April 9th: Weather Cloudy
"Welcome back to the Velvet Room." The hooked nose man greets, leaning his elbows on the desk with a grin. "Last time I said I would introduce myself, I am Igor. I have summoned you here to a place between dream and reality, mind and matter. This place mirrors that of your own heart."
Leiko shakes her head, gazing around the now lit room, the blue walls are full of machines twisting multi-colored strings into threads and others stitching threads together while one wall remains unlit. "Nice uh…thread machines you got here."
Igor chuckles, "Yes, they are rather nice thank you. Now late yesterday you signed for a key, correct?"
Leiko nods, looking rather unamused, "I did, do I have you to thank for it?"
"Indeed, your signature upon receiving the package was a renewed contract that signified the true start of your journey. It means you are now responsible for all actions and decisions you take in dealing with what is to come. As you discovered last night, you are the holder of a special power, it being called the Wild Card. It's the power to wield multiple Persona and with enough of them I can even fuse them into something new if you so wish. The coming year will be full of wonder and excitement." Igor smiles wilden, "You are well on your way, but don't neglect your bonds of friendship and your studies. Marvelous things may be fated to happen."
An alarm starts blaring from some place above them, "It would seem our time is up for the moment, but next time you come here it will be of your own accord. Be sure to have the key on hand at that time, it's in the side pocket of your backpack. We'll talk then with an associate of mine who will return soon."
Everything goes black as the real world comes back into focus for Leiko upon waking up. "This is going to be a loonng day." Leiko gripes, not feeling rested at all. She proceeds with her school routine grumbling about Igor's trickery.
"How'd you two sleep last night?" Yamato questions, having stopped to see Izumi and Leiko before homeroom just after eight in the morning. He pulls out a chair from the desk behind Izumi to sit down.
"I slept but I had a weird dream. Didn't even feel like I got any." Leiko yawns, wishing she could sleep a bit during class.
"Like a frog on a log." Izumi answers with an over excited fist pump.
Yamato spins his eyes at the girl, "Bit over enthusiastic after last night's experience, how do you have the energy to be this perky now? I barely feel like I slept."
"Well," The brown haired teen starts while messing with a strand of hair, "I told my parents I'm going to take the shrine miko position this morning and that I can do more for the town doing that than I could ever do as a mechanic. I just need to take the test that the association gives, which I set an appointment to take after school."
Leiko and Yamato look at each other in surprise at how fast Izumi acted on this, but they just smile.
"Guess I need to throw you a feast at the shrine when you pass." The young man begins to plan out the menu. He nods with a quick snort, ready for a challenge.
Leiko chuckles at his gusto, "Now who's enthusiastic? Let's wait for her to pass before celebrating. Zumi, with the lore you were telling me just now about the role of the miko, I think you'll definitely pass that test, you shouldn't worry at all."
"I appreciate the confidence you have in me, but what has me worried is the condition of the shrine and its grounds. No ones been up there in ages and I don't know how much the city will supply in repair costs and clean up." Izumi glumly responds, her shoulders slumping in slight defeat.
"The city council seems more interested in beautifying downtown over restoring old landmarks." Yamato crosses his arms after speaking, wondering what can be done. "Wait!" The young man's eyes light up with an idea, "The school's got that community service day in concert with Okumura Foods in two weeks. We can suggest the shrine be cleaned up and repaired."
The brown haired girl's eyes open wide with tears, her hands pressing against her mouth, "That's…that's genius Yama! Let's suggest that to Ms. Yamagishi at lunch."
"Suggest what to me at lunch?" Ms. Yamagishi asks, having just walked over to the trio to speak to them.
Yamato and Leiko jump in their seats at the sudden appearance of their teacher, but don't make any sounds. How did they not hear her come over to them?
Izumi yelps in surprise, "Don't scare us like ma'am. We just wanted to suggest a project for the school's community service if there isn't one. Cleaning up and repairing the local shrine near Datekawa dorms. I plan to…uh…apply as the shrine miko today."
"I'm not sure if we're even going to be able to have a community service day with the city already doing the beautification projects downtown, but I'll pass along your idea." Ms. Yamagishi had never even thought about cleaning up the shrine. Focus Fuuka. She chides herself, returning to the heart of why she had come over. "Before you leave for homeroom Mr. Watanabe, I wish to speak to you all during lunch in the student council room. I have something I wish to discuss with you." Smiling at the three of them, Ms. Yamagishi stands and heads for her podium at the front of the class.
Yamato stands as the bell starts to ring, "See you guys during lunch. I hope we didn't do anything wrong to get called out like this." He quickly ducks out of the room to head to 3-A as Leiko and Izumi get themselves ready for roll call.
With the lunch bell having sounded, The three teens stand outside the student council room on the third floor, each glancing at each other in worry. "No sense standing out here, time to rip the bandaid off." Leiko muses, sliding the door open as she and her two companions enter and take seats opposite of their teacher.
"What did you want to speak about with us ma'am?" Izumi questions as she readies her lunch, while Yamato pulls the door shut.
Ms. Yamagishi places down an object that looks like a gun on the table as she stands and looks each of the teens in the eyes, "Do you understand just how reckless you two were last night? Leiko, Yamato, you should have let someone more experienced deal with that mound."
Leiko winces a bit, that same feeling from yesterday pinging at the back of her mind, "I don't follow what you're talking about Ms. Yamagishi. What mound?" She answers, trying to play dumb the best she can. Did they actually get caught by a teacher of all people?
"I'm talking about the nest of Shadows you walked into last night." The teacher hisses softly, not wanting anyone outside the room to hear her, "I saw you both fighting two Shadows on the streets, then entering that mound from my window and witnessed the three of you returning after the Burrow's anchor was destroyed. Do you understand the recklessness of your actions?" Her eyes shine sternly, waiting for an answer.
"Ma'am, none of us have any idea what you are on about." Yamato says after a moment of silence. Most people didn't know Shadows or Personas existed and it should remain that way.
"Then you all leave me no choice." Ms. Yamagishi sighs, knowing the only way to get them to talk is to take this course of action. She picks up the gun and aims it at her head.
"Ms. Yamagishi! What do you…" Izmui cries out as she jumps out of her seat to stop the teacher, Leiko and Yamato springing up to do the same thing.
The teacher pulls the trigger as her eyes glow and in a swirl of energy, her Persona Juno appears in front of them with their teacher standing inside a crystal globe at the front of its red dress.
"What the hell did she just use to summon that?" Yamato asks in awe and in confusion. He falls into a chair unable to speak more.
"I've no idea." Leiko answers, wondering why her teacher used such an odd summoning method for her Persona. This had to be what I was sensing the last two days? Or did I sense her and Yama's Persona yesterday and her's today? She thinks as she takes her seat again.
Izumi's eyes take in all the details of Juno, sinking back to her chair, "Wow what a beautiful Persona ma'am."
Ms. Yamagishi opens her eyes and smiles at her students, "If you answer my questions, I'll tell you all about what I did to summon my Persona." So they can see her, maybe this will get these three to talk. They all have their Personas unlocked. Juno slowly dissipates back into the ether and Ms. Yamagishi returns to her chair.
"I think we should just talk. I think she'd understand." Izumi whispers to the others.
"Agreed." The two replied in unison.
"So…" Leiko starts as her mind reels at the new revelations of her teacher having a Persona, "I know going inside was reckless. When I sensed the Burrow and Izumi was the one inside of it, I couldn't just standby in my dorm room when I had the power to help even with my limited fighting ability. I had no idea about Yamato being a Persona user at all, until he stopped the Shadow outside the Burrow that was attacking me."
Yamato nods, "Yes, we were leekless going in without a real plan. I'll even admit that my actions for the past four months have been that way too when dealing with Burrows. If it wasn't for Leiko and her Persona's ability of detecting Shadows, we wouldn't have made it in time to Izumi to help her. Waiting for someone else was not an option."
"I'm grateful to them for saving me ma'am. I wouldn't have my Persona or even be applying later today for being the shrine miko without them."
Ms. Yamagishi's nods in understanding of their actions, remembering back to something in her youth. "This situation reminds me of my own reckless friends, who had to save me back in 2009 during an incident with Shadows. Without them or my future best friend, I wouldn't have unlocked my Persona." She looks at her three students, a sense of pride shining in her eyes.
"So are we free to go?" Izumi asks, looking relieved that this has been settled. She really wanted to eat and be ready for the rest of the day.
"Not just yet." Ms. Yamagishi remarks, sliding the gun across the table, "I want you and Yamato to use this Evoker to each summon your Personas. Leiko, your Persona is an analytical type just from the way you were talking about it, correct?"
"Well my main Persona is an analytical type with an offensive ability for some reason. I just never learned how to properly use my abilities. Hell, I don't even know what kind of Persona Pixie really is." Leiko says grumpily with a look to match, her stomach rumbling in protest.
"Wait what?!" The teacher shouts in surprise, her face turning pale. This girl had two Personas just like him. She stayed silent for a few seconds, "Show me please Leiko."
Leiko closes her eyes to focus, a blue aura surrounds her with both Personas appearing before the group.
"This is…how can yet another person be able to use multiple Personas?" Ms. Yamagishi tensely remarks, unsure how to feel. Was something big coming in the future? She'd have to inform Mitsuru about this once work ended. "When did you learn you could do this?"
"Just last night and I've had the ability to use my Persona for five years. You said, yet another person. Has there been another who could do the same thing?"
The woman nods, unsure what exactly to tell her students, "There was someone I knew in high school that could use multiple Personas. My friends and I encountered another person over in Inaba with the same ability in 2012. They both did great things with their abilities."
Leiko doesn't know what to say at all to this news, but begins feeling the pressure of stress and expectations being pressed down on her, wondering if she could even live up to whatever those two did.
"I don't think we need this Evoker. What's it even for anyway?" Yamato says out of the blue, as he and Izumi bring forth their Personas.
"How are you able to summon your Personas without effort? There's usually some kind of secondary catalyst." The teacher's mind races, questioning how these two could have the force of will to do such a thing. It requires so much time and effort to be able to summon without an aid. "The evoker is used in a way to make you accept death to summon your Persona. Those with analytical types don't need one after their first use." That explanation was rather simplified, but there wasn't a need to go deeper.
Yamato shrugs at the teacher's question, "I always thought it was natural in how we summon our Personas. Maybe we're just weird."
"Is it possible the circumstance in how the Personas awoke is the key here?" Leiko questions having never thought about it before. It might be one of those questions that might never be answered.
Ms. Yamagishi checks her phone for the time; lunch was half over. "You three best get to eating, we can explore these questions another day." She reaches for her own bento box, while the three students do the same. "I do need to ask you Leiko, when you winced earlier when you sat down, did you sense something with your Persona?"
Leiko holds up a finger to give herself a moment to swallow her Takoyaki, "I think it might have been your Persona. I thought at the time it was my senses acting up and pinging off a cat or something again. Animals can't have Personas right?"
"Certain animals can have a persona, but they need to have deep connections to people and places." The teacher answers with a smile, her students looking at her in surprise, "Leiko, if you are up for it, how about I help you hone your analytical abilities in terms of detecting other Persona users, finding and analyzing Shadows, expanding your effective range and increasing your abilities to detect Dread Burrows before they fully emerge?"
The girl looks down at her food, poking it a bit. It would be a good opportunity to bond with a teacher and understand her own abilities as limited as they are and actually grow as a person, "I'd love for you to teach me Ms. Yamagishi. If it would lead to helping people and more, I'm game."
"We can start these lessons next week." This is the best chance the teacher had to really understand what an analytical type user could do with multiple Persona.
"Do you happen to know how to speak to someone through your Persona? The person who forced mine to awaken said I might be able to do it with practice."
Ms. Yamagishi shakes her head sadly, "Using Persona comms isn't something I can teach you, it's something you get a feel for. I'm sorry Leiko." There were two other people who had the ability to do the same thing, but would either of their schedules be free enough to help or for that matter would they be able to even teach her student how to do it?
"It's…alright." Leiko sighs, slumping her shoulders in disappointment.
The room falls into near silence as the three teens and their teacher focus on their lunch.
The school day having ended, Izumi boards a bus bound for city hall, studying a bit and feeling stressed about the miko exam. That is until her phone vibrates and she takes a glance at a group text Yamato has just sent with a silly burger dressed as an old idol, Risette. She couldn't help laughing softly at the ridiculousness of Burgette, feeling the stress melt away.
"Thanks for the picture Yama, I really needed that laugh from our old joke." She texts with Yamato replying with a smiley face.
"Zumi, your positivity will get you through this." Leiko adds to the conversation.
Feeling the encouragement, the girl begins a final check of the Shrine Miko material and duties.
"Ainoska town hall, repeat Ainoska town hall. Please watch your step when getting off the bus."
The doors hiss open as the bus stops and Izumi quickly disembarks, heading directly into the lobby of the beige stone building.
"Excuse me." Izumi projects politely, walking up to the information desk. "Can you please direct me to where I would take the shrine Miko test? I have an appointment to take it"
The woman at the information desk blinks at her, unsure she heard this girl correctly. She wasn't even aware someone had called in about it, "Wow, uh you're the first person to ask about this in ten years. I think go down the hall to room 105 and tell them you're there for the test and take it. They will tell if you passed or failed after you hand it in."
"Thank you ma'am!" Izumi bows to the woman and follows her direction to her destination, opening the door to peek inside.
The room is rather bare with no wall decorations, a file cabinet and only two tables. An older gentleman is seated at one table listening to a radio. "Excuse me sir." The girl walks over to desk, determination shining bright in her eyes, "I'm here to take the miko test for the shrine here in town."
The man looks up at her with a bemused expression, "Well I'll be, first time in ten years since the old miko passed that anyone wanted that position." He opens the cabinet, slowly checking one drawer before closing it and checking the next one for several minutes, "Ah found it! Here you are." He pulls out a worn looking piece of paper and holds it out to her.
"Thank you sir." Accepting the page, Izumi sits and begins to work on the test, reading each question several times. The minutes pass as she works, puzzling out some answers, while others are rather simple.
"I think that does it." Izumi breathes out in a happy sigh. It was tougher than she thought I'd be. I just hope all that last minute studying paid off.
The man glances over to her, turning off the radio. "So you're done then?"
"I am sir." The girl offers the test to the older gentleman.
"Let's see what kind of potential you have here."
The man's eyes rapidly scan the page, pen twirling between his fingers as answers are being marked. "Got some good answers here kid, almost like you confronted the inner most negative aspects of yourself. I can't believe I get to say this, but you passed. Congratulations Shrine Miko Kaido."
"Thank you sir. I feel honored to have passed." The girl bows deeply, taking the page back upon returning upright.
"I would suggest heading to Unmeigen to familiarize yourself with the grounds this evening, maybe even offer a prayer as your first act as the miko."
"Yes, I'll do exactly that. Thank you again sir. Have a wonderful rest of your day." Bowing once more, Izumi steps from the room, feeling more confident in herself.
The last of the sun's rays dance upon the shining structures and windows of the city behind Izumi as she reaches the apex of the shrine. Looking over her shoulder, the Datekawa dorm stands at a distance, like a stalwart defender of the road to the shrine.
"They built the dorm over the site of the original watchtower. Wonder if it's the exact dimensions too?" The girl remarks to no one. The local lore that was read to her when she was younger, said the guard tower was obliterated two hundred years ago by a swarm of darkness that left nothing behind, but dread. Today, most people believe the tower never existed or if it did, either was disassembled and the materials reused or burnt down.
She turns her head back to the shrine complex, walking along the stone path while stepping over or around the many fallen torii and tree trucks. Ahead of her, the main building looms, many of its roof tiles are missing, while the walls below are damaged. The sliding door that leads inside is shut tight, some of its panels missing.
Izmui shifts her focus, to her right is a path to an Inari shrine with guardian statues fallen around it. On her left is the large stone altar for offertory prayers and some distance from that are two trees with yellowed paper tied to them where the fortunes were once set up.
"I'll need to find a way to deal with all this damage, I can't do this alone…" The girl whispers, feeling her heart break at seeing this place in disrepair. "It's time I offer that prayer."
Izumi jumps over another torii as she approaches the altar and bends down to her knees. She starts reflecting silently as she drops a thousand yen into the box, asking for the help in her new duties and for the strength to press forward in her new path with her Persona.
The sudden scrapping of the temple door opening breaks the silence and Izumi raises her head, to see who had done it. No one was even there, forcing Izumi to stand and slowly make her way over. A shiver runs down her spine as she peaks inside, seeing the cleansing basin within and beyond that are two open doors one the right and another to the left.
Pushing the door open further, Izumi activates the flashlight of her phone as she presses through this dusty sanctuary over to the basin. Inside the basin, lay several yellowed sheets of paper, which has "to the new shrine miko." Inked upon it. Izumi reaches with trembling hands into the basin, pulls it out and opens the letter, seeing the date written on it being 2016/12/22.
"To my replacement
I do not know who you will be or when you will come to be the miko of this shrine. It could be a year, five years or even ten years from now, but you are here in a time of dire need for humanity as their hope of the future is in trouble. As I write this letter, my time grows short. The shadows of fear, dread and control are closing around me, wishing to obfuscate the path that this temple holds sacred. The threads of hope lay in the annex, lead your friends there with the power of your other self. Good luck my successor in protecting hope, though my time is at its end, the shadows will not win. You being here is proof they have not.
Signed, Kiyomi Natami"
Closing the letter, Izumi mind races with what she just read. This other shrine miko knew of shadows and Persona, but was what the shrine protecting connected to it? Folding the letter up into her pocket, Izumi walks across the threshold into the annex. I'll check the newspaper article from that time to see if there was anything written about this miko.
The annex interior is rather bare, with a table in a corner with books covering it. The walls are covered with remains of decorations, many fraying threads hanging from them. Shining the phone light around, Izumi walks to these decorations, looking at them inquisitively, even pulling the remains of the strings. Nothing of course happens and the girl just pouts, a bit disappointed in the result.
"Guess I should come back later to solve the mys…" She begins, the light of her phone falling onto a bell with a blue and red thread twisted together hanging from a bell by the door she came in front.
Should she even try to pull it? The letter did say threads of hope after all. She quickly strides over and looks it over, not seeing anything of real note about it. "It can't hurt to pull it right? Not like anything will happen." The girl strongly tugs the bell's thread, but no sound comes from the object. Instead, the center of the floor lifts up, gently pulling back revealing a set of ancient looking stairs.
"I've come this far, might as well go all the way." Izumi muses as she descends past the foundations of the shrine. The stairs and the walls soon change from rough stone to smooth stone with little lights on the side of the steps. Izumi stops in her tracks at this change and looks from where she came from. The change of material is rather sudden, like some kind of boundary is in play.
"That is so weird, I had better take a picture. Maybe Ms. Yamagishi would have an idea on this weirdness." The girl quickly snaps a photo of the change and returns on her way down. The stairs do not go on much further, as a cavern the size of a convenience store enters the girl's field of vision.
As she moves further inside, braziers alight against the walls of a tan and green stone building with reliefs of different beings and structures. In the center of this building there is also a large ornate door with a palm sized coin embedded into the frame by the handle with a symbol of a loom and thread. Zooming in with her camera, the girl centers each relief for maximum detail.
Taking the last picture, Izumi tucks the phone away, "This place is giving me bad vibes. Maybe I should come back another day with Yama and Leiko." Her stomach growls angrily at her, "Guess I had better book it home." Wanting to deal with her hunger, the young shrine miko hoofs it up out of this strange cavern and back home.