Outside Makoto's mind a woman is approaching the Great Seal.
Elizabeth, compendium in hand, is walking through the church-like building where the Great Seal is placed. In front of her, instead of the usual altar, there is Makoto's petrified body. She looks at the statue with an expression full of hope and relief, she has finally accomplished her mission: freeing his dear guest.
The woman in blue reaches the stony face of the boy and caresses his cold cheek.
"It's time to wake up, Makoto" says Elizabeth, and soon the whole place begins to tremble as the statue slowly starts to gain life.
The statue's skin starts to regain colour becoming pinker and softee. The same happens to it's eyes and hair, recovering their distinctive blue.
Makoto starts to breathe with fatigue, slowly reacquanting himself with being alive.
He tries to move his finger with clunky movements caused by years of immobility,
Elizabeth holds him, helping him to stand up. "Take it easy Makoto, we have all the time you need" says the woman smiling with a hand on his back.
Makoto coughs a couple of times, feeling his throat sore, before looking at Elizabeth with a weak smile. "It's good to see you again... Liz" says the boy. His voice feeble, still recovering from the long time he hasn't talked or even used his body at all.
"I missed you too Makoto, I finally managed to see you again. Alive. Even though I didn't free you by myself" says the attendant helpong Makoto to fully stand up.
"Liz, do you know what we have to do?" asks Makoto to her, hoping she received more clues on his mission.
"Of course, my master has already told me our task. I must say I was quite surprised at first, but now I can't wait to see the wonders of another world" the woman speaks, her typical curiosity showing up.
After Makoto has adjusted himself, Elizabeth opens the compendium:"Master Igor sends his regards and wishes us the best of luck on our mission. I have gathered your belongings before you passed away. Aigis has kept them for you".
She gives Makoto his evoker, the silver pistol used to summon his personas, his loved mp3 player with his earphones and his SEES uniform.
"I'm happy to hear from Igor, have you said Aigis and the others that I'm okay?" asks Makoto worried about what his friends must have been through after him passing away.
"They managed it quite well I must say" answers Elizabeth making Makoto sigh in relief.
"Good to know, now how do we manage to reach this other world?" Makoto smiles and wears his black jacket while saying this. "This is something only you can do Makoto, focus on the Universe in your soul and harness the power of tarots" explains Elizabeth.
Makoto frowns hearing Elizabeth's answer. "You are starting to sound like Igor" says Makoto half joking. "My master made me promise to not give you all the answers and this is also something no done has ever done before" answers Elizabeth delighted by Makoto's comment.
Makoto rolls his eyes and tries to concentrate on the Universe arcana and the tarots. Whatever it means. 'Tarots... I have to go into another...' realization strikes Makoto. 'The Hermit Arcana' Makoto thinks remembering the lessons of Mr. Edogawa on tarots. As he ponders this the Universe resonates from deep within Makoto's soul and the boy remembers Nyx's words about the Hermit.
"It requires grand courage to look at oneself honestly, and forge a new path" as this words echoed in Makoto's mind he pulls the trigger of his evoker, beginning the summoning.
"Mercurius!" shouts Makoto as the persona is summoned. The roman god floats above Makoto holding his golden staff, the Caduceus. Makoto grabs a black cartridge from his armband and puts it into the evoker ready to use a Theurgy. Elizabeth smiles seeing Makoto back in action, she has missed a lot seeing his dear guest fight, even more than she wants to admit.
Makoto shoots once again.
Mercurius spins the Caduceus in front of himself warping the space around Makoto and Elizabeth who's made a step closer to the boy not wanting to take the risk of being left behind. Mercurius spins the staff more and more fastly until they disappear in a burst of blue light.
03/31/2012, Kuoh Town, Night.
Makoto opens his eyes, he's currently laying down on the ground. The theurgy didn't work as he intended. The boy stands up and looks around searching for Elizabeth, but he doesn't see her anywhere. "Elizabeth!" he calls out, but she doesn't answer. 'She will find me, I'm certain' Makoto searches for the exit of the building he's in, an old and probably abandoned warehouse, it smells of rust and old. He searches in his pockets and puts on his earphones playing the first song on his playlist: 'Deep Breath Deep Breath' and starts to look for the exit.
'Universe, someone is here and it's not the attendant' Makoto hears Orpheus Telos speaking to him from his mind. 'Orpheus? You can speak to me?' asks the boy confused. 'Yes I can Makoto, the absence of a solid Sea of Souls lets us personas more free of action' answers the Master of Strings.
'I understand, what do you mean someone is here?' Makoto looks carefully around himself searching for possible threats, but outside from old boxes and rusty shelves he doesn't see anyone, or anything. 'Outside of this building there is a malevolent presence, but it is not a shadow. We better be cautious' suggests Orpheus Telos.
'I'd love to, but Liz forgot to give me my sword, and I'd prefer to not use you or any other persona in a secluded and probably ready to crumble place like this' says the boy considering all possible outcomes.
'That is not a problem, just do as you did before and focus on the Universe Arcana and your weapon shall be in your hands' as Orpheus says this Makoto channels the power of the Universe and summons the Deus Xiphos in his right hand. 'Handy' thinks the boy before heading towards the exit ready to draw his sword.
Outside the building Makoto notices he's in a dirty alley remembering him of that place behind Tatsumi Port Island Station where he met Shinjiro for the first time. "What a pleasant surprise a prey has come into my lair, and it's a cute boy, delicious". While reminiscing the encounter with his former senpai Makoto hears a woman voice behind him, he turns around only to see a half-woman half-scorpion with a snake tail looking at him with a voracious look. Makoto stares at the figure in the back of the alley for some seconds unsure on what to think.
"Cat got your tongue? Doesn't matter I'll eat you anyways" the monster runs at Makoto, but the boy easily dodges the snake head on her tail aimed at his torso.
"Ah you are swift, I like playing with food" the woman effortlessly tries to hit Makoto with two spears she had tied on her back, but every swing is dodged or parried by Makoto's sword, who's yet to make a counterattack.
"How can a little human be so fast! Just stop moving and get eaten" the scorpion woman tries another attack, but this time Makoto strikes back cutting her spears with Deus Xiphos.
"Stop it, I don't want to kill you" says Makoto looking directly into her eyes pointing the sword at her face.
The monster's instincts scream alarm when she sees the sword. "A-a Holy Sword? W-who are you? A-an exorcist?" asks her frightened.
"No, I'm just searching my friemd. Have you seen a woman? yellow eyes, white hair and dressed all in velvet blue?" asks Makoto withdrawing his sword. "No, I haven't I swear!" quickly answers the woman. "Ok, I understand. I hope you won't attack anyone else" Makoto walks away leaving the terrified woman behind him. He puts his earphones on again and starts to think where Elizabeth might be.
'I-I am alive!?' screams Viser in her mind. That boy... that monster? Why has he spared a devil like her if he was certainly an exorcist? Viser shooks her head and quickly runs inside the warehouse. Once inside she throws up breathing heavily. 'That sword... just it's mere sight made almost made me faint'. Viser then passes out inside the warehouse.
'Universe, I have found the attendant" says Orpheus Telos. 'Where is she?' asks the boy when suddenly the velvet room door appears in front of him in the middle of the sidewalk. Elizabeth exits the door and looks at Makoto smiling.
"I have found you!" she says. "Elizabeth? How is the Velvet Room here? I thought Philemon and Igor couldn't come here to help us" questions the ex-leader of SEES. "This is a new Velvet Room. It is quite different from the original one though. It is more physical and it is directly linked to you and the Universe Arcana" answers Elizabeth inviting Makoto to enter the Velvet Room.
Makoto enters the Velvet Room and instanly notices that he's doing so physically an not just mentally. Inside the room, instead of the elevator there is a bar with stairs that go upside. "I took the liberty to redesign your Velvet Room, now we can have the Velvet Club I always wanted. Don't you like it Makoto?" asks the Elizabeth who seems just like a kid in a playground showing Makoto all the trinkets and accessories she put inside the room.
"Yeah I like it... is there a bedroom?" asks tired Makoto.
"You really want to sleep? You slept for 2 years in a row why don't we go to explore the marvels of this new world?" asks Elizabeth taking Makoto's hand.
"I wasn't sleeping, I was holding myself against the human desire for death. I'm tired and it's nightime".
Without much compliments Makoto goes upstairs where he sees there are three doors. He opens one to finding a cozy bedroom with a fireplace and a large bed with blue sheets.
"I don't really require sleep but there are still two bedrooms" says Elizabeth who has followed Makoto.
"The other room is a completely furnished bathroom" Elizabeth continues to describe the New Velvet Room, but Makoto doesn't listen to her and quickly falls asleep.
04/01/2012, Kuoh Town, Morning.
Makoto wakes up after a good night of sleep in his new bed. He checks the room to acquaint himself with it and notices that it's like an upgraded varsion of his one back at the Iwatodai Dorm.
Three large white wardrobes occupy the left side of the room, making quite the contrast with the blue of the walls. A large walnut working desk with a small fridge is placed on the right facing a wide window now obscured by velvet curtains.
Makoto sits on the side of the bed and looks at the clock placed on the night table. It says 7 am. The boys takes a deep breath and stands up. He goes to the window and lifts the curtains. He gasps at what he sees outside.
"Elizabeth, why is Tartarus outside the Velvet Room?" asks Makoto calling for the attendant. He then opens the window and looks up seeing the top of the Tower of Demise under a shining full Moon. 'It's bright as day but the Moon is still up' thinks Makoto before exiting the room and searching for Elizabeth.
"Good morning Makoto, I see you've noticed the Velvet Room is at the new base of Tartarus" says nonchalantly Elizabeth who's sitting on a chair in front of the bar's counter.
"Yeah, why's that?" asks Makoto while exploring the bar. "This Velvet Room is strongly linked to you, so it has moved inside the Universe Arcana" explains Elizabeth looking at the boy who's inspecting the small kitchen behind the counter.
"So we are inside the Universe Arcana?" Makoto asks with a satisfied look after seeing the furniture of cooking tools the bar has. "Yes, we are" Elizabeth then stands up and heads towards the back door door near the stairs.
"This door leads to Tartarus, don't worry there are no shadows in there" says Elizabeth as she watches Makoto boiling some water. "What are you doing" asks her giggling. "I'm preparing some miso soup for breakfast, want some?" asks him without leaving his look from the pot. "I'm obliged" says the woman with a smile sitting back on the counter.
As the two of them have breakfast Makoto hears Elizabeth's voice in his head 'Thou art I... I am thou... The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Fool arcana hath been freed once again. Thee now hast the might of the ultimate form of the Fool within the Universe'.
"Liz? What happened?" asks Makoto confused. "Oh, it seems that being in a new world makes your old bonds not as useful as they should be. Luckily our bond is already strong enough" answers the attendant with a look of satisfaction.
"I think I understand... So all my bonds are to be replaced?" says the Messiah with a bit of sorrow in his voice.
"Replaced is not the right word, Makoto. Those are irreplaceable and their power is still in you. You just need new ones and after all not all your bonds are useless here" explains Elizabeth as she finishes the soup. "It was delicious, you have my thanks Makoto" before she can say anything else Makoto stops her.
"What do you mean by not every bond is useless?" he asks."Death is still within yourself"
At the exact same time Makoto hears this he runs towards the door leading to Tartarus opening it and going inside. Only a name resounds in his mind 'Ryoji'.