Descend - An Escape Adventure

"Before."


"There was some odd sort of feeling or sound... I'm not sure. And then I just...Was gone? I think?"

In any case, the group moved on to room 503.

---

"Well, that's the room Monika was to. No question."

Aqua looked around.

"No trace of that jacket... I guess someone really did take it. I wonder what's the point, though? Even if that Junko-girl seemed a little... odd, she doesn't strike me as the sort who would do something like that without reason or motivation."



"Another thing... You see that ink? I don't think that's going to come off, even with water. If my guess from before is right, then the punishment for failing the puzzle was going to be, that you wouldn't be able to hide the fact that you were searching the jacket from others. Combined with what Monika said about the number of the keys in the announcement... It makes me wonder..."

Aqua sighed. Right, incomplete information, making people fight for that information... Making people look guilty of every little misstep...



"I think somebody wants us to distrust one another..."

At Akechi's negative to trying to break the shower head open Junko didn't react with scorn like anyone would expect. Instead of that, she mimicked Monika and gave his back a soft pat. However feigned his dissapointment in himself was, Junko still thought he needed some encouragement.



"Hey hey~ Don't even worry about it, Akechi-kun! We don't keep you around for your amazing frame, after all~ Let's just try something else."

Monika's comment about the safe caught her attention, and she turned her with an inquisitive look. As refreshing as being outsmarted was, falling behind that particular girl felt somehow unnatural.



"So you already know the code? Are you gonna tell me how you figured it out or not? Because everyone's barely one step away from tying you up and leaving you behind, y'know! Being burdened with being considered suspicious because of a suspicious teammate would totally suck."

With that unsettling comment, Junko dropped the jacket she'd been holding for a while on the bed (there was no point in taking it in the first place) and silently stepped out of the room, expecting the other two to follow.

Edgeworth paced around the room. He appeared to be deep in thought.

LOGIC: 8 guests and 7 keys + a golden apple as a key + the Apple of Discord myth + "To the most trusted" inscription = ...


"That's likely the case, Miss Aqua. It looks like to progress in this "game", you need to gain the trust of the other players."


"But the players have unequal levels of information. Gaining information than the others don't have can give a person an edge... But this imbalance can sow distrust." Edgeworth stood leaning against the bedframe, across from the bolted windows.


"Aqua, may I see the screwdriver head? I didn't get a chance to examine it earlier." Turning to the other girl, he said, "Aleka, would you kindly check the bathroom? We should make sure we haven't missed anything."

"Oh, I don't think I... know the code exactly. I just want to guess. As for how I came to that conclusion..."

Monika smiles widely, meeting Junko's eyes.



"I'll show you next floor, and not a second before! As long as you're willing to help me out with it, I promise I'll show you!"

She turns towards Akechi next.



"That offer actually goes for you too! I mean, since you're here and all."

"Ah... Of course!"



Aqua followed Aleka's figure as the girl hurried outside, her silhouette disappearing as she closed the door behind her. As soon as she was out of sight, Aqua stepped up to Edgeworth.



"Here. This is it."

A solemn expression on her face, she handed the man the item. However, as soon as they were both holding it, instead of letting go, she kept holding on. Her eyes focused on his, she spoke slowly.

"Sir Edgeworth... No. Miles." 

She was on first name basis with everyone she knew, even queens and kings. If she wanted to know this person, she couldn't make exceptions.

"Can I trust you?"

She kept holding on, paying close attention to his expressions.

"You wanted Aleka to leave so we can talk eye to eye, right? Well, I've been wanting to do the same. I want to make sure that we won't make any mistakes. There's nothing more powerful in the world than the bonds between trusting hearts... But if that trust weakens and is twisted or broken, it can lead to calamity."

There was pain in her voice. It was clear she was speaking from a place of experience. 

"You seem like someone who sincere and unwavering in his ideals. I want to be honest with you and I want to trust you, but I have to be sure that that feeling is mutual before I do that. Of course, I can't exactly prove to you that I'm not lying, but..." she paused. "Maybe we can prove to each other that our intentions are pure? I'm sure that there's a way. There always is."

Edgeworth looked down at Aqua's hand still holding on to the rod, and look of slight displeasure crossed his face. He looked up to meet Aqua's eyes, his expression serious, taking in her words intently.

Aqua wrote:"Sir Edgeworth... No. Miles. Can I trust you?

You wanted Aleka to leave so we can talk eye to eye, right? Well, I've been wanting to do the same. I want to make sure that we won't make any mistakes. There's nothing more powerful in the world than the bonds between trusting hearts... But if that trust weakens and is twisted or broken, it can lead to calamity.

You seem like someone who sincere and unwavering in his ideals. I want to be honest with you and I want to trust you, but I have to be sure that that feeling is mutual before I do that. Of course, I can't exactly proof to you that I'm not lying, but... Maybe we can prove to each other that our intentions are pure? I'm sure that there's a way. There always is.

Edgeworth dropped his gaze and sighed, "If only there were a way to see the locks over people's hearts..."


He met her eyes again and in a quiet, serious tone, said, "Aqua. I've already decided to trust you..." Edgeworth pulled his other hand out of his pocket and placed it over Aqua's, "... with this."



Edgeworth stands a bit straighter. "I'm a prosecutor. It's my duty to find the truth," he says, his voice full of conviction, "and it's what I intend to do here in this hotel. Now, whether you'll trust me... That's for you to decide."

Almost at the point of blushing, Akechi scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed smile. Upon hearing his comrades' thoughts on the matter at hand, he nodded sagely and made an affirmative noise.



"Alright then, let's focus on finishing the puzzles we have the pieces to already. After that, we can run through these last few rooms and meet up with Mr Edgeworth again."



"Time is of the essence, I'm sure."




"Lead the way if you will, Junko," Goro requested informally, his arm reaching towards the exit as if to point out their destination.

"Yeah, of course you just wanna 'guess'! You've been guessing this whole time, haven't you!? I'll let you know, all attempts at bribing me will have absolutely no effect."



"That's because I have no apple, y'see! I'm as poor and helpless as you are!" she exclaimed as her hand reached for the door, exiting Room 510 and turning left towards Room 521. Junko took Akechi's permission to lead too seriously, and made her way to their destination in a quick, robotic pace.



"... I do wanna know what the trick is, however... So We'll let you live, for now!"

With such an ominous and pointless evil laugh Junko opened the door to their destination. The safe was waiting for them where it always had been, and she gestured at Monika to come inside before her.

"Aw, thanks guys! We're starting to become a real group of friends!"

Monika walks with a purpose over to the safe and crouches down in front of it.



"Ok. Let's do this. Dibs on whatever is inside!"

Quick as a flash she inputs the number "1621."

Meeting Edgeworth's intense gaze, Aqua only broke eye contact when she lowered her gaze towards her opened hand. So she stood for a few seconds.

"..."



"I see. You're really dedicated to shine light in this darkness. ... I trust you, Miles."

She stole a glance towards the opened door, just to be sure there were no others currently around. And then, she contained a laugh- the feeling of a weight constantly hanging over her shoulder, of the danger of the Realm of Darkness and the distrust so far shown in this situation suddenly felt lifted, and it left her breathing easy after what felt like a millenium.



"Hahah... Sorry. Feels like I didn't have a chance to trust someone in years. It's a good feeling."

Nodding to herself, she relaxed her stance.

"Let me help you with something, then. You were looking for the key to your briefcase, right? I can open it. Hold it out for me. ... I'll explain afterwards. It's a long story."

While saying so, she took a step back from Miles, and her free hand rose up in a fist. Soon enough, a flash of light would happen around it, and her Keyblade would form out of it.



From there, she'd just wait for Edgeworth's answer: if he complies, she's just gonna tap on the briefcase with her Keyblade twice.

"...!"



"Right."
Edgeworth holds out his briefcase for Aqua.

Monika glances back at Junko and Akechi, then swipes the contents from inside the safe. She tucks the apple into her jacket, then holds the folder up.



"Hey, Junko. Wanna trade?"

She steps back from the safe, still holding the file. Monika's expression has changed to be... remarkably similar to what it was like inside of the darkened room.



"I mean, you have something of mine, don't you? Something like this-" she waves the file around.

Having followed his companions to the room containing the safe, Akechi was genuinely surprised when it clicked open for Monika. Although somewhat deflated that he had been robbed of the opportunity to crack the puzzle himself, that feeling was quickly replaced by the shock of imminent betrayal.

"... Monika, was it? I'm not sure what you think we have of yours, but there must be a way to resolve all this amicably."

The boy detective looked somewhat concerned, but still confused. Whatever that file was, the literature club president seemed to be using it as leverage. Whilst the details were lost on him, Goro spoke without levity.

"Be reasonable. This is hardly the way to go about working together. Individually, we're weaker than as a team."

"..."

To say that Junko didn't expect something like that from the other girl would obviously be a lie. Her mind had already come up with 53 ways Monika would betray her the moment she first spoke to her. What she didn't expect was to find her Student File in that safe, the Hope's Peak logo proudly gracing the cover. Talk about forcibly advancing the script.

Looking back at Akechi for a second she gestured at him to stand back and let her handle the matter herself. She nodded at him with an unreadable expression before turning back to Monika.



"u-umm... you'd really try and blackmail... me? how could this be...? after all we've been through together..."



"... NOT! What are you, a fuckin' idiot!?  You're really throwing your whole life away, you dumb bitch!"

Junko coughed to clear her throat, her anger from that last second gone the next. Her eyes shot daggers at Monika, but she didn't appear to be in a compromised position at all.



"I gotta say, the fact that I'M already dissapointed bothers me a lot... I thought you would show your true colours a lot later. But to do it NOW, when we're barely in the Prologue...? This is really dissapointment, after all. You're nothing but a small fry."



"Go on, then. Open that file! Show Akechi-kun what deep, awful secrets I have to hide!"

Monika sighs, then simply... Hands the folder over to Junko. Or Akechi, whoever takes it first. She doesn't bother to read the information contained within.



"Well, if you don't care about it, then I doubt it's as important as... Nevermind. You're just going to keep pretending you don't have it. And you say I'm a bad teammate..."

She turns towards the door, obviously thrown by the poor turn of events.



"Well, this floor should almost be done now. Wanna check the other rooms?"

MONIKA immediately exits the room and stands in the hall, stonefaced.

"... huh, so you really were all talk... how despairingly pointless..."

Despite her dissapointment Junko willingly grabbed the file Monika handed them, and took a quick glance at it before rolling her eyes and turning it closed. She mulled over something in her head for a moment before turning towards Akechi and handing the file to him instead.



"Hey, you wanna take this with you? You've been handling all our info so far and doing a pretty good job at not leaking anything! And really, I don't mind if you wanna take a peek~! Since we're the only actual teammates around here, we gotta know each other~!"

Before the detective could refuse, Junko forcefully pushed the file onto his hands and hopped away. The tension from moments before had completely dissipated, somehow.

---

"What's this?"

Aqua picked up the letter in the suitcase and positioned it so that Edgeworth could see as well. She began to read:



Right underneath that, there was another piece of paper:

The truth is chaos. The truth is a puzzle.

Order it. Solve it.

On whose hands is their blood?

Underneath that, there was the first file. 
It looked like a print-out from an online encyclopedia:



Underneath that, there was the second file.
This one looked like a profile of some sorts...


The next file. 
This one was an entry from a print encyclopedia of sorts. 

The Tragedy

The Tragedy, shortened from The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History (人類史上最大最悪の絶望的事件), also called The Worst, Most Despair inducing Incident in the History of Mankind, is a major event in recent history.

The Tragedy has been described by various people as being an extraordinary form of social unrest, which quickly escalated into uncontrolled, meaningless chaos, violence, and death. This incident was caused by [Redacted] and the Super High School Level Despair.

Next up, there was... a comic book? Seriously...?



(Read it HERE)

The next file were a couple of magazine cutouts. 

(DON'T READ THIS PART IF YOU'RE WARY OF PERSONA 5 SPOILERS!!)

Spoiler:

Finally, there was one last file. This one was a genuine case file:

Case Summary
1/16, 2010
Tatsumi Port Island, Hotel Collier d'Harmonie, Lounge Area (3^rd Floor)
Description of Events:
Officer Kunio Kawamura left his post during work hours and retrieved his elderly mother, who suffered from Apathy Syndrome at the time, from the local hospital. He checked into a double room at the crime scene with her at 2:50pm, all the while carrying his on-duty firearm, a handgun (described closer under evidence) on him. At approximately 3:15pm, administration at the local PD is alarmed to Kawamura’s absence, and he is located at the hotel at 3:30pm. Attempts to contact him result in correspondence which has been judged as “mentally unsound” by the court psychologists.
4:00pm: Administration confirms that there are worries regarding Kawamura’s mental state. (The current hypothesis states that he was attempting to euthanize his mother at the hotel.) A police unit consisting of 2 detectives and several officers is deployed to the hotel to secure the situation. However, Kawamura’s mental state worsens, resulting in a hostage situation within the hotel. Attempts to deescalate by the present detectives fail. The ensuing gunfire (4:23pm) kills two tourists, both female.
(There seem to be a couple of pages missing…)

"Well, I'm glad we could resolve our differences-"

As the file was thrust into his arms, Goro crossed them with all the dexterity of an elephant in rollerskates. He briefly read the front of the folder before exchanging a look with Junko and, upon seeing that she had no qualms with it, flicked through its pages. There was genuine curiosity playing across the boy's face as his gaze devoured the information contained within the paper prison.



"So we're teammates then? That's an interesting thought. I don't think I've ever had a team to work with before."



"Well," backtracked Akechi with traces of soft laughter, "unless you count our teamwork thus far today."

After Aqua finished reading the letter, Edgeworth gently took it from her hand, reading over certain parts again.


"I wonder... why I was chosen for this role, when there are two detectives here as well?" Edgeworth pondered, "Do they lack the focus or intellect needed to commit to this task... or are they not among those whose intentions are pure?" Edgeworth's look was one of concern. He tucked the letter into his pocket, then turned to the rest of the files.


"I don't recognize any of these," Edgeworth said as he sifted through the papers, quickly scanning over them one by one, "some appear to be about our fellow guests... Aqua, you should take a look. Perhaps you'll find something meaningful to you," he says as he flips through the comic book, eyes darting across the pages.


After he's finished reading everything, Edgeworth is quiet for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. "I think we can infer from these documents that we're not all from the same world or time. New York and Japan are places that exist in the world I know, but I think I would've heard news of a superhero, or an event on the scale of this Tragedy..." Edgeworth takes a breath, hesitating for a moment. "Aqua... where exactly are you from? And what year is it?"

Edgeworth gathers the papers Aqua's finished reading, and folds them carefully into his suit, until only the case file and the page about The Tragedy remain in the briefcase. "If we find another way to open the briefcase, I think this is what's safest to show everyone. If we don't... would you be willing to open it like that again?"


"One last thing," Edgeworth says, picking up the apple and handing it to Aqua, "I think you should hold onto this."

"... Leaving aside the fact that what you just said's GOTTA be the saddest thing I've heard today...," Junko started, eyeing the boy with curiosity. She took a step forward towards him, trying to catch a peek into her file as well. "You can SO obviously count on me! Don't I sound really trustworthy from that file? That school treated us like lab subjects, but I made it out just fine~"

Without letting Akechi react, Junko raised her arm to pat at his head, ruffling his hair softly like you would a child.



"If we are both to... get out of here we'll need to be honest with each other, Akechi-kun. Relying on someone in a setting like this sounds like a pain, doesn't it? But if we both fulfill our end of the deal till the end, we'll be in a waaay better position than the others. So! No! More! Secrets!" She lowered her hand to rest on his back instead. "Does that sound alright to you?"

Full Name: Enoshima Junko (江ノ島 盾子)
Talent: Super High School Level Gyaru (超高校級の「ギャル」)
Class: 78-B
Date of Birth: December 24 199X
Gender: Female
Height: 169cm
Weight: 45 kg
Chest Size: 90 cm
Blood Type: AB+

Homeroom Teacher Comment: "Despite how frequent she is absent from class, and her poor grades (attached) in almost every subject, the student is performing just as her Talent would allow.
There have been several dress code violations from the student attributted to her Talent and consequently tolerated.
Relationship with classmates is surprisingly cordial. The student's been observed to participate in numerous class activities and socializing with the rest of the students.
More information about absences outside scheduled magazine photography sessions is needed."

For more information on the student's Talent Research Program, see attached document.

---

"..."

Aqua took great care reading through the files. A lot of it didn't make sense to her; terms from worlds she wasn't familiar with. However, she felt that she could still take a few things away from this with certainty. 

"Whatever is going on here, there's more than one power in play here. The person who wrote this..."

Aqua's eyes rested on the last sentence of the letter to Edgeworth. 

"May your heart be your guiding key..."

That phrase was ancient, as old as the myths about the war. But after the world was re-ordered, there shouldn't have been many left who this phrase was still passed down too. Other than the Masters, that is.



"But, this is a break of the order...! That's one of the most sacred rules." Aqua mumbled to herself. "Who would do something like that? Xehanort? No, this is different. He'd have shown himself by now. That man is too proud to stay in hiding for so long. And anyway, how would this help him? Then again, I don't even know what he's been scheming. I don't know anything about what has been happening in the Realm of Light. Nothing but what I've been told. Ahh..."

Aqua shook her head. She was talking to herself, of course, but what was the harm? Not like her words meant anything to the man with her. Her mind was racing, thoughts about her encounters with King Mickey and with Terra about two years ago... That odd men she ran into briefly a few months ago. She'd known that the Realm of Light had been threatened, but was this part of it? 

Why was she here...?

"I think we can infer from these documents that we're not all from the same world or time. New York and Japan are places that exist in the world I know, but I think I would've heard news of a superhero, or an event on the scale of this Tragedy..." Edgeworth takes a breath, hesitating for a moment. "Aqua... where exactly are you from? And what year is it?"

"..."

Aqua hesitated. Answering this question was something that went entirely against everything she'd been taught. 

"This is forbidden," she said. "Nobody is ever supposed to know about-! ... Well, I supposed it doesn't really matter right now, does it?" she sighed. "Somebody else has already broken the order. The golden rule that the worlds must never mingle and be made aware of one another. There's always been stragglers, of course. But I've never seen a... mass abduction like this."

Clearing her mind with one more shake of her head, Aqua finally nodded.



"You're right. It's pretty likely that everyone here comes from different worlds. I'm not supposed to tell you where I am from... And honestly, I doubt it would mean much. My home was destroyed years ago. I don't even know how long it's been."

One more sigh.

"I guess I should go into detail. It's gone this far, so I might as well go all the way... Alright, let me explain. 

"They say that long ago, the world was a single, united universe, that could be traveled freely. However, there was a war so terrible that it threatened to eliminate absolutely everything that existed. It didn't come that far, but as a result, the worlds were split from one another, not to ever take effect on one another again. You weren't aware that there were other worlds besides your own, right? Well, that's the norm. Most people don't know. They aren't supposed to know. There were only few survivors who remember what exactly happened...I happen to be part of an order who inherited the duty to keep that knowledge. That's why it's so strange..."

She pointed at the letter. 

"Here. That greeting at the very end. This isn't just a normal phrase. This is a greeting used by, well, my people. Something that existed before the war... Whoever wrote this must somehow know about our secrets. But most of everyone I know who could have known about it is..." she paused taking a heavy breath. "...Not around to share that knowledge anymore. I was supposed to be the last one. But I've been gone and lost in the dark for so long, I don't know what's been happening, who's been acting on what motives... I'm afraid I'm even more confused than before right now."

"If we find another way to open the briefcase, I think this is what's safest to show everyone. If we don't... would you be willing to open it like that again?"

She nodded.

"Of course. I'd like to be careful, though. As long as we don't know who's behind this, I'd rather not have my Keyblade be a target for abuse."

Her eyes shifted to the side.

"It's... a dangerous weapon. If there's anybody here who knows what it can really do, and they found a way to manipulate me... Let's just say it would be pretty bad, alright?"

"One last thing," Edgeworth says, picking up the apple and handing it to Aqua, "I think you should hold onto this."

"Me? But why?" Aqua asked. "Miles, you heard what the lady at the elevator said, right? The chance that we'll find another one so late is low. I have my Keyblade, I'm sure I could try and find another way out if worse comes to worst. Wouldn't it be better if you keep this one?"

Having finished with the file, Goro closed it with a satisfying snap and moved away from the girl next to him for the briefest moment to collect his thoughts. Although the information contained within the document seemed pretty much useless to anyone, it went without saying that the fact that Junko had been willing to part with it without checking the contents proved that she was at least mostly serious about her leap of faith. Seeing as he had little to lose from working with a seemingly like-minded individual, Akechi nodded once and gave a polite smile.



"So you're proposing that we cooperate and work towards a common goal, no strings attached?" the boy summed up simply, appearing to weigh up his options for a few seconds. "Sure. Why not."



"The truth is, it's kind of boring, having to do everything myself all the time. Besides, our odds of making it out of here shoot up massively if we have each other's backs."



"Now, you said something about being honest with one another, right?"

Pulling a shiny orb out from his trouser pocket, Goro gave his partner a innocuous look and tossed it to her. The golden apple was identical to the one that Goro had been safekeeping since the beginning, which he proceeded to hold up.



"I wasn't quite sure who I could rely on, if anyone, when I found that curious object. I'm not so worried anymore. Now, I've held up my end of things - what are you hiding?"

Spider-Man wrote:"Say, why don't you lead the way Detective? Afterall, you're the one with a badge here."

Adachi mumbles to himself. "Me? Ugh, what a pain in the ass..."


"Alright, fine. Uhh, how about going to the middle rooms, then? The others went to the other places, right? Let's start at the far end and see what's over there."

Adachi leads the way to the room 501. 503 seems to be busy with other people and the other rooms look like they hold nothing of interest.

"..."
After Aqua gave her explanation about the worlds and her Order, Edgeworth sat on the bed, taking a breath and exhaling slowly.


"This... raises more questions than answers," Edgeworth muttered, "but thank you for sharing this, nonetheless."

Aqua wrote:Of course. I'd like to be careful, though. As long as we don't know who's behind this, I'd rather not have my Keyblade be a target for abuse.

It's... a dangerous weapon. If there's anybody here who knows what it can really do, and they found a way to manipulate me... Let's just say it would be pretty bad, alright?

"... I see. Let's try to avoid revealing it indiscriminately then."

Aqua wrote:Me? But why? Miles, you heard what the lady at the elevator said, right? The chance that we'll find another one so late is low. I have my Keyblade, I'm sure I could try and find another way out if worse comes to worst. Wouldn't it be better if you keep this one?

"I was considering that between the two of us, you're more able to defend yourself if need be, and your abilities would be more useful in the field than stuck on this floor... I may still be able to solve this mystery if I receive information through the phone lines. But of course, I'd rather it didn't come to that... There's most likely at least one more key out there, otherwise I think we would have heard an announcement. Let's look for it. We can decide on who gets to keep the apple later... I suppose we can keep it in the briefcase for now."

Edgeworth examines the shiny surface of the apple before putting it in his briefcase and shutting it. He tests to see if the locking mechanism engaged. Then he walks over to the bathroom and knocks on the door.


"Are you finished in there Aleka? If there's nothing, we should move on to the next room."