Chapter Thirty Four: A Silver Needle in the Murk
At first glance, the plan seemed as sound as it could get. It even had Sojiro Sakura and Sae Niijima's approval – despite their unavoidable misgivings. Looks of quiet enthusiasm lit their faces with each time they went over the procedure. There were two dynamics at play: infiltrating back into Nyarlathotep's domain to obtain information on his long-term intent, and returning to the world and their public personas as students and employees. But there was a set of problems to each undertaking.
For one, they could not go blindly into that dark, mutable world and simply hope to hold a civil audience with its Master. And they also could not merely show up out of the blue, back at their respective places in university and the workforce. There was also the glaring hazard of possibly encountering the other Joker. The latter threat came down to a matter of fight-or-flight, of which retreat was preferable, and highly perilous all the same. However, Akira and his friends now had a way to handle the first two problems.
Strictly speaking, the five-part plan's layout was nothing new to them. In fact, it was well within their M.O. as Phantom Thieves. But nuance made it a shinier prospect.
Phase One - Preparation. They would go into the Velvet Room and have their Personas strengthened by Lavenza's siblings and the Artists. The objective was not to hone them for battle, but to facilitate the swiftness of their movement. If they were to face Shadows, they would cut them down with ease and speed. And if they were to find 'Joker', retreat would be more effective than the last time. Considering that the Failures were eliminated by Akira's vile doppelgänger, the higher danger was decreased to only one party.
Phase Two - Reconnaissance. The success of this part ran on the validity of one theory borne from a wildly made assumption. Despite the chaotic geography of Nyarlathotep's world, there were two fixed locations: the centre, where his fortress was erected, which remained despite the violent shifting of the landscape. And a rock formation shaped like a gate; the place from which 'Joker' had sprung. This place too seemed to hold during their hasty evacuation with Lavenza. Proper reconnaissance of their surroundings was likely impossible, if the place continued to morph after they left. But these two sites may serve as landmarks to plan their way ahead.
Phase Three - Infiltration. This was virtually self-explanatory, but the ghost of their previous impromptu visit continued to haunt them. They deemed it dangerous and ineffective for all eight to travel to towards the fortress. There was some reluctance leading to the decision, but they all agreed that it was best to divide into two groups; one to reach Nyarlathotep with stealth as their leading tool, and the other to guard the way out and to provide assistance should any problem arise. This begged the question on how to divide the team, leading to…
Phase Four – Engagement. Though they set out to find Nyarlathotep, it was truly Susumu Kamiyama whom they needed to talk to. By piecing together what they learned from Nameless in the Velvet Room, and Kamiyama's stark changes in character, they believed that the two were minds and intents apart. In the end, it was most likely that Susumu Kamiyama was every bit a victim of Nyarlathotep as Akinari Kashihara had been in a world past. The infiltration team needed to seize that divide by appealing to Kamiyama himself. This logic shaped how both teams would be divided.
The infiltration team would be comprised by Akira, Haru, Ann, and Morgana. One way or another, Akira and Haru both had a connection to Susumu Kamiyama; therefore it would be easier for them to reach the man himself. Ann and Morgana would fulfil support duties, and negotiation if it came to it. As for the safety team, it would be led by Makoto, with Ryuji, Yusuke to safeguard the way out, and Futaba to maintain communication between both teams.
Whether they succeeded or failed, it would all inevitably lead to the final part of the plan.
Phase Five – The Getaway. This was largely, and by far the most dreaded part. Previous experiences during their heart-stealing days have made evacuation an infamous and unavoidable run for dear life. After each Treasure was stolen, the Palace would invariably crumbled into nothingness, ceasing to exist. But the ensuing destruction was still very much real. They had several close shaves with death when escaping a Palace, in fact – often giving Ann the fright of her life by Ryuji either putting himself in danger for group's safety, or by his leg giving way in the worst possible moment. This time, they did not expect to escape as the fortress came down, but Nyarlathotep may attempt to trap them. For this reason, a lighter Mona-mobile was preferable to join the safety team at the entrance.
However, merely getting away from Nyarlathotep's dominion was not the end of the plan. The getaway this time would be different. Rather than merely getting back to this side, they would return to the same place, from which they first were taken: Arancia's second floor. This was Boss' chief contribution to the plan. To his daughter's surprise, the man was an avid reader of the paranormal and the inexplicable. He cited several instances of people going missing out of thin air, with no tangible evidence to explain the occurrence. A few such cases had taken place in Japan. The Phantom Thieves could add to that number, with nobody knowing the truth but themselves.
Naturally, Yasunori Kujo would be enlisted as their insider to sell the act.
By returning all together to that same place, wearing the same clothes they did when they went officially missing, they could offer a solid reason for their sudden absence, however paradoxically incredible. This way, they could take care of two problems through one process. Their reintegration into society would be a gradual process if they simulated the need for psychological aid to cope with the experience – though Makoto insisted Akira did indeed seek help. As for collateral damage, Sae Niijima vowed to take care of any legal implications to keep the situation contained.
If successful, the fruit of this plan would allow them stable footing, something they sorely needed. A chance to plan accordingly for the coup de grace against Nyarlathotep. Nobody wished to even consider the potentiality of failure – being pushed back to square one.
The Phantom Thieves set out the following day with uncompromising vigour. But their spirits deflated somewhat on the first stage, as the Velvet Room's logistics did not prove as agile as they had anticipated.
[ ]
"Surely there is a… faster way?" Makoto inquired. Considering their hosts' willingness to aid them, she felt less that comfortable being demanding. But the means presented were a test to her, and her friends' patience.
"There's lots of ways, trust me." The Demon Artist sipped on what appeared to a glass of milk. "But right now, this one is the quickest."
"Had you let us know of this plan of yours in advance, we may have been able to make preparations to suit your needs." Percival stood at the bar, preparing beverages with entrancing skill. His mood was considerably less sombre while he worked.
"Seems our…" Ryuji began. "Shit, what's the word? Foresight…? Yeah. It seems our foresight has failed us." The young man spoke with levity.
"Can it, Skull." Futaba said, entirely unamused. Ryuji had little in the way of a reply; he was busy holding back his laughter at Oracle's inability to remain still for longer than ten seconds.
The Demon Artist sighed with audible irritation. This was the seventh break in the process since the girl sat on the stool for the artist to 'polish' Prometheus on his canvas. He silently cursed his luck, suspecting Yusuke and Morgana were as good as it would get. Even the team's lieutenant seemed prone to fidgeting more than initially apparent.
"Is this really gonna help our Personas get stronger, though?" Ann asked as she peered over the painter's shoulder.
"Absolutely. You see, I look at you all, I see your Personas. Every stroke revitalises their shine. Flames burn hotter. Ice chills colder… you get the drill."
"A composition's true strength lies in the subtleties, in the nuances…" Yusuke mused while he observed the artist at work.
"This guy gets it… Anyway, this is just a quick retouching. Should make your Personas stronger for this plan of yours. Could do much more with a few hours of work, though… Whatever, it seems it'll take that long anyway since THIS GIRL CAN'T SEEM TO SIT STILL!"
"Hey, I've sat still for long enough in my life, thank you very much!" Futaba protested.
"Futaba." Makoto bargained.
"Ugh, fine, Mum-koto."
"Whatever works." The Demon Artist sighed, armouring himself with patience. He carried on highlighting the hues and shades on Oracle's Persona, masterfully reprised on the canvas.
Meanwhile, Lavenza sat quietly at a table, looking at the scene without actually seeing it. Her mind was elsewhere, preoccupied on the duty that waited ahead. She had taken only a sip from the beverage prepared by Percival. It was made from fruits and blooms untasted by man; the lingering taste on the palate was supposed to calm her nerves. Yet her knuckles continued to dig into the fabric of her dress. She would not even dream of turning away from it, but she truly did not want to see that place ever again.
"Only you can do this." Margaret sat next to Lavenza. The woman's demeanour tiptoed the delicate line between distance and discretion, but she still found room for warmth, somewhere in that insurmountably small space.
Lavenza just nodded.
"I cannot begin to imagine what you must have seen."
"…"
"Elizabeth believes the corruption is bound to expand, maybe to the other faces of the Velvet Room. The ones that are, that have been and that will be. Theodore feels the same way. The advance is slow, but it will reach this place eventually."
"…"
"I came here to let you know, but it's probably something you already suspected. Therefore you know that, for everyone's sake, and for Igor also, there must always be attendants keeping station."
"…"
"Judging by what you've told us the last time, the Shadows may too get stronger. But…" Margaret took her little sister's hand. Her fingers were just as pale as hers, but the tension showed on the otherwise unblemished surface. The woman studied Lavenza's hand like it were a delicate, fragile thing. "… I think three attendants should suffice to hold the fort."
Lavenza looked at her sister with eyes wide open.
"I'll accompany you, of course. But you should be ashamed to have thought that you had to light their path on you own." A tone of severity permeated her words. "Do not do that again. You have us, forever."
Intimidation flashed briefly over Lavenza's face, quickly followed by the kind of smile shared in the closest kinship. Though the attendants were not human in the strict sense of the word, their heart beat to the same tempo of sisters who lived under the same roof for years, who cared so much for each other despite a barrier that once separated them.
Indeed, Lavenza and Margaret reminded Akira of Makoto and Sae. Having overheard the conversation between sisters, a sad smile crept along his face. Makoto had joined Yusuke and Ann over by the painter's easel as he continued to work on Futaba's Persona. She could not notice the look on his eyes, and Akira was thankful for it.
[…]
"That took long enough…" Morgana said with as bemused an expression as a 'monster cat' could have.
Everyone turned to look at Futaba.
"Hey, don't look at me! That painter guy took way longer with Haru!"
"He did spend some time praising her hair…" Makoto remarked. "Understandable, but…"
"Inevitable." Yusuke interjected. "He wished to faithfully capture the majesty. A simply recolouring simply would not do."
"O-oh my…" Haru blushed.
"Okay good! Can we get on our way already?" Ryuji said eagerly, no doubt wishing to test the power of his Persona.
The Phantom Thieves, with Lavenza and Margaret, stood now at the threshold of the Velvet Room, beyond which there was only darkness. Though it started off awkwardly, the plan's first phase ended with success: each of the Phantom Thieves already felt a surge of vitality thanks to the efforts of the Demon Artist. For the Wild Cards, the constraints of time only allowed for Arsene and Anat to be reinvigorated. Regardless, this sufficed to inspire confidence as they navigated through reaches of nothingness towards Nyarlathotep's embryonic realm.
The darkness ahead receded at Lavenza and Margaret's approach as they lit the way. There was uncertainty in their step, but Akira knew their guidance was sound, for even in the void, he could begin to see the slimmest appendages. These would retain their size for a long distance to come, but he was already able to sense them growing wider as they led to their Master. This was not something his friends needed to know with certainty, though they already probably suspected.
Nobody voiced a thing on the matter.
The notion of measureable distance was meaningless in this non-place. Yet the way felt much shorter this time. It felt as a surprise to no one, considering the difference in circumstances. Before long, the first signs of their destination manifested through an unpleasantly familiar sensation. Even Margaret seemed wary to take another step. Despite possessing greater experience than her sister, this was her first encounter with ancient, fathomless entropy.
A dim light ahead marked the end. Nyarlathotep's tendrils twisted into thick roots around the exit, something which only Akira could see. The young man took a deep breath and asked his companions to halt.
"There it is." He said calmly. "We all remember our parts?"
His friends went over the plan once more for good measure. Despite everything they agreed upon, nobody looked forward to splitting up. This was a sentiment Akira shared, a heap of anxiety clutching at his insides. But the brunt of his will was not focused on the task itself – rather on faith that his friends would succeed. They would surely do their best; therefore he shall do the same.
"Whenever you're ready, Joker." Queen prompted.
A quick, resolute nod sufficed for the next stage of the plan to unfold.
[ ]
The confidence attained through the crafting of the plan suddenly received a significant blow. It was not strong enough to debilitate their resolve. But it certainly breathed new life into past anxieties.
A new first impression of the place did not confirm their suspicions right away. The form the landscape had taken snatched their attention upon coming into the light. Only small patches of green field remained scattered across the land; most of it was swallowed by the underground, leaving a handful of solitary trees as surviving beacons of the disaster. The wounds in the soil brought mineral innards to view, crystallised surfaces in multiple colours, and earthen semblances of human faces – too many to count. The totality of it was held together by Nyarlathotep's appendages, gone from thin, frail-looking to mighty, stone-like tentacles of ebony.
The same sanguine sky hung above, with likely the same unknown constellations.
And at the centre of it all, an eerily familiar sight: a place that had been refuge and torment. The fortress had transformed into a structure undeserving of such names. Castle. Cathedral. Temple. This structure defied being called such, and yet somewhat incorporated something of each into its make. Nyarlathotep's dwellings looked more like a grotesquely oversized den, architectured by willing, living madness. And yet, despite its enormous proportions, there was a vague incompleteness to it all. It was if further change was yet to occur.
Morgana and Futaba began a quick preliminary navigation for confirmation on the place's landmarks. To the east, with their current location as reference, the same rocky gate still stood untouched.
"This place… it's vile." Margaret broke her usual nonchalance with venom in her voice. The attendant knelt on the ground and placed her hand against the soil. "A complete affront to all that exists!"
"Indeed. But it looked quite different when we first were here." Joker spoke. "It looked somewhat… virginal, and lush."
"Nyarlathotep changed it." Mona joined. "We managed to escape in the heat of it all. We should have expected something like this, but…"
"It's horrendous." Noir punctuated with revulsion.
"Then, the sooner we finish this mission, the sooner we can leave, right?" Panther walked forward.
"Right. We know there are two places that don't change. That's one of the plan's stages, no?" Skull spoke eagerly.
"Yeah, then…" Queen turned to her friends. "It is time."
Her words fell awkwardly, but there was little hesitation to follow. The Phantom Thieves split into two groups, as planned. A few seconds later, both halves stood in front of each other. The addition of Margaret allowed for a Velvet Room attendant to accompany each team. This meant more resources for offence and defence according to the situation; but it did little to assuage the collective unease.
"We will not let you down. I promise you, with all of my being." Fox broke the silence. His voice urged everyone to wish success and safety to the other team. It soon became obvious that words alone were not enough. Oracle may have deemed it 'tempting fate', but even she had to be pried away from her older brother at the end of it.
"I love you, so, so fucking much." Skull spoke in Panther's ear. By the trembling of his arms as he held Ann, it was obvious that he was afraid. He was not without reason. From where he stood, she may well be walking into her doom, same as his best friend. "Please be okay."
"I love you too. Now, don't jinx it!" Panther was on the verge of tears. The situation was not too different on her side. "We'll be back!"
The team's leaders regarded each other in silence. Joker and Queen were the leaders of their respective halves. Neither was against openly showing the affection they had for each other, but the responsibility on their shoulders called for a cool head. There was no passionate kiss or tight embrace, nothing to leave a memento of each other on their clothes and skin. Instead, they quietly fought the increasingly inertia, otherwise they would never let go.
Akira and Makoto stood in silence for that moment of parting, and finalised it with a nod. There was much they wished to say. They expressed it all through their eyes.
"Do your best." Queen spoke.
"We will." Joker promised.
And so the Infiltration team took their first steps towards the structure. Soon they would run. Within seconds, the safety team would see them no longer, as their shapes disappeared into the contorted path. In between the now and the nearby future when they reconvened was a gap of suffocating uncertainty. The waiting game was never an easy thing to experience. There was always the chance that the future they wished for might never come. This situation was all too familiar.
As soon as Akira's coat tail disappeared from view, Makoto felt an explosion in her chest. Without anticipation, she ran towards the path, catching a surprised Joker. She took quickly his hand, and held it so tightly, desperately even.
"You will come back. This is not a question." Makoto spoke sternly and unyielding. She was angry at herself for failing to come up with the words she wished to say. This had already happened before - on the night of the heist in Sae's Palace. He walked into uncertainty then too, into another close encounter with death. And Makoto was left to be preyed upon by the worst case scenario whispering into her ears. How she wished to say something to him back then.
Something to seal his success, to ensure triumph despite all incidents and dangers unaccounted for.
Something to guarantee that he would be back in her arms.
Akira looked at her wide-eyed. His thoughts were at a loss. No words were coming. All he knew was that his hand ached from the strength of her grip.
But this was a pain he welcomed. It was a life-reassuring stimulus that defied all perils ahead. There was no room for failure. Defeat was unthinkable.
"I'll return to you, Makoto. I'll forever return to you."
Makoto's hand let go of his. It found a place on her chest above her heart, and remained there until Queen reunited with her half.
She prayed in silence as Akira and his half made for Nyarlathotep's den. Every line she started, Akira finished.
The safety team looked at their leader with concern. Queen gave no verbal response. She nodded, and that sufficed. Oracle and Margaret began their watching duty.
