement at the overall lack of comfort. Everybody was packed uncomfortably close together inside the vehicle, and it was worse for Yusuke as he had to bend forward even while sitting down. And for once, Morgana did not seem too joyous about sitting on Ann's lap. Meanwhile, Lavenza continued to search, oblivious to it all.
"I really do prefer the Mona-mobile."
The feline's ears perked at once. He stood up on Panther's lap, nearly hitting his own head against the ceiling.
"Guys… you hear that?"
"Huh?" Haru uttered.
"Something wrong, kitty?" Futaba asked.
"I think I hear something." The feline said, the pupils on his eyes narrowing.
"I don't hear nothing." Ryuji shrugged.
"No, wait. He's right." Akira spoke, gesturing for the others to keep quiet and listen.
Makoto's eyes widened. She nodded to her boyfriend, confirming she heard it too. The reaction was replicated by the rest, one Phantom Thief at a time.
"Isn't that…?" Ann whispered.
"It is." Morgana said. "It's the music from the Velvet Room!"
"Lavenza! Does this mean we're getting closer?" Akira called.
The girl did not answer right away. One could judge by her expression that this was the first time in a dreadful while that she heard the aria once again. Her lips moved as if she was searching for an answer.
"It means… yes! We must be on the right track!" This said, the limousine slowly came to a stop. Shortly after came the sound of the lock disengaging on the door. With some initial hesitation, the girl opened the door. And on the other side, they all could clearly see a setting of deep blue. Lavenza all but hopped out of the car, followed by the rest.
This other incarnation of the Velvet Room was considerably wider, but still smaller than the greenhouse. It was a far simpler composition, with a set of ornamental screens and old carved frames on the sides; one circular table draped in blue, and a long chair behind. But there was yet one oddity about this place that quickly stuck out. Behind the table and the seat was a tall, latticed gate, fashioned like those of old-fashioned elevators.
It was then they realised they were actually in an elevator. Just like how the music came slowly into perception, so did the sense of movement. But there was no telling whether this elevator was going up or down. It was not enough to throw anyone off balance, but the passing of light outside the latticed gate hinted at a high velocity, suitable only for extremely tall buildings – given the nature of the Velvet Room, they doubted that was the case.
The mechanical sounds were smothered by the song of the Velvet Room, which slowly increased in volume. It still sounded somewhat distant, but it served as a sign that they were closing in on their destination. Hope started showing in the Phantom Thieves' faces.
And within seconds, the elevator stopped, and the gates retracted to the sides with a thunderous clank.
"Before we go on, there's something I should tell you." Lavenza spoke. "This is as far as I've gotten on my previous explorations. I'm sure there is another version of the Velvet Room on the other side, but I cannot know what it will be. Please stay close."
"We will." Joker turned to his friends. "Let's go."
True to Lavenza's words, a different configuration of the Velvet Room awaited them on the other side. This time, it seemed to be an archaic radio station, which gave way to the next form: a clock tower. The Phantom Thieves and Lavenza navigated through the nuances of each form, finding passage through a variety of means, some obvious, and others as unlikely as a cask in a wine cellar. And every time, the song played just a little closer. After opening the hatch on what appeared to be a sea capsule, they encountered the most basic of incarnations so far. It truly was nothing for a blue room, draped on all sides by blue curtains.
"We're definitely on the right track." Morgana said. "I can feel them really close."
"It's through here." Lavenza motioned towards a seemingly random parting in the curtains. By now, she was looking very flustered. The way, she spoke of the people she sought, they brandished a great deal of authority. And she most likely was not in great familiarity with them as she was with Igor.
They crossed through the curtains, but what they found on the other side was an unexpected surprise.
This place felt, looked, and sounded different. This was a kind of enormous multi-tiered library, with long balconies and lacquered railings. It was a scene out of a European film, and it felt oppressive whereas the previous places were soothing despite their strangeness. Visibility was low, and everything seemed tinted with a murky filter of dark sea-green. The soulful aria of the Velvet Room was still in the air, louder than ever, but it sounded out of key, heavily distorted.
And above all, this time they were not alone.
Numerous masses of Shadows wandered along the hallways and lounged mindlessly at the bottom of stairways. Some crept from the ceilings, and others even looked like they slumbered.
"Shit!" Ryuji sputtered.
"Shadows!? Here!?" Ann added her own astonished take.
"Could this be… Nyarlathotep's doing?" Haru suggested with dread in her voice.
"No." Akira's unexpected response had all eyes on him. "I'm not sure how I know, but this doesn't have his disgusting prints over it."
"I think he's right." Morgana added. "This place is gloom, but I see no signs of corruption. Maybe it's just an anomaly." The feline did not sound overly secure.
"Lavenza, do you still sense our destination nearby?" Makoto asked.
"Yes. The way must be somewhere nearby."
"Then we must stick to what we've been doing so far. We find the way forward, and advance." The lieutenant declared.
"There also aren't that many Shadows. We can clear the path to give you room to search." Akira said.
"Alright, we may as well get a little exercise done before the main event!" Ryuji grinned.
"You know how we do it. We spread out and clean house." Akira reciprocated, looking more like his deviously daring self. "ARSENE!"
Each of the Phantom Thieves summoned their Persona. Though their leader still felt considerably drained, he made short work of multiple Shadows that attacked as soon as they noticed them. These adversaries were about as potent and able as the dwellers of the lowest reaches of Mementos. There were even types of Shadows they never encountered before, which forced them to improvise and remain on their toes while Lavenza devoted all of her attention to her search.
This fray was a different affair to the last time they had to fight Shadows. Even if they were fighting on unfamiliar ground, the Phantom Thieves encountered no problem to steer the battle in their favour. In fact, the rush of battle was mending their confidence, previously shaken by Nyarlathotep's sinister designs. Every Shadow vanquished was one moment stolen back, one chance to assert their true selves and start gaining momentum against their greater adversary.
This felt right.
While her friends fought each on a different direction, Makoto's Persona, Anat, struck a definite blow on a Shadow of daunting appearance and strength. It was muscle-bound, and heavily armed, with a different artefact in each of his eight arms. The War Goddess moved in for the coup de grace, but a moment from the not-so-distant past began to reprise in front of Queen's eyes.
It was looking straight at her, eye to eye. The Shadow stared with intent, ego, and intellect – so similar to that Oni back in Nyarlathotep's world. Despite her pragmatic ways in battle, Makoto stayed her hand, and waited in silence.
"You…" The Shadow spoke with a deep, thundering voice. "I've never faced one like you. You are a mighty woman! If you're to end me today, so be it. But if you let me join your cause, you will have my unrelenting might at your command! O mighty woman, what is your answer?"
Makoto felt her legs trembling. She has seen this happen many times before, when the Phantom Thieves controlled the flow of battle in such a way that victory was a guarantee. In spontaneous response to dominance, the Shadows spoke with intent and autonomy, and thus became masks for Akira to add to his repertoire. Owning different Personas was a skill only he had.
But now, here she was, as recipient of that dynamic. Try as she might, she could not metabolise her thoughts into an answer. But she did not need to, for she had already answered the question.
"Good choice, mighty woman. I am Atavaka! Yaksha Protector of the Southwest! From this day on, I will fight alongside you!" The Shadow lit up in blue flame and transubstantiated into a mask, which landed on Makoto's face.
The young woman felt many things at once over the fleeting burning sensation that reminded her of Johanna's birth. She felt euphoria, shortness of breath, anxiety, a dash of panic… and power, pulsating hot in her veins. When she finally caught her breath, she turned around frantically, looking for Akira.
But his eyes were on her as soon as this occurred. He was wide-eyed, and his lips were parted in surprise.
Barely a second later, his expression changed into a smile – one that only Makoto knew. The young woman did not know what to say or do. Part of her wondered if this really actually happened. But within that small time frame, one thing pushed her back into the present. It was how her boyfriend nodded enthusiastically, almost as if saying…
Do it again, Queen.
[ ]
Author's notes:
Hello, thank you for reading! As just a means of foreword for some of the chapters ahead, a lot of it will be based on my understanding of the core Persona lore, as well as a bit of a theory I came up with regarding a few changes in the narrative in the transition between Persona 2 and Persona 3. It's basically an idea I fell in love with real fast. Also, in this chapter, I featured several forms of the Velvet Room, some of which you'll probably recognise. The variety on the others is an allusion to a belief that there could be many Persona narratives beyond the games. As it is, the Persona stories have this feel of accesibility. In this universe, maybe even you could partake of the story, with a Velvet Room of your own. Lastly, the greenhouse Velvet Room is a reference to an original Persona story I started writing like 2 years ago, which went defunct when my hard drive kicked the bucket. I may eventually start over, but if you know your imagery, you may know what kind of story it would be, based on the Velvet Room's design. Once again, thank you for reading and commenting!