Shin Persona Evangelion [NGE/Persona Fusion]

[Ultra Sonic 007]

This may seem like it's overdue, but based on a comment I recently received elsewhere, apparently the fact that there will be spoilers to both the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and the events of various games in the Persona Series (including but not limited to Persona 3, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4, and Persona 5) wasn't made clear just by how the plot has unveiled.

So I'm placing a sticky post for this message: if you have not watched the original Evangelion anime, or if you have not played the Persona games — especially P3, P4, P5, and their updated re-releases — then take note that this story contains spoilers to all of them. Read at your own risk.

/that should do it
//right?
///right??

 

[AurelioBahamut]

Ok two things: #1 Fuck you
#2 You're probably right, but you don't need to say it.

Ok, three things: #3 Fuck you
OTOH, 'pure spite' is perfectly valid as a reason for Shinji to refuse to run away. He'd totally do that just to spite his father.

Click to shrink...

Which is probably exactly what he wants, the bastard piece of sh*t.

I concur with things #1 and #3.

 

[neogoki]

"What else? In the end...you will run away. I know it. You know it."

"We all know it," finished Gendo with a sense of confident finality.

Ding.

The lift opened up to the teens' destination.

Click to shrink...

wish Shinji was so out of it that he simply shurged and said "Sure, why not?" and walked away.
if only to give Gendo Zero fucks

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Less than two hours later, with bellies full of soup and pork cutlets, Shinji Ikari and Kensuka Aida lied within one of the various rooms that comprised NERV's barracks, utilized by any employees and contractors who either needed a place to crash, or who lacked immediate housing of their own for whatever reason. The room they were in was immediately noticeable as one which had not been used recently, for the drawers and furniture were bare of decoration. The wall-mounted television went unused, for neither of the boys were interested after the day's events. Rei Ayanami was ostensibly in the room next door, because she was a girl, and they were guys. Or so the logic went, according to Kensuke.

The boy sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "What a day..."

"...are you sure you don't want the bed?"

"Come on Ikari, do we have to go over this again?"

"Sorry..."

"Look, for all that Ayanami manhandled me today..." Kensuke paused. "That sounds weird. Ignore that." Clearing his throat, he continued, "anyhow, you managed to get four Archetypes stuffed inside you, turning them into your Personas. You need the bed more than me." He grinned wildly from his position on the rather utilitarian couch. "I don't even know how that's possible."

"...is it really that big a deal...?"

Kicking back, Kensuke replied, "well, as far as anyone is aware, people only have one hidden self. No one's ever had more than one Shadow." He stared curiously in his direction. "...you sure you never encountered a Shadow before awakening your Persona?"

"...pretty sure." It had been a pretty distinctive event, after all. "But apparently, Ayanami and the other Evangelion-user can't do it either..."

"So why you?"

I wish I knew. "I don't know..."

"Hmm...well, if nothing else, it'll help you kick a lot of ass in the Metaverse. Think of the versatility, and the battle tactics!" Silence. For about seven seconds. Then a giant yawn. "...will think about it later."

"...yeah..." Shinji's eyes felt so heavy. He didn't even mind that he'd be falling asleep in his school uniform; it wasn't like they had a change of clothes for them...

Within a matter of minutes, both boys were fast asleep.

xxxx

As the world turned, the last sliver of the Sun's reflected light upon the Moon faded, at least from the perspective of those on Earth.



It was highly paradoxical, in a sense: in the brightness of day, the form of the Moon could not be seen: a sign of the blindness in which foolish creatures labored under. Yet, for one standing upon the Moon, the entire surface facing the Earth was shrouded in shadow: a reflection of the darkness in men's hearts.

At this time, the Sun was no longer obstructing the fullness of his vision.

Thus, from betwixt the threshold that separated realities, a distorted skull gazed upon the Earth. Everywhere he looked, the spirits themselves were agitated, aroused by the movements of his brethren.

And yet...there was something different. Two weights upon the unseen void had been joined by a third.

"A THIRD CHILD HAS AWOKEN."​

The skull's gaze flared, blazing like red stars.

"WHERE ART THOU, CHAMPION OF LILITH?"​

His word echoed across the ether, causing a ripple that brushed against all of his brethren.

"FIND HIM."​

And so the world continued to turn.

xxxx

END OF 6/15/2020

xxxx

/story event incoming!

 

[lucabibble]

You've been writing real quick lately, can't say I'm complaining.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

You've been writing real quick lately, can't say I'm complaining.

Click to shrink...

It's kind of been my curse with regards to writing, especially as I've gotten older. I have to be regularly invested in a work to keep writing it. Otherwise, if I'm stuck or away from a particular scene from a while...momentum fades, and it gets really hard for me to continue on. (Those who read Mobile Fighter Evangelion can attest to this.)

 

[Khettien]

I see Ritsuko has been refining the Magi's musical trolling module.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Sokila grimaced.

"You'll be okay, won't you?"

Why did she look so worried?

"I mean, you'll be fine...you have to be fine..."

She stepped closer, looking at him with pleading yellow eyes.

"Please take care of yourself, okay?"

The faint haze of blue began to brighten-​

xxxx

/Tuesday: June 16, 2020/

/Barracks, NERV/

BAM!

Shinji Ikari yelped with shock at the sound, loud as a gunshot and quick as a whip. Kensuke Aida erupted into action, swinging wildly at the air and bravely headbutting the floor with his face.

Misato Katsuragi stood at attention, looking way too alert. "Rise and shine boys!"

"...what...what time is it?" he wearily asked.

"Oh-six-hundred! Ayanami's already deployed; might as well get you two in uniform and into the field!"

"Boy," groused Kensuke, haphazardly reaching for his eyeglasses. "You guys just live by the 'throw em' into the deep end' method of training, don't you?"

"When you've got me as a life guard, there's no better method!" she said, not deterred in the slightest by the boy's pessimism. "Let's grab breakfast, and then get you geared up!"

xxxx

/Room 23, 2nd floor, Izanagi Dorm, Hakone Academy/

Toji Suzuhara quietly dressed himself, not really paying much attention. Ikari and Ken hadn't come back the previous night, which meant they were dealing with NERV stuff. That was fine by him.

As for Nagisa? He was sleeping, like he always did during the new moon. No matter how often the others had tried to cajole him into moving, the guy just would not budge.

(The silver-haired boy smiled brightly. "I call it extensive meditation. It keeps me nice and safe from Angel Syndrome!" When pressed for more details, he added, "well, I haven't been attacked yet, have I?")​

Nagisa's alleged track record at avoiding supernatural horrors aside, Toji didn't feel like waiting in the dorm room all day. Besides...he had prior arrangements. This has been long overdue.

It was time to pay his respects to Kenji Tomochika.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

"Agent Misato Katsuragi, identification zero-one-whiskey-alpha-four: activate cognitive tunneling."

"Cognitive tunneling: authorized."

zhuu

zhuu

ZHUU

ZHUU​

When entering the Metaverse, Shinji Ikari wondered what - if anything - would change as a result of the new moon. As Hamlet, Ozymandias, and Tokoyo manifested in bursts of blue fire, he tried really hard to notice any differences.

At first, the overall atmosphere - the sepia colors, the staticky sky of red and black, the smoky and angular wisps floating through the air, the orange roots sprawling throughout the landscape - didn't seem that different...that is, until he focused. "...where are all the Archetypes?" Compared to before, the cognitive city seemed positively empty. "What...?"

"Well, by now, everyone's aware of the deal with regards to what we do on the new moon...so people's thoughts react appropriately," answered Misato, gazing stoically around. "If we went to the shelters, or to other religious sites, you'd find Archetypes gathered out the wazoo. But I don't have that shift this time; we're on patrol duty."

"...patrolling for what?" asked Kensuke.

"Well, if we see panicking Archetypes generate in places they're not expected to be, that's generally a sign that something's going down in the real world. If that happens...it usually means there's a Ghost. But if someone's Shadow gets tagged, then it'll mean an Acolyte." She pointed up at the domineering form of the Tokyo-3 Cognitive Protection Center. "That's another reason why we've tried to get as many Shadows within that place as possible."

"For their safety?" remarked Shinji.

Misato nodded. "That big ol' sphere has no equivalent location in the real world, so nothing that happens in the sky will affect it. And, in the unfortunate event that someone in the real world has an incident, their Shadow will be confined to their cell, thus minimizing the cognitive collateral damage." She grimaced, recalling something unpleasant. "Granted, Acolytes can vary in terms of strength, so sometimes the number of Agents needed is more than usual...but hey, that's part of the job, neh?"

"Efficient and practical," mused Kensuke; every so often, he glanced at Misato's own uniform, as though comparing it to his own. "...so, where will we patrol? And..." The boy's voice trailed off, eyes widening behind his glasses. "...what was that?"

Shinji followed Aida's vision; a strange bolt of vague...nothingness...had slipped through the bands of red and black in the sky, deadening the air around it as it moved. It slammed into the middle of a distant street, crackling with and seething with a sense of wrongness. However, there was nothing there; in a matter of moments, it faded. "What...?"

"We only ever see those...things...during a new moon. Or a solar eclipse, but...well, during an eclipse, they're really obvious." Misato grimaced, briefly thumbing her cross necklace. "We've never been able to find out where they come from or what they are. Most people think it has something to do with Angel Syndrome, and we've drawn a correlation between their impacts in the cognitive world and strange happenings in the real world...but their randomness and our lack of knowledge about their origin? Well, we can only speculate." She sighed heavily. "Theory's never been my forte."

Shinji watched quietly as another stream of ethereal emptiness lanced downward, striking a building that appeared to be empty. Once again, it faded, with nothing of note happening afterwards. "...so...what now?"

"Now?" A trio of Ocular Drones descended from the sky, slowing to a hovering halt besides the roof. "Now...we patrol. Hop on a Drone, kids! I'll clue you in as to what we usually look for."

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

/Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, Tokyo-3/

For the first time that Toji Suzuhara could recall since the incident, the shores of Lake Ashi were bereft of local law enforcement. Only sensible, since their focus would be where the people were gathered today.

It had been...a normal day, in retrospect. A Monday afternoon after school, on May the 25th. A waxing gibbous moon had been rising in the sky.

("Ah, the glory of basking in the springtime of our youth!" exclaimed Tomochika, gesturing at the various people frolicking along the shoreline. "I'm going to practice my pick-up lines. Don't hold back in your critique!")​

"You always were about the ladies," he grumbled. A lazy wind blew across the lake, creating hypnotic ripples. There was not a cloud in the sky, so peacefully blue that it was almost irritating in its serenity. "It could get kind of irritating at times..." But that had kind of been the point, ultimately. Tomochika had been...

(He quietly brushed his sister's hair, trying not to disturb her slumber. "First year of junior high school's over and done with. Still managing to maintain my grades, somehow. I've had a bunch of help..." The quiet beep-beep of various machines filled the somber silence of the hospital room.)​

...normal. A more boring, stereotypical kind of normal than Ken's nerdy kind of normal, which had occasional bouts of weirdness. And Nagisa...well, he and 'normal' weren't even in the same prefecture. "You had no idea just how much hanging out with you kept me sane," he spoke to the open air, staring intently at the spot. The spot where it had all gone down. "Just by being a guy, with all the attitude and stereotypes that people like the Class Rep loved to complain about...I felt like I was a boring bystander in a high school anime." The jock huffed, sitting down on the grass, mere feet away from where the ground transitioned to damp sand. "Heh...bet you would have laughed and called me a wuss for thinking that way. You'd be right..."

The weather that afternoon had been just as perfect, thinking back...

xxxx

There had been no warning. Such was the danger of Angel Syndrome, which struck with such precise cruelty.

A man and a woman suddenly paused, entirely separate from the group that Tomochika was mingling with. Their bodies went taut...and then the massacre began.

From his vantage point, Toji watched in horror as they acted with otherworldly strength, breaking bones with fists and gouging skin with their fingers. People, naturally, began to panic immediately. Distant sirens and whistles sounded, drawing emergency response to the beach. But who knew how many would die before the Anti-Terror Task Force arrived?

Do something. Run. Help. Get people away. Do SOMETHING!

Yet Toji's self-recriminations went unanswered, rooted in place as he was. The vague fear of death, always present, was clear as crystal, and unbearably real. Even as the woman turned her berserk gaze his way, the sheer truth of his impending doom kept him from running.

That's why he was so shocked by the sudden vertigo, as leaden legs went flailing upward. He landed in a heap, courtesy of a shove from a panicked Tomochika. "Come on man, RUN-!"

His friend's yell was cut off, courtesy of a downward hammer blow from the berserk woman. The boy gasped in agony as he fell, even as the furious beauty raised her fists again.

He turned away and fled, running as fast as he could. He ran past the A.T. Agents arriving to subdue the afflicted individuals; he ran past the police setting up a cordon along the public recreational area; he kept on running, until grass gave way to concrete sidewalks. It was only when his feet began to hurt that he stopped, wincing at the soreness.

That soreness was a reminder that he was alive.

Alive...and Tomochika was...was...

Suzahara, you shitty COWARD...!​

xxxx

...completely perfect weather. Twenty-one people had died that day. Kenji Tomochika had been among them. "But people dyin' from Angel Syndrome is normal, too..." A horrible kind of normal. Who wanted to get used to people going crazy out of the blue? Who wanted to ever get used to the idea that you could suddenly become a crazed murderer, condemned to be put down like a deranged beast? Yet, there were still people who tried to live life in the face of that. Tomochika had been one of them. "...it's not fair," he growled, rising back to his feet. The tension within his chest, slowly but surely building over the past weeks, finally demanded to be set free. "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!" His voice echoed across the lake, rebounding faintly in his ears. Small mercy, that no one was around to hear him. "...but life ain't fair, is it?" he muttered, sitting back down on the grass. "You'd know that better than anyone, right...?"

Tomochika wasn't there to shoot the breeze, or to make a potentially sleazy joke in response. He wasn't there to do anything. Talking to the open air, as if his friend were still there, was nothing but a crutch.

Toji did it anyway; for the first time in weeks, he felt some semblance of relief.

 

[lockdownspartan]

Reminds me of a discussion about scp-096 (the one that kills you if you see its' face) pondering what would happens if most people in the world saw his face (face went viral on the internet or something like that). The general consensus similar to this was that people adapted and basically just went about their lives as best they could with the knowledge that a monster could suddenly appear in their midsts and start killing people with broadcasts warning people to close their eyes to avoid increasing the victim count.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Within the Metaverse, the trio of Ocular Drones carrying Misato Katsuragi, Shinji Ikari, and Kensuke Aida flew in a tight formation, keeping on the lookout for anything anomalous. As the A.T. Agent had previously stated, they could see distant places where Archetypes were gathered in significant clusters, a sign of where people were gathered in the real world. Shinji would have expected that some of the strange bolts of nothingness would have landed on them by now...but they seemed to curve around? "What's happening...?"

"Believe it or not, there's some benefit to gathering in holy places or in places of protection," explained Misato, keeping a calm grip upon her Persona. "I've tried talking to Ritsuko about it, but she throws out a bunch of babble about A.T. Fields oriented on a particular spiritual vector, or stuff like that."

"That actually sounds like useful info!" yelled Kensuke.

"Well, I'm sure by the end of your internship, Ritsky will have a bunch of metaphysical biology crammed into your head!"

"Oh come on, more book work?!"

Kensuke was very good at filling the air with rambunctious banter. It had the side effect of lowering the tension, even as he watched the nothingness continue to fall from the sky.

One landed near the eastern shores of Lake Ashi, sizzling menacingly near the shores of orange liquid...

xxxx

The change was subtle; a sudden tension, sprouting from within his very heart. There was no warning.

Toji Suzuhara paled, and he didn't know why. "What...?" Then, reality caught up with what his soul had already begun to sense.

Flickering sparks of transparent blue arose, coalescing into brighter tongues of fire, which began to take definition, and shape...

xxxx

Misato's eagle eyes caught it before anyone else. "Look alive, boys! Ten o'clock, down!"

Shinji blinked. "Ten o'clock-?"

"To your left, Ikari!" yelled Aida. "On the shoreline!"

Shinji did so, looking down; eyes widened at the sight of Archetypes literally spawning from amidst the hazy vagueness. Little blue imps in jars, green slimes, and gleaming humanoids with fiery feet fled, their entire forms wracked with panic. "...what's happening-?"

"I don't see any Shadow. Something's happening in the real world." Misato's voice lacked all playfulness, and was now all business. "Let's get to ground and transition back-"

xxxx

Toji's eyes went wide at the sight before him: various humanoid wisps of spectral flames, wracked with palpable agony and undeniable fury.

Documentaries never quite got across just how otherworldly the Ghosts were...nor did they truly get across just how furious they looked, with their blazing red eyes.

On some level, he thought it was quite appropriate that one of them looked like Tomochika. Perhaps this is my just desserts?

Alas, he could only mutter. "Shit..." Somehow, that got across the entirety of his frustration, fear, and resignation.

xxxx

Shinji Ikari frowned, feeling a strange whisper within the core of his being. 'Just desserts'...? What was pulling at him? And that voice...Toji Suzuhara? Suzuhara-san?!

xxxx

Two voices spoke in unison: his own, and the monstrous Beast.

"You've been given the key."

There was a sense of knowing.

"Are you capable of acting?"

A sense of...purpose.

"Will you choose?"​

xxxx

Without saying anything, Hamlet grabbed Shinji and leapt, shooting down like a rocket towards the shoreline.

"SHINJI-KUN?!"

"IKARI!"

Misato and Kensuke's shouts went ignored, as his mind became consumed by a singular motivation. Ayanami's words faintly echoed in the back of his mind, guiding him.

("Ponder the pattern that your thoughts carve. Sense the boundaries of your soul, the define you in relation to others.")​

But once he emerged, things would be different; in the real world, his Persona would not be there.

("Personas are unable to manifest in our physical reality..." explained Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, on the first day after his arrival in Tokyo-3. "The fusion of mind and soul, the embodiment of Persona and Spirit...that, Shinji Ikari, is what we call Evangelion.")​

This would not be a spar. This would be for real, just like on the train...

("You simply need to remember, and hold on tight to whatever may come. If you do not control it, you will be devoured...either here, or in the battles to come. It wants to break free. But for there to be control, you must accept the pain that comes with letting it out. Take hold, and set it free.")​

...somehow, that stark reality was comforting. He had to act, or perish...and somehow, the fact that it was for Suzuhara's sake made it easier, as compared to simply fighting for himself.

Reality started shifting, as the surreal colors of the Metaverse began to fade from his mind's eye...

xxxx

Toji honestly thought he was going to die. Part of him was even okay with it. It would have been like balancing the scales, or something like that. The rest of him wanted to rant and scream and cry about the sheer unfairness of it all.



Then, as if his day hadn't gone crazy enough, a boy literally phased into existence in the sky, falling towards his position. "What the...?" A very familiar boy. "...Ikari?!" WHAT THE HELL?!

Blue flames began to flicker around Ikari's falling form, even as his eyes turned...yellow...wait, why was Ikari digging into his friggin' FACE-?!

"Come forth...SHOGOKI!"

Then he somehow pulled a purple monster out of his face and it was about that point where reality stopped making sense. "...wha...huh...?"

The Ghosts backed away right as Ikari landed, standing atop the shoulders of the violet beast; the very air thrummed and tensed with azure flames, seething from the furied specters and the strange creature. Ikari was wearing some weird-looking bodysuit, and that was honestly the least strange thing about this whole mess. "...I...Ikari...?" Then he turned back towards him, and Toji wished he hadn't.

Yellow eyes stared back, blaring with intensity that did not fit the meek boy that had taken Tomochika's spot in their dorm. "...get out of here," he growled.

As if given permission, Toji turned and fled, running away with all his might. The utter ridiculousness that he was leaving Shinji Ikari - of all people! - to stay and fight continued to linger. Guess running is all I'm good at...

 

[lockdownspartan]

It can be hard being powerless in these settings. Usually that results in said powerless people doing very stupid things to try to obtain power.

 

[Strypgia]

Doing seven impossible things before breakfast, hmm, Shinji?

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Shinji Ikari tried not to gulp as the wraiths began to swirl about him. So...these are what Ghosts are really like...

(The specter looked like it had shoulder-length hair, which was an odd detail to focus on. The last thing he noticed before running away was his sad expression...)​

From a distance, they had appeared almost stereotypically benign. However, their death toll could not be doubted.

(A civil war in a distant Russian province had spilled over into an area stricken by Angel Syndrome. The newscaster spoke solemnly as censored footage played behind him, showcasing azure wraiths descending upon the surprised beligerents...)​

And yet he here was, clad in the strange blue bodysuit, with eyes shining yellow; beside him, the bestial Shogoki snarled.

"Feckless remnants, slaves to a wicked design!"​

There was something about the Ghosts made him sad and angry in equal measure.

"Reminders of what has been lost; memories of those who have been taken!"​

The Beast raised its fists in challenge to the specters, which began to slip in and out of the ground; immaterial as they were, physical objects could not constrain their movements. Yet they could strike at his soul without issue.

So long as his Evangelion stood, would his soul be safe?

As though the universe had decided to answer his question, a Ghost erupted from beneath the groud, spearing through his body with an ethereal shriek. He expected a sharp pain, or an immediate cessation of life...but instead, he still remained standing, blinking dumbly.

Apparently, Dr. Akagi's words about Evangelion being the 'fusion of mind and soul' had been quite literally. Wait, how am I standing then? How am I even thinking-?!

The Ghosts hissed, turning their ire towards Shogoki.

"Bring your rage, undead spirits! Eternal rest awaits!"​

The specter bearing Tomochika's face - not that Shinji was aware - was smashed with a hard right hook by the Evangelion. Two other Ghosts latched onto Shogoki's shoulders from behind, only to be yanked off by titanic hands. The blue wraiths - number over a dozen at least - swirled around the violet creature like a maelstrom, smashing into its form. Orange octagons flared with each impact; each blow elicited a subtle pain from the core of Shinji's very being, every strike evoked a dull ache from the top of his spine. It was a sign that he was not invincible, that the Ghosts could still bring him down if they brought down Shogoki.

Mind and soul...Persona and spirit, dully thought Shinji, standing with eerie calm amidst the belligerent spirits. Not just my soul...but my other self as well...?

His other self smiled.

"It is not just me, anymore..."

His newer...selves...?

"You have chosen to take upon yourself more facets of humanity."

...that was right...

"They are yours to wield, so long as you still retain the strength to stand."​

Shinji reached deep within, for those he had bound himself to: the image of a musical horse-man arose from deep down. "...Agi."

Shogoki's eyes flashed, and it lashed out with an open palm. Orange light coalesced around a particular Ghost, before erupting in a flash of soulfire. The target wailed in shock, fading away with deceptive peacefulness.

The other Ghosts snarled, their unnatural anger still pushing them to attack.

The same horse-man played a serene song within Shinji's heart. "Media."

Spectral green light flared from Shogoki's eyes and mouth, and its presence became hardier; the vague pains that had built up within Shinji also vanished. With a thought, he called upon another: a talkative cat with a swift blade. "Cleave!"

With renewed vigor, Shogoki returned to the conflict, an orange blade of sharpened soul manifesting around its right hand.

 

[Strypgia]

This may lead to an awkward, but possibly cathartic conversation between Touji and Shinji later.

After the mystic-powered ass-kicking.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

The Angel observed in solitude, from the realm in-between.

In the passage of fate, there were threads that were close by: a frightened youth, running for all his worth; a plainclothes officer, patrolling near the lake, drawn by distant screams and faint flickers of blue; an experienced woman and a neophyte boy in the realm of lilim minds; and, most notably, a presence which weighed upon existence itself, even more so than that of the First and Second Children.

Such a presence deserved only to be cut down, before it could reach its prime.

The first attempt had been too subtle, too reliant on the unpredictable savagery of the human mind to cut down the fledgling warrior.

(A portal had been forcefully opened by the impetuous youth; after dragging the Third Child in with him, a minor manifestation was all that was needed to cut the television's cord in twain. Now, they were trapped in the lilim's cognitive world, sure to be devoured.)​

Alas, trepidation regarding the First Child's presence in the city - how experienced a warrior was she! - stayed their hand from anything more overt. The potential of a brutal response from the fledgling had also been a fear, for his wild rage had been enough to cripple Sachiel.

Sachiel: the first of their kin in an age to perish.

And yet, the Voice from Luna had been insistent: find the Third Child.

And so they would; in doing so, they would cut down this aspiring Champion, and damn the lilim to another age of doom and despair.

They deserved nothing less.

sssh

sssh

SSSH

SSSH​

But first...it was time to tie these threads together, into a singular convergence.

With a supreme act of will, the Angel extended itself through time and space, mind and matter, dream and reality.



xxxx

/The Cognitive Protection Center, Tokyo-3, the Metaverse/

It was a sudden alert that caught Goro Akechi's attention; a message from the A.T. Agents who were staffing the Panopticon notifying that one of the cells had suddenly gone empty. The vacancy was tied to that of Resident Alpha-Foxtrot-One-One-Nine-Epsilon.

The Chief Warden reviewed the information with disquiet; the Shadow belonged to one of Tokyo-3's law enforcement officers, one Noboru Hanamura. His Shadow hadn't broken out, and there was no sign of outward intrusion into his cell. What could this mean...?

Moments later, one of the various Ocular Drones on patrol found the Shadow's location, perplexing him even further. "What?"

xxxx

/Hakonesono Fujiashinoko Panorama Park, Near the Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, Tokyo-3/

Toji Suzuhara turned the dirt trail and nearly bowled someone over. "Shit man, sorry-!"

"Hold it there," admonished the stern looking man, flashing a police officer's badge with practiced ease. "Private Hanamura, with Tokyo-3 Community Safety. What's a kid like you doing out here by himself today of all days-?"

"G-Ghosts," he muttered, trying to order his thoughts, because hell he had left Ikari behind like a coward! "Someone's...fighting them-!"

The officer paled. "Damn it, need to call this in-" At that very instant, his breath caught in his throat. "Grk!"

The sudden change of motion caused Toji to look up into the officer's eyes. "Sir...?" He instinctively began to back away from the man, who had gone so unnervingly - familiarly - tense. "...sir...?!"

xxxx

/Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, the Metaverse/

The sight of warrior Archetypes emerging into existence - icons of stalwart strength and combat - from the vague haze was a sign of encouragement for Misato Katsuragi. "No sense of panic...he must be holding his own..."

"...aren't we gonna go back?" asked Kensuke Aida, apparently trying to decide whether or not he should geek out about the current turn of events. "Won't Ikari need our help?"

"Judging by the Archetypes his thoughts are generating, maybe not. Still, we need to observe...hold up." Misato paused, thumbing her A.T. Agent badge with concern. "Copy that Akechi, repeat?" Concern gave way to confusion. "What?" Confusion gave way to alarm. "How?"

A worm of worry wiggled through Kensuke's guts. "Uh...what's going on?"

"Nothing good, that's what," she snarled, looking upward into the technicolor sky; sure enough, Ocular Drones were beginning to converge at the cognitive double of Panorama Park. "Come on, we need to investigate!" She and her Persona quickly took off running.

"But what about Ikari?!"

"He'll have to hold his own for now!"

"It is time to test our limits," sagely advised Ozymandias.

"Yeah...I guess it is," said Kensuke with a gulp, following the woman alongside his Persona.

xxxx

/Eastern Shores of Lake Ashi, Tokyo-3/

The last Ghost bore the image of Kenji Tomochika; ignorant of this, Shinji Ikari felt only a grim resolve as his Evangelion's fist smashed into his face. If nothing else, there was a brief sense of consolation as the being faded away, bearing a faint smile.

Wisps of ethereal energy were slowly dissipating from the beach, a sign that the presence of the Ghosts was fading. The violet monster's body still thrummed with tension, but was beginning to visibly calm now that the battle had ended. "...it's...over...?" he breathed, somewhat hopeful.

At that precise moment, his NERV-issued cell phone buzzed.

With a spot of panic, he patted himself down - where did his pockets go?! - only to feel a hard satchel along the small of his back. Opening it up, he felt for his phone - seriously, why did the stuff in his pockets move there?? - and looked at the screen.

PATTERN BLUE DETECTED
PRELIMINARY LOCATION: FUJIASHINOKO PANORAMA PARK​

"...a Pattern Blue?" The warnings beaten into his head by Misato Katsuragi and Rei Ayanami elicited a brief twinge of fear. "An Acolyte..." He slowly turned, looking towards the distant public recreation areas with dawning apprehension. "...Suzuhara-san!" He took a step-

Water splashed behind him. Something firm yet alien, unyielding and unreal, wrapped around his and Shogoki's necks. With a surprised scream, both boy and Evangelion were yanked backwards, dragging them into - nay, through - the waters of Lake Ashi, into a dark abyss that did not belong on Earth.

Void gave way to something else, as he was pulled deeper and deeper towards something fierce.

"Thy end has been decreed, childe of Lilith," it promised with cold finality.

xxxx

TO BE CONTINUED

xxxx

/cliffhanger!

 

[Magus]

Binged this whole fic in an evening to find myself in a cliffhanger. Woe is me!

But seriously this fic is great! Major props to the author for so skillfully weaving the world's of Persona and Evangelion. Very curious to know what's up with Gendo and Rei. Also excited for whenever Asuka shows up!

 

[Strypgia]

Also excited for whenever Asuka shows up!

Click to shrink...

I'm gonna bet on 'there will be blood and screaming'.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

"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 quietly 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.

 

[grommile]

Israfel going for maximum troll factor, I see.

 

[Magus]

Hope we get to hear Asuka Strikes! in the next chapter!

 

[Strypgia]

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.

Click to shrink...

Best Girl is here!

before shitfing back

Click to shrink...

shifting

"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MONSTER WORTH A SCHEIßE!" she roared.

Click to shrink...

Other Best Girl is here!

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

/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.

 

[AurelioBahamut]

Acolytes are such BULLSHIT! Toji turned back and ran even faster.

Click to shrink...

Relatable feeling, Toji. Very relatable.

Don't worry, it gets worse.

But don'cha worry, you've got two special agents as dorm mates, they will take care of it.

Probably.

 

[Strypgia]

Hey, with Misato next to you, at least you're better off than before?