Yu awoke to a pounding in his head as his vision slowly returned to him. Attempting to shift his stiff arms, he found himself locked into a large device that consisted of a cocoon-like metal shell containing restraints that held his arms and legs immobile. He instinctively began struggling against the cold metal, but a feminine voice cut through his growing panic. "That won't help."
Snapping his gaze to the speaker, he saw a young woman leaning against the wall. She appeared to be around his age and was very pretty, with emerald eyes and fiery orange hair that fell in charmingly unkempt layers around her face and neck. Her build was slim and athletic, with black clothing hugging her modest curves and accentuating her feminine form. Noticing his gaze, she asked, "Why are you staring at me?"
"Who are you?" He asked, recovering from his shock at seeing such an attractive girl as his captor. "Where am I, and what have you done to me?" His voice was a low growl of barely suppressed rage, but the girl didn't seem at all fazed by his animosity.
Closing her eyes briefly, she answered in an emotionless tone, "I'm not the one to answer your questions. I will inform my lady that you are awake, and she will converse with you." Opening her eyes and fixing him with a cold stare, she added, "That is not a guarantee that she will inform you of anything. Do not struggle; it will only tire you out." Pushing herself off the wall gracefully, she turned on her heel and walked out.
It seemed like an eternity before the girl returned, her face still devoid of expression as she resumed her position against the wall. Behind her, another woman in black emerged, her face shadowed by the military cap she wore and her long black coat sweeping around her ankles. "Narukami-san, you're finally awake." She said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I know you have questions, and I'm prepared to answer them, but I want to get introductions out of the way first. My name is Kumiko Nitta, the Gale of Kantō and one of the commanders of the True World Order."
"A commander…?" Yu hissed through clenched teeth. "So you're one of the ones responsible for putting Japan in this mess? You scum!"
Kumiko's expression remained neutral as he spoke, and once he had quieted the woman shook her head. "It's true, my associates and I are the ones to blame for the current situation. We followed our leader blindly and missed our chance to prevent this as a result. That is why I had you brought here – I hope you can assist me in stopping this madness I helped unleash."
Yu let out a snort of derision in response. "You raided my home, caused pain to my love, and forced me here against my will, and now you expect me to help you? What could I even do against those inhuman soldiers you have?"
"More than you think." Kumiko replied shortly. "The purpose behind the mandatory biological testing wasn't just to ensure any citizen could be identified; our technology can detect supernormal influences present in a person's physical being. Several residents of Inaba in particular tested positively for a resonance we have no prior information on." She took off her hat briefly, smoothing out her long light brown hair as she explained.
"Supernormal influences? Resonance? What are you talking about?" Yu noticed a slight smile on Kumiko's lips as she replaced her hat, as if she expected his confusion.
"Allow me to explain then." She began, her voice much gentler now. "The True World Order's power is focused on unique technology, a fusion of modern science and ancient rituals. With this technology we can harness energies that operate on different wavelengths of reality than most people can perceive, and which most people believe to be the stuff of legend. Some call it magic, others refer to it as miracles – but no matter the name, we can control it. The pinnacle of this technology is the process of summoning, calling forth entities that do not exist wholly in our reality and controlling them via automated rituals. It's a process that's been around for millennia; we just streamlined it."
His mind struggled to comprehend Kumiko's words, but eventually the meaning of her explanation dawned on him. "So when people called those monsters your soldiers summoned 'demons,' they were right? You can summon actual demons?"
"Exactly." Kumiko smiled, nodding with satisfaction. "Though 'demon' is a very general term. The beings we summon range from demons to mythological creatures to gods both current and past; all can be commanded using our summoning rituals. And the biological tests we performed indicated that you possess a similar power yourself. I'm hoping you'll use that power to help me rectify the mistake I helped perform." The smiled faded from the woman's lips as she turned her eyes downward.
Yu closed his eyes, trying to think of what power his captor could be speaking of. A power similar to demon summoning rituals… Several residents of Inaba testing positively for that power… His eyes snapped open as a single word sprang to the front of his mind. "Persona."
With a quizzical glance, Kumiko asked, "Persona? What do you mean, Narukami-san?"
"A little over three years ago, my friends and I helped solve the serial murder case in Inaba. In doing so, we ended up with a power called 'Persona,' the ability to manifest our inner selves in the other world that was involved in the case. It only worked in a world other than our own and was something we couldn't fully understand – pretty similar to your demon summoning rituals." Yu explained the power of Persona to Kumiko, whose expression turned from one of confusion to satisfied understanding.
"That must be it. Just to make sure, I'll give you the names of the others who tested positively for the strange resonance: Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Teddie, Naoto Shirogane and Tohru Adachi." The commander nodded to herself and added, "It was strange that all these anomalies lived in the same area, at least at some point."
Yu nodded firmly. "That's them. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie and Naoto were my friends and partners in the case, and Adachi-san was the killer we were hunting for. All of us possessed the power of Persona."
"Excellent… If my research team's hypothesis is correct, this Persona ability is compatible with our demon-summoning techniques - in which case, you and your friends are extremely well-suited to using it. So, back to my original request; will you use the summoning technology in order to help overthrow my comrades?" The woman folded her arms over her chest, her gaze cool yet burning with underlying emotion.
Yu thought about his words for a moment before slowly responding, "I'll help, but on one condition. My friends, my family and Naoto – don't hurt them. If they're kept safe from harm, I'll work with you, but I won't have them put in danger."
Kumiko nodded and pressed a button on the side of the large shell, Yu's restraints opening and allowing him to move freely again. Extending her hand, she said, "I promise. I look forward to working alongside you, Narukami-san."
Yu grasped Kumiko's hand in a firm handshake, his eyes meeting hers. "Just make sure you keep your promise, Nitta-san."