Kobayakawa Memorial Hospital had been relatively...haphazard, in terms of its appearance within the Metaverse. Some halls were practically reflective on every surface, indicative of the obsessive cleaning by hospital staff, with four colored Mitama Archetypes floating about with abandon; however, the rooms varied in appearance, reflecting the cognition of the patients...or the general mood and atmosphere, alternating between dim and desolate grunge to places where cadavers lined the walls.
("Ah...kind of forgot that this place is also a research hospital..." murmured Kensuke Aida, as they tried to skirt around the intimidating Ghoul and Gurr Archetypes that hung around the outside. Trying to be discreet failed, as the horrid thoughtbeasts seemed to take great offense at their presence.)
Rooms dedicated to religious personnel stationed at hospitals - mandatory in light of potential Ghost activity - were rife with angelic and sagely-looking Archetypes, often guarded by intimidating Shiki-Ouji; meanwhile certain places had holes plunging into the basement, lined with bones all the way down.
(They both looked down one of the pits. A Pale Rider peered up at them silently from the darkness below. "...let's not go down there," whispered Kensuke.)
However, it had been productive in a very different way.
"
...look, I'll be frank with you," muttered the Yaksini Archetype; despite having been weakened by Ozymandias and slashed repeatedly by Hamlet, the demonic woman with purple skin still managed to look imperious and not intimidated in the least. Given that her only article of clothing was a red and white skirt, perhaps that had something to do with her lack of shame. "
It's hard to take you seriously when you're not looking at me."
Shinji, with his hands covering his face, replied, "I'm trying to be polite!"
"Come on Ikari, it's a literal figment of the imagination," replied Kensuke, who seemed less bashful than him.
"
See, at least he's honest about being a rotten pervert," retorted the Yaksini, her long black hair barely covering her breasts.
"Hey, it's just that I've seen worse on the Internet," shot back Kensuke, who only had a bit of a red blush on his face.
Shinji didn't know how to feel about that. "Look...we've already beaten you. Instead of destroying you, it's better to help us out, right?" To accentuate the point, Hamlet held his sword at the Yaksini's face.
The purple demon grinned, flashing her fangs. "
A fair point! Least you have some guts...which actually reminds me...of what I am! I am thou and thou art I!" The golden cuffs around her ankles and wrists shimmered, as did the horned tiara adorning her forehead. "
I'll make you pay if you chicken out!"
"...I won't."
"
Then with my blades, I'll help you consume your enemies..." With a flourish of azure light, the almost-naked woman dissolved, merging with Shinji Ikari.
"...I don't know how to feel right now," murmured Shinji, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.
"Neither do I. It
still weirds me out how you can use multiple Archetypes alongside your own Persona," countered Kensuke. "But hey, it means more power for you to use, right?"
"I guess." With Yaksini, that made three new Archetypes to call upon in battle, on top of Ara Mitama and Onmoraki. "I just...how am I supposed to think about the fact that in my mind, I apparently have a Shakespearean prince, a horse-man with a lyre, a cat with boots, a snowman, a dead chicken-demon...thing, a red
magatama with an angry face, and now a barely-dressed demon woman just...doing what? Hanging out? How does any of this work?!"
"How should
I know?! Personas are supposed to be reflections of parts of ourselves; there's
never been a documented case of anyone having more than one, much less being able to take Archetypes into themselves to use
like Personas. You are, quite literally,
one of a kind."
Shinji resisted the urge to pout. "...I don't really like being one of a kind..."
"Well, that's the way it is. Anyhow, according to the list, our first Shadow should be on the next floor!"
Shinji quietly followed Kensuke up the stairwell; sometimes, certain stairways seemed to go on forever - a reflection of just how much people in this hospital must of
hated stairs - which forced them to traverse floors to try a different one. The elevators...
(As the elevator doors in the lobby opened, they stared quietly at the seven white baboons sitting within, clad in Egyptian regalia and all reading from the same book. The Thoth Archetypes all stared back with yellow eyes, waiting for the elevator door to close. "...let's try the stairs," said Kensuke with a gulp.)
...well, they hadn't been accessible.
Emerging onto the eighth floor, they were near the end of the hallway; sure enough, there was something out of place: a holographic tag, bearing the combination of letters and numbers - Omega-Omega-Seven-Two-Zero-Alpha - designating the first Shadow on their list. Right beyond it, the hallway seemed to distort, looking awfully similar to the entrance of Kensuke Aida's Realm from two weeks ago in terms of its staticky appearance. "...how come they don't tell us who the Shadow is?"
"Randomized ID tags keep the names of unregistered Shadows from becoming public record; it's to minimize the chances of nefarious actors from specifically targeting people they may have a grudge against..." Kensuke looked around the hall, feeling a sudden sense of deja vu. "This place...why is it so..." The bespectacled boy paused behind him, coming to a stop; Shinji slowly moved forward, steeling himself for crossing the threshold. "...oh...
oh, wait Ikari-!"
Shinji crossed the barrier, entering the Shadow's Realm...
"
The hell are you
doing here?"
...and came to an immediate halt at the sound and sight of Toji Suzuhara.
