"Now what the hell is this?"

You can hear the party going on behind the door; feel the powerful, rhythmic thumping of the bass under your fingertips as you run them across its darkened, opaque surface. Your suspicions are all but confirmed by its presence – it wasn't here yesterday. However, there doesn't seem to be any clear way to open it. There's no handle, no knob, no bars, nothing. Nothing, save for the round blue mask set into its center.

The three of you stand clustered around the entrance of the mall's south lobby. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the Sleepwalkers to encounter a roadblock – a heavily tinted glass door spanning the entire entryway. Its presence confuses you. That is to say, you're glad to see it here - it more or less confirms your suspicions - but on the other hand, it doesn't really make sense. Cloud One (you've taken to numbering them so that when you're talking about "The Cloud", you won't all be asking "Which one?") had that huge, golden gate at the end of the bridge, but it swung open at the slightest push. You've tried pushing, pulling, lifting, and bashing this one, but it simply won't budge.

Making your middle and index fingers into a "V", you stick them into the mask's round eyeholes. Unsurprisingly, nothing happens. There are no secret buttons or switches within, and you're back to square one. Its vacant gaze and slightly open mouth seem to be mocking you.

"Maybe we should try the other side…" muses Nisekao, looking back over his shoulder. You shake your head.

"No, that'd waste too much time. Besides, what'll we do if there's another one of these doors at the north lobby, too? There's got to be some way inside that we're just not getting."

"Stand back," says Mariko. You whirl around to see Mariko leveling her gun at the mask.

"No, wai-!"

The words barely pass your lips before Mariko starts emptying her magazine into the door. With a yelp, you and Nisekao dive to the ground, covering your heads as bullets ricochet all around you. When the shooting stops, you gingerly open your eyes. Satisfied that you haven't been shot by a stray bullet, you shakily rise to your feet and stumble over to help Nisekao back into his chair. That done, you round on Mariko, who reloads her gun with a sheepish smile.

"Jeez, what did you think was going to happen? Let the Shadows have a shot at us first."

"Sorry…thought it was worth a try."

"Well, we're all okay, so no harm done. Just…give us a little more warning next time."

Nisekao goes over to the door and begins to inspect the mask closely, running his fingers over every curve, crevice, and edge.

"It's like the ones the Shadows wear…it's got to have something to do with this," he mutters to himself. Then, suddenly, his hand stops along the edge of the mask. He brings his other hand to the other side and begins yanking hard on it. Nothing's happening, but he appears encouraged. He lets go of it and turns to you and Mariko.

"There's a little space here along the sides of it for you to slip your fingers underneath. I'm not strong enough to get it, but maybe one of you…?"

"Oh! I'll try!" says Mariko, apparently eager to put her earlier gaffe behind her. She quickly slips her fingers underneath the mask where Nisekao's were. Taking a deep breath, she pulls on it with all her might, but again, the mask stays put. She removes her fingers, rubbing at the bright red marks the edges of the mask left behind.

"Wow. It's really stuck on there, isn't it? Let me have one more try!"

Stepping up the mask, she bends over and gives it a challenging glare. It doesn't respond to her attempts at intimidation. Bracing herself against the door with one foot, she gives the mask one more herculean pull, grunting and straining with the effort. She pulls so hard that her fingers slip out from under it, her foot slides up the surface of the door, and she goes crashing to the floor.

"A-Are you OK, Mariko-chan?" asks Nisekao. Mariko winces and gingerly rubs her back.

"I don't think this is how you do it…" she says.

"Well, we haven't let Tetsuo try."

The two of them look to you expectantly.

"All right," you shrug, "let me have a go at it."

Stepping up to the mask, you feel around in the small space between its edge and the edge of the indentation into which it's set until you find the spot Nisekao was talking about. Sure enough, it's just large enough to fit your fingers into it. What's more, there are little grooves that seem to suggest that you're meant to grab the mask there. Making sure that you've got a good grip, you give it a good pull.

The eyes of the mask emit a flash of light, and to your surprise, it pops off of the door with barely any effort at all! For a second, you just stand there, staring at the thing in your hands, locking gazes with its empty stare. Then, it begins to disintegrate, and the crumbling bits of mask transform into a swarm of black butterflies. You, Mariko, and Nisekao throw your arms up to your faces to protect yourselves as they swirl about your heads, buffeting the three of you with hundreds of dark wings. However, they only circle for a few brief moments before surging towards the door, diving into it as though it were a pool of water and leaving only a faint ripple behind.

Letting your arms drop back down to your sides, you watch as a seam begins to form right down the middle of the door's surface. The two halves then begin to slide open, and the faint beat you could hear before resolves into a full-fledged thumping as a wave of heavy club music floods your eardrums.

"All right, then. Who's ready to party?" you ask your friends.

"Jeez, how obnoxious. But then again, I don't know what I was expecting," Mariko says, hefting her bag over her shoulder.

"I'll be waiting just out here. If you guys need anything, just press the button on the side of your earpiece to talk to me and I'll see what I can do," says Nisekao.

"Gotcha."

"See ya later, Nisekao-kun!"

The two of you wave goodbye to Nisekao, who returns a half-hearted wave of his own. He wears a worried expression, which mirrors some of your own uncertainty. However, you can also discern something else there - a slight tilt of the eyebrows, a resigned slouching in his shoulders…is he perhaps envious of you? But before you can dwell on it too much, you pass through the threshold and into Cloud Two proper, causing the door to slide shut behind you, blocking him from view.

Turning around, you see that Mariko's standing stock still, her face turned upward and mouth hanging slightly open with awe. When you face forward yourself, you can see why.

The Air Mall has been completely taken over by the Cloud, transformed into a massive orgy of light, sound, and gyrating bodies. The walls have all been replaced with sleek, modern black paneling with royal blue accent lighting that softly pulses in time with the music, and the mall's iconic window panes are now titanic slabs of frosted glass that alternate colors in a way that reminds you of a lava lamp. Behind (or maybe within?) it, silhouettes of attractive women thrust and twirl about in ways that make your face flush. Fortunately, you think the flashing colored lights that strobe from the ceiling far above are masking it nicely.

"This…this is definitely Hayate's dream," you stammer. Mariko nods, covering her ears.

"Why does it have to be so loud? I can hardly hear you right next to me! And there're so many people! This is gross, I feel like a sardine."

Mariko's right. Almost the entire ground floor has become a massive dance floor crowded with throngs of people. All around the Cloud, pounding music pumps from enormous speakers that stand taller than you are, and the sound of hundreds of indistinct conversations merge into a near-deafening noise. The vibrations they create are powerful enough to make your skin tingle. Craning your head back, you can see that each level of the mall is similarly packed with fist-pumping, head-bobbing party-goers. You try to see if you can recognize anyone from school, but the lighting's too dim to properly make out anyone's faces.

"How are we supposed to find the Dreamweaver in all this?" she says, practically having to shout to be heard above the din.

You shrug. Casting your gaze all around you, the mall seems much larger than you remember it being, and the signage above the entrances to all the stores and restaurants you used to know is entirely unfamiliar. Even Ikkuman's three floors above you seems to be some kind of garish open bar. But of course it would be this way – this is Hayate's twisted little world now.

"I dunno," you respond, "this place is a freakin' zoo. Any ideas, Nisekao? You're seeing this, right?"

With an electronic crackle, your earpiece comes to life and Nisekao's voice cuts in.

"I am! It works! What a nightmare…umm, no pun intended. A-Anyhow, I'm trying the best I can to put together a map for you, but my view isn't much better than your thanks to all those people. Sorry, guys."

"That's not your fault, Nisekao-kun," Mariko says. "I bet the reason why he invited so many is because it'd be easier to hide."

"That seems kinda clever for Hayate, don't you think?" you say. "Besides, that'd mean he'd have to know we were coming. Seeing as I'm pretty sure Shadows don't read minds, I'm confident that we can rule that out. We're just gonna have to work around the guests."

Nisekao sighs into the mic. "OK then. In that case, try to work your way up the top floor, if you can. I don't know how, but maybe a better vantage point might help."

In the real world, there's a cluster of elevators directly in the center of the mall, connected to the ring of shops on each floor by five walkways that radiate outwards from it likes spokes on a wheel. Getting on your tiptoes and scanning over sea of the crowd, it appears as if Cloud Two is same. Unfortunately, that means that you'll have to cut your way through the bulk of the undulating mass on the dance floor.

"Better than nothing. Let's move."

With Mariko following closely behind, the two of you hop down a short set of stairs down to the dance floor. You spot what looks to be a gap to your right, so gesturing forward with a point of your finger, you sidle towards it before it closes up.

"'Scuse me…sorry…on your left…oof!"

Despite your best efforts, the crowd only gets thicker as you push towards the center, and you can't help but bump into someone wearing a bunny girl costume. Your shoulder catches theirs, sending you both stumbling backwards.

"Sorry," you mumble, "wasn't looking where I was-"

Your voice catches in your throat. Where the dancer's face should be, there's the same blue mask from the door in the lobby. A choking sound escapes your throat and you take a step backwards. One of the lights overhead flashes by, briefly revealing smooth, jet black skin that roils and smokes faintly in the colored haze.

"Shit."

You'd completely forgotten. Inside the Cloud, all these guests that Hayate's Shadow invited have turned from a horde of wild teenagers into a horde of wild Shadows.

Its hips hypnotically swaying from one side to the other, the Shadow turns on you and begins to advance, peering at you like a curious child. Instinctually, you take another step back and accidentally trod on one of Mariko's toes.

"Yowch! Testuo, watch where you're-"

As she gets a good look at the Shadow herself, her eyes grow wide, and her hand shoots into her jacket. Slowly, she also begins to back away from the creature, which continues to march towards the both of you with every inch that you retreat. As you pass by, more and more of the dancing figures stop what they're doing to stare at you. Most of them are also dressed like flamboyant clubbers, with intricate outfits that feature more fringes, flared hems, and low necklines than you thought were still in style. It feels like you've fallen into the plot of a seventies music video.

But strangely, not a single Shadow has made a move to attack you yet. Instead, they're just circling around you, inspecting you the way a drill sergeant would look over a new recruit. The Shadows in Cloud One were way more aggressive than this.

"Stay alert," you hiss over your shoulder. The floor has gone silent – even the throbbing music has ceased. From a turntable mounted in what used to be a nearby storefront, a Shadow clutching a large pair of headphones to one ear (or at least where an ear would be if it had any) adds its dark gaze to the others. Carefully, you begin to wrap your fingers around the neck of your guitar and brace yourself to summon Launcelot.

As you watch her gauge the situation with a concentrated expression, you're impressed with how calm Mariko is being right now. She's not screaming or spraying the crowd with lead, just quietly sizing up the enemy. You only had to fight two Shadows in your first encounter with the creatures. Right now, there must be upwards of fifty staring you down. You'd be shitting your pants if you were in her shoes. Maybe it's her upbringing – if that gun used to be her dad's, then he might've been JSDF or something.

"What are you guys doing? Get out of there!" blares Nisekao's panicked voice in your ear.

Mariko holds up a finger and shushes him, even though the Shadows can't hear him.

"I don't think they want to hurt us," she says at last.

"Are you sure about that? I don't feel sure about that."

"Well, at least not yet. I think they're waiting for something…"

Then, Mariko's eyebrows shoot up in inspiration. She turns to you and whispers, "Tetsuo, I need you to get behind me and grab my shoulders."

"What? Why?" you whisper back.

"Just promise me you'll follow my lead."

"Okay…"

Unsure, you awkwardly shuffle around behind her while you keep the Shadows in your peripheral vision. Lightly, you place one hand on each shoulder and wait for her to show you what to do. The stillness is overwhelming, and with every moment that passes, you expect one of the Shadows to leap from the pack and attack you.

"All right, on the count of three…one….two…three…CONGA!"

Mariko leaps forward, kicking her legs and rotating her arms around each other to an imaginary beat. There's a moment of disbelief and dread as you follow her train of thought to the station. She glances back at you with a devilish grin.

"Ohhhhh no. No, this is not becoming a thing," you say, stumbling along behind her with your hands still gripping her shoulders. "This cannot be your plan."

"You just need to trust me, Tetsuo! Look!" Mariko calls over her shoulder and points forward.

To your amazement, the wall of Shadows begins to part as she approaches, and as they do, they start to resume their frenetic dancing.

"This never leaves this Cloud," you mutter in her ear. Reluctantly, you kick your legs in time with hers, letting out a short "Whoop!" every couple of steps.

Evidently, your boogying must satisfy the Shadows, as the music quickly resumes and they get back to partying as if nothing ever happened. More and more Shadows then start to step aside to let you through, and eventually, your two-person conga line begins carving a path straight to the elevators. Even a couple Shadows decide to join the line, which nearly makes you freak out and bash the one that clamps down on your shoulders, its grip painfully strong as its fingers sink into you. But once you come to terms with idea that as long as you keep dancing, the Shadows won't harm you, you actually start to find that you're enjoying yourself. But only a little. No one must know.

As you draw closer to the elevators, the stowaways on your conga train break off to do their own thing, and the number of Shadows starts to thin out somewhat. Looking back over your shoulder over the sea of masks, you can hardly believe you just got through that unscathed. Mariko starts to giggle, which blows up into full-on laughter.

"I can't believe that worked! And then they started doing it, too…snrk! Ha-ha-how are we not dead?"

"You guys are insane…how did you even think of trying something like that?" asks Nisekao.

Mariko has to suck in a couple deep breaths to steady her voice before replying. "Hoo…Well, we couldn't have fought all of them. And besides, I wouldn't have thought of it if it wasn't for Tetsuo. I mean, you are the expert, riiight?" She sends you a teasing, sideways glance.

"No."

"I don't get it, what's she talking about, Tetsuo?"

"No."

"Oh, you should've seen it, Nisekao-kun, Tetsuo knows some pretty smooth mo-"

"No, this is dumb, you got lucky, let's go," you say flatly, and sidle between a couple of the high tables arranged in a ring around the elevator bank.

"Oh come on, don't be such a stick in the mud!" Mariko huffs, but you're done talking about it. Next time you'll just let the Shadows eat you. Upon seeing that you're not going to wait for her, she shouts "Hey! W-Wait up!" and bounds after you.

When you reach the elevators, you swiftly realize why this part of the floor is less crowded. A line of red velvet rope runs around the elevators, prohibiting access to them. A tall, voluptuous, bunny girl Shadow stands at the break in the line holding the segment with clip. As each Shadow approaches, she lifts the rope to let them into the elevator, and presses a button next to the lift to send them on their way. A long line of other Shadows are waiting to enter, presumably to gain access to the other floors. The line stretches all the way to the northern edge of the Cloud, through the crowd of Shadows and out of your sight. The Shadows waiting in line are comical to watch – some jump up and down and lean around one another to get a better idea of their position, others try to cut without the one in front of them noticing, and some are even fighting each other for a closer spot.

Their slapstick behavior is incredibly bizarre - it's so…so...human. Granted, if what the wetsuit girl and her partner said was true, then all Shadows come from people's minds. But then how can some be mindless, cannibalistic monsters, while these are busting moves and forming queues? You know you shouldn't let your guard down like this, but Cloud Two's Shadows are actually starting to grow on you. You'd almost feel bad fighting them at this point.

However, this does present an obnoxious obstacle.

"I guess the VIP area must be up there," says Mariko, staring at one of the elevators as it comes down.

"Yeah, but I sure as hell ain't waiting in that line. I'd rather find the stairs."

Your earpiece chirps to life. "VIP, huh…interesting idea, Mariko-chan. If that's true, then maybe the Dreamweaver is on one of the other floors. You guys need to find a way onto that elevator. I've been searching the video feed to see if I could spot another way for you to get up there, but I'm just not seeing anything."

"Not even any stairs? I seriously wouldn't mind taking the stairs," you answer.

"I can look again, but I don't think there are…sorry."

"Hey, Tetsuo! Look," says Mariko suddenly, grabbing your sleeve and pointing towards the front of the line. The elevator Mariko was looking at has come to a halt, and the bunny girl Shadow beckons the next Shadow in line forward with its index finger. The bunny girl makes a few gestures towards it that you can't interpret. Whatever it was, it really seems to piss off the other Shadow. It angrily stomps its foot and sticks a finger in the bunny girl's face…mask…thing. The bunny girl slaps the other Shadow's finger aside and points back towards the crowd.

"I guess he's not a VIP," says Mariko.

"Yeah, he's not having any of that," you say, watching as the other Shadow grabs a fistful of the bunny girl's collar and starts shaking it back and forth with rage.

Then, the bunny girl throws its head back and emits an ear-splitting, high-pitched, ululating shriek that rips through the air and causes you and all the other Shadows to fall to your knees, clutching at your heads.

For the second time, the Cloud falls ominously silent. Gently, the two of you rise to your feet. The bunny girl Shadow has stopped screaming, but the rest of the Shadows continue to cower.

Then, in the distance, there comes a faint rumble, a rhythmic crashing like an enormous boulder tumbling to the bottom of a canyon.

THOOM. THOOM. THOOM.

"Tetsuo…what was that?"

The question barely passes Mariko's lips before an enormous shadow eclipses the lights overhead. A giant figure leaps from one the floors far above you and comes crashing down onto the dance floor, causing what feels like entire Cloud to shake violently. You and Mariko stumble into one another, grabbing at each other's sleeves to keep your balance. The rumbling quickly subsides, and you hastily detach yourselves and turn back towards the line.

Towering almost ten feet tall, a monstrous creature hulks over the shivering line of Shadows. Slightly hunchbacked, it's heavily muscled, yet lean, with a matted mullet of straw-brown hair. Like most of Cloud Two's Shadows, it's dressed in a human fashion – a ripped black T-shirt and similarly torn jeans. Block white letters across the back of the shirt spell "SECURITY". Its shoulders are massive and swollen, lending it the appearance of wearing pads or even armored pauldrons underneath. The bunny girl points to the Shadow that grabbed her and the newcomer nods and grunts. As it bends over to grab the Shadow by the head, it twists slightly to reveal that it, too, wears the same wide-eyed mask as the one from the entrance.

Neither you nor Mariko make the slightest move as you watch the behemoth hoist the Shadow high above its head like a doll. As though it were only just now realizing its plight, it desperately wriggles its body back and forth with snapping, jerky motions. Annoyed, the monster grunts again, and with its free hand, pins the Shadow's legs together. The bunny girl Shadow makes a couple quick gurgling sounds to her companion. It nods curtly. Holding the Shadow like a party popper, it starts to pull both ends of the Shadow in opposite directions. It squeals with pain and increases its thrashing, but the monster only tightens its grip and pulls harder. Horrified, you almost swear you can hear it start to come apart.

Then, the creature lets out a massive bellow that reverberates throughout the whole Cloud. Its sides start to ripple. Then, a new pair of limbs erupt from its underarms, and its new hands clamp down over the old ones. Its victim's screeching pierces your ears as the monster redoubles its efforts.

There is an audible tearing sound, and the Shadow comes apart at the torso in a spray of viscera. Black miasma pumps from the two halves, spilling onto the dance floor and instantly evaporating into trails of hissing smoke. Howling in triumph, the monster heaves what remains of the Shadow's corpse into the crowd. The dancers instantly descend upon its discarded body, pushing and clawing over one another to grab a bite. You slam your esophagus shut to keep your dinner from escaping. Silently, you take back what you were thinking about these Shadows seeming human.

"Th-That's it…that's the Enforcer…it has to be," breathes Nisekao in your ear.

"That's Hayate-kun's Persona? There's no way," says Mariko.

"Shhh!" You swear that you can hear something coming from one of the floor above cutting through the clamor.

"Hey, hey, hey! Come on now, guys! What's all this now?"

Standing on a wide, semicircular balcony jutting off the 5th floor ring, looking much the same as he did in class today, the Dreamweaver glares down at the chaos going on below. His stare is piercing, uncomfortable, and most notable of all, glinting gold. Two attractive Shadows stand at his side, clinging adoringly onto each elbow. The Shadows all freeze in place, twisting their heads to follow his voice.

"You all know how this works – I don't give a shit what you do, just respect the help, OK? If you're not a VIP, you're not a freakin' VIP. Cripes." He turns to address the Enforcer. "Good work, amigo. But next time, could do me a solid and not make such a scene? You're ruining my buzz."

It nods its understanding and leaps up onto another floor – at least 50 feet or more - swinging itself up over the ledge like a giant ape and bounding out of sight. Eventually, its thundering footfalls fade into the distance, and the party starts back up again as if nothing had even happened.

The Dreamweaver heaves a sigh and props himself up on his elbows, surveying the scene. You could be wrong, but he almost looks disappointed. What for, you can't imagine. His gaze travels the length of the dance floor, but halt when it falls on you. For a moment, you think your eyes meet. You want to look away, but don't for fear that it might seem more suspicious. After all, with all the flashing lights and the hundreds of feet between the two of you, could he really recognize you from all the way up there? You'd like to be able to say that he can't, but your gut is saying otherwise.

Then, he smirks and winks in your direction, and you know your presence is no longer secret. Gesturing for his entourage to follow him, he turns his back to you and retreats back into one of the venues above. Frankly, it would have been less unsettling if he'd called his horde of Shadows on you.

You decide not to mention it – your friends are probably spooked enough right now as it is. At least now you know where you have to go. You'll just have to try not to get yourselves ripped in half on the way there. Business as usual.

"Okay, so…ready to go?" you ask as nonchalantly as possible.

Mariko breathes deeply. You can tell she's really trying to put on a brave face. "Yeah…yeah, I think so. Listen, is it weird that I'm more worried about that Enforcer than the Dreamweaver? I didn't think it would be so big! Was mine like that?"

"Not quite like that, but yeah, it was pretty intimidating. Must be something about the Cloud that makes 'em like that. But anyways, don't start underestimating the Dreamweaver just because he looks like our dumbshit classmate and that looks like a roided-out bouncer. We actually probably stand a better chance against the Enforcer, to be honest."

"Do you guys think you can do this?" asks Nisekao.

Mariko takes another deep breath and cracks an encouraging grin. "Of course we can! We wouldn't have started the band if we didn't think we could do it! Now let's quit wasting time and get on that elevator!"

You can't help but smile back at her enthusiasm. She's right – now isn't the time for you to be getting cold feet. As long as you've got Launcelot with you, you can handle this.

"I agree, let's just get on with it. If we're lucky, we might not even run into the Enforcer," you say, painfully aware that this is a fine piece of wishful thinking. "But if we don't figure out a way to slip past that Shadow in the bunny suit, we're gonna meet it face to face whether we want to or not."

The two of you fall silent. Then, Mariko's face lights up.

"Follow me."

She leads you around to the other side of the elevator bank opposite from the line. Each elevator has a glass back so that you can see out into the rest of the mall, but because the elevator doors on the other side are closed, the Shadows on the other side are blocked from view. Mariko lifts up a segment of the rope, stoops underneath it, and straightens back up on the other side.

"There!"

"Are you sure this is okay? Why aren't any of the other Shadows trying this?" you ask.

Mariko shrugs. "Well, they are just Shadows. Lines are for chumps anyways. Let's take this one," she says, and presses the call button for the elevator in front of her. With a faint ding, the doors slide open. However, as they do so, the elevator on the other side opens as well. For a second, both you and the Shadows stare at each other unblinking through the panes of glass.

"Oh, dammit. Tetsuo, get on the elevator."

"Aye aye!"

Circumventing her line does not sit well with the bunny girl, and she immediately sprints around the elevators towards you. She's much faster than you'd figured. You're barely past the rope before she lunges at you with her hands outstretched. The tips of her fingers sharpen into claws, which she uses to slash at your face. You barely have enough time to bring your arm up to guard against the attack. She tears through your sleeve as she flies by, shredding the fabric and slicing three crimson lines in your skin. Having missed her mark, she somersaults head over heels behind you.

"Launcelot!"

Seizing your opportunity, you direct Launcelot to cover your escape by bashing the bunny girl Shadow across the face with his shield. She hits the floor with a wail, allowing you to dash into the elevator.

"C'mon, let's go, let's go!" you yell.

"Wait, where are the buttons?"

The two of you quickly canvas the elevator, but for some asinine reason, there don't appear to be any controls.

"How the hell do you make this thing move?" you shout.

Outside, the line grows restless. Throwing a glance over your shoulder to check on them, you see what looks like an oversized glove scuttle underneath the legs of the Shadows ahead of it. Turning back to the crowd, it gives an ugly, high bark and rips down the rope barrier.

That sets off the veritable powder keg of irritable Shadows. Having lost all semblance of self-control, the mass swarms towards the elevators. A cluster of them surges into the one across from you, chattering and screaming and pounding on the glass in an attempt to reach you. You need to think quickly – the rest of the Shadows are spilling around the sides of the elevator bank and will reach you any moment. Unless you can get the elevator moving, you're essentially a canned meal.

You try to think back to how the bunny girl operated the elevators. If you remember correctly, she used the panel on the outside instead of pressing anything within the elevator itself. Without any hesitation, you lean out of the door and mash the up button. The doors begin sliding shut at what feels like a painfully slow rate. The chorus of yammering coming from the Shadows grows louder and louder with each second. A tinkling sound from behind you draws your attention that way. Whipping around, you find that the Shadows opposite you have shattered the glass in the back of their elevator and have cracked yours.

"C'mon, c'mon!" you mutter through clenched teeth as though it would force your little metal coffin to move.

"Ree!"

A squeal coming from around your ankles draws your gaze downwards. The glove-like Shadow has wedged itself in the gap between the doors, preventing them from closing! A tiny little nub head where its wrist would be with its own tiny little mask wriggles madly in its attempt to get at you. You stomp at it with your shoe, but that only makes it squirm more frantically. It squeezes its thumb and pinky through the crack, using them to try and push itself all the way inside. Behind you, the crack in the glass grows larger.

"No you don't!" shouts Mariko. Whipping out her gun, she looses off three well-aimed shots directly at its face. The force knocks the Shadow back through gap, and the elevator doors slam shut with a ding! Mercifully, it finally begins to climb, leaving the horde of mad creatures behind.

"God," you sigh, slumping against the wall and letting your body slide to the floor. Across from you, Mariko is still staring at the door. Her arms are shaking, and she clutches the grip of her gun with white knuckles.

"You all right?" you ask.

Mariko blinks a couple times at the sound of your voice. "Y-Yeah. Yeah, I'm OK. I-I've just never actually shot anything before..."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, technically they're not real."

"I know that! But...it still feels real to me."

You lean over and clap a hand on her shoulder. "You're doing great. Way better than I did in Cloud One. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead already, probably. Just keep your head up."

Mariko gives you a grateful smile. "Thanks Tet-"

"Guys, look out!" your comm shouts, but Nisekao's warning is too late. The pane in the back of the elevator shatters, showering the both of you with shards of glass. When you lower your arms, the cause is apparent - the other elevator has somehow pulled up alongside you with its cargo of belligerent Shadows in tow.

"Dammit! We're not done yet! Launcelot!"

Your Persona materializes in front of you - a tight fit in the now crowded space - and deflects a strike from an oncoming Shadow. Frantically, you search for a way to get rid of your attackers. Peering over Launcelot's shield, you can see that the doors of the other elevator are slightly stuck on the torso of a Shadow that appears to have been trying to climb inside as it took off. It's just wide enough for someone - or something - to fit through.

"Grab hold of something!" you shout to Mariko. She nods and latches onto one of the thin railings near her waist.

You gesture to Launcelot. With a swipe of his lance, he fires a barrage of wind blades at the knot of Shadows clambering over one another to reach you. The spell doesn't tear these enemies apart - for what it's worth, these appear to be stronger than the ones in Cloud One. But it does have the effect you intended. They go toppling backwards, tumbling head over heels until they slam into the Shadow stuck in the door. The impact jars it loose, popping it out into thin air. The rest of its comrades follow suit, shooting out of the gap one by one and careening helplessly towards the ground.

However, one Shadow still remains on its feet, shrugging off Launcelot's magic as if he'd just been blown on. It snickers, and faster than you can react, it rolls under Launcelot's shield and leaps towards Mariko. As it soars through the air, balls of fire engulf its fists, and it raises one to strike her.

You make a split-second decision and throw your shoulder into her, shoving her aside. She harmlessly bumps into the wall and falls on her backside, but you take the full brunt of the Shadow's hit. It feels like someone's smashed your face with a hot plate, a white-hot searing like the skin of your cheek's being melted off. Then the impact hits home, knocking you off balance, and Launcelot evaporates into thin air. The elevator swims before your eyes and you find yourself having a difficult staying upright. You reach up to feel your face. It's warm to the touch, but otherwise unharmed. Doesn't surprise you much by now, though.

Unfortunately, you're not given much of an opportunity to reflect on your Rasputin-like ability to withstand punishment. The Shadow, evidently pissed at your interference, grabs you by the collar and lifts you into the air. With one of its legs, it kicks out one of the door panels, and your stomach drops out from under you as you realize what it's doing. It swings you towards the opening, and gravity takes a short break.

Then, you're sailing out over nothing, the dance floor below you just a collection of colored specks about to grow larger and larger. Desperately, your flailing arms seek purchase on something, anything.

Your left swipes and grabs air.

Your right swipes and just barely grasps the edge of the elevator floor.

Your fingers clutch those few inches of precious metal for all they're worth and try not to think about how far up you're dangling. Every second you spend hanging here is one that Mariko has to spend in there facing that Shadow on her own.

It doesn't take much effort to swing your left hand up onto the edge as well. But before you can pull yourself back into the elevator, there's an audible crunch, and something smashes the fingers in your right hand. You let go with a yelp of pain, now hanging only by the gradually weakening strength in your left hand. Above you, the Shadow peers at you with as much contempt as something wearing a mask can muster.

"Mariko, do something!" you yell. Your right hand is in too much pain to grab onto the edge again, and you can't summon Launcelot outside of a moving elevator. What will give first, your grip, or the Shadow's patience?

Three gunshots resound above you, and the Shadow's head snaps forward as each bullet finds its mark. However, it doesn't so much as faze the thing. Mariko's voice rings out, laced with growing hysteria.

"Tetsuo, it's not doing anything!"

"Please," you plead, "I can't-" You attempt to grab the edge with your right hand again, but they've gone numb and slide right back off. Mariko fires off three more shots, but the effort remains futile.

"Tetsuo!" she screams. "Oh God, Tetsuo, I'm sorry!"

"Mariko, you have to try to summon your Persona!" you shout. The Shadow lifts its foot over your trembling knuckles. Nisekao is saying something in your ear, but you can't process a bit of it. The only thing you can hear is the whipping of the air around you as you ascend and Mariko's choked sobbing.

"I don't - I can't - I don't know what to do, Tetsuo!"

"Yes you do! You're more than strong enough! Don't you tell me that you aren't!"

"No, Tetsuo, I...what am I doing here? This was a mistake...I can't summon a Persona, I can't fight these things! I can't even help myself, let alone you!"

The Shadow brings its foot down on your knuckles, and you have to bite down on your lower lip to keep from letting go. A trickle of red runs down your chin.

"Bullshit! You can do this, Mariko! If there's anyone who can, it's you! Remember, no matter how bad it gets-agh!" The Shadow grinds its foot on your hand, causing you to howl. "No matter how bad it gets, you're with us now! You gotta trust me...but first, you gotta trust yourself!"

"You're right. I don't want to be alone...I'm not going to be alone! I'm-I'm not going to lose you, too!" she shouts.

All around you, the lights in the Cloud appear to dim. The Shadow removes its foot from your hand, befuddled. Then, like rays of sunlight piercing through parting clouds, a shaft of light splits the darkness.

"Persona! Come, Nyneve!"

A massive card with the illustration of the Sun upon it hurtles into the roof of the elevator and shatters into thousands of pieces. The shards swirl around inside the cabin, coalescing and reforming into the figure of a kindly woman with the wings of angel wielding a large, ornate blade. With a start, you realize that you recognize her - she's the same being as the vision you saw after defeating Mariko's Enforcer.

Forgetting about you, the Shadow rounds on Mariko and advances on her and her Persona. Now that you're not being harassed, you're able to swing your right arm up onto the edge and hoist yourself back into the elevator without putting pressure on your injured right hand.

Within, the Shadow is squaring off against its new target. It seems unsure about how to approach Nyneve, as it takes a hesitant step backwards every time a snap of electricity crackles through her wings.

"Mariko-chan, can you hear me? You gotta press the advantage now while you've got it afraid of you!" says Nisekao.

You're not sure how good Shadows' hearing is, or whether they can understand human language for that matter, but the instant Nisekao stops talking, it attempts to lunge past Nyneve with its fists blazing. It doesn't get far.

Nyneve plunges her sword into the creature's foot, pinning it to ground. The Shadow cries out and pulls at its leg in a vain attempt to wrench itself free. Nyneve floats over to it and gently - almost like a caress - places her palm over its mask. The cabin lights up with the glow of high-voltage magic. The enemy shudders violently from the shock that surges through it body as it loses all control of its limbs. Static hisses in the air, and the hair on the back of your neck stiffens.

"That's it! It's working! Now finish it off!"

Nyneve presses more firmly against her opponent, and the power of the current ramps up. Visible bolts of electricity coil around the Shadow's body, crackling and popping and forcing to shield your eyes against the intense light. A horrid sizzling noise fills the cabin, and the Shadow evaporates into a haze of black mist.

Nyneve bows slightly, and disappears with a gentle flash of light. Wide-eyed and mouth agape, Mariko stumbles backwards towards the broken window, and you have to leap to your feet to keep her from falling out.

"Whoa there. Don't save my life and then go falling out yourself. You still with me?"

She blinks a couple times, shaking her head and pressing her fingers against her temple.

"I...I did it. That was my Persona."

"I sure hope so. It'd be awful weird if it was someone else's."

"You know what I mean, you dork!" she says, and give you playful punch in the shoulder.

"Yowch!" She didn't hit all that hard, but your arm's gotten sore from supporting the entire weight of your body for so long.

"Oh jeez! I'm sorry Tetsuo, I forgot! Are you hurt anywhere?"

Apart from the aching in your left arm, the only thing that really still hurts is your right hand, but even that pain is starting to fade.

"I'll be fine, I think. Not that you should be making a habit of it or anything, but Persona users can really take a beating."

"Oh, good. Uh, not that you got hurt, but that you're okay!" Her eyes drop to the floor. "Seriously...I'm sorry it took me so long to pull myself together. I thought that I'd be ready for anything this time, that I'd be able to handle myself. But in the end, I almost let you die. I don't know how I would have lived with myself."

"Well, I'm still here, aren't I? I knew I could count on you to pull through for me. Truth be told, you're probably the most reliable one out of us."

"I'll vouch for that," Nisekao chimes in.

"Thanks guys...I needed to hear that."

"I'm not making anything up. It's the truth."

That elicits a smile from her, much to your relief.

Suddenly, the elevator comes to a halt. There's a soft ding, and the one door panel that's still left slides open onto one of the connecting walkways.

"Looks like this is our stop," you say.

The two of you waste no time exiting the metal deathtrap. Leaning out over the railing to survey your surroundings, it appears that the elevator's dropped you off a floor short of your goal. The floor you're on now is what used to be the mall's food court. On the other side of the elevator bank, you spot the place that used to be Ikkuman's, where you were just a little over a day ago. It seems like as good a place as any to find a place away from the Shadows to catch your breath.

"Come on," you say, gesturing for her to follow you, "let's find somewhere to take a break."

Thou art I...

And I am thou...

Thou hast established a new bond...

It shall grant you the strength to open thine eyes...

Thou shalt be blessed under the sign of the Sun Arcana…