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…
Chapter VIII: The Unnamed
The time had come to broaden our horizons...
Llavallol
Buenos Aires, Argentina
June 5th, 2:46 am
Takaya and I were stading in front of a wooden door with a little "7" plaque nailed into it. I took the key that an old lady had given to me just fifteen seconds ago, and opened the door. It lead to an actually very comfy room, with a well-made bed, a big locker, a work desk, a readig chair and its lamp. Except for the lamp, everything was made of either wood or red cloth, which gave it an ancient look. There was a window right above the bed, and when i looked through it, i saw my own house, straight ahead.
- How come Larrondo knew about this place and i didn't?
Takaya smiled.
- There are always things right in front of you, that you don't see. I guess the Dark Hour should be a proof of it.
I took that in mind.
I started to help Takaya to put everything from his bag. The locker filled with what seemed to be around fifteen copies of the same outfit he was wearing. Takaya carefully took out a very expensive-looking laptop, placed it on the workdesk and connected it to charge. A first aid kit and some water bottles were placed in a black leather backpack, along with a notepad, three cases of .500 bullets which i supposed belonged to the weapon that Takaya used, and a canister of white pills without sticker, that made me give up to my curiosity and ask what were they for.
- You mean, you don't use them?
- No... why? are they something important?
Takaya's face showed a bit more of respect.
- So you awakened your Personas naturally... that's impressive.
- Well yes... but doesn't everyone do it the same way?
Takaya changed his face once more... it seemed that he was trying to find a way to explain something. I awaited patiently until he finally spoke.
- Me and my whole team... We were all part of "The First Wave".
He didn't even let me ask what was "The First Wave".
- After the incident happened, the Kijiro Group inmediately started to look for Persona users. But after a month, they still weren't able to find any suitable persons. They just weren't able to find them before the shadows did, and (You have to think that they haven't even imagined the evokers yet) the users weren't able to awaken their Personas soon enough. And to make things worse, the number of apathy syndrome cases, the ones you call the Braindead cases, were getting higher every day. So they decided that it was time for a desperate measure. They gathered a group of teenagers and forced their Personas out.
- Uehara said that was dangerous.
- And he wasn't kidding. After a month of intense training, experiments and medication, most of the group had died, either because of their Personas, the training or against shadows. But some of them, only some of them, were able to tame their Personas. They became "The first wave"
Takaya took out the last thing that was still on his bag. It was a picture of ten teenagers. In the center of the it, i recognized Takaya. I then understood that the medication had side effects. The Takaya of the picture was only on or two years younger, but his hair had much more color, and his eyes were blue.
- I'm...
- Don't be sorry. From the experiments and ourselves, the Kirijo Group was able to develop a great deal of technology to use against the shadows. An example is the Evokers. And in a week, we were able to reduce the Braindead cases to almost none.
- But you still have to take those pills...
- Me and every one of my group. But we decided it to be that way. We all volunteered to do the process, we all wanted to make a difference. And besides, the only thing that we need to do is to stop the Dark Hour, right?
On that last "Right?", Takaya's face couldn't avoid to show concern. I got the feeling that that was the hope that he had. I suddenly got filled with a noble desire to help.
- I promise to do everything i can to help you. If thanks to you we have the Evokers, then i owe you my life. I'll help you save yours.
Takaya's smile slightly increased, and took the hand that i offered. Then he stood up.
- Which we aren't going to achieve by sitting here. Now on to shadow hunting. I think that Uehara had already told you that this is the only place outside of Japan where people experience the Dark Hour, Right?
- Yeah, and he didn't stop mumbling about how curious that was.
- Well, we think we finally figured out why that happens.
Takaya went to his computer and opened a photo file. It was the picture of a boy with short, black hair and green eyes, not much older than me. He had an inexpresive look. The photo was taken when he was entering a building.
- Who is he?
- We don't know. Around half a year ago, and without any previous advice, he entered the Kijiro Group headquarters, and summoned a Persona. This is a picture of him entering the place.
The place seemed like a normal office, quite familiar to the place where Andy went every two months to pay the electricity. And as that place, it was filled with people.
- Now this is a picture after we finally forced him to retreat.
Nothing in that picture was in the same place. Everything on that office had been destroyed, melt, or grinded to dust. I sensed a chill down my spine when i saw that around seven people lied around the place, definitely dead.
- Before me and my team (five people in total, by the way) were finally able to stop him, he had leveled the entire building, destroyed more than a year of investigation and technology prototypes, and killed twenty four people... Two of them, Persona users of my team.
During that moment, i saw for the first time a spark of anger cross Takaya's face, and inmediately got frightened. The only though that crossed my mind was the relief that i wasn't that boy... but Takaya just continued.
- After the attack, of course, we tried to track him and find him, but apparently he used different names in all the databases we were able to access. For that reason, everyone just calls him Nanashi, No-name. Our attempts to find him were futile. Until only some time ago. After the reports of braindead cases in a place so far from Japan, we started to get suspicious, and traced the databases here. One of his nicknames matched on the first search. And apparently he just moved the very same day that the cases begun.
- You think he's related to the appearance of the Dark Hour here?
- Well, actually, in that you're wrong.
Takaya then pressed some other buttons on his laptop, and a map of the entire world appeared.
- This - Said he, and on the map, a bright, red spot covered all of Japan. - Is the are where we were sure that the Dark Hour was being experienced by people. You see, while the group was trying to figure out what was the Dark Hour, they found a question. Did the Dark Hour have a limit? If someone sensitive to the Dark Hour moved away from Japan, would he or she still expeience it? Or was there some place where the Dark Hour finally ended? That wasn't very clear... Until this company started to report the "braindead" cases. - Takaya pressed another button, and the map showed another red spot, exactly where they were. - That mostly proved that the Dark Hour didn't have a limit, but the group decided a final test: They sent Persona users to different parts of the world.
- And they still experienced the Dark Hour?
Takaya pressed a button once more, and the map got tiny spots everywhere. My hopes of going somewhere safe from the Dark Hour vanished quietly...
- They finally arrived to the conclusion that the Dark Hour is actually everywhere. It doesn't have any kind of limits or bounds. Even if we went to space, we would still see a Dark Hour version of the Earth. The "braindead" cases began then because something caused the people of Argentina to become aware of the Dark Hour, and the fact that it all began the same day that guy appeared cannot be just a coincidence.
- So that's why they sent you? to find him?
- Well, they didn't actually send me. Originally they were going to ask you to do it, but i volunteered. - Takaya's face became once again filled with anger. I didn't think for an instant that he was just going to ask questions to that Nanashi... - Now, i heard that one of you can track shadows. Is it you?
- Yes.
-Hmm... that's bad actually... That means you will have to stay on the Company building...
- What? why?
- Well, anyway, we will have more time later. Go get some sleep. We're both going to need it.
Capital Federal
Buenos Aires, Argentina
June 5th, 11:57 am
Amy, Ashley, Takaya and me were standing on top of the Company building. It wasn't the tallest building of the city, but it was enough for it to be as windy as being right next to a tornado. Even with the new radio and watch that Takaya had given to me, and that were supposed to work with the Dark Hour, i was worried. And a bit angry.
- This isn't fair. I should go with you...
- You're the only one that can track shadows, and we still have to save as many people as we can.
- But this is a priority. I mean, maybe if we get Nanashi, then the Dark Hour finishes, right?
- Yes, but it's only a mild chance...
It was Takaya the one who stopped the discussion.
- Andy, remember the guy on the fourth floor? the day you awakened your Persona?
I did remember it. I remembered regretting myself for not being able to save him... then another thought crossed my mind: another person, running away between the cubicles, trying to get away from Shadows while i was where i didn't need to be...
- Believe me, you don't want to carry more regret than the one you already have. And besides, it's easier if there's only two of us. We don't have to fight, only watch. At least for now. - The anger crossed Takaya once again.
- And even if we have to fight, it's more than enough with the two of us, right, Takaya? - Said Amy, and showed her hand to him, waiting for Takaya to complete the "High five!" pose.
- Um... Right! - Said he, and clapped Amy's hand with his, at the same time he gave me a brief look.
It was obvious that Takaya himself didn't believe his own words. If someone had defeated him when he was with his entire team, he surely wasn't confident with just one companion.
- Now let's go over the basics again: Our reports states that one of Nanashi's aliases was being used right here in the Capital city. So Andy here will use its enemy radar and try to spot him. As soon as he does, Amy and I will go and try to see what he's up to. The new radios work even with the dark hour, so use them to guide us if we need to...
- I could do that being with you.
- Or you, Ashley, use it to call Andy if you need assistance. - Said Takaya, not hearing my complaint, or trying not to. - Andy, it would also be good if you can keep up here as long as you can, since you have much more range of view over here.
- Don't worry, we'll take care of things over here. Find what that guy is up to. - Said Ashley, and dissappeared down the stairs.
The Dark Hour started. We could see the moon, much larger than normal, around halfway to become a new moon. I summoned Eargirith, and asked him to show me the enemy radar. His gem shined, and my eyes did as well. And as soon as i did, i couldn't believe them. It was the first time i used the enemy radar from such a high place.
It was like looking at the sky, but while looking down, and with red stars instead of white ones. If i would have needed to guess an amount, i would have said it was close to a hundred. They were everywhere. Every street and building had at least one of them, and i even was able to see two or three of them flying. And if i wasn't wrong guessing the distance, they were big ones...
But there were two different stars in the sky. They were yellow, and were right next to each other. I pointed right to them.
- There's another Persona user Right there!
- Ok, let's go then, Hypnos!
I heard a bang behind me, and instinctively deactivated the enemy radar to look back. Takaya was holding his evoker, next to his chin. And above him, was his persona.
It was a man, but the most bizarre man i had ever seen. His body was totally black, except for his eyes, which shined dimly with a red glow. he was hanging from what seemed to be his own spine, jotting out from his body, twisting and turning until two giant black wings were formed. It was the biggest, greatest Persona i had ever seen (Besides Eargirith, of course).
Then, as Takaya had instructed her, Amy took hold of its left arm firmly, while Takaya grasped the right one. Amy looked down to the heights, and shivered briefly.
- You sure your Persona will let you do this?
- Well, it cannot hate me any more. - Said Takaya, and closed his pill canister. - Alright, Hypnos, let's go!
Hypnos's wings flapped violently, and jumped down. Then they opened, and started soaring through the sky. Amy looked briefly at me, and then down to the city below.
I kept pointing at the yellow dot that i had seen in the distance. As Hypnos's last bit of wing dissappeared behind a building, i turned the radio on, trying to convince myself: "They will be fine. They're as strong as you are. Focus on guiding them to Nanashi... They will be fine..."
After only fifteen seconds of gliding, Amy and Takaya landed. Hypnos dissappeared. Now two new yellow dots slowly moved towards the other two...
The dots that were supposed to be Nanashi and his Persona didn't move. That was good, wasn't it? It meant that at least Nanashi didn't have an enemy radar too, which was something that i had been suspecting...
Or maybe he did have it... maybe he had already noticed them, and was preparing to ambush them... Would Takaya or Amy consider that possibility? The images that Takaya had shown me of the trashed place started to circle in my head... but a voice in the radio sent me back to reality.
- Andy? do you mind?
- Huh? Oh, Ashley, s-sure.
I looked below me. There was one yellow dot, which was Ashley. Two red dots were very small, which meant they were maybe on the first or second floor, and there weren't any white lights.
- Seems pretty clear. There are two shadows on the lower levels, but no one to save.
- Great! risk-free shadow pummeling. Want to join me?
- Nah, i'll keep an eye on Takaya and Amy... Yell if you're not well.
- Roger that.
I looked outside the building again. If i wasn't missing the distance, which was probable, Takaya, Amy, and Nanashi were around forty meters from each other.
- Andy, where is he?
- Um... can you point forward ?
Takaya did. They were looking at the wrong place.
- He is on your nine 'o clock.
- Damn. I feared that. There's a house that way.
- What's wrong with that?
- It's a small place, and you saw that my Persona isn't precisely small... If anything happens, we'll have to...
- Hide! he's moving!
I had just enough time to warn them. In the very moment that they cramped together and hid, Nanashi's light started to move on their way. His Persona dissappeared, but he kept walking.
But he crossed Takaya and Amy without even flinching. For around twenty seconds we walked to the left, then he stopped, and headed towards...
I looked behind me, then up. The moon was shining. Damn it. This wasn't good. This was awful.
- Takaya, Amy, are you there?
- Yeah, luckily there was an alley over here... where did he go?
- You better come back quickly.
- What? did he see us?
- No. Well, at least i don't think so...
- What do you mean "something else"? what happened?
- Ashley! where are you?
- In the first floor, why?
- Get out of there now! get to the sixth floor, i'll meet you there!
- Why? What happened?
- Damn it, Andy! what's going on? What did you see?
I grabbed my shield from the terrace wall and ran down the stairs as fast as i could. Eargirith looked at me with w worried face, and dissappeared. How could i have been that careless? all that stupid thinking that what could happen if they did messed up... And It was me who had ended up doing something wrong. I had just realized that from the place where Nanashi was, Eargirith's silhouette was clearly visible against the moon.
- He saw me, Takaya! He's coming here!
- End of Chapter VIII -