The Passive Ponderer (Hikaru's Awakening)

"I'm doing alright, guys. Just some cuts and bruises, but it definitely would've been worse if you guys hadn't shown up. I can't thank you enough, all of you. Now, for him..."

Hikaru turned from his allies and knelt down to the collapsed Shadow, looking straight into his eyes. Hikaru recognized that feeling in his heart when he first heard the Shadow mock and insult him. It was not anger that flamed up within him, nor was it confusion. It was fear; the creature before him spoke of Hikaru as only Hikaru knew. Hikaru knew that if he kept denying its validity as a part of himself, it would simply go crazy again. Hikaru decided to be the bigger man and finally open up to this creature and his... his... allies.

"Alright, look, Shadow me. About what you said about me just accepting whatever I'm told and just going with the flow, despite the terrible experiences I've had in... the past.

You were right.

All my life, I've been through dozens of life-changing experiences, most of which have thrown me into a path of life with more painful twists than I care to remember. My parents, my has-been friends, the... orphanage... I never asked for my life to end up like this. I've moved four times throughout my life, and I've lost my friends during every single move. After everything that I've been through, I... I could never fully open up to people. I couldn't call them... my friends without causing them heartbreak down the road. Bust, most of all..."

In an act of acceptance, Hikaru hoisted the Shadow up to its knees as well and wrapped him in a hug. He felt the tension in his heart begin to loosen, almost as if a weight he wore throughout his life was rising from his shoulders.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you all these years. You know me better than anyone else does. You... you really are me. Now, what do you say? Truce?"

Hikaru held his doppelganger close to him until it began to speak about a goth chick who had apparently set up the event and tried to kill Hikaru for some freedom. Hikaru leaned him back in time to see his breathing become more shallow until his body fell motionless. As Hikaru felt his body stiffen, the body disappeared in a flood of blue light.

In the light, Hikaru could spy a small pixie child fluttering in the sea of light. He gave a playful wink and cheerful smile before the light took him in again, turning it into a glowing tarot card with the symbol of the Fortune Arcana etched into it. Hikaru held the card between his hands before it faded away. Suddenly, he could hear the sound of a door swinging open and saw a blue doorway open before him. He jumped to his feet and, standing in the doorway, beckoned to his friends to enter.

"Come on, guys! I think this is the way out!"

Ignoring the fact that Mae had called him an attendant, Alexander smiled at the way Hikaru treated his shadow. After all of his awakening had happened and the door to the Velvet Room had appeared. Alexander began to wonder what Igor would have to say about him. When Hikaru stated that he thought the door was the way out, Alexander sighed and said "Looks like the truth is about to be revealed. If Hikaru needs any more explaining after this, I'll explain everything to him." Alexander then walked up behind Hikaru so he would be the second person to enter the door before he turned to the others and asked "So...um... Are you guys coming to? The young attendant turned back around and stared into the endless blue of the doorway before muttering "It's time to go home, or to my home at the very least. Hikaru, you wannna go first?"

Alexander then pulled out his notebook and began to draw the scene between Hikaru and his shadow, as well as his persona.

Kazuya just watched as Hikaru talk to his shadow that eventually fades away then turns into a persona. The persona was a small green fairy, Kazuya has no comment about it. Also, a goth chick? is that a clue? Kazuya doesn't know but whoever that is, she is undoubtedly an another enemy. a Primordial? a Devil? Kazuya still doesn't know and he wants to dig deep for more answers. He doesn't know also where to start investigating except for this alternate world Penecia but he can't abandon the rangers just because of this investigation. It was a hard decision but he decided to tell the rangers about this and see what can they say about this. This was a very important information and that goth chick must be found immediately before someone dies.

"Ok! let's go guys!" he said before following Hikaru in the blue door.

Well, this was a good piece of information... Whoever had set this up had also tossed Mae into Alternate Zela Academy... This couldn't continue anymore. Something needed to be done, and quick. Mae nodded at Alexander before following the rest of the crew through the familiar Blue Door...

[Mae Iharu has left the scene]

"Sure, let's see what lies beyond the door."
Hikaru stepped through the vibrant blue door, uncertain of what he would see. The sight was certainly something he wouldn't expect; it appeared that he was inside of a structure of some kind with circular porthole windows lining the halls, so Hikaru assumed he was on a ship. He glanced toward the hall to see that part of the wall had fallen away, exposing the hull of the ship to the surrounding ocean. A school of vibrant blue fish made its way into the ship and swam away. Afraid that he might be drowning, Hikaru attempted to hold his breath.

It took him a second to realize that he was able to take in air and breath despite the fact that they were underwater. Walking into a large room, Hikaru could see people shuffling through the room, with everyone wearing similar blue uniforms with golden buttons. Near the rear of the room, Hikaru could make out a man with a long, hooked nose wearing a black tux sitting at a table, a woman with white hair and a large blue book sitting beside him. He saw Alex following him and stopped him for a question.

"Where... exactly are we? Who are all these people?"

A goth chick huh? Maybe he was talking about the angels? Were they doing something wrong or were they trying to test the shadows aginst their originals? None of it made sense, but for now Quinn would enter the blue door, going into that strange boat for the first time in a week. It really was still strange.
[Exit]

After everyone had passed through the door, Alexander jumped in shock before sighing "I'm never going to get used to this place being shaped like a ship..." He then laughed as Hikaru tried to hold his breath before following the others into the next room.

When Hilaru asked where they were he smiled before saying "Hikaru, this is the Velvet Room and these people are the Attendants. These are the guys I mentioned that were kinda like my siblings. Oh, and that old guy is Igor, he's kinda like my boss.

"Velvet Room? Looks more like a sunk ship to me. This place... it seems pretty surreal. So, these people are your siblings? Does that make you... an Attendant as well? Wow... I guess I can understand why you were keeping this from me."

Hikaru couldn't help but inspect everything in the room; the silvery white hair and gold eyes of the Attendants shuffling from place to place, the powerful gaze of Igor falling upon either Hikaru and Alex or the cards resting on the table, and the unique mirror resting on the wall.

His thoughts then returned to the battle he witnessed, more specifically to the creatures his friends were summoning and the magic they could apparently use. Hikaru was able to attend a similar card to those the others were using, so he assumed he could do what they could.

"So, uh, Alex? I saw Kazuya, Mae, and Quinn summoning these creature things earlier during the battle. Now that my Shadow's gone, can I do that, too?

"You sure can, bud!"

The childish, jovial voice had taken Hikaru by surprise. He quickly shuffled around, looking for anybody who would have wanted to talk to him, but none of the Attendants seemed to pay him any mind.

"Was that you, Alex?"

I have continued the topic in: https://newarcana.forumotion.com/t2675-the-passive-ponderer-hikaru-s-awakening-continued#25128