"Mister Igor?"
"What is it, Sokila?"
"...um...well..."
"Feel free to speak your mind, child."
"...did any of your other 'Tendants feel this way?"
The bizarre man chuckled knowingly. "Indeed; as their bonds grew closer with the Wild Card, so too did their anxiety over their fate."
"...I don't like it...it hurts inside..." The young girl fidgeted. "Not knowin' if he's gonna be okay..."
"Such is the cost of an ironclad bond. And yet, I believe you'll find it quite worthwhile, my dear."
xxxx
/Russia/
Rei Ayanami had been deployed to a distant region of eastern Russia - the outskirts of a city called Magadan, she vaguely recalled - due to a recent uptick of Acolytes within the past month. It was yet another battle as part of a civil war between various parties - the Russian government, the Free Republic of Sakha, the self-declared Magadan Republic, the self-declared Siberian Autonomous Region, and other smaller polities - which had lasted well over a decade now. The details were insignificant to her, and ultimately unimportant; it was yet another conflict between man and man, superfluous to what was truly important in her eyes.
Yet this was where she was told to go, and so she obeyed, for their need was still great, in light of how many had died.
She slipped through the different realities, passing through cognitive and physical and spiritual barriers, striking down Ghosts and dealing heavy blows against Acolytes in and out of the Metaverse. Remnant Ghosts would be dealt with by the Orthodox Military Priests, while the Acolytes - now softened up - could be finished by the local A.T. Task Force. However, her focus was on a distant figure, hovering over the Kolyma Mountains to the north: a blue, crystalline octahedron, flickering in and out of her metaphysical perception. What are you watching? Her hand flashed orange, pulverizing a spectral figure while Zerogoki stomped on another one. Why are you standing out so clearly? She shifted into the Metaverse, smelling of gunsmoke and bearing large gravestones around the city's cognitive double; she and Lillith delivered a combination blow to a hulking Shadow, before shifting back into the real world. What has changed?
There was a challenge in response, a mere whisper against her soul.
"A new Champion of Lilith has arisen. His mettle shall be tried."
Rei Ayanami frowned, knowing in the pit of her being what this meant. "...Ikari." Was an Angel attacking Tokyo-3, even now? "Have they decided to become more overt?"
"The Third Child is unique. You could be ignored, but he cannot. Why? We must know."
The blue crystal calmly receded, and Ayanami could not help but grimace. "...what poor timing."
The Beast whispered, wracked with agony.
"Will our goal be ruined before its consummation?"
The Despair was never absent.
"Will salvation be denied?"
"...I can only hope," she remarked, turning back to the spectral remains of fallen soldiers, and the altered Shadows rampaging through the cognitive world. "I cannot provide aid until my mission is complete...and the Second Child is likewise occupied..."
xxxx
/Greenland/
Within the Metaverse, much of the island had been pockmarked by great voids and shadowy spheres since the solar eclipse of 2003, rendering much of it uninhabitable by humans.
Amidst this barren waste, a chase that had been ongoing since Iceland continued.
"YOU VERDAMMT BASTARDS!" roared an irate redhead, standing atop the shoulders of a crimson titan. Far ahead, a duo of limber humanoids - giants, moving about as though prancing - flickered in and out of existence, staying just out of her reach. "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
The Beast snarled, gleeful at her rage.
"They think they're so clever, sneaking about all this time..."
The Rage was always burning.
"Bring them down, make them feel the pain of thy soul!"
"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MONSTER WORTH A SCHEIßE!" she roared.
And so the chase continued.
xxxx
/Russia/
Rei sighed, letting loose all of her tension with one breath. "...we will do what we must..." With weary resolve, she charged back into the fray. Please wait, Ikari. I will return as soon as I am able.
xxxx
/Hakonesono Fujiashinoko Panorama Park, Near the Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, Tokyo-3/
Toji Suzuhara couldn't believe just how rotten his luck was. "Come on..." Private Noboru Hanamura's eyes had taken on a very familiar expression of thinly veiled hatred and rage. "...not only Ghosts...not only Ikari popping up out of the friggin' sky...but an Acolyte too...?" He couldn't catch a break. Not a one. "...take it easy..." He wanted to run. Oh, how so badly he wanted to run. Yet he feared taking his eyes off of the man, for he still had yet to move. "...what are ya waiting for?" Don't taunt it, don't taunt it, don't taunt it! "Just...hold on..."
Why hadn't the guy started chasing him?
xxxx
/Hakonesono Fujiashinoko Panorama Park, Near the Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, the Metaverse/
"Hopefully you've bought some time," murmured Misato Katsuragi, staring at the hulking Shadow of Noboru Hanamura: a giant English letter 'Z' was imprinted upon the giant's face.
Hope is maybe putting it a little strongly, thought a worried Kensuke Aida; his Persona, Ozymandias, held his shepherd's crook up high, keeping the sleep spell Dormina in effect. For how long, he had no earthly idea. "...so..." He briefly gazed around the park's cognitive double; a perpetually pleasant breeze blew through, along with holograms of dogs being walked; the immaculately cut grass glowed as though it was under everlasting sunshine, a sign of the idyllic nature that the place had in the minds of people who came to relax. So of course this would be the place an Acolyte's Shadow ended up! "...what now?"
"We keep it in place long enough for backup to arrive," advised Misato, even while her gaze focused worryingly on the trail of panicked Archetypes, slowly spawning and moving away from the corrupted Shadow. "...can't exactly spare time to see who's causing that though."
"...are we gonna let whoever it is...well..." Kensuke didn't want to say it. "...die?" But he had to.
The woman's scowl answered plenty. "...keeping the Acolyte's Shadow at bay within the Metaverse takes precedence. Hopefully, reinforcements will get there in reality...but sometimes, we can't save em' all."
Kensuke frowned, knowing full well from his mother's story that casualties were almost guaranteed. It did nothing for the distaste curdling in his gut.
"Reinforcements, you say?"
A familiar voice prompted him to look to his left; stepping out from amidst the trees was an individual he had yet to forget. "Mister P?!"
That name prompted Misato to actually take her eyes off of the Acolyte; Tokoyo, whose blades had been aimed cautiously at the creature, immediately turned towards the well-dressed bird-man. "So you're the mysterious Mister P." She briefly blinked with bewilderment. "...why am I getting the strangest feeling of deja vu...?"
The mohawked bird-man chuckled, flexing in place as his face twinkled with stars. "Well, if you need reinforcements, then look no further!" His sparkling green eyes somehow communicated a deadly seriousness. "That is, unless you want the Suzuhara boy to perish."
That in and of itself caused Kensuke to pale. "...wait, Toji...?" His brain suddenly began to run, and he finally recognized just where they were near geographically. "We're near Lake Ashi...is this the place where...?" He gazed towards the orange lake with sudden fear. "Aw no, he wouldn't...of all times, he had to pick today...!"
"What are you talking about?!" ordered Katsuragi, still not taking her eyes off of Mister P.
"O-Our old roommate, before Ikari...his name was Kenji Tomochika. A few weeks ago, he died to an Acolyte right near here!" Toji had been in such a funk, unable to truly grieve like he knew the boy wanted to. It would just be like him to take a risk for the sake of getting closure. Damn it Toji, you idiot! "Katsuragi-san, we have to save him-!"
"...shit," cursed the woman, looking back towards the Acolyte's Shadow with frustration. The giant Z was beginning to flicker; the Shadow would begin rampaging again before long. The real Hanamura would also begin to act appropriately. "Shit shit shit shit shit!"
"Leave the boy with me, and you can return to the real world to offer your protection to the young lad." The bird-man's eyes flashed yellow; in a blaze of blue fire, his Persona Gryphon emerged in the air above him. "I'll assist him in taking down the Acolyte."
"And what's stopping you from helping Suzuhara yourself?" demanded Katsuragi. "You've got a Persona, which means you're someone from the real world..."
"Alas, in spite of my magnificent appearance, I am much less physically inclined in reality than you are." The edges of the bird-man's beak impossibly curled up into a wry smile. "I can guarantee you that much."
Time was of the essence. "Aida-san...do you trust him?"
Kensuke decided to opt for Ikari's normal approach of blatantly brutal honesty. "Well, he helped me with my Shadow. That counts for something, doesn't it?"
"...not what I asked, but fine." Misato thumbed her Anti-Terror Task Force medallion, glaring angrily at the bird-man. "If anything happens to the kid, your ass is mine, you hear me?!"
"I'd expect nothing less!"
"Good." Without hesitation, her Persona quickly intoned Heat Riser twice; a quarter of colors erupted around both Mister P and Kensuke, empowering them both. "Agent Misato Katsuragi, identification zero-one-whiskey-alpha-four: initiate cognitive evacuation!"
"Cognitive evacuation: authorized."
It was at that moment that the glowing 'Z' faded from the face of Hanamura's Shadow, unveiling the blank avian mask upon his face.
xxxx
In the real world, Toji had managed to back away from Noboru Hanamura by about forty feet when the shift happened.
The Acolyte suddenly snarled, and burst forward.
"DAMN-!" yelled Toji, turning to run with all his might-!
xxxx
Misato Katsuragi's Persona vanished - her self-image as an A.T. Agent giving way to her real clothing - right as she began transitioning back into the real world.
ZHUU
Her last image was of the bizarre bird-man shouting "MIRACLE PUNCH!", manifesting a golden boxing glove that smashed into the Shadow's face.
ZHUU
She had to be ready to act at an instant.
zhuu
Her muscles went tense, as her right hand reached into one of the holsters inside her red jacket.
zhuu
She was ready.
xxxx
Toji blanched as a purple-haired woman phased into reality right in front of him. "The hell-?!"
The woman slung her right hand forward, flinging a knife at the enraged Acolyte. Judging by the speed, it should have pierced the skin easily.
It barely knicked the man's shoulder, not even digging a centimeter into skin which was now unnaturally tough. However, that contact was enough for the knife - its black handle suddenly thrumming with energy - to discharge an electric pulse into the Acolyte. The muscles briefly seized, but it wouldn't last but a few seconds.
The woman immediately followed up by grabbing something within her jacket's pocket, lobbing it with her left hand. "HURRY UP!" she yelled, grabbing him by the wrist with her right hand and immediately booking it.
Toji barely took in the sight of what she had thrown - a friggin' grenade?! - before instinct and the need to keep from falling forced his legs to move. He quickly matched the lady's pace; they were about sixty feet away when the incendiary grenade erupted in a burst of fire. He couldn't help but look over his shoulder.
Out of the firestorm came the Acolyte like a beast from hell; despite the charred hair and clothes which had been mostly incinerated, the man barely had a scratch on him.
Acolytes are such BULLSHIT! Toji turned back and ran even faster.
xxxx
Further and further, Shinji Ikari and his Evangelion were dragged into a strange un-reality: triangles twisted into sinews that spanned gray waters, which flowed in an unsettling manner. The very movement didn't fit, as though expecting water, when it actually sloshed about like a strange mixture of syrup and gelatin and air. It didn't fit.
Haphazard pictures of the sun flashed by, mere copies of photos of faded paintings, mere imitations of the real thing, a mockery. The hovered amidst sideways cities, which curled inward to a vanishing point far along the various horizons. Looking around hurt.
"And so we meet."
Sudden deceleration, as Shinji smashed into an unexpected floor. An impulsive gasp of pain slipped past his throat, sourced less from shock and more from something deep within his spirit. "Ow..." Shogoki - its very form seething with blue fire - scrambled to its feet, snarling at...some strange creature.
It was a giant wyrm, over twenty meters tall, colored a deep purple; the head - somewhat triangular in shape - was tilted over, showing large, blank eyespots on the hide. Most distinctive, however, was the mask of bone affixed to the top of the head: a featureless noh mask, save for the long and pointy beak extending downward. It seemed to be staring at him. Or glaring.
Yes, definitely glaring, even if the eyes were perfect circles.
"...what...?" Shinji wearily stood up, not quite sure how to interact with this...thing. It definitely wasn't a Ghost, and it didn't have the same air as an Archetype, or a Persona. "What...are you...?"
The creature had no mouth, and yet it spoke regardless; the air flickered with orange and red light with each word spoken.
"I am Shamshel. Your kind have called my kin Angels."
"...Angels...?" The very word struck a chord.
Shogoki hissed with utter fury.
"The monster in the proverbial flesh!"
"Are...are you responsible for Angel Syndrome...?" The current state of the world; the lives lost; the scars wrought by the Acolytes in the Metaverse; the wrath of the Ghosts; all of it. "...how...why...?"
"The reasons matter not to an ant. You deserve naught but to be washed away for thy transgressions."
"A wretched beast, worthy only of death!"
"Childe of Lilith; third Champion to arise; damnation awaits thee."
The gauntlet had been thrown, and there was no offer to negotiation. All that remained was life...or death. "I..."
xxxx
"...the whole world can witness us..." He turned back, towards...someone.
He couldn't quite place it.
xxxx
His right hand trembled. "...I..."
xxxx
Another place. Another time. With someone precious. "I'll protect her from the darkness..."
xxxx
His right hand clenched into a fist. "...I'm not going to die today!" he yelled, feeling a sudden burst of determination.
"Die," demanded Shamshel; twin prongs along its serpentine body suddenly sprouted pink ribbons of deadly light. Like whips, they lashed forward.
Shogoki grabbed them both, growling as its hands sizzled from the contact.
"You first!"
xxxx
"Evil Touch!" A crimson and violet hand flew from the tip of Ozymandias's hooked staff, smashing into the hulking Shadow.
The corrupted Shadow brushed through it like it was a mere bug; every single footstep shook the ground, a localized earthquake that sent shockwaves through the nearby area.
"Aw crap," murmured Kensuke, his legs going wobbly from the chaotic motion. Even standing at the edge of the park was no defense-!
"Hang on, my fellow!" With a sudden yank - it honestly would have befitted a 'YOINK!' sound effect - Kensuke was hoisted onto one of Mister P's broad shoulders. The bizarre bird-man was as a mighty oak, standing strong amidst the mayhem. "Conquest is not our only path to victory; all we have to do is delay it!"
"Easy for you to say!" yelled Kensuke, watching as Gryphon flew about the Acolyte's Shadow. Thick arms swiped for the flying Persona, treating the windy fists as mere ant bites. Meanwhile, the Ocular Drones floated high above: a rainbow-colored audience to the spectacle. "With the way assets have been deployed today, I don't even know how quickly it'll take the A.T. Task Force to arrive..."
"And we shall hold it for as long as we need to!" The bird-man darted to the side, dodging a downward slap; the flying debris was batted away by Mister P's free fist, the brass knuckles holding strong against the ground. "Keep it up, little chickadee!"
It would be easier if my Persona had anything other than debuffs and ailment skills! Even so, he did what he could. "Alright Oz, dazzle him!"
"Dazzler!" A flickering flash erupted from the shepherd's crook.
The Acolyte's Shadow stumbled, but only slightly.
And all the while, Kensuke kept a wary gaze at the surrounding air; the harshest movements of the distorted Shadow were scarring the cognitive realm in their wake, rendering swathes of the ground and air into blackened voids...
xxxx
"Quick, up the tree!" ordered Misato as she and Toji reached the edge of Panorama Park. She gave the boy a boost, before turning on her heel to fire her pistol at their pursuer.
The bullets' impact made Private Hanamura - no, he was just an Acolyte now, the man was practically dead - falter...but only slightly, as a deer would to a semi-truck. With a snarling grimace, he reared his fist for a deathly punch.
Misato barely rolled away in time to dodge the man's fist as it plunged into the bark of the cedar, as a spoon into gelatin. With a mere grunt, the Acolyte withdrew his hand, drawing out a large chunk of wood.
"Geez!" yelped Toji from above, as the tree wavered and threatened to fall.
"Eyes on me, jackass!" shouted Misato, darting away into the woods surrounding the park. Obedient to her taunt, the Acolyte moved with unerring grace, unfettered and undaunted. The A.T. Agent wove around various trees, trying to put as many obstacles in her path. The sound of various cedars cracking and falling over elicited a grumpy thought from her. Acolytes are SUCH bullshit. And she was hardly geared out for real world ops. That's it, next time I deploy, I'm wearing my advanced kit!
("Take care...my daughter...")
She had sworn to never feel this helpless again.
CRACK!
That sounded way too close for comfort. She chanced a look over her shoulder, scowling at how close the monstrous man was. Damn it, I need more space-!
There was a brief flicker of hesitation. A slight interruption in its dauntless chase. A sign of the battle in the Metaverse inhibiting it, no doubt. Not a lot...but enough.
With fluid motions born from years of practice and duty, Misato whipped out a handheld taser and smashed it under his ribs. At a setting of two hundred milliamps, the current would have been instantly lethal...to a normal human.
As it stood, the electrical current caused the Acolyte's muscles to lock up. It would only last for several seconds. If that.
She quickly began running again, trying to get some distance. Mere moments later, the sound of another cedar being toppled echoed through the woods behind her; the chase had begun anew. Acolytes are such BULLSHIT!
xxxx
The battle had gone...well, not according to plan. Not that Shinji had had much of a plan.
His Evangelion's vicious strikes had been blocked by shields of orange light, fashioned as concentric octagons. Physical blows, blasts of fire and ice, waves of force unleashed with bestial roars; none of them were able to breach the Angel's A.T. Field.
The Angel, meanwhile, retaliated with deceptively quick whips, lashing through un-material and non-reality like lightning. Shogoki dodged and parried as best as it could, batting them away with a sword made from his very soul; however, each nick and each strike seemed to deaden him further, killing him by degrees.
For some reason, it had yet to strike him personally. But why?
"A strange phenomenon, this creature."
Shamshel's whip wiggled like a snake, striking with equal swiftness; Shogoki barely batted it away with its lone horn.
"Bearing the soul and mind of a lilim, with a corporeal form."
The Angel seemed to look at him.
"What a curious existence, you Champions are."
And why did it insist on calling him a Champion?
With strange agility, the right whip pushed his Evangelion away, while the left suddenly zoomed at him-!
BOOM!
Shogoki had flashed in front of him, manifesting an orange shield of light as a protective wall. The motion felt strangely natural.
"The Light of thy Soul has weight to it."
The energy whips lashed wildly, tearing apart the ground beneath their feet. Shinji and his Evangelion were pushed upward by a sudden burst of spiritual pressure, reducing any sense of direction. "AAH-!" screamed Shinji, his body threatening to fly off into the liquid un-reality-
"And yet you are so unfathomably limited."
A whip wrapped around his ankle, whipping him backwards towards the colossal Angel; the other smashed a free-floating chunk of ground into Shogoki, launching it further away. With unsettling gentleness, the Angel raised Shinji upwards, until he was on eye-level - albeit upside-down - with its avian mask. "Ugh..."
"You are undoubtedly weaker than the other two."
The whip coiled around his body, and its energy burned. "AGH!" he screamed; his very skin felt like it was on fire!
"Yet your presence is unmistakably heavier. Such is the Potential within."
Shinji dearly wished that he had a knife right now, and he wasn't quite sure why. Then the burning coil wrapped around him even more tightly. "AGH!"
"Never shall it become Actual."
The deathly intent was undeniable, as the coil began to squeeze-
"Never are we apart!"
Shogoki's sudden appearance was outmatched only by the violence of his downward slash. "Cleave!" The spiritual blade sliced through the whip, releasing Shinji from Shamshel's clutches. An otherworldly shriek pierced the expanse around them, casting everything in a painful crimson glow.
"Wretched ant!"
"He and I are One!"
The undamaged whip lashed out, drilling towards Shinji; his Evangelion moved in front of him, blocking the blow with its body. The tendril pierced through Shogoki's torso, and existential agony tore through him, nothing akin to physical pain, but rather the utter despair of knowing life was at an end, made real. And yet...
"Thou art Nothing!"
...amidst the screaming demands in the back of his mind that he should retreat...
"Thou art Condemned!"
...amidst the shadow sensation of burning knifes tearing through his torso...
"Thou art Anathema!"
...he kept whispering to himself. "I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away..."
The Beast sneered with furious pity for the Angel.
"Thou art naught but a victim."
"...I mustn't run AWAY!" Shinji's yellow eyes flared brightly, as Shogoki gripped onto the glowing arm of Shamshel with both hands, ignorant of the searing sensation on its palms. Both child and Evangelion screamed in unison, as the latter began to grow in size...
xxxx
Toji Suzuhara was freaking out. Amidst the thistles of the cedar, he had tried his damnedest to be still and quiet, even while the Acolyte's rampaging echoed from nearby. Man...can that lady really hold him off? She had to be an A.T. Agent. She had to; there was no other way she could have appeared out of nowhere like that in the middle of Panorama Park. Maybe...there was a chance...?
His eyes focused on movement from afar; the woman darted out of the woods and back into the open, beginning to sprint...
xxxx
In the Metaverse, the corrupted Shadow of Private Hanamura roared, slamming its fists into the ground. The cognitive world rippled from the impact, and more aspects of the surrounding park were torn into void.
"Hang tight!" warned Mister P, holding tightly to Kensuke Aida as he leapt backwards. With a thought from the boy, Ozymandias leapt atop Gryphon, using the flying Persona as a steed. "A truly rambunctious fiend, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." groused Kensuke. Really starting to wish for reinforcements now...! Was this really all he could do...?
xxxx
Misato Katsuragi had planned to finally get some horizontal distance between her and the Acolyte, to provide enough time to prepare her emergency sticky bomb: generally, it was the last-ditch measure for A.T. Agents without backup in the field.
Key word being 'had'.
Without warning, there was a disconnect between her mind and her body, as though her brain had decided to take a nap...or rather, had been plucked away like an annoying hair. She stumbled and fell, bewildered by the sudden loss of control. Wha...?
The most plausible explanation was also one that pretty much sealed her fate.
("Another reason why Angel Syndrome is such a big deal, Shinji-kun...because however it works, it scars the cognitive world in its wake," she explained. "You don't want to cross that threshold. Not while we're in the Metaverse." The woman's eyes were focused upon the threshold between thought and anti-thought, her expression veiled by her sunglasses. "...it's hard to think, in places where Angel Syndrome's run amok.")
The Acolyte's Shadow. The park's cognitive double must have looked like a mess, now. Just my luck, she nonchalantly thought, even while another part of her was practically screaming itself hoarse. Come on you damn lush, MOVE YOUR LEGS!
xxxx
Toji's eyes widened; for no apparent reason, the woman had just fallen down into a heap of limbs. "The hell...?"
Then, to his horror, the Acolyte emerged from the wounds, bearing down at his prey. "Aw man..." he muttered, trying to scramble out of the tree. "This sucks, this sucks, this freakin' sucks...!"
xxxx
Within the Angel's realm, Shogoki had swelled to a size equal to that of Shamshel: over twenty meters tall. Shinji stood upon his Evangelion's shoulder, glaring furiously with yellow eyes at the monster. With a pained growl, the purple titan ripped the ribbon of light out of its torso; Shinji nearly keeled over from the phantom sensations roiling thorugh his abdomen, and yet he did not falter.
"Thou shalt perish this day, childe of Lilith!" A barrier of orange octagons rushed forward to crush them.
With a snarling roar, Shinji and Shogoki answered with their own. The glowing fields of concentric shapes intermixed and weaved together, and their very essences interacted; Shinji felt as though he was witnessing something undeniably alien, yet familiar; bizarre, yet expectedly so...?
Shamshel, on the other hand, seemed to recoil, crying "thou art #$%&*?!" The last word, whatever it was, expressed a concept - nay, a reality - that Shinji could not comprehend; whatever it was, it shook the Angel to its core. "How...?"
Shinji reached within, binding himself with yet another facet: the seemingly diminutive cross of flower and doll known as Mandrake. "...Lunge."
Howling as a true beast, the Evangelion rushed forward. The realm around them rumbled, protesting the titan's movements with quaking water and flickering geometry. With its left hand, Shogoki ripped Shamshel's head upward; underneath the pink flap of rubbery skin was a glistening red jewel at the vertex of alien flesh. With its right hand, Shogoki grabbed the sphere, and began to squeeze.
With existential panic, the remnants of Shamshel's arms lashed wildly, whipping burning welts into the Evangelion's side. Shinji - screaming with anger, pain, rage - felt as though whole chunks were ripped away by the flailing ribbons, and yet his Evangelion refused to relinquish its grip...!
xxxx
Ozymandias actually leapt off of Gryphon, smacking the Acolyte's Shadow in its masked face with the broad side of his shepherd's crook; it whirled around, delivering a backhanded strike with the grain flail in his other hand. The debased reflection of Private Hanamura reached up to grab the Persona, only for fists formed of wind to knock it off balance, courtesy of Gryphon.
"A risky maneuver!" said Mister P.
"Well, my Persona has a stick and a flail, so I can still hit things with it!" retorted Kensuke. Even if I don't have any offensive skills, I still have my hands!
xxxx
Misato expected to die. Even as she tried to command disobedient limbs to move, that very disassociation made her pending doom less...disagreeable.
Then, the Acolyte stumbled. Just a bit.
It was enough to allow for a thrown rock to smack it in the temple. "HEY!" The Acolyte, more irritated than pained, gazed at the source: a cocky-looking Toji, holding dirt-encrusted stones plucked from the ground. The slight quiver of his limbs betrayed his seeming bravado. "Why don't you take on a man, you punk?!"
Stupid...idiotic...kid...! Was he trying to piss her off with this doomed attempt at playing the hero? She couldn't even muster the energy to get angry amidst the mental fog, and that paradoxically made her even madder. "...r..." Speaking was too troublesome; the will to even say a single word was titanic. "...RUN...!" she gasped, nearly collapsing from the exertion. This sucks...this sucks...!
The Acolyte moved, lips curled into a murderous snarl. The sudden deathly intent prompted the boy to to try and flee, only for him to trip over his own feet.
The utter anti-climax of her failed rescue attempt would have driven Misato to comedic tears if she had any to spare. This freakin' SUCKS!
xxxx
Shogoki's right hand continued to squeeze, its fingers digging like knives. The core of Shamshel slowly cracked and fissured.
The Angel was screaming with unearthly sounds, evoking no sensation of pain, or emotion, but pure intentionality: STOP. DESIST. CEASE. Pure commands of will.
Shinji ignored them.
The Beast spoke for him.
"Your words mean nothing to me."
A decisive clench, and the core shattered.
The energy bound within erupted in a flash of crimson.
xxxx
The Acolyte's Shadow went still. So sudden was the halt in movement that Ozymandias actually leapt off, fearing a potential death blow.
"Oh...?" inquired Mister P, setting Kensuke down onto the ground. "I believe it's over."
"...are you sure?" inquired Kensuke. Further queries were halted by the fact that the bone mask upon the hulking Shadow's face began burning with azure fire, sinking into the cognitive being's body. "...well, that's freaky."
CRACK!
Shattering bone, mixed with the breaking of glass; the Acolyte's Shadow dissolved into threads of black and red and orange.
CHYOOOM!
At that moment, in synchronicity with the giant cross of crimson light erupting from the nearby lake, the newly-formed dead zones - scars in the cognitive world - began to dissolve.
xxxx
The Acolyte - what was left of Private Noboru Hanamura - suddenly went slack, flopping onto the ground as a puppet without strings.
Misato Katsuragi blinked, feeling sudden clarity in her mind. "...well, that was a close one," she muttered, even as relief flooded her body. "You okay, Suzuhara?!" The boy - eyes wide with shock, adrenaline, and disbelief - responded by fainting on the spot. "Well...guess that counts as okay..."
CHYOOOM!
It was a thunderous sound, which accompanied the cross of light: everything within sight of the lake as doused in an unsettling crimson light. "The hell...?" she whispered, eyes wide with awe.
xxxx
The death of Shamshel echoed through matter and mind, through spirit and dreams.
xxxx
/The Cognitive Protection Center, Tokyo-3, the Metaverse/
The entire battle - from the moment Kensuke Aida's Persona had opened up with a Dormina against Noboru Hanamura's corrupted Shadow - had lasted less than fifteen minutes. The participants probably felt like it had been much longer than that. During that time, between coordinating with A.T. Agents in both the Metaverse and the Real World, Akechi had watched the boy and the mysterious Mister P battle the Acolyte's Shadow from afar. The urge to enter the field for himself was far outpaced by his fascination with how events had transpired.
The eruption of the cross of light from Lake Ashi, if nothing else, was great at grabbing his attention. How...fascinating, he thought, watching the footage of the bloody light coming from the Ocular Drones.
The quiet stranger smiled. "What do you think?"
"...well, you weren't lying about the light show."
"A crude way of referring to the demise of an Angel."
"Am I wrong?"
"I'm more interested in your opinion of the boy. Will it change, after this?"
"I will wait for the after-action reports before making any definitive judgments."
"A cautious approach."
"And you would rather have me act foolishly, and change my opinion at the drop of the hat as the masses would?"
"Not at all. It's one of the many reasons I chose you."
Akechi leaned back in his chair, watching warily as the crimson cross faded away. What will come of this, I wonder?
xxxx
/Hakonesono Fujiashinoko Panorama Park, Near the Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, the Metaverse/
Kensuke Aida stared at the crimson cross with wide eyes. "Whoa..." This was something new; as far as he was aware, this was a phenomenon never before documented by the A.T. Task Force. "...any idea what that's about, Mister P?" There was no answer. "Stunned into silence, eh?" Still no answer. "Hey-" He turned, only to pause at the sudden lack of tuxedo-clad bird-man; the bizarre man was gone. "...darn it, this is gonna become a thing, isn't it?" Sighing with irritation, he warily gazed around, only to catch the sight of three A.T. Agents approaching from the north, standing atop a cartoony version of a World War II-era Japanese battleship. Well, that's an interesting Persona...wait, I'm gonna have to give an after-action report. Just like an actual A.T. Agent would! "Sweet!"
"Be honest," warned Ozymandias.
"I am! I wasn't going to embellish anything."
"Then be calm as well," advised his Persona. "Like a professional would."
"...probably not gonna happen," he admitted, even as he bounced up and down on his heels.
xxxx
/Gendo Ikari's Office, NERV/
The Commander of NERV watched the long-distance footage in silence, meditating on what would come from such a stark display. Only fools would deny the existence of Angels now.
He did not spare a thought for the current state of Shinji Ikari; he would find out later, regardless.
xxxx
/Russia/
As an Acolyte collapsed, and Zerogoki tore through a flurry of Ghosts, Rei Ayanami impulsively looked towards Japan. "...Ikari?"
The release of power and spirit felt wild, uncontrolled; the battle against the Angel must have been dire and desperate on Ikari's part. Compared to her battle against Sachiel, there must have been no room for finesse; the Angel she had vanquished had already been critically wounded, reduced to hiding away within the shadow of a cognitive dead zone. Are you safe, I wonder?
"Shamshel has fallen. Further deliberation is necessary."
Just like that, the image of the crystal octahedron finally faded away from her sight, retreating to whatever realm the Angels hailed from. "...hmm."
The Beast was wary.
"What will come next?"
The voice of her other self - distinct yet intimately united with the Beast - was firmer in her response.
"The wheels of fate have begun to turn once more..."
"...I must finish my mission." Then, she would return to Japan and determine Ikari's status. Shifting into the cognitive world, she and her Persona Lilith struck at the nearest Acolytes with renewed intensity.
xxxx
/Greenland, the Metaverse/
The Second Child's Evangelion skidded to a screeching halt. "Die Hölle?" She gazed northward; little did she know that going in that direction along the globe would take her straight to Japan, past the Arctic Circle. "...what was that?" she murmured, bewildered by the strange feeling emanating from afar.
"Bippity-boop-bop," robotically chanted the gray twin.
"Fare thee well, monstrous maiden!" harshly roared the orange twin, its cheerful words out of place compared to the guttural, hateful tone.
The redhead glared back in the direction of the prancing giants that she had been pursuing for the past hour; they had faded out of existence, beyond her perception. "...damn it." Those taunting bastards had gotten away AGAIN!
The Beast huffed.
"There will be another time."
Her other self - aloof yet bound to the Beast - spoke with determination.
"We still have work to do, and people to save."
With a grimace, Asuka Langley-Sohryu willed Nigoki to turn back, as she prepared to blink back to Iceland. It's not like I just up and left the Task Force in a bad situation, I had mopped up most of the Acolytes by the time I took off to pursue those monsters...so I should be fine. Her attempts at reassuring herself were an utter failure; the head of NERV-03 would undoubtedly have words for her. Damn it, Director Kirijo's gonna tear me a new one, I just know it...
xxxx
/Room 23, 2nd floor, Izanagi Dorm, Hakone Academy/
At the moment of Shamshel's passing, Kaworu Nagisa sat up. "...that power..." He could not see towards Lake Ashi in the window, but the crimson ambience still bled through. "...that power."
It was unmistakable; the weight to that presence was not that of a pale imitation. Shinji Ikari...
"...patience." He quietly got out of his bunk bed, landing lightly on his feet. He sat down at his desk, looking over school work that needed to be done...need. What an overused word; there were few things that qualified as a necessity. This work was an honest trifle...but no. "Patience." He grabbed for the stress ball, intensely clutching it. "Patience." Squeeze. "You have time." Squeeze. "I can wait." Squeeze.
He could deal with the restrictions for the time being, until the time was right.
xxxx
As the world turned, the distorted skull - peering from the shadow of the Moon - focused its gaze inexorably on the islands of Japan.
"I SEE."
The red stars in its gaze narrowed to proverbial pinpricks.
"YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO REVEAL YOURSELF."
The decision was made.
"THEN WE SHALL OBLIGE."
His voice thundered across the ether, and his brethren listened in silence.
"FOR NOW, CONTINUE YOUR SUBJUGATION OF THE LILIM."
They would obey.
"THE PASSAGE OF FATE WILL CONVERGE TO OUR DESIGN, AT LAST."
And so the world continued to turn.
xxxx
/Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, Tokyo-3/
The eruption of the cross of light coincided with Shinji Ikari and his Evangelion being thrown out of the lake. The beast of thought and spirit crashed first, slowly dissipating into nothingness.
Shinji, meanwhile, felt...empty, inside. This ran contrary to the feel of the sand on his body, akin to thumbtacks against bare skin. "...ow..." he groaned. I feel so tired. A nap sounded really good, right now.
"Shinji-kun?!"
The distant voice was familiar. That sounds like Misato-san. Rapid footsteps approached; maybe she wouldn't mind if he took a nap?
He fell asleep before he could think about it any further...
xxxx
...and then his eyes blinked open. He was back in the Velvet Room, sitting in the same metal chair.
"How delightful to see you again," cheerfully said Igor, staring at him from the stage with those perpetually bloodshot eyes. His assistant, Sokila, was fidgeting nervously besides him. "Forgive my rudeness, but I deemed it necessary to summon you here, given such a wonderful performance on your part."
"...a performance is not how I'd put it," grumbled Shinji.
As the distinctive piano sounded, and a woman's lovely wail echoed, Igor said, "tell me, Mister Ikari; what do you think of the creature you faced? This Angel?"
Shinji thought of the giant beast, which had spoken of him with such condescension, as thought he didn't matter; as though humanity was only worth being crushed. "...scary. And yet..." Why did such a being hate them so? For what reason did they desire their destruction. "...I want to know why..."
"...so you found it scary too, huh...?" murmured Sokila, yellow eyes filled to the brim with anxiety. "...I'm glad you're safe..."
"Thank you, Sokila-chan," easily answered Shinji, with a light smile. "I'm glad to."
The girl responded with a beaming smile.
"Against the Ghosts of mankind, you manifested your Evangelion: your very soul, influenced and empowered by your Persona!" said Igor, hands folded in a fashion that reminded him of his father; and yet, where Gendo Ikari evoked isolation and distance, Igor carried the air of a wise and paternal observer. "You turned those powers against the Angel, and triumphed...yet it was not a victory earned solely by yourself. The efforts and presence of other people contributed; even as the sole combatant against the Angel, you were not alone."
"...I guess so." He had only been in a position to fight the Ghosts - and then the Angel - because he had been in the Metaverse with Misato-san and Aida-san. In fact...wait a minute. "What about Suzuhara-san? Is he okay?" He had no idea what had happened after telling Toji to run.
"The purple-haired lady and Kenny are just fine!" exclaimed Sokila. "So's the meanie," she added with a grumpy pout.
"...meanie?" He blinked. "Are you referring to Suzuhara-san?"
"He's mean to you for no reason! I don't like him!" To accentuate her disdain, she crossed her arms and sat down on the stage with a huff. "Stupid Toji."
"Hey, he's not stupid," said Shinji, feeling a strange impulse to defend his roommate. "He's...just been dealing with some heavy stuff, I think."
"He's still a meanie!"
"Dear Sokila," interrupted Igor, smile still as wide as ever. "Would you please grab the Compendium?"
The girl's yellow eyes twinkled with glee, her anger about Suzuhara completely forgotten. "Ooh, that big book? I got it, Mr. Igor!" With a flurry of motion, the silver-haired girl took off running backstage, her blue blouse's sleeves billowing behind her.
"...what's the Compendium?" asked Shinji.
"The last time you visited, I advised you of your ability: that of the Wild Card. Now that you have obtained new Personas besides Hamlet, I shall provide a new means of growth: that of Fusion."
At that moment, Sokila past the velvety curtains, balancing a thick blue tome upon her head. "Almost there...!" With a gasp, she barely managed to slide it onto Igor's table. "...heavy..." she moaned.
"The thoughts of humanity are practically infinite; some would say that it is a miracle that they can even fit in a single book!" gleefully said Igor, flipping the large grimoire open. Five cards, fashioned from light, floated upward. On one side were the images of Hamlet, Kinnara, Silky, Mandrake, and Cait Sith; on the other side was each Persona's respective Arcana. "A Fool, a Star, a Priestess, a Death, and a Magician; five Personas, representing five ways of thinking; five ways of facing the world." Threads of energy weaved from each card, intersecting at different points in the air: these threads coalesced into new cards, displaying the images of other creatures. "Two ways meet, and combine; even as they lose facets of what they once were, they become something more as a result. Just as thoughts can combine to form a new idea, so too can your Personas." Igor looked back at Shinji, bloodshot eyes evoking a sense of expectation. "That is one of my roles: to fuse existing Personas together, allowing a new one to emerge. Now...which powers will you forsake in order to gain new ones?"
Shinji blinked. "...what happens to the Personas?"
"Fear not; they are manifestations of the human heart, reflections of the myriad thoughts of humanity! Though they may depart, they are never truly lost; for as a child grows into an adult, he may shed his youthful ideas for mature philosophies, or he may grow those very same ideas into something profound. Even so, other children emerge, ensuring the continued existence of those tender ways of thinking! So long as humanity lives and thrives, Personas will never cease to be."
"...huh." That was actually kind of reassuring; given how vibrant the Archetypes had been the other day, it felt like a strange betrayal, to simply give them up. But...if they were fusing into something new, it was like they were still a part of him, right? "...well..." He gazed at the new cards, representing the potential forms that could be born from Fusion. "...um..." Wait. A remnant of a dream came to mind. "...how about that one?" He pointed at the being which would be born from Silky and Mandrake.
Sokila suddenly gasped with excitement. "The snowman?!"
"Very well." With a wave Igor's hands, two slots opened up in the floor of the auditorium, revealing two pools of an orange, viscous liquid. The cards bearing the images of Silky and Mandrake fell, each one dropping into its own pool. The liquid glowed with an ethereal energy colored a pleasing shade of blue; another hole opened up in the floor between the two pools, revealing a tall glass tank. With the sound of a vacuum, both pools emptied, their contents being sucked into the cylindrical vessel; the azure glow within the orange liquid brightened, culminating in a great flash.
In the back of his mind, Shinji felt two distinct essences merge into one.
In that instant, the orange liquid morphed and contorted into a three-dimensional shape: that of a tiny anthropomorphic snowman, with blue boots, collar, and hat fashioned in a manner befitting a cheerful elf. "Hee-ho!" exclaimed the snowman, his collar jingling with yellow bells at the end of each petal. "I'm Jack Frost, ho! I can't wait to hee-help you, ho!" The glass tank opened up at the top; in a swirl of light, the tiny snowman transformed into a card, swirling in motion alongside those bearing the images of Hamlet, Kinnara, and Cait Sith.
Sokila looked positively enraptured. "He's so cute!" she squealed, jumping up and down in place. "Now teach him how to breath fire!"
Shinji blinked at the sudden request. "...why, exactly?"
"Well...snow melts with hot stuff, right? If a snowman can breath fire, he must be strong enough to stay cold!" said Sokila with all the confidence of a child, sure of their ironclad logic. "That way, even in summer, the snowman will always stay!"
"...I guess?" Shinji wondered if such a thing was even possible; the very thought of a snowman breathing fire was just too weird.
Igor chuckled knowingly. "Such a Persona may not learn that skill naturally...but as you grow, you may be surprised in what can be accomplished," he advised. "As you continue your journey, the powers I can grant shall increase...so do not stagnate, Mister Ikari: so long as you keep moving forward, I will be able to assist you even more!"
For all intents and purposes, it was practically a promise of assistance. "...thank you, Mister Igor."
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a familiar voice spoke, within the depths of his being:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond.
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Fool Arcana,
and let it guide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
Igor calmly closed the Persona Compendium. "I believe it is time that you rest; you have had a very trying day."
"Aw, but he just got here!" complained Sokila.
Shinji felt like saying he could stay for the young girl's sake, but the yawn which slipped past his lips ruined that idea. "...you know, sleep sounds good right now..."
"...well, bedtime is m'portant, I guess..." she grumbled, kicking the stage floor with her foot. "But come back to visit soon, okay?"
"...will...do..." murmured Shinji, nodding off as the Velvet Room faded away into a refreshing dreamlessness.
xxxx
END OF 6/16/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: And so Shinji actually defeats an Angel without blanking out in a berserk fury. Progress!
However, as we can see, he now has other people's attention.
/also
/I had randomly pulled the Designated Red Shirt's name out of a hat to be the Acolyte
/and I thought Noboru Hanamura sounded sufficiently generic
/and I completely forgot that was Yosuke's last name XD