Shin Megami Tensei: Sonata of the Collective

Bittersweet laughter

    I needed to know more. Everything I had other than the two friends in front of me was ripped away overnight, and the absolute dread and sadness that brought was held back by my questioning. I didn't have time to weep about how my life would almost certainly never be the same, because I had to focus on survival.
   "How long has it been since Yen was used?" Asked Keiji. I smiled at his question. Pixie placed her hand against her face, thinking for a bit.
   "Hmm- I think about five years at this point. But things sure have changed a lot in that time!" She responded. We all were taken aback.
   "Five years? We couldn't have just passed out for five years- That doesn't add up." Keiji said.
   "The world has ended and we're talking to a demon. Things clearly aren't happening logically." Umeko said. I thought for a moment. Devland. This had to do with Devland, I was sure of it. If I was going to know anything about what had happened, Devland would be at least the start.
   "We need to go to Devland's house. I know we'll find at least something there." I said. The other two agreed, having nothing better. So we went onward. It was painful to see the remnants of familiar places, never would they return to how we knew them. The smoothie shop in which we used to hang out after school was now a few bricks strewn about with half of the counter still standing there in the sand. The houses of old acquaintances now just ruins buried in sand. As we continued onwards, each one of us began to cry. We were on summer break just after sophomore year the night before, and now we looked on our town and saw nothing but death. But again, we didn't have time to cry. We neared Devlands house, and in the distance we could all see a city. It looked to be damaged, but the buildings were still standing. It was much more intact than our town. Keiji's face lit up, and he nearly started to cry again. 
   "We have to go there. As soon as you're done at Devland's I'm going there." He said with such conviction. Umeko looked on with hope as well. 
   "That hopefully means people. Im glad- I don't know how long I could make it alone with you before I pull all my hair out, Keiji." She said jokingly, beginning to cry as well. And all of us laughed. All of us in tears, but all of us together. We laughed like we did after school in that smoothie shop, or at the mall arcade. And it very well could have been the last time, but none of us wanted to think about that because in the moment, we were just three friends. Soon we were all embracing, in a crying mess all huddled together.
   "We're gonna make it through this. Whatever that even means." I said, wiping my face. We all stopped laughing, and stopped crying, and started continuing to Devland's house. We had nothing but each other now, and I would have done anything then to not lose that…