Persona Triple-A Chronicles 6
by ~Andyus
Persona: the Triple-A Chronicles
A suffocating darkness that no one saw...
A scaled arm hidden under the sea...
An armored justicar whose sword pierces evil...
This and many other things were the ones that marked my life in an outstanding way...
Someone once said "Time is given once, and never again." I realized sometime ago that he was wrong. In the night, time lies hidden… available only to those gifted to hunt, cursed to be hunted… This is the story of three persons, two chosen to have a dire fate, one made to have it…
Part VI : Back in Velvet
Now there were three footsteps in the blood-stained floor...
Capital Federal
Buenos Aires, Argentina
March 30th, 11:32
Any building has rumors. And every rumor has people talk about them, or even start them. And the ones that people talk about the most, are the supernatural ones.
Of course, the company building wasn't an exception. Janitors that saw ghosts, screams heard from nowhere, cameras showing people dissappearing... a place with around four hundred people was bound to have rumors. But there wasn't any of them as good, or as scary, as the ones that surrounded station 198.
- At first, it was a very valued computer, since every midnight, the clock changed not to 12:00 am, but to 01:00 am instead. Therefore, if you were sitting in that computer, your shift ended an hour before everyone else's. But after several of its occupiers began turning into "braindead" cases, most agents decided it wasn't worth the extra time.
- I guess we can't blame them. - Said Amy.
- Hey you two, are you looking at the clock? because mine is close to twelve.
I looked at my clock. Half past eleven.
- There is still some time. I'm going to get something from the break room. Do you girls want anything?
- Nah. Why pay for something when we can get it for free in half an hour?
- Because if something dissappears from the break room at midnight, who do you think that Miss Larrondo will go after?
- You got a point... bring me one of the chocolate cupcakes.
- I'll have one too, but tell the guy to put some of the strawberry topping in it.
I smiled to Amy and to Ashley when they passed me the money. They had joined the company only two days ago and they already knew what was on the break room. That quick improvement, and the fact that they had taken the Dark Hour as calmly as i had, had made me respect them and like them a lot.
It was only a week ago that Amy had stepped out of miss Larrondo's office after signing the same contract that i had, and only three days since when we were patrolling the first floor we had found Ashley beating up a shadow with the paperweight on her desk. At first, they both had thought that those creatures were only a nightmare, just as i had (which i suppose is what any normal person would think...). And they had both agreed to help prevent
Still, i was already preparing for a long night. Having more members in the team wasn't exactly making things easier. Neither Amy nor Ashley had awakened their Personas yet, so the shadows were still preying on them. We always ended up spending the Dark Hour defending ourselves instead of trying to defend the employees, and we were already in our 7th braindead case.
A lot of times the thought of letting them know how to use the evoker crossed my mind, but everytime that happened, i remembered how serious the words of Professor Uehara had sounded...
"The Persona could turn against its summonner, or enter a state of outrage, becoming something much more dangerous than any Shadow..."
Miss Larrondo had already recieved two new evokers and handed them to Amy and Ashley, but she hadn't told them how to use them. They had already tried shooting a shadow or two with them, to no effect. But so far none of them had tried getting the evokers even close to their heads...
Suddenly a vibration in my left pocket woke me up from my thoughts. I looked at my cellphone. "Elizabeth" was calling.
I dug up in my memory. Elizabeth? A member of the Mp3 team was called Elizabeth, but i hadn't given her my number... and even if she was calling, it wouldn't appear as a contact in my cellphone... after three rings without finding a clue of who it could be, i decided there was only one way to find out...
- Hello?
- Hello, Andy, this is Elizabeth.
- Um... How're you doing?
- Very good, thank you. And you?
- Fine, thanks...What can i do for you, Elizabeth?
- Well, my master was wondering if you could pay us a visit as soon as possible.
- ... Your master? - I suddenly remembered another Elizabeth. - Oh, Igor? from the Velvet Room?
- Indeed. It would be best if you can come quickly. Apparently he has something important to discuss with you.
- But, how do i get there? the last time he summoned me...
- The Velvet Key has already been transferred to your music player. You just have to use it to open the door.
- To my music player? when?
- The same time i added myself as a contact in your phone... but i'm taking too much of your time. Bye now.
The call finished. I inmediately took my blue music player from my right pocket. I really liked its shiny blue color, though i suppose i also liked it because it was the only player that had lasted more than three months without a malfunction. I always had appreciated the irony in it...
I checked its songs. There was indeed a new one, "The Velvet Key". Still wondering how did it get there, i put on my headphones and pressed the button to play it.
The sensation that followed was something i always had difficulty describing. Everything started to just... move away. I felt i was moving at an incredible speed, but at the same time i was still standing there. And about three seconds later, i was sitting on a pretty comfortable chair. Someone was playing the piano...
- Welcome back, Andy. - Said Igor. - I'm glad you were able to awaken the power of your Persona.
- Me too... Elizabeth said you wanted to see me?
- Indeed. There is a matter of great importance that I think you should be informed about. But first, we should attend to something else.
Igor Signaled Elizabeth, and she gave him a book. It had a leather cover, and a familiar symbol on its front: a circle with a six-point start inside of it. For some unknown reason i knew that book was of great importance. Igor opened it, waved his hand, and the pages turned by themselves, until it arrived to a blank page.
- Now we will proceed on registering your Persona in our Persona Compendium. It is a record of every Persona that our guests have used since the beginning of the Dark Hour.
- You mean, there has been more people here?
- Of course. Personas have been coexisting with humans for a long time. Not long ago, we had another guest, a bit younger than you...
I looked at the page before the blank one. there was a drawing of what seemed to be a man in some kind of red suit, wearing a mask covered in flames. Surely another Persona. I told myself that i was a fool for believing i was the only persona that had entered that place, but somehow i felt relieved. Once again, If it was something that had happened to others as well, then at least i wasn't crazy.
Igor then took a card deck, waved his hand again, and the cards lined up by themselves as well, face-down on the table.
- Will you please pick up the arcana that corresponds to your Persona?
Eargirith's Arcana?... i knew i had heard the name before. When i was still at high school, i always used those cards to play... I invited my classmates to choose three of them, and then made up a cool prediction with them... Among all the cards i liked a specific one, because it always was up to make a good story, and it also fitted my style of life...
I inmediately stretched my arm and took a card, knowing which one i was going to get already.
- Ah, the Temperance Arcana... the symbol of balance, harmony and prudence... It's been a long time since i had seen one of that kind.
I looked at the card. Its image was divided in four parts, a cup with water pouring into it in a blue background, a bird over a yellow background, a black triangle with a white one over it in a red background, and several black and white squares in a gray background. Right in the center of the crossing, there were several black and white circles, all under a big "XIV". And inmediately, the blank page in the compendium filled up with a drawing of Eargirith, and what seemed to be a description of it... but when i tried o look at it, Igor closed the book and Elizabeth took it.
- And now to the reason i summoned you for. - Said Igor, waving his hand once more, after which the cards re-arranged thamselves. - As we shortly discovered, you have recently acquired companions in your quest. They haven't awakened their powers, yet they will shortly. I'm afraid i have to ask you to not to let them know about the Velvet Room.
- Why not? didn't they sign the same contract as i did?
- Oh, they did. The difference between them and you is not that one. But unfortunately i cannot give you many details... you will have to, simply... how is it said, Elizabeth?
- "Trust us on this one" - Said Elizabeth, and chuckled.
I still didn't quite understand why they wouldn't want me to tell them about the Velvet Room, but they had helped me. Not agreeing wasn't an option.
- Ok. I won't say a word.
- Excellent. I assure you, the reason will become clear over time. Now you can take your leave.
A big, blue door appeared. I got out of the chair, but i had one last question.
- Can i help them to awaken their Personas?
Igor's smile grew slightly, as before.
- Oh, you don't have to worry about that... they already did.
It all fell into my head like a gallon of Antartic water. I had been on the Velvet room for a long time. Too long. I ran towards the door, but as soon as i placed my hand on the door knob, everything dissappeared.
I was standing in the same place. My finger was still on the play button of my music player, but it wasn't on anymore, and neither were any of the lights. Only the windows had a faint, greenish shine coming from the outside. I was in the Dark Hour, and it had already started long ago...
I ran to the calls room as fast as i could. Amy and Ashley weren't at their stations, but neither was Amy's rifle or Ashley's knife. At least they were armed, but i wasn't going to find them this way... not alone.
I got my backpack, took out the shield and fastened it to my back. then i took out the Evoker, and used it.
- Persona!
Eargirith appeared, and obviously knowing what i wanted, his gem shined, and the enemy radar lighted in my eyes. I looked around, but couldn't find them. Looked below, and still nothing. Finally i looked above. There were two white lights together, surrounded by three red lights. In about the five seconds i stared at them one of the red lights dissappeared. Amy and Ashley couldn't still have Personas, but they weren't as defenseless as the shadows thought. I started running towards the stairs, but while i was trying o calculate how high Amy and Ashley were, everything covered in red light. I deactivated the enemy radar, and saw two big shadows blocking the door to the stairs. Two great, rocky arms, holding swords. Sharp swords, as i noticed when the first of them passed three centimeters away from my chin. I stopped the second one with the shield, and Eargirith put his hands together and shattered its hand in a single hit. Without a hand to pick up the sword, the arm ran (or well, slid) away. The first one then started swinging around the sword, like if it was enraged for what happened to the other one. Eargirith stopped the sword pressing it with his hands, and i charged and ram towards its wrist with my shield. It only cracked a bit, but since the hand kept swinging the sword around, it quickly fell down.
We didn't even bother to see the other arm slide away. We had spent too much time. I got to the second floor. They were still above, on the third floor. One of the red lights got on top of one of the white ones. I had to reach them...
But when i was two steps away from the entrance of the third floor, I heard two shots, and everything turned yellow. I felt an expansive wave that knocked me down and almost made me fall through the stairs. Two blinding yellow lights had appeared where the others were. Yellow lights like the one floating behind me.
Even though i just had to open the door to see what was happening, i just stood there, watching it with the enemy radar. One of the Yellow lights crossed a red one, and split it in two. The other one didn't move, but the red light next to it began to float, flickered for a second, then dissappeared.
I finally remembered that i had to open the door. The third floor was and entire call floor, much bigger than the ones in the first and second floors. On its roof, there was this huge dome of stained glass. A sign of the building's antiquity, it had more than ten different colors. I had always liked it as a memento of the times when the people who made these buildings wanted them not only to be productive, but also beautiful. Even now, with the greenish haze the moon made under it it was pretty. Much more because under it, between the coffins that standed next to each cubicle, there were four impressive characters.
A short-black haired woman was floating two inches from the ground. She and was wearing an armor of a metallic purple color, that covered her arms, chest and ankles, and she was pierced by two daggers, one of each shoulder. She was cleaning her sword next to the remains of what seemed to have been another of the rock arm shadows, but she seemed sad for some reason... Next to her was someone completely covered in a black cloth. The only part of its body that was visible were the tips of his fingers, from where i could see it had some kind of bladed gauntlets in his hands, and two red lights where his eyes were supposed to be. And standing before them, smiling and looking at me, were two young girls, one with blonde hair holding a rifle almost too big for her, and another with black hair, who was also cleaning a strange battle knife with a spiked grip.
- Hey, Andy. Meet Nienna and Kiros. Since you and Eargirith weren't here, they helped us out. - Said Amy, and chuckled.
- But you didn't bring the cupcakes, so we better go get them by ourselves. - Said Ashley smiling, and walked towards the door, as the hooded Persona followed her.
While i humbly apologized to them and started asking them what happened, i also smiled. Maybe it was true when they say that some things get better without care than with it...
- End of Chapter VI-